Atruck with aLouisiana license plate makes one of twopasses within 10 minutes purposely pushing out dark cloudsof exhaust fromits diesel engine nextto faithleadersand protesters April11outsidethe federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Jena. Thecrowd wassupporting Columbia University graduatestudentMahmoud Khalil after judges ruled he could bedeported.
Jena’s ICEdetention center hasbecomeasignificant presence in thearea
BY JOHN SIMERMAN |Staff writer
JENA Agroup of protestersstood outside the federal immigration center in this central Louisiana town afew weeks ago, callingfor it to be emptied, when atruck rolled past andbelched a plume of exhaust at them
The driver circled around as the group faced abank of TV news cameras set up in the brush across the road,then repeated theact —a greeting of sorts to ahamlet in the pinesthat onceagain has drawn anational media glare.
The protestershad trekked 230 miles that morning from New Orleansto support Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, now in his second month at the detention center,where a judge that day hadfound himdeportable.
It’shere, at acompoundcut into the pines afew miles from downtown Jena, that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have sent Khalil and some other noncitizensand students targeted for removal by President Donald Trump’sadministration, in some cases for their speech.
The complex is one of several privately runfacilities under contracts with ICE that have made Louisiana
Faith leaders and supporters walk outside the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Jena, which is holding Columbia University graduatestudent Mahmoud Khalil. Advocates for Khalil and other recent detainees saythey’vebeen spirited to remote areas likeJena with apurpose: to confound access to their lawyersand challenges to deportation.
the second-leading state for U.S. immigrant detainees, behind only Texas.
About 7,000 detainees arebeingheld in thePelican State. Advocates for Khalil andother recent
detainees say they’ve been spiritedto remote areas likeJena with apurpose: to confound accesstotheir lawyers
See SPOTLIGHT, page 3A
BY MARKBALLARD |Staff writer
WASHINGTON Thoughtheybarely agree on anything politically,Democratic Rep. Troy Carter,of New Orleans, and Republican Rep. Clay Higgins, of Lafayette, came together in an attempt to heighten theregulatorywallprotecting Louisiana’sseafood industry from foreign imports.
Theyintroduced legislation Wednesdaythatgives the federal Food and Drug Administration additional powerstoimpound and destroy imported seafood found contaminated, adulterated or misbranded
At least five land-based projects areindevelopment
BY BLAKEPATERSON |Staff writer
Private wind developers are quietly inking leaseagreements with landowners in parts of rural Louisiana for what could be the state’sfirst land-based wind farms, even as President Donald Trumptakes aim at renewable energy projects in general and the wind industry in particular
According to publicrecords, at leastfive utility-scale wind projects are in development in Louisiana.Two of those projects are based in St. Landry Parish in Acadiana. Three others are in Madison, Tensas and West Carroll parishes in the northeastern part of the state. As of yet, no wind turbineshavebeen erected in Louisiana, and the projects are likely years away from coming online. But they signal anew wave of interest in wind developmentinLouisiana,madepossible by taller turbines and technological advances that are allowing developers to access faster winds.
BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN |Staff writer
Following an unsuccessful attemptlast year,somelawmakers are again seeking to protectinvitro fertilizationtreatmentsin Louisiana after acourt ruling in Alabama last year temporarily pausedIVF treatments in that state.
State Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge, who shelvedanIVF bill last year because shedid notbelieve the final version included enough protections for providers, is again spearheading the effort. But this timeshe will be joined by state Sen. Thomas Pressly, R-Shreveport.
Storm brings tornadoes, flooding, large hail
A slow-moving, active storm system brought heavy rain, large hail and tornadoes to parts of Texas and Oklahoma and left two people dead as severe weather warnings Sunday continue to threaten parts of the south-central and Midwest U.S.
On Easter Sunday communities in Texas and Oklahoma were beginning to assess the damage wreaked by tornadoes There were 17 reported events Saturday, according to Bob Oravec, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center Five were confirmed in south-central Oklahoma, including one that inflicted substantial damage on a small town that was still recovering from a March tornado.
The storm also brought heavy rain to a broad swath of northcentral Texas across centraleastern Oklahoma, much of which saw 2 to 4 inches accumulate Saturday into Sunday Police in Moore, about 10 miles south of Oklahoma City, received dozens of reports of “high-water incidents” over the weekend, including two cars stranded in floodwaters Saturday evening.
One car was swept away under a bridge, and police said they were able to rescue some people, but a woman and 12-year-old boy were found dead.
“This was a historical weather event that impacted roads and resulted in dozens of high-water incidents across the city,” Moore police said in a statement Sunday Moore has about 63,000 residents.
Oravec said the system wasn’t moving much over Texas and Oklahoma Saturday leaving the area stuck under a very active thunderstorm pattern that produced large hail, flash flooding and tornadoes.
Bill Macon, emergency management director in Oklahoma’s Marshall County, said their early assessments show a tornado “skipped and jumped around” over a path of 6 to 7 miles in the rural area that left at least 20 homes damaged, with some destroyed completely
Bukele floats prisoner swap with Venezuela
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele proposed carrying out a prisoner swap with Venezuela on Sunday, suggesting he would exchange Venezuelan deportees from the United States his government has kept imprisoned for what he called “political prisoners” in Venezuela.
In a post on the social media platform X, directed at President Nicolás Maduro, Bukele listed off a number of family members of high-level opposition figures in Venezuela, journalists and activists detained during the South American government’s electoral crackdown last year “The only reason they are imprisoned is for having opposed you and your electoral fraud,” he wrote to Maduro. “However, I want to propose a humanitarian agreement that includes the repatriation of 100% of the 252 Venezuelans who were deported, in exchange for the release and surrender of an identical number (252) of the thousands of political prisoners you hold.”
2 Russians, 1 American back from space station
MOSCOW A Soyuz capsule carrying two Russians and one American from the International Space Station landed Sunday in Kazakhstan, ending their seven-month research assignment.
According to Russian space agency Roscosmos, the capsule carrying Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner and astronaut Don Pettit of U.S. space agency NASA landed on the Kazakh steppe near the city of Zhezkazgan at 6:20 a.m. Roscosmos said the parachuteassisted landing was a troublefree descent.
The trio returned after spending 220 days in space and orbiting the Earth 3,520 times, NASA said in a statement. The agency noted that, coincidentally, Pettit celebrated his 70th birthday on Sunday NASA said it was following its routine postlanding medical checks, and that the crew will return to the recovery staging area in Karaganda, Kazakhstan
Pontiff briefly meets with VP Vance
BY NICOLE WINFIELD and SILVIA STELLACCI Associated Press
VATICAN CITY Pope Francis emerged from his convalescence on Easter Sunday to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square and treat them to a surprise popemobile romp through the piazza, drawing wild cheers and applause as he continues his recovery from a near-fatal bout of double pneumonia
“Viva il Papa!” (Long live the pope), “Bravo!” the crowd shouted as Francis looped through the square in his open-topped popemobile and then up and down the main avenue leading to it. He stopped occasionally to bless babies brought up to him, a scene that was common in the past but unthinkable just a few weeks ago as the 88-year-old pope fought for his life
“Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!” Francis said, his voice sounding stronger than it has since he was released from the hospital March 23 after a fiveweek stay Francis didn’t celebrate the Easter Mass in the piazza, delegating it to Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the retired archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica. But after the Mass
Pope Francis tours St. Peter’s Square in his popemobile Sunday after bestowing the Urbi et Orbi blessing, Latin for to the city and to the world, at the end of the Easter Mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
ended, Francis appeared on the loggia balcony over the basilica entrance for more than 20 minutes and imparted the apostolic blessing in Latin.
The crowd of people below estimated by the Vatican to be more than 35,000, erupted in cheers as a military band kicked off rounds of the Holy See anthem.
In all Francis was outside on a sunny spring day for around 50 minutes, with temperatures at 70 degrees in a piazza awash in daffodils, tulips and other flowers donated by the Netherlands for Easter
“It is excellent, a miracle,” said Margarita Torres Hernandez, a pilgrim from Mexico who was in the square. “Now that he has come out, for me it’s a miracle, it’s something very big, very beautiful.”
On his way to the basilica, Francis met briefly in his hotel with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who was spending Easter in Rome with his family The Vatican said the encounter lasted just a few minutes and was designed to allow for an exchange of Easter greetings.
Francis, for his part, gave Vance three big chocolate Easter eggs to give to his three young children.
“I know you have not been feeling great but it’s good to see you
BY VOLODYMYR YURCHUK and ELISE MORTON Associated Press
KYIV Ukraine Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Sunday of creating a false appearance of honoring an Easter ceasefire, saying Moscow continued to launch attacks after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a unilateral temporary truce.
“As of Easter morning, we can say that the Russian army is trying to create a general impression of a ceasefire, but in some places, it does not abandon individual attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
Despite Putin’s declaration of an Easter ceasefire, Zelenskyy said Sunday morning that Ukrainian forces had recorded 59 in-
stances of Russian shelling and five assaults by units along the front line, as well as dozens of drone strikes.
In later updates, Zelenskyy said that despite Ukraine declaring a symmetrical approach to Russian actions, “the trend of increasing the use of heavy weaponry by Russian forces continues.” He said, however that it was “a good thing, at least, that there were no air raid sirens.”
He noted that some Ukrainian troops were killed in a Russian “ambush” on Sunday in the Donetsk region, and said the Russian soldiers responsible would be “eliminated.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukrainian forces of overnight attacks in the Donetsk region despite the ceasefire.
It said Ukraine had sent 48 drones into Russian territory According to the
in better health,” Vance told the pope. “Thank you for seeing me.”
Francis has only appeared in public a handful of times since returning to the Vatican after a 38day hospital stay He skipped the solemn services of Good Friday and Holy Saturday leading up to Easter, but he had been expected to make an appearance on Sunday
Doctors have prescribed two months of convalescence and respiratory therapy to improve his lung function after he came down with a life-threatening case of double pneumonia He still seems to require great effort to project his voice, and his breathing remains labored. But his voice sounded stronger than it has to date in the few words he uttered from the loggia.
“It was a very touching moment for us (to see the pope),” said Marcin Popowsky, a pilgrim from Poland. “And we are very happy that we can see a pope in good shape.”
Easter is the most joyful moment on the Christian liturgical calendar, when the faithful celebrate the resurrection of Christ after his crucifixion. This year Easter is being celebrated on the same day by Catholics and Orthodox Christians, and has been marked by Russia’s announced temporary Easter truce in its war in Ukraine.
ministry, there were “dead and wounded among the civilian population,” without giving details. It claimed Russian troops had strictly observed the truce.
Russia-installed officials in the partially occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson also said Ukrainian forces launched attacks.
Zelenskyy said Russia must fully adhere to the ceasefire conditions and reiterated Ukraine’s offer to extend the truce for 30 days when it ends Sunday.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybihaa said Moscow had not responded to Kyiv’s proposal.
Alito’s dissent says high court rushed to block deportation order
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court acted “literally in the middle of the night” and without sufficient explanation in blocking the Trump administration from deporting any Venezuelans held in northern Texas under an 18th-century wartime law, Justice Samuel Alito wrote in a sharp dissent that castigated the seven-member majority Joined by fellow conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, Alito said there was “dubious factual support” for granting the request in an emergency appeal from the American Civil Liberties Union.
The group contended that immigration authorities appeared to be moving to restart such removals under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
The majority did not provide a detailed explanation in the order early Saturday, as is typical, but the court previously said deportations could proceed only after those about to be removed had a chance to argue their case in court and were given “a reasonable time” to contest their pending removals.
“Both the Executive and the Judiciary have an obligation to follow the law,” Alito said in the dissent released hours after the court’s intervention
against Republican President Donald Trump’s administration.
The justices’ brief order directed the administration not to remove Venezuelans held in the Bluebonnet Detention Center “until further order of this court.”
Alito said that “unprecedented” relief was “hastily and prematurely granted.”
He wrote that it was not clear whether the Supreme Court had jurisdiction at this stage of the case, saying that not all legal avenues had been played out in lower courts and the justices had not had the chance to hear the government’s side.
‘Professional failures’ found, of
BY MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press
JERUSALEM An Israeli investigation into the killings of 15 Palestinian medics last month in Gaza by Israeli forces said Sunday it found a chain of “professional failures” and a deputy commander has been fired.
The shootings outraged many in the international community, with some calling the killings a war crime. Medical workers have special protection under international humanitarian law The International Red Cross/Red Crescent called it the deadliest attack on its personnel in eight years.
Israel at first claimed that the medics’ vehicles did not have emergency signals on when troops opened fire but later backtracked Cellphone video recovered from one medic contradicted Israel’s initial account. Footage shows the ambulances had lights flashing and logos visible as they pulled up to help another ambulance that earlier came under fire.
The military investigation found that the deputy battalion commander acted under the incorrect assumption that all the ambulances belonged to Hamas militants. It said the deputy commander, operating under “poor night visibility,” felt his troops were under threat when the ambulances sped toward their position and medics rushed out to check the victims. The military said the flashing lights were less visible on night-vision drones and goggles. The ambulances immediately came under a barrage of gunfire that went on for more than five minutes with brief pauses. Minutes later, soldiers opened fire at a U.N. car that stopped at the scene.
Eight Red Crescent personnel, six Civil Defense workers and a U.N staffer were killed in the shooting before dawn on March 23 by troops conducting operations in Tel al-Sultan, a district of the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Troops bulldozed over the bodies along with their mangled vehicles, burying them in a mass grave. U.N. and rescue workers were only able to reach the site a week later
News Tips /Stories:
andchallengestodeportation. Advocacy groups have chronicled whatthey call inhumane, prisonlike conditions inside the Jena facility,which houses more than 1,100immigrantdetainees, the most in the state.
What happensbehind the barbed wire along Pinehill Road doesn’tconcern too many locals,said Rodney Begnaud, aretired Pentecostal pastor,ashesat ina downtown barber shop.
“I realize they’re there because Isee their buses,” he said. “Mostly it’sthe logging business and hunting. Most everything else doesn’tmatter that much.”
In LaSalle Parish, where 91% of voters favored Trumplastyear, thefacility run by the GEO Group, called the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center,has become asignificant and largely unbothered presence. The company,which declined to comment for this story,isthe third-leading taxpayer in the parish,at just under $1 million last year in an agreement with the assessor.The facility accounts for about 6% of parish property taxes.
The GEO Group also employs afew hundred people at coveted pay rates,residents said. Some Jena leaders point to aset of $1,000 scholarships the company funds each year for high school seniors in atown of about 4,000 residents.
The company is the primary source of revenue for the LaSalle Economic Development District, which is aparty to the agreement between GEO Group and ICE to operate the complex. Districtaudits show the facility runs on $40 million annually
The deal doesn’trequire local approval for how the detention center operates.
“I’ll leave the management end to GEO and ICE,” said Walter Dorroh, alocal attorney who has headed the economic development district for three decades.
“I certainly don’twant to be doing anything that’s inappropriate, dishonestor mistreating anybody.But we’ve never heard of any problem there at all.”
Dorroh said he was not familiar with aseries of reports critical of the treatment of the detaineesinside the Jena complex and others.
Fillinganeconomicvoid
To hear Dorroh tell it, GEO has been an important if not crucial business for the parish, operating afacility that came about largely as aresult of bad economic luck.
The parish suffered adebilitating one-two punch in the late 1980s when its two majorindustries— oiland timber —tanked. Twolocal bankswentbelly up,Dorroh said.
Apush to diversify eventually brought ajuvenile detention center run by Wackenhut Corrections Corp., which laterbecame
the GEO Group. It wasbilledthenas state-of-the-art.But news reportssoon chronicled abuses by guards inside the $16 millionjuvenile lockup, which employed about 160 people whenitshuttered in 2000 after only afew years. The property was mothballeduntil 2007,when officials announced the new ICE contract and a$30 millionexpansion intoanallinclusive immigrant detentioncamp, transforming a narrow dirt pass.
Now, ICEbuses with no windows share rural byways with timber trucks as they shuttle detainees about an hour to and from Alexandria, where ICE runs the only immigration jail in the U.S. that is directly connected to an airport.
Not all locals are keen on the situation in Jena, where “A Nice PlacetoCall Home” is the townslogan.
“I find it strange they put afacility like thatina small town. Just theplacement. We’renot equipped,” said Hailey Loveasz, a30-yearold stay-at-home mom who lives in Jena
“Welive in the Deep South. Ifeel likethistown has had alot of drama. It’sput on the map for the wrongreasons. It kind of makes us an infamous town.”
Atroubledhistory
Thetroublesthatshut down thejuvenile detentioncenter in 2000 preceded afar bigger scandal in Jena six yearslater In the “JenaSix”case, sixBlack teenswerecon-
victed of simple battery in the 2006 beating of a Whitestudent at Jena High School in what waswidely viewed as racially fueled violence. Some of the teens were initially charged with attemptedsecond-degree murder,whichcaptured national attention —and backlash
To some locals,whatensued was aJenamiscast by famed the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson and others who arrived in September 2007 to protest.An estimated 15,000 or more people came —four times the town population. It was only afew weeks before the protest that officials unfurled thedeal to expand the former juvenile facilityintoa full-scale federal immigration detention center.It’snow the largest ICE detention center in the state by population, accordingtoMarch data from the Transactional Records AccessClearinghouse at Syracuse University
TheJenacomplex was among the subjects of areport last year by advocacy groups that found “rampant abuse”within U.S.immigration detention facilities in Louisiana. The report describedin detail thedeathofErnesto Rocha-Cuadra at LaSalle General HospitalinJune 2023 of cardiac arrest. The 42-year-old Nicaraguan asylum-seeker hadbeen detained there for more than ayear andwas recommended for release.
‘Littletonoinformation’
A2021 study by Tulane University’sImmigrant
Cheryl Lindloff’s Chermark Natural Market in Jena is located acouple of miles from the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center
Rights Clinic found “prolonged and punitive” detention of immigrants who land in Jena or other ICE facilities in Louisiana, withlittle chance of success on their pleas for relief.
That’swhy advocates say theTrump administration has sought to transfer the petitions of Khalil and otherstoLouisiana courts —and whytheir attorneys have fought back.
Khalil’sarrest was thefirst of several attempted deportations of foreign-born students who joined pro-Pales-
tinian protests or expressed criticismofIsrael, or who authoritiessay pose anational security concern.
So far,the immigration court within the Jena compound hasappeared to side with the administration.
An immigration judge on April10declaredKhalildeportable as anationalsecurity risk, in response to adeclaration from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The judge,Jamee E. Comans, foundthatthe government had established that Khalil being in the U.S. posed “potentially serious foreign policy consequences,” according to The Associated Press.
Adifferent judge in Jena denied bail Thursday to Alireza Doroudi, a32-year-old doctoratestudent in mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama. Doroudi wasarrested last month in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and brought to the samefacility Immigration Judge Maithe Gonzálezruled him aflight risk with few community tiesand foundhefailedto prove he was not a threat to national security,according to AL.com
Doroudi, whoenteredthe U.S. on a student visa, faces deportation to Iran,saidhis attorney,David Rozas, who haspledgedtoappeal the ruling.
tion and (to) just leave withoutputting up afight —it’s appalling.”
Khalil’sattorneys describedhim as sleeping “in abunkerwithout apillow or blanket” inside the Jena compound.
“It’sabout being in the middle of nowhere,” Rozas said. “Out of sight, outof mind.”
Thefacilityisfar from out of sight for Cheryl Lindloff, who livesdownthe street, selling herbsout of ashop shebuilt in herdriveway. Whatconcernsher most are escapes, she said, though officials said it’snever happened.
Landing them in remote detention centers like the one in Jena appears aimed at making communication more difficult, saidRozas, who runs alarge immigration practice in Louisiana.
“They’re in prison, in a room with like 60 to 80 people in someinstances. It’s an actual prison, not like adetention center,” said Rozas.
He described Doroudi as “crème de la crème” in academia, abeloved university student being treated contrary to ICEpolicies.
“You move him600 miles away from any support, with little to no access, to force him,tobreak him,towant to giveup,” Rozas said. “This whole idea of self-deporta-
“As long as they’re kept undercontrol, they’re fine, but there’s always the niggling in theback of your mind,” she said. “It would be nice to know who’s there, andwhy they’re there.Theygive little to no information at all.” From what BernellWiley sees, what’shappening in the woods afew milesaway doesn’tsit well.
Wiley,58, said he once held ajob as aguard at theLouisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, where “they didn’t put them in there for ringing church bells too loud.” He said he doesn’tsupport whathe’sheardfor why Khalil and others landed in his community —not for crimes.Wileypointed to a photo of his grandfather, amilitaryveteran,onthe wall.
“Hedidn’tfight forthis mess,” Wileysaid. “What are they holding them for? It affects us no matter what.”
BY STEVE PEOPLES AP national political writer
NEW YORK Now,it’sChris Van Hollen’sturn.
The mild-mannered Maryland senator has suddenly emerged as aleading figure in the resistance to DonaldTrump’snorm-busting presidency,becoming the latestinasmall but growing collection of Democratic officials testing the strengthof their political power in aweakened party with no clear leader VanHollen’srise followshis decision to travel 2,000 miles to El Salvador last weekto meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongly deported andfederal courts have said should be returned.
VanHollen did not secure the release of the Salvadoran citizen who had been living in Maryland. But simply by meeting with him, in defiance of Trump and his ally El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, VanHollencreated anew sense of hope and momentum for Abrego Garcia’sfamily andthe anti-Trump resistance
“Sen. VanHollen’sleadership in this moment is exactly how Democrats should be pushing back
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Thetwo lawmakers are sponsoring identical bills in their respective chambers —Senate Bill156 and House Bill 506. Thebills would protect IVF providers from criminal prosecution of acts that occur in the course of treatment, unless aproviderhas “specificor general criminal intent.”
In Alabama last February, the state Supreme Court found that three couples
against awannabe dictator like Donald Trump —calling for law and orderover chaos and adhering to the Constitutioninstead of atyrant,” Democratic NationalCommittee Chair Ken Martin told The Associated Press. “No matterhow much Trumptries to act out hisdictatorial fantasies, Democrats will always defend democracy when it’sonthe line.”
VanHollen’semergence in acritical national debate offers afresh window into the DemocraticParty’smonthslong leadership carouselasitstruggles to counter aseries of Trumpadministration policies with far-reaching consequences, from slashing the federal workforce to stripping funding from universities, pushing back against court ordersand launching atrade war that’srattling the global economy
TheDemocrats’ most visible elected leaders, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. ChuckSchumer,both of New York, have lostthe confidence of many progressive activists for not fighting Trump with the urgency or creativity that the moment demands.
whosefrozenembryos weredestroyed inanaccident ata cliniccould suefor the death of aminor child. Theruling, whichequated frozen embryos to children, threwIVF treatmentinto chaos as providers, fearingcriminal prosecution stopped treatments.
Alabama legislators quickly passed abill protectingIVF,and treatments resumed. But the news caused concern that something similarcouldoccur in Louisiana “We’ve heard alot about IVF and the challenges that
Ezra Levin, co-founderofthe resistance groupIndivisible,said thegrowing protestmovement is directed bothatTrump and “the Schumers of theworld, those who want us to roll over andplay dead.”
“Courage is impressive andcontagious,”Levin said, noting that he’shearing “a ton of positivefeedback for (Van Hollen) among our folks on theground.”He said thereaction is akin to theoutpouringofsupport forSen.Cory Booker,D-N.J.,earlier in the month.
Booker had stepped into the leadership void by delivering arecordbreaking25-hour speech on the Senatefloorthatbrieflyservedas arallying point for the frustrated anti-Trump movement.Concerned voters also have packed into rallies hosted by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.,who have launched anational “Stop Oligarchy” tour
At the same time, potential 2028 presidential contenders suchas Govs. Gavin Newsom of California andGretchen Whitmer of Michigan have gone theother way by down-
Alabama has had in the past, and we’re just trying to be proactive,” saidPressly.“Ithought it was important to make sure that we’rebeing pro-family and pro-life by allowing people to undergo IVF treatment.”
Davis saidthe bill also modernizes Louisiana’sIVF law, which has not been updated sinceitwas writtenin1986. Thebill alsoensuresthat IVFproviders arecovered by the Medical Malpractice Act, which Pressly said
playing theirTrump criticismat times. Others, including Govs. Josh ShapiroofPennsylvania andWes MooreofMaryland, have largely avoidedstepping intothe national debate.
“I don’tthink it’sever wrong to fight for the constitutional rights of oneperson, because if we give up on one person’srights we threaten everybody’srights,” VanHollen said Sunday on CNN’s“State of theUnion.” “I think alot of voters —both Republican and Democrat —are tired of elected officials and politicians who just put their finger to thewind. AndI would say that anyone who’snot prepared to stand up and fight forthe Constitution doesn’tdeserve to lead.”
VanHollen’s trip waspraisedby manyonthe left, butthere was no shortage of detractors —even within his own party Newsom describedthe Democratic Party’sfocus on the Abrego Garcia case as “the distraction of the day” that allows Republicans to avoid tough questions about Trump’stariffs, which have upended globaltrade and threaten to worsen inflation.
Indeed, Republicans have em-
putsacap on damages that may be sought. He said he believesexisting lawalready covers IVF providers, but the bill would make that extra clear It is uncle ar whether the IVF bills will garner support from Louisiana Right to Life, thestate’sinfluentialanti-abortion lobbying group. BenClapper, the organization’sexecutive director,said it is still reviewing thebills.
Louisiana’sLegislature
braced theAbregoGarciadebate.
White Houseborder czar Tom HomancalledVan Hollen’s move “disgusting.”Trump senioradviser Stephen Miller,speaking at the White House, said VanHollen’s “heart is reserved for an illegal alien who’samember of aforeign terroristorganization.”
“It seems to me that these Democratsare representing theillegal aliens against thevery constituents, the U.S. citizens, that they’re supposed to be protecting,” said Rep. TomEmmer,R-Minn., also on CNN. Whenpressed repeatedly,Emmer did not say whether he backed Trump’ssuggestion thatU.S. citizens convicted of serious crimes could be jailed in other countries such as El Salvador Abrego Garcia came to theUnited Statesillegally in 2013 at 16, but an immigration judge in 2019 granted him legalprotection thatallowed him to stay andwork in theU.S.He has avalid work permit. His wife and their three children are U.S. citizens.
The administration insists that Abrego Garcia is aMS-13gang member, although he has not been charged withany crimes
is staunchlyanti-abortion and opposition from Louisiana Right to Life can easily kill abill.
Both Davis andPressly oppose abortion. Pressly last year sponsored acontroversial bill that classified twomedications used in abortions —misoprostol and mifepristone —as controlled dangerous substances underSchedule IV of the state’sUniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law
Themedications are FDA-approved andusedfor other medical purposes, in-
cluding pregnancyand miscarriage care. Last year,Davis’IVF bill ranintosomeRepublican opposition in the Senate’s Judiciary ACommittee, when state Sen. Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport, and state Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge,voted against it. However,both senators voted in favor of the bill in the full Senate after it was amended to ban providers from sending embryos out of state “for the purpose of thedestruction of theembryo.”
servitudes,appurte‐nances,and advantages thereuntobelonging or in anywiseappertaining situated in theTHIRD DISTRICT OF THECITYOF NEWORLEANS,Parishof Orleans, Stateof Louisiana, on aplanof subdivisionbyJ.J.Krebs
Harbourview Court(side), Basinview Drive(side), Lakeview Court(side), andWest‐lake Drive(formerly Jof‐freRoad),and according to asurveybyJ.J.Krebs &Sons, Inc.,C.E.& S. datedNovember1,1983,
shownonsurveyof Gilbert, Kelly &Couturie, Inc.,S&E,dated Decem‐ber20, 1991, which is at‐tached to an Actpassed before JamesA Mounger,NotaryPublic, datedDecember31, 1991. TheOrder granting such
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“This bill protects consumers from potential health risks and upholds the integrity of our food supply chain, while supporting Louisiana fishermen and seafood processors,” Carter said.“By granting the FDA thenecessary authorityto destroy food products that fail to meet our strict health and safety standards, we are closing adangerousloophole that has allowed contaminated seafood to enter our markets.”
The FDA already has the authority to seize and destroy food, drugs and other productsthatare “adulterated or misbranded.” Often, however,when inspectors deny entry for food, the shipper retains the productand some try again at adifferent
port in hopes of finding more laxornoinspections.
The Higgins-Carter proposal changes wording in the law thatallowsthe FDA greater leeway to impound anddestroy seafoodimports that are refused.
“Billions of pounds of uninspected seafood continue to enter our country,causing major health concerns,” Higgins said. “In my opinion, foreign productsdon’t evencome close tothe quality of Louisiana seafood. This legislation provides the FDA with the authoritytodestroy illegal seafood imports and ensures that contaminated products don’t reach American markets.”
AFebruary 2023 FDA reportnoted that imported seafood —mostly shrimp, salmon and tilapia— accounted for 94% of the seafood sold in the United States. America also imports 55%ofits fresh fruits and
32% of the fresh vegetables consumed.
Much of theimported seafood comes from India, China and Southeast Asia andisraised by aquaculture.Thosefacilities often usedrugs andchemicals to avoid disease. Testingisn’t keepingpace
The United States Government Accountability Office, an independent, nonpartisan agency that provides audits for Congress, hasbeen warning for years that FDA inspections have notbeen keepingupwithincreasing imports of seafood being brought intothe country for saletoAmerican consumers.
AGAO report in January determined that the FDA had not met its domestic and foreign inspection targets since 2018.
“For foreignfacilityinspections, FDA conducted
REP.TROyCARTER
far fewer than the annual target of 19,200 inspections,”the GAO reported.
With only 432investigators as of July 2024, FDA officials don’tconsider the target achievable, theGAO reported.
Only2%ofseafoodwas inspected cominginto the United States and 0.1% of thatamount was sampled for drugs/antibiotics. Of theshrimpsampled for
drugs and antibiotics, 12.2% showed positive for drug residue, a2017 GAO report stated.
The GAO recommended congressional legislation.
Though the report is from 2017, the Southern Shrimp Alliance has used freedom of information requests to keep tabs on the inspections andfound that less imported seafood is being sampled these days.
“Imported shrimpand seafood products that are potentially dangerous for consumersneedtobedestroyed,” said JohnWilliams, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. Based in Tarpon Springs, Florida, the alliance represents shrimpersand processors in eightwarm-water, shrimpproducing states, including Louisiana.
“Giving theseproducts back to theforeign shipper does littletoincentiv-
ize them to address safety problems before shipping products to thiscountry,” Williamssaid. As part of the Trump administration’seffort to decrease the size of the federal government, the Department of Health and Human Resources is in theprocess of laying off about 10,000 employees, including some 3,500 FDA workers. Health Secretary Robert F. KennedyJr. said earlierthis month that he is trying to rehire some of those whose jobs were terminated. Carter and Higgins’ legislation has along way to go before becoming law. The bill first needs to be vetted and approved by the House committee. Then it must pass the full House before the Senate can consider the legislation. Email Mark Ballardat mballard@theadvocate. com.
St. Landry Parish President Jessie Bellard said landownershavesigned leaseagreements with two separate developers, AES Corporation, aVirginiabased power company that operates on four continents, and Toronto-based Cordelio Power,which has projects across Canadaand the U.S. The wind farms could provideanew source of revenue for both landowners and local governments, he said. They could also help attract new investments to Louisiana from industries that are transitioning away from planet-warming fossil fuels and toward renewable energy,economic development officials say The deals come as the wind industry is facing an uncertainfuture.Onhis first day in office, Trump signed an executive order temporarily halting offshore wind lease sales in federal waters and pausing the issuance of approvals, permits and loans for all wind projects. Last week, the Trump administration ordered construction to stop on afully-permitted offshore wind project in the Northeast thatwould provide powertohalf amillion New York homes. The wind industry also relies heavily on imports, and higher costs from Trump’snew tariffscould discourage new projects, analysts say Powering data centers
While the administration is trying to thwart the developmentofnew wind projects, some nearby states have embraced wind power for years and tied it into their powergrids. Texas has 239 wind-related projects while Oklahoma has 29,with thousands of turbines between them that provide asignificant portion of electricity to area customers. Mississippi gotits first wind farm last year,when
AES beganproducing electricityatits 184-megawatt Delta wind project located on private property in Tunica County.Its customer is the tech giant Amazon, which is spending $16 billion to construct twonew datacenters inthe state and has agoal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions for all of its operationsby 2040.
Bellard toured the 14,000acre windfarm in October and saidthat each ofits 41 turbines takes up less than an acreoffarmland. That’s avastly smaller footprint than solar farms, which have stirred opposition in some rural areas for locatingonland that couldotherwisebeusedfor agriculture
“It’snoinconvenienceto the farming industry,” Bellard said of wind farms.
In astatement, AESconfirmed that it has active lease agreements fortwo potential wind projects in Louisiana, one in St. Landry and Evangeline parishes and another in MadisonParish. Thecom-
pany wouldn’tsay how much acreageithas under contract or its project timeline.
Cordelio Power did not respond to alistofquestions.
The proposed projects range in size, with some calling fora fewdozen wind turbines and others morethan 100, according to interconnectionrequests filed with the Midcontinent Independent System Operator,which oversees the regional power grid.
Newrevenues, newjobs
Unlike in the Southwest, wind development in the southeastern UnitedStates is arelatively recenttrend. Theregion haslongbeen overlooked by developers becauseofits slower wind speeds, though technological advances are making projectsinthispart of the country more economical
To be sure,the industry is facingpushback in some Deep Red states that have yet to see significant investment from wind developers. Arkansas recently
sent abill to the governor’s desk that industry supporterssay wouldessentially put amoratorium on new wind farms in that state.
No suchlegislation has been filed in Louisiana, however. Underboth Republican Gov.JeffLandry and his Democratic predecessor, JohnBel Edwards, the state hastriedtoposition itself as an energyhub that embraces traditional fossil fuels, renewable sources of energy and the infrastructure needed to produceitall.
Abill filed by state Rep. KimberlyCoates,R-Ponchatoula, would require land-based wind farms to getapermitfrom the state Department of Energy and Natural Resourcesbefore constructing projects. She saidshe doesn’toppose land-basedwind farms and simply wantstoput rules in place beforemoving forward.
Wind industry advocates say there’sa cleardemand amongcommercial and industrial customers for renewableenergy. Jenny
Netherton, senior program manager at the Southeastern Wind Coalition, points to thewaitlistfor solar power from Entergy as evidence.
“Onshore wind is areadily deployable, utility-scale renewable energyresource that can help meet this existing demand by Louisiana businesses and attract new investments,” Netherton said.
Wind energy is also amongthe cheapestforms of power in the country, andisn’tatthe whims of fluctuating fuel prices, like gas-fired plants, she said.
Otherbenefits CameronPoole,energy andinnovation manager at Greater New OrleansInc., said thatland-based wind farms could attract new investments in Louisiana from industries that are seeking renewableenergy to power their operations.
He described the technology as another “tool” in the state’seconomic development “tool kit.”
The projects could also
provide jobopportunities for students enrolled in a new, two-year program at Nunez CommunityCollege that trains students to be entry-levelwind turbine technicians, Poolesaid. Bellard is bullishonwhat wind farms could mean for St. Landry Parish’scoffers, noting that property taxes are higher forcommercial rather than agriculturalland.
In December, theSt. Landry Parish Council approved anew ordinance setting out permitting requirements for wind farms.
Wind farmsare also a boon for landowners, who on averagereceive around $6,700 per year foreach megawatt of wind power produced on theirproperty,according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The AES project proposed for Acadiana is projected to generate around 156 MW of power
EmailBlake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate. com.
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But proposed bill still a ways off
BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer
In the years since St. Tammany
Parish saw a series of public corruption scandals in the 2010s, an influential citizens group has lobbied the parish to create an inspector general’s office to police its patchwork of different government agencies
A parish task force studied the
idea in 2013, but ultimately opted for a beefed-up auditing system instead. In 2020, the citizens’ group gave it another try, which didn’t materialize.
Now, at the request of the citizens group, Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany, state Rep. Stephanie Berault, R-Slidell, has introduced a bill in the 2025 legislative session that would add St. Tammany to the list of parishes that can establish
inspector general offices.
Rick Franzo, the president of CCST, who approached Berault with the ask, is cheering on the bill, which also received a resolution of support from the St. Tammany Parish Council.
But, Franzo and Berault say, even if this bill were adopted, a lot would have to happen before an office could be created.
The Parish Council’s Home Rule Charter Committee, which is reviewing the parish’s founding document, would need to formally
recommend that the council establish the office. Then, the Parish Council would need to put the inspector on a ballot for parish residents to vote on. If the voters approve an inspector general’s office, then it could be established. Finally, Berault said, she would need to introduce another bill next year to expand the powers of the office.
Still, Franzo feels confident. “The only way you can get to that point is the first step,” he said.
Berault’s bill, if adopted, would not let St. Tammany establish an inspector general’s office with powers similar to the offices in Orleans or Jefferson parishes. Her bill would only give the St. Tammany Parish office the power to examine budgets that pass through the Parish Council. Her hope, she said, is to allow the office to follow all tax dollars in the parish. “Otherwise, what’s the point?”
BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer
The 40th annual French Quarter Easter Parade, formerly known as the Chris Owens Easter Parade after the legendary Bourbon Street entertainer, took a turn through the French Quarter on Sunday featuring dance troupes, a marching band, convertible cars and a human-sized Easter bunny. It was one of three parades in the Quarter for Easter: The Historic French Quarter Easter Parade the Gay Easter Parade added to the celebrations.
Voters
BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer
MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer
‘I’m not driving a Bentley,’ Labit says, but ‘we’re cash flow positive’
BY BOB WARREN Staff writer
April 2024, drawing praise from a host of used bookstore aficionados who had feared the worst when the tiny place was put up for sale. Used bookstores, it seems, build strong relationships with customers. That goes for their proprietors as well.
“I’m surprised
care clinic and emergency room, as well as additional parking
The election is May 3. Early voting started Saturday and runs through April 26.
“Our main goal is giving the highest quality of care and keeping care local. This is going to allow us to keep care local for generations to come,” hospital CEO Sandy Badinger said.
If voters approve the proposition it would reduce the tax rate from 6.75 mills tax to 5.99 mills, but also push back the tax’s expiration from 2041 to 2045. The annual tax for the owner of a $250,000 home would drop from $118 to $105, according to the hospital. If the bond issue is not approved, the tax would be set to continue until 2041 at the current rate.
Five different projects
Voters first approved a property tax for the hospital in 2004 to help it pay off debt in order to stay afloat.
Since then, taxpayers have approved three bond issues for capital improvements, most recently in April 2021, when they approved a $23.1 million bond issue to construct a three-story surgical tower that houses seven new operating rooms.
Continued from page 1B
er danger while teaching them that they can always go to police officers for protection.
“He represents that protection that parents and grandparents steer our children towards, and he violated that trust,” Wolff said.
Sgt. Kurt Zeagler, an internal affairs detective with the Sheriff’s Office, testified during the hearing, revealing new details about the case. Traylor known as “Officer Jimmy,” and the 14-year-old victim began communicating in late September or early October Authorities have previously said the messaging began on Facebook.
While going through text messages recovered from the girl’s cellphone, investigators learned that Traylor exchanged more than 5,000 texts over a two-week period, Zeagler said.
Much of the communication was flirty in nature, though Zeagler said there were many messages that were outright sexually suggestive
“He asks her for pictures of herself almost constantly through text message,” said Zeagler, describing requests of photos of the girl in her bikini or when she was entering or exiting the shower.
Traylor asked the girl if she wanted to have her way with him, requested that she describe what she’d do to him, and told her he wanted to have her sitting on his lap with her legs and arms wrapped around him, Zeagler told the court.
Traylor made arrangements to meet up with the girl at least twice at the Bonnabel boat launch on March 24 and 25, authorities said. The next day, one of the teen’s friends notified her parents of the relationship, and they called authorities.
On the day of his arrest, Traylor wiped the recent data from his cellphone and iPad, Zeagler testified. He also previously encouraged the girl to erase all of their text messages, according to authorities.
Five character witnesses took the stand in Traylor’s defense during the bail hearing, including his father, James Donald Traylor He told the court his son was a lifelong resident of Jefferson Parish who joined the Sheriff’s Office in 1988 and was one of the department’s first school resource officers.
When asked by Jefferson Parish Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Voss whether he was aware that his son had been having a relationship with a 14-year-old, the elder Traylor said, “Absolutely not. That’s so out of character for him. It’s hard to wrap my head around it.”
James Traylor’s girlfriend also took the stand and told the court he’d been threatened while in jail, prompting staff to move him to a more secure location.
His defense attorney called his client a rule follower with impeccable character But Wolff disagreed.
“Somebody who sends 5,000 text messages to a child in such a short period of time tells me he is obsessed, and an obsessed perpetrator is a danger not only to that child but to other children he may come into contact with,” Wolff said.
Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate.com.
Unlike in past years when the bond covered a single major project, this time the money would cover five different projects, according to Badinger
Existing clinics would see significant expansion. The hospital’s cancer clinic would get additional exam rooms and advanced imaging equipment. New incubators would be installed at the hospital’s women and infant center’s neonatal intensive care unit The 31-room emergency room would get an additional seven to 10 clinical rooms.
The hospital would also build a new pediatric and primary care center, which it says would allow it to rotate in more specialists from the south shore.
“The teams are very excited about this and the providers are extremely excited,” Badinger said. “This is taking health care in Slidell definitely to a new level.”
The hospital would also construct additional parking for staff and patients, Badinger said, doing away with a shuttle bus for employees.
‘A value proposition’
While Slidell Memorial Hospital and Ochsner Health have operated under a joint agreement since soon after announcing a partnership in 2015, the hospital says the funds from the millage will only be used to pay for equipment and buildings owned by Slidell Memo-
Continued from page 1B
Franzo said
In other parishes, Berault said, the money going to different government agencies is generally all in the same budget. But in St. Tammany, many government agencies, like the 13 different fire districts or the Mosquito Abatement District, operate with dedicated taxes and their budgets are separate from St. Tammany Parish government.
In order to give the inspector general the power to look at agencies whose budgets are not part of the parish government, Berault said she would have to sponsor additional legislation next year. Before that happens, she said, there would be lots of conversations with the Sheriff’s Office, the fire departments and other government agencies whose budgets are not controlled by the Parish Council.
The establishment of the office remains a long way off, in other words. Berault’s bill has been assigned to the House and Gov-
rial Hospital.
Ochsner will not get a penny of the funds from the millage, said Sam Caruso Jr., an election consultant helping with the hospital’s campaign.
“Every single tax proposition is a value proposition,” said Caruso.
“In this case, you are being asked to pay less money each year than you are right now and in exchange for that, to receive services around women, children, infants and cancer that currently you’re not receiving to the degree that they’re proposing,” Caruso said.
Walter “Dub” Lane, a health
ernmental Committee. Given the parish’s general support, she said she doesn’t expect opposition.
“Hopefully we can figure out a way to give the residents confidence in how their money is being spent,” said Berault, who is part of Gov Jeff Landry’s DOGElike government efficiency task force. She added that “these conversations are taking place at the federal level and the state level.” How to pay for it?
While the Parish Council adopted a resolution supporting Berault’s legislation some council members and Parish President Mike Cooper have expressed reservations about the potential cost of an inspector general’s office.
“I will always support ideas that promote transparency and accountability However, at this time, there are many questions, including a funding source and the agencies in which it would have oversight over, that still must be answered,” Cooper said in a statement.
“I’m not against the inspector general, but if you look at Jefferson Parish and Orleans Parish — they have a set revenue source
care economist at the University of New Orleans, who has been a member of the hospital’s board of commissioners on and off since 2005, said that as a commissioner of a nonprofit hospital, it is his job to represent St. Tammany residents’ interests.
“That’s what I feel like we’re doing with this,” he said of the millage. Residents in Wards 6, 7 8 and 9 — those living in St Tammany Parish Hospital Service District No. 2 — are eligible to vote. That includes Lacombe, Slidell and most of the eastern half of the parish.
dedicated to the inspector general,” council member Cheryl Tanner said in an interview. She estimated the office could cost somewhere between $500,000 and $1 million.
Tanner amended the Parish Council’s resolution bill to include language that said both the office and its funding source would be voted on by parish residents.
Like Tanner, council member Joe Impastato was not against an inspector general’s office, but he pointed to TRAC, St. Tammany’s very own four-letter transparency committee established earlier this year, as a free tool to boost government transparency Council member Arthur Laughlin, however who sponsored the resolution supporting Berault’s bill, called concerns about paying for the office “premature.”
“Right now, it’s kind of theoretical,” Laughlin said, given the series of steps that would need to happen before an office could be established.
Email Willie Swett at willie. swett@theadvocate.com.
Continued from page 1B
planned to retire, social media lit up with concerns about what would happen to the beloved shop
Labit, not too long removed from a stint with the U.S. Navy, stepped up. It was kind of a whim, as he describes it.
“Yeah, I kinda went crazy,” he said, shaking his head.
Labit spent several weeks working in the store to learn the ropes. And of course, he read a lot of books. Duh! He knew there were no guarantees when he signed the purchase agreement using some money he had saved from his Navy days. But, he said, his gut told him it was the right move at the right time A year later?
“Hey, we’re cash flow positive. Every month,” he said with a big grin. “I feel confident in saying that if the numbers still work, I can see myself here for a while.
“I’m not driving a Bentley, but we’re still open.”
(For the record, Labit drives a Toyota Prius. “Fifty miles per gallon,” he said. “And it’s paid for.”)
Labit’s shop is open five days a week, Tuesday-Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. He attends classes at Southeastern Louisiana University around his shop hours, working toward an accounting degree.
“It can be a grind, but it’s still a lot of fun,” he said. “It still doesn’t feel like work.”
The days are spent keeping track of inventory, checking new titles and chatting with customers as they roam the store’s floor-to-ceiling shelves teeming with paperbacks,
continues to serve about 150 students. At least two teachers, including a biology instructor, were among those laid off. Their students had to spend class time in the library until their schedules could be changed, school officials said.
Willie Zanders, attorney for Friends of King the charter management organization that oversees the high school and a nearby elementary school said the layoffs were necessary due to the school’s $1 million deficit for the 2024-25 school year, caused by low enrollment and exacerbated by the school district’s financial crisis. He argued that the layoffs prevented the operator from having to close the high school midyear
“Our board was not going to allow us to get in that position,” Zanders said.
Last year, the high school earned a “D” letter grade from the state. Its score was up more than five points from its “F” rating the year prior, but still more than 20 points below the district average. It started this school year with only about 150 students, down 57% from its peak enrollment.
Former NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Avis Williams cited the high school’s low enrollment in December when she recommended closing it. She said it only enrolled about 14% of high schoolaged students living in the Lower 9th Ward. The nearby elementary school, which pulls nearly a third of eligible students from the neighborhood, was granted a three-year charter with a contingency plan.
Despite the school’s struggles, some community members have pointed to its improved rating as evidence the high school should have been allowed to remain open.
“It’s a grave injustice, and I see more of this coming,” said the Rev Willie Calhoun, a longtime Lower 9th Ward resident and community advocate, who noted that the school is also a major employer in the neighborhood.
The school has faced financial challenges.
It accumulated debt over the past several years as the high school pulled in less money because of low enrollment, said Zanders, the board attorney The board used funds from the elementary school to keep the high school afloat, he added. He said that the school district’s inflated tax-revenue projections, which led schools to budget for more money than they actually received, added another $300,000 to the deficit. The Orleans Parish School Board last month approved a plan to cover about half of the deficit using the district’s reserves.
The “reduction in force” allowed the board to balance the school’s operating budget for the 2024-25 school year, Zanders said.
Among the positions terminated were hall monitors and security guards, he said, as well as the high school principal and former CEO Doris Hicks, who made about $190,000 for instructional student services last year, according to state data. Hicks did not respond to phone calls.
Former employees said emails were sent out on Feb. 14 saying they had been laid off.
Monique Hicks-Cook, who served as high school principal, said she was among those who were informed their services were no longer needed. She attributed her layoff to retaliation from the board. A school in transition
The school district has held job fairs to help the high school’s teachers look for new positions, district officials said. And it has made sure students who aren’t graduating this year enrolled in new schools for the fall.
“Everything is going relatively well,” Kelli Jordan, chief school support and improvement officer for NOLA Public Schools, told the Orleans Parish School Board last week.
hard covers and all manner in between.
Labit is a huge fan of “international literature,” especially works from Russian authors, postwar Germany and Cold War histories. Alas, he’s yet to detect a huge market for those titles at his cramped shop, he said with a chuckle.
“Romance is a big seller,” he said. “Classics, too. Oh, and I have some real die-hard Western guys that come in a lot.”
There are some off-the-wall requests, too.
“No, I don’t have the Dead Sea Scrolls,” he said, recalling a conversation he had with a would-be customer “They really asked that. I said, ‘Like, a copy?’ And they were like, ‘No, the real thing.’
“But I get it: Used bookstores are where you might strike gold, right?”
Even so, Hicks-Cook said the mood among students in the months since they were told the school would close has been glum.
Some of the students are “lifers” and have attended the charter school since kindergarten. Others had already ordered their class rings.
“When you walk in there,” she said, “it’s like a funeral every day.”
NewOrleans
Bruce, Frances Gaines,Joel
GloverJr.,John Jenkins,Shelita
Pajaud, Dianne NewOrleans
Charbonnet
Pajaud, Dianne
DW Rhodes
Jenkins,Shelita St Tammany
EJ Fielding
GloverJr.,John West Bank
DavisMortuary
Gaines,Joel
Mothe
Bruce, Frances
Obituaries
Bruce, FrancesBergeron
FrancesBergeronBruce passedawayonFriday, March 21, 2025 at theage of85. Belovedwifeofthe lateRichard AnthonyBruce for 45 years. Mother of Janet DePhillips,Sheri Buras (David), andDannell Tassin(Bernard).Daughter ofthe late Althea and Lauze Bergeron,Sr. Sister ofBeverly Morvant, Gwen‐dolyn Comeauxand the lateLauze Bergeron,Jr. Sis‐ter-in-lawofSheilaBerg‐eron. Grandmotherof Clyde DePhillips III (Brandi), AlexanderBuras, Lindsey Tassin andEvan Tassin.Great grandmother
of Chaseand BrodyDe‐Phillips. Also survived by a hostofniecesand nephews.She wasa de‐voted Catholic anda resi‐dentofHarvey, Louisiana. Relatives andfriends of the familyare invitedtoattend the Memorial Mass in the chapelofMothe Funeral Home, 2100 Westbank Expwy., Harvey,LAon Wednesday,April 23,2025 at11am. AMemorialVisi‐tationwillbeheldfrom911am. In lieu of flowers, donations in hermemory may be made to theSec‐ond HarvestFood Bank or the charityofyourchoice. Familyand friendsmay view andsignthe online guest book at www.mot hefunerals.com.
Gaines,Joel
Joel Gaines,a retired Construction Worker,de‐partedthislifeatMarrero HealthcareonFriday, April 11, 2025, at theage of 88 Hewas anativeof Choctaw County, AL anda residentofWestwego, LA Beloved husband of Marylee Thomas Gaines Devoted father PhyllisY Gaines, Pamela G. (James) Brown, PaulaM.(Dionell) Johnson,and thelateMar‐vin L. Gaines.Son of the lateOscar Gaines and AnnieLee Hankerson. Lov‐ing brotherofFrank Gains, Catherine (Andrew) Sykes, Anne HankersonMurray, Jeanette Mack,Easter, and the late Jimmie, WillieMor‐ris,and WebsterHanker‐son,Winston Gaines,and SheliaWestley.Joelisalso survivedby7 grandchil‐dren, 4great-grandchil‐dren, anda host of nieces, nephews,cousins,other relatives andfriends.Rela‐tives and friendsofthe familyare invitedtoattend the Homegoing Celebration atDavis Mortuary Service, 6820 Westbank Express‐way,Marrero,LAonTues‐day,April 22, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.Visitationwillbegin at 8:30a.m.until servicetime at theparlor. Interment:
Woodlawn Park Memorial Cemetery-Westwego, LA Toviewand sign theguest‐book,pleasegotowww davismortuaryservice.com. Face masksare recom‐mended.
Glover Jr., John Armand
Deacon John Armand Glover, Jr.passedawayon
Saturday, April12, 2025. He was born in NewOrleans, LAonJune 27, 1952. He is survivedbyhis children, JohnGloverIII (Amanda) KateBilbo (Allen) andJulie Woodard(David);grand‐children, John Glover IV, Annabelle Glover,Leo Woodard, MaggieBilbo and SamuelBilbo.Heisalso survivedbyhis brother, HammonMynders Glover (DebLaQua). He waspre‐ceded in deathbyhis wife of49years,Kathleen Debo‐rah BrownGlover; hispar‐entsJulie MyndersGlover and John Armand Glover, Sr. Deacon Jack wasa na‐tiveofNew Orleansand was ordained in 1987 as a Permanent Deacon.Hewas Assistant PrincipalatSt. Francis Xavier Catholic School for34years.Hewill bemissedbyall who knew and lovedhim.Inlieuof flowers, thefamilyprefers Massesorcontributions in memoryofDeaconGlover bemadetoCatholicChari‐ties. Relativesand friends are invitedtoattend the FuneralMassatSt. Anselm Catholic Church,306 St MarySt.,Madisonville, LA 70447 on Tuesday, April22, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. with vis‐itation at church on Tues‐day beginningat9:30a.m IntermentwillbeinLake LawnParkCemetery. E.J. FieldingFuneralHomehas been entrustedwithfu‐neral arrangements.The Gloverfamilyinvites youto share thoughts,fondest memories, andcondo‐lencesonlineatE.J.Field‐ingFuneralHomeGuest
Jenkins, Shelita With sadnessweshare the passingofShelita Jenk‐ins,onApril 11, 2025 Pleasevisit www.rhodesf uneral.comtoviewservice information,signonline guestbook,send flowers and sharecondolences
Book at www.ejfieldingfh com life on Monday,April 14, 2025 at theage of 85. Born onJuly21, 1939, in NewOr‐leans,LA, sheisthe daugh‐ter of thelateAlineP.and ReneL.Pajaud. Survivors include adevoted sister PatriciaPajaud, as well as cousins,Freddie(Ginger), Terence (Tia)and Justin Baptiste, Kellie Dejan (Ivan), Lloyd(Ayanna)and JarrodWills;a cherished Godchild, BetsyMcKendell She will also be fondly re‐memberedbya host of other relativesand friends. In addition to herparents Dianneisalsoprecededin death by acousin, Claire BaptisteWills.A proud New Orleanian, Dianne was educatedatValenaC Jones Elementary School St. Mary’s Academyand XavierUniversityof Louisiana.Her passionfor healthand serviceled her toa distinguishedcareer asa registered dieticianin California. Shededicated manyyears to Highland HospitalinOakland,CA where sheretired as Exec‐utive Dietician. Whilein California, sheenjoyed spendingtimewithmany friends andtheir families and actively participated in alumnieventsfor the NorthernCaliforniaChap‐ter of Xavier Alumni.Fol‐lowing herretirement, Di‐
anne returned to her hometownofNew Orleans, where sheremainedactive inthe alumni communities ofbothSt. Mary’s Academy and Xavier University.A MassofChristian burial honoringthe life and legacyofthe late Dianne Renee Pajaud will be held atSt. Martin de Porres Catholic Church,5621 Elysian Fields Avenue,New Orleans,LAonTuesday, April 22, 2025 at 11 am.In‐terment at St.Louis Ceme‐teryNo. 3, 3421 Esplanade Avenue, NewOrleans,LA. Visitation10aminthe church.Pleasesignonline guestbook at www.cha rbonnetfuneralhome.com. Charbonnet LabatGlapion, Directors (504) 581-4411.
At the end of February, State Public Defender Rémy Starns notified five of the 37 district defenders that their contractswould not be renewed. Over thelast several years, oversight and governance of the Louisiana public defender system, which handles almost 90% of criminal defendants in the state, has been transferred from aboard appointed by various constituencies —including academics, publicdefenders, the state Supreme Court and thegovernor —toadepartment headed by Starns and included within the executive branch. There is areason the federal public defender system is ensconced in the judiciary.That reasonispolitical independence. The chief public defender in every district is appointed by the court of appeal in which the district is located, insulatingthe public defender from the wrath or gratitude of the district court judges before whom he practices. So when the five state public defenders who recently received termination notices drew attention to themselves by criticizing Starns’plans for the statewide system, they placed targetson themselves. And for voicingtheir concerns, their contracts were not renewed. Who said this was legal? Well, Starns went to Liz Murrill’soffice. Youremember her,she’sour attorney general, aprosecutor and formerly the second-in-command to Jeff Landry,the governor who appointed Starns. From that little circle came the attorney general’s opinion saying Starns could simply not renewcontracts and didn’t have to give any reasons.
Ihave adog in this fight. As apublic defender who handled regular felony trials, capital trials and appeals for over 40 years, I care what happens to the system so painstakingly built. Butevery one of us concerned for the honestyand competency of our justice system has adog in this fight Butthere’sonly afight because Landry took his attack dog offthe leash.
DWIGHT DOSKEY Covington
raises
On Sept. 8, 2007, Ireturned to the United Statesafterasix-month deployment in Iraq. Ivividly recall landing at Baltimore-Washington Airport,still in my desert fatigues, exhausted,yet excited to watch the LSU vs. Virginia Tech game later that night As Iexited the plane, Iwas met withapplause and thanks from thepublic, amoment Iinitially took for granted. Years later,while watching Ken Burns’ documentary on the Vietnam War, Igrasped thesignificance of that reception. Unlike Vietnam veterans, who faced hostility upon their return, we were welcomed and appreciated, achange driven by their experiences. TheVietnam Wardeeply affected American society,leaving many veterans physically andmentally scarred. Vietnam veterans understood that future servicemembers would return home needing support for issues like PTSD and job placement. The foundingprinciple of theVietnam Veterans of America, “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another,” has ensured that subsequent service members received the recognition and assistance they lacked
On March 29, Louisianafinally honored the 885 Louisianans who sacrificed their lives in Vietnam. Amongthem are Captain Ralph Wayne “Hawkeye” Magee, whowas the first Louisianian to losehis life in the war, and First LieutenantSevero James “Sonny” Primm III, who was thelast Louisianan killed, days after the Paris Peace Accords were signed. Both men were Air Force pilots who were killed 12 years apart, and their stories highlight thewar’sprofound impact on families.
Louisiana’sofficial Vietnam Veteran Memorial stands as atestament to the sacrifices madeand theneed for recognition of all Vietnam veterans. It serves as areminder that they should never feel isolated or unappreciated. Their leadership andresilience are needed morethan ever in America today
Thank you to LakeCharles Mayor Nic Hunter,state Sen. JeremyStine and each person who supported the creation of this long-overdue memorial.
To theVietnam veterans, welcomehome!
CHARLTONJ.MEGINLEY secretary, Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs
Thankssomuch for publishing Sen. John Kennedy’s heartfelt paean to his beloved petrochemical industry
In this age of hook-up culture and marriages of convenience, it was heartwarming to read starry-eyed Kennedy’sunabashed expression of his deep and abiding devotion to liquefied natural gas. Older folkssay it reminded them of their long-gone passion for coal which, sadly,has fallen on hard times simply becauseitreleases greenhouse gases, desolates land and pollutesnatural waters.
generous campaign donation into Kennedy’s suit coat pocket thesame nightthat he slyly placed acolorful bouquet of allthe actions he’staken in Congress to let the petrochemical industry roam free as Godintended.
Last month, the state of Louisiana committed murder.The governor promised it as part of his campaign pledge, the attorney general pushed it forward, judges signed off on it and astate executioner took ahuman being in full consciousness of what washappening to him, strapped him downonagurney, covered his face with amask and gassed him to death.
While Jessie HoffmanJr.’s violent crime 30 years ago was horrible, not one justification forhis ghastly execution is valid. It does not deter violent crime, it does not save the state money,nor does it serve as just punishment. In fact, it makes a mockery of justice, delegitimizing the legal system as awhole, and exposes the state’scapacity to do great and irreversible harm without any consequences.
While mostpeople hopefully see the state’saction last month as beyond moral comprehension, it is also necessary to understand the political agenda that has brought us to these dark times. The moral responsibility forthis horror lies completely with the Republican Party —its politicians and the voters whoelect them to office. The ghastly execution at Angola demonstrates the moral bankruptcy of the Republican Party in its current form starting from the top with Donald Trumpright down to the violently hypocritical Jeff Landry.Their political agenda that commits state-sanctioned murder while trying to force the TenCommandments into every classroom is dangerously delusional. Republican voters need to wakeupand see their own role in creating this moral problem,while Democrats need to double downontheir commitment to real social justice. The Republican Party has proven itself not only capable of threatening great harm to score cheap political points but also of following through with those threats to commit true crimes against humanity
ROBERT AZZARELLO NewOrleans
GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet 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 ALETTER SCAN HERE
The rumor amongromance fans is that Kennedy and LNG will soon wed. Washington gossipmavens whisper that asmitten andtrembling LNG slipped acutepink envelopecontaining alacy valentine and
No one will say how they know,but the rumor is that President Donald Trumpwill officiatethe Kennedy-LNG nuptials with Reps. Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise as groomsmen,Gov.Jeff Landry as ring bearer,U.S. Rep.Marjorie Taylor Greene as flower girl and U.S. Rep.Clay Higgins as altar boy Kennedy told LNG that Isle de Jean Charles would be anice honeymoon spot. LNG didn’telaborate, but responded, “How about somewhere in themountains?”
MARK MARLEY NewOrleans
Questionfor HandsOff! protestors: Who pays for all these government programs?
Answer: Hard-working families,business owners, loyal sports fans, patriotic military veterans, first responders and other taxpayers. They have to carry on theirbacks those unwilling to work and those who just want a free ride in life.
Alexander Fraser Tytler said, “A democracy cannot exist as apermanent form of government. It can only exist until voters discover that theycan votethemselves largesse from the public treasury.From that moment on, the
majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefitsfromthe public treasury with theresult that ademocracy always collapses over loose fiscalpolicy.”
We need to supportconservative leadership in cutting waste, fraud andabuse
Don’tbelieve the fears the news media spreads. PresidentDonald Trump will clean up, preserve and protect Social Security and Medicare, not eliminate or reduce them.
MIKECOON Lakeland,Florida formerBatonRougeresident
Litter cleanup is needed, but littering needs to be nipped in the bud. It should begin in preschool along with the ABCs. Enlightening children about their responsibility and respect for the ground we walkonand drive through gives them somecontrol over their environment. It will take years of highlighting. If this ethic is reinforced throughout their school life, it may becomeingrained. On the large scale, mostofusfeel helpless. On this scale, we can all makeadifference.
KATHLEEN BIERMAN Baton Rouge
Jazz Fest is here again and it’stime to celebrate, dance, eat, drink and be happy! Have fun, everyone!
So,what’sgoing on in this cartoon? youtellme. Be witty, funny, crazy,absurd or snarky —justtry to keep it clean. There’snolimit on the numberofentries.
Thewinning punchline will be lettered into the word balloon andrun on Monday,April 28 in our print editions and online. In addition, the winner will receivea signed print of the cartoon along with acool winner’sT-shirt!
Some honorable mentions will also be listed. Emailyour entries to cartooncontest@theadvocate.com DON’T FORGET!All entries must include your name, home address and phone number. Cell numbers are best.
Thedeadline for all entries is midnight on Thursday,April 24. Goodluck,folks! —Walt
Saturday was the 250thanniversary of the first day of the3,059-day warthat birthed the modern world. Commemorating the April 19, 1775, skirmishes at Lexington Green and Concord Bridge begins acelebration that will culminate July 4, 2026. These almost 15 months will inflame the perpetual scolds who, examining this nation’s history with adisapproving squint, see little to celebrate. In the half-century since the bicentennial, however many Americans havedeveloped adeeper,sturdier patriotism. They have benefited from historians whodemonstrate howmature minds can combine unblinking assessments of history’s inevitable mistakes, cruelties, tragedies and sorrowswith gratitude for those who persevered, and reverence for what they achieved: awonderfulnation.
nation’ssurvival beyond infancy
In 1925, Winston Churchill said, “In no field of man’sactivity is the tendencyofmass effects and the suppression of theindividual more evident than in modern war.”
As foreshadowed by 19th century Napoleonic Wars, when the battles of Austerlitz (1805) and Borodino (1812) involved 158,000 and250,000 troops, respectively
One such historian, Rick Atkinson, hasnow fired ashot heard ’round the world where scrupulously clear-eyed butrespectful American histories are savored. In 2019, he published “The British Are Coming,” which ended with the Jan. 3, 1777, Battle of Princeton. The final volume of his RevolutionTrilogy will perhaps coincide withthe 250th anniversary of the Oct. 19, 1781, world-turned-upside-down British surrender at Yorktown.
This year’svolume, “The Fate of theDay,” which ends in 1780 at Charleston, recounts the two stages of the battle of Saratoga (Sept.19 andOct. 7, 1777), arguably this nation’smostimportant military triumph.
Victories at Gettysburg and Midway hastened the probable defeat of grave threats to the nation. Saratoga, by bringing France into the war on America’sside, assured the
TheRevolutionary War was premodern: At Saratoga, about 22,200 clashed, producingfewer than 1,500 dead and wounded. The war,far from being acollision of vast forces, was atheater of human agency —of unsuppressed individuals making choices based on principles.Ofthe roughly 200,000 who served in the patriotforces, only half were in Washington’sContinental Army,the rest in militias. Washington was not at Saratoga. Desertions were almost ruinous Washington worried that “we shall be obliged to detach one-half of the army to bring back theother.” This waspartlydue to American individualism. Washington: “A people unused to restraint mustbeled, they will not be drove.”
Eighteenth-century Americans, lacking social media, Netflix and otherdistractions, wrote letters and diaries in profusion, astaggering number of which Atkinson has read Including those of Connecticut’sMosesDunbar
Dunbar wrote that he was “the second of sixteen children, all born to my Fatherbyone wife.” Dunbar himself had five children withhis first wife, and seven more with his second, Phebe. His fervent Anglicanismcaused him to align with the British, for whom he recruited support. He was convicted of high
treason againstConnecticut. In March 1777, Phebe, pregnant with his eighthchild, was forced to ride with him in atumbrel to the gallows Dunbar’sfather,asupporter of independence, reportedly offered to supply thehemp for the hanging. What Americans call the Civil War (1861-1865) was actually our second such. More New Yorkers fought for than againstthe British.Atkinson saysalmost20% of the population (excluding enslaved people) was loyal to Britain; 30,000 of them fought for it. Each side often treated the other savagely But, then, those who lived in the 18th century were inured to death, violent and otherwise, burying children swept away by disease and women who died during childbirth. “Typhus and other diseases,”Atkinson writes, “killed at least 8percent of all passengers on transatlantic crossings.” Medicine was almost nonexistent, and where practiced was often more lethal than battle. Combat wasoften up close and personal, with edged weapons: swords, knives, hatchetsand especially bayonets.
Eighteenth-centuryAmerica, of which we are areverberation, was boththe age of reason and of barbarities.History,Atkinson reminds us,isalways,asnow,acompound of theelevating and appalling.
Americans who fear arancorous plod toward America’s250th birthday should remember: 250 years ago, the nation knew much worse. Then it healed, passed through the furnace of another civil war,then resumed itszigzag but upwardpath toward amore perfect union. Atkinson’s reminder is that thebirth of this nation, like that of ababy,was painful but worthit.
Email George Will at georgewill@ washpost.com.
As aNew Orleansschoolboy in the 1960s and 1970s,Iwas taught the insidious “Lost Cause”myth of the Civil War. In the poisonous fiction of the Lost Cause thatwas fed to millions of other southerners, the brutal institutionofslavery,which the Confederacy seceded to preserve, had nothing to do with the Civil War. Instead, the war was fought to defend anoble, chivalrous wayoflife against barbarous northern aggression. Slavery,to the extent thatitwas acknowledged at all, wasa benign, paternalistic, mutually beneficialrelationship between masters andservants.
Until recently,I believedthe Lost Cause myth —and the hideous Jim Crowpoliciesitwas used to justify —had been mostly consigned to the garbage heap of history
To the contrary,not only has it been simmering beneaththe surface all along, it has comeroaring back with avengeance.
And when Isay vengeance, Imean it literally.Itis the vengeance of some aggrieved, misguidedpeople who resent having to compete on alevel playing field with qualifiedwomen andpeople of color Historicalrevisionism —whetherthe Lost Cause mythology of my youth, the “anti-CRT” backlash of the last five yearsorthe current gutting of museum andlibrary funding —isn’tsimply an effort to paint arosierpicture of the past. It’sajustificationfor regressive, unjust policies that reinforce White, male advantage. According to Lost Cause revisionism, Black Americanswerecontent to be enslavedbytheir benevolent andindulgent masters. The responsibilitiesoffreedom were overwhelming to them, and oppressive JimCrowlaws did them afavor by restoring the naturalorder
This mythology persisted throughout the Civil Rights era, when activists and protesters were deridedas“outside agitators” seeking to disrupt a cherished andpeaceful social order
The current movement to distort American history doesn’tcontend that Black Americans are content with andeven cherish the system of oppression. It contends thatthe system of oppression doesn’t exist. It’smuchhardertomake the case against diversity,equity andinclusionpolicieswhenyou understand thatJackie Robinsonwas —inthe sneering terminology of the anti-equality movement —“a DEI hire.”So, Jackie Robinsonmust be wipedfrom history
If you want to make the case thatPat Boonerecordedthe greatestrendition of “Tutti Frutti” in history,you’vegot to make damn sure no oneever hearsLittle Richard.
There’s nothing wrong with preferring Pat Boone, of course,but areyou really making an informed decisionifyou haven’theardthemboth?
That’sthe fear at the heartofthe “anti-woke” campaign to erasehistory.President Donald Trump claims to seek “a society that is colorblind and merit-based.”What he and his uninformed accomplices actually seek is to maintain the fictionthat the advantages they enjoy are the result solely of “merit” andnot in part due to systemic andhistorical inequities. Theycan’t do thatwithout wiping those systemic andhistorical inequities from the record. That’s why theywanttohide the history of slavery,segregation, discriminatory hiring practices, redlining, appraisalbias, inequitable school funding, voter suppressionand gerrymandering
Exhibits like NOMA’s “New African Masquerades,” made possible by the federal funding that hasbeen snatched away,aren’tjust accidental casualtiesoffiscal-mindedbudgettrimming. They arethe deliberate targets of acultural purge aimed at stifling expression by historically marginalized communities. But even before Trump’sreturn to the OvalOffice, Louisiana beganits crackdown on policies, programs, lessons and activities that celebrate diversity or acknowledge inequality Now,the Trump administration says those policies, programs, lessons andactivities must be bannedor schoolswill lose their federal funding.
As mayor,I learnedthe powerofmulti-racial coalitionbuilding to drive change, such as historic crime reductionand major advances in building affordable housing. Now that Iamonthe national stage,Isee the need for the same type of coalition building to repair the cracks in our institutions and build astronger,moreresilient nationtogether
In New Orleans, we know thatthe beauty of a good gumbo comesfrom the unique blend of avariety of flavors. To leave out even one flavorful ingredient is to diminish its richness. We know better thantosabotageour own taste buds like that. Cutting essentialingredients out of our history is far worse thana bland and tasteless gumbo. It deprivesusnot just of flavor,but of nourishment. The nationwill growweak and falter Diversity andinclusion aren’tabout choosing one ingredient over another,but the reality that we are greater together thanweare divided from one another.
Marc Morial is the president of the National Urban Leagueand theformer mayor of NewOrleans.
An expert breaks down howCarr’sinjuryimpacts Saints’NFL draftplans
All eyes are on the New OrleansSaints for the 2025 NFL Draft. Colorado coach Deion Sanders has noted as much, sending out an eyeball emoji in wake of DerekCarr’sshoulder injury thatcould lead theSaints to draft aquarterback when theNFL draft runs April 24-26. Sanders, of course, haspersonal interest in seeinghis son ShedeurSanders, a topquarterback in this year’s class, get selected.
But so many ofthe Saints’ plans areunknown at this time.
“Man, they’ve been one of the most curious teams for me to tryand piece together,” Yahoo Sports NFL draft analyst NateTice said.
With Carr’sinjury,wespoke with Tice to get his outlook on theSaints’ draft and how he sees it from anational perspective: First off, let’sstartwith DerekCarr. How do youthink his injuryaffects what the Saints want to do, specifically at number9?
Nate Tice: Well, obviously,that injury news gets floated forareason, especiallythe timing of that. Then for me, maybe on theoutside of
One begins his new job Monday morning. The other has been at hisjob for 24 years. Both will speak this week as their respective pro franchises try to climb out of the abyss of oneofthe worst seasons in New Orleans pro sportshistory
Sophomoreoutfielder shines in weekendseries
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
LSU baseball had aproductive weekend in its return to Alex Box Stadium,winning two of three games against Alabamatoimprove to 12-6 in Southeastern Conference play The Tigers won11-6 on Thursday and 4-3 on Fridaybeforedropping Saturday’s series finale by afinal score of 7-4. Here are five takeaways from LSU’sthird series victory in the SEC.
Should Jake Brownplayevery day?
Sophomore Jake Brownonly started once this weekend but he wasexceptional whenever his number was called.
The outfielderhad asingle andscored arun on Thursdaybefore coming offthe bench Saturday and blasting his second home runofthe season and hitting arunscoring triple.In37games,Brown hasan .883 on-base plus slugging percentage and leadsthe team in steals. He’s also playedsolid defense in right field and has only struck out 15 times. So how come he’sonly started in 27 games anddidn’tplayFriday? Forone,LSU hashad to manage playing time between him, senior Josh Pearson and junior Ethan Frey,especially since Frey has started playing more
ä See LSU, page 5C
LSUright fielder Jake Brown
ä Round 1 7P.M.THURSDAy ABC, ESPN, NFL NETWORK
perspective, Ilook at it as like, ‘OK, whyisthat coming out? Why is that comingout aweek before thedraft or two weeks before thedraft?’ So obviously, Ithink they were going to be interested in aquarterback (who) is this regime, meaning the coachingstaff’s guy.Even if they like Carr,they like Spencer Rattler
or whomever,(new) coaching staffs like having their dude. That’s what Ithink, that no matter what, they were going to be interested in somebody at somepoint in this draft.
Ithink just now saying, ‘Hey,our starter’shurt’ changes the math. Ithink it’sjust more thatnow that it makes the No. 9pick more aliveas opposed to what Ihad perceived before as maybe aDay 2selection at thequarterback position. Buttome, it just seems like astaff that wants ä See DRAFT, page 4C
The Saints finished just 5-12 this past season, theworst record since 2005.
STAFFPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Joe Dumars, named last week to replace David Griffin as executive vice presidentofbasketballoperations forthe Pelicans, will hold his introductory press
conference Tuesday About 24 hours later,long-time Saints’executive VP/general manager Mickey Loomis will hold his annual pre-draft media availability Dumars and Loomis are the decision makers for teams that will havetomake some tough decisions over the next few days and months. Those decisions will ultimately decide if either franchise has achance at rebounding from abrutal past eight months
The Pelicansdidn’tfare any better,going just 21-61. Only the2004-05 Hornets at the time did worse than that by going 18-64.
The 26 combined wins by the Saints and Pelicanstied for the worst in aseason by this city’ssportsteams, equaling the 2004 Saints(8-8) and those 2004-05 Hornets.
So what are Dumarsand Loomis’ plans to get thingsback on track?
Chances are, we won’tget awhole lot of insight on their specific plans. Butthere are questions to be answered. For Loomis,there will be questions
about the Saints’ plans foradding to the roster during this year’sdraftwhich begins Thursday.The Saints have the No. 9 overall pick, their highest draftpick since 2008 when they selected defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis with the seventh overall pick. Will the Saints use their first-round pick on aquarterback, something they haven’t done since 1971 when they drafted Archie Manning? Or will they find someone to plug in one of the manyother holes on the roster?
Quarterback becameabig concern after
See WALKER, page 3C
BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Justin Thomas ended nearly three years without a victory Sunday by making a birdie putt from just outside 20 feet in a playoff at Harbour Town to beat Andrew Novak in the RBC Heritage Thomas played bogey-free in dry, fast conditions for a 3-under 68, making a 25-foot birdie putt on the 16th that looked like it might be the winner until Novak, who grew up in South Carolina, matched him with a big birdie of his own for a 68.
Novak, who has had three good chances to win in his last 14 tournaments, had an 8-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole in regulation that was left all the way In the playoff, Novak missed from just inside 35 feet, setting the stage for Thomas. The putt was so pure that Thomas dropped his putter before the ball dropped, stooping over and clutching both arms to celebrate a win that felt long overdue. His previous win was the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in May of 2022 His game slipped and he missed the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time in 2023, and he was left off the Presidents Cup team a year ago. His game was back in order — he cracked the top 10 again and needed only a victory to confirm his game was back among the elite “I didn’t realize how much I missed winning,” Thomas said on the 18th green as he stood next to wife Jill and 5-month-old daughter Molly Thomas and Novak finished at 17-under 267, three shots clear of anyone else.
Novak was a runner-up in Bermuda last fall. He was right there at Torrey Pines in the Farmers Insurance Open. He was in the mix at the Valero Texas Open. And this looked like it might be his moment to break through until Thomas refused to be denied.
“Winning is hard. It’s really, really hard,” Thomas said with a
tinge of emotion in his voice. “I’ve worked my butt off and stayed patient, stayed positive.”
He won for the 16th time on the PGA Tour and to his recollection, he has never had to make a putt of length on the 18th hole to win by a shot.
“That was as fun as I thought it would be,” Thomas said.
They pulled away in the middle of the round from a tight leaderboard a four-way tie at one point as they were joined by 54hole leader Si Woo Kim and Maverick McNealy
Daniel Berger closed with a 65 to tie for third with McNealy (70), Mackenzie Hughes (67) and Brian Harman (69).
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler even got in on the act, just briefly He started four shots behind and was even for the round through eight holes. But he ran off
three birdies in a four-hole stretch around the turn to pull within two. Scheffler was running out of hole when he took on a high-risk shot needing eagle to have a legitimate chance. That found the water, leading to double bogey He still shot 70 and tied for eighth, his third straight top 10 while contending into the final hour
“I think I’m really close,” Scheffler said. “I feel like I did a lot of things well this week, just a few of the important shots I just didn’t pull off Outside of that it was a pretty solid week.”
Thomas won the tournament with a birdie in a playoff. He saved his chances toward the end of the front nine when he made four straight putts starting on the fifth hole — 7 feet for birdie, 7 feet for par 8 feet for par and just inside 15 feet for birdie on No. 8, where he took on the trees with
a 7-iron to give himself a chance. Novak had tree trouble and battled away, getting a few good bounces and a remarkable par save from a sandy lie amidst a forest on No. 11.
He moves high enough in the world ranking — inside the top 35 — that he should be a lock for the U.S. Open and now needs to stay in the top 50 the next month for the British Open.
“I’m not as frustrated as I thought I would be.” Novak said.
“I feel like I did a lot of good things. I’m pretty proud of putting myself in that position when I really felt like I wasn’t swinging it that great this week.
“I thought I was a little more comfortable down the stretch than maybe I have been in the past. Justin just went out and won it. There’s nothing you can really do about it.”
The Associated Press
LOSANGELES Former LSU standout
Ingrid Lindblad won the JM Eagle LA Championship on Sunday in her third start as an LPGA Tour member, avoiding a playoff when fellow rookie Akie Iwai bogeyed the final hole at El Caballero Country Club. Playing a group ahead of Iwai, Lindblad shot a 4-under 68 to finish at 21-under 277. The 25-yearold former LSU star from Sweden made the last of her six birdies on the par-5 11th and parred the final seven holes. She had two frontnone bogeys.
Iwai followed a third-round 64 with a 69 to fall a stroke short. The 22-year-old Japanese player’s twin sister Chisato, tied for 11th at 15 under after a 68. Iwai pulled even with Lindblad at 21 under with a birdie on the par-5 16th. After her drive went left and bounced twice on the cart path, Iwai hit a low cut around a tree to the front edge of the green and rolled a 75-foot eagle putt to
Ingrid Lindblad hits from the sixth tee during the final round of the LPGA’s JM Eagle LA Championship golf tournament at El Caballero Country Club on Sunday in Los Angeles.
inches. On the par-4 18th, Iwai drove to the right over a bunker into rough, then hit a 9-iron from 150 that
bounced near the flag and went off the back edge From a good lie in choppy rough, she ran the downhill chip past the hole and missed
the comebacker
Lindblad got a break on the par-4 13th when her drive struck a tree on the left side and bounced into the fairway She parred the hole to maintain a two-stroke lead.
Lauren Coughlin (70), Esther Henseleit (64), Miyu Yamashita (66) tied for third at 19 under Nasa Hataoka had a 63 to get to 18 under Hannah Green, the winner each of the last two seasons at Wilshire Country Club, closed with a 67 to tie for ninth at 16 under Secondranked Jeeno Thitikul also was 16 under after a 69.
Top-ranked Nelly Korda had a 72 to tie for 16th at 14 under in her final start before her title defense in the major Chevron Championship. The major event starts Thursday outside Houston at The Woodlands. The tournament — the final event of the tour’s West Coast swing was played at El Caballero because of renovations at Wilshire. It will return to Wilshire next season.
BY TOYLOY BROWN III
21.8 minutes per game as a sophomore. Ward was ranked the No. 34 player in the 247Sports Composite in the 2022 class. Collins started 22 games in place of Jalen Reed, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury on Dec 3.The 6-foot-9, 200-pound forward/ center averaged 8.0 points on 58% from the field, 4.3 rebounds, and
1.6 blocks in 20.4 minutes last season. The Atlanta, Texas, native started his career at Kentucky after being ranked the No 16 player in the 2021 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. “After careful consideration,” Collins said in his statement, “I have decided to enter the transfer portal. This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the best step for my future and continued development. Thank you Tiger Nation, for your unwavering support. I will always carry these experiences and lessons
with me as I embark on this new chapter.” The other LSU players to decide on their new landing spots are freshman Vyctorius Miller who committed to Oklahoma State, redshirt freshman Corey Chest going to Ole Miss and junior Noah Boyde to Western Kentucky Sophomore Mike Williams hasn’t announced his transfer destination. LSU has five transfer additions, highlighted by UNLV point guard Dedan Thomas who is the No. 14 transfer on 247Sports.
U.S. tops Canada in OT to win hockey worlds title
CESKE BUDEJOVICE, Czech Republic
Tessa Janecke scored the winner as the United States prevailed in overtime over reigning champion Canada 4-3 to win the women’s hockey world championship on Sunday Janecke struck with 2:54 left in overtime for the Americans to claim the 11th title at the worlds. Abbey Murphy and Taylor Heise scored a goal and had an assist, and Caroline Harvey also scored for the U.S.
The U.S. cruised through the tournament, winning the preliminary group with four wins from four including a 2-1 win over Canada, and eliminating Germany in the quarterfinals and Finland in the semifinals. The 12-day, 10-nation tournament represented the final major international tune-up before the 2026 Winter Games in Italy
Zverev downs Shelton to win third Munich title
MUNICH Top-seeded Alexander Zverev beat second-seeded American Ben Shelton 6-2, 6-4 to win his third Munich title on Sunday It was the big-serving German player’s first title of the year and 24th overall on the ATP tour He previously won the clay-court tournament in 2017 and ‘18.
Shelton was playing in his fourth career final and second on clay after winning in Houston last year In sunny conditions at the BMW Open, Zverev served for the match and set up match point with a sliced backhand at the net that Shelton could not get back in. He clinched the win with a sharp backhand volley at the net following a brief rally It was a dominant performance on serve from Zverev, who did not face a break point.
Ashun Wu rallies to win second China Open
SHANGHAI Ashun Wu made a Sunday charge on the back nine with five birdies for a 6-under 65 that enabled him to overcome a four-shot deficit and win the China Open for the second time. The victory came 10 years after the 39-year-old Wu first won the China Open. It was his fifth career victory on the European tour Li Haotong and Eugenio Chacarra of Spain, who began the final round tied for the lead at Enhance Anting Club, each closed with a 1-over 72.
Wu was three shots behind Chacarra when he made the turn and promptly ran off three birdies in a four-hole stretch. Chacarra, playing behind him, had three bogeys on the back nine and fell back.
Rune upsets Alcaraz to win Barcelona Open
BARCELONA, Spain Holger Rune upset home-crowd favorite Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets on Sunday to win the Barcelona Open for his first title since 2023.
Rune defeated the Spaniard 7-6 (6), 6-2 for his first title since winning in Munich two years ago, and fifth overall. It was the Dane’s first ATP 500 title.
Alcaraz was coming off a ninematch winning streak and was searching for his third title of the year and 19th of his career He won the Barcelona Open in 2022 and 2023.
Rune, runner-up to Jack Draper at Indian Wells, rallied from a break down in the opener and converted his fourth set point. He cruised in the second set against Alcaraz.
Washington Spirit star Rodman out indefinitely
Trinity Rodman is taking time away from the Washington Spirit as she deals with back issues, the National Women’s Soccer League team said. The forward, who also plays for the U.S. women’s national team, will be sidelined indefinitely. The Washington Post was first to report Rodman’s absence.
Last September Rodman was injured during a match against the Kansas City Current. She returned to the national team early this month and scored in a 2-0 victory over Brazil. She also played last weekend in the
2-0 victory over
OKC obliterates Memphis by 51 points in record-breaking NBA playoff romp
BY CLIFF BRUNT AP sportswriter
OKLAHOMA CITY The Oklahoma City Thun-
der beat the Memphis Grizzlies 131-80 in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series on Sunday the fifthbiggest margin of victory in NBA postseason history
The 51-point margin was seven points shy of the record and was the largest Game 1 win in NBA playoff history
Aaron Wiggins scored 21 points, Jalen Williams scored 20 points and Chet Holmgren had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s scoring champion with nearly 33 points per game, scored just 15. The Thunder still shot 50.5% from the field.
“We played to our identity,” Gilgeous-Alexander said “Nothing more, nothing less than that. We were who we were all year and it’s going to be the key to our success, just staying true to who we are.”
Gilgeous-Alexander had said several times since Oklahoma City’s loss to Dallas in last season’s Western Conference semifinals that he would be intentional about getting his teammates better prepared for this postseason.
So far, so good.
“I have a great group of guys around me, and I know that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
“And I’ve known that for a long time. They obviously played amazing.”
There have been two 58-point playoff margins in NBA history: Denver beating New Orleans 121-63 in 2009 and the Minneapolis Lakers beating the St. Louis Hawks 133-75 in 1956. The Los Angeles Lakers beat Golden State by 56 (126-70) in 1973 and the Chicago Bulls beat the Milwaukee Bucks by 54 (120-66) in 2015.
Ja Morant scored 17 points for Memphis on just 6-for-17 shooting. Jaren Jackson Jr who averaged just over 22 points in the regular season, scored four points on 2-for13 shooting. The Grizzlies shot just 34.4% overall.
The Thunder, who finished the regularseason with a league-best 68-14 record, took control with a 20-0 run that gave them a 5522 lead in the second quarter They took a 35-point lead into halftime.
“I just felt like after that, the energy just kind of wasn’t there and we were just trying to talk to ourselves to get back into the game,” Morant said.
This was Memphis’ first playoff game under interim coach Tuomas Iisalo. He coached just nine NBA regular-season contests before the play-in games.
“If you’re in a playoff series, it’s a best of seven,” Iisalo said. “It doesn’t matter if you win by one point on a buzzer-beater or you win by 50 points, you get one win. So luckily for us, there’s only one way from this and that’s up. And we will analyze it and learn from it. And then we will fix those things that hurt us.” Game 2 is Tuesday, and Thunder coach Mark Daigneault expects a closer game.
The Associated Press
CLEVELAND Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, Ty Jerome had 16 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 121-100 on Sunday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
It was the seventh straight series where Mitchell has scored at least 30 points in Game 1, tying Michael Jordan, who had two streaks of seven games. Bam Adebayo had 24 points and Tyler Herro added 21 for the Heat. They are the first No. 10 seed to advance to the playoffs out of the Play-In Tournament.
Darius Garland added 27 for the Cavaliers, who host Game 2 on Wednesday night. Garland and Jerome each had five 3-pointers for Cleveland, and the Cavaliers were 18 of 43 from beyond the arc. Cleveland had a 16-point lead midway through the second quarter, but Miami steadily cut it down and got to 98-90 with 7:26 remaining in the fourth Cleveland put
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the news dropped that Derek Carr is dealing with a shoulder injury that could possibly require surgery and cause him to miss the season. That news came just weeks after the Saints restructured the quarterback’s contract. Did the Saints know about the injury or did Carr hide it from them? It’s a messy situation that will need cleaning up.
Meanwhile across the way on Airline Drive, Dumars inherits a team whose season was marred by injuries. He’ll have to decide if Willie Green gets another year and coach the final year of his contract. And he’ll also have to decide what to do with Zion Williamson, the centerpiece the Pelicans have been trying to build around. Williamson played just 30 games this season and frustration has mounted. But ask Dallas Mavericks’ president of basketball operations Nico Harrison, who traded Luca
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell reacts in the first half of an NBA first-round playoff game against the Miami Heat on Sunday in Cleveland.
it out reach though with a 13-4 run that included 10 straight points by Jerome, who was taking part in his first playoff game.
Jerome was 6 of 7 from the field, and made all three of his 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter
Doncic this season, how fractured a fanbase can become when you part ways with a young superstar Dumars will get a chance to address those issues as well as give some of his vision for a team that would much rather have been spending the rest of April in the playoffs Here’s what Dumars said in a statement released by the team last week when his hiring was announced.
“There is a lot of talent on this roster,” Dumars said. “My vision is to build a disciplined team that is built on toughness, smart decision-making and a no-excuses mindset. I am proud to have grown up in Louisiana and know how passionate, resilient and tough we are as a community. Our fans deserve a team that represents that spirit.” Neither Pelicans’ fans nor Saints’ fans got that this season. Dumars and Loomis get a chance to shed some light on their vision and why fans should expect things to be different going forward.
Tatum stays in game despite hard fall in second half
BY KYLE HIGHTOWER AP sportswriter
BOSTON As the Celtics were taking control of their playoff opener against the Orlando Magic, Boston’s best player was on his back in pain and tugging at his wrist.
As chants of “MVP!” rained down on him, Jayson Tatum eventually rose to his feet and was loudly cheered as he paced toward the bench.
“I just landed on it. It was throbbing for a second,” Tatum said. “It kind of went away.”
And brought a sigh of relief for a Boston team just starting its quest to repeat as NBA champions.
Derrick White scored 30 points, Tatum had 17 points and finished the game after a scary late fall, and the Celtics beat the Magic 103-86 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Sunday
Payton Pritchard added 19 points off the bench for Boston, which hosts Game 2 on Wednesday night Jaylen Brown played 31 minutes and had 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting after missing the final three games of the regular season due to a lingering knee issue “We’ve got many different ways we can win. A lot of different things we can throw at teams,” White said.
With Boston leading 89-73 with 8:28 remaining, Tatum went up for a dunk and was hit hard by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as he tried to block it. Tatum landed awkwardly on his right side.
He stayed down briefly before eventually rising to his feet, clenching his right hand. After a video review by referees, Caldwell-Pope’s foul was upgraded to a flagrant foul. Tatum subsequently missed the two ensuing free throws but remained in the game. He said a postgame X-ray came back clean.
Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 36 points and 11 rebounds. Franz Wagner added 23 points for Orlando, which has not made it out of the first round of the playoffs since the 2009-10 season. Orlando led by a point at halftime, limiting a Boston team that set an NBA record for 3-pointers this season to 7 of 15 from beyond the arc in the opening 24 minutes and 16 of 37 for the game. But the Magic turned the ball over six times in the third quarter and were outscored 30-18 as the Celtics took a 78-65 lead into the fourth The Celtics’ lead grew as high as 19 in the final period. For the game, Orlando finished with 15 turnovers which led to 24 Boston points. “It’s Game 1, there’s nerves. Lit crowd. Really loud,” Banchero said “So, not a total surprise that we struggled a little bit on offense, honestly.”
BY DAN WOIKE Los Angeles Times (TNS)
LOS ANGELES For 12 minutes to begin the 2025 playoffs, Luka Doncic rewarded the Lakers fans in the packed arena, showing that all the hopefulness that they entered Crypto.com Arena on Saturday wasn’t just some foolish dream.
It could really happen; he’s that good.
But for as much as a brilliant Doncic start can be the opening paragraphs in the story of a Lakers win, it can also be a bit of a mask. Because while Doncic got whatever he wanted, Austin Reaves struggled against Minnesota’s pressure, missing easy shots at the rim and struggling to get the Lakers into offense. LeBron James, who we last saw on the court grimacing after a hip flexor strain, didn’t have much burst to the basket or much touch on his shot.
And with Doncic on the bench after a 16-point first quarter, that mask came off.
The Lakers couldn’t score. They couldn’t match Minnesota’s energy. They couldn’t out-run ball movement or chase down rebounds. Opposing shooters were open. Driving lanes on the other end were closed.
And they couldn’t stop an avalanche that hit them with the kind of force that knocked all the energy out of the building.
The game, which Minnesota won, 117-95, didn’t end during that stretch, at least not in an official sense. But everything that followed as the Timberwolves scored 64
of the game’s next 90 points should be a reminder of just how easily hopefulness can be punctured. It wasn’t that the Lakers needed less of Doncic, who glibly said “I guess I gotta pass more” when asked about his teammates’ early lack of rhythm. It was that they needed to be better in the areas of the game other than the ones Doncic crafted in the first quarter Because while he cracked the Timberwolves’ defense open, the Lakers flew around the court. The Lakers contested shots. The Lakers sprinted to secure every available possession.
It took 19 minutes of court time for the Lakers’ moment — the first time they’ve hosted a Game 1 since 2012 to unravel, for it fall out of reach, for the season to feel in jeopardy for the first time since well before Doncic was a part of it. The concerns for the Lakers moving forward can be found all over the final box score, the 19-point edge in fast-break points showing how much faster Minnesota played. The 21 second-chance points the Lakers allowed showed Minnesota’s determination. The 48 combined points for Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid showing how capable Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle’s co-stars are. The Lakers held Edwards to just 22 points on 22 shots. And lost. The Lakers kept Randle to 16 and Rudy Gobert to just two. And lost. The Lakers got 37 points (but only one assist) from Doncic. And lost.
BY JOSH DUBOW AP pro football writer
The days of running backs being the headliners at the NFL draft are long in the past with the league’s shift to more passing leading to quarterbacks, pass rushers and pass blockers dominating the top of the draft each year
The ingredients could be in place for a bit of a change this year thanks to one of the deepest classes of running backs in years following a season when gamechanging backs such as Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry became the biggest free agent hits.
“When I was a kid, running back was arguably the most important position on the field,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said at the scouting combine. “I grew up a Cowboys fan Tony Dorsett, Emmitt Smith, guys like that were my idols. Then we went through this period over the last five, 10 years, where the analytics certainly de-emphasized the position. I think last year, you saw the impact that some of these guys had. I think (running backs) are looked at as probably replaceable by some people, but if you have a great one, you’ve got a historic one, you just can’t replace those guys.”
The big question headed into the draft Thursday is whether teams view prospects such as Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton as those types of backs worthy of being taken with a premium pick.
Jeanty was projected in the final AP mock draft to go sixth to Las Vegas, which would be the highest pick for a running back since Barkley was taken second overall in 2018 by the New York Giants.
“We just saw Saquon Barkley just change the Eagles in one year,” Raiders GM John Spytek said “Now they had a great team around him and it was adding an elite player I think when you sit where we sit, I mean the idea is to add elite players at any position.
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their guy They have no attachment to Derek Carr
Who do you see at No. 9 then for the Saints as it relates to quarterback? Shedeur Sanders? Would Jaxson Dart surprise you?
Dart wouldn’t surprise me, just reading tea leaves, but I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t take any quarterback in the first round this year other than (Miami’s) Cam Ward Every other guy I have a Day 2 grade on, including Shedeur Sanders, Dart, Tyler Shough and Jalen Milroe and all those guys. I consider them a grab bag of like, ‘OK, if you prefer this guy, you might like him in the 20s.’ I don’t think any of these guys a lot of these guys are scary to me, the top 10 or even in the top 20. I would really just wait until the back half of the first round. So maybe they’re a trade-back candidate as well, which is also against type. (laughs) But I really do think that they have more preference for Dart And again, this is not me hearing anything. This is just me reading tea leaves, seeing who they went on the pro day Only (Saints quarterbacks coach) Scott Tolzien went to Colorado, I believe, for the pro day there Again, you can have workouts with quarterbacks privately But what you’re signaling at pro days is interesting. And then also, they go to the Ole Miss pro day, which I know Oxford isn’t that crazy of a drive from New Orleans, but everybody was there. Head coach Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach. (Doug) Nussmeier’s there. Tolzien’s there. So just the signaling of that seems more of a preference for Dart. But again, it’s noisy everywhere, and they might have him graded higher. But again, to me, my grading, I think these guys are more Day 2 guys that you take in the second round as opposed to your top 10.
Of that Day 2 group — and you can throw Sanders in if you’d like — who do see fitting the Saints and see as a match for Kellen Moore specifically? Is there anyone you like of that group the most? That group? Let’s see, there’s even my guy the guy I consider that group, too, is Riley Leonard from Notre Dame. I’m the only person in public media saying that. But I actually like Leonard in that offense a little bit But he’s a project to me. He’s going
I don’t try to devalue any certain position. There’s certain ways to build a team, and I don’t know where we got to a place where we don’t feel like running backs are valued. I come from the University of Michigan to my core, and those guys were certainly really valued there. So, it’s hard for me to get away from that.”
Only one running back in the past six drafts was taken in the top 10 with Bijan Robinson going eighth to Atlanta in 2023. Five running backs were top-10 picks from 2015-18 with two being taken that high in 2017 when Leonard Fournette went fourth and Christian McCaffrey went eighth.
It’s a far cry from earlier eras when running backs were often
to take a year or two. The guy that I could see them talk themselves into is Dart just because of his skillset and some of the accuracy stuff, how he throws to the outside, how he throws deep balls. That makes sense for what Moore kind of likes. But that’s the thing is, Kellen Moore, it’s hard to gauge what he prefers. He wasn’t part of the Dak Prescott selection committee, and Dak was a fourthrounder OK, so Dak is a unique player He is a very smart, cerebral quarterback, had athleticism that he doesn’t rely on as much anymore. Has good size. OK, that kind of there’s some Ward there, but some Dart there, too. Some Milroe there. I think Dak is way more polished. I think Milroe is a huge project. OK, then (Moore) goes to the Chargers and (he has) Justin Herbert. Herbert’s already been selected, already ready-made. OK. Goes to the Eagles. It’s (Jalen) Hurts. Hurts is a one-of-one thing, too, and also benefits from the situation there. I wish that I had a good answer going, ‘Yeah, this is his type of guy.’ But it’s hard for me to decipher that. I think so much of the interviews is going to matter to him because of how competitive and smart Dak is and was as a prospect, too. So if he’s going like, ‘I want the Dak guy or I want a guy that plays like me,’ I mean, that’s hard for me to find in this class. If he wants a quarterback that plays like Kellen Moore, OK, that’s Tyler Shough. Tyler Shough is 26 (years old). And that’s just a weird hard pivot to go from, you’re not getting that much younger you’re not getting a guy with a ton of upside and everything. If you can’t tell, it’s hard to find some real clean fits for a lot of teams with this class.
Who do you like at 9 of the non-quarterbacks for them?
Man, they’ve been one of the most curious teams for me to try and piece together Because they get going so many different directions. I like maybe an edge player for them. If they want to go for an upside player like Mykel Williams or Shemar Stewart I can see them going receiver with (Arizona’s) Tetairoa McMillan. That’s another guy I’d actually like. If (Chris) Olave ever comes back healthy, oh my God, McMillan and Olave, you couldn’t ask for a better 1-2 at receiver But where the Saints are right now, it’s like, Do you guys really want to take another receiver in the first round?
For me, there’s trench guys. I actually really liked them to maybe
the top overall pick, including four times in five seasons from 197781. No running back has gone first overall since Ki-Jana Carter in 1995. Teams have been waiting later and later to take running backs with Jonathan Brooks the first to go last year at No 46 to Carolina. There has been just an average of two running backs taken in the top 50 in the past six drafts, down from a peak of 12 in 1990. This year’s class of running backs is one of the deepest in recent memory with several players after Jeanty and Hampton projected to be picked either late in the first round or on day two of the draft including Ohio State’s duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Quin-
go safety, but then they signed Justin Reid in free agency So that changed my math, maybe like Malaki Starks or something. And that might have been a little rich for Starks. So for me, I looked at edge players, more projecty edge players with tools like Stewart or Williams. Or McMillan if they want to make a splash and say, whoever’s throwing the ball, we’re going to get you some Class A weapons out here. But the Saints have been one of my if I went not a quarterback in the mock draft, they’re one of my more hard teams to find a pairing that truly makes sense. Which is Saints-like. You never know what they’re going to do.
It’s funny. If Dennis Allen was still here, I would be hammering the drum for Stewart, because that’s very much his style of defensive end. Stewart or Williams is Dennis Allen all the way Both of those guys.
So with Allen gone, are the Saints actually open to a Jalon Walker type? What do you think about them needing to change their edge rushing, what they look for in an edge rusher? Do you think Walker will be there at No. 9 when they’re on the clock?
I do. I think a lot of teams — Walker is one of these players, and even me as an evaluator, everyone likes him Everyone really likes him Everyone loves the football player I’ve never interviewed him, but apparently, his football character is amazing. Him as a person is really great. It’s just that it’s one of those we’ll see on draft time who actually pulls the trigger It’s a lot of like, ‘Oh, I love this guy, but maybe for you.’
Short answer is that I do think he’ll be there at No. 9. I think the Panthers, who have No. 8, is where his range starts. I think his range is 8-16. I think the Cardinals at 16. The Falcons are 15. He’s very popular in the NFC South. I think Jalon Walker is going to be. But no, I think his range is 8-16. So I think he will be there at 9 when it does come to draft. Also, the Patriots really like him. But now I really do think (Will) Campbell is their guy
Will Campbell likely won’t be there, but he’d fill a lot of needs for the Saints at No. 9.You could move him to guard or keep him at tackle and maybe move Trevor Penning to guard. Campbell would be great for them. I just think he’s going to be gone.The Jags and Patriots both love Campbell. I think one of those two teams are going to take him. Yeah, no, he would make a lot of sense for the Saints because
season — matching the nine-year combined total from 2015-23. Six players hit the 300-carry mark last season led by Barkley and Henry for the most in a season since 2010.
“For a while, the market maybe was suppressed. People were not looking at them as weapons,” Bills GM Brandon Beane said. “I kind of look for them as anyone you add to your offense, what do they bring? What is their skill set? Is it a mismatched player? Someone asked, I think a year or two ago, what is your philosophy? Would you draft a running back in the first round? I probably wouldn’t draft a running back that is 3 yards and a cloud of dust, but if it’s a weapon like some of these guys were talking about, heck yeah I would.”
With the diminished role of the featured back, the pay at the position has also suffered with Josh Jacobs’ running back-leading $48 million deal with Green Bay ranking tied for 159th among all players. The $13.6 million franchise tag number for running backs — determined by the highest-paid players at each position — is the lowest of any position outside of specialists.
shon Judkins; Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson; Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo, Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson; Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten; and Central Florida’s RJ Harvey
The shift from a running to a passing league began with rule changes in 1978 that made passing easier and has continued for more than four decades.
The rate of running dropped from a post-merger high of nearly 58% in 1977 to a low of just more than 40% in 2014 before undergoing a slight increase in recent years to 43.4% last season.
But the bell-cow back had mostly disappeared as teams went to a backfield by committee. The league featured 13 players in 2003 who had at least 300 carries in a
it’s like, OK, even if he doesn’t stay at tackle, no matter what, he can start somewhere, which is what the Saints needs so badly right now
Just reliability up there, and that’s what he’s going to provide. I wouldn’t mind offensive line for the Saints either at No. 9. Again, it just has to be, Does Mickey Loomis want to admit that (Trevor) Penning failed or something like that? And that’s also a part of the equation, too.
Right. I thought Penning played OK last season.
Second half of the year? Yeah. He’s not a abject ‘shouldn’t be on the field’ anymore. He’s actually a playable now, which is big improvement for where he was at.
In terms of the receiver with McMillan, is he your No. 1 guy? Matthew Golden, anyone there? McMillan also fits since he’s the type of receiver that they don’t have, which I think makes a lot of sense for them. But do you like him more than Golden or any of the other guys? Oh, yeah. McMillan is No. 3 overall on my big board, period. I consider (Colorado’s) Travis Hunter more of a corner first. But I still think if you do draft (Hunter) at receiver, I totally get it. But I view him as a corner McMillan, though, is my WR1, No. 3 on my big board.
I think he’s a no-brainer top 10 talent, even with the long speed stuff, because it doesn’t hinder his tape at all because he wins in so many other ways. Golden is WR3 for me after (Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka), but they’re tiered the same. I have them in the 20s on my big board. That’s where the range I’m more comfortable with him, late first, early second types. Golden ran fast, but his speed isn’t — that’s not how he wins. He’s more of a smooth… He’s like a smaller DJ Moore. That’s who I’ve been comparing him. But that’s a little scary because he’s smaller He’s 190. He’s not 215, which is what I think DJ Moore is now Then Egbuka’s a dirty work guy, but a good one. I really like his game. I think he actually wouldn’t be bad for the Saints either, but it’s too rich at nine. That’d be more like a secondround pick, or I’d be more comfortable with him at 20, so I’m on a tradeback or something like that. But yeah, McMillan is easily, definitively my WR1.
If the Saints trade up, is there a player or position group you think they could target if a guy falls or players start to come off the board — similar to what happened last year with them grabbing Kool-Aid McKinstry?
The rookie wage scale put in place in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement determines salaries for the first four seasons solely on draft position, leading teams to use premium picks on high-value positions such as quarterback, tackle, pass rushers and receivers in order to save money compared to veteran contracts.
That’s a big factor that is hard for some teams to overcome.
“It’s an interesting conversation, because the draft pick is about potential ceiling, ability to play at a certain level, while you have those years under contract below free agency market level, your ability to sustain a second contract,” Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. “There’s all these questions that come into that answer before you pull the card.”
I don’t know if this guy’s a… he might be the perfect LSU guy, but Mason Taylor, a tight end. Offensive line, if maybe like (tackle) Donovan Jackson is there from Ohio State, I really like him. That would be his range. If they want to go off this line, he slipped a little bit. Going like other positions. I like (defensive tackle) Tyleik Williams from Ohio State. He’s a big plugger type. I don’t know if you want to trade up for that skillset, though. So that’s the thing, too. Malaki Starks maybe. That’d be a good one I just mentioned, but yeah, they signed Justin Reid. Honey Badger (Tyrann Mathieu) is only going to be there for so long. Honey Badgers tape’s not great. But Malaki Starks, though, his range is all over the place. I mentioned him, oh, I liked him at No. 9 a couple of months ago. He’s like 18, 20, somewhere in that range on my big board. He might be a guy because it’s impossible to predict where safeties go in the draft — so he might be a guy that slips and slips and slips, and they pop up. Maybe they move up to 33, something of that sort, and stop the fall of Malaki Starks. But that would be one. Maybe if they did want to target a safety who has some versatility, which makes sense for Brandon Staley as well. So that might be a candidate there.
Another big positional need for the Saints is cornerback. Is there anyone you like from the Day 2 group? I really like Trey Amos from Ole Miss. He’s getting a lot of heat. I thought I was going to be the only guy that really liked him. Now, no one will shut up about it. Trey Amos, he’s 38 on my big board, so right, perfect range there. I could see him actually squeaking into the first. He’s just easy to like. Corner’s volatile, but he feels safeish for a corner, and he tested much better than people anticipated, including me. And he’s got a good skillset. But Amos is that perfect guy I’m lower on Maxwell Hairston from Kentucky I think he’s going in the first round, so he might not be there. Azareye’h Thomas from Florida State is a great call. ...Darien Porter from Iowa State. Big, long, converted receiver He’s a little older but tested well. He’s got a cool skillset. I think someone’s going to take a swing on him in Round 2. I had him more of a late second, early third grade, but his skillset and how big he is and his traits, that’s another guy that could be picked at 40, I think that’s a very valid candidate there.
Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on
By The Associated Press
JEDDAH,SaudiArabia Oscar Piastri has shown he has the pace to fight for the Formula 1title. In winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday,heshowedhe can win an argument, too. For the first time this season, a penalty played akey role in deciding arace win as Piastri went top of the standings with his victory Piastri’stwo earlier wins this season hadbeen dominant drives from pole position. This time he had to get past four-time champion Max Verstappen.
Verstappen started on pole but went off the track when battling for the lead with Piastri at the veryfirst corner.Hestayed in front but got afive-second penalty. Piastri argued he had got in front of Verstappen on the insideofthe corner and deserved the place.
“Once Igot on the inside, I wasn’tcoming out of turn one in second,” Piastri said.
“I tried my best. Obviously the stewards had to get involved. I thought Iwas plenty far enough up and that’swhat wonme the race.”
Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari and Piastri’sMcLaren teammate, Lando Norris, finished fourth thanks to asmart strat-
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egy and overtaking. Norris had started 10thfollowing acrash in qualifying
It was the secondwin in arow for Piastri, who took the victory in Bahrain last week andhas three wins from five races this year
He’d only wontwo before this season.
Piastri leads the standings by 10 pointsfrom Norris, withVerstappen twopointsfurther back in third
Piastri wasthree pointsbehind Norris going intoSunday’srace, partly because of acostly spin at hishomerace in Australia, the first GP of the season.
He becomes thefirst Australian to lead the F1 standings since Mark Webber —who is now Piastri’smanager —in2010 as aRed Bulldriver. No Australian has won thetitle since Alan Jones in 1980. Arace-deciding decision
Piastri said thepenalty was what gave him the win. He had problems keeping up with Verstappen’scar before the pit stops withoutdamaginghis tires.
Piastri beat Verstappen off the line and was slightly ahead into thefirst corner,onlyfor Verstappen to runwide across the chicane.Following acrash between Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly seconds later,Piastri andVer-
against right-handed pitching Pearson had just two hits this weekend but his experience is bound to keep him in the lineup mix. Frey may not have the defensive value that Pearsonand Brownprovide,but he went 3for 9with ahomer overthe weekend and now leads the Tigers in batting average
Unless freshman Derek Curiel or junior Chris Stanfield start sitting some, LSU can’t play Frey,Pearson and Brown at the same time, even if they’re all starting caliber bats
“You have to pick sometimes,” Johnson said. “And Ithinkwe’ve done areally good jobofthat this year,and we have the luxury to be able to do it. But Imean, Idon’tview himasnot an everyday player.
“Jake Brown is, in my opinion, one of the best players on our team.”
Whydidn’tShoresstart Saturday?
Sophomore right-hander Chase Shoreswas listed as LSU’sstarter on Saturday before the weekendbegan, but Johnson had achange of heart once the series got underway Instead of starting Shores, Johnson turned to junior left-hander Conner Ware.Ware did his job, throwing two scoreless innings before giving up aleadoff single in the third and coming out for Shores.
“I just felt like to hold them down as best we could, we just were going to need more guys,” Johnson said. Johnson pointed to matchupreasonsasto why LSU turned to Ware at thestart andnot Shores.
The Crimson Tide started fiveleft-handed hitters on Saturday,including leadoff hitter Bryce Fowler and top sluggers Kade Snell and Will Hodo.Snell,inparticular, wasgiving LSU fits. He hit two homers on Thursday, went 2for 4with adouble on Friday and had two more hits and three walks in the seriesfinale
“Snell is as good ahitterasI’veseenin theleague this year,” Johnson said.“Ireally mean that.” ReassessingLSU’s bullpen Walkscontinue to be an issue forthe Tigers’ bullpen, but it wasn’ta badweekend for the unit as awhole.
Freshman right-hander Casan Evans was dominant again and junior right-handerZac Cowan closed out Friday’swin despite givinguptwo earned runs, including his first earned run allowed since March 16 Freshman left-hander Cooper Williams, freshman right-hander MavrickRizy and redshirt sophomore left-hander DJ Primeaux also combined to throw 22/3 scoreless innings on Saturday.The trio faced 13 batters andallowed just one hit, keeping theTigers within strikingdistance from inningsfive through eight
“I don’tknow what their lines completely looked like,” Johnson said, “but Ithink that’s when we got the three zeros in arow.”
By The Associated Press
ARLINGTON,Texas Freddie Freeman brokeupa scoreless game with an eighth-inningsacrificeflyand six Dodgersrelievers completed the shutout afterstarter TylerGlasnow left with lowerleg cramps one pitch into thefifthinningasLos Angeles beatthe Texas Rangers 1-0 on Sunday
Two-way star Shohei Ohtani returned to the Dodgers’ lineup after missing the series’ previous two games, activated off the paternity list afterhis wife gave birth to thecouple’sfirst child in Southern California. Ohtani went 0for 3with awalk that helped produce thegame’sonly run.
to Texas’ lineup after missing nine games with amild oblique strain, wasthrown out trying to steal secondbasetoend the game. The Rangers’ challenge wasdenied. Glasnow was visitedbymanager Dave Robertsand trainerThomas Albert during the fourth inning but stayed in the game.
Rangers starter TylerMahle pitched seven scoreless innings allowing two hits, striking four and walking three.
Keymoment
Phillips struck outAdolisGarcía swinging to end Texas’ eighth inning, leaving the potential tying run at second base.
KeyStat
stappenarguedtheir cases over the radio while lined up behind thesafety car Verstappenaccused Piastri of forcing him off but thestewards disagreed and gavethe Dutch driver afive-secondpenalty for driving off-track and gaining an advantage.Thatwas “lovely,” Verstappenreacted sarcastically.He had to serve thepenalty parked at his pit stop before thecrew could touch the car to change tires. Askedabout the incident after the race, Verstappen instead praised thefans and the track and said “the rest is what it is.” Norris’gamble
Norris recovered to fourthafter starting 10th.
Norris’ strategy was theopposite of most of the field, starting on the slower,longer-lasting hard tires. It meant he briefly led therace after most other drivers had pitted earlier and could have put him in aposition to win if there was aincident requiring thesafety car or red flag while he was leading. There nearly was abig crash when Fernando Alonso and Gabriel Bortoleto banged wheelswhile battlingfor position near theback of thefield. Two-time champion Alonso raninto arunoff area but kept his car under control.
Butnot everything went swimminglyfor thebullpen. Controlissues plaguedjunior right-hander Connor Benge on Thursday and freshman right-hander William Schmidt, redshirt sophomore right-hander Jaden Noot and juniorright-hander Jacob Mayers.
The four arms combined to walk eight batters over the weekend. Shores also struggled to get outs,allowing four hits, walking two batters andcommittinganerror in 22/3 innings. Half of the batters he faced reachedbase.
Between Shores, Benge,Mayers, Noot and Schmidt,the Tigers will needmore consistentplay from at least afew of them by the timethe postseason rolls around, although Mayersgot abig out in relief on Thursday
“The command piece is the last piece for those guysreally having achance in their baseball career,” Johnson said. “And Imean to play for alongtimeand somebody pay them alot of money to do it.
“We’ll keep working withthem. We need those guys.”
Eyansonovercameorder hurdles
Getting through opposing lineups asecondtime has been an issue for junior righthanderAnthonyEyanson on numerous occasions. Missouri, Texas and Auburn all had their way withthe UC San Diego transferas each game wore on.
But that wasn’t the case on Friday. Eyanson got better as thenight went along after allowing arun in thefirst inning. He finishedhis outingstriking out 12 batters in 6innings, tossing aseason-high 115 pitches in theprocess.
Evenifhedidn’thavehis best control Eyansonwalked fivebatters —his curveball wasasgood as its been all season.Healsoeffectively commanded his splitter and slider belowthe knees, generating morewhiffs on pitches out of the strike zonewith all three off-speed offerings.
CanLSU findroomfor Larson?
Sophomore AshtonLarson has been on the outsidelooking in allseason. Afterstarting as afreshman,heenteredthis weekend with just oneat-bat in SEC play
Buthis second trip to the plate on Thursdaybecame amemorable one. Larson blasted athree-run homer,cutting LSU’sdeficit at thetime down to one. It was only his seventh hit of the season.
“It’sbeen interesting for sure,” Larson said when asked about how he’d describe hisseason thus far.“It’snot necessarily how Ipictured it going intothe year,but I know that God hasa planand through Him all thingsare possible.
“SoI’ve just been relying on my faith,relyingonmypeople,andtryingtolearnfromanythingthathappens andmakethe most of it.”
Larson’sbig swing helped him earnthree more tripstothe plate during the series. But finding anymore playing time for him in the near future, when Johnson is already having trouble juggling starts between Frey,Brown and Pearson, will be extremely difficult unless something dramatically changes soon.
Pinch-hitter Will Smith led off theDodgers’ eighth against Chris Martin(0-3) with asingle, the Dodgers’ third and last hit of the game.Smith advanced to second on Ohtani’swalk, movedtothird on adeepflyout to rightfield, and scored on Freeman’sfly to deep left Anthony Banda,Ben Casparius (2-0), Jack Dreyer, Evan Phillips and Tanner Scott combined for five shutout innings. Scott earned his eighthsave. Wyatt Langford, who returned
Mahle lowered his earned run averageto0.68, best in the major leagues.His league-bestopponents’ batting average dropped to .112. Up next
Both teamswill next playTuesday on the road. Dodgers RHP Dustin May(1-1, 1.06 ERA) will open aseries against the Chicago Cubs while Rangers LHP Patrick Corbin (1-0,3.86) will face Athletics RHP Osvaldo Bido (2-1, 2.61)
BY JOHN STANTON Gambit Weekly
With Jazz Fest comingup later this week, we’re entering the homestretch of festival season here in New Orleans. Whether you’re amusicfan or service industry worker whoneeds an infusion of cash before summer, that also happens to be the best part of theseason
But don’tsleep on the other major festival coming up next week: Lafayette’sFestival International de Louisiane. This year’spacked line-up includes music fromnot only across theglobe butgenres as well, ranging frombhangra to Zydeco.
Nowinits 39th year,Festival International runs during the first weekend of JazzFest, starting on theevening of Wednesday,April 23, and ending Sunday,April 27. While Lafayette is only atwo-hour drive from New Orleans, it’soften overlooked by folks hoping to avoid theJazzFestfuss. That’sa shame because Festival International is one ofthe most unique musiceventsinthe country
It’salso the perfect option for
LainySmith and PabloPellerin
anybodywho might not want to stick around town throughoutthe entire two-week runofJazz Fest. Firstoff,it’sfree, whichgiven itssize is atrue rarityinthe era of late-stage capitalism, Live Nation-drivenfestivals.Because it’s
spread out through Lafayette’s downtown,you can pack alunch andbeers,which is particularly clutch for anybody on abudget. But it’salso incredibly diverse.
See FESTIVAL, page 2D
What is meant by pseudodementia?
Pseudodementia is apsychiatric condition that appears to mimicsymptomsofdementia but does not have its roots in neurological degeneration. This condition is sometimes called depressive pseudodementia, as the symptomsoften stem from moodrelated conditions such as depression. Pseudodementia had sometimes been linked to any factitious mental illness, however,inthe 1960s the term came to be knownmore specifically to the situation in which a “functional” psychiatric illness imitated dementia.
The primary symptoms of pseudodementia include speech and language difficulties, lapses or losses in memory,attention deficits, problems with organizing and planning and trouble with regulating emotions. Because these symptomsare very common in individuals with dementia, adoctor may diagnose and treat these individuals as though they have dementia. Yet, because pseudodementia often has a link to depression, individuals also may experience symptomsthat include aloss of interest in activities, adepressed mood that lasts forweeks at a time, social withdrawal, insomnia, fatigue, loss of appetite or overeating, and even suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
Mood-related conditions such as depression are potential causes and the mostcommon. Many doctors will not consider pseudodementia until they have entirely ruled out dementia and other possible causes of the symptoms. In older adults, particularly,depression may cause significant cognitive impairment that can lead to consideration of adiagnosis of pseudodementia. However,though it is most commonly associated with depression, other mental health conditions, like schizophrenia or dissociative disorder,can cause similar symptomsand should be evaluated.
BY AVERYNEWMARK
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)
Forget the diaper toss game and mimosa station. The hottest trend for expecting parents in 2025 is the nesting party —alow-key, practical spin on the traditional baby shower.It’sall aboutgetting things done with your sleeves rolled up, not just sipping punch and unwrapping onesies.
According to PinterestPredicts —anannualreportthat analyzes billions of key word searches and visual data fromthe platform this trend is about to have itsbig moment. Searches for “nesting party” are up205%,with related terms like “diaper bouquet”and “freezermealprep” alsoonthe rise.
So whether you’re expecting your first baby or your third,
here’show to throw anesting party that’sbothcozy and productive —plussomethoughtful giftideas guestscan bring. What is anesting party?
Anesting partyisalow-key gathering usuallyhosted at the expectantparents’ home afew weeksbefore thedue date (the “nesting” period).Close friends and family lend ahand in getting
things baby-ready.That might mean setting up the nursery,folding baby clothes or batch-cooking freezer meals. Howtothrow anesting party n Keep it small and stress-free: Invite yourclosest ride-or-dies. Think five to 10 people max n Prep ato-do list: Writedown
See NESTING, page 2D
Pseudodementia and dementia can be difficult to distinguish. For instance, individuals experience changes in cognition and brain function as they age, so separating normal agerelated changes versus early signs of depression or dementia proves problematic. Additionally,itisvery possible for an individual to have true dementia and suffer from depression at the same time. Thus, diagnosing pseudodementia can take time as athorough round of tests and evaluations are needed to ascertain adiagnosis. Once diagnosed with pseudodementia, treatment can take along period of time, noting the individual’sresponse to the treatment options and any adjustments that need to be made. In many cases, this involves treating the depression that has led to the symptoms, so treatment typically involves acombination of psychotherapy and medication. Medications fordepression, such as antidepressants,
ä See CONDITION, page 2D
Dear Doctors: My doctor wants me to hydrate more, but Ifind it difficult to drink the 64 ounces of water per day he recommends. I havea proteinshake with 8ounces of milk each morning —does that count toward my total consumption? What other strategies would you suggest?
Dear reader: The conversation with your doctor about drinking enough water mirrors one we have with many of ourown patients. It’sanimportant topic becausewater playsakey role in so many bodily functions. We need it to regulate body temperature; break down, transport and absorb nutrients; maintain blood volume; eliminate metabolic byproducts; regulate electrolyte balance;support immuneresponse; maintain healthy blood pressure; moisten the mucus membranes; keep skin moisturized; and keep the connective tissues pliant and lubricated. In theory,thirst will prompt peopletodrink thewater they need. In reality,that’snot always the case. When you’re busy, stressed or absorbed in atask, thesignals of thirst can be easy to ignore. There’salso the fact that thesensation of thirst diminishes
as we age. The amount someone needs to drink each day also varies. It depends on age, body size, fitness and activitylevel. But climate, environment and even altitude also play important roles.
The 64 ounces your doctor recommends is based on the guideline of eight glasses of water per day.Another common rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day.With our own patients, we simplify thingsand recommenddrinking to quench thirst and —this is theimportantpart —enough to ensure that the urine runs clear You’renot alone in struggling to stay hydrated. The good news is that, yes,the milk in your morning smoothie, as well as the tea, coffee andother beverages
you may drink throughout the day,count toward your hydration total.Depending on your diet,upto20% of daily water can come from fruits, vegetables and liquid dairy products. But thebalance hastobemade up with beverages. Some people find adding asqueezeofcitrus or a few slices of cucumber to plain water makes it more palatable Sparkling water is also agreat alternative. But limit sweetened beverages, which contribute added sugars. Ditto for artificially sweetened beverages, which add chemicals to your diet. If you find you’re still falling short, consider water-based strategies. Starting the day with aglass of water can awaken your thirstawareness. Water before a meal not only contributes to daily
totals, but it can also help manage appetite. Track water intake by filling areusable bottle with your daily amount, and empty it gradually throughout the day.And, if all else fails, try tough love. Remind yourself that being chronically dehydrated increases your risk of developing gallstones, kidney stones, heart arrhythmias, pancreatitis, blood clots, high or low blood pressure, headache and fatigue. Bottom line: Getting enough water each day is crucial to staying healthy
Sendyour questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla edu, or write: Ask theDoctors, c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite1450, Los Angeles CA, 90024.
As this year’slineup demonstrates, organizers go out of their way to make itan eclectic music experience. There’sa ton of musicduring the festival itself, and, as the name suggests, many of the artists are comingto Louisiana from countries across the globe, including many who will go on to play weektwo of Jazz Fest. And, of course, the festival brings out some of Louisiana’slegends. Festival Internationalis family-friendly,withkids’ activities and areas available.The festival’s food vendors also are top notch, representing some of our region’sbest cuisine. Plus, there’sahost of local restaurants and bars in and around the festival site that represent Lafayette’scomparatively small but very impressive food culture. Fora fulllineupofmusic, vendors, times and more information, check festivalinternational.org. Here’safew highlights from the festival —and Lafayette —togive you alittle taste of what’sinstore.
MUSIC
Abig partofthe fun of FestivalInternational is exploring the world’ssoundscape and discovering new genres and bands you’d never dream of otherwise, while still getting to enjoy some of the greats of Louisiana music And this year’slineupis incredibly diverse, with performers from at least five continents playing adizzying array of musical styles, genresand crossovers.
Want to know what happens when aFirstNations singer-songwriterblends their traditional music with reggae and pop influences? Canada’samazing Shauit will be on hand to show you Got ahankering forapsychedelic spinonclassic Cajun music? The Lost Bayou Ramblerswill be there.Or perhapsyou’re alittle reggae-curious? Well, you’re in luck because Jamaica’slegendary Black Uhuru is play-
Continued from page1D
tasks on cards or sticky notes so guests can pick what they’re comfortable helping with. Ideas include folding baby clothes, setting up adiaper station, installing the car seat, meal prepping freezerfriendly recipes, sterilizing bottles or making postpartum care kits.
n Servesnacks andkeep it cozy: Youdon’tneed afull spread, but snacks, refreshing drinks like tea or lemonade and afeel-good playlist go along way
Giftswithfunctioninmind
Gifts aren’trequired at nesting parties, but practical ones are always welcome. Here’sa few ideas you can add to your cart:
n 8SheepOrganics Sleepy Body Lotion ($29): Late pregnancy isn’texactly known for restful sleep. Thismagnesium-rich lotion helps with third-trimester aches like restless legs and sore hips —and smells amazing. Organic, pregnancy-safe and a
Hideaway will have Max Baca and Los Texmaniacs
Then on Sunday,April27, LukeWinslow-King will perform. TheHideaway is also agreat spot to just get adrink and has afull menufor after fest noshing, whichreallymakes it aone-stop shop for all your post-festival needs.
Warehouse535 n 535 Garfield St.; warehouse535.com
ing aswell
And then there’sthe postfestival parties and shows, which unlikethe super-secret, crazy expensive afterfest “experiences” beingoffered around Jazz Fest, are still accessible to regular music fans.They often featuresome truly unexpected combos, like musiciansfrom Niger sitting in with abunch of rowdy Cajunplayers. Sincea lotof these shows are spontaneous, it’shard to knowwho will show up where.But there’s already ahandful of shows scheduled, including these thatare not to be missed.For specific tines, tickets and information, checkout the venues’ websites.
Blue Moon n 215 EConvent St.; bluemoonpresents.com
On Friday, April 25, Blue Moon is hostingthe Lost Bayou Ramblers with Niger’s Etrande L’Air,aswellasamidnight show featuring Zach Edwards and The Medicine
On Saturday,April 26, they’ll have Jourdan Thibodeaux et les Rodailleurs with BabL’Bluz outofFrance and Morocco. Zach Edwards and The Medicine will play asecond midnight showaswell And on Sunday, April 27, Blue Moon will host the FestivalInternational Appreciation Party and International Jam,featuring TheBluerunners and TheRevelers, who will be joined by musiciansfrom aroundthe world who played thefestival.
HideawayonLee n 407 LeeAve.; hideawayonlee.com
On Friday,April 25, the
dreamy addition to any bedtime routine. It’sTrue Belly Serum is afavorite,too,with ingredientsclinically proven to help preventstretch marks in the third trimester n Frida Baby’sBitty Bundle of Joy the Fussbusters Toolkit($49): Frida Baby products aim to make parenthood alittle easier.This kit contains items for momto-be and baby,including their bestselling products like the SnotSucker.(Yes, it’s really called that!) n Moms on Call 0-6 Month Bundle ($125):This is the perfect giftfor new parents whoaren’t familiar with creating healthy sleep strategies for babies. Before those sleepless nights hit them hard, this essential guide canhelpget everyone sleepingthroughthe night. The Moms on Call books and online courses are also available to purchase separately n Momcozy KleanPal ProBabyBottle Washer ($299.99): No one dreams of spending hourswashing bottles.This all-in-onewasher cleans, sterilizes and dries with the push of abutton perfect for parents drown-
On Saturday,April 26, therewill be aspecial double reunion show with The Bluerunners and The Figs performing.
Lafayette has alot to offer, especially when it comes to food anddrink (though nobody we’re notvouchingfor that weird practice of putting boil spice on after crawfish are boiled).Here are just a couple of recommendations: If you’re looking for something abit fancy,check out the Vestal Restaurant (555 Jefferson St.),which features steaks,seafood andcocktails.
Pamplona Tapas Bar (631 Jefferson St.) is, as the name suggests, small plates type jointthat features that classic Spanish tapas place atmosphere and food.
Since1940, Borden’sIce Cream Shoppe (1103 Jefferson St.) has been an institution in Lafayette. Aclassic soda jerk shop, it’sperfect fora cold treat during the day or after dinner Reve Coffee is aLafayette chain of coffee shops. Their location downtown at 200 Jefferson St.isthe perfect spot to get the caffeine levels up to snuffafter along nightofpost-festival dancing and drinking. And if you’re looking for asolid neighborhood style watering hole, you can’tgo wrong with The Greenroom (229 Jefferson St.). There arepool tables, it’ssufficiently dark and the drinks won’tcome near breaking the bank. Plus, they’ll have apost-festival showSaturday night featuring alineup of local bands.
Email John Stanton at jstanton@gambitweekly. com.
inginpump parts. The“Rapid Wash” mode gets it done in 19 minutes n Kilne’s The Cookware Set ($650): New parentswill be in the kitchen morethan they imagined. Kilne’snontoxic ceramic cookware is a nesting dream —the whole set stacks neatly,savingpreciouscounterspace. It’sthe capsule wardrobe of cookware.
Askfor help It might feel awkwardinviting friends to help you scrub baseboards or organize amedicine cabinet, but the truth is, people wantto help. Nesting parties give them the green light to show up in ameaningful way Onemom on Reddit put it best: “Baby showers are still fun, but if you’re babyshowered out or just want to try something different, Ican’trecommend anesting party enough. And while my guests wereall female friends, Icould totally see this as acoed party, where you could invite couples/ male friends/literally anybody you wanted toand have agreat time.”
By The Associated Press
Today is Monday, April 21, the 111th day of 2025. There are 254 days left in the year
Todayinhistory:
On April 21, 2016, Prince, one of the most inventive and influential musicians of modern times, was found dead at his home in suburban Minneapolis from an accidental fentanyl overdose; he was 57.
On this date:
In 1836, an army of Texans,led by Sam Houston, defeated theMexican Army, led by Antonio López de SantaAnna, in theBattle of San Jacinto, the final battle of the Texas Revolution.
Continuedfrom page1D
may reduce symptoms. Cognitive behavior and interpersonal therapies may alsohelp improve the
In 1910, author Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better knownasMark Twain, died in Redding, Connecticut, at age 74.
In 1975, with Communist forces closing in, South Vietnamese President Nguyen VanThieu resigned after nearly 10 years in office, fleeing the country five days later
In 1980, Rosie Ruiz was the first woman to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon, but waslater exposed as having cheated by entering the racecourse less than 1mile before the finish line. (Canadian Jacqueline Gareau was named the actual winner of the women’srace.)
symptomsand treat the underlying cause. Though individuals with depression may respond well to treatments, cognitive impairment may linger but may also return over time. Dana Territo is an
In
prison over the killing of protesters in 2012. (Morsi collapsed and died during trial on espionage charges in June 2019.)
Today’sbirthdays: Actor-comedian-filmmaker Elaine May is 93. Author-activist Sister Helen Prejean is 86. Singer
Alzheimer’sadvocate andauthor of “What My Grandchildren Taught Me About Alzheimer’sDisease.” Shehosts “TheMemory Whisperer.” Email herat thememorywhisperer@ gmail.com.
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Uncertainty is theenemy.Whenindoubt, ask questions and look for away to revise issues to suit your needs.Achange of attitude will broaden your perception.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Go directlyto the source when something appears questionable. It's up to you to get your information straight before making decisions that will affect your next move.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Say no to excess andyes to ahealthy lifestyle. Learnfrom your mistakes andconsider what's important to you. Brainstorm and discover aunique way to useyour talents.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Push forward withthought, planning and curiosity. It's never too late to change, upgrade or expand your circleoffriends. Your thirst for knowledge will lead to serious considerations and adventure.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) It's up to you to bringaboutchange.Dig in; discipline and determination will help youreach your goaland leave alasting impression on thepeopleyou encounter. Engage and control the outcome.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Shake things up and see what happens.Yourability to movemountains with your charm, connections and displaysofappreciation will contribute to your success.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Putyour emotionsaside andfocus on self-improvement andchanges that make your life
less chaotic. Network or takeona projectoractivity thatchallengesyou to look and feel your best.
sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Think before youspend money, and you'll avoid falling short. Generosity won't buy you what you want. You'll make the bestimpression if youfinishwhat you start and live up to your promises.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec.22-Jan. 19) Establish your position and what you want to achieve. Knowledge andmaking key connections to people in apositionto help youwill get you whereyou want to go.
AQuARIus (Jan.20-Feb. 19) Channel your energy wisely. The temptation to squander your time or cashwill leave you at aloss. Maintaining apractical attitude and concentrating on your goal will payoff.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Work alone. Letting othersinterrupt or talkyou into unnecessary spending and add-ons will complicate your goals.Changing your surroundings will offer inspiration.
ARIEs (March21-April 19) Positioning yourselffor success will broaden your scope and encourage you to find new outlets for your skills. Achange in how you earn and handle your money looks promising.
The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is notbased on scientific fact. ©2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms arecreated from quotations by famous people, past and present.Each letter in the cipherstands foranother.
toDAy'scLuE: REQuALs P
InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle basedona9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The objectistoplace the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once.The difficulty level of the sudoku increasesfrom monday to sunday.
Saturday’s Puzzle Answer
Bridge
By PHILLIP ALDER
AldoLeopold,anecologistandenvironmentalist who died in 1948, said, “Conservation is astate of harmony between men and land.”
Entry conservation in bridge is astate of harmonybetween cards and hands. Thatwas the subject of last week’s columns. But before we moveon, here is one more declarer technique that requires careful entry handling. How should South play in four hearts after West leads the club king?
The auction followed apredictable path.
Southhas fourlosers: two diamonds and twoclubs. He has only nine top tricks:two spades, six hearts and one club. Theonly chance for an extra winner is to establish dummy’s spades. But if that suit is splitting 4-2, as it rates to do, declarer will need three dummy entries: two for ruffing spades in his hand and onetoreturn to the dummy to cashthe 13th spade. What are thoseentries?
Theymustbeonespadeandtwohearts. Why not twospades?
Because an entry counts only if South can immediately trump aspade in his hand. This is the best line: Win the first trick with theclub ace, cash the heart king, play off dummy’stop spades, and ruffa spade high in hand so that theunfriendly
West cannot overruff.Continue with a low heart to dummy’snine, ruffanother spadehigh,andplayatrumptodummy’s ace (removing West’s last heart). Then South can happily cash the spade six and discard one of his minor-suit losers. That is textbook entry conservation and suit establishment ©2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication
Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn
Previous answers:
InstRuctIons:
toDAy’s WoRD MyRIADs: MEER-ee-ads: Thousands.
Average mark 15 words
Time limit 20 minutes
Canyou find 20 or more words in MYRIADS?
sAtuRDAy’s WoRD —cLIMAtE
dIrectIons: make a2-to 7-letterword from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letterwords get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. allthe words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5thEdition. For more information on tournaments and clubs, emailnaspa –north american sCraBBlE playersassociation: info@scrabbleplayers.org.Visit ourwebsite:www.scrabbleplayers.org. For puzzle inquiriescontact scrgrams@gmail.com Hasbro andits
kenken
InstructIons: 1 -Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1thorugh 4(easy) or 1through 6 (challenging) withoutrepeating. 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes called cages must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners 3 -Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages withthe number in the top-left corner.
Saturday’s Puzzle Answer
HErE is aplEasanTliTTlE gamEthat will give you amessage every day. it’s a numericalpuzzledesigned to spell out your fortune. Count theletters in yourfirstname.if the numberofletters is 6ormore, subtract 4. if the
is
is yourkey number. start at theupper left-hand corner andcheck each of your
6, add 3. The
bers, left to right.Thenread themessage thechecked figures give you.
CFRPart58has deter‐minedthatthe following proposed action under ResilientCommunities Infrastructure Program (RCIP) ProjectNumber 26LDRC7719 is locatedin theFederal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) floodplain, and JeffersonParishwillbe identifyingand evaluat‐ingpracticable alterna‐tivestolocatingthe ac‐tion within the floodplain andthe potentialim‐pactsonthe floodplain from theproposedac‐tion,asrequiredbyExec‐utiveOrder 11988, as amendedbyExecutive Order13690, in accor‐
FFRMS floodplainwas determined using0.2 percent flood approach Theproposedactivities includeupgradestoan existing harbor.The up‐grades includeconstruc‐tion of aconcreteboat dock andoffloading area which includes thein‐stallation of aconcrete
aboutthese areas. Com‐mentersare encouraged to offeralternative sites outsideofthe floodplain, alternativemethods to servethe same project purpose, andmethods to minimize andmitigate projectimpacts on the floodplain. Second,an adequate public notice program canbeanim‐portantpubliceduca‐tional tool.The dissemi‐nation of information andrequest forpublic comment about flood‐plaincan facilitate and enhanceFederal efforts to reduce therisks and impactsassociatedwith theoccupancyand modi‐fication of thesespecial areas. Third, as amatter of fairness, when the Federalgovernmentde‐termines it will partici‐pate in actionstaking placein floodplain, it must inform thosewho maybeput at greateror continuedrisk. Writtencommentsmust
Order13690, in accor‐dancewithHUD regula‐tionsat24CFR 55.20 in SubpartC Procedures for Making Determinations on FloodplainManage‐ment andProtectionof Wetlands.The proposed projectlocations arethe Community Centerslo‐catedat301 Third EmanuelStreet,Bridge City;1300 S. Myrtle Street,Metairie; 1501 Es‐talote Street,Harvey; and4008 U.S. Highway90, Avondale,Jefferson Parish.The extent of the FFRMS floodplainwas determined using0.2 percent flood approach Theproposedactivities includeplans to improve resiliencyofthe above four communitycenters Theproject includes in‐stallation of doublethrowtransferswitches at thecommunity cen‐ters forconnectionto portable generators.Ad‐ditional improvements includeADA upgrades such as sidewalks, bath‐room upgrades,doors, intercom buzzersfor frontdoors, flooringup‐grades,energyefficient roofs, newwindows stormshutters andre-
striping theparking lots Theproject locationsare locatedinZoneAEand will potentiallyimpact approximately2.77acres of the floodplain. Thereare threeprimary purposes forthisnotice. First, people who maybe affected by activities in floodplainand thosewho have an interest in the protection of thenatural environmentshouldbe
