U.S. Supreme Court to weigh if race or politics was the main factor in redrawing
BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
WASHINGTON The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday will hear oral arguments in the long-running, back-and-forth legal battle over whether Louisiana should have two majority-Black congressional districts. The justices will sort out incon-
sistent court rulings and issue a decision that will shape politics in Louisiana for years to come. It also could dictate how legislatures across the nation balance the often conflicting requirements of the Voting Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause.
When Louisiana was required to draw new U.S House districts due to population changes in the 2020
census, it originally passed a map much like the old one, with five majority-White districts and one majority-Black district.
A group of Black voters, known as the Robinson litigants, filed a legal challenge arguing the Voting Rights Act required two majorityBlack districts, because roughly a third of the state is Black and the districts could be configured to be compact while linking communities with similar interests.
A federal judge agreed. Gov Jeff Landry and the Legislature created a new map with two majority-
Black districts. But a second group of “non-African Americans,” known as the Callais litigants, then filed their own lawsuit, claiming the new map relies primarily on race and is an illegal gerrymander under the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. A special panel of three federal judges ruled in their favor
That has left Louisiana in a legal limbo that the state wants the Supreme Court to address.
“To put the situation bluntly, the state is stuck in an endless game of ping-pong — and the state is the
Avenueof
opportunity
Plan for streetscape in downtown Lafayette eyes new park, improved walkability
BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor
Downtown Lafayette officials and others are moving forward on a streetscaping project on Lee Avenue that would improve walkability and spur commercial development
The Downtown Development Authority is still gathering public input on the Lee Avenue Corridor Plan, which spans from The Lofts at Municipal to the railroad tracks and would essentially create a second main street downtown. It also could include a space at the former site of the Alfred Mouton statue that
could be a public gathering space on that end of downtown.
Downtown officials held an open house event about the plan last month and could complete the planning process this spring, DDA Executive Director Kevin Blanchard said. The project, which would be similar to the Jefferson Street streetscape project years ago, is needed with an estimated 2,000 residential units planned over the next five years.
ä See LEE, page 4A
Federal report urges assessment of 8 bridges
BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer
The National Transportation Safety Board is urging Louisiana to assess the safety of eight of its bridges, including almost all of those crossing the Mississippi River in the state, in a new report following last year’s collapse in Baltimore. The Crescent City Connection in New Orleans, the Sunshine Bridge in Donaldsonville and the Mississippi River bridge in Baton Rouge were among those flagged in the report released Thursday Baltimore’s Francis Scott
Key Bridge, whose collapse after being struck by a container ship in March 2024 killed six people, was riskier than acceptable under the guidelines of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation, according to the report.
The NTSB, responsible for investigating infrastructure incidents, listed 68 waterway bridges across the country that have not gone through an assessment based on recent ship traffic and “therefore have an unknown level of risk of collapse from a potential vessel collision.”
bridges, including the Sunshine
River, in St. James Parish. ä See BRIDGES, page 4A
ball, not a player,” state Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a filing to the Supreme Court.
The state and Robinson litigants are now on the same side in pressing for two Black-majority districts.
The Callais litigants say they will lean on the special panel’s rulings in arguing their case.
“We’ll be focusing on the threejudge district court’s well-supported factual findings that the second Black-majority district is neither
Entergy’s power plans draw
Coalition argues against utility’s market control
BY SAM KARLIN Staff writer
Entergy Louisiana’s plans to procure billions of dollars worth of new gas-fired power is setting up a pivotal fight over the utility’s control over the electric market, with an unlikely coalition of opponents arguing that the company is set to heap huge costs on residents.
Entergy is planning to deactivate a host of aging power plants built in the 1960s and 1970s in the coming years. At the same time, the company is courting power-hungry data centers that require new infrastructure to be built. And the state’s energy-intensive petrochemical sector is looking for new power sources, particularly renewables that make their products more attractive overseas.
Those converging forces are creating what the Alliance for Affordable Energy, a consumer advocacy group, calls an “unprecedented inflection point” for the future of energy in Louisiana. And it’s creating strange bedfellows, with climate advocates aligned with the petrochemical industry in taking on Entergy, the state’s dominant utility
“What is being put into their pipeline is stunning,” said Logan Burke, executive director of the Alliance. “There’s just no other word for it.” Now, a yearslong debate over whether industrial customers should be able to break out of Entergy’s control over the power sector is coming to a head.
Entergy wants to buy 2 gigawatts of gas power to replace power stations that will be deactivated in the coming years. It is also asking for regulatory approval to build 2.4 gigawatts of natural gas-fired power stations to
STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
The Little Gypsy Power Plant is a gas power plant operated by Entergy in Montz.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
A federal report says Louisiana must assess the safety of eight of its
Bridge, which crosses the Mississippi
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
state capital outlay money
Schumer says he won’t step down as leader
WASHINGTON Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer says he won’t resign his post, despite pressure from some in his party after he voted to move forward with a Republican spending bill that avoided a government shutdown.
“Look, I’m not stepping down,” Schumer said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday The New York senator said he knew voting for the bill backed by Republican President Donald Trump would spark “a lot of controversy.”
“I did it out of pure conviction as to what a leader should do and what the right thing for America and my party was,” he said. “People disagree.”
Democrats last week were confronted with two painful options: Allowing passage of a bill they believe gave Trump vast discretion on spending decisions or letting funding lapse. After Schumer said he’d vote to advance the spending measure, 10 Democrats supported breaking the party’s filibuster and allowing the bill to pass Schumer’s move has sparked outrage from some Democrats and progressive activists who protested at his office and called on him to resign his position. They said they’d like to see him face a primary challenge — perhaps from New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The uproar prompted Schumer last week to postpone his book tour amid a series of planned progressive demonstrations. Schumer isn’t up for reelection until 2028.
Wildfires prompt evacuations in Carolinas
Wildfires forced a mandatory evacuation in one North Carolina county as emergency crews fought separate fires in an area of the state still recovering from Hurricane Helene, while South Carolina’s governor declared an emergency in response to a growing wildfire.
The North Carolina Department of Public Safety announced a mandatory evacuation starting at 8:20 p.m Saturday for parts of Polk County in western North Carolina about 80 miles west of Charlotte.
“Visibility in area will be reduced and roads/evacuation routes can become blocked; if you do not leave now you could be trapped, injured, or killed,” the agency said in a social media post.
The public safety department said a shelter had been established in Columbus, North Carolina
The North Carolina Forest Service’s online wildfire public viewer indicated three active fires in Polk County, with the two largest spanning between 1.7 and 1.9 square miles Two other fires were active in nearby Burke and Madison counties, with a third wildfire burning in Stokes County on the northern border with Virginia.
In South Carolina, Gov Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency Saturday as part of an effort to stop a blaze in Pickens County called the Table Rock Fire that started the previous day in an area within the Blue Ridge Mountains.
U.S. lifts bounties on senior Taliban officials
The U.S. has lifted bounties on three senior Taliban figures, including the interior minister who also heads a powerful network blamed for bloody attacks against Afghanistan’s former Western-backed government, officials in Kabul said Sunday Sirajuddin Haqqani, who acknowledged planning a January 2008 attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul, which killed six people, including U.S. citizen Thor David Hesla, no longer appears on the State Department’s Rewards for Justice website The FBI website on Sunday still featured a wanted poster for him.
Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said the U.S. government had revoked the bounties placed on Haqqani, Abdul Aziz Haqqani, and Yahya Haqqani.
“These three individuals are two brothers and one paternal cousin,” Qani told The Associated Press.
Pope released from hospital
Francis spent 5 weeks fighting double pneumonia
BY NICOLE WINFIELD, PAOLO SANTALUCIA and TRISHA THOMAS Associated Press
VATICAN CITY — A frail Pope
Francis returned to the Vatican on Sunday after a five-week hospitalization for life-threatening double pneumonia, and he made a surprise stop at his favorite basilica on the way home before beginning two months of prescribed rest and recovery.
The 88-year-old pope sat in the front passenger seat of his white Fiat 500L wearing nasal tubes to give him supplemental oxygen as he entered the Perugino gate of Vatican City, where his return brought relief after fears that his illness could be fatal or lead to another papal resignation.
Francis’ motorcade from Gemelli hospital overshot the Vatican initially and took a detour across town to stop at St. Mary Major basilica, where the pope’s favorite icon of the Madonna is located and where he always goes to pray after a foreign visit.
He didn’t get out of the car but gave a bouquet of flowers to the basilica’s cardinal to place in front of the Salus populi Romani icon.
The Byzantine-style painting on wood is revered by Romans and is so important to Francis that he has chosen to be buried in the basilica to be near it
The tour through Rome’s historic center came after Francis made his first appearance in five weeks to give a thumbs-up and brief blessing from a hospital balcony Hundreds of people had gathered on a brilliant spring Sunday morning to say goodbye and catch a first glimpse of Francis, who seemed to be gasping for air.
“I see this woman with the yellow flowers. Brava!” a bloated-looking Francis said in a breathless voice. He gave a weak sign of the cross before being wheeled
Gaza officials say Israel struck major hospital
BY WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip
Israel’s military struck the largest hospital in southern Gaza on Sunday night, killing one person, wounding others and causing a large fire, the territory’s Health Ministry said.
The strike hit the surgical building of Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis, the ministry said, days after the facility was overwhelmed with dead and wounded when Israel resumed the war in Gaza last week with a surprise wave of airstrikes.
Israel’s military confirmed the strike on the hospital, saying it hit a Hamas militant operating there. Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it operates in densely populated areas.
Like other medical facilities around Gaza, Nasser Hospital has been damaged by Israeli raids and strikes throughout the war
More than 50,000 Palestinians have now been killed in the war, the Health Ministry said earlier Sunday
The military claimed to have “eliminated” dozens of militants since Israel ended a ceasefire Tuesday with strikes that killed hundreds of people on
one of the deadliest days in the 17-month war
Israel’s unrest over Gaza and political issues grew Sunday, with anger at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as his government voted to express no confidence in the attorney general, seen by many as a check on the power of his coalition.
“I’m worried for the future of this country And I think it has to stop. We have to change direction,” said Avital Halperin, one of hundreds of protesters outside Netanyahu’s office. Police said three were arrested.
Israel’s military ordered thousands of Palestinians to leave the heavily destroyed Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in the southern city of Rafah. They walked to Muwasi, a sprawling area of squalid tent camps. The war has forced most of Gaza’s population of over 2 million to flee within the territory, often multiple times.
The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said it lost contact with a 10-member team responding to the strikes in Rafah. Spokesperson Nebal Farsakh said some were wounded.
Israel’s military said it had fired on advancing “suspicious vehicles” and later discovered some were ambulances and fire trucks.
back inside.
Chants of “Viva il papa!” and “Papa Francesco” erupted from the crowd, which included patients who had been wheeled outside just to catch his brief appearance.
Doctors say Francis needs two months of rest and convalescence at the Vatican, during which he should refrain from meeting with big groups of people or exerting himself. But they said he should be able to resume all his normal activities eventually His return home, after the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy and the second-longest in recent papal history brought tangible relief to the Vatican
and Catholic faithful who have been anxiously following 38 days of medical ups and downs and wondering if Francis would make it.
“Today I feel a great joy,” said Dr Rossella Russomando, who was at Gemelli on Sunday but did not treat Francis. “It is the demonstration that all our prayers, all the rosary prayers from all over the world, brought this grace.”
The Rev Enzo Fortunato, who heads a papal committee dedicated to children, said it was clear that Francis was happy to return home and would surely improve, especially after receiving so many get-well cards from children from around the world.
“If the first medicine was the affection of the children, the second medicine is definitely (going) home,” Fortunato said. “It will certainly speed up his recovery.”
At the Vatican, where a Holy Year is under way, pilgrims cheered and applauded when Francis’ greeting from Gemelli was broadcast live on giant TV screens in St. Peter’s Square.
“For me it was an important emotional experience to see him, because many people were waiting for this moment,” said Sister Luisa Jimènez, a nun from Francis’ native Argentina.
Another nun from the same order, Colombian Sister Angel Bernal Amparo, expressed concern, given his bloating and inability to speak much.
“He didn’t look well,” she said. “He couldn’t (talk) and I realized it was because of his breathing and, well, he left right there. But I was glad to have seen him.” No special arrangements have been made at the Domus Santa Marta, the Vatican hotel where Francis lives in a two-room suite on the second floor next to the basilica. He will have supplemental oxygen and 24-hour medical care as needed, although his personal physician, Dr Luigi Carbone, said he hoped Francis would progressively need less and less assistance breathing as his lungs recover
Ukraine-U.S. talks start in Riyadh
Russia-U.S. meeting to follow
BY DARYNA KRASNOLUTSKA
(TNS)
News
Bloomberg
Talks in Riyadh between Ukrainian and U.S. officials, part of an effort to end Russia’s three-year invasion of its neighbor, started on Sunday afternoon, Ukraine’s defense minister said.
The discussions are expected to be followed on Monday by a meeting between the U.S. and Russia. Moscow’s delegation has arrived in Riyadh, Tass reported, citing team member Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Federation Council’s committee on International Affairs.
“We are implementing the president of Ukraine’s directive to bring a just peace closer and to strengthen security,”
Ukrainian defense chief Rustem Umerov said on social media, adding that Sunday’s agenda includes proposals to protect energy facilities and critical infrastructure.
“Today we’re working through a number of complex technical issues — our delegation includes energy experts as well as military representatives from the naval and air components,” Umerov said.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday said that special emphasis on preparation for the meeting took place during a gathering of his military cabinet in Kharkiv Umerov attended that meeting, along with Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, Andrii Hnatov, the forces’ chief of general staff, and top Zelenskyy aides.
Mike Waltz, U.S. national security adviser said the upcoming talks among “technical teams” would focus on a potential Black Sea maritime ceasefire He suggested that would lead into discussions about
“the line of control, which is the actual front lines” of the conflict, which started when Kremlin forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
“That gets into the details of verification mechanisms, peace-keeping, freezing the lines where they are,” Waltz said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “And then, of course, the broader and permanent peace” including security guarantees for Ukraine.
It’s unclear how far discussions will advance in Riyadh, whether more meetings will be scheduled, or what con-
cessions Russia is prepared to offer Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state TV that negotiators from Moscow will be ready to discuss nuances of resumption of the Black Sea initiative in Riyadh, without elaborating. As of 2024 Russia occupied an estimated 20% of Ukraine in the nation’s east and southeast, including Crimea, with about 3 million Ukrainians estimated to be living under Russian occupation with millions more displaced and many others — including children deported to Russia.
Pope Francis gestures as he appears Sunday at a window of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABDEL KAREEM HANA
Displaced Palestinians who fled from Rafah amidst ongoing Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip arrive Sunday in Khan younis, Gaza.
service Meta’s massive data center planned for Richland Parish. A 1-gigawatt power plant can power about 876,000 homes per year, according to the Carbon Collective, an investment adviser
Those investments, along with other proposals by Entergy to build new infrastructure, will cost billions. And a group of petrochemical plants who are fighting to inject more competition into the market expect that ratepayers will see bills skyrocket if Entergy moves forward with its plans.
The Louisiana Energy Users Group, in a letter filed with the state regulator recently forecasts rates will rise by nearly 90% by 2030 compared with 2018 costs. The prospect of huge rate hikes comes at a time when customers are reeling from high costs everywhere, from utility bills to property insurance premiums.
The group, composed of big petrochemical companies such as Chevron and ExxonMobil, is seeking permission for those companies to build or buy their own power without going through Entergy Those plans have heightened a long-simmering argument between industry and Entergy.
Petrochemical companies say having their own power supplies would save residential customers money, but Entergy argues it would cost residential customers more in the long run.
The industrial customers want to instead be allowed to find other developers to produce 1,500 megawatts of renewable power and another 2,000 megawatts of “cogeneration” power, using heat to produce power more efficiently than traditional gas-fired power
The group wrote in a letter to regulators last month that continued delay with no action on the Louisiana Energy Users Group proposal “benefits Entergy at the expense of all ratepayers.”
The decision now rests in the hands of the Public Service Commission, which regulates Entergy and has debated for years about whether to allow more competition into the market. But Entergy is asking the commission to end the debate over the so-called “cus-
DISTRICTS
Continued from page 1A
compact nor consistent with traditional redistricting principles. It was purposely drawn relying predominantly on race,” said Edward D. Greim, the Kansas City lawyer representing the Callais parties.
But Cleo Fields, the Baton Rouge Democrat who occupies the newly created seat, believes the high court will deem the Legislature’s map appropriate. While acknowledging that “it is not the most compact district,” Fields said he thinks the Supreme Court will find the state complied with both the Voting Rights Act and the Equal Protection. Fields added that other Louisiana congressional districts are more spread out.
“For the Supreme Court to say you can’t do it like that would mean that no legislature in the country can draw congressional lines,” he said. Race or politics?
The ultimate question before the Supreme Court is whether in trying to comply with the Voting Rights Act, the Legislature relied too much on race, violating the Equal Protection Clause. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed because Southern states had created obstacles that kept Black citizens from participating in elections, including diluting Black voter strength by spreading their numbers across districts with White majorities. Voters in Louisiana’s majority-White districts have never elected a Black candidate to Congress.
Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act requires legislators to create a minoritymajority district when populations are large enough, geographically compact and follow traditional redistricting principles such as linking communities that share similar interests But the Equal Protection
tomer centered options” docket and allow it to move forward with building or buying gas-fired power plants.
The commission could take up Entergy’s request as soon as Wednesday Entergy called the projections from the Louisiana Energy Users Group of rate increases a “misleading ploy.” Spokesperson Brandon Scardigli said Entergy’s low rates for industrial users are a big reason companies choose to set up shop here.
“Louisiana has some of the lowest electric rates in the U.S. according to published data from the Energy Information Administration and expects that to continue when the legacy units are deactivated and replaced with highly efficient units,” Scardigli said.
He said the proposal from LEUG would not address problems with aging legacy units in areas where there are not enough transmission lines to get power in from other areas. If the Public Service Commission approves its proposal, he predicted it would shift “hundreds of millions of dollars a year to residential customers in Louisiana.”
Louisiana does have lower electric rates than the national average. But that doesn’t tell the whole story
A state audit released in Janu-
Clause forbids using race as the predominant factor in creating congressional districts. The clause is in the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which was passed in 1868 to protect recently freed slaves.
The Callais parties argue that Louisiana’s Black population doesn’t live close enough together to support creating two majority-Black districts. The fact that the new district stretches from Baton Rouge to Lafayette to Shreveport is evidence legislators were using race to draw a district with the goal of creating a second Black district, they argue.
That argument resonated with two of three judges on the special panel deciding the Callais challenge They ruled race was the predominating factor for the Legislature’s 2024 map. The Supreme Court’s ultimate decision will be made in the context of whether the panel’s majority was correct.
The third panelist, former 5th Circuit Chief Judge Carl Stewart, of Shreveport, disagreed with the majority He said the Robinson claimants presented evidence that while race was a factor, politics predominated. The new maps protected White majorities in the districts of three Republicans, House Speaker Mike Johnson of Benton, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Jefferson, and Rep. Julia Letlow of Start, and also targeted Baton Rouge Republican Rep. Garret Graves, who had run afoul of Landry and Scalise. Victoria Wenger, a New York lawyer with the Legal Defense Fund, which represents the Robinson litigants, pointed out that her clients preferred a second Blackmajority district between Monroe and Baton Rouge that had a sufficiently large and geographically compact minority population. But that map would have endangered the reelection of Letlow and Johnson, so legisla-
ary found Louisiana residents have paid increasingly more on average, for electricity over the past decade while experiencing increasingly less reliable service. That’s because residents use far more power than other states, utilities rely heavily on natural gasfired power plants and state regulators are understaffed, among other problems, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor found.
Louisiana has long struggled with high energy usage because of hot summers and homes that are not energy efficient
Proponents of the effort to inject more competition into Louisiana’s power sector have long argued it would help address some of the state’s chronic problems.
Entergy asked the PSC in January to end that debate and allow it to move forward buying and building new power plants.
In response, LEUG and the Alliance for Affordable Energy have hit back, arguing regulators should evaluate whether big chemical plants can save everyone money by finding their own power
Both sides argue the other would raise rates on customers.
“If they get all this approval for this new generation and it hits the ratepayer, we know that rates are going to skyrocket,” said Jay Connaughton, spokesperson for Am-
plify Louisiana, which represents several large power providers allied with LEUG.
He said it would be a “huge win” if they could keep the increases from hitting customers.
Whether residents would ultimately save money relies on a complex question of who is on the hook to pay for fixed costs already incurred by Entergy The Alliance for Affordable Energy suggests the commission could look at industrial customers paying an “exit fee” to offset those costs.
Connaughton said his group is supportive of the Meta plant and other data centers eyeing Louisiana. And he argues the state could be better-positioned to get new data centers if more power providers are allowed in.
Data centers require enormous amounts of electricity, straining the grid at a time when many states and utilities — including Entergy — say they are working to move away from carbon-emitting resources. The crush of new data centers being built to power AI projects are causing a supply chain crunch for parts needed to build gas plants, driving up costs. Entergy said in a statement it has been able to secure enough equipment to build the new power Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, a Republican who
often sides with Entergy, said he doesn’t see any reason to move away from the current system, where Entergy handles power for customers.
tors chose to target Graves’ 6th Congressional District instead.
“We certainly say politics was on par if not superseding how race was considered,” Wenger said. What justices might do
After Monday’s hearing, a decision by the Supreme Court likely won’t come until late May or June.
The court has several options.
It could accept the Legislature’s map, which would guarantee the second majority-Black district until the next U.S. census in 2030, or order legislators to redraw the map following instructions by the justices that may or may not require a second majority-Black district. Another possibility is sending the case back to the three-judge panel for a new map and a decision on whether a second Blackmajority district is needed or possible.
Two recent Supreme Court rulings, one from Alabama in 2022 and the other from South Carolina in 2024, offer clues to what the justices might be looking for in the Louisiana case. The Alabama decision, which required the state’s legislature to redraw its con-
gressional map to include a second Black-majority district, found that race can be a factor under the Voting Rights Act in states with
Skrmetta said he believes President Donald Trump’s administration will fix supply chain issues, and took issue with LEUG’s forecast about rates climbing. He argued in favor of the current system, saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
“Nothing stops these companies from building what they want for themselves on their property They don’t want that,” he said. “I see them trying to game the system to the disadvantage of the residential and commercial ratepayers of the state.”
Skrmetta is also working to curtail the state’s energy efficiency program, designed to fund projects to reduce the amount of energy customers use, calling the program “inflationary.”
Commissioner Davante Lewis, one of two Democrats on the panel, said the commission must grapple with who is going to bear the cost of the growth in power needs from data centers and industrial growth.
“Why should residential and small commercial users have to share some of these costs when if industry is the reason that we need more generation, shouldn’t they just pay for it?” he said.
Burke, of the Alliance for Affordable Energy, said Entergy is trying to build new gas plants because that’s what they know best, and because they’ve backed themselves into a corner by under-building the transmission system. Renewable developers have long argued that Entergy’s lack of investment in transmission — long-range, highvoltage power lines has stifled their ability to create more alternative energy sources.
Burke said the commission should take time to evaluate how to best handle the onslaught of new power needs without burdening residents. And, she argued, the status quo is untenable, with people already struggling to pay their bills.
“How do we do this without bankrupting families who already can’t afford to keep the lights on?” she asked.
a history of diluting Black voter strength, provided the second minority-majority district complies with traditional redistricting principles, such as compactness.
The South Carolina case allowed moving precincts because of race as long as state legislators have a political reason for doing so in that case to preserve a Republican seat in the U.S. House.
Several attorneys general from GOPrun states argued in a friend-of-the-court brief in the Louisiana case that the Voting Rights Act is violated only if minority populations are forbidden from registering to vote or are blocked from voting. Attorneys general from 19 Democrat-run states countered that spreading minority voters in small numbers across districts packed with White voters effectively keeps minori-
ties from being represented properly
A March 6 report from the Brennan Center for Justice, which is affiliated with the New York University Law School, found Black voter turnout in Louisiana’s new majority-Black district increased by about 6% in the November election.
Alice Washington, of Baton Rouge, one of the Robinson litigants, said she became involved when trying to understand voter apathy “I discovered that people didn’t feel that their vote mattered. They didn’t feel they had a voice,” Washington said. “In districts where you got a 70% majority and like a 30% minority population, there was never an opportunity where we were going to win and get our person in, no matter what we did. A second majority-minority district encourages citizens to want to vote, to want to become a part of the legislative process.”
Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate. com.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By JILL
Skrmetta
BRIDGES
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These are the eight Louisiana bridges identified in the report:
to prevent the deadly collapse, it says.
BY GERALD IMRAY Associated Press
CAPE TOWN, South Africa
The South African ambassador who was expelled from the United States and declared persona non grata by the Trump administration was welcomed home at an airport Sunday by hundreds of supporters who sang songs praising him.
Crowds at Cape Town International Airport surrounded Ebrahim Rasool and his wife, Rosieda, as they emerged in the arrivals terminal in their hometown, and they needed a police escort to help them navigate their way through the building.
“A declaration of persona non grata is meant to humiliate you,” Rasool told the supporters as he addressed them with a megaphone. “But when you return to crowds like this, and with warmth like this, then I will wear my persona non grata as a badge of dignity.”
“It was not our choice to come home, but we come home with no regrets.”
Rasool was expelled for comments he made on a webinar that included him saying that the Make America Great Again movement was partly a response to “a supremacist instinct.”
Rasool said on his return home it was important for South Africa to fix its relationship with the U.S. after President Donald Trump punished the country and accused it of taking an anti-American stance even before the decision to expel him.
The U.S. president issued an executive order last month cutting all funding to South Africa, alleging its government is supporting the Palestinian militant group Hamas and
Continued from page 1A
The initial work is being funded by $500,000 in state capital outlay money and $167,000 from the Downtown Economic Development District fund. Other issues to address include the overhead utility lines, drainage and sidewalks.
“We have a ton of really great opportunities up and down Lee Avenue,” Blanchard said. “(There’s) a lot of properties that property owners are interested in developing. Jefferson Street is a very successful street and has done a lot, but in order for us to continue to thrive, we have to put our investments in other areas.”
The concept of a public park at the site of the former Mouton statue could be the most visible aspect of the project. The site, a 5,000-square-foot triangle space in front at the corner of Lee Avenue and Jefferson Street, could include a number of things such as a benches or a water feature.
Ola Prejean, the widow of Fred Prejean with the Move the Mindset group behind the statue’s removal, recommended the space be named in his honor The space does not have a name and has a flagpole that was installed when crews conducted recent drainage improvements on Jefferson Street.
Fred Prejean, a longtime activist, died three years ago at the age of 75.
“It is our hope that because the
a reason, his post linked to a story by the conservative Breitbart news site that reported on a talk Rasool gave on a webinar organized by a South African think tank. In his talk, Rasool spoke in academic language of the Trump administration’s crackdowns on diversity and equity programs and immigration and mentioned the possibility of a U.S. where White people soon would no longer be in the majority
“The supremacist assault on incumbency, we see it in the domestic politics of the U.S.A., the MAGA movement theMakeAmericaGreat Again movement, as a response not simply to a supremacist instinct, but to very clear data that shows great demographic shifts in the U.S.A. in which the voting electorate in the U.S.A. is projected to become 48% White,” Rasool said in the talk.
Iran, and pursuing anti-White policies at home.
“We don’t come here to say we are anti-American,” Rasool said to the crowd. “We are not here to call on you to throw away our interests with the United States.”
They were the ex-ambassador’s first public comments since the Trump administration declared him persona non grata over a week ago, removed his diplomatic immunities and privileges, and gave him until Friday to leave the U.S.
It is highly unusual for the U.S. to expel a foreign ambassador Rasool was declared persona non grata by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a post on X on March 14. Rubio said Rasool was a “race-baiting politician” who hates the U.S. and Trump.
Although Rubio didn’t directly cite
On Sunday he said he stood by those comments, and characterized them as merely alerting intellectuals and political leaders in South Africa that the U.S. and its politics had changed.
“It is not the U.S of Obama, it is not the U.S. of Clinton, it is a different U.S. and therefore our language must change,” Rasool said. “I would stand by my analysis because we were analyzing a political phenomenon, not a personality, not a nation, and not even a government.”
He also said that South Africa would resist pressure from the U.S. — and anyone else — to drop its case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The Trump administration has cited that case against U.S. ally Israel as one of the reasons it alleges South Africa is anti-American.
space is now clear and a positive space for downtown Lafayette that it could be named in his honor,” she said. “He was involved in civil rights activities his whole life. That (statue) was something he did in his last chapter It seems fitting that triangle be named in his honor.”
The streetscaping effort has been planned for a couple years and at one time would have incorporated a massive 208-unit, mixed-use apartment project with a parking garage. But issues still remain on the street, including sidewalks that are in need of repair and the overhead utility lines and the apartment project has been shelved Lee Avenue will be the home of an 83-room hotel that is planned
at the former Don’s Seafood and Steakhouse site, and plans for the adjacent parking lot could include a multifamily project.
Officials with the First United Methodist Church have had talks about developing property the church owns at the corner of Lee Avenue and Main Street but have not solidified plans for it, pastor Nancy Wofford said.
The streetscaping effort, Wofford said, will be a way to increase walkability
“I wander around downtown all the time now, and it’s a comfortable, safe place where people do gather and community grows,” Wofford said. “What I see on Lee Avenue is we’re not gathering here. We’ve got some pretty different communities and by ex-
n Greater New Orleans Bridge (New Orleans)
n Crescent City Connection
Bridge (New Orleans)
n Huey P. Long Bridge (Jefferson Parish)
n Hale Boggs Bridge (Luling)
n Sunshine Bridge (Donaldsonville)
n Veterans Memorial Bridge (Gramercy)
n Mississippi River bridge/I-10 bridge (Baton Rouge, officially named Horace Wilkinson Bridge)
n Israel LaFleur Bridge (Lake Charles).
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development says it has conducted a vulnerability assessment on all of the bridges flagged in the memo, a representative for the agency said, and plans to respond within 30 days.
“DOTD stands by the statement that if a bridge is open, it is safe to drive over,” said Daniel Gitlin, a public information officer for the department.
The Louisiana agency noted that the national report does not suggest that the 68 bridges are “certain to collapse,” but rather that bridge owners, like DOTD, should evaluate how vulnerable they are to collapse.
But the report also stresses that the owners of the 68 waterway bridges “are likely unaware of their bridges’ risk of catastrophic collapse from a vessel collision.”
Had the Maryland Transportation Authority assessed the Key Bridge using the standards outlined in the report, the state agency would have known of the risks and could have strategized
After conducting vulnerability assessments, the transportation safety board wants state agencies to develop risk reduction plans that include short and long-term strategies and consider vessel safety in waterways, according to the report.
All of the potentially risky bridges noted in the report were constructed before the national highway and transportation association representing state departments across the country — released its guidance in 1991. The Louisiana bridges in the report were built between 1936 and 1989.
“DOTD currently has mitigation measures in place to reduce the risk of incidents, as does the Coast Guard and the ports,” a department spokesperson said. Some of these measures include vessel tracking systems, advanced warning protocol and helping large tankers while docking.
Among the 19 states named in the report, Louisiana trailed behind only New York for the number of potentially risky bridges. Texas and California each had seven bridges in need of assessment.
At least one of the bridges named in the report has been in the spotlight due to its potential vulnerability
The Sunshine Bridge in Donaldsonville has already been the subject of a federal investigation after a crane barge crash in 2018. A DOTD engineer, citing computer modeling, said the crash should have caused the bridge to collapse, and state officials said that the Sunshine Bridge is seen by the agency as one of its “fracture critical” bridges.
Email Josie Abugov at josie. abugov@theadvocate.com.
community.”
Members of the Acadiana Veterans Honor Guard, American Legion Post 241, raise the American flag during a 2023 dedication of a new flagpole in the space that formerly held a statue of Confederate Gen. Alfred Mouton.
Also in the streetscape effort is an attempt to address the drainage issue along Lee Avenue, which is the lowest part of downtown since the street was built over a coulee, Blanchard said. City officials, he said, have a design to dig up the street install giant culverts and cover it back up as a sort of covered coulee.
Removing the utility lines would be a significant move for development, he said. A big reason the Jefferson Street streetscape project was successful was it involved putting utility lines underground. “Jefferson Street was just like Lee Avenue, but it was just a bigger mess,” Blanchard said. “It was controversial, but I can tell you we would have killed downtown if we wouldn’t have done it. Part of the beauty of a planning process like this is you just try to show people that things can be different. They can be a lot different.”
panding the streetscaping, I think we offer the opportunity for these different communities to become a
Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@ theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
A cyclist pedals onto Lee Avenue in downtown Lafayette where officials and others are moving forward on a streetscaping project.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE
The concept of a public park is eyed for the space where a statue of Confederate Gen. Alfred Mouton was removed in 2021.
ISTANBUL Hundreds of thousands of opposition supporters gathered outside Istanbul city hall Sunday night to protest the arrest of the city’s mayor, a key rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Earlier Sunday, a court formally arrested Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and ordered him jailed pending the outcome of a trial on corruption charges.
His detention Wednesday morning sparked the largest wave of street demonstrations in Turkey in more than a decade, with large crowds gathering outside city hall for the fifth night in a row. It also deepened concerns over democracy and rule of law in Turkey.
His imprisonment is widely regarded as a political move to remove a major contender from the next presidential race, currently scheduled for 2028.
Government officials reject the accusations and insist that Turkey’s courts operate independently
“If you weren’t here today, if you hadn’t rushed here since the first day, if you had yielded to tear gas and barricades, if you had gotten scared and remained at home, then
today a caretaker appointed by Tayyip Erdogan would be residing here in this building,” said Ozgur Ozel Sunday night, pointing at city hall as he spoke to the massive crowd chanting anti-government slogans.
Ozel is the head of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, to which Imamoglu belongs.
The prosecutor’s office said the
court decided to jail Imamoglu on suspicion of running a criminal organization, accepting bribes, extortion, illegally recording personal data and bid-rigging. A request for him to be imprisoned on terror-related charges was rejected although he still faces prosecution. Following the court’s ruling, Imamoglu was transferred to Silivri prison, west of Istanbul.
The Interior Ministry later announced that Imamoglu had been suspended from duty as a “temporary measure.” The municipality had previously appointed an acting mayor from its governing council.
Alongside Imamoglu, 47 other people were also jailed pending trial, including a key aide and two district mayors from Istanbul, one of whom was replaced with a government appointee. A further 44 suspects were released under judicial control.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Sunday that 323 people were detained the previous evening over disturbances at protests.
Largely peaceful protests across Turkey have seen hundreds of thousands come out in support of Imamoglu. However, there has been some violence, with police deploying water cannons, tear gas, pepper spray and firing plastic pellets at protesters in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir some of whom hurled stones, fireworks and other missiles at riot police.
The formal arrest came as more than 1.7 million members of the opposition CHP began holding a primary presidential election to endorse Imamoglu, the sole candidate.
The party has also set up symbolic ballot boxes nationwide to allow people who are not party members to express their support for the mayor Large crowds gathered early Sunday to cast a “solidarity ballot.”
“This is no longer just a problem of the Republican People’s Party, but a problem of Turkish democracy,” Fusun Erben, 69, said at a polling station in Istanbul’s Kadikoy district. “We do not accept our rights being so easily usurped. We will fight until the end.”
Speaking at a polling station in Bodrum, western Turkey, engineer Mehmet Dayanc, 38, said he feared that “in the end we’ll be like Russia, a country without an opposition, where only a single man participates in elections.”
At the time of Sunday night’s protest, the vote count had reached around 15 million people, of which around a little over 13 million were from nonparty members voting in solidarity In a post on social media, Imamoglu praised the result from Silivri Prison, writing that the people had told Erdogan “enough is enough.” “That ballot box will arrive, and the nation will deliver a slap to the administration it will never forget.”
Canada’s PM, his opponent kick off election campaigns
Both say Trump must respect country’s sovereignty
BY ROB GILLIES Associated Press
TORONTO New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Conservative opponent said U.S. President Donald Trump must respect Canada’s sovereignty as they kicked off their election campaigns Sunday against the backdrop of a trade war and annexation threats from Trump. Carney announced there will be a five-week election campaign before the vote on April 28.
“We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump’s unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty,” Carney said.
“President Trump claims that Canada isn’t a real country He wants to break us so America can own us We will not let that happen.” The governing Liberals had appeared poised for a historic election defeat this year until Trump declared a trade war Trump has repeatedly said that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state and he acknowledged Friday that he has upended Canadian politics. Trump’s almost daily attacks on Canada’s sovereignty have infuriated Canadians and led to a surge in Canadian nationalism that
has bolstered Liberal poll numbers.
The election campaign for 343 seats or districts in the House of Commons will last 37 days. Although other parties are running, the Liberals and the Conservatives are the only two that have a chance to form a government The party that commands a majority in Parliament, either alone or with the support of another party, will form the next government and its leader will be prime minister Carney replaced Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January but remained in power until the Liberal Party elected a new leader on March 9 following a leadership race by the governing party The opposition Conserva-
tives hoped to make the election about Trudeau, whose popularity declined as food and housing prices rose and immigration surged. But after decades of bilateral stability, the vote is now expected to focus on who is best equipped to deal with Trump.
Carney said the choice for Canadians is a “Canadian Trump or a government that unites the country.”
Trump put 25% tariffs on Canada’s steel and aluminum and is threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products — as well as all of America’s trading partners on April 2.
Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservatives, is Carney’s main challenger The
party and Poilievre were heading for a huge victory in Canada’s federal election this year until Trump’s neardaily trade and annexation threats derailed them.
Poilievre said he will stand up to Trump but Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, a conservative ally, said in an interview that Poilievre would be “very much in sync” with the “new direction in America.”
“The content of this interview is very bad news for the Conservatives because it reinforces the Liberals’ narrative about Pierre Poilievre and his perceived ideological proximity with Donald Trump,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in
Montreal.
Poilievre said he will stand up to Trump.
“I will insist the president recognizes the independence and sovereignty of Canada. I will insist he stops tariffing our nation,” Poilievre said as he launched his campaign.
“I know a lot of people are worried, angry and anxious. And with good reason as a result of the president’s unacceptable threats against our country.” Carney still hasn’t had a phone call with Trump and that might not happen now until after the election. Trump mocked Trudeau by calling him governor, but he has not yet mentioned Carney’s name.
By The Associated Press
SAN DIEGO A month after
an official with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection was found slain at her home, the woman’s wife has been arrested in Mexico on suspicion of murder, authorities said. Investigators had named Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi as the prime suspect in the Feb. 17 stabbing death of Cal Fire Capt. Rebecca Marodi, 49, in Ramona, near San Diego.
Olejniczak Marodi was arrested Saturday at a hotel in the city of Mexicali, just south of the U.S. border, according to officials in Mexico. Mexican state security agents transferred her to U.S. marshals and she
was returned to the United States, according to a statement from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office. It wasn’t known Sunday if Olejniczak Marodi, 53, has an attorney.
She will be booked into custody in San Diego, and the investigation into Marodi’s killing remains ongoing, the statement said. Marodi, a decorated captain with the state agency, was part of the battle against the Eaton fire in January near Los Angeles. She and Olejniczak Marodi had been married for just over two years.
Olejniczak Marodi was previously convicted in the fatal stabbing of her thenhusband, James Joseph Olejniczak, the Los Angeles
Times reported. She pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter after the stabbing in 2000 and served nearly a decade in prison.
Olejniczak Marodi had been at large since Marodi’s death and had driven into Mexico the night of her death, according to the statement from the Sheriff’s Office. She was seen on surveillance video earlier in the evening “arguing with Rebecca and physically assaulting her” before leaving the house, the statement said.
Home security footage from a surveillance camera at the couple’s home depicted a brutal scene on the evening of Feb. 17, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the Times.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By HUSEyIN ALDEMIR Riot police officers use pepper spray
Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent
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2-year investigation preceded arrest Woman’s death initially ruled a suicide
BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer
After the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest last week of Ray Charles Fontenot Jr in his wife’s 2023 death, the Sheriff’s Office released details outlining why the death was initially ruled a suicide.
Fontenot was booked on sec-
Officers accused of using excessive force
Video captures encounter with men who were arrested
BY JA’KORI MADISON
Staff writer
A family has filed a complaint against the Lafayette Police Department after a viral video showed officers allegedly using excessive force on two men during a traffic stop. The complaint, filed March 17, claims that multiple officers used excessive force on Keilon McZeal and Donavon Celestine during the stop around 6 p.m. March 15.
According to Ebony Manuel, sister of McZeal and sister-in-law to Celestine, the two men were coming back from a store when they noticed police lights behind them. As they approached, Manuel and others were outside a home and saw the vehicles pull up slowly “but then the cops immediately hopped out of the car with their guns out,” she said. Manuel took out her phone to
Man convicted in fatal shooting
2 killed while sitting in vehicle
BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer
A St. Landry Parish jury after two hours of deliberation on Thursday convicted Sanplice Simien, 48, of the first-degree murder of Michael Thomas and Ladarious Keller Late Thursday afternoon, the jury also found Simien, who is from Palmetto, guilty of three counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to the St. Landry Parish District Attorney’s Office. In early October 2020, the five victims were sitting in a parked truck on Cook Street in Morrow, when Simien approached the truck from the driver’s side and opened fire with a handgun in each hand, authorities said. Thomas, 29, of Washington, died at the scene and Keller, 20,
ond-degree murder in the April 2023 death of his 35-year-old wife, Brittany Guillory Fontenot.
Officials initially ruled her death was a suicide, which raised suspicions among her family after they learned she had been shot three times in the head with two different firearms.
According to a statement released Thursday by Evangeline Parish Sheriff Charles Guillory,
deputies were dispatched April 13, 2023, to L’anse Aux Pailles Road after a call from Ray Fontenot reporting his wife’s alleged suicide.
Ray Fontenot told authorities that while he was getting ready for work, he could hear a popping noise coming from the couple’s home. When he went to see what caused the noise, he said, he found his wife with a gunshot
wound under her chin. When he approached her, he told police, she got a handgun from inside a safe and shot herself a second time in the head.
Ray Fontenot said he struggled with his wife before she pointed the gun to her head once more and fired a fatal shot.
Guillory said his department, believing the death to be suspicious, requested assistance from Louisiana State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tions. After a nearly two-year investigation, investigators were able to establish enough evidence in order to obtain an arrest warrant for Fontenot, according to the sheriff.
A warrant was secured on Wednesday, the sheriff said, and Ray Fontenot was arrested in Lafayette Parish, with assistance from the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office.
He is being held in the Evangeline Parish Jail with a $2 million bail.
MUSIC AND ART
ABOVE: Dancers enjoy the music of the Jourdan Thibodeaux band Friday during the Sterling Grove Festival in the historic neighborhood on the north side of Lafayette. LEFT: Festival creator Ravi Daggula, right, congratulates George Marks for his work creating an artist community in Arnaudville.
Endangered turtles released after months of rehab
BY JULIA GUILBEAU Staff writer
In the back of a large SUV, 15 small sea turtles wrapped in wet towels and packed in individual banana boxes awaited their new lease on life Thursday, preparing to swim off the Louisiana coast after their journey back from the brink of death.
The turtles launched from the beaches of Grand Isle on Thursday, released in the warm Gulf waters by Audubon Aquarium Rescue after months of rehab and being nursed back to health.
The Kemp’s ridley turtles were brought to Louisiana in December, flown in from New England in critical condition after they were “cold-stunned” from extended exposure to frigid temperatures. They’re the first of the full group of 28 to be released back into their natural habitat.
The young turtles, all named after constellations, were guided
into the sea by rescue team members who waded into knee-deep water as Grand Isle residents, Audubon volunteers and groups of schoolchildren watched from the sand.
Dr Loga n Mc Al l i ste r, Audubon Aquarium Rescue’s veterinarian, described the scene as a full circle moment.
“It takes a whole village to get them there,” McAllister said, praising the other members of her team who helped to get the turtles back to a clean bill of health.
Kemp’s ridley, the world’s smallest sea turtle species, are found primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, renamed the Gulf of America by President Donald Trump Populations crashed during the 20th century as the turtles faced habitat loss and dangers from fishing gear
Today, they are one of the most endangered turtle species in the world.
Kemp’s ridley turtles typi-
PHOTOS By ROBIN MAy
STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
An endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle leans into a wave as it gets released into the Gulf along the beach at Grand Isle on Thursday
How to make a Canadian curse
The old saying goes, “If you are ever bored by a Canadian’s politeness, just call him an American and see what happens.”
It’s odd, but not being American is what binds us Canadians most. It’s not that we hate America, though I worry that may be changing, but we define ourselves by our differences.
That’s why America is sticking a finger in every Canadian’s eye each time President Donald Trump calls us the 51st state. Imagine how Americans would react if a larger country announced plans to absorb them. This month, all my Canadian friends, both liberal and conservative, have canceled their trips here to see us in New Orleans. Canadians are now hardened against America such that voluntarily joining is not even conceivable We feel betrayed. We stormed the beaches of Normandy with Americans. We fought and died with you in Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan. We housed you after 9/11, fought your fires in Los Angeles, and, by many accounts, our Mounties were the first help to arrive in Chalmette after Katrina.
In the coming months, we should expect a disinformation campaign claiming that Canada has suddenly become communist, and that we now suppress free speech and enable fentanyl. They will say we practice unfair trade, but Trump himself negotiated the current trade agreement in 2018, calling it “the fairest, most balanced and beneficial trade agreement we have ever signed into law.”
The fact is Canada actually has a trade deficit with the U.S. if you subtract the energy we export to keep American factories running.
Taking over Canada is Trump’s shallow quest for personal glory and nothing more. Please don’t believe the hype. There is too much to lose. I can’t think of two countries with a stronger friendship.
DAVE DENNY New Orleans
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE ARE OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’s city of residence.The Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com. TO SEND US A LETTER SCAN HERE
YOUR VIEWS
Secretary of Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections Gary Westcott,
holds up a photo of murder victim Molly Elliott, while Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill speaks at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola following the execution of Jessie Hoffman on March 18. To Murrill’s left are Angelique Freel, executive counsel to the governor; Seth Smith, chief of operations at DOC; Adrienne Aucoin, general counsel for DOC; and Jonathan Vining, executive counsel for DOC
Legal
process is what makes executions ‘cruel and unusual’
The biggest problem with the death penalty in Louisiana, and in the other states utilizing capital punishment, is that the fatuous legal (don’t call it judicial; that adjective accords the system too much honor) priesthood condones and effectively encourages the penalty’s transformation into a cruel, cowardly, haphazard, horribly expensive, time-consuming, serial appeals game and never-ending drama of eleventh-hour delays. It’s wrong to ask victims’ families to help determine when and if the ultimate penalty will be sought and to shoulder for decades what should be society’s burden of defending the more moral and humane thing to do in the face of inevitable criticism by selfrighteous do-gooders and their fellow saints basking in mutual moral acclaim. What’s deemed unusual by the latter people — essentially capital punishment in its entirety — would be usual if the intent of the Legislature were followed reasonably And the objectors’ arguments regarding the cruelty of various means of execution are often no more than quackish opinion.
According to the lawyers representing
him, Jessie Hoffman should not have been lawfully killed for the notably cruel 1996 abduction, rape and murder of Molly Elliott because Jessie Hoffman’s method of execution, nitrogen gas, would prevent him from practicing his Buddhist breathing meditation during “the period between life and death,” whatever that means.
According to former Gov John Bel Edwards, for whom I voted twice and still like but who turned out to be a death penalty opponent on the sly, Louisiana somehow cannot find lethal and painless execution drugs while the U.S. is awash in fentanyl and other opioids that in 2021 put over 70,000 Americans to sleep, presumably accidently and reasonably comfortably but certainly permanently Possibly since confiscated drugs are illegal, we cannot use them because they might be hazardous to the health of people being executed. The arguments against capital punishment are often astoundingly stupid and disingenuous.
RON SAMMONDS Baton Rouge
Congress must reclaim its authority to rein in Trump
Jan. 20 marked both Donald Trump’s inauguration and Martin Luther King Day, alongside a significant snowstorm in Baton Rouge. While the weather is uncontrollable, voters have a say in choosing their leaders. Trump and his supporters claim a mandate for his policies, but his 2024 election win, receiving only 32% of eligible votes, contradicts this assertion. Kamala Harris garnered 31%, with 37% abstaining from voting, showing widespread disillusionment with both candidates and the political system.
The Democratic Party’s decision to stick with Joe Biden, despite concerns about his mental fitness, led to Harris, an unqualified choice for president. Many voters rejected Trump due to his divisive rhetoric, narcissism and role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. His attempts to undermine democracy further damaged his credibility The Constitution’s checks and balances are meant to prevent the concentration of power in one individual, yet many Republicans who initially condemned Trump later changed their stance.
Trump’s early actions, including immature proposals like making Canada the 51st state and pardoning those involved in the Jan. 6 attack, reflect a disregard for diplomacy and the rule of law His handling of the conflict in Ukraine, claiming Ukraine started the war, further highlights his lack of integrity and credibility Trump’s admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his authoritarian style raise alarms about his potential ambitions to implement a similar system in the U.S.
Jessie Hoffman spent almost 30 years on death row for the rape and murder of a young married woman when he was 18 years old. There were many reasons to oppose his execution. Two stand out.
One, the death penalty does not work. If anything it may incite crime, including rape and murder Two, we don’t yet have the tools to understand violent crime. Why did Hoffman violate and murder a young woman who he did not know and had no reason to harm? If we cannot answer this question, how can we say the punishment fits the crime in this, or any murder case? It was my unpleasant duty to defend a firstdegree murder case in Tennessee almost 50 years ago. The first thing my able co-counsel
did was to ask our client to write down the story of his childhood and adult life. We presented the awful facts of his childhood (e.g. his mother slit her wrists in his presence when he was 3 years old) to the jury, and that’s what kept him out of the electric chair Did the lawyer who defended Hoffman paint a picture of his miserable childhood to the jury that voted to have him executed? Knowing the facts, would the jury have spared Hoffman’s life? I haven’t read the trial transcript in the case. But chances are that the jury was not well informed in his old trial or we would not have been debating his fate.
ROGER STETTER New Orleans
Cassidy must take on leading role in promoting vaccine safety
“First, Do No Harm”: It’s an ancient principle of medicine, dating back to Hippocrates, but U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician, has done harm — to us and to the children of Louisiana by betraying his country and his own legacy as a leader in public health when he put the Department of Health and Human Services into the hands of a medically ignorant, uniformed anti-vaccine activist with no health care training or experience.
As health care professionals who have, in fact, seen the dire consequences of vaccinepreventable illnesses, we call on Cassidy to protect the childhood vaccine schedule for our nation and our state by using his power
as the chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions to call for hearings on vaccine safety, demanding carefully researched evidence under oath. We also remind our neighbors that there is an active measles outbreak in Texas, caused by low vaccination rates. This outbreak has spread into other states as well. And measles is more contagious than COVID; if your children haven’t yet been vaccinated, today would be a great day to get that done.
MARY ELLEN ALEXANDER registered nurse
DONNA GLEE WILLIAMS, registered nurse
VERONICA P. ALEXANDER, M.D
The health of our democracy requires commitment to integrity, accountability and the rule of law Congress must protect these values, rather than blindly following a false narrative of a “mandate.” Otherwise, we risk descending onto a path that undermines the core principles of our nation.
BESE does no service to La.’s students with renaming Gulf
It is truly sad to hear that the Louisiana BESE members have agreed to the current U.S. president’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. They would have done much better for the Louisiana people by standing up for what makes sense and not bowing down to what seems to be merely one person’s isolationist ego trip.
Today it’s the Gulf of Mexico. What will be next? In George Orwell’s book, “1984,” the powersthat-be control the people’s history and language and can alter it whenever they choose. Is that what they really want? Because that is just what has happened here. And I live very near the Gulf of Mexico.
DENISE L. PADDOCK New Orleans
LINTON NAQUIN JR. Baton Rouge
STAFF PHOTO By JAMES FINN
far right,
COMMENTARY
ROLE REVERSAL
Louisiana’s deep into crawfish season and loving it, but it looks like this guy is in deep trouble and needs some help! What can he possibly say to get outta this predicament?! Send in your funniest punchlines and see if you can save him… and WIN!
Be witty, funny, crazy, absurd or snarky — just try to keep it clean.There’s no limit on the number of entries.
The winning punchline will be lettered into the word balloon and run on Monday, March 31 in our print editions and online. In addition, the winner will receive a signed print of the cartoon along with a cool winner’s T-shirt!
Some honorable mentions will also be listed.To enter, email entries to cartooncontest@theadvocate.com
DON’T FORGET! All entries must include your name, home address and phone number Cell numbers are best.The deadline for all entries is midnight on Thursday, March 27. Have fun, folks!— Walt
Congress key to rescinding Biden-era tax rule
Last November, Americans overwhelmingly voted in favor of President Donald Trump’s agenda to eliminate waste, end government overreach and cut through bureaucratic red tape. Yet in the waning days of Joe Biden’s lame-duck presidency, his administration snuck in destructive rules and regulations that have stymied American companies by subjecting them to needless oversight and bureaucratic hoops. Among them is an unlawful set of new reporting requirements for business partnerships and their basisshifting transactions.
Michael Chittom GUEST COLUMNIST
businesses, including many here in Louisiana. The Biden-era unit is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, billions of taxpayer dollars which Democrats claimed would in part modernize IRS systems and go after tax cheats. In reality, the money is being used to force companies to submit redundant reports on transactions that had already been fully reported on their previous tax returns.
Scalise to tackle the bloated federal bureaucracy Our delegation has fought consistently to rein in an IRS that has been hellbent on harassing businesses and American taxpayers. Speaker Johnson has consistently pledged that the Republican majority would work with the Trump administration “to eliminate wasteful spending and policies that do not serve America’s interests.”
In state focused on LSU law prof, injustices rampant
I hate cruelty I’ve hated it all my life Still, I’m fascinated by it. I have always wondered how any person could deliberately harm another human being or animal and not feel terrible about it.
Ken Levy GUEST COLUMNIST
As many readers know, over nine weeks ago, I was suspended without notice or a hearing from teaching at LSU Law School because an anonymous student alleged that I had made “inappropriate” remarks in my very first Administration of Criminal Justice class ever on Jan. 14. Specifically I referenced Louisiana Gov Jeff Landry in the context of explaining why I inserted a rule in the syllabus that students may not record or distribute recordings of my class. Ironic, right? And I referenced President Donald Trump in the context of giving an overview of the course and the casebook.
In both cases, I used profanity There is no rule at LSU against using profanity or making relevant political comments. And if the two separately are permissible, then the two together are equally permissible.
On Jan. 28, I filed a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against LSU in state court in Baton Rouge. On Jan 30, Judge Don Johnson granted my TRO, but the First Circuit Court of Appeal stayed it on the grounds that LSU could not be ordered to reinstate me until after an evidentiary hearing. We had the evidentiary hearing on Feb. 10-11, and Judge Tarvald Smith granted my injunction.
But once again, the First Circuit first stayed the ruling and then ruled on Feb. 20 that, even with an evidentiary hearing, the courts cannot order LSU to reinstate me.
In order to arrive at this conclusion, they had to invent a brand new rule: There is just no such thing as a mandatory preliminary injunction. On March 5, I appealed this baseless decision to the Louisiana Supreme Court. That very same day, LSU filed a “reconventional demand,” which is a fancy term for trying to make me pay their attorney’s fees.
Basis-shifting is a commonly used, fully legal process, and the targeting of these transactions runs counter to the tax laws passed by Congress. To enforce these nonsensical requirements, the Biden IRS established a specialized investigative unit, filled with career IRS staff, to engage in onerous and unlawful audits meant to instill fear in American
The unit also forces companies to tediously comb through every transaction made over the last six years to avoid massive financial penalties for alleged noncompliance. The whole process is a classic case of costly government overreach, throwing job-creating companies into an unnecessary and destructive limbo funded by the American taxpayer Louisianans elected a strong federal delegation including Sen. John Kennedy, Sen. Bill Cassidy, Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve
While the Department of Government Efficiency team works to weed out wasteful and inefficient government programs, the sheer scale of bureaucratic bloat means our congressional representatives will be key to highlighting programs and rules ripe for elimination. Our Louisiana delegation should continue to act on behalf of taxpayers and call on Trump to disband the Biden-era investigatory unit for good and rescind the onerous reporting rules.
Michael Chittom is the former chair of the Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish.
Russia’s Putin on the blitz in Ukraine
The cliche has been that the ball is now in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s court Not any longer Putin has responded to U.S. appeals for a cease fire in the war with Ukraine with a strong backhand, rejecting a cease fire in his unprovoked invasion. Now the ball is in President Trump’s court. What will he do?
On “Face the Nation,” Ambassador Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, said Putin and President Donald Trump would hold a phone call. Witkoff said he met in Moscow with Putin for more than three hours. He called it a “positive momentum” that the two presidents would be talking to each other, but gave no indication of where that “momentum” might lead.
Cal Thomas
Just think about that: LSU not only suspended me without notice or a hearing for mere words; they now want me to pay them for having the nerve to ask the courts to repair this injury And this is on top of the $50,000-plus I have already racked up in legal bills. Fortunately, my GoFundMe, “Leave Levy Alone,” has received this much in donations. People across the state and country know injustice when they see it.
What I have not been able to figure out is why LSU is so hellbent on destroying me Even if my use of profanity and criticisms of two Republican politicians had been untenable (which they weren’t), nobody got hurt. My words did not cost anybody their lives or health or jobs or money
Yet LSU has been pursuing me as if they had. Why the absolute ruthlessness? Why the crusade to ruin my reputation and career? Why the unwavering effort to reduce my 16 years of teaching at LSU, and me, to a few selected seconds of just one class — again, my very first class teaching a new subject?
Let’s not forget who the real villain is and it’s not Ukraine. Russia now occupies about 20% of that country Given Putin’s stated goal of reclaiming all the former Soviet territories, it’s unlikely he will cede a foot to Ukraine. Trump has repeatedly bragged about the personal relationships he has with Putin, North Korea’s Kim Jung Un and China’s Xi Jinping.
In a forthcoming column for the publication Independent Arabia, Trump’s former National Security Adviser John Bolton a frequent critic of the president — writes: “Personal relations have a place in international affairs, as in all things, but they are not decisive factors in national-security decision-making, especially for the world’s hard men. These authoritarians are cold-blooded and clear-eyed in knowing what their national interests are, and they pursue those interests unhesitatingly.”
In the disastrous meeting in the Oval Office with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said to Zelenskyy: “You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now.” It would
Witkoff declined to answer a question by host Margaret Brennan about comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron that Putin is not genuinely seeking peace He said he didn’t know what Macron had said (easy enough to Google) and so would not comment. On the same program, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “ It’s hard to negotiate an enduring end of a war as long as they’re shooting at each other, and so the president wants a cease fire That’s what we’re working on, assuming we can get that done.” Putin has laid down heavy conditions for a cease fire and has claimed reaching one might only give Ukraine time to re-arm
appear that Putin not only has the cards, but the entire deck and he’s the dealer Putin is not likely to give up much, if anything, by appeals to his ego. That might work in some cases with Trump, but dictators are different Even a cursory look at history proves the point. The problem all along is that under former President Biden the objective was never clear Biden provided just enough arms to Ukraine to create a stalemate with Russia, but not enough for victory Putin apparently believed he could wait out Biden, even while thousands of his soldiers were slaughtered, thinking he might get a better deal with Trump.
After watching the film “A Complete Unknown” about the life of Bob Dylan, I was reminded of when in 1963 Dylan and Joan Baez performed a version of the Pete Seeger song “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” Where have all the soldiers gone? Gone to graveyards every one. When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?
That sentiment appears to be of great concern to President Trump, though his goal of a cease fire looks remote without conceding victory to Putin. As for the Russian dictator, graveyards for his soldiers appear to be of no concern at all. Email tcaeditors@tribpub.com.
There is so much injustice in Louisiana alone, and yet the “wrong” that LSU is choosing to concentrate all its efforts on is profanitylaced criticism of public officials? How do LSU leadership and LSU’s counsel in this matter, Jimmy Faircloth, continue with this vicious campaign, day after day, and not have any misgivings? Where is their conscience?
In his very popular book “The Power of Now,” Eckhart Tolle suggests that people inflict “mental, emotional and physical violence, torture pain, and cruelty on each other” because, rather than being “in touch with their natural state, the joy of life within,” they are “in a deeply negative state” and “feel very bad.” I will not speculate on whether LSU leadership or Faircloth “are in a deeply negative state” or “feel very bad.” I am certainly not in a position to psychoanalyze any of them. But it is difficult for me to imagine decent, compassionate human beings knowingly and willingly engaging in this kind of relentless inhumanity If LSU didn’t like what I said in class, the reasonable, proportional response would have been to do what initially happened two days after the infamous class: ask me to tone down the profanity It was not to suspend me without notice or a hearing a suspension that has now lasted over nine weeks. It was not to fight tooth and nail in court to continue this unconstitutional suspension. And it was not to make me pay over $50,000 in legal bills — or thousands more to LSU in attorney’s fees simply to keep doing my job.
Ken Levy is the Holt B. Harrison Distinguished Professor of Law at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at LSU.
BY AIDAN McCAHILL
Staff writer
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is threatening legal action against rapper Boosie Badazz over the use of Caleb Wilson’s name for a scholarship fund, citing objections from Wilson’s parents who say they were unaware their son’s name was being used to promote a rap festival.
On Friday, Baton Rouge native Boosie, born Torence Hatch Jr., announced he was launching a Caleb Wilson Memorial Scholarship during his sixth annual Boosie Bash, a three-day rap festival, this year featuring GloRilla and DaBaby, that takes place on Southern University’s campus.
Wilson, a Southern University student and trumpet player for the Human Jukebox, died after an off-campus hazing ritual last month involving the Omega Psi Phi
fraternity, sparking national attention and packed memorials on the campus and in New Orleans.
Boosie told WBRZ he was working with the Wilson family and the Human Jukebox to initiate the scholarship, and added that some of the proceeds from the festival would go to a scholarship fund.
But according to a statement
Saturday from Murrill, Wilson’s parents did not give consent for organizers to use their son’s name in connection to the event, and are now requesting that his “name, image, and any reference to a scholarship for him be removed from all promotional materials,” according to a release from Murrill’s office.
Murrill told The Advocate that Boosie contacted Wilson’s family last week about the scholarship Murrill said the family told her they believed Boosie was making an initial donation to a scholarship
associated with Southern University, not using Wilson’s name for one. The family also said Boosie failed to disclose its connection to his upcoming festival, according to Murrill. The attorney general said she is unaware of any firm commitment that proceeds from the event would fund the scholarship, calling the situation a “massive misrepresentation to the public.”
In her statement, Murrill wrote: “I intend to take legal action due to their misappropriation of his name and image to promote their for-profit event. This is not a charitable event.”
Representatives for Boosie and the festival did not respond to The Advocate’s requests for comment. However, WBRZ said it reached out to the rapper’s representatives and they stood by Friday’s interview
Email Aidan McCahill at aidan. mccahill@theadvocate.com.
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LOTTERY
depending on capacity As the only group in the state that rehabilitates marine animals they are dedicated to rescuing any sea turtles that are found sick, injured or dead.
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of hosp 19-year was and required surgery, while a fourth victim, a 21-year-old from Lebeau, was uninjured, the St Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office said in an October statement. Deputies said Simien
SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 2025
PICK 3: 1-2-2
The Audubon center tries to take in groups of cold-stunned Kemp’s ridley turtles each year,
miss their cue to head south and get stuck in the New England winter leaving many young adults — like the newlyreleased group— hypothermic. When the turtles first arrived to Audubon’s marine life rehabilitation center in New Orleans in December they were all battling pneumonia, with some suffering from frostbitten lesions, McAllister said The four-person core team at the marine rehab center used antibiotics and topical treatments, some applied daily or every other day, to help the turtles recover The pod of 15 released Thursday was the first group to arrive at the rescue. A second group was flown in a month later, and rescuers are hopeful they’ll be released next month.
McAllister said any resident who spots a stranded turtle can call (877) 942-5343 to report the sighting.
“We are grateful the jury brought justice and some peace to these families for these violent killings,” District Attorney Chad Pitre said. Chief felony prosecutor Alisa Gothreaux reprethe esbe an first10 count of attempted first-degree murder Sentencing is set for May 8. Email Kristin Askelson at kaskelson@theadvocate. com.
inator with the Audubon Aquarium Rescue, assists Jerome Holmes, a state park employee, with releasing an endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle named Hercules off the beach at Grand Isle on Thursday.
ROARING RETURN
Flau’jae fuels LSU’s lopsided tourney win; readies for second round
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
The LSU women’s basketball team’s first shot of the NCAA Tournament doubled as the first field-goal attempt Flau’jae Johnson had taken in over three weeks.
The star junior stood in the left corner, open behind the 3-point line. The shot she tried wound up rolling off the rim, bouncing off the backboard and pausing — for just a fraction of a second — above the front of the iron.
“Then the ball rattled in,” Johnson said.
And what followed was not only one of LSU’s most dominant wins of the season, but also one of its most commanding performances of the past four years.
The No 3 seed Tigers beat No. 14 seed San Diego State on Saturday 103-48, setting a program-record NCAA Tournament points total in the process.
BY KEVIN FOOTE
Following SEC title, LSU gym ranked No. 1 seed
Tigers head to regionals with top rank for first time
BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer
BIRMINGHAM,Ala. — The confetti came down, the smiles came up, and one important point came to LSU coach Jay Clark’s mind as he watched his Tigers celebrate their second straight Southeastern Conference gymnastics championship.
“I told them they didn’t have to share this one,” Clark said Saturday on the SEC Network after the meet. LSU and Oklahoma tied for the SEC regular-season title despite the fact the Tigers beat the Sooners head-to-head in a conference dual meet on Feb. 14. LSU finished runner-up to OU in January in the four-team Sprouts Collegiate Quad in Oklahoma City The Sooners, competing in their first SEC championship meet, were ranked No. 1 from the preseason until Saturday, but no more. LSU’s score of 198.200 gave the Tigers the nation’s top National Qualifying Score at 198.115. OU dropped to No. 2, though its NQS remained unchanged at 198.040. It is the first time LSU will go into NCAA regionals ranked No. 1 nationally The Tigers will have the No. 1 overall NCAA seed when regional announcements are made at 11 a.m. Monday on ESPNU. NCAA regionals will be April 2-6 at Alabama, Penn State, Utah and Washington. The top two teams from each regional advance to the NCAA Championships, April 17-19 in Fort Worth, Texas. “I’m not one who is hung up on ranking
Since 2021, LSU has won 11 games by more than 55 points. All of those contests tipped off in either November or December the months in which the Tigers play mostly tune-up games against mid-major opponents. Not March.
In fact, coach Kim Mulkey’s LSU teams hadn’t won an NCAA Tournament matchup by more than 27 points before Saturday. Their largest margin of victory to date in such games was the one they earned last season in a second-round meeting with Middle Tennessee, a No. 11 seed that forced the Tigers to first erase a nine-point third-quarter deficit before they could advance to the Sweet 16. LSU didn’t play lopsided games in the first round either In Mulkey’s first three years with the program, it
LSU gymnasts celebrate after winning the SEC championship meet on Saturday in Birmingham, Ala. After the victory, LSU was ranked as the No. 1 seed ahead of the regionals.
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU guard Flau’Jae Johnson drives past San Diego State guard Naomi Panganiban in the third quarter of their firstround NCAA Tournament game on Saturday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center
Florida ends UConn’s bid for title
BY STEVE REED Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. — For 30 minutes, UConn showed the mettle and toughness that delivered back-toback national championships for Dan Hurley outplaying top-seeded Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
And then Walter Clayton took over The Gators’ first-team AllAmerica guard scored 13 of his 23 points in the final eight minutes on Sunday, including two crucial 3-pointers down the stretch, and Florida rallied to a scintillating 77-75 victory over the Huskies, ending UConn’s pursuit of a third straight title.
Florida (32-4) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017 and will play Colorado State or Maryland in the West Region semifinals in San Francisco.
“This is a great win for our program,” coach Todd Golden said. “The time was now for us to take that next step. Again, Florida basketball, back where it belongs. Being in the Sweet 16 is a great step in the right direction We made winning play after winning play down the stretch in the last six minutes.”
There’s little doubt about that.
But they also had help from the Huskies, who made some uncharacteristic mistakes, including twice allowing the Gators to corral offensive rebounds off missed free throws, resulting in four second-chance points.
The Huskies (24-11) came in with modest outside expectations as a No. 8 seed but led for most of the second half. During his postgame news conference, Hurley struggled several times to hold back tears.
“This was just historic run that these guys have been on and the guys that have worn the uniform the past couple years,” Hurley said. “If it’s going to come to an end for us, I wouldn’t have wanted it to be in a game where we lost to a lower seed.
“There’s some honor, I guess, in the way that this went down.”
UConn was seeking to become the first team to three-peat since
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOOT By CHRIS CARLSON Florida guard Walter Clayton celebrates after scoring against UConn during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday in Raleigh, N.C.
UCLA’s run of seven straight titles from 1967-73. The Huskies won the 2023 title in Houston and last year in Glendale, Arizona, joining Duke (199192) and Florida (2006-07) as the only schools to win back-to-back since the Bruins’ run under John Wooden Florida entered the game as a 9 1/2-point favorite and ranked No. 1 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency by scoring 128.9 points per 100 possessions, and the Gators of the powerful Southeastern Conference joined fellow 1-seed Duke as the only teams to rank in the top 10 on both sides of the ball, making them a popular pick to cut down the nets. But the Huskies’ defense stymied Clayton and company for most of the game, holding Flor-
ida to 35% shooting through the first 30 minutes to build a 52-46 lead.
The Gators chipped away and then Clayton showed why he’s one of the best players in the country He made a 3 from the right wing with 2:54 left to put Florida ahead 62-61, and teammate Will Richard followed with a steal and dunk. Clayton’s 3 from the same spot with 1:06 left made it 70-64 — part of a 14-3 run that gave Florida an eight-point advantage with 40 seconds left.
Champs battle to the buzzer
Even when Florida seemed to have the game in hand, UConn kept fighting. Thomas Haugh’s two free throws with 5.9 seconds left pushed the Gators’ lead to five
to seal the win.
Hurley watched, arms folded, standing on the sideline as Liam McNeeley’s 3-pointer at the buzzer sailed skyward and dropped through the net as the horn sounded.
Afterward, Clayton thanked his teammates for believing in him after his rough start.
“We knew this game wasn’t going to be easy,” Clayton said “(UConn) has got a championship pedigree, back-to-back champions. That’s a great team. They had that experience. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy We kept our composure.”
McNeeley led UConn with 22 points, and Alex Karaban scored 14. Alijah Martin contributed 18 points for Florida and Richard had 15.
Proctor, Flagg help Duke roll past Baylor
The Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. — Tyrese Proctor made seven 3-pointers and scored 25 points to continue his recent tear, helping No. 1 seed Duke beat Baylor 89-66 on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Freshman star Cooper Flagg had 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Blue Devils (33-3), the headliner in the East Region and one of the favorites to win it all. They will face either Oregon or Arizona in the Sweet 16 on Thursday in Newark, New Jersey Proctor, a junior, made 7 of 8 3-pointers — his third straight game with at least six 3s and an abrupt turnaround after going 0 for 10 in his first two Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament games. He made 9 of 10 shots overall Sunday Duke shot 64.4%, hit 12 3-pointers and turned it over just six times.
Freshman V.J. Edgecombe scored 16 points for the ninthseeded Bears (20-15), who haven’t reached the tournament’s second weekend since Scott Drew’s team won it all in the Indianapolis bubble in 2021. Duke took over in the 7 1/2 minutes before halftime, outscoring Baylor 24-6 with clean offensive execution while also holding up better against the Bears’ relentless work on the offensive glass that upped the physicality of the game. That included Flagg sporting a red, puffy right eyelid and teammate Mason Gillis picking up a bright red scratch stretching from the right side of his neck around toward his throat. Duke led 47-30 at the half, and Baylor got no closer than 13 points afterward The Bears shot 36.8%. TENNESSEE 67, UCLA 58: In Lexington Kentucky Chaz Lanier made 4 of 5 3-pointers and finished with 20 points, and No 2 seed Tennessee advanced to a program-record third straight Sweet 16, beating seventhseeded UCLA in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night. The Volunteers (29-7) will play either sixth-seeded Illinois or No. 3 seed Kentucky, who play Sunday in Milwaukee. The Midwest Region semifinals will be Friday
at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Senior guard Jahmai Mashack said this kind of streak is what he wanted when he signed to play for coach Rick Barnes at Tennessee. OKLAHOMA ST 85, SMU 83: In Dallas, Bryce Thompson scored 24 points to help Oklahoma State hold on for an victory over SMU in the second round of the NIT on Sunday The Cowboys (18-17), seeded fourth in the Dallas Region, will play the winner of the matchup between No. 2 seed North Texas and third-seeded Arkansas State in the quarterfinals.
LSU signee Reece to play in Jordan Brand Classic
LSU men’s basketball signee Jalen Reece made the Jordan Brand Classic boys team roster according to the Jordan Brand social media. The prestigious high school all-star game is on April 18 at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C. The last LSU high school signee to make the Jordan Brand Classic was Efton Reid in 2021. Reece committed to LSU on Oct. 16, 2024, and signed on Nov 13. The Orlando, Florida, native is the No. 71 player and No 10 point guard in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite.
After the 6-foot guard from Oak Ridge High School signed, LSU coach Matt McMahon expressed his excitement for the point guard. Reece chose LSU after receiving offers from Alabama, Ole Miss, Providence and Cincinnati.
U.S. runner wins silver in return from burrito ban
American runner Shelby Houlihan returned to the big stage after a muchdebated four-year doping ban and won a silver medal in the 3,000 meters at the world indoor championships. The U.S. record holder at 1,500 meters and former record holder in the 5,000 sat out the Paris Olympics because she tested positive after eating a burrito she claimed was tainted with a performanceenhancing drug. The 32-year-old runner said she was flooded with a range of emotions after her second-place finish Saturday
In the lead-up to Olympic trials in 2021, Houlihan revealed she had tested positive for nandralone and claimed it came from a tainted pork burrito she’d bought from a food truck. A slew of appeals ensued, but Houlihan’s argument was ultimately rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Piastri wins F1 Chinese GP, leads McLaren 1-2 finish
SHANGHAI McLaren driver Oscar Piastri cruised to his maiden Chinese Grand Prix win from pole position with the Australian untouchable ahead of his teammate Lando Norris as the pair completed McLaren’s milestone 50th onetwo placing in Formula 1. Piastri who took his maiden pole position on Saturday, got a great start in Sunday’s race to lead into the first corner, as Norris passed George Russell’s Mercedes for second. The Australian then slowly stretched his legs in an untroubled drive for his third career win, after Hungary and Azerbaijan last year The full result was altered by stewards after the race when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton as well as Alpine’s Pierre Gasly were disqualified.
Chavez back with Braves on minor league deal
Thompson shot 11 of 18 from the field and 2 of 5 from the free-throw line for Oklahoma State. Abou Ousmane added 18 points, five rebounds and four blocks. Brandon Newman scored 12 on 4-for-7 shooting from 3-point range.
Kario Oquendo finished with 31 points to lead the top-seeded Mustangs (24-11). Chuck Harris totaled 17 points and 10 assists. Samet Yigitoglu pitched in with 12 points, nine rebounds and two steals.
KENTUCKY 84,ILLINOIS 75: In Milwaukee Koby Brea matched a career high with 23 points and Kentucky beat Illinois 84-75 on Sunday to advance beyond the NCAA Tournament’s opening weekend for the first time since they reached the Elite Eight in 2019.
Kentucky (24-11), the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region, faces No. 2 seed and Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee on Friday in Indianapolis. The Wildcats have already beaten the Volunteers twice this season.
ALABAMA 80, ST. MARY’S 66: In Cleveland, Alabama thundered past Saint Mary’s 80-66 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night, using a steady stream of alley-oop dunks to reach the Sweet 16 for a third consecutive year Chris Youngblood led the second-seeded Crimson Tide (27-8) with 13 points. Six players finished in double figures for Alabama, including forward Grant Nelson, who had 12 points and eight rebounds after sitting out the majority of a first-round game against Robert Morris due to a knee injury
NORTH PORT Fla. — Jesse Chavez returned to the Atlanta Braves once again — and got right back to work. The 41-year-old Chavez pitched two innings on Sunday against Baltimore. The right-hander allowed two runs, one earned, and three hits. Chavez is trying to win a spot in Atlanta’s bullpen after he was released by Texas on Friday He agreed to a minor league deal with the Braves on Saturday Chavez appeared in regular-season games with Atlanta in 2010 and each of the previous four years. He faced a similar situation in 2024, when he was released by the White Sox near the end of spring training and agreed to a minor league contract with the Braves.
Ortiz wins in Macau, earns spot at British Open MACAU, China Carlos Ortiz of Mexico made two early birdies and pulled away Sunday for a 6-under 64 and a three-shot victory over Patrick Reed in the International Series Macau, his second Asian Tour title since joining LIV Golf. Ortiz, Reed and Jason Kokrak — all with LIV Golf were the top three players and earned spots in the British Open this summer. It will be the first major for Ortiz in two years. Sergio Garcia finished fourth, one shot away from getting one of the International Finals Qualifying exemptions to the British
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH
Duke guard Tyrese Proctor celebrates after making a three pointer during the second half in the second round of the NCAA tournament against Baylor on Sunday in Raleigh, N.C.
LSU drops road series to Texas with 6-2 loss
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
AUSTIN, Texas — Chase Shores’ return was supposed to solve a lot of problems for LSU.
The 6-foot-9 redshirt sophomore right-hander was the third starter the Tigers were desparately missing a season ago. They needed the relief he’d provide for the bullpen and the depth he’d give to the rotation
But in the six starts he’s made since returning from Tommy John surgery, Shores has struggled. Opponents were hitting .286 against him heading into his start on Sunday against Texas
That number rose to .300 by the end of his outing. Shores gave up five earned runs and seven hits in four innings as the Longhorns took down LSU 6-2 in the series finale.
The defeat was LSU’s first series lossinSoutheasternConferenceplay
“They did a better job with two strikes than we did,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “I think that was
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ULM scored first as Brooklin Lippert singled and scored on a Hollie Thomas RBI single in the first.
The Cajuns responded with four runs in the third to seemingly take control.
First, Mia Liscano reached on an error and scored on a wild pitch to tie it. Later, Laney Credeur delivered a three-run double to rightcenter field for the three-run lead.
“It was a great moment for Laney,” Habetz said of Credeur’s breakthrough hit.
“It’s only a great moment, though, if she allows that to fester like Sam (Roe) did.”
Roe broke out of a slump the previous weekend at Marshall and it carried over into a game-winning homer on Friday
“You have to let that digest,” Habetz said. “In her next at-bat, she did the same thing, it was just right at the center fielder When she came off, I told her, ‘I want you to be just as excited
CAJUNS
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nine runners in throwing 92 pitches over six innings. He walked two and struck out five.
The Cajuns improved to 11-14 overall and 3-3 in Sun Belt play, while the Jaguars dropped to 11-12 and 1-5.
Tate Hess threw the last three innings for his first save this season. The sophomore right-hander allowed three runs on five hits He walked
the difference in the game.”
Shores surrendered a run-scoring single in the first inning before allowing another run-scoring single and a groundout that resulted in a third run in the second.
He tossed a scoreless third and nearly got through the fourth unscathed, but the big righty gave up a two-run home run with two outs to junior right fielder Max Belyeu.
Shores threw a career-high 96 pitches. Only 59 of them were strikes.
“I don’t have a lot to say on that right now,” Johnson said when asked why opponents have seen the ball well against Shores.
Shores’ start put LSU’s attack in an early hole, but it wasn’t a good day for the offense.
LSU (22-3, 4-2 SEC) scattered five hits through the first five innings and didn’t score until the sixth when sophomore Jake Brown ripped a run-scoring single.
Brown also helped the second run come across by getting in a
for that one, or maybe even more because you just repeated what you just did.’
That’s hard to do.”
Unfortunately for the Cajuns, Noble couldn’t carry that momentum into the fourth inning Noble walked three and gave up singles to Jacelyn Buck and Meagan Brown.
Add a UL throwing error and suddenly the game was tied at 4-all.
“In my opinion, Bethaney has been our most consistent pitcher so far,” Habetz said.
“She’s gotten by far the most innings against the SEC teams so I felt like her stats may be a bit skewed based on who she’s competing against, but today wasn’t her best outing for whatever reason.”
The Cajuns regained a slim 5-4 lead in the fourth when Maddie Hayden scored on the back end of a double steal with Dayzja Williams.
Wheeler yielded an RBI single up the middle to Meagan Brown and a subsequent fielding error chased home three runs. Elle Carter added an RBI single for an 8-5
one and struck out one.
The Cajuns’ offensive leader was senior left fielder Conor Higgs who went 2 for 3 with two home runs and five RBIs. Lee Amedee joined him with a huge day, going 2 for 5 with three RBIs. The duo’s big day began in the first inning. Mark Collins singled and Caleb Stelly walked ahead of Amedee’s two-run double. A third run was scored when Jose Torres reached on an error Higgs then smashed a two-run homer
lead.
rundown between first and second base. He eventually got tagged out sliding into second, but he kept himself in the pickle long enough to allow sophomore Steven Milam to score from third base.
Sunday had its highs and lows for Brown. He had a good day at the plate, but he also dropped a routine fly ball in right field and dropped a potential double play after moving to first base in the sixth inning.
The next batter hit a triple into left field that extended the Longhorns’ lead to 6-2. Freshman Derek Curiel made a diving attempt but fell short, allowing the ball to roll past him and letting a run score.
“With a guy on first, we can’t dive in that situation,” Johnson said. “If there was a guy in scoring position, I wouldn’t have had a problem with that. (Curiel) recognized (the mistake) right away.”
The bright spot of the afternoon for LSU was freshman right-hander Casan Evans. He replaced Shores in the fifth inning and struck out five
The Warhawks added to that cushion with RBI singles by Meagan Brown and Thomas in the seventh.
The Warhawks finished with 16 hits. ULM starter Maddie Nichols took advantage of that run support with a complete game in the circle. She allowed one earned run on seven hits and four walks and struck out one.
“After we have a big inning in the middle, we kind of settle and don’t put people away,” Habetz said.
“We need to be a little more all-gas, no-brakes getting greedy, get hungrier, because people can come back. We’re never out of a game, but they’re never out of it either.”
Worse news than the loss for UL, though, was Kayla Falterman left the game slowly after a collision at first base with an apparent concussion when she was picked off. Emily Smith just missed two weeks with a similar injury “Her getting injured is tough,” Habetz said. “She’ll be back, but it’s tough.”
for a 5-0 lead off South Alabama starter Chase Davis. Higgs went deep again in his second at-bat for a 6-0 lead in the third.
Amedee’s RBI single added another insurance run in the fourth inning just before a Higgs sacrifice fly gave UL an 8-0 cushion.
Stelly and Carson Hepworth enjoyed two-hit games in the Cajuns’ 12-hit performance.
Both teams stranded 12 runners UL will travel to LSU for a 6:30 p.m. Tuesday road game.
er than 9.85, which the other three teams did.
and scores,” Clark said Sunday “But I think it is a testament to the resilience and growth of our pursuit and the process this team has been through. They believe, and they’ve overcome some stuff and gotten better when they’ve been challenged. They’ve put in the work to be the No. 1 overall seed.”
The Tigers led most of the meet at Birmingham’s Legacy Arena, across the street from the SEC’s headquarters Starting on uneven bars, LSU posted a season high-tying 49.600 and still had the lead halfway through the meet at 99.050 to Oklahoma’s 98.925 after the Tigers went 49.450 on balance beam Seniors Haleigh Bryant and Aleah Finnegan led LSU with 9.925s, which would tie for the SEC beam title with Missouri’s Helen Hu and Oklahoma’s Faith Torrez.
LSU then went to floor for the third rotation and posted its best event score of the night, a 49.625, led by 9.95s from Bryant, freshman Kailin Chio and sophomore Amari Drayton. Still, it wasn’t good enough to retain the lead because Florida soared to the best score in the nation on bars this season, a 49.850 led by perfect 10s from Leanne Wong and
Riley McCusker Going to the final rotation, LSU on vault and Florida on beam, the Gators led the Tigers 148.725-148.675, with OU a close third going to floor at 148.450. Florida, however, didn’t measure up to its No. 2 national ranking on beam, forced to count a 9.775 from Alyssa Arena that led to a 49.100. Meanwhile LSU, No 1 nationally on vault, went 49.525 on that event, led by a 9.95 from Bryant in the anchor spot to clinch it LSU’s 198.200, its bestever score at SECs, outdistanced SEC first-timer Oklahoma (197.925) and Florida (197.875). Missouri was fourth at 197.400.
“It was a test of wills there at the end,” Clark said LSU was the only team in Saturday’s evening session not to post a perfect 10 — Mizzou’s Mara Titarsolej also had one on bars Florida’s Selena Harris-Miranda had one to win vault and Torrez had a 10.0 score to win floor The Tigers’ best score was a 9.95, but LSU never had to count a score of low-
“This was like a final four,” said Bryant, who posted a 39.725 in the all-around. “We knew what we needed to do. It’s a really great step toward where we want to go.”
With her performance, Bryant achieved yet another career milestone.
The fifth-year senior joined Sarah Finnegan and Rheagan Courville as the only LSU gymnasts with five career SEC individual championships including two allaround titles. Sandra Smith also won five SEC titles on vault and floor
Bryant won the all-around for the second straight year, something Sarah Finnegan also did in 2018 and 2019. Bryant also won SEC vault titles in 2021 and 2024.
Aleah Finnegan finished her SEC career with her first conference title and tied for second in the all-around with Harris-Miranda (39.675).
Chio made an impressive SEC debut finishing fourth at 39.650.
Clark said he was proud of the fact that despite last year’s success, this edition of the Tigers have stayed hungry and haven’t been complacent.
batters in 32/3 innings.
“I thought he did a great job,” Johnson said.
Evans ran into a little trouble in the eighth, allowing two singles and reaching a career-high 60 pitches.
But he got a big strikeout with two runners in scoring positon for the second out before exiting for freshman left-hander Cooper Williams. Williams only threw four pitches before Texas (19-3, 4-2) unsuccessfully tried to steal home plate.
The long inning didn’t result in any runs for Texas, but it did result in Johnson getting ejected for arguing a check swing call with the first base umpire.
“There’s some history with that umpire and a similar play that affected our team last year,” Johnson said.
Before he got ejected, Johnson also got funky with his substitutions in the sixth inning when freshman left-hander Dylan Volantis entered the game to face left-handed hitter Tanner Reaves.
Junior Ethan Frey known for his prowess against left-handed pitching — pinch-hit for Reaves. But when the sixth ended, instead of replacing Frey with senior third baseman Michael Braswell, Johnson moved junior Jared Jones to third base, slid Brown to first and had Frey play right field. Jones cleanly fielded the only grounder hit to him in the seventh inning.
“It’s funny, that guy can play anywhere I feel like,” Reaves said. “He’s athletic.”
The defensive adjustments were meant to maximize LSU’s offensive output, but the Tigers were shut down by Volantis instead. After replacing right-handed starter Ruger Riojas in the sixth inning, he tossed 31/3 shutout innings and didn’t allow a hit.
LSU returns to Baton Rouge to face UL on Tuesday First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be available to stream on SEC Network+
LSU
Continued from page 1C
began its tournament runs by beating Jackson State by six, Hawaii by 13 and Rice by 10. That’s an average margin of victory of 9.7 points per game. The game against San Diego State followed a much different script.
The Aztecs never led, and LSU kept widening its cushion until the waning seconds of the second half. It took its largest lead of the night (56 points) at the 1:43 mark of the fourth quarter then set the program tournament scoring record with a pair of free throws on the game’s last possession.
Kailyn Gilbert converted those freebies, giving the Tigers’ bench its 44th and 45th points of the night — the second-most the LSU reserves have chipped in all season.
“It was impressive,” San Diego State coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said. “We were talking about what did we see that we didn’t expect. I didn’t expect the bench to come in and shoot the ball as well as they did. And that makes LSU really, really dangerous when they can go as deep as they did tonight.”
Shayeann Day-Wilson notched a season-high 11 points, and Mjracle Sheppard added 10. Sophomore
center Aalyah Del Rosario finished with 9, the most she’s scored in a game since Nov 12.
Six LSU contributors scored in double figures. That number includes both Johnson and Morrow the pair of stars who returned from injury and eased back into action. Morrow saw only 25 minutes of run, and Johnson played just 22 — the second fewest she’s logged in a game this season.
Johnson has said that the shin inflammation she battled and treated through the previous month of games sapped most of her explosion.
Her three-week layoff appears to have served her well.
On Saturday Johnson didn’t wear any effects of the pain that forced LSU to shut her down for the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Her legs could power her jumpers on offense and shuffle her feet on defense. They could also buoy her through the lane and toward the rim, where she finished a few transition layups off San Diego State turnovers she forced.
Johnson recorded a game-high 22 points and 4 steals, enough to tie her season high. And now she’s rested for a 5 p.m. Monday matchup with No. 6 seed Florida
State and the nation’s leading scorer, Ta’Niya Latson. “I was like, ‘I don’t know how I’m gonna be when I get back,’ Johnson said. “Even though I had good practices, but the game is way different. I was just happy I just felt like I played solid.”
The Seminoles are scoring 87.4 points per game, the second most among Division I teams. They’re also one of four NCAA Tournament squads with at least three players who score at least 15 ppg: Latson (25.0), forward Makayla Timpson (17.6) and guard O’Mariah Gordon (16.2). On Saturday, that trio combined to score 64 points on 59% shooting in Florida State’s 94-59 win over No. 11 seed George Mason. Latson led the way with 28 points.
“We’ve got our hands full,” Mulkey said. “They have so much length, and they alter shots, and they’re athletic. They just get over screens, and they run. It’s going to be quite a challenge for us. I hope we’re a challenge for them.”
LSU can be, especially because Johnson is back on the floor, rattling in the kind of 3-pointers that can kickstart one of the most productive, high-stakes offensive nights in team history
“I said, ‘OK, God with me today,’” Johnson said. “So I’m gonna be confident.”
“It’s the fire,” Finnegan said, “that burns.”
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LSU forward
Aneesah Morrow reacts after a basket and free throw from a foul by San Diego State during the first half of their firstround NCAA Tournament game on Saturday at the PMAC.
AP PHOTO By MATTHEW HINTON
The small, pointy-eared French bulldog breed with a big personality is still way ahead of the once-dominant Lab, according to recent American Kennel Club statistics.
GETTy IMAGES PHOTO
The French bulldog is still the top U.S. breed, but another pup is gaining
momentum
BY JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press
NEW YORK The U.S. still has a major case of French bulldog fever, but a very different breed is staunchly chasing dog lovers’ hearts, according to American Kennel Club statistics released Wednesday
For the third year in a row, the comical, controversial Frenchie tops the club’s annual rundown of the nation’s most prevalent purebred dogs.
Frenchies are followed by Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, German shepherds, poodles and some other longtime faves (Rounding out the top 10: dachshunds, beagles, rottweilers, bulldogs and German shorthaired pointers.)
Yet keep an eye on the cane corso. The powerful, protective breed vaulted from nearly 50th to 14th in the rankings in just a decade.
Popularity is seen as a mixed
blessing among dog breeders and as an outright scourge by their critics. Some animal welfare activists say the AKC rankings drive fads that fuel puppy mills. The AKC says the list documents not promotes, dog-ownership trends, and the nonprofit club notes that it conducts thousands of breeder and pet store inspections per year Amid the arguments, there’s no disputing that there are plenty of lovable dogs in the nation’s animal shelters.
Here’s a look at the trends and what they mean.
The Frenchie phenomenon
The AKC ranking reflects purebreds, mostly puppies, that were added last year to the nation’s oldest dog registry Nearly 74,500 were Frenchies.
That’s down from 98,500 in 2023 and 108,000 in 2022, but the AKC isn’t saying that the wave
ä See DOGS, page 6C
‘Ted Lasso’ is making a comeback to the pitch
BY ALICIA RANCILIO Associated Press
Jason Sudeikis’ mustache is making a comeback. “Ted Lasso,” the dramedy about a fiercely optimistic American soccer coach in London, is set to return for a fourth season, Apple TV+ announced. The streamer did not say when the new episodes would become available or where they are in the production process. In a statement, Sudeikis, the show’s star and an executive producer, hinted the new episodes would be about taking chances. “In season four, the folks at AFC Richmond learn to LEAP BEFORE THEY LOOK, discovering that wherever they land, it’s exactly where they’re meant to be.” Ted Lasso the character was first introduced by Sudeikis in 2013 to promote NBC Sports’ coverage of the England Premier League. In a short film, Lasso was the coach of London’s Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. It was quickly clear that he knew little if anything about soccer “They’re gonna play hard for all
four quarters,” Lasso said of the players in a mock news conference. “Do we have any goals this season? Absolutely We’re gonna win a lot of games and we’re gonna get in the playoffs.” “There’s no playoffs” a reporter corrected from the audience. The bit was so popular that Sudeikis was tapped to reprise the character again the
ä See 'TED LASSO', page 6C
Alzheimer’s and macular degeneration share common risk factors
Is there a link between age-related macular degeneration and Alzheimer’s disease?
Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, is a common eye condition and also a leading cause of vision loss among individuals ages 50 and older
The condition causes damage to the macula, a small spot near the center of the retina, which is the area of the eye needed for sharp, central vision. One marked similarity between AMD and Alzheimer’s disease is that the most common risk for developing both conditions is age; hence they are both age-related. Additionally, both conditions affect thousands of people worldwide. According to PreventBlindness.org, a 2022 study, The Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the United States, found that an estimated 19.83 million Americans were living with some form of age-related macular degeneration. And, caring for those with AMD is expensive, with an estimated cost that generally ranges from $8,814 to $23,400 per year with potential costs reaching up to $70,200 over a three-year period, according to the prevent blindness website.
Alzheimer’s disease ranks second behind AMD as an aging disorder that causes a high degree of damage. Currently, according to reports from the Alzheimer’s Association, there are about 6.7 million Americans with the disease, and this number is expected to increase to 13.8 million by 2060.
Similarly both AMD and Alzheimer’s disease are found more frequently in women than in men, and 5% to 15% of cases are found in more than one family member Additionally, there remains a genetic risk factor in both diseases. The lipid transport protein called Apolipoprotein E provides an elevated risk to individuals for AMD if they carry the allele-2 variant and a higher risk for Alzheimer’s in individuals if they carry the allele-4 variant. Furthermore, there are three events that make pathologies very similar in both diseases, with the exception that they are found in different locations: either the retina or the brain. The first similar pathology is the amyloid beta protein, which accumulates in large quantities identified in the brain of an individual with Alzheimer’s, and the presence of these plaques is defining in the disease. With those individuals diagnosed with AMD, amyloid-beta deposits are also found and accumulate underneath the retina and eventually form small clumps of protein-lipid materials called drusen. The accumulation of the amyloid protein causes eventual widespread cell death in both diseases. The second similar pathological feature in AMD and Alzheimer’s is that there are high levels of tissue damage and loss of cell function, with
ALZHEIMER’S
Sudeikis
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MARy ALTAFFER
A cane corso competes at the 140th Westminster Kennel Club dog show in 2016 at Madison Square Garden in New york.
Research suggests herb may lower blood glucose
Dear Doctors: I take medication for Type 2 diabetes. I also enjoy horehound candy I recently ate three candies after taking my medication and experienced a sharp drop in blood sugar Afterwards, I read that white horehound is attributed to lowering blood sugar Do you know if this is true?
Dear reader: White horehound is the common name for a flowering herb in the mint family Its use as a candy flavoring, and also as a medicinal aide, dates back to ancient Egypt. Often referred to simply as horehound, the botanical name is Marrubium vulgare, a mix of Latin and Hebrew Vulgare means common in Latin, and Marrubium is believed to derive from the Hebrew words for bitter juice. Botanists suspect the “hore” portion of the name may come from
DOGS
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has crested. Registration is voluntary, and spokesperson Brandi Hunter Munden notes that the numbers can fluctuate year-to-year
The small, pointy-eared bulldog breed with a big personality is still way ahead of the once-dominant Lab, which logged 58,500 new registrations last year French bulldogs have existed in the U.S. since at least the 19th century, but they’ve been on a tear in the 21st, fueled partly by celebrity owners and social media.
“They are fabulous companions,” the AKC’s Gina DiNardo said. Frenchie folk praise the dogs’ modest grooming and exercise needs, generally confident and friendly demeanor and, of course, those smushy mugs that fans find irresistible — but critics call irresponsible. There can be health problems associated with squished faces and other features, and both detractors and devotees lament that the breed has become too hyped for its own good, attracting unprincipled breeders, unprepared owners and sometimes violent thieves.
The can-do cane corso
If a Frenchie is sometimes described as “a clown in the cloak of a philosopher,” a cane corso is a protector with no use for a cloak. Big, strong and athletic, the cane corso (pronounced KAH’-neh KOHR’-so) served as a Roman war dog and later a farmer’s helper boar hunter and household guardian.
Today’s cane corsi (the proper plural) are prized as loyal, rather august companions and adept dog-sports competitors. But breeders worry that social media is spreading misconceptions about the dogs, which they say are not suitable for everyone.
Breeder Vickie Venzen insists that would-be puppy buyers visit her Maryland home, where she introduces them first to an outgoing, easygoing corso and explains that such a temperament isn’t standard for the breed. Then she will bring out a corso with a classic and desirable demeanor: likely
FACTORS
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cell death occurring in the retina and the brain. The third pathological similarity is that both diseases suffer damage to the mitochondria, which are small units within the cell that remain critical in keeping the cell alive. The mitochondria work like batteries in that they provide energy to keep the retina
‘TED LASSO’
Continued from page 5C
by
Dr. Elizabeth Ko
Dr Eve Glazier
ASK THE DOCTORS
the white fuzz that covers the stems of the plant, which looks like hoarfrost. And just to clear up any possible confusion, there is a plant in the same family known as black horehound. Its botanical name is Ballota nigra. However it is not the plant you are asking about. Horehound is quite fragrant, with a pungent and bitter flavor It is also highly bioactive. Thanks to its complex chemical composi-
tion, the herb has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, expectorant and antimicrobial properties. It has been used to thin mucus secretions in the respiratory tract, stimulate appetite, reduce gas and bloating, manage swelling, ease breathing and help fight off topical and parasitic infections. If you read the labels of cough syrups and lozenges that advertise themselves as an expectorant, you may find horehound in some of the ingredient lists. More recently, research has begun to look at the possible effects of horehound on blood glucose. A study conducted in 2012 that investigated that question yielded mixed results. But subsequent reviews of the data suggest the herb may, in fact, lead to a drop in blood glucose. The researchers pointed
out the inherent difficulties in assessing herbal products, which contain a wide array of bioactive ingredients. They suggested that, by broadening the scope of the analysis of the data, an effect on blood sugar could be seen. A definitive answer regarding how white horehound may affect blood sugar levels requires further study However, the initial data, along with a body of anecdotal evidence, suggest that the herb may, indeed, have a hypoglycemic effect. That means people like yourself, who are living with Type 2 diabetes, should be aware of that possibility Medications for Type 2 diabetes work to lower blood sugar Using a product that contains white horehound, whether it is a candy or a cough syrup or lozenge, may complicate blood sugar control. We think it would be wise for you to reach out to your health care provider and tell them of your experience with the horehound candy If they are not familiar with this potential side effect of the herb, ask them to research it. It is possible you will receive guidance for a safe way to indulge in the treat. But you should also be prepared for the idea that you will have to limit horehound candy, or possibly eliminate it from your diet. Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.
to greet an invited visitor peacefully, but without tailwagging effusiveness. After its greeting, the dog may walk off and watch with cool vigilance.
Next comes one of her “hard dogs”: one that’s a bit too quick to display its protective instincts.
The point is to show the spectrum of corsi temperaments and make clear that they’re neither lapdogs that just look tough nor roughand-tumble creatures that can be left outside to guard They’re very sensitive to their families, Venzen said.
“They’re very good dogs, and they’re very versatile, and they can be taught a lot,” said Venzen, who was delighted to learn recently that a dog she bred mastered paddleboarding. “But you can’t be so foolish as to think you can put it in any situation and the dog will understand.”
New dogs
The newest breed to be counted the Lancashire heeler, came in at 189th out of AKC’s 201 recognized breeds last year
The next-newest, the bracco Italiano, sprang last year from 152nd to 132nd, and some longtime aficionados already are concerned about its trajectory, said owner Deb Pereira of North Stonington, Connecticut. She stresses that the substantial, handsome and sociable hunting dogs need a good deal of
and brain cells functioning. When the mitochondria begin to lose this energy and die, the cells lose their function and eventually cell death occurs. Mitochondria are critical in the function of cells and in keeping them alive, and this is true for all types of cells in our bodies, including nerve cells, muscle cells, retina cells, heart cells, etc. While research has determined that there is no association between having AMD and then developing
“Ted Lasso” debuted in August 2020, in the middle of the pandemic lockdown. This version of Lasso was the new coach of a fictional soccer team in London called AFC Richmond. Lasso’s cheery disposition allowed him to win over even the surliest of soccer fans, not to mention viewers tired of staying indoors. “He’s the version of me that I wish I could be,” Sudeikis told the AP ahead of
physical and mental exercise. Quite a few still hunt; Pereira’s bracco, Elvira, is an agility champion, and her daily walks cover about four miles.
Few dogs
The five rarest AKCrecognized breeds are the sloughi, the Norwegian lundehund, the grand basset griffon Vendéen, the Bergamasco sheepdog and, at 201st, the English foxhound.
Doodle doings
To date, the AKC hasn’t recognized any sheepadoodles, Havapoos, borgis or other “designer” hybrids.
The club said it has gotten some inquiries, but no doodle or other designer breed fanciers have formally begun the often yearslong process of seeking recognition.
About the everydogs
There’s no census of everyday mixed-breed dogs in the U.S., but the American Veterinary Medical Association estimates the country has about 90 million dogs — purebreds, designer mixes and others.
After animal shelters cleared out during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and then filled to overflowing, last year’s data from advocacy groups Shelter Animals Count and Best Friends Animal Society differ as to whether dog arrivals and adoptions rose or fell and by how much. That’s not inex-
Alzheimer’s or dementia, the diseases share common risk factors in addition to aging such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cigarette smoking.
Dana Territo is an Alzheimer’s advocate and author of “What My Grandchildren Taught Me About Alzheimer’s Disease.” She hosts “The Memory Whisperer.” Email her at thememorywhisperer@ gmail.com.
its debut. “He has highs and lows like anyone. But he’s eternally optimistic and hopeful and sincere.”
“Ted Lasso” has won seven Primetime Emmy Awards, including outstanding comedy series for its first two seasons. It made stars out of its supporting cast, including Brett Goldstein, Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple.
plicable, as the two groups count different sets of organizations.
But both emphasize that purebreds and mixed-breeds come up for adoption.
“Really, if you find it in your heart to rescue or adopt a pet, that’s the way to go,” Best Friends Animal Society CEO Julie Castle said.
By The Associated Press
Today is Monday, March 24, the 83rd day of 2025. There are 282 days left in the year Today in history
On March 24, 1989, the supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on a reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound and began leaking an estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil.
On this date:
In 1921, the Women’s Olympiad, the first international women’s sporting event, began in Monte Carlo, Monaco. In 1980, Catholic Archbishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero of El Salvador was shot to death by a sniper as he celebrated Mass in San Salvador In 1999, NATO launched airstrikes against Yugoslavia, marking the first time in its 50-year existence that it attacked a sovereign country In 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525, an Airbus A320, crashed into the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board; investigators said the jetliner was deliberately downed by
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JULIA NIKHINSON Golden retrievers compete in breed group judging at the 148th Westminster Kennel Club Dog show in 2024 in New york.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Trust your instincts, change what isn't working for you and set a high standard for others. Engage in what makes you feel content and secure. Turn your home into your comfort zone.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Take the initiative. A change will point you in a new direction. Put your energy and skills into getting ahead and reaping the rewards you deserve.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) An optimistic attitude is terrific; however, weigh the pros and cons before you take a leap of faith. Don't ignore any uncertainty or go overboard with your plans. It's better to be safe than sorry
CANCER (June 21-July 22) You'll have the energy to finish what you start. Enlist the best of the best to help you reach your target. You stand to gain recognition that will lead to unexpected rewards.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Deal with relationship issues head-on and avoid misunderstandings that can compromise your position. Manufacture your success instead of waiting for it to happen.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Make adjustments to your environment or become active in a group that shares your beliefs. Your contributions will lead to an opportunity you cannot resist.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Whether you want to improve your physical, emotional or financial well-being, taking
the first step will be necessary. On your mark, get set, go!
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Know what and who you are up against, and play to win. Engage in hands-on learning and don't rely on secondhand information. Participate in positive change and forward thinking.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Refuse to let anyone stand in your way. Bypass negativity, and take the path that accommodates your desires. Concentrate on what matters most, and you won't be disappointed
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Look closely at who is involved in whatever you participate in before signing up. Take a leadership position if it allows you to control situations.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Put pressure where needed most and move forward with a plan. Refuse to let uncertainty set in or cost you time and money. Set up a workspace conducive to doing your best and achieving the most.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Jettison what is no longer of value Simplify your life and rethink what's meaningful to you. Redesigning how you move forward will be an adventure. Live life your way and you'll have no regrets.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
FAMILY CIrCUS
TODAy'S CLUE: T EQUALS K
CeLebrItY CIpher
For better or For WorSe peAnUtS
bIG nAte
SALLY Forth
beetLe bAILeY
GooSe And GrIMM
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Saturday’s Puzzle Answer
THe wiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS CurTiS
Bridge
BY PHILLIP ALDER
Erma Bombeck said, “My theory on housework is, if the item doesn’t multiply, smell, catch fire or block the refrigerator door, let it be. No one else cares. Why should you?” At the bridge table, if someone makes a smelly play, even if the cards do not instantly catch fire, you should care. Try to work out what is happening and what you can do to stop your opponent’s score from multiplying. In this deal, South is in three no-trump. West leads the spade nine. How should East plan the defense? North was right to jump to three notrump. With no singleton or void and insufficient points to think about a slam, just go for the nine-trick game. South starts with eight top tricks: three spades and five clubs. He needs to get a heart trick, but if the opponents take their heart ace and shift to diamonds, they might be able to take four tricks there for down one Declarer’s best shot is to win the first trick with his spade king, cross to the dummy, and call for a heart.
If East is napping and plays low, South gains his ninth winner and can claim.
