The Times-Picayune 04-22-2025 by The Advocate

FRANCIS: Dec. 17,1936-April 21,2025

‘Heembracedall

Wanted church to be arefuge foreveryone

Waswilling to shake up scandal-ridden church

Easter blessing washis final public farewell

Causeofdeath wasastrokethat ledtoheart failure

Recent hospitalization lasted 38 days

Pope Francis wavestothe crowd during aprocessioninPhiladelphia in 2015.

Francis’ humble style charmedthe world

BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

VATICAN CITY Pope Francis, history’sﬁrst Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change, died Monday.He was 88. The Vatican said Francissuffered astroke which led to acoma and his heart to fail, as he recovered from aﬁve-week hospitalization for double pneumonia. His funeral and burial at Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major acrosstown areexpected over the weekend.

INSIDE

ä JD Vance wasone of last leaders to meet withPopeFrancis. Page 4A

ä Several cardinals considered frontrunners tobethe next Pope. Page 5A

ä What happensnext? Page 5A

“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis,returned to the homeofthe Father. Hisentire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell said from the chapel of the Domus SantaMarta, where Francis lived.

ä See POPE, page 4A

Bells tolled in Catholic churches from his native Argentina to the Philippines and across Rome as news spread around the world.

PHOTO PROVIDED By THENEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Pope Francis is presented witha NewOrleans Saints jerseyfrom team owner Gayle Bensonduring Benson’s2024 triptothe Vatican.

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

New Orleans’ half amillion RomanCatholics joined their fellow believers around the world Monday to mourn the death of Pope Francis. In acity that is hometothe nation’s second-oldest diocese and aculture that is richwith Catholicsymbols and traditions, the loss of the pope wasfelt deeply across the city James Vincent, aretired teacher and coach at St. Joan of Arc,was among those whomade aspecial trip to Mass on Monday to reﬂect on the legacy of Francis, who made care for

ä See MOURN, page 4A

With twocases identified in La., hospitalspreppingfor measles

BY EMILYWOODRUFF Staff writer

Before he crossedthe hospital room, Dr.Mark Kline already knew what he was looking at. A child admitted to aDallashospital in the late 1980s had been sick for days with afever,rash and no clear diagnosis.

“That’s measles,”saidKline,an infectious disease expert who rec-

ognized thesigns from treating hundreds of cases in Uganda earlier in hiscareer.None of the pediatriciansornurses had considered it. They’d never treated acase. Decades later,the same unfamiliarity with adisease thought to be eliminated could ripple through emergency rooms in Louisiana as hospitals prepare for thepossibility of local cases amid anationwide outbreak

With two cases identified in Louisianaand vaccination rates slipping below the threshold for community protection, hospitals are preparing by educating their staff on symptoms and reviewing protocols for isolation and contact tracing. Many health care providers in Louisiana have never seen a case outside of atextbook.

“Most of them are too young to have actually seen acasewith

theirown eyes,” said Kline, now physician in chief at Manning Family Children’sinNew Orleans.

Louisiana’sfirst case wasannounced by the state Health DepartmentonSaturday in an unvaccinated adult whohad recently traveled internationally was treated for measles at aNew Orleansarea hospital. That person is not hospitalized and is now in isolation. As ofﬁcials contacted others the

patienthad been in contact with, they discovered asecond case in a New Orleans-area adult who is no longer infectious, health ofﬁcials said Monday Measles is ahighly contagious airborne virus that spreads through coughing, sneezing, or even breathing near others. Symptoms usually begin 7-14 days after exposure and

ä See MEASLES, page 6A

ASSOCIATEDPRESS

MATT ROURKE

3 killed in Ukraine during Easter ceasefire KYIV Ukraine Russian attacks during the 30-hour Easter ceasefire unilaterally declared by President Vladimir Putin over the weekend killed three people in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, a regional ofﬁcial said Monday Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of Kherson’s administration, wrote on Telegram that the casualties occurred over the last 24 hours, adding that three others were wounded in the region, parts of which are occupied by Russia.

After Putin declared the move on Saturday, Ukraine responded by voicing readiness to reciprocate any genuine ceaseﬁre but said the Russian attacks continued. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia violated the ceasefire more than 2,900 times. Zelenskyy said that Russian forces carried out 96 assault operations along the front line, shelled Ukrainian positions more than 1,800 times and used hundreds of drones during the course of the ceasefire. “The nature of Ukrainian actions will continue to be mirror-like: we will respond to silence with silence, and our blows will be a defense against Russian blows Actions always speak louder than words,” he said.

The Russian Defense Ministry, for its part, listed 4,900 Ukrainian violations of the ceaseﬁre It charged that Moscow’s forces “strictly observed the ceaseﬁre and remained at previously occupied lines and positions.

Speaking Monday, Putin said that the ﬁghting resumed after the ceasefire expired at midnight. Commenting on Zelenskyy’s call for a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire or, at least, a halt on strikes on civilian facilities, the Russian leader noted that Kyiv was trying to “seize the initiative,” adding that “we must think about it, carefully assess everything and look at the results of the ceaseﬁre.”

Houthi rebels say U.S strikes kill 12 in Yemen

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates U.S. airstrikes targeting Yemen’s capital killed 12 people and wounded 34 others, the Houthi rebels said early Monday.

The deaths mark the latest in America’s intensiﬁed campaign of strikes targeting the rebels.

The U.S. military’s Central Command declined to answer questions about the strike or discuss civilian casualties from its campaign.

The Houthis described the strike as hitting the Farwa neighborhood market in Sanaa’s Shuub district. That area has been targeted before by the Americans.

Footage aired by the Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel showed damage to vehicles and buildings in the area, with screaming onlookers holding what appeared to be a dead child. Others wailed on stretchers heading into a hospital. Strikes overnight into Monday also hit other areas of the country, including Yemen’s Amran, Hodeida, Marib and Saada governorates.

Officials: Noem’s purse stolen at D.C. restaurant WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse was stolen at a Washington, D.C. restaurant Sunday night, according to department ofﬁcials.

The department in an email said Noem had money in her purse to buy gifts for her children and grandchildren and to pay for Easter dinner and other activities.

The department in an email didn’t specify what was stolen, but CNN — which was first to report the story — said the thief took about $3,000 in cash, as well as Noem’s keys, driver’s license, passport, checks, makeup bag, medication and Homeland Security badge. The department said Noem had cash in her purse to pay for gifts, dinner and other activities for her family on Easter The Homeland Security secretary is protected by U.S Secret Service agents. The Secret Service referred questions about the incident to Homeland Security headquarters.

PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

White House voices support for Hegseth

New Signal chat revelation adds to previous controversy

BY TARA COPP and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON The White House expressed support Monday for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following media reports that he shared sensitive military details in another Signal messaging chat, this time with his wife and brother Neither the White House nor Hegseth denied that he had shared such information in a second chat, instead focusing their responses on what they called the disgruntled workers whom they blamed for leaking to the media and insisting that no classiﬁed information had been disclosed.

“It’s just fake news. They just bring up stories,” President Donald Trump told reporters. “I guess it sounds like disgruntled employees You know, he was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people, and that’s what he’s doing. So you don’t always have friends when you do that,” Trump said.

The administration’s posture was meant to hold the line against Democratic demands for Hegseth’s ﬁring at a time when the Pentagon is engulfed in turmoil, including the departures of several senior aides and an internal investigation over information leaks.

The White House also tried to deﬂect attention from the national security implications of the latest Signal revelation by framing it as the outgrowth of an institutional power struggle between Hegseth and the career workforce. But some of the recently departed ofﬁcials the administration appeared to dismiss as disgruntled were part of Hegseth’s initial inner circle, brought in when he took the job

“This is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and working against the monumental change that you are trying to implement,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in remarks ampliﬁed by a Pentagon social media account.

The latest news added to questions about the judgment of the embattled Pentagon chief, coming on top of last month’s disclosure of his participation in a Signal chat with top Trump administration leaders in which details about the military air-

strike against Yemen’s Houthi militants were shared.

“Pete Hegseth must be ﬁred,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said.

The New York Times reported Sunday that the information shared in a Signal messaging chat with Hegseth’s wife, brother and others was similar to what was communicated in the already disclosed chain with Trump administration ofﬁcials.

A person familiar with the contents and those who received the messages, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, conﬁrmed the second chat to The Associated Press. The person said it included 13 people and was dubbed “Defense | Team Huddle.”

White House officials first learned of the second Signal chat from news reports Sunday, according to an official familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal conversations.

Hegseth, talking to reporters while attending the White House Easter egg roll, didn’t address the substance of the allegations or the national security implications they raised but assailed the media.

“They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations,” Hegseth said. “Not going to work with me. Because we’re changing the Defense Department, putting the Pentagon back in the hands of warfighters. And anonymous smears from disgruntled former employees on old news doesn’t matter.”

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, struck a similar tone, writing on Sunday night on X: “Secretary Hegseth is busy implementing President Trump’s America First agenda, while these leakers are trying to undermine them both Shameful.”

The Trump administration has struggled in its public explanations about senior ofﬁcials’ use of Signal, a commercially available app not authorized to be used to communicate sensitive or classiﬁed national defense information.

The ﬁrst chat, set up by national security adviser Mike Waltz, included a number of Cabinet members and came to light because Jeffrey Goldberg, editorin-chief of The Atlantic, was added to the group.

Wife of ex-U.S. Sen. Menendez convicted in bribery scheme

BY LARRY NEUMEISTER and MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press

NEW YORK Nadine Menendez, the wife of former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, was convicted Monday of teaming up with her husband to accept bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car from three New Jersey men looking for help with their business dealings or legal troubles.

The jury returned a verdict of guilty on all counts in the same federal courthouse in Manhattan where a different jury convicted Bob Menendez of many of the same charges last year The Democrat is supposed to begin serving an 11-year prison term in June.

three-week trial followed the timeline of the whirlwind romance between the couple that began in early 2018 and continued after criminal charges were brought against them in September 2023. Repeatedly during the trial, prosecutors said they were “partners in crime.”

Nadine Menendez, who stood but did not appear to react as the verdict was delivered by the jury foreperson, was scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, six days after her husband is expected to report to prison.

Outside the courthouse, she wore a pink mask as she stood next to her lawyer, Barry Coburn, said he was “devastated by the verdict.”

“We fought hard and it hurts,” he said.

“This is a very rough day for us.”

The evidence shown to jurors over a

Harvard sues feds to stop grants freeze

BY MICHAEL CASEY and JOCELYN GECKER Associated Press

BOSTON — Harvard University announced Monday that it has ﬁled suit to halt a federal freeze on more than $2.2 billion in grants after the institution said it would defy the Trump administration’s demands to limit activism on campus.

In an April 11 letter to Harvard, the Trump administration had called for broad government and leadership reforms at the university and changes to its admissions policies It also demanded the university audit views of diversity on campus and stop recognizing some student clubs. The administration has argued universities allowed antisemitism to go unchecked at campus protests last year against Israel’s war in Gaza.

Harvard President Alan Garber said the university would not bend to the demands. Hours later, the government froze billions of dollars in federal funding.

During a 2022 raid on the couple’s Englewood Cliffs New Jersey home, FBI agents found nearly $150,000 worth of gold bars and $480,000 in cash stuffed in boots, shoe boxes and jackets. In the garage was a Mercedes-Benz convertible, also an alleged bribe. Both Nadine and Bob Menendez said they are innocent and never took bribes.

Initially they were to be tried together along with the three businessmen, but Nadine Menendez’s trial was postponed a year ago after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent surgery Bob Menendez, 71, resigned from the Senate last August following his conviction. Before the charges were brought he had been chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Prosecutors accused Nadine Menendez of starting to facilitating bribes to the senator around the time that they began dating, before they married in the fall of 2020.

“Nor has the Government acknowledged the significant consequences that the indeﬁnite freeze of billions of dollars in federal research funding will have on Harvard’s research programs, the beneﬁciaries of that research, and the national interest in furthering American innovation and progress,” it added.

Harvard’s suit called the funding freeze “arbitrary and capricious,” saying it violated its First Amendment rights and the statutory provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Within hours, the White House lashed back.

“The gravy train of federal assistance to institutions like Harvard, which enrich their grossly overpaid bureaucrats with tax dollars from struggling American families is coming to an end,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in an email Monday “Taxpayer funds are a privilege, and Harvard fails to meet the basic conditions required to access that privilege.”

“The Government has not — and cannot — identify any rational connection between antisemitism concerns and the medical, scientiﬁc, technological, and other research it has frozen that aims to save American lives, foster American success, preserve American security and maintain America’s position as a global leader in innovation,” said the lawsuit, ﬁled in Boston federal court.

Gaza group rejects Israeli probe into medics’

By The Associated Press

CAIRO The main Palestinian rescue service in Gaza on Monday condemned Israel’s probe into the killings of 15 medical workers last month, calling it a “fabricated investigation.”

The army announced the results of its investigation on Sunday, saying it had found “professional failures” and dismissing a deputy commander in what it described as an accident. A total of 15 people were killed in the March 23 incident including eight medics with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, six members of the Hamas govern-

killings

ment’s Civil Defense unit and a United Nations staffer 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 In a statement, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the investigation underscores “the occupation’s persistence in shielding the truth from the world.” It accused Israel of making “fallacious allegations” that medical rescue teams are part of Hamas and asked why Israel continues to detain a paramedic who survived the attack.

News Tips /Stories: NEWSTIPS@THEADVOCATE.COM

N. Menendez

ASSOCIATED

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks Monday on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington before President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump participate in the White House Easter egg roll.

Democratic lawmakers

Representatives visitonAbrego Garcia’s behalf

BY MARCOS ALEMAN and MATT BROWN Associated Press

SAN SALVADOR Four House

Democrats have traveledto El Salvador to call attention to the plight of aman the Trump administration deported to a Salvadoran prison and has refused to help return —even after the Supreme Court ruled that it was the government’sduty to do so.

tives and Abrego Garcia’s lawyer saidtheywerein El Salvador “demanding his safe return home.” The group saidtheyhoped to continuetopressure authorities for hisrelease, and that their petition to meet with AbregoGarcia was denied.

Reps. Yassamin Ansari, of Arizona; Maxine Dexter,ofOregon;Maxwell Frost, of Florida; and RobertGarcia, of California,arrived Sunday in the Central American nation to investigate the condition of Kilmar Abrego Garcia,who had lived in the UnitedStates for more than adecade. The Trump administration deported him, amove that administration officials have said in court ﬁlings was done in error But despite aSupreme Court ruling that ordered the Trump administrationto help facilitate Abrego Garcia’sreturn,the administration has said it has no power to bring him back, aposition being scrutinized by federal courts as potentiallyinviolation of judicial rulings. In anews conference Monday in El Salvador’scapital, the Democratic representa-

“Part of what the Trump administration does is they do so much that they tryto make sure people forget forget about them breaking the law,forget about them completely ignoring the Supreme Court,” Frost said “We’re not going to be the last members of Congress andsenators that are here to make sure thathe’s released and that ourcountry is following our laws.”

Thequartet’s trip comes afterSen.Chris VanHollen of Maryland traveled to El Salvador last weekand met with AbregoGarcia and Salvadoranofficials. Abrego Garcia lived in Maryland with his wife and three children,who are American citizens, before he was deportedonMarch 15. Abrego Garcia’sprotected legalstatusprohibited him from beingdeported to El Salvador. He was deported on one of three planes ﬁlled with migrants accused of beinggang members Frost said the four representativeswereinElSalvador to “build offthe work” of VanHollenand thatthey were inquiring about where Abrego Garcia was being heldand underwhatconditions.

Chris Newman,alawyer representing thedeportee, addedthathis primary concerns was Abrego Garcia’s access to counsel.

“Weknow nothing of Mr Abrego Garcia’swhereabouts since thestaged photo op on Thursday with Sen. VanHollen,” Newman said. “Wedemand to immediately know where he is and to have access to him.”

The WhiteHouse press office issued astatement Monday that said thepast week “has shownAmericans everything they need to know about Democrats’ priorities.”

The White House accused the representatives of “pickinguptheirparty’s mantle of prioritizing adeported illegal immigrant MS-13 gang member over theAmericans they represent.”

Garcia saidheand Frost sent aletter lastweek to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., requesting that an ofﬁcial delegation go to El Salvador to investigate Abrego Garcia’sconditionand push forhis return, butreceived no response.Ansari said more Democrats would be travelingtoElSalvador in thecoming days and weeks.

Justice Department lawyers said in court last week thatthey have no power to advance Abrego Garcia’s return because he is in a foreign country’scustody Administration ofﬁcials also claimed in public comments that Abrego Garcia was engaged in humantrafﬁcking and terrorism and therefore correctly deported.

Trumpwelcomescrowdsat WhiteHouse Easter eggroll

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

WASHINGTON President DonaldTrump welcomed tens of thousands of people Mondaytothe White House Easter egg roll, saying the overcast weather meant no one would have to worry about getting sunburned. He thanked the NationalPark Service for how “spiffy” everything looked. More than 40,000 people were expected to participate, he said.

“Happy Easter to everyone,” the president said, ﬂanked on the White House balcony by his wife, first lady Melania Trump, and an Easter bunny mascot. “It was abeautiful day yesterday,and it’sabeautiful day today.Wedon’thave to worryabout sunburnbut it looks like it’snot going to be raining.”

The president and first lady visited the egg roll area, where he blew agoldtoned whistle stamped with the presidential seal to start afew races. They also spent time at astation where

Gunman in racist attack at TexasWalmart pleads guilty

BY MORGAN LEE and JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press

EL PASO,Texas Maribel Hernandez and her husband, Leonardo Campos, were shopping at aWalmart in aTexas bordercity in 2019 when agunmanwho wanted to stop what he believed was aHispanic invasion opened ﬁre, killing them and 21 others.

On Monday,Hernandez’s daughter,Yvonne Loya Gonzalez, spoke directly to thegunman, PatrickCrusius, after he pleaded guilty to capital murder in theEl Paso massacre: “Their absenceinmylife has left a deep void in my heart.”

The statements by family membersand victimsthat beganMondayafternoon are expectedtocontinue through Wednesday.Some, including Gonzalez, told Crusius they have forgiven him

“I have no moreroom for hateinmyheart,” she said. Crusius, aWhite 26-yearold community college dropout, did notaddress thefamilies while accepting the plea deal, which he madeafter local prosecutors agreed to take the death penalty off thetable. He hadalready beensentenced to 90 consecutive

Moreno County Courthouse in El Paso, Texas

life termsonfederal hate crime charges. His accepting of the pleaagreement ends six years of efforts to punish himbystate and federal authorities.

Crusius,who wore a stripedjumpsuit,shackles anda protective vest during the hearing, drove more than 700 milesfrom his home near Dallas to carry outthe shooting on Aug.3, 2019.

“You cametoinﬂict terror, to takeinnocentlives and to shatter acommunity that had done nothing but stand for kindness, unity and love. Youslaughtered fathers, mothers, sons and

daughters,” State District Judge Sam Medrano said. “Now as you begin the rest of your life locked away,remember this: your missionfailed,” he continued. “You did notdivide this city,you strengthened it. Youdid not silence its voice, youmade it louder. Youdid not instill fear,you inspired unity.ElPaso rose, stronger and braver.” Medrano sentenced Crusius to life in prison without the possibility of parole. While one of his lawyers, Joe Spencer,toldthe court, “Weoffer our deepest condolences,” Crusius did not explicitly apologize Monday forhis actions.

Crusius also pleaded guilty Mondayto22counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which were enhanced withviolenceand prejudice ﬁndings, in relation to the 22 people who wereinjured but survived theshooting. He wassentenced to 22 additional life sentences on those counts.

“Patrick will leave prison only in acoffinonGod’s time,” Spencer said. Crusius has acknowledged he targeted Hispanics in the attack at the Walmart in the border city that was crowded with weekend shoppers from the U.S. and Mexico.

Activists: Sudan’sparamilitaries kill

By The Associated Press

CAIRO— Aparamilitary group in Sudanattacked acity in the western Darfurregion, killing more than 30 people, an activist group said, in the latestdeadlyoffensive on an area that is home to hundredsofthousands of displaced people

TheRapid SupportForces and allied militias launched

an offensive on el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur province, on Sunday,the Resistance Committees in the city said. Dozens of otherpeople were wounded in the attack,saidthe group, which tracks the war

The RSF renewed its attack on Monday,shelling residential buildings and open marketsinthe city, the activist group said.

over 30

There was no immediate comment from the RSF El-Fasher,more than 500 miles southwest of the capital, Khartoum, is under the control of the military which has fought the RSF since Sudan descended into civil war more than two years ago, killing more than 24,000 people, according to theUnitedNations,though activists saythe number is likely farhigher

kids wrote cards to service members. Melania Trump later read “Bunny with aBig Heart” at areading area. It’s astory about aforgetfulrabbit who gets injured, must stay in bed and learnstobe kindertohis family

Wooden spoon-wielding children competed against each other to guide hardboiled eggsdyedpink, blue, yellow or green across a patch of the lawn to afinish line. In some cases, eggs were lobbed into the airinstead of rolled across

the grass, andatleastone wooden spoon went flying through theair

Theparticipantsincluded some of Trump’sgrandchildren —son Don Jr.’schildren.

Aspecial station promoting next year’s250th anniversary of America’sfounding provided opportunities to sign amini-Declaration of Independence or dressupas Founding Fathers. The daylong eventfeatured multiple activity stations,live performances andstorytimes.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO

Patrick Crusius attends a sentencinghearing Monday in the 409th District Commissioners Courtroom at the Enrique

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

President DonaldTrump stands with the Easter bunnyon Mondayasheparticipates in the White House Easter egg roll onthe South Lawn of theWhite House in Washington.

Abrego Garcia

POPE FRANCIS: Dec. 17, 1936 - April 21, 2025

Vance was one of the last leaders to meet with Francis

BY CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON One of Pope Francis’ final encounters before his death was with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who visited the Vatican over the weekend.

The meeting took place on Easter Sunday Vance, a Catholic convert, entered the room and reached down for the pope’s hand “Hello,” the vice president said. “So good to see you.”

Francis was sitting in a wheelchair, and his words were inaudible in a video released by the Vatican.

“I know you’ve not been feeling great, but it’s good to see you in better health,” Vance said A priest serving as a translator spoke for the pope.

“These are for your children,” the priest said as someone presented Vance with chocolate eggs. Next came a tray of additional gifts, including rosaries and a Vatican tie.

POPE

Continued from page 1A

Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14, 2025, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy

He made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday — a day before his death — to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square, drawing wild cheers and applause Francis performed the blessing from the same loggia where he was introduced on March 13, 2013, as the 266th pope.

From his ﬁrst greeting that night — a remarkably normal “Buonasera” (“Good evening”) to his embrace of refugees and the downtrodden, Francis signaled a very different tone for the papacy, stressing humility over hubris for a Catholic Church beset by scandal and accusations of indifference.

The Argentine-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio brought fresh air into a 2,000-year-old institution that had seen its inﬂuence wane during the troubled tenure of Pope Benedict XVI, whose surprise resignation led to Francis’ election.

But Francis soon invited troubles of his own, and conservatives grew increasingly upset with his progressive bent, outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics and crackdown on traditionalists. His greatest test came in 2018 when he botched a notorious case of clergy sexual abuse in Chile, and the scandal that festered under his predecessors erupted anew.

And then Francis, the crowdloving, globe-trotting pope of the peripheries, navigated the unprecedented reality of leading a universal religion through the coronavirus pandemic from a locked-down Vatican City

“We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented,” Francis told an

MOURN

Continued from page 1A

the poor, the marginalized and the environment central to his papacy.

“We need to open our hearts like Pope Francis did,” Vincent said after the service at Loyola University’s Ignatius Chapel. “We need more of that.”

During his 12 years at the Vatican, Francis blazed a trail as the ﬁrst pontiff from Latin America and as the ﬁrst Jesuit pope. Coming on the heels of the doctrinaire Pope Benedict XVI, who resigned in 2013 amid a growing clergy abuse scandal, he was seen by many as a breath of fresh air, signaling hope for a more open and inclusive expression of Catholicism.

For others, he was a lightning rod, whose outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics, environmental advocacy and outspoken critiques of capitalism and the treatment of migrants was seen as problematic if not heretical. He died of a stroke early Monday at age 88.

“Of course there are people who disagreed with him. People disagreed with Jesus,” said Tom Ryan, a professor theology and ministry at Loyola. “But in the U.S., we have a tendency to look at him through our lens of left and right, red and blue. He cannot be

“Thank you,” Vance said as he held the dark tie. “So beautiful.”

They posed for a photo, Vance standing to the pope’s right before bidding him farewell.

“I pray for you every day,” Vance said. “God bless you.”

Vance’s visit was not without political sensitivities, and he met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Saturday for what the Vatican described as “an exchange of opinions.” The Catholic Church, under Francis’ leadership, has championed the rights of migrants, while Vance and President Donald Trump have advocated for crackdowns.

Vance’s office said the vice president and the cardinal “discussed their shared religious faith, Catholicism in the United States, the plight of persecuted Christian communities around the world, and President Trump’s commitment to restoring world peace.”

Trump issued a statement on

Truth Social: “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and

all who loved him!”

At the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday Trump said he signed an executive order for U.S. ﬂags to ﬂy at half-staff in the

pope’s honor “He was a good man,” the president told reporters. “He loved the world and it’s an honor to do that.” Vance, who continued on to In-

empty St. Peter’s Square in March 2020. Calling for a rethink of the global economic framework, he said the pandemic showed the need for “all of us to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other.”

The world mourns World leaders on Monday extolled Francis’ commitment to the marginalized. French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is largely Catholic, wrote on X: “From Buenos Aires to Rome, Pope Francis wanted the church to bring joy and hope to the poorest. May this hope forever outlast him.”

Flags ﬂew at half-staff in Italy, and crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square. When the great bells of St. Peter’s Basilica began tolling, tourists stopped in their tracks to record the moment on their phones.

Johann Xavier, who traveled from Australia, hoped to see the pope during his visit. “But then we heard about it when we came in here. It pretty much devastated all of us,” he said.

Francis’ death sets off a week-

boxed in He is too complex.

“He was really about mercy and hope.”

Pope Francis never visited New Orleans or Louisiana, but dozens of locals had an opportunity to meet with him at the Vatican. On Monday, as several shared details, they recalled the pontiff’s gentle, humble demeanor

John Alario, who served for decades in both chambers of the LouisianaLegislature,waspartofasmall delegationofstateofﬁcialswhotraveled to Rome in 2017 with then-Gov John Bel Edwards to talk with the pope about human trafﬁcking.

“You just felt so comfortable around him, it was a wonderful feeling,” Alario said “With all he had on his plate, he was so gracious to meet with a group of us from Louisiana.”

New Orleans Saints and Pelican owner Gayle Benson met the pope on a trip to the Vatican for Holy Week in 2024. She recalled how touched she was by the pontiff’s simple request that she pray for him.

“I found that very poignant, highlighting his humility and belief in the power of prayer,” said Benson, a devout Catholic who also met Pope Benedict in 2011.

“He brought a fresh perspective to the papacy and emphasized mercy over condemnation.”

Catholics were not the only ones

slong process of allowing the faithful to pay their ﬁnal respects, first for Vatican officials in the Santa Marta chapel and then in St. Peter’s for the general public, followed by a funeral and a conclave to elect a new pope.

As the sun was setting on Monday evening, the Vatican held a Rosary prayer in St Peter’s Square in its ﬁrst public commemoration.

In his final will, Francis conﬁrmed he will be buried in St. Mary Major Basilica in a simple underground tomb with only “Franciscus” written on it The basilica, which sits outside the Vatican, is home to Francis’ favorite icon of the Virgin Mary, to whom Francis was particularly devoted.

Reforming the Vatican

Francis was elected on a mandate to reform the Vatican bureaucracy and ﬁnances but went further in shaking up the church without changing its core doctrine.

“Who am I to judge?” he replied when asked about a purportedly gay priest.

The comment sent a message of welcome to the LGBTQ+ commu-

touched by their encounters with the pope. Edgar Cage, a leader with Together Louisiana and a lifelong Episcopal, was part of a group of community organizers that got an audience with him in 2023.

“He was compassionate, concerned and respected the dignity of every human being, regardless of where they came from, their religion, and their faith or lack of,” Cage said. “I could see nothing but love, compassion and empathy.”

Archbishop Gregory Aymond said he met the pope several times, most recently in 2024 at an ofﬁcial gathering of bishops and cardinals.

“And in the middle of the thing he leaned over and shook my hand and said, ‘It’s so good for you to be here, ” Aymond recalled Monday “I would always remember that, at least for me, as a farewell gift.”

Pope Francis had to thread a ﬁne needle in his position, trying to balance various forces in an ancient institution that is resistant to change and riven with competing interpretations of the message of Jesus Christ.

Local schoolteacher Jennifer Molina appreciates the difﬁculty of the tightrope he walked. A volunteer with the local chapter of the Women’s Ordination Conference, which advocates for women priests in the church, Molina recalled gathering with others from the organization outside St. Louis

dia after Italy posted additional thoughts on social media.

“I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him,” he wrote on X. “I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill.”

Vance shared a link to remarks that Francis gave on March 27, 2020, as COVID-19 was spreading around the globe.

“I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID,” Vance wrote. “It was really quite beautiful.”

Francis had spoken from St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

“Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets and our cities,” he said. “It has taken over our lives, ﬁlling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing void.”

He encouraged people to rely on their faith to help then endure “because with God life never dies.”

Vatican meetings, following longstanding complaints that women do much of the church’s work but are barred from power

Sister Nathalie Becquart, whom Francis named to one of the highest Vatican jobs, said his legacy was a vision of a church where men and women existed in a relationship of reciprocity and respect.

“It was about shifting a pattern of domination from human being to the creation, from men to women — to a pattern of cooperation,” said Becquart, the ﬁrst woman to hold a voting position in a Vatican synod.

Still, a note of criticism came Monday from the Women’s Ordination Conference, which had been frustrated by Francis’ unwillingness to push for the ordination of women.

nity and those who felt shunned by a church that had stressed sexual propriety over unconditional love.

“Being homosexual is not a crime,” he told The Associated Press in 2023, urging an end to civil laws that criminalize it.

Stressing mercy, Francis changed the church’s position on the death penalty, calling it inadmissible in all circumstances. He also declared the possession of nuclear weapons, not just their use, was “immoral.”

In other ﬁrsts, he approved an agreement with China over bishop nominations that had vexed the Vatican for decades, met the Russian patriarch and charted new relations with the Muslim world by visiting the Arabian Peninsula and Iraq.

He reafﬁrmed the all-male, celibate priesthood and upheld the church’s opposition to abortion, equating it to “hiring a hit man to solve a problem.”

But he added women to important decision-making roles and allowed them to serve as lectors and acolytes in parishes. He let women vote alongside bishops in periodic

Cathedral on the night Pope Francis was elected in 2013.

“It was a moment of tremendous hope and in many ways, he exceeded our expectations and did so much for those on the margins,” Molina said, pointing to several signiﬁcant appointments of women that Francis made to positions of authority inside the Vatican.

But more than a decade later, Molina shares the frustrations of her national organization, which issued a statement Monday saying the pope’s “closed door” policy on women’s ordination was “painfully incongruous with his otherwise pastoral nature.”

Still, she looks back on his papacy with gratitude and said, “we can only hope his successor will continue his openness and dialogue.”

Advocates for survivors of clergy sex abuse also questioned the pope’s legacy in dealing with the crisis, pointing to two scandals that erupted in during his papacy one involving a Chilean bishop accused of abuse in 2018 and another, in 2019, involving ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. The scandals came as the New Orleans archdiocese was beginning to reckon with its own sex abuse crisis, ultimately ﬁling for Chapter 11 bankruptcy court protection in May 2020. Five years later the case remains at an impasse, and some abuse survivors

“This made him a complicated, frustrating, and sometimes heartbreaking ﬁgure for many women,” the statement said. The church as a refuge

While Francis did not allow women to be ordained, the voting reform was part of a revolutionary change in emphasizing what the church should be: a refuge for everyone “todos, todos, todos” (“everyone, everyone, everyone”). Migrants, the poor, prisoners and outcasts were invited to his table far more than presidents or powerful CEOs.

“For Pope Francis, (the goal) was always to extend the arms of the church to embrace all people, not to exclude anyone,” said Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo, who takes charge after a pontiff’s death. Francis demanded his bishops apply mercy and charity to their ﬂocks, pressed the world to protect God’s creation from climate disaster and challenged countries to welcome those ﬂeeing war, poverty and oppression.

After visiting Mexico in 2016, Francis said of then-U. S presidential candidate Donald Trump that anyone building a wall to keep mi-

ä See POPE, page 5A

are calling on the judge to dismiss the case.

In a statement Monday, the survivors advocacy group BishopAccountability called Pope Francis “a beacon of hope to many of the world’s most desperate and marginalized people” but said he “refused to make necessary changes” in bringing about justice for abuse survivors.

The pope’s death sets off nine days of mourning at the Vatican In New Orleans, a special Mass will be held at noon Wednesday at St Louis Cathedral.

“It’s very important that we give people the opportunity to mourn,” Aymond said. “He was very much loved by people.”

While the grieving is underway, there is already talk about who will succeed Pope Francis. Some hope for a more traditional successor Others want to see someone who continues his legacy, with its emphasis on caring for the needy and marginalized.

Aymond noted that Pope Francis appointed 108 of the 135 cardinals who will choose his successor, which suggests the next pope will likely share at least some of his views on key church issues.

“I think Pope Francis’s spirit will live on, and I would like to think, and I believe that the next pope will have some of the same values,” Aymond said.

PHOTO PROVIDED By VATICAN MEDIA

Pope Francis receives Vice President JD Vance, right, before bestowing the Urbi et Orbi blessing in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Sunday

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By GREGORIO BORGIA

Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, who chose the name Pope Francis, waves to the crowd from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica after being elected pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church on March 13, 2013.

POPE FRANCIS: Dec. 17,1936-April 21,2025

Whoare front-runnerstobethe next pope?

By The Associated Press

VATICAN CITY Apopular sayingin

Vatican circles is that if you“enter aconclave as pope, you leave as a cardinal.”

It implies the sacred and secretive process is no popularity contest or campaign, but rather the divinely inspired election of Christ’s Vicar on Earth by the princes of the church.

Still, there are always front-runners,known as “papabile,” who have at least some of the qualities considered necessary to be pope —much like those depicted in last year’s Oscar-nominated ﬁlm “Conclave.”

Any baptized Catholic maleis eligible, though only cardinals have beenselectedsince 1378.The winner must receive at least twothirdsofthe vote from those cardinals under age 80 and thuseligible to participate. Pope Francis, who died Monday,appointed the vast majority of electors, oftentapping men who share his pastoral priorities, which suggests continuity rather than rupture.

Anyone trying to handicapthe outcomeshould remember that Jorge Mario Bergoglio wasconsidered too old to be electedpope in 2013 at age 76, and that Karol Wojtyla wasn’tonany front-runner lists going into the 1978 conclave that elected him Pope John Paul II.

Some possible candidates:

Cardinal PeterErdo Erdo, 72, the archbishop of Budapest and primate of Hungary, was twice elected head of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences, in 2005 and 2011,suggesting he enjoys the esteem of European cardinals who makeupthe biggest voting bloc of electors. Inthat capacity,Erdo got to know manyAfrican cardinals because the council hosts regular sessions with African bishops’ conferences. Erdo hadevenmoreexposurewhenhe helpedorganize Francis’2014 and 2015 Vatican meetings on thefamily and deliveredkey speeches, as well as during papal visits to Buda-

POPE

Continued from page4A

grants out “is not Christian.”

While progressives were thrilled with Francis’ radical focus on Jesus’ message of mercy and inclusion, it troubled conservatives who feared he watereddownCatholic teaching andthreatened the very Christian identityofthe West Some even called him aheretic.

Afew cardinals openly challenged him. Francis usuallyresponded with his typical answer to conﬂict: silence.

He made it easier for married Catholics to get an annulment,allowedpriests to absolve women whohad had abortions and decreed that priests could bless same-sex couples. He opened debate on issues like homosexuality and divorce, giving pastors wiggle room to discern how to accompany their ﬂocks, rather than handing them strict rules to apply

“He was aman of peace,” the Rev.BenediktusObon said after holding Mass in Los Angeles. “He loved humanity.Heembraced all people, and didn’tcare who you were. We are all creatures of God.” St.Francis of Assisiasamodel

Francis lived in the Vatican hotel instead of the Apostolic Palace, wore his old orthotic shoesand not the red loafers of the papacy,and rode in compact cars. It wasn’tagimmick.

“I see clearly that the thing the church needs most today is the abilitytohealwoundsand to warm the hearts of thefaithful,”hetolda Jesuit journal in 2013. “I see the church as aﬁeld hospital after battle.”

If becoming the firstLatin American and first Jesuit pope wasn’t enough, Francis was also the first to name himself after St. Francis of Assisi, the 13th-century friar known for personal simplicity and carefor society’soutcasts.

Francis formally apologized to Indigenous peoples for thecrimes of the church from colonial times onward. And he went to society’s fringes to minister with mercy: caressing the deformed head of a man in St. Peter’s Square,kissing the tattoo of aHolocaust survivor, or inviting Argentina’sgarbage scavengers to join him onstage in Rio de Janeiro.

His ﬁrst trip as pope was to the Italian island of Lampedusa, then the epicenter of Europe’smigrationcrisis. He consistently chose to visit poor countries where

WHATHAPPENS NOW

Pope Francis’ death nowsets offthe process of allowing the faithfultopay their final respects, first forVaticanofficials in the Santa Martachapel and theninSt. Peter’sfor the general public.

n Aprecise sequence of events will include the confirmation of death in thepontiff’s home, the transfer of the coffintoSt. Peter’sBasilicafor public viewing,a funeral Mass and burial.The dates haven’t been announced yet, but the burial must takeplace between the fourth and sixthday after hisdeath.

n After the funeral, there are nine days of officialmourning,known as the “novendiali.

n During this period,cardinalsarriveinRometoparticipate in aconclave to elect the next pope.

n The conclave must begin 15-20 days afterthe “sede vacante” —the “vacant See” —isdeclared, although it canstartsooner if the cardinals agree.

n The cardinals will vote in secret sessions, and the ballots will be burned in aspecialstove after each session.

n Black smokewill indicate that no pope has been elected, while white smokewill indicate that the cardinals have chosenthe nextpope.

pest in 2021 and2023.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx Marx, 71, the archbishop of Munich and Freising, was chosen by Francis as akey adviserin2013. Marx later was named to head the council overseeing Vatican ﬁnances during reforms and belt-tightening. The former president of the German bishops’conference was astrongproponent of thecontroversial “synodal path”process of dialogue in the German church that began in 2020 as aresponse to the clergysexual abusescandal there. As aresult, he is viewed with skepticism byconservatives whoconsidered the process athreat to church unity,given it involved debating issues such as celibacy,homosexualityand women’sordination. Marx made headlines in 2021 when he dramatically offered to resign as archbishop to atonefor the German church’sdreadful abuse record, but Francisquicklyrejected the resignation and told him to stay

Cardinal Marc Ouellet Ouellet, 80, of Canada, led the Vatican’sinfluentialbishops ofﬁce foroveradecade, overseeing the keyclearinghouse for potential candidates to head dioceses

Christians were often persecuted minorities, rather than thecenters of global Catholicism.

Missteps on sexual abusescandal

Butmore than ayear passed before Francis met with survivors of priestly sexual abuse, and victims’ groups initially questioned whether he really understood the scope of theproblem.

Francis did create asex abuse commission to advise the church on bestpractices, butitlostinﬂuenceafter afew years and its recommendationofa tribunal to judge bishops who covered up for predatorpriestswent nowhere.

And then came the greatest crisisofhis papacy,whenhediscreditedChileanabuse victimsin 2018 andstood byacontroversial bishop linked to their abuser.Realizing his error,Francis invited the victims to the Vatican for apersonal mea culpa and summoned the leadershipofthe Chileanchurch to resign en masse.

As that crisis concluded, anew oneerupted overex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the retired archbishop of Washingtonand a counselor to three popes.

Francishad actually moved swiftlytosideline McCarrick amid an accusation he had molested a teenage altar boyinthe 1970s. But Francisneverthelesswas accused by theVatican’s one-time U.S. ambassador of having rehabilitated McCarrickearly in his papacy Francis eventually defrocked McCarrick after aVatican investigation determined he sexually abused adults as well as minors

He changed church law to remove thepontiﬁcal secret surrounding abuse cases and enacted procedures to investigate bishops who abused or covered for their pedophile priests, seeking to end impunity for the hierarchy

“Hesincerely wanted to do something and he transmitted that,”said Juan Carlos Cruz, a Chilean abuse survivor Francis discredited who later developeda close friendship with the pontiff.

Butgroups that advocated for more action on sexual abuse expressed disappointment in Francis’ legacy

“Pope Francis was abeacon of hopetomanyofthe world’s most desperateand marginalized people. Butwhat we most neededfrom this pope was justice for the church’s own wounded,the children and adults sexually abused by Catholic clergy,”saidAnneBarrettDoyle, co-director of theU.S.-based group

maincontenders to be pope,given his prominence in theCatholic hierarchy. Theveteran diplomatoversawthe HolySee’scontroversial deal with China over bishop nominations and was involved —but not charged —inthe Vatican’sbotched investment in aLondonreal estate venture that led to a2021 trial of another cardinal and nine others. A former ambassador to Venezuela, Parolin knows theLatinAmerican churchwell. He would be seen as someone who would continue in Francis’ traditionbut as amore soberand timid diplomatic insider, returning an Italian to the papacy after three successive outsiders: St.JohnPaulII(Poland); Benedict (Germany) and Francis(Argentina). But while Parolin hasmanaged theVatican bureaucracy,hehas no real pastoral experience.

Cardinal Robert Prevost

around the world. Francis kept Ouellet in the jobuntil 2023, even though he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI, and thus helped select themore doctrinairebishops preferred by the German pontiff. Considered more of aconservative than Francis,Ouellet still selected pastorally minded bishops to reﬂect Francis’ belief that bishops should “smelllike thesheep” of their flock. Ouellet defended priestly celibacyfor the Latin Rite church and upheld theban on women’s ordination but called for women to have agreater rolein church governance. He has good contacts with theLatin American church, having headed the Vatican’sPontifical Commissionfor Latin America for over adecade. Since 2019, his office has taken chargeofinvestigating bishops accused of coveringupfor predator priests,ajob that wouldhave made him no friends among those sanctioned but also could have given him lots of otherwise conﬁdential and possibly compromising information about fellow cardinals.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin

Parolin, 70, of Italy,has been Francis’ secretary of state since 2014 and is consideredone of the

The idea of an American pope haslong been taboo, given the geopolitical power already wieldedby the United States. But the Chicagoborn Prevost, 69,couldbeafirst. He has extensive experience in Peru, first as amissionary and then an archbishop, and he is currently prefect of the Vatican’spowerful dicastery forbishops, in charge of vetting nominations forbishops around theworld.Francisclearly hadaneye on himfor years and sent him to run the diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, in 2014. He held that positionuntil 2023, when Francis brought him to Romefor his current role. Prevost is also president of thePontifical Commission for LatinAmerica, ajob that keeps him in regular contact with the Catholic hierarchy in the part of the world that still counts the most Catholics.Inadditiontohis nationality,Prevost’scomparative youthcould count against him if his brother cardinals don’twant to commit to apope whomight reign for another twodecades.

Cardinal Robert Sarah Sarah, 79, of Guinea, the retired head of the Vatican’s liturgy ofﬁce, was long considered the best

Vice PresidentJoe Biden, second from right at top,and House Speaker John Boehner applaud Pope Francis as he arrives to address ajoint meetingofCongress in 2015, making historyasthe first pontifftodoso.

BishopAccountability

AchangefromBenedict

The road to Francis’2013 election was paved by Pope Benedict XVI’sdecision to resign and retire —the ﬁrst in 600 years.

Francisdidn’tshy from Benedict’s potentially uncomfortable shadow.Francis embraced himas an elder statesman and adviser, coaxing him outofhis cloistered retirementtoparticipate in the public life of the church until Benedict’s deathin2022.

“It’slikehaving yourgrandfatherinthe house, awise grandfather,” Francis said.

Francis’ looser liturgical style and pastoral priorities madeclear he and the German-born theologian camefromverydifferent religious traditions, andFrancis directly overturnedseveral decisions of his predecessor

He made sure Salvadoran Archbishop Óscar Romero, ahero to the liberation theology movement in Latin America, was canonized after his case languished under Benedict over concernsabout the credo’sMarxist bent.

Francis reimposed restrictions on celebrating the oldLatin Mass that Benedict had relaxed, arguing it was divisive.The move riledFrancis’ traditionalist critics and opened sustainedconﬂict with right-wing Catholics, particularly in the U.S. ConservativesopposeFrancis

By then, conservatives had alreadyturnedawayfromFrancis, betrayed after he opened debate on allowing remarried Catholics to receive thesacraments if they didn’tget an annulment —a

hope for an African pope. Beloved by conservatives, Sarah would signal areturn to the doctrinaire and liturgically mindedpapacies of JohnPaulIIand Benedict. Sarah, who had previously headed the Vatican’scharity ofﬁce Cor Unum, clashedonseveral occasions with Francis, none more seriouslythan when he and Benedict co-authored abook advocatingthe “necessity” of continued celibacy for Latin Rite priests. The book cameout as Francis was weighing whether to allow married priests in theAmazon to address apriest shortage there.

Cardinal ChristophSchoenborn Schoenborn,80, thearchbishop of Vienna, Austria, wasastudent of Benedict’s, andthus on paper seemstohave the doctrinaire academic chopstoappeal to conservatives. However,hebecame associated withone of Francis’ mostcontroversial moves by defending his outreach to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics as an “organic development of doctrine,” not the rupture that someconservatives contended. Schoenborn’s parents divorced when he wasa teen,so the issue is personal. He also took heat from the Vatican when he criticized its past refusal to sanction high-ranking sexual abusers, including his predecessor as archbishop of Vienna.

Cardinal Luis Tagle Tagle, 67, of the Philippines, would appear to be Francis’ pick for thefirst Asianpope. Francis brought the popular archbishop of Manila to Rome to head the Vatican’s missionary evangelization office, which serves theneedsof the Catholic Churchinmuch of Asia andAfrica. His role took on greater weight when Francis reformed the Vatican bureaucracy and raised the importance of his evangelization office. Tagle often cites his Chinese lineage —his maternal grandmother was part of a Chinese family that moved to the Philippines —and he is knownfor becoming emotionalwhendiscussing his childhood.

compensation andability to receive gifts or award public contracts. He authorizedVatican police to raid his ownsecretariat of state and the Vatican’sﬁnancial watchdog agency amid suspicions about a350 million euro investment in a London real estate venture. After a 21/2-yeartrial,the Vaticantribunal convicted aonce-powerful cardinal, Angelo Becciu, of embezzlementand returned mixed verdicts to nine others, acquitting one.

church ruling that their ﬁrst marriage was invalid.

“Wedon’tlike this pope,” headlined Italy’sconservative daily Il Foglio afew months intothe papacy,reflecting theunease of the small but vocal traditionalist Catholic movement.

Thosesame criticsamplified their complaintsafterFrancis approved church blessings for samesexcouples,and acontroversial accord withChinaover nominating bishops. Itsdetails were neverreleased, but conservative critics bashed it as asellout to communist China, while theVatican defendeditas thebest deal it could get.

U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke, a ﬁgurehead in the anti-Francis opposition, said the church had become “like aship without arudder.”

Burke waged his opposition campaign foryears, starting when Francis ﬁred himasthe Vatican’s supreme court justice and culminatingwithhis vocal oppositiontoFrancis’ 2023 synodonthe church’sfuture.

Francis eventually sanctioned Burke ﬁnancially, accusing him of sowing “disunity.”

His 2014 Christmas address to theVatican Curia was oneofthe greatest public papalreprimands ever:Standing in the marbled Apostolic Palace, Francisticked off15 ailmentshesaid can afﬂict his closest collaborators, including “spiritual Alzheimer’s,” lusting for power and the “terrorism of gossip.”

Trying to eliminate corruption, Francis oversaw the reform of the scandal-marred Vatican bank and soughttowrestle Vatican bureaucratsintoﬁnancialline,limitingtheir

The trial, though, proved to be areputationalboomerang for the Holy See, showing deficiencies in the Vatican’slegal system, unseemly turf battles amongmonsignors, and how the pope had intervened on behalf of prosecutors. Whileearning praise fortryingto turn the Vatican’sﬁnances around, Francis angered U.S. conservatives for his frequent excoriation of the global ﬁnancial market.

Soccer, operaand prayer

Born Dec. 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was the eldest of ﬁve children of Italian immigrants.

He credited his devout grandmother,Rosa, with teaching him how to pray.Weekends were spent listening to opera on the radio, going to Mass and attending matches of the family’sbeloved San Lorenzo soccer club. As pope, his love of soccer brought him ahuge collection of jerseys from visitors. He said he received his religious calling at 17 while going to confession, recounting in a2010 biography that, “I don’tknowwhatitwas, but it changedmylife Irealized that they were waiting forme.” He enteredthe diocesan seminary but switched to the Jesuit orderin1958, attracted to its missionary tradition and militancy Around this time, he suffered from pneumonia,whichled to the removal of part of his right lung. His frail health preventedhim from becoming amissionary,and his less-than-robustlung capacity was perhapsresponsiblefor his whisperofavoice andreluctance to sing at Mass. On Dec. 13, 1969, he was ordained apriest and immediately beganteaching. In 1973, he was named head of the Jesuits in Argentina, an appointment he later acknowledged was “crazy” given he wasonly 36. “My authoritarian and quick manner of making decisions led me to have serious problems andtobeaccusedofbeing ultraconservative,” he admitted in his Civilta Cattolica interview

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By CAROLyN KASTER

Letlow eyeing possible challengeofSen.Cassidy

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Republicaninsiders arebuzzing over talk that U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow is seriously considering whether to challenge U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy’sreelection next year

Gov.Jeff Landry said in abrief interview that he had discussed Letlow’spossible candidacy with Cassidy but wouldn’tsay anything else —other than thatheisnot recruiting her Cassidy endorsed Landry during the 2023 governor’srace.

Eddie Rispone, amajor Republican campaign donor who narrowly lost the 2019 governor’srace, said he called Andrew Bautsch, asenior campaign advisertoLetlow, on Monday after hearing overthe weekend that she’sconsidering making abid.

“He said they’re concentrating now on her reelection,” Rispone said. “She has alot on her plate with the president getting bills approved.” Rispone added he told Bautsch that he is sticking with Cassidy “He’sdone agood job other than the impeachment vote,” Rispone said. “Heworkshardand has done good things. He’sbeen able to reachacross the aislea little bit and get things done.”

Cassidy is widely viewed as vulnerable because of his votein2021 to convict Donald Trump of trying to incite ariot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6that year when he was president. His campaign declined

MEASLES

Continued from page1A

include high fever,cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash that spreads from the face downward. Complications can be severe, including pneumonia, brain swelling, and death.

Louisiana had three travelassociated measles cases in 2024. Prior to that, the last recorded case was in 2018. That patient had traveled to Louisiana from Europe to attend WrestleMania and sought care at an urgent careand ER before being diagnosed at Tulane Hospital, highlighting the potential of amissed diagnosis

“For people whoaren’tfamiliar with it, or don’thave it on their mind, they can make amistake,” said Dr.John Schieffelin, professor of pediatrics at Tulane University and pediatric infectious diseasechiefatManning Family Children’s. At that hospital,triage nurses and urgent care staff havebeen placed on high alert for symptoms

The Louisiana Department of Health recently ended statewide mass vaccination efforts and directed staff to refrain from recommending speciﬁc vaccines and to instead tell residents to consulttheir physicians, part of abroaderpolicy change underSurgeon General Dr Ralph Abraham.

However,Abraham said Monday that the state has been promoting the measles vaccination on the Health Department website.

“Werecommend it for our children, and it is agood vaccine,” he said.

While thelatest case was travel-related and no pediatric caseshave been reported in Louisiana this year,local spreadremains arisk.

“We’d be naive to think that we won’tbeseeing cases in children here in Louisiana,” Kline said, pointing to the state’sproximityto Texas, where nearly 600 measlescaseshavebeen reported this year.Two unvaccinated school-agedchil-

to comment

State Treasurer JohnFleming hasalready declared his candidacy,and at least two other elected Republicansare weighing abid.

Letlow is serving hersecond full term andrepresentsadistrictbased in northeastLouisiana that extends south to the Florida Parishes and now includes parts of Livingston and Ascension parishes. It also includes Central,St. George and LSU’scampus in East Baton RougeParish.

Asked while visiting theState Capitol on Wednesday whether sheis considering running, Letlow said, “I’m focused on reelection” andrushed away Bautsch did not return aphone call.

Conversations about Cassidy’s chances of winning athirdterm next yearinevitably involve his vote to convict Trump, which came after the Democrat-controlled House impeached him.

TheLouisiana Republican Party quickly voted to censure Cassidy —a symbolic move —and surveys showed that hispolling numbers among Republicans immediately tanked. Many Republicans called Cassidy’s votedisloyal, noting that Cassidy had won reelection in 2020 with Trump’sstrong support.

Republican insiders say surveys continue to show that Cassidy’s polling numbersremain underwater,meaning more voters view him unfavorablythan favorably TheCassidycampaign disputes this,especially when independent

drenhavedied there, andat least 62peoplehavebeen hospitalized. The outbreak hasspreadtonearbystates of New Mexico, Kansas and Oklahoma. Dr.Kara Ward, acritical care and emergency medicinephysician in New Orleans, said that even asingle casecan beoperationally disruptive.Hospitals must notify public health authorities, isolate the patient, assess thevaccination status of anyonewho may have beenexposedinwaiting areas, andimplement special cleaning procedures due to the virus’sability to linger in theair for up to two hours.

“It puts more strain on the limitedresources,”Ward said Ochsner Health,the state’s biggest health system, is continuing toeducate staff on measlessymptomsand likelihood based on travel history and vaccination status as the Texas outbreak hasgrown, saidDr. Sandra Kemmerly,system medical director of patientsafety If apatient is suspectedto have measles, they aregiven amask and isolated. The hospital contacts thestate health department, and those authorities decide whether a testisnecessary.The test is processed by astate lab.

The measles vaccine partofthe MMR(measles, mumps, rubella) shot —is about 97% effective after twodoses. Widespread vaccination eliminated measles in the U.S. in 2000, but resurgences have occurredin communities with declining vaccine uptake

In Louisiana, MMR vaccination ratesamong kindergartners dropped from about 96% in 2020 to 92% in the 2023–24school year,according to the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention. Several parishes, including Livingston, East Baton Rouge, St. Tammany,Acadia, Lafayette, Terrbonne, Union, Ouachita and West Carrollhave rates below 90%.

“Wehave sort of dipped below that threshold of herd immunity in Louisiana,” Schieffelinsaid. “Insome

“(Cassidy’s) done agood job other than the impeachment vote. He works hard and has done good things. He’sbeen abletoreach across the aisle a little bit and getthings done.”

EDDIERISPONE,

amajor Republican campaign donor

voters are included in surveys becauseunder thenew closed primary system,independent voters can vote in the April 2026 Republican primary Cassidy hasbeen working assiduously to improve his standing with voters. He has been holding meetings throughout Louisiana to tell voters about his support for Trump’s policies in Washington.

Cassidy gave his assent for the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.toserve as secretary of health,a high-profile vote given Cassidy’sbackgroundasa doctor who has been astrong advocate of vaccines.Cassidy has backed the othercontroversial TrumpCabinet nominees, including Pete Hegseth as defense secretary

Trumphas invitedCassidy at leastthree times to theWhite House during his second term.

Cassidy has also been aggressively raising money for his reelection campaign.

His campaign trumpeted that he

areas,wecould start seeing some ongoing transmission if it gets introduced.”

While the ﬁrst MMRvaccine is typically givenat 12 to 15 months and again around kindergarten, some pediatricians are getting requeststogive it earlier

The Monday after Louisiana conﬁrmeda measles case, Hales Pediatrics in Uptown New Orleans received awave of calls from concerned parents,saidDr. Nora Oates Childrenasyoung as six monthscan receive an early dose of the measles vaccine, thoughthey will still need two standard doseslater,as infants’ immune systems often don’tmount afullresponse at that age.

While the early doseistypically reserved for infants traveling to or living in areas withactive outbreaks,Oates said she would “have no reservations about giving it”ifa parent was concerned.

Adultswho areunvaccinated or unsure of their vaccination history can also get immunized.

There is no speciﬁc treatment for measles,said Kemmerly,justsupportive care.

Severe cases might be managed with steroids or vitamin D. For immunocompromised people, immune globulin is available if administered shortlyafter exposure.The measles vaccine can also prevent infection or lessen illness severity if given within 72 hours of exposure.

“Our best treatment for measlesisprevention,” Oates said.

About 1in5 unvaccinated measles patients is hospitalized. Onein20children develops pneumonia, the most common causeofmeaslesrelateddeathinyoung children. Onetothree of every 1,000children with measles will die from complications, according to theCDC.

Despite misinformation about alternative treatments circulating, there are not a lot of treatment options.

“Once you come down with measles, you’re just along for the ride,” Kline said.

raised $1.3 million during the ﬁrst quarter of 2025, which left him with $7.5 million on hand.

BesidesRispone, other major Republican fundraisers are supporting him.

Boysie Bollinger,who sold his shipbuilding company several years ago, said Cassidy’sseniority and position as chair of the Senate health committeeprovide enormousbeneﬁts to Louisiana.

Besides, Bollinger added, referring to Cassidy’svote to convict Trump,“I’mnot alitmustest person.”

Richard Lipsey,aBaton Rouge business owner andanother major Republican donor,said he hopes that Letlowwon’t challengeCassidy

“They’re both top-notch people,” Lipsey said. “Myloyalties would still lie with Bill.”

PearsonCross, apolitical scientist at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, said Letlow has earned areputation during her four years in ofﬁce as being attentive to her district

“She has been areliable vote for Speaker (Mike) Johnson but hasn’t engagedinthe ideological ﬁghts,” Cross added.

The biggestwild card will be whether Trump vents his anger at Cassidy by endorsing Letlow or another Republican challenger, Cross said.

“If Trump endorses her,all bets are off,especially if he comes to Louisianatocampaign for her, Cross said,adding that “Flem-

ing, ideologically,islined up with Trump.”

Fleming, whoserved four terms in the Houserepresentingnorth Louisiana,workedfor the Trump White House during the final year of Trump’sfirst term In past interviews, Letlow said that then-President Joe Biden won the2020 election —something that U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise and other Republicans have not been willing to say —and also expressed her wonder at serving after her husband, Luke, won the seat but then died of COVID-19. Letlow had been aseniorofficial at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Akey issuefacing Letlow soon is how to respond if fellow Republicans propose reductions in Medicaid to offset at least someofthe cost of the big tax cuts that Trump wantstoextend. About one-third of the residents in Letlow’s district receive Medicaid, whichoffers publichealth insurance to lowincome people.

Twoother Republicans havesaid they are considering getting into the race against Cassidy One is Eric Skrmetta, amember of the utility-regulating Public Service Commission who represents suburban NewOrleans parishes. He said he’ll decide by July 4. The other is state Sen. Blake Miguez, of New Iberia.Hesaidheis mostly focused now on working through his father’srecent death. Email TylerBridges at tbridges@theadvocate.com.

Carbon capture faces stricter rules

La. House committee to tackle two dozen related bills

BY DAVID J MITCHELL Staff writer

Over the past four years, $49 billion in new industrial projects have been proposed in Louisiana to make hydrogen, ammonia and other products and all of them are banking on permanent underground storage of the greenhouse gas pollution they would produce.

“Carbon capture and sequestration” is a major economic development focus in Louisiana, given the state’s suitable geology and the industry’s move toward reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases linked to climate change.

But people in rural areas, many who might otherwise support new industrial and oil and gas proposals, are ﬁghting plans to put carbon dioxide under their land, and their representatives in the state Legislature have launched a major effort to more strictly regulate or even block carbon storage.

The House Natural Resources Committee is expected to tackle close to two dozen bills in a potentially marathon hearing at the end of the month. The chair of the committee, Rep. Brett Geymann, a Lake Charles Republican, predicts it could be a “wild ride.”

In an opening move before that intense debate, a Senate committee unanimously blessed a bill that Geymann and his Senate counterpart, Bob Hensgens, an Abbeville Republican, hope could be a compromise to measures aimed at blocking underground carbon storage The committee-approved bill would give local concerns some weight in the state permitting process.

In a public discussion on carbon capture earlier this month, Geymann and Hensgens said the bill from Republican Sen. Mike Reese, of Leesville, will be important when House debate opens up. Geymann predicted that passing “local option” bills will be challenging.

“But the people want that,” Geymann said. “They want to have that discussion. We’re going to

have that discussion.”

Several bills, including House Bill 4 by Republican Rep. Chuck Owen, of Rosepine, would give police juries or voters the ability to block carbon storage in their parishes, in a fashion similar to localoption elections on video poker in 1996.

State Rep. Danny McCormick, a Republican from Oil City who has spent his private career in the oil and gas business, has taken a tougher tack. He’s ﬁled one bill to ban carbon capture statewide and another to declare a one-year moratorium

Concern over leaks,

McCormick, Owen and others are responding to constituents worried about permanent storage polluting underground drinking water supplies and about carbon dioxide leaks from pipelines. And some property owners are concerned that carbon storage zones could block drilling for deeper oil and natural gas deposits under their lands and interfere with basic property rights.

They point out these rural areas generally aren’t getting the new plants, tax revenue and jobs from carbon capture — the facilities are located primarily in other parts of the state but are being saddled with the pipelines and underground storage areas and any associated risks.

“We’re in a unique position, I think, where we are in the state,” Reese said “Because we don’t really have emitters of CO2, right, but we have multiple projects that

seek to store CO2 in our area. It’s not something our citizens are comfortable with.”

Industry and academic experts say the technology is safe and largely relies on existing methods, putting carbon dioxide back into formations that can naturally store the gas once it’s converted into a near-liquid state. Industry groups add that Louisiana is primed for the new industry it will draw but is also competing with other states to be the technology’s leader

While the state Office of Conservation has approved carboncapture “exploratory” wells to evaluate underground conditions, no actual injection wells or storage operations have been greenlit

The state’s ﬁrst hearing on an injection well is set for May in Cameron Parish. Reese’s Senate Bill 73 would ﬁt into that process by requiring the state conservation commissioner to give “substantial consideration to local government comments” on carbon injection well permits. The bill wouldn’t require the state to act on those comments. But during the recent Senate committee hearing on Reese’s bill, he said the “substantial consideration” language was taken from the process for coastal zone permits Reese said some of those permits were denied after local officials spoke against them. He said his bill attempts to replicate that, giving local concerns similar weight for carbon-capture permitting.

Reese’s bill has drawn opposition from a Louisiana climate group and trade associations representing the chemical and oil and gas industries. The trade groups are also against bills proposing more rigorous restrictions on carbon capture.

In an interview, Hensgens said he believes Reese’s bill, which is headed for a Senate ﬂoor vote Tuesday so it can reach the House, strikes the right balance.

“I think in a very difﬁcult situation and a very difﬁcult subject this year, Sen. Reese has found a middle ground between saying how important carbon capture is going to be to our energy industry and keeping the locals and the public informed and giving them some say-so about what happens,” Hensgens said.

‘Let the parishes decide’

Reese, however, said he doesn’t see his bill as a middle ground alternative but an addition to measures that would give locals an actual vote on whether to allow carbon capture in their communities. He said he would “vote for every one” of those “local option” bills.

He called his bill on local government input for state hearings “just one more layer of protection that’ll hopefully complement the work that they’re doing in the House.”

Roland Hollins, an Allen Parish police juror who leads a collection of southwest Louisiana officials opposed to carbon capture, said he appreciates Reese’s bill.

It would give local governments more say than they have currently over a process that is moving quickly into their communities, he said But he added that the parish coalition he’s a part of doesn’t want just half or three-quarters authority over the issue.

He said his parish asked Gov. Jeff Landry to halt the carbon sequestration permitting process this spring while so many bills are pending in the Legislature. A public hearing for two new exploratory wells in Allen Parish is planned later this month.

Locals should have the ﬁnal say, Hollins said.

“Let the parishes decide,” he said. “I don’t know of a more American way than to let the people decide if the beneﬁts are worth the risks, you know.”

BY SHEIKH SAALIQ Associated Press

NEW DELHI U.S. Vice President JD

Vance held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday as New Delhi looks to avoid American tariffs, negotiate a bilateral trade deal with Washington and strengthen ties with the Trump administration.

Vance, who is on a largely personal four-day visit to India, met with Modi at his residence in New Delhi and the two leaders “reviewed and positively assessed the progress in various areas of bilateral cooperation,” Modi’s ofﬁce said in a statement. They also “welcomed the signiﬁcant progress” in the negotiations of an expected trade deal between the two countries, the statement said.

The White House in a statement said that Vance and Modi set the terms for ongoing talks, “laying down a road map for further discussions.” It’s a sign that talks are moving forward but remain far from finalized, though Trump administration ofﬁcials also spoke with their counterparts from India in a sign of the high level of engagement. The Trump administration has portrayed its strategy of tariffs as forcing negotiations that could limit the reach and influence of China, the world’s dominant manufacturer

The U.S. is India’s largest trading partner and the two countries are now holding negotiations aiming to seal a bilateral trade agreement this year They have set an ambitious target of more than doubling their bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. If achieved, the trade deal could significantly enhance economic ties between the two countries and potentially strengthen diplomatic ties as well.

Vance’s ﬁrst visit to New Delhi came amid the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s partially paused tariff program against most countries, including India.

PROVIDED PHOTO

A rendering shows an $800 million carbon capture facility that AtmosClear is proposing in partnership with Microsoft.

Walgreens settles opioid allegations

Walgreens Boots Alliance has agreed to pay $300 million to settleallegations that itfilled millions of invalid prescriptions for opioidsand other controlled substances and illegally billed federal programs such as Medicare forthose medications, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday

The federal government had alleged that Deerfield,Illinoisbased Walgreens filled prescriptions with “egregious red flags,” accordingtoan amended complaint filed last week in U.S District Courtfor theNorthern District of Illinois. The governmentalleged that Walgreens filled prescriptions with high dosages of opioids, filled prescriptionsfor the drugs too early,and filled prescriptions for adangerous combination of three drugs, from late 2013 to early 2023,according to the complaint.

Walgreens has deniedthe allegations.The settlement agreement does not include any admission of wrongdoing orliabilitybyWalgreens.

FTC sues Uber over subscriber enrollment

The U.S. Federal Trade Commissionﬁled alawsuit against Uber on Monday,alleging that it enrolled consumers in its Uber One subscription programwithout their consentand made it too difﬁcult for them to cancel the service.

Uber One members pay $9.99 per month or $96 per year for a range of services, includingfeefree Uber Eats food deliveries and cash back when they take Uberrides.

In its lawsuit, the FTC said multiple customers complained thatUber signed them up for Uber One without theirpermission or charged them forthe service before afree trial period wasover.Inatleast one case, apersonwas charged$9.99 per month even though they didn’t have an Uber account,the lawsuit said. The FTCsaid Uber also made it extremely difficult for subscribers to cancel Uber One. TheagencysaidUberrequires customers to take at least 12 differentactions on at least seven screens to cancel theservice. Cancellation gets evenharder for consumers within 48 hours of their billingdate, the FTC said, requiring them to navigate as many as 23 screensand still contact customer service

In astatement, Uber saidit was disappointedthatthe FTC chose to move forwardwith thelawsuit.Uber said its signup and cancellation processis clear,simple and lawful.

Google faces offwith government in court

Google is confronting an existential threat as the U.S. government tries to break up the company as punishment for turning its revolutionary searchengineintoanillegal monopoly

The drama began to unfold Monday in aWashington courtroom as three weeks of hearingskicked off to determine how thecompany should be penalized for operating amonopoly in search. In its opening arguments,federal antitrust enforcers also urged thecourt to impose forward-looking remediestoprevent Googlefrom usingartiﬁcialintelligence to further its dominance.

The U.S. Department of Justiceisasking afederal judge to order aradical shake-up that wouldban Googlefrom striking themultibillion dollar deals withApple and other techcompanies that shield its search engine from competition, share its repository of valuable user data with rivalsand forceasale of its popular Chrome browser Google’sattorney,John Schmidtlein, said in his opening statement that the court should take amuch lighter touch. He said the government’s heavyhanded proposedremedies wouldn’tboost competition but insteadunfairly reward lesser rivals with inferior technology

BUSINESS

NOLA.COM/BIZ

Wall Street fallsasinvestors retreatfurther

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK Wall Street weakened Monday as investorsworldwide get more skeptical about U.S. investmentsbecause of President Donald Trump’strade war and his criticism of theFederal Reserve, which areshaking the traditional order

The S&P 500 sank again. That yanked the index that’satthe center of many 401(k) accounts 16% below therecord it set two months ago.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped, while losses for Teslaand Nvidiahelpeddragthe Nasdaq composite down.

Perhapsmore worryingly,U.S.

governmentbonds andthe value of theU.S.dollaralso sank as prices retreated across U.S. markets. It’s an unusual movebecause Treasurys and the dollar have historically strengthened during episodes of nervousness. This time around, though, it’spolicies directly from Washington that are causingthe fear andpotentiallyweakening their reputations as some of theworld’ssafest investments.

Trump continued his tough talk on globaltrade as economists and investorscontinuetosay hisstiff proposedtariffs could cause arecessionifthey’re not rolled back. U.S. talkslastweek with Japan failed to reach aquickdeal that could lower tariffs and protect theeconomy,and they’re seen as

a“testcase,” according to Thierry Wizman, astrategist at Macquarie.

“The goldenrule of negotiating and success: He who has thegold makes the rules,” Trump said in allcapitalized letters on his Truth Social Network.Healso said that “the businessmen who criticize tariffs are bad at business, but really bad at politics,” likewise in all caps.

Alsohanging over the market areworries aboutTrump’sanger at Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Trump last week criticized Powell again for notcutting interest rates sooner to give the economy morejuice.

The Fedhas been resistant to lowering rates too quickly because it does notwanttoallowinﬂationto

reaccelerate after slowing nearly all the waydown to its 2% goal from morethan9%three years ago.

Trump talked Monday about a slowdown for the U.S. economy that could be coming unless “Mr TooLate, amajor loser, lowers interest rates, NOW.” Amove by Trump to fire Powell would likely send aboltoffear throughfinancialmarkets. While Wall Street loveslower rates, largely because they boost stock prices, the bigger worry would be that aless independent Fed would be less effective at keeping inflation undercontrol.Sucha move could further weaken, if not kill, theUnitedStates’ reputationas theworld’ssafestplacetokeep

BY ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP retail writer

NEWYORK— Stores selling secondhand clothes, shoes and accessories are poised to beneﬁt from President Donald Trump’strade war even as businesses theworld over race to avert potential damage, according to industry experts.

American styles carry international inﬂuence, but nearly all of the clothing sold domestically ismadeelsewhere.The Yale University Budget Lab last week estimated short-term consumer price increases of 65% forclothes and 87% for leather goods, notingU.S. tariffs “disproportionately affect” those goods.

Such pricehikes may drive cost-conscious shoppers to online resale sites, consignment boutiques and thrift stores in search of bargains or away to turn their wardrobes into cash. Used items costlessthan their new equivalents andwould be subject to tariffs only if they comefrom outside the country

“I think resale is going to grow in amarket

BY ANNIE MA AP education writer

WASHINGTON— The Education Departmentwill begincollection next monthonstudent loans that are in default, including thegarnishing of wages for potentially millionsof borrowers, ofﬁcials said Monday Currently,roughly 5.3 million borrowers are indefault on their federal student loans. The Trump administration’sannouncement marks an endtoaperiod of leniency thatbegan during

thatisdeclining,”said Kristen Classi-Zummo, an apparel industry analyst at market researchﬁrm Circana. “What Ithink is going to continue to win in this chaotic environmentare channels that bring value.”

Theoutlook for pre-owned fashion neverthelesscomes with unknowns,including whetherthe president’stariffs will stay long enough to pinch consumers andchange their behavior.It’salso unclear whether secondhand purveyorswill increasetheir own prices,either to mirror theoverall market or in response to shopper demand

The secondhand clothing market already was ﬂourishing before thespecter of tariffs bedeviled theU.S. fashion industry.Managementconsulting ﬁrm McKinsey and Co. predicted after the COVID-19pandemic that global revenue from pre-owned fashion would grow11times faster than retail apparel sales by this year as shoppers looked to save money or spend it in amore environmentally conscious way

Whilemillennialsand membersofGeneration Zwere known as the primary buyers of

used clothing, data from market research ﬁrm Sensor Towershows the audience may be expanding.

The number of mobile app downloads for nine resale marketplaces the ﬁrm tracks— eBay,OfferUp, Poshmark, Mercari, Craigslist, Depop, ThredUp, TheRealReal and Vinted —increased by 3% between January andthe endofMarch,the ﬁrst quarterlygain in three years, Sensor Tower said.

The ﬁrm estimates downloads of the apps foreBay,Depop,ThredUp andThe RealReal also surged compared with ayear earlier forthe week of March 31, which was when Trump unveiledsince-pausedpunitive tariffs on dozens of countries.

Circana’sClassi-Zummo said that while customersusedtoseek outcollectible or unusual vintage pieces to supplement their wardrobes, she has noticed moreshoppers turning to secondhand sites to replace regular fashion items.

“It’sstill acheaper option” than buying new,even though retailers offerdiscounts, she said.

the COVID-19 pandemic.Nofederal student loans have been referred for collection sinceMarch 2020, including those in default. Under President Joe Biden, the Education Department tried multiple times to forgive millions of people’s student loans, only to be stopped by courts.

“American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies,” Education SecretaryLinda McMahon said. Beginning May 5, the department willbegin involuntary collection through the Treasury Department’soffset program, which withholds payments from the government —including tax refunds federal salaries and other beneﬁts

—from people withpast-due debts to thegovernment. After a30-day notice, the department will also begin garnishing wages for borrowers in default.

The decision to send debt to collections drew criticism from advocates.

“This is cruel, unnecessary and will further fanthe ﬂames of economicchaos for working families acrossthiscountry,” said Mike Pierce, executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center Already,many borrowers have been bracing forobligations coming due.

In 2020, President Donald Trump paused federalstudentloanpaymentsand interest accrual as a

temporary reliefmeasure for student borrowers. The pause in payments was extendedmultiple times by the Biden administration through 2023, and aﬁnal grace period forloan repayments ended in October.That meant tens of millionsofAmericanshad to start making payments again. Borrowers who don’tmakepayments for nine months go into default, whichisreportedontheir credit scores and can go to collections.

In addition to theborrowers already in default, around another 4 million are between 91 to 180 days late on their loan payments. Less than 40% of all borrowers are current on theirstudent loans, departmentofﬁcials said.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByDAVID ZALUBOWSKI

Health agency unveilsinitiatives

Morton Salt clears safety watch

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

The Louisiana Department of Health unveiled new initiatives to fight Medicaid fraud, waste and abuse and to address fatal overdoses during pregnancy at anews conferenceMonday.

It was the ﬁrstofﬁcial day on the job for thestate’s new health chief, Secretary Bruce Greenstein.

Health Departmentofficials announcedthe Fighting Fraud, Wasteand Abuse Taskforce, which will be aHealth Departmentcollaboration with Gov.Jeff Landry’sLADOGE program, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’sOfﬁce, the Attorney General’sOffice and members of the Legislature.

The effort is meant to “protect the integrity of our Medicaid program,” saidHealth DepartmentUndersecretary Drew Maranto. “Because every dollar lost in the program is adollar taken from those who truly need care.”

Thetask force will have three focus areas.

It will “strengthen our Medicaid eligibilityefforts through adata-sharing partnership with the Office of Motor Vehicles starting April 23, Maranto said. There will also be “expanded oversight and audit” by the Health Department’sProgram Integrity Unit and “enhanced collaboration” with the Fraud Control Unit of the Louisiana Attorney General’sofﬁce And, working with LA DOGE and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, the Health Department will also use a“new AI and adata analytics tool to identify and address fraudulent practices, waste and abuse,” in the Medicaid program, Maranto said.

Also on Monday,the Health Department announced a new initiative called Project MOM, an acronymthat stands for“maternal overdose mortality.”

“No populationhas it harder than pregnant moms and new moms withaddiction,” said Health Department Deputy Secretary Dr.Pete Croughan. “Since2018,overdose has overtaken every medicalcomplication as the No.1 cause of maternal mortality in the state.”

Theproject is a“coordinated effort” led bythe Health Department to ensure that pregnant women and motherswith substance abuse disorders are screened and treated by healthcare providers in a“stigma-free” way and connected with medical clinicsthat can help withaddictiontreatment.

Its aimistocut overdose rates among pregnant women in half in three years’ time

After both initiatives were introduced, Greenstein said he was “proud” thatLouisianahas “someofthe best public health work that’sbeing done around thecountry.”

Federalagency: NewIberiamine implemented upgrades

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer

After nearly 21/2 years of regulatory scrutiny and upgrades, the Morton Salt mine in New Iberia has been removed from a“safety watch”after improving its compliance with federal rules, U.S. ofﬁcials said.

In December 2022, the U.S. Mine Safety andHealth Administration, the workplace safety regulator for miners, placed theMorton Salt mine inside the Weeks Island salt domeunder greater scrutiny for aseries of violations that could have resulted in seriousemployee injuries.

Morton Salt, which operates theWeeksIslandMine and Mill, implemented measures thatled to betterworkplace conditions, MSHA ofﬁcials said.

“Werecognize theefforts made by Weeks Island Mine and Mill to take thecorrective actionsneeded,”Melanie Calhoun, MSHA’s acting deputy assistant secretary foroperations, said in a statement. “They have created asafer working environment for their miners.”

MSHA officials declined to comment in detailon what changesMortonSalt has madeatthe mine. Morton Salt ofﬁcials and representativesofthe miners’ union have not responded to requests for comment.

Theend of thewatch status came three months after the mine had asmall ﬁre tied to an equipment breakdown. No one was injured.

Also, sinceearlyDecember 2004, five employees have receivedinjuries that caused time away from the job or limited work duties at MortonSalt, including slips and falls that tore athigh muscle and an Achilles tendon, atwisted back and a punch that broke ajaw Theﬁre andinjuries unrelated to the fire did not

appear to be tied to any noticesofserious violations from MSHA,according to an agency database. The “pattern of violations” notice that triggered the earlier safety watch revolved around mine shaft roofs and walls and the prevention of potentially deadly mine collapses, agency ofﬁcials said.

Apattern of violations amounts to aserious warning with thethreat of apotentialhalt of mining in areas where safety problems are found.

The notice was the first MSHA had issued against a mining operation since 2014. At the time, agency ofﬁcials said the Morton Salt mine wasa chronicviolatorthat demonstrated“adisregard for the health and safety of miners.”

The mine has employed between 150 and 230 people in recent years, MSHA data show.Though known for table salt, the company also sells salt to de-iceroadsin coldclimates, thecompany says.

$354.65

Inc.,Sur‐veyors, datedMarch 16 1967, acopyofwhich is annexedhereto, said Lot isdesignatedasLOT "B", and commences at adis‐tance of FIFTY-SIX(56) FEET from thecornerof

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LOUISIANA AT LARGE

78-year-old makes social media splash

Yvonne LaFleur did not plan to be asocial media sensation.

But that is what the 78-year-old NewOrleans style and fashion icon has become since her Instagram account started in earnest in January,already amassing more than 259,000 followers. In aworld all too often focused on hype and sensationalism, LaFleur’sunderstated elegance, paired with her slow,soothing New Orleans lilt, has found an audience.

Followers say LaFleur simply rings true, representing,for many,the gold standard of class and luxury

The shop feels old-world. Her femininity and softnessooze into everycorner.Glimpses of yesteryear are also behind the scenes —like her team of seamstresses whoalter any garmentfree of charge.

“A fine store should give it to you fitted properly —with your pants shortened, yourwedding dress steamed, taken in and bustled,” she said. “Nobody else does that. They give you the stuff —and that’swhat it is, stuff. If it doesn’tfityour body, it doesn’t work.”

Going to her boutique on Hampson Street is like atrip back to a slowerand more caring time. She asked that Iarrive before the shop opened, so we would have the chance to visit.

“At 10 o’clock, it’slights, camera, action,” she said When Iarrived, she was on her hands and knees, folding adisplay of lacy underpants.Nimbly, she quickly moved up and down from the ﬂoor —always graceful andholding aposture my parents tried for years to teach me.

As she showed me around the store’snooks and crannies, her pace never altered. It wasgentle charm as she almost ﬂoated from oneroom to the next, occasionallystopping to turn ahanger the right way,she shared asteady stream ofstyle tidbits and insights:

n “Headbandsare making a comeback.”

n “Mississippi hostesses are the best in theUnited States. They use their china, their silver,their crystal and their neighbor’sﬂowers, you know,but they make an effort. On the Gulf Coast, you can tellthe locals from the people who are just camping out there.”

n About 80% of her inventory is madeinthe United States.

n Her millinery department is going strong. “Weare doing a lotnow for the KentuckyDerby And for the Royal Ascot even,” she said.

n There are reference books full of who is wearingwhich dress to what event —sothat two people don’tshow up in the same frock.

LaFleur said she encourages people who visit her shop to “buy something you don’talready have in your closet, especially if you’re from out of town. You’ll rememberyour trip by that special piece you bought.”

She estimates that about 60% of her clientele is from out of state. Shedesigns the clothes she sells. She explained why everything doesn’tcome in every size.

“What you do when you’re makingapattern is you pivot from thecenter,” shesaid. “For the clothing that Icarry from an 8 to a14toasmaller size, it’svery hard to pivot from a14toa0toa 22.You lose proportion because then things are too long-waisted or whatever.” Iunderstood and explained

ä See RISHER,

NOLA.COM | Tuesday, april 22, 2025 1BN

Former JPSO deputy a‘danger’

Ex-of

ficer’sbailreduction denied in textingcase

BY MICHELLEHUNTER Staff writer

AJefferson Parish judge denied arequest to reducethe bail of a former Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s

Ofﬁcedeputy accused of sending inappropriate text messages to a 14-year-old girl,calling him adanger to children

James Traylor,57, was arrested March 27 and booked with computer-aided solicitation of aminor andobstruction of justice.

The34-year veteranofthe departmentmet thevictimwhile workingas aresourceofﬁcer at St.Angela Merici School, aCatholic elementary school in Metairie that she’d attended, according to authorities.

Traylor appeared in Jefferson Parish Magistrate Court on April 16 for apreliminaryexamand a hearing on arequest to reduce his $350,000 bail.

In denying thedecrease, CriminalCommissioner David Wolff noted thatparentswarn their children aboutstrangerdanger while teaching them that they can alwaysgotopoliceofficersfor protection.

“He representsthatprotection that parentsand grandparents steer our children towardand he violated that trust,” Wolff said.

Sgt. Kurt Zeagler,aninternalaffairs detective with theSheriff’s Ofﬁce, testiﬁedduring thehearing, revealing new details about the case. Traylor,known as “Of-

ﬁcer Jimmy,”and the14-year-old victim began communicating in late September or early October

Authoritieshavepreviously said themessaging beganonFacebook.

Whilegoing throughtextmessages recovered from thegirl’s cellphone, investigators learned that Traylor and the victim exchangedmore than 5,000 texts over atwo-week period, Zeagler said.

Much of the communication was ﬂirty in nature, and Zeagler said therewere many messages that were outright sexually suggestive.

“He asks her for pictures of herself almostconstantlythrough text message,” Zeagler said. Tray-

lor requested photos of the girl in her bikini or whenshe wasentering or exiting the shower,Zeagler `said.

Traylor asked the girl if she wantedtohave her way with him, requested that she describe whatshe’d do to him, and told her he wanted to have her sitting on his lap with his legs and arms wrapped around him, Zeagler told the court.

Traylormadearrangements to meet up with the girl at leasttwice 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 theday of hisarrest, Traylor wiped the recentdata from

TESTING, TESTING

Forecastsexpect MississippiRiver to crestonApril 30

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

The U.S. Army CorpsofEngineers ran atest opening of the BonnetCarre Spillway Mondaymorningfollowing weeks of rising Mississippi River waters that could promptthe ﬂoodway to be used for the ﬁrsttime since2020.

Current weatherforecastsshow the river hitting justaround the threshold that triggers at leasta partial opening of the diversion,which eases pressure on south Louisiana levees as water ﬂows to Lake Pontchartrain. TheCorps hasnot yetannounced whetherthe agency plans to open the spillway,and says it is monitoringthe forecast before making arecommendation. AccordingtoNational Weather Serviceprojections Monday morning, the riverwill crest in NewOrleans at 16.5 feet April 30 andthengradually drop in the following days.

The spillway,located in St.Charles Parish, opens when theriver flow rate hits1.25 million cubic feet per second, which usually corresponds to around 17 feet on the Carrollton gauge in New Orleans,oraround 17 feet above sea level. Butatthis phaseinthe flood cycle, higher flow rates are translating to slightly lower elevation, said Matt Roe,aspokespersonfor the New Orleans district of the Corps.Anopening might be triggered at 16.5 or 16.6 feet. On Monday morning, Corps

ä See SPILLWAY, page 2B

Twofound guilty in Metairie hitman hire

Authoritiessay enragedex first harassednew girlfriend

BY MICHELLEHUNTER Staff writer

ALaPlace womanand the hitman authorities said she hired to shoot and killher ex-boyfriend’s newlover were bothconvicted of murder Thursday by aJefferson

Parishjury in akillingthatauthorities said came after acampaign of harassment that involved voodoo and an attempted frame-up. Monica Every,53, wasfound guiltyofsecond-degree murder, conspiracy to commitseconddegree murder and solicitation to commitmurder in the death of Charlene Jones,according to the Jefferson Parish DistrictAttorney’sOfﬁce. Heraccompliceand hiredgun, LouisGordon, 37,was also found

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

AMetairie womanand her boyfriend were arrested Saturday after her quadriplegic 7-year-old son died while he waslefthome alonefor several hours, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce. Karla Padilla Pavon, 22, and

Hovet Vela Espinoza, 48, were booked with negligent homicide, said Sgt. Brandon Veal, Sheriff’s Ofﬁce spokesperson.

The Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Cristian RodriguezPadilla.Cristian hadcerebralpalsy andwas quadriplegic, according to the Coroner’sOfﬁce. He died of apparent natural causes related to his medical conditions, according to the Coroner’sOfﬁce.

“He was special needs and

Metairie mom booked with negligenthomicide Woman’s quadriplegic 7-year-old sondies ä See HOMICIDE, page 3B ä See HITMAN, page 2B ä See DANGER, page 3B

STAFFPHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers test opening the Bonnet CarreSpillwayinNorcoasthe Mississippi River nears flood stage, Monday. The test wasfor possible later opening if conditions warrant. It wouldbe first spillway opening since2020.

Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy in Broussard

‘The only good tariff is a dead tariff’

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL

Staff writer

U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, at a Monday morning meeting in Broussard, said he doesn’t like tariffs and he’s not exactly sure what President Donald Trump’s plan is on tariffs but expects it will bring countries to the negotiation table.

“President Trump loves tariffs. He loves tariffs like the Devil loves sin,” Kennedy said “I don’t completely understand it and I think this is intentional on his part, where the president is going with tariffs. I don’t.” Kennedy, R-Madisonville, spoke Monday at a sold-out Broussard Chamber of Commerce event at the Madison Banquet and Reception Center

On April 2, Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs on countries across the globe, with China incurring the harshest rate hike. American stocks began a tailspin following the announcement but have since somewhat recovered after the administration said there would be a 90-day pause, barring a now 145% tariff on Chinese imports.

The United States is in “uncharted waters,” Kennedy said, adding that the modern global economy has not seen tariffs of this magnitude.

The way he sees it, Kennedy said, tariffs only act to impede the free market. They should be used only

against countries like China that seek to undermine or abuse American markets or those who are actively hostile toward the United States

But Kennedy said Trump’s strategy is working and that other nations are coming to the table.

Trump’s tariffs pause, his administration said, was to give time for him to work out better trade deals with over 75 countries that reached out to the White House.

“The only good tariff is a dead tariff,” Kennedy said. “I hope our goal is going to be to get them to go to zero tariffs.”

The senator also discussed the current budget resolution bill.

Kennedy said the bill has a threepronged approach of generally lowering government spending, deregulation and redesigning the tax code.

The amended bill, which the House passed April 10, will require only a simple majority in the Senate to pass under reconciliation, Kennedy said. The bill aims to cut $1.7 trillion in federal spending and $4.5 trillion in net tax cuts.

Kennedy wants to see Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which are set to expire, be made permanent and redesign the tax code to stimulate the economy

“And we won’t get a single Democratic vote, but if we can hold the Republicans together in the Senate, (and) that’s a big if, we only need 51 votes to do this and we’re going to do it,” Kennedy said A question arose about judges, and Kennedy said federal judges have been liberal in their use of

universal or nationwide injunctions, which have been used to block Trump orders on mass deportations and ending birthright citizenship.

Kennedy joined Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who introduced a bill that would prohibit granting relief to anyone beyond the parties involved in a lawsuit. The bill would require Democratic support to pass, Kennedy added.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court said it will hear arguments on whether to limit the lower court’s nationwide injunction powers.

Without mentioning Trump speciﬁcally, Kennedy ended his discussion on judges with the edict that court orders should be followed.

“You can criticize the hell out of it, you can appeal it, but you can’t say I don’t agree with it, and I’m not going to follow it. Once we start doing that in America, it will undermine the legitimacy of our entire federal judicial system,” Kennedy said.

The comment is likely in reference to Trump’s challenge of a judge’s ruling that the administration return Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the country after he was mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador A federal appeal court ruled against Trump’s attempt to block the order

On Sunday, Kennedy told NBC News that deporting Abrego Garcia “was a screwup,” bucking against Trump, but said that he would likely not be returned to the United States.

The senator later said if the president did deny federal judge orders

that he would, “call him out on it,” adding that something like Abrego Garcia’s case would not happen again.

While Kennedy was addressing supporters inside, a small group of constituents stood across the street hoping he would see their signs asking him for an open town hall and to support funding for federal programs that beneﬁt Louisianans.

Bernard Ussher, who held a “Sen. Coward” sign in one hand and an American ﬂag in the other, called for Kennedy to meet with people in a setting where they didn’t have to pay to hear him speak. Attendees had to pay about $15 to get into the breakfast where Kennedy was talking.

Pamela Bradley said she wanted to encourage Kennedy to preserve federal funding for programs that support Louisianans.

“We are extremely concerned about Louisiana losing its ability to have information,” she said. “We need the National Weather Service. We need (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). We need FEMA. We need NPR. What is Kennedy going to do about saving these programs?”

Another question Kennedy briefly commented on was about carbon capture, stating that “Louisiana’s got to figure it out” and that he’s “got to see the science to show me that it’s safe.”

Kennedy ended his discussion saying that he wants to see the Department of Education dismantled, calling it “woke.”

Staff Writer Ashely White contributed to this article.

SPILLWAY

Continued from page 1B

members, nearby fishers and curious spectators gathered before the Bonnet Carre as crane operators and other workers pulled 20 timber beams from the massive structure, allowing water to temporarily rush through a single compartment, or bay The test run is really a training exercise, Roe said, that relies on high water levels

“We have to wait for the water to get high because water actually seeps through the structure by design,” Roe said. “When we have water against the structure like we do today, that stimulates real-world conditions of when we’d operate it.” With the spillway fully closed the seepage rate of water through the beams Monday morning was 2,000 cubic feet per second. While the single bay was brieﬂy opened the ﬂow rate of the released water was 260 cfs.

‘Everybody needs to see’

The crew individually pulled each timber beam, called a needle, from the structure amid the push and pull of the water

A single timber beam weighs around 600 pounds, according to the Corps. Each bay contains 20 beams, and 350 bays compose the structure, which was built 96 years ago after the 1927 ﬂood.

Jimmy Bordelon, 56, drove down from St. Amant in Ascension Parish to watch the test opening with his two young grandsons.

He’s watched the spillway opening several times and wanted the 5- and 7-year-old boys to learn about the river and the protection of south Louisiana, he said.

“It’s something that everybody needs to see,” Bordelon, 56, said.

Two different crews of around a dozen workers ran the test exercise After the ﬁrst test opening, water poured through the spillway ﬁlling shoes and sending spectators home or to higher ground.

In recent weeks, the rising water levels have led to a good ﬁshing environment. Tim Yang, who has fished in the area for over 15 years, left the spillway with a drum, and other ﬁshers walked away with coolers full of fresh catch

While opening the Bonnet Carre alleviates pressure on the levee system, the rush of fresh water to the lake can also imperil commercial shrimp and oyster ﬁsheries. The spillway was last opened in 2020.

If a spillway opening does happen, it is not likely to be long, as forecasts indicate river levels will fall in the days immediately after cresting. That would be a big difference from 2019, when the spillway had to be opened twice for a record amount of time.

The Mississippi Sound Coalition, representing local governments, ﬁshers and the tourism industry, sent a letter to the Corps last week calling on it to limit any spillway opening as much as possible due to the potential harms.

“Operations of the Bonnet Carre Spillway in flood years like 2011 and 2019 have caused extreme adverse effects on the oyster reefs, dolphins, fisheries and natural resources of the Mississippi Sound,” it said in

“The

guilty of second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, obstruction of justice and being a convicted felon in possession of a weapon.

Every’s former boyfriend broke up with her on Christmas Day in 2021 and began openly dating Jones — a turn of events the spurned Every could not abide, according to authorities.

Just five weeks later, Jones, a 48-year-old grandmother of eight, was shot dead.

“If Monica Every can’t have him, no one can. That’s what this case is about,” Assistant District Attorney Lindsay Truhe told the court. “(Every) was willing to do what it took to eliminate her.”

Every is the mother of Joshua Every, a man awaiting trial for firstdegree murder in the stabbing death of Kenner Raising Cane’s manager Taylor Friloux.

Parking lot shooting

Jones was gunned down at the Gatehouse Apartments in the 2500 block of South Interstate 10 Service Road in Metairie on the morning of Jan. 27, 2022.

She was about to leave for work and was sitting behind the wheel of her vehicle when someone shot her Jones was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives identified the shooter’s getaway vehicle, a red Ford Fusion owned by a 29-year-old New Orleans woman named Deja Walls, according to authorities. Investigators arrested Walls in connection with the shooting. They identiﬁed Gordon as a suspect in the case and learned he had ﬂed to Florida. As they continued investigating, they uncovered evidence of Gordon and Every’s connection to the homicide.

Ongoing harassment

The killing was the culmination of a weekslong campaign of harassment by Every that targeted Jones.

After the breakup, Every began furiously working to try and separate the new couple, according to investigators. She made multiple harassing phone calls to her ex-boyfriend and Jones, prompting both to change their numbers, according to the District Attorney’s Ofﬁce.

Every had Gordon, an acquaintance who did odd jobs for her, sprinkle voodoo dust on Jones’ vehicle, authorities said.

And, while Jones was still alive, Every had Gordon hide a gun in Jones’ car and then call in a tip to Crimestoppers reporting the weapon had been used in a New Orleans homicide, according to prosecutors. Police stopped Jones and recovered the gun but later cleared it and her of any involvement in a crime.

Every also attempted to get her exboyfriend banned from Jones’ apartment complex by faxing a copy of his criminal record to management, authorities said. She also tried to convince a friend who lived in the complex to complain about his presence there.

“When she couldn’t scare Charlene Jones away, the evidence will show she paid this man to kill her,” Truhe said.

Hired hit

Every gave Gordon $10,000 to eliminate her competition, prosecutors alleged. Sheriff’s Ofﬁce detectives found cellphone communications and bank information linking the pair, the District Attorney’s Ofﬁce said.

Two cellphones tied to Gordon were present at Jones’ apartment complex at the time of the murder, according to authorities. After Jones was shot Gordon sent a text message that read “$$$” to Every, authorities said.

Every gave Jones a $4,000 check that he then had his mother cash, investigators said.

Detectives cleared Walls of any involvement in the murder Authorities don’t believe she was aware of the conspiracy

But Walls was sentenced to two years of probation after she pleaded guilty to money laundering in 2023 for handling some of the cash that Every paid to Gordon, the District Attorney’s Ofﬁce said.

Walls testiﬁed at trial about Gordon and Every Gordon also took the witness stand and proclaimed his innocence, the District Attorney’s Ofﬁce said. Every and Gordon are scheduled to be sentenced May 29. The mandatory punishment for a second-degree murder conviction is life in prison.

Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTOS By DAVID GRUNFELD

The U.S Army Corps of Engineers test opening the Bonnet Carre Spillway in Norco on Monday. Current weather forecasts show the river hitting just around the threshold that triggers at least a partial opening of the diversion.

LaFleur standswith her manywedding dresses

NewOrleans store.

RISHER

Continued from page1B

that my grandmother had been an expert seamstress. Ilargely grewup in her sewing room. With that detail, LaFleur did what she does well Not only is she sartorially perceptive,she is a master of observation. She recognized my interest in sewing and patternmaking and smiled, saying that she wanted to show me something special.

“Funny when you have arelative who sews, they never want you to mess up the fabric, so they don’t teach you,” she said, as she sashayedinto an unlit small room offthe shop’s main showroom. “They put such value on the yardage. Youknow,they’re products of the Depression.”

Ifollowed her and couldn’t helpbut attempt to sashay myself. Once inside, she motioned toward the ceiling, where her commercial patterns were hanging.

LaFleur studied fashion at LSUbut said she really learned how to design clothes in New York City

She opened her store in 1969, months after graduating from LSU, when she met aMississippi investor who asked her how much she would needtoopen her own shop. She said, “$10,000.” He pulled out an envelope of $100 bills. They were partners for

DANGER

Continued from page1B

his cellphone and iPad, Zeagler testified. He also had previously encouraged the girl to eraseall of their text messages, according to authorities.

Five character witnesses took the stand in Traylor’s defense during the bond hearing, including his father,James Donald Traylor.Hetold the courthis son was alifelong resident of Jefferson Parish who joined the Sheriff’s Office in 1988and was one of the department’sfirst school resourceofficers.

When asked by Jefferson Parish Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Voss whether he was aware that his son had been having arelationship with a14-year-old,the elder Traylor said, “Absolutely not. That’ssoout of char-

HOMICIDE

Continued from page1B

required continuous supervision,” Veal said.

But on Saturday,Karla Padilla and Vela left the boy homealone inside their residence in the 7200 block of Mistletoe Street in Metairie for at least three hours, Veal said. They returned to the home and found the boy unresponsive. The Sheriff’s Ofﬁce received a911 callfor help just before

NewOrleans Area Deaths

Carmouche,Emile

Cunningham, Glenda Gordon, Thomas Griffin, Theldon Lemmon, Harry Milan, Margery Piear,Betty Weinberger,Alan Yest,Mary

NewOrleans

Boyd Family

Piear,Betty

Charbonnet

Griffin, Theldon

Greenwood

Lemmon, Harry

Yest,Mary

ﬁve years. She was able to buy the building outright He later invested in her opening ashop in New York City.For several years, shewas back and forth between New Orleans and New York often. On one of thosetrips,she was seated beside Jimmy Walsh, whom she later married. He has been Joe Namath’sattorney for decades. These days, the couple spends most of their time in New Orleans. LaFleur sets thetable for dinner each morning before she goes to work

“Myhusband cooks, but I clean,” she said. Throughout the store, violetsare everywhere

They’re on her gift wrap, bags and thecarpet

“Ms. Gayle Bird,she’s Gayle Benson now,did the carpet for me,” she said. It’sfromLondon. Violets are asymbol of loyalty.SoI want to send loyal customers out of my store. She explained the violets as her ode to Mother Cabrini, her high school alma mater

“Mother Cabrini raised violets,” she said as she picked up aframedphoto of the nun. “She’smygood luck charm.”

With LaFleur,the reference is done with atendernessthat is completely endearing. But Icouldn’t help but smile at theNew Orleans-nessofthe moment,somany things go back to where one went to high school.

acter for him. It’shard to wrap my head around it.”

James Traylor’sgirlfriend also tookthe stand and told the court he’d beenthreatened while in jail, promptingstaff to move him to amoresecure location.

Traylor’sdefense attorney called hisclient a rule-followerwithimpeccable character.But Wolff disagreed.

“Somebody who sends 5,000 text messages to a child in such ashort period of time tells me he is obsessed, and an obsessed perpetrator is adanger not only to that child but to otherchildrenhemay comeinto contact with,” Wolffsaid.

Traylor did make bond andwas releasedFriday, according to court records.

Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate com.

9p.m. But it appears the couple delayed calling for an undetermined period of time, accordingto Veal. Cristian was pronounced dead at the residenceabout 9:03 p.m., accordingto the Coroner’sOfﬁce. Both Padilla andVela were beingheld Monday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna. Bail for Padilla wasset at $200,000. Vela was being heldwithout bail.

EmailMichelle Hunterat mhunter@theadvocate com.

Cunningham, Glenda EleanorGillen

JacobSchoen

Carmouche,Emile

St Tammany

EJ Fielding

Cunningham, Glenda

Obituaries

Carmouche, Emile Angelo 'E.J'

Emile(E.J) Angelo Car‐mouche enteredintoeter‐nalrestpeacefullyonFri‐day, April18surrounded by familyand love at theage of 83.Hewas alongtime resident of Gentillyand parishionerofSt. James MajorChurch where he served as an usher. He is survived by hisbeloved wife of 58 years, Raphael Dennis Carmouche. Their 63 year love storywas a true testamenttotheir wedding vows.He also leaves behind hischildren, Michael(Charmaine) Car‐mouche andAlisha(Joel) Capstick,his grandsons, DominicCarmouche,Jonah Capstick,and Calvin Cap‐stick.,his brother, Roy Thomas Carmouche, his sister,Danielle(Wayne) Davis, hissister-in-law, Marsha Ancalade,and a host of nieces,nephews, andcousins.E.J.was born in NewOrleans on March 16, 1942tothe late Daniel andNadineCalabresi Car‐mouche.Following his birth, themoldwas broken as therewillnever be an‐otherone like him. After graduating from FrancisT Nicholls,hebegan hisca‐reer as alife-long water‐proofing contractor.For over 50 yearsheworked forSoutheast Distributors andWaterproofing and served as theirsuperinten‐dent before completing his career with REVWater‐proofing.E.J.was known forhis tireless work ethic andunwavering dedication to everytaskheundertook passingthese traits on to hischildren. Whetheron thejob or helpinga neigh‐bor, he believed in giving hisbestand nevercutting corners. He wasa member of theBricklayers Union LocalNo. 1ofLouisiana.In addition to hisparents,he wasalsoprecededin deathbyhis brotherDaniel Carmouche,Jr. Family and friendsare invitedtoat‐tend af al that wi on Ja ne St Vi no wi by ne ma sc

Glenda EleanorGillen Cunningham,78, abeloved wife,sister, mother,and friend,passedawaypeace‐fully on April13, 2025, fol‐lowing ashort illness. Born June 12,1946, to Donald andEleanor Gillen in New Orleans, anda longtime resident of Covingtonand Madisonville,Glendaen‐joyedlifetothe fullest.She grew up in Jefferson Parish,playing with and surrounded by friendsand cousins, formingbonds that wouldlasta lifetime Shemarried Terry Cunning‐ham, herhusband of 32 years, andwas aproud andlovingstepmotherto theirchildren, whomshe adored.Her nurturing and steady supportleftanin‐deliblemarkontheir and theirchildren’slives.A de‐votedlover of nature and animals, Glenda opened herheart andhometo countless dogs andcats over theyears,eachone becoming atreasured member of herfamilyand fillingher life with wagging tailsand muddy paws.Her love foranimals extended beyond herhomeasshe also took greatjoy in car‐ingfor andappreciating thewildlifethatvisited her backyard.Birds,deer, squirrels, andevenrac‐coonswerewelcome guests in thesanctuary shecreated.Those who knew Glenda will remem‐berher forher sense of humor,affable nature,gen‐erousspirit, andloving heart. Sheleavesa legacy of compassion,kindness, andunwavering love for herfriends andfamily. She wasprecededindeath by herlovinghusband,Terry Cunningham,her parents, Donald andEleanor Fausterman Gillen,her brother-in-law,JoeyHefler, andher dear son, VicCun‐ningham, allofwhomshe held closeinher heart throughouther life.She is survived by herdaughters ValerieSemmes(Paul), Lisa LeBlanc(Dennis), and herson Garry Cunningham (Shelly),her granddaugh‐ters AndréCooper St Pierre (Steve), Gabrielle LeBlanc, andJillian Cun‐ningham, andher greatgrandchildrenBrianna St Pierre,Kaleb St.Pierre, and GraysonSt. Pierre.She is also survived by herolder brotherJerry Gillen (Phil), heryounger sister Patsy Hefler,her longtime friend Dottie Davis, hernieces ShannonGillenFrugé (Bobby),ElayneGillenMes‐man(Glenn),and herpre‐ciousdog, Odie.She will be misseddearly, buther beautifulspiritlives on in everyrustlingtree, every bird’s song,inthe memory of everyanimalthatfound ahomebecause shecared, andmostofall in the hearts of thefamilyand friendsshe cherishedso deeply. Thefamilywould like to extend theirdeep‐estgratitude to thecom‐passionate staff at PAM Health Specialtyand Reha‐bilitation Hospital of Cov‐ington andDr. Tran forthe exceptionalcareand sup‐port provided during Glenda’s finaldays. Rela‐tivesand friendsare in‐vitedtoattend thememor‐ialservice on Thursday, April24, 2025, at 11:00 AM at E. J. Fielding Funeral Home,2260 West 21st Av‐enue,Covington,Louisiana, with visitation beginning at 9:00 AM.Interment will follow in Garden of Memo‐ries Cemetery,4900 Airline Drive, Metairie,Louisiana E. J. Fielding FuneralHome of Covington, Louisiana, is honoredtobeentrusted with Mrs. Cunningham’s funeralarrangements. Her familyinvites youtoshare thoughts,memories, and condolencesby signingan online guestbook at www ejfieldi fh

from DellaSalle high school in 1969 and Centenary Collegein1973. After graduating college, Tom spent six monthson hishouseboat "Boons Farm" trapping with his belovedgolden retriever Amie, whereheearned the moniker, "Trapper." After histenureinthe marsh Tom hadvarious careers starting withDHHolmes, Reilly Benton Company, PrecisionRebuilders and theJackson KearneyGroup butfound histruecalling in beinganindependentoil andgas landman working in Texas. He settled in Tyler, Texas, for17years. Eventually, Tom's roots broughthim backto Louisiana wherehesettled into aboat houseonBayou Liberty.Tom's love of the outdoors neverleft himas he lovedhuntingand fishingwith hismanyfriends. It washis passion that he served in several positions with aGulfCoast Conservation Association, including Presidentofthe DeltaChapterand as a member of theLouisiana State Board.

Tom is survived by his son, Thomas "Miller" Gordon, III,wife Gillian, grandson, Rowan, brother HenryHodges Gordon, wife Lorie,and sister,Evelyn TheresaZimmermannand husband, John. Preceded in death by hisparents, T.M.Gordon andEvelyn Gordon, hisbeloved sister Karen Gordon Crawford, wife of Robert V. Crawford andbrother Peter Goodridge Gordon.

In lieu of flowers, please make adonation to St GabrielMercy Center,P.O. Box 824, MoundBayou, MS, 38762, in thememory of Karen Gordon Crawford

TheldonAugustine Grif‐fin, on Friday,April 11, 2025, wascalledhometobewith hissaviorand redeemer.A retiredNavyVeteran and U.S. Postal Employee, Mr Griffinisthe sonof Thomas Griffinand Gertrude Duronslet. He wasborninNew Orleans, LA on August 28, 1929. Belovedspouseofthe late JoyArmantand JoyFleury. Brotherofthe late George Griffinand paternal halfbrotherofTracy andGina Griffin. Loving father of AmberGriffinDavillier (Jef‐frey), StephenGriffin (Katherine); Stepfather of ByronLaurent,the late MariaBriscoand Sean Fowler.Proud Grandfather of Angelique Davillier, Jef‐frey Davillier, Jr.(Keia‐juana),Megan Beckwith (Kevon), LindseyGriffin, ByronLaurent,Sr. (Paula), Valencia Luke (David) Aonika Laurent(Sean), Var‐ionLaurent (Erin),Sean Laurent (Tawana),Kenneth Brisco (Lola),Trinity Mullen andVanessa Fowler; brotherinlaw of Joan Birkel,CarleeSimon,Patri‐ciaRalph (Rett),Lionel Fleury (Carol), Merlin Fleury,Sr. (Hilda), thelate Sterling Fleury,Sr. (Au‐drey), andGeraldFleury; GodfatherofCarmen Cousteau,CharlenePeters andCarlDelery. Also sur‐vivedby fifteen great grandchildren, onegreat grandchild,a host of other relativesand friends. Rela‐tivesand friends; members of theMustang Social and Pleasure Club;U.S.PostOf‐fice (KennerBranch); ReNEWSchoolsand NOLAPublic Schoolsare invited

to attend theFuneral. A Mass of Christianburial honoring thelifeand legacy of thelateTheldon A. Grifﬁnwillbeheldat Resurrection of OurLord Catholic Church,9701 Ham‐mond Street,New Orleans, LA 70127 on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at 11 am.Inter‐ment Mt.OlivetCemetery, 4000 Norman MayerAv‐enue,New Orleans, LA 70122. Visitation 9amin thechurch.Pleasesignon‐line guestbook at www.cha rbonnetfuneralhome.com. Charbonnet LabatGlapion, Directors(504)581 4411.

Harry Thomas

Harry Thomas Lemmon, AssociateJustice on the SupremeCourt of Louisianafrom1980-2001, passedawaypeacefullyin hissleep on Good Friday, April18, at age94. Born in Morgan City,Louisiana,to Earl andGertrude(Blum) Lemmon in 1930, Harry ex‐celled in athleticsand aca‐demics at Morgan City High School andthenat Southeastern LouisianaIn‐stitute, where he gradu‐ated with adegree in Chemistryand received theAlumniAward forOut‐standing Graduate.After servinginthe Army and workingasa chemist, he enteredLoyolaLaw School Whilethere,hemet Mary AnnVial, who wouldbe‐come hispartner in lifeand lawfor 64 years. He gradu‐ated at thetop of hisclass while also starting hisfastgrowingfamily. In 1970, he waselected to the Louisiana4th CircuitCourt of Appeal,where he served until he waselected to the SupremeCourt of Louisianain1980. Through‐outhis legalcareer,he taught lawschool probono at Loyola,Tulane, and LouisianaState University He chairedthe Ainsworth LectureCommittee, which broughtprestigious na‐tional andinternational dignitariestospeak at Loy‐ola. He served on theVisit‐ingCommittee forLoyola LawSchool where he en‐suredthatthe curriculum metthe higheststandards of professional education. He co-authored Louisiana CivilLaw Treatise on Civil ProcedurewithProfessor FrankL.Maraist.Inaddi‐tion to hisscholarly legal contributions, Harry’s ex‐tensivecivic involvement included servingonthe BoardofDirectors of Asso‐ciated Catholic Charities, theAmericanJudicature Society, andthe American Inns of Court. He chaired theBoard of Governorsof theLouisiana Judicial Col‐lege andthe American Bar Association’sAppellate Judges EducationInstitute, andservedonmultiple LouisianaLaw Institute committees.Honorsand awards includeinduction into theMorganCityHigh School Athletic Hall of Fame,Louisiana BarFoun‐dation’s DistinguishedJu‐rist Award, Loyola Law School St.IvesAward,an honorary degree from LSU, inductionintoLSU Law Center’s Hall of Fame,hon‐orarymembershipinLSU’s Orderofthe Coif,and an honorary Doctor of Laws from Loyola LawSchool WhileHarry lovedthe Con‐stitutionand thelaw,his greatest treasureswere hischildrenand grandchil‐

When youneed thenews. Wherever youreadthe news

STAFF PHOTO By JANRISHER

yvonne

hanging in her elegant

Lemmon,

Grifﬁn, Theldon Augustine

OUR VIEWS

Pope Francis’ moralclarity kept church’s teachings relevant

For many Catholics, PopeFrancis wasa ﬁgure who gave constant reminders of Jesus’ teachingtocare for the poor andmarginalizedinour society.The pontiff, who died Mondayatage 88, will be remembered for his humility andasan advocate for peace and global understanding In south Louisiana, where many of the nation’s 53 million Catholics reside, thepope’s death comes as startling news. Though he had struggled with illness for months, Francis appeared on Easter Sunday to bless crowdsinSt. Peter’s Square The ﬁrst pope from Latin America, Francis came to lead an institution seekingfresh voices after years of dealing with an unfolding clergy sex abuse scandalthatrocked churchparishes in Louisiana and elsewhere andthreatened the church’sfoundations. His gregarious style quickly made an impression. He wasnoted for answeringreporters’questions with unexpected frankness. When asked in 2013 aboutclergy who are gay,hefamously responded, “who am I to judge?”

On this issue and others, thepope soughtto strike apath toward compassion andawayfrom rigidity when it comes to how we treat others. It’salesson we all need in these times,and one we hope will be alasting legacy of Francis. He also never stopped speakingupfor the migrants the world over whoface hardship and scorn. Indeed, in his last address,onEaster Sunday,Francis wrote, “On this day, Iwould like all of us to hope anew andreviveour trustin others, including those whoare different from ourselves, bringing unfamiliar customs, waysof life and ideas.” Francis showed courageinremainingtrue to his message even as immigrationbecame ahot-button topic in manyWestern countries. He weathered criticism, too, for his stance on climate change, telling countries at theU.N. conference COP 28 that not protectingthe environment was “anoffense against God.”

He didnot waver, however,onthe church’s teachings regarding abortion,calling it a“grave sin,” and he also spoke out against birth control and in vitro fertilization.Hewas avocal opponent of thedeath penalty as well, framing the issue as part of the church’seffort to supporta “culture of life.”

In an age where so many messages get garbled, Francis’ clarity of vision wasrefreshing —though we recall,tothe delight of Saints fans, there were afew times when the wiresdid get crossed. When the Vatican’s@pontifexaccount on Xused the hashtag saints, socialmedia took it as the pope’simplicit endorsementofour football team. It couldn’thave been easy to be pope in an age where spiritual matters often take aback seat to more worldly concerns. But Francis put the church in the conversation.Wejoin in the prayersfor him and for thechurchasitlooks for aleader to followinhis footsteps.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

HERE AREOUR

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

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

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OPINION

YOUR VIEWS

Congress lettingTrump runriotoverour country

OurSocial Security is already 90% dismantled. It is very clear that the goal is to destroy thesystem so that it can be privatized (read, robbed). People are being deported and sent to foreign prisons without due process of law as if their lives mean nothing. (It’salready surfacing that they are not all gang members).Itisterrifying to think that President Donald Trumpcould do this to anyone he wants to get rid of.

Millions were spent on deportation optics as well —where was the concern for waste there? Medicaid, which millions of people depend on for hospital and nursing home costs, is being threatened. Farmers are denied repayment for investmentsthey have made; food designated overseas is rotting because USAID was butchered.

Factories and businesses will close because of the tariffs they must now pay and cannot sustain. The history books are being rewritten, shamefully removing anyone’scontribution

to our history other than White men Studentsand vetswill not see what they have been promised. Health care is on thechopping block. Environmental protectionsare on the chopping block.

Ourformer allies are insulted and angry at Trump’sbullish tactics, and we will pay for their withdrawal of friendship and trade. It is unbearable to see thepeople in alreadyimpoverished or war-torn countries starving and dying as they are.The diseases that can now run rampant in those countries will reach our shores, if one looks at this in apurely selﬁsh way. What Trumpisdoing is gutting our country,our standing with the world, our livelihoods, and causing deadly consequences for many.Never mind what it is doing to inﬂation (up) and theeconomy (down) —the platform he ran on. Idon’tunderstand our Congress members’ enabling of this.

RUTH FLETCHER Metairie

ArticleonPlaquemines port should have included greaterscrutinyofLIT project

Your March 24 article regarding thePlaquemines Portcontainer terminal project and the Port of New OrleansLIT project in St.Bernard contains some important factual errors and omissions.

The article stated that the Plaquemines project would require major infrastructure investment. The LIT project in St.Bernard would actually require moreinfrastructure investment. Plus, thePlaquemines infrastructure projects are absolutely needed, irrespective of the container terminal being built —infact, they’re 15 years overdue based on congestion and safety issues. In contrast, theLIT-related infrastructure would only be built because of the proposed terminal there. Youwrotethat the LIT project would cost $1.8 billion. Iknow for a fact that its cost has now soared to $3.9 billion. This soaring cost would makeitthe mostexpensive U.S. container terminal ever built by far,all in order to produce very modestpro-

jected growth. Because privatedollars could never be justiﬁed through areasonable return on investment of this amount, agreat portion of this would have to be public money.Incontrast, the entirePlaquemine terminal facility (asopposed to transportation infrastructure) would be built with private investment. Industry giant Maersk/ APM Terminals is committed to supply this

Finally,the Plaquemines project is supported by avery strong expert market study,which shows it aggressively attacking the Dallas market, which LIT would not do, and that would be agame changer forLouisiana. As aresult, thePlaquemines container port would produce ﬁve times thecontainer business growth over 10 years than LIT would produce in thesame time period Thank you for this clariﬁcation of therecord.

Tulane President Michael A. Fitts’ excellent opinion piece on April 4pointed out the large and important economic impact on Louisiana due to the presence of Tulane and other colleges and universities in this state. In addition to his highly informative article, an article in the fall 2024 issue of “Tulanian” by Mike Strecker and Barri Bronston points out in moredetail the positive beneﬁts of Tulane as an “economic and community powerhouse.”

Tulane, ahighly regarded university nationally and internationally,isbut one of approximately 6,000 universities and colleges in the United States. Many of those schools, both small and large, receive federal funding forresearch, teaching programs, student scholarships, etc. These schools have signiﬁcant ﬁnancial, academic and cultural impacts on afew thousand communities across the country As Strecker and Bronston report for Tulane, the students and staff/faculty of all these schools, across the nation, collectively spend millions of dollars in their local communities: in restaurants, grocery stores, entertainment venues, rentals, house purchases and more. Therefore, the cancellation of funds, or the threat of such, is highly problematical or even existential not only forthe schools, but formany of their communities. Istrongly urge my fellow citizens to contact their local and national representatives and senators to stress the vital importance of continuing federal funding to these institutions.

JEFFREY

D. GREEN Metairie

In his April 16 columninThe Advocate, Cal Thomas asked, rhetorically I am sure, “How did I, my parents, grandparents and ancestors going back to the founding of the nation manage to get a decent education before the federal Department of Education was created?”

My response: “Because Cal Thomas is and his forebears were White.”

Afootnote: The ﬁrst U.S. Department of Education was created in 1867 by President Andrew Johnson to collect and distribute information and statistics about schools.

DAVID VITTER lobbyist

forPlaquemines Port

JAMES R. MADDEN Baton Rouge

Thesesmilestellusabout America

Thepicture really says it all.

In grainy,faded tones, it shows a groupofpeople on what appears to be aschool bus. They are Vietnamese refugees, packed in with astack of boxes behind them, likely containing everythingthey owned.

The picture was taken by aTimes-Picayune photographer in December 1975, just months after the communist North Vietnamese army overwhelmed the U.S.backed counterpartsin the south, forcing approximately one million Vietnamese to ﬂee.

The people on that bus were headed from Arkansas to Westwego, where they were among the ﬁrst of thousands of Vietnamese refugees toland in southeast Louisiana. The500-mile journey from Fort Chaffee was, for most of them, certainly the culmination of along and perilous journey,livingday-to-dayina legal limbo with no assurance of what the future held.

Andyet, many of them are smiling. Staring at the picture, as Idid, while reading Desiree Stennett’sbeautiful piece earlier this month about how the Vietnamese community in southeast Louisiana has gone from small pocketsofrefugees to an integral part of thelocal fabric, Icouldn’thelp but ask whysome of them looked so happy

Those smiles must have masked unimaginable pain and stress, the gutting loss of ahome and family members and complete uncertaintyabout what might come next. But they also show an optimism, adetermination to accept their circumstances and forge something new and better And boy,did they.The people on that buscould not have foreseen what they would build in southeast Louisiana. They would be joined by thousands of their fellow countrymen, growing in the ensuing half-century from a tiny population to one that is so much apart of Louisiana it’shard toimagine the state without them. After all, Duong Phuong king cakes rule every Carnival season, banh mi po-boys are belovedand plenty of Viet-Cajunculinary treats are found all over It shouldn’tbesurprising thatwhen people with such arich cultural history land in aplace with its own strong traditions, what is born of that mix is something that neither could have predicted, but turns out to be magical. Vietnamese arrivals have thrived outside of the culinary world, too. They have made signiﬁcant marks in Louisiana business, industry and

politics. Vietnam has acomplicated legacy formany Americans. For folks my age —I am closing in on my 52nd birthday —itwas something our parents talkedabout, rarelyinapositive light.

My Americanhistory classes in school never covered it; for some reason,the classes always ended with thetriumph of World WarII. For along time, its people and culture remained amystery to me In the years after Iwas born, the UnitedStatesaccepted hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese who ﬂed after the war.Many settled in other parts of the country,too.

Theirstories are not unlike thestories of other waves of immigrants to south Louisiana: Acadians from Nova Scotia in the18th century,Haitians in the19thcentury and Sicilians in the 19thand early 20th centuries are just afew of the older examples. Each of these groups has exerted aprofound and wonderful inﬂuence on the culture thatmakes Louisiana unique. Sadly,wedon’t have as many photos of those migrations as we do of the Vietnamese.

We are left to only imagine the expressions painted across the faces of thoseAcadian, Sicilian or Haitian refugees as they alighted in Louisiana carrying few possessions but trunkloads of hope and resolve.

Which brings me back to thesmiles in that picture. Somehow,thosefolks, ripped from their homes,land and all that they knew,are able to muster smiles.Through perilous journeys, they had landed in aplace that was different,yes,but had built itselfon being awelcoming place where it didn’tmatter where you came from as long as you werewilling to work hard.

HereinLouisiana, we can see, hear, feel and taste —perhaps more than other places across the United States —the glorious impactsofour centuries-long commitment to accepting the huddled masses from achaotic world. What’s more, the vastmajority of us were, at some point in our ancestry, just like thepeople on that bus.

That’swhat makes this thegreatest place in theworld, still. IwishIcould go back in time, jump up thestairs to that bus and talk to them abouttheir smiles.IwishIcould tellthem, “I’m glad you’re here.” Thereare plentyoffolks now attempting similar perilous ﬂights. Most of them are not criminals or terrorists. Their journeysstart in different places,and they get hereindifferent ways. And yet,mymessage, and the message of millions of Americans remains the same: “Welcome.”

Faimon A. RobertsIII can be reached at froberts@theadvocate.com.

Elon Musk’s talking problem

When Donald Trump wonhis second term, there was much speculation about what it would mean to have a presidentwho started out asessentially alame duck. “After nearly adecade —during which so many in the GOP cowered in fear at the costsofdefying Trump —ambitious senators, House members andgovernors will be contemplating their own futures in a world without him,” wrote my colleague E.J. Dionne, adding that “recognizing the limitations on aTrump presidency is afirst step toward holding Trump in check.” However you would describe what is happening now,noone would argue that Trump has been held in check. Instead, we are witnessing something entirely novel in Americanpoliticalhistory: the YOLO presidency. (YOLO,for thoseunfamiliar,stands for “YouOnly Live Once” —which is to say, make themost of every moment youhave.) Rather than being constrained by the fact that he can’trun for officeagain, Trump has been liberatedbythe fact that he doesn’tneed to. He is free to do exactly as he pleases, knowing he will neveragain have to explain himself to voters. And, as they say,you only live once. Of course, Trump has mused about running for athird term, telling NBC News that he was “not joking” about the idea, but the 22nd Amendment is quite clear: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”Itwould take another constitutional amendment to allow him to run again, and he doesn’thave aSupreme

Court pliant enough to wink at some exotic legal theory.ComeJanuary 2029, Trump will leave the White House, and he is certainly acting like someonewho doesn’tneed to worryabout public sentiment.

in better shape thanthey found it. Trump has never displayed this kind of loyaltytoany person or institution —and certainly not to apartyhehas always helmed as aconquering invader

Polls have repeatedly shown that majorities of voters support the work President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency is doing to cutwaste andfraud in federal spending. ArecentpollbyCBS News found that 51% of those surveyedbelieve there is alot of wasteful spending in federal government agencies, while an additional 36% believe there is some wasteful spending, for atotal of 87% who believe there is waste in government. Given that, it is not asurprise that54% said theybelieve that DOGE leader Elon Musk and his team should have some, or in some cases alot,ofinfluence over the spending and operations of U.S. government agencies. All thatmakes sense. Of course there is waste in a$7trillion federal budget. Of course somebody should try to find it and stop it. So why is the DOGE project so controversial? For four reasons: 1) Democrats and their allies in the media want Musk to fail because they want President Trump to fail. 2) Alarge part of the federal bureaucracywants Musk andTrump to fail because it has an interest in an everexpanding andcostly bureaucracy.3)With a tech-guy,move-fast-fail-then-fix approach to problem-solving, the DOGE ethos is appropriatefor some federal government functions but notfor others. And 4) Elon Musk can’tstop talking. Some of the factors are simply built into the process. Others would be difficult to change. So this will be about the simplest wayDOGE could reducethe friction it encounters as it searches for waste and fraud in federal spending: Have its leader talk less. To take arecent example: Sen. Mark Kelly,a politically ambitious Democrat from Arizona,recently visited Ukraine. Afterleaving the country,Kelly wrote aseriesofposts on Musk’sXplatform tearing into Trump’sstrategy to end the war The president is “trying to weaken Ukraine’s hand” andispursuing a“ridiculous ‘screw you, go it alone’ foreign policy,”Kelly wrote, adding thatthe UnitedStates will notsucceed “by being bullieslike Putin.”

Thatispretty muchDemocratic boilerplate when it comes to Ukraine. So Kelly reasonably opened himself up forcriticism anddebate. But thatisnot what Musk did. Instead,heimmediately respondedtoKelly: “You area traitor.”

The problemwas not just that Kelly is aformer U.S. Navy fighterpilotwho flewcombat missions in the Gulf War, andlater aNASA astronaut who flewfourmissions in the space shuttle.The problemwas about general principles: Why reflexively call someone atraitor? Whatgood does that do? Why go nuclear off the bat?

“I think it reﬂectsbadly on the White House,” amember of the House,Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon,saidofMusk’scomment to Kelly.And then Bacon made perhaps the most important observation of the whole affair: “His [Musk’s] job wastodoanaudit of what we’re spending on.”

Nor hashebeen limited by the normal forces that beset lame-duck presidents. Asupine Republican Senateconﬁrmed a television host to lead the Defense Department and avaccine skeptictohead the Department of Health and Human Services with barelyamurmur of concern.

His more conventional establishment advisers, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, express full-throated defenses of hiswildestinnovations.

Why is this happening? Why does the lame duck not walk or quack like one?

The shortanswer is thatTrump, once again, defies all normal political rules. Asecondfactoristhat eight years of the hashtag“resistance” taught Trump to ignore public outcry,orbetter yet,to revel in it. In 2021, he left office in disgrace, with a34% approval rating. Yet here he is,president again. If experience is the best teacher,itissuggesting he should listen to his heart, not some outraged pundit. Third, and perhaps mostimportant, Trump is not constrained by party loyalties, of which he hasnone. Mostpresidents havespent decades working their way up theparty ranks and building relationships withotherparty members. The party has becomethe hub of their social network, the defining facet of theiridentity.Naturally,they care about its fortunes and want to leave it

This all feels so unprecedented becausenormally,someone who actslike Trump can’treach the point where they can act thatway Someone who displays no loyalty to their party will quickly slip off the lower rungs of the greasy ladder that leads to power.Only Trumpsomehow managed to makeittothe topinone wild leap, without ever giving the party achance to shape him. Instead, as has been noted many times,hehas shapedthe party into a reﬂection of himself. And this explains the real mystery of his presidency: Why has he gotten so little resistance from legislators and movement activists, who will ultimately bear the political cost of Trump’slast hurrah? Why hasn’tthere been morepushback from the rising leaders who hope to take his place as the party moves beyond Trump?

The answer is that there is barely any partybeyond Trump. Ideology and organization have both given way to Trumpian whimsy.Hemight not succeed in his dreams of restoring the American empire, but within the Republican Party,his imperial rule seems near-absolute. Whatever the emperor decrees, his subjects must apparently go along —even if the emperor decides theywill be buried with him.

MeganMcArdle in on X, @asymmetricinfo.

Bacon was also irritated by aspat Musk got into with the foreign ministerofPoland. When Musk tweeted,“My Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainianarmy.Their entire front line would collapse if Iturned it off.” —whenMusk did that, the foreign minister respondedthatPolandpaysabout $50 million peryear for the service. Thenheadded, “The ethicsofthreatening the victim of aggression apart, if SpaceX provestobeanunreliable provider, we will be forced to look for other suppliers.”TowhichMusk responded, “Be quiet, small man. Youpay atiny fraction of the cost. And there is no substitute forStarlink.” In reaction, Rep. Bacon said, “going after the foreign minister of Poland —Idon’tthink that’sright, either.

Go back to main point about Musk: “His job was to do an audit of what we’re spending on.” It’shardtoimagine amoreimportant task for aspecial government employee like Musk. So why is he inserting himself into the Ukraine peace process? Maybe he should leavethatto the president.

Afew weeks ago, this columnwrote that “One problemthat besets some billionaires is thattheythink theycan do anything they want because theymostly can.” That is certainly true for Musk whenheisrunning Tesla and SpaceX, the companies he created and led to suchextraordinary success. But government andworld affairs just aren’tthe same thing.

Byron York is on X, @Bryon York

Faimon Roberts

ega McArdle M n

Byron York

FILEPHOTO By HORACE J. PATTERSON

Vietnamese refugees ride abus to Westwegofrom FortChaffee, Ark., on Dec.12, 1975. Manywere among the first Vietnamese families to be resettled in the area following theVietnam War.

NewOrleans Forecast

dren.Fromcoachingtheir sportsteams to teaching themto ﬁsh andswimto helping with homework Papafound joyinthe daily experiences of parent‐hood.Inthe wayhelived his life,hedemonstrated unconditional love,faith, and kindness. In summary, toquote hisdearfriend Judge Bill Redmann, Harry had “a warm heart, a brightmind, andanopen hand.”Harry is survived by the love of hislife, hiswife of64years,MaryAnn Vial Lemmon, District Judgeof the EasternDistrictof Louisiana.Heisalsosur‐vived by hissix children and thirteen grandchil‐dren: Andrew,his wife Joni, and hisson Stuart;Mary Laurenand herchildren Patrick andMaryElise; Roslynand herchildren MaryAnn “Annie,”Noah, and William; Carla, her spouseShawn,and their childrenAdam, Nate and Ben;Jakeand hischildren James,Luke, Mark,and Matthew;and Patrickand his spouse Michelle Hynes. Relatives andfriends are invited to visitatHoly NameofJesus Catholic Church, 6367 St Charles Ave,New Orleans, LA 70118 onThursday,April 24,2025 startingat1:00PM. AFu‐neral Mass will follow the visitationat3:00PM. The familyrequeststhat, in lieu of ﬂowers, donationsinhis honor be made to Loyola Law School or theHistoric New OrleansCollection. Wealsoinviteyou to share yourthoughts, fond memo‐ries, andcondolences on‐lineatwww.greenwoodfh com.Yoursharedmemo‐rieswillhelpuscelebrate Harry’s life andkeephis memoryalive

cededindeath by herparents,MaryCatherine McGovern Peterand Joseph Peter; her siblings, Catherine P. Smith, Marie P. Curcuruand J. Daniel Peter; and sons,Alvin Kenneth Milan andinfant Douglas Milan. In 1942, she married the love of her life,Ira B. Milan. Their 83-year marriage was atruetestamentto love and commitment. For the past threeyears, they werehonored as the oldest living married couple in Louisiana.

Lovingly known as Margie, she treasuredher family and faith. SheenjoyedSunday Mass, gardening, sewing, fishing and puzzles. Sheshared her love of musicby playing clarinetinthe Ira Milan Polka Bandand local American Legion bands

Margie is survivedby her beloved spouse,Ira B. Milan and their children, Fredrick Milan (the late Beverley) of CA, Linda Milan Upchurch, (the late John) and Kalvin J. Milan (Jan). She also leavesbehind8grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildrenand 4 great-great grandchildren, many nieces, nephews,extendedfamily, anddear friends.

Afuneral Mass will be held at St. Philip Neri Catholic Churchon Saturday, April 26 at 11:00 AM with visitation beginningat9:30 AM.

Betty C.

Betty C. Piearwas born inNew Orleans, LA to GertrudePonds Clay and Christopher “Boutte Cutno,Sr. on January5, 1946, andadoptedbyAlice HaynesBaptiste. She leavestocherish herpre‐cious memories,three chil‐dren, Warren Piear, Jr,Alle‐gra PiearBall, andJarne Hargrove. Hergrandchil‐dren, Markus Wheeler JosephHargrove, Josiah Atkins, andSavannah Moody. Onegreat-grand‐child,Mae-LynnMoody, One son-in-law,Gregory Ball. Spiritualdaughters;

Sherelle Waters,Simone Kelly,LaurenMcCormick and Rose Horseman Twelvesisters,Fourbroth‐ers,and ahostofextended familyand wonderful friends.She waspreceded indeath by herhusband WarrenPiear,Sr; mothers GertrudePonds Clay and Alice Haynes Baptiste;fa‐ther, ChristopherCutno,Sr; sisters;Alma“Vera”Albert, Helen Anderson,Easter Buggage,and Katherine Clay; brothers;JoeNathan Cutno,Eules Ponds, and Leonard Ponds; nephews; EldrinClay, Albert Buggage V,and MichaelAnderson. Relatives,friends,mem‐bersofZetaPhi Beta, Sorority, Inc, Knightsof Peter Calver,Court 240, Olive Branch #119, Orderof the EasternStar, EmilyC Watkins Elementary School,New OrleansEastHos‐pital,and TouroHospital are invitedtoattend the FuneralService on Wednesday,April 23, 2025 at10:00 a.m. at TheBoyd FamilyFuneralHome, 5001 ChefMenteur Highway, New Orleans, LA 70126. Vis‐itation will beginat9:00 a.m.ReverendKathy Dixon, ofﬁciating. Intermentwill followatSoutheast Louisiana Veterans Ceme‐tery, Slidell, LA 70460. The repastwillbeatKingand QueensReception Hall,Inc 5703 Read Blvd,New Or‐leans,LA70127. Guestbook Online: www.anewtraditi onbegins.com(504)2820600. Linear BrooksBoyd and DonavinD.BoydOwn‐ers/FuneralDirectors

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Alan Dean WeinbergerofNew Orleans on April 13, 2025, at theage of 70. Born on July12th, 1954 in

Alan was abrilliantattorney known for his sincere intellectual curiosity and deep appreciation forthe lawand justice. He lived and lovedthe spirit of New Orleans, and spent much of his career in itsservice Mr. Weinberger commenced his distinguished legal practice in 1981, and throughhis work made longstanding impactsin protecting theenvironment and establishing honorable laws. He was one of thepioneering lawyers involvedinlitigating asbestosand silicosis claims and was at theforefront of legaldevelopmentsintort cases.Mr. Weinbergerserved as counsel forvarious entities in tortlitigation, oftenin themedical device context. Mr. Weinberger's legal practicewas particularly impactful in environmental law. As co-counsel forthe NewOrleans Sewerage and Water Boardinthe Mississippi Rivergypsum matter, he played acrucial role in successfullypreventing thesignificant pollutionofthe Mississippi Riverbyradioactivegypsum waste. Hispractice also extendedtogaming law, representingthe lessor to theState's first riverboat casino. In the Louisiana Supreme Court, he secured ajudicial opinionincivil servicelaw that leveledthe playing field for stateemployers and also helpeddevelop medical device lawinLouisiana His multi-disciplinary expertise and dedication to thelaw and education was demonstrated through his participationingovernment legal workshops, numerous continuinglegal education facultiesand his lectures and presentations forlegalgroups.

Alan received hisJuris Doctor withhonors from Tulane Law School in 1980 and practiced lawwith four prominent New Orleans law firms throughout his career. He also held aBachelor of Arts with honors fromthe University of Texas at Austin (1977) and graduated fromBenjamin Franklin SeniorH.S.(1972). NewOrleans was a greatloveofAlan's life, and he embodiedthe spirit of thecity. Alan had adeep love formusic and art, with an exquisite taste that showcased his genuine enthusiasm for both. Alan'sseriousintellect

waswonderfullybalanced by hiseasygoing, New Orleansmannerofenjoyinglifetothe fullest. Alan is fondly remembered for hiseloquence andthe heartfelt stories andmemorieshesharedabouthis lovedones.

Alan waspredeceased by hisparents Joseph Weinbergerand Sue WeinbergerSeriff. He is survivedbyhis sistersTeri WeinbergerRiddles;Sandi WeinbergerHauser and husband Dr.Larry Hauser; nieces ShawnHauser RobynHauser Fadem and husband Joseph Fadem; andgreat nieces Sarah Fadem and Dakota Fadem; first cousinsCheryl Perl, Lisa WeinbergerCompton andhusband Brad Compton.Alanhad many second andthird cousins andfriends.

Thefamilywould like to especially thankDr. Jordan Calender, Dr.Christine Bruins, and thewonderful staff at the University Medical Center for their amazing support andcare. Special thanks to Lynne Kueckatthe Sanctuaryat PassagesHospice Care. Thank you to Suzette Toledano, John Person,and DominicGianna for your friendship andsupport of Alan.

Aprivate ceremony will take place in memory of Alan. In lieu of flowers, because Alan lovedmusic andheloved NewOrleans please consider makinga memorial contribution in honor of Alan Weinberger to:

Don"Moose"Jamison Heritage School of Music; or University Medical Center Foundation New Orleans

andgrandmother.She is predeceased by herhus‐band, Thomas Matthew Yest, andher parents. Mary Ann is survived by heronly child,Michael Thomas Yest and hisspouseHarold Daigle, as well as hertwo grandchildren,Matilyn CarmichaelYestand Hen‐dersonJosephDaigle. Orig‐inallyfromDetroit,Michi‐gan,MaryAnn andher husband movedtoSpring Hill, Florida, to starta fam‐ily in warmer weather. After 40+ years, shemoved toNew Orleans, Louisiana, tobeclosertoher sonand his family. Shewas aNew Orleanian forthe last 14 years of herlife. Mary Ann was an avid reader,loved a good musicfestival, and was knownfor herwit and sense of humor.She was independent to theend and nevermissedan episode of Law& Order. Backinthe dayshe cooked upa stormevery nightand loved to go line dancing withfriends.She’s also never meta crab cake that she didn’t love!Familyand friends areinvited to at‐tenda Visitation from 911amonSaturday, April26, 2025, at Greenwood Funeral Home, 5200 CanalBlvd. New Orleans, LA 70124. In‐terment will immediately followatSt. Vincentde PaulCemetery#1. Memor‐ial donationscan be made tothe Multiple Myeloma ResearchFoundation, www.themmrf.org. Expres‐sions of love andsympathy may be placed andviewed onlineatwww greenwoodfh.com

Piear,

Weinberger, Alan Dean

Santurce, Puerto Rico, Alan was a belovedbrother, uncle, colleague and friend to many.

Yest,MaryAnn Mary AnnYest, age87, passedawaypeacefully on April 18, 2025. Born on April 28, 1937, to JanScheffer and ElizabethCarmichael Henderson,MaryAnn was adevoted wife,mother

Milan, Margery Peter

Margery PeterMilan age 101, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. She was pre-

DEATHS continued from

SPORTS

Safeties in numbers

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

At a time when the value of safeties in the NFL is a contentious topic, the New Orleans Saints shelled out for the position this offseason.

The Saints gave Justin Reid a threeyear, $30.5 million contract, a large but arguably reasonable deal that makes the 28-year-old the league’s 15th-highest-paid safety His addition not only addressed the loss of a starter — Will Harris departed for the Washington Commanders — but his presence also should serve as an upgrade at a spot that was iffy for New Orleans last year

The deal also prevents safety from being a priority for New Orleans ahead of this week’s NFL draft

“I actually really liked them to maybe go safety (in Round 1), but then they signed Justin Reid in free agency,” Yahoo

BY ROB MAADDI AP pro football writer

The NFL draft is the culmination of a lifelong dream for many college players who’ve envisioned hearing their names called by commissioner Roger Goodell since they were kids. They’ve made plenty of sacrifices and spent hundreds of hours practicing on the field, exercising in the weight room and studying ﬁlm. They’ve dealt with injuries — some had to overcome signiﬁcant ones — and battled adversity along the way And the journey is just beginning, especially for the players who aren’t picked in the first round and don’t get a guaranteed multiyear contract. Prospects had to turn it up a notch in the months leading up to this week’s draft. From training for the scouting combine to preparing for pro days, interviewing with coaches and visiting teams, the process can be overwhelming. Washington State wide re-

Dupree lends insight into his LSU GM role

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

The opportunity to be the ﬁrst general manager of the LSU men’s basketball team humbled and excited Ronald Dupree.

The chance to play a signiﬁcant role in the potential turnaround of a major college athletic program enticed the 44-year-old to leave his executive role with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The former LSU basketball player returned to Baton Rouge because it is a “calling.” He said he feels compelled to be a part of the process of returning a program he loves to glory after years of inconsistency

“I don’t know if I would have done it for any other program, to be honest,” Dupree told The Advocate.

LSU hired Dupree to become the program’s ﬁrst general manager on April 7.

The former college and six-year NBA player left his post as the director of global scouting for the Milwaukee Bucks after four years. He started as a scout with the Bucks in 2017 and previously was an assistant coach with LSU and Nevada.

“His experience at the NBA level in roster construction, talent evaluation, player development, just your overall system of scouting and much more really make Ronald the perfect person for this new job,” said Matt McMahon, who is entering his fourth season as the LSU head coach. An instrumental aspect of Dupree’s job is forming and maintaining relationships with college players’ agents. This is the front line of negotiating signings with players in the transfer portal and coming from high school.

“Taking that responsibility off his plate so he can focus more on coaching and connecting with our players,” Dupree said of McMahon. “Obviously, no decision will be made without him being comfortable and agreeing with it.

“The decision will be made, together, and sure he would be the ﬁnal say.” McMahon acknowledges this hire will help him focus on coaching even more.

“I think the general manager position will allow me to spend more time in the coaching aspects of the job along with player development,” McMahon said. “But I think whenever you’re able to add a talented person like Ronald Dupree, it makes everyone in your organization better, and that is certainly the goal of the hire.”

Dupree said he’d love to eventually add more staff to make a “front ofﬁce” for the team. He also said he’ll use his experience as a former professional player to assist current players prepare for their future.

“A lot of times you get this position, people think about it being like autonomy and power and all that,” Dupree said. “But it’s more about serving, you know, how can I be of best service to

the main goal.

“This

ceiver Kyle Williams, USC center Jonah Monheim and Colorado State wideout Tory Horton, who are represented by Excel Sports Management, have spent months getting ready for the big day by training at the agency’s

performance center in Irvine, California. They’ll likely have to wait until the second or third day to hear their names called in Green Bay, but the round doesn’t matter because getting the opportunity is

this could become a reality, it’s something that I still can’t believe and then once my name gets called, I’m just gonna have to take it all in and just really understand that this is the real thing.” Williams, who is projected to be a second-round

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

South Carolina defensive back Nick Emmanwori makes the stop on LSU running back Josh Williams at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C., on Sept. 14.

Braves ace Strider returns to injured list after 1 start

Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider strained his right hamstring Monday while playing catch and was placed on the 15-day injured list.

Mize, Torkelson give Tigers a boost

BY NOAH TRISTER

AP baseball writer

This is a sight the Tigers probably expected a lot more often by now: Casey Mize pitching seven strong innings, and Spencer Torkelson hitting a three-run homer to lead Detroit to a 3-1 victory

There’s still time for both of them to make big contributions to the team that drafted them No 1 overall. When the Tigers returned to the postseason last year for the ﬁrst time in a decade, they did it without great production from Mize and Torkelson, who were supposed to be cornerstones of their rebuild. Torkelson hit 31 home runs in 2023 but managed only 10 (with a .219 average) last season. Mize made only two starts total in 2022 and 2023 before going 2-6 with a 4.49 ERA a year ago. Now both of them are starting to show why they were taken at the top of the draft — Mize in 2018 and Torkelson two years later The 27-year-old Mize is 3-1 with a 2.22 ERA this season. Torkelson, who

is still just 25, already has seven home runs and a .288 average that is well above his career high of .233. On Saturday, Mize got the win and Torkelson accounted for all Detroit’s scoring in a victory over Kansas City

After relying heavily on Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal in their run to a wild card last year, the Tigers are off to a more balanced start in 2025. Only two AL teams have scored more runs than Detroit, which leads the AL Central by a half-game over Cleveland. Only one AL team, the New York Yankees, has a better run differential than the Tigers. Wild inning

The Chicago Cubs became the seventh team in the last 125 seasons to allow 10 runs in an inning and still win. Arizona scored 10 in the top of the eighth on Friday only for Chicago to rally with six in the bottom half and win 13-11.

Remarkably, the Colorado Rockies nearly matched the Diamondbacks’ plight a day later Colorado scored eight runs in the seventh Saturday but still lost 12-11 to

Washington Also Saturday, Miami scored six in the ninth but lost 1110 to Philadelphia. Other big innings from this past week included a nine-run third by Tampa Bay against Boston on Monday, a seven-run ﬁrst by the Los Angeles Dodgers against Colorado on Wednesday, and a sevenrun third by Cincinnati against Baltimore on Sunday. The Rays, Dodgers and Reds all won.

Trivia time

The Milwaukee Brewers broke a franchise record by stealing nine bases in their 14-1 win over the Athletics on Sunday The Brewers stole eight bases against Toronto on Aug. 29, 1992. Which Milwaukee player, who went on to win Rookie of the Year honors that year, stole three bases in that 1992 game?

Line of the week

Cincinnati’s Austin Wynns had six hits in the Reds’ 24-2 blowout of Baltimore on Sunday, although the last two of those came against position players pitching. Wynns also drove in six runs. Wynns had seven hits and two

RBIs all of last season for Cincinnati.

Comeback of the week

After entering the game with a four-run lead in the ninth Saturday, struggling Yankees closer Devin Williams managed to retire only one batter before Tampa Bay tied it. Williams allowed ﬁve straight hitters to reach, culminating in Brandon Lowe’s tying two-run single. Williams managed to induce a double play to end the inning, but Tampa Bay went on to win 10-8 on Jonathan Aranda’s 10th-inning two-run homer

The Rays had a win probability of 0.6% in the ninth, according to Baseball Savant. Williams hasn’t blown a save this season Saturday’s game wasn’t a save situation — but he’s now allowed eight earned runs in eight innings.

Trivia answer

Pat Listach had three of Milwaukee’s eight steals in that game. He went on to ﬁnish the season with 54, second in the American League to Cleveland’s Kenny Lofton.

Flagg headed to NBA as favorite to be No. 1 draft pick

BY AARON BEARD AP basketball writer

Duke star Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA as the favorite to be the No 1 overall draft pick.

The program announced Flagg’s move in a social media post Monday following a lone college season that saw the 18-year-old become only the fourth freshman named as The Associated Press national player of the year while leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four Flagg had reclassiﬁed to get to Duke a year early and his decision was expected all year, even as he generally declined to spell out plans about his professional future as the season pushed into March or mentioned how much fun he had playing in college.

“I mean, it’s been an incredible year with a really great group of people,” Flagg told the AP in March after winning national player of the year The 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward from Newport, Maine, averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals to lead the Blue Devils in each category He’s a versatile threat who showed the ability to thrive as a scorer, playmaker and defender

“His highlights, his statistics, the ways he impacted the game on both ends of the ﬂoor really in every category, was off the charts — as good of a freshman season that a guy has had here,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said in a social media video from the program about Flagg’s NBA declaration.

“But to me the separator and the joy of coaching Cooper is the person he was every day the teammate that he was — never about statistics or anything other than creating an environment and helping his team to win.”

The statistical highlight came when Flagg scored 42 points to

Atlanta made the move retroactive to Friday, two days after Strider returned from elbow surgery and made his first big-league appearance since April 5, 2024. Strider allowed two runs over five innings in a 3-1 loss at Toronto, and the 26-year-old right-hander was slated to make his home season debut Tuesday against St. Louis. Strider made just two starts in 2024 before UCL internal brace surgery on April 12. Strider finished fourth in 2023 NL Cy Young Award voting and was an All-Star, going 20-5 with a 3.86 ERA and a league-best 281 strikeouts.

Eagles, center Jurgens announce 4-year extension

The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens have agreed to a fouryear contract extension through 2029, the team announced Monday The 25-year-old Jurgens made the Pro Bowl for the first time last season after a switch back to center after six-time All-Pro Jason Kelce retired. Jurgens was a backup as a rookie in 2022 after being drafted out of Nebraska in the second round and made 11 starts at right guard in 2023. Philadelphia went 14-3 last season and dominated Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in winning its second Super Bowl title. The Eagles, led by mobile quarterback Jalen Hurts and a strong offensive line, rushed for a franchiserecord 3,048 yards last season.

QB Iamaleava picks UCLA after Tennessee departure

Nico Iamaleava said he’s heading to UCLA, a week after Tennessee announced the quarterback who helped the Volunteers reach last season’s College Football Playoff was no longer with the program. Iamaleava issued an Instagram post Sunday of himself in a UCLA uniform Tennessee coach Josh Heupel had indicated during the Volunteers’ spring game on April 12 that Iamaleava wouldn’t be part of the team anymore Asked when Heupel knew the Vols would not have Iamaleava moving forward, the coach said it became apparent the previous morning when the quarterback was a “no show” with no communication with Heupel. Iamaleava completed 63.8% of his passes for 2,616 yards with 19 touchdowns and ﬁve interceptions last year in his lone season as Tennessee’s starter

Hawks fire GM Fields, promote from within Landry Fields was ﬁred as general manager of the Atlanta Hawks on Monday after three seasons, with the team missing the playoffs in the last two of those.

The Hawks promoted Onsi Saleh to the GM role, while also announcing that they have opened a search for a president of basketball operations. Atlanta went 40-42 this season, then missed the playoffs after going 0-2 in the play-in tournament.

set an Atlantic Coast Conference freshman record against Notre Dame in January, along with having 30 points, six rebounds and seven assists to help Duke hold off Arizona in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. There were plenty of impressive single plays, too, that demanded highlight-reel placement like his transition dunk through a defender against Pittsburgh in January Flagg closed with 27 points and seven rebounds in a loss to Houston in the national semiﬁnals. The Blue Devils had led by 14 with about 8 1/2 minutes left but faltered late, with Houston scoring the game’s last nine points in the ﬁnal 33 seconds and Flagg missing a late shot for the lead.

Still, he was an elite and hypercompetitive force for one of college basketball’s top teams all season with a game far more advanced than his age, capable of making an impact from baseline to baseline and sideline to sideline. He won’t turn 19 until December which would be roughly two months into his rookie season.

Flagg is the third Duke player to announce an early exit for the NBA in the past week, joining freshman wing Kon Knueppel and junior guard Tyrese Proctor

Fields led the decision-making a year ago when Atlanta had the No. 1 pick and selected Zaccharie Risacher who is a ﬁnalist for rookie of the year this season.

The Hawks haven’t won a playoff series since making it to the Eastern Conference ﬁnals in 2021.

St. John’s lands former North Carolina G Jackson North Carolina guard Ian Jackson is transferring to St. John’s and returning to his hometown to play for Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, the Red Storm announced Monday A highly touted recruit from the Bronx, Jackson averaged 11.9 points while shooting 45.6% overall and 39.5% on 3-pointers. He became the ﬁrst Tar Heels freshman to score 23 or more points in four consecutive games, and scored 20 or more in eight games. North Carolina went 23-14 overall and tied for fourth in

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOSE JUAREZ

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Casey Mize throws during the first inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday in Detroit.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH Duke’s Cooper Flagg shoots as Houston’s Joseph Tugler defends during the second half at the Final Four on April 5 in San Antonio.

PHOTO By MARK J. TERRILL

Harrison:Ididn’tcomprehend thedepth of fans’Donciclove

BY SCHUYLERDIXON AP sports writer

DALLAS DallasMavericks

general manager Nico Harrison said he miscalculated the depth of love his club’s fans had for Luka Doncic before the trade that sent the young superstar to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis.

Despite the persistentcatcalls from fans for him to be ﬁred in the 21/2 months since the deal,Harrison still believes it was the right move forbuilding achampionship contender in Dallas.

“I did know that Luka wasimportant to the fan base,” Harrison said Mondayduring his seasonending news conference,six days after asession with asmaller group of reporters that the club called to try to move on from the exhaustively discussed Doncic trade. “I didn’tquite know it to what level.”

As he has said before,Harrison expected plenty of blowback from the trade, but thought it would have eased sooner if Da-

vis had been able to play with Kyrie Irving,KlayThompson, P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively for most of the restof the season. Instead, those five haven’t playedtogetheryet,and thestar combo of Davis and Irving shared less than threequarters together before Davisinjured agroin in his Dallas debut.Irving tore the ACL in hisleft knee whileDavis was out.

“Wefeel that’sa championshipcaliber team,and we wouldhave been winning ata high level and thatwould have quieted some of theoutrage,” Harrison said as part ofthe same answer about the fans’ love for Doncic.“And so unfortunately we weren’t able to do that, so it just continued to go on andon.”

The Mavericks almost didn’t have enough players to meet the NBA’s minimum requirement for severalgames while Davis was sidelined. Oncehereturned,the Mavs steadied themselvesand qualiﬁed for theﬁnal spot in the WesternConference play-in tournament at No.10.Dallaswon at Sacramento for ashotatthe eighth seed in theplayoffs before losing at Memphis.

Harrisonsaidhebelievedthe Mavs would get agood player in theﬁrst round of thedraft,where theyare currently slated to pick 11th. He alsodidn’trule outchanges in free agency But when asked what Dallas needed to become acontender again, Harrison said, “Really,we justneedtoget healthy.I think the team we’re bringing back is achampionship-caliber.Wefully expect to have Kyrie back with us next year whenhegets healed from his injury.And we believe we’llbecompetingfor achampionship.”

After Harrison said repeatedly last week that“defense wins championships”while defending thetrade, Doncic was asked by ESPN about his reaction to the session, saying it was “sad” what Harrison was saying and he wanted to moveon.

Harrison, who saidlast week he still hasn’tspoken to theﬁvetime All-NBA playerwho ledthe Mavericks to the NBAFinals last season, was asked about that exchangeand said, “I feel thesame way he does.I’ve actually never spoken ill of Luka, and I’m just ready tomove on with this team that we have.”

QuarterbackStaffordhappy about contract changeswithRams

BY GREG BEACHAM AP sports writer

LOS ANGELES— After asecond offseason of ﬁnancial discontent, Matthew Stafford is glad to beback at workwith the Los Angeles Rams.

The Super Bowl-winning quarterback attended the start of the Rams’ voluntary offseason workoutprogram Monday,several weeks after getting asubstantial raise on the contract extension he received three years ago when the Rams won it all. Stafford got arestructured deal for thesecond straight offseason after challenging the Rams for better terms.

The 37-year-old Stafford didn’t go into many details about the standoff, which was much shorter this season after itstretched upto the start of training camp in 2024. Thequarterback also acknowledged he did “due diligence” on potential landing spots in atrade before the Rams gave him whathe wanted.

“There’ssomany positive things about our organization, about our team,” Stafford said. “Never really wanted to leave, so just happyto be back and happy that the Rams wantmeback, and hopefully we canmove forward and have a great season.”

Stafford, who began hiscareer with12years in Detroit, will play his ﬁfth seasoninLos Angeles after strongly considering the possibility of starting over elsewhere.

The sides have downplayed the seriousness of their negotiations, with coach Sean McVay saying that he never seriously thought Stafford would leave. But Stafford definitely thought about it: His agent got permission from theRams to gauge thequarterback’spotential value in atrade, and Stafford was quickly linked to theoretical deals with the Raiders and Giants.

“I think anytime those kind of things come up, you’re obviously doing due diligence and looking around,”Stafford said. “You obviously poke your head around and see what’sgoing on.Obviously wanting to be back with the Rams was my No. 1priority,soI’m glad it worked out and Idon’thave to worry about it.”

Heading into his 17th NFL season, Stafford has made it clear he will decidehis future on ayear-toyearbasisfrom here on out,and the Rams seem content with that —for 2025, at least.

There’salso the distinct possibility theRams willattempt to draft theirquarterback of thefuture this week, either with the26th overall pick or bymoving up.

If that happens, Staffordsaidit wouldn’t changethe way he approaches the season.

“Whoever we draft, Ihope they comein and helpour team win,” Stafford said. “You look at it last year, ourﬁrst two picks were guys on defense that made huge impacts on our team. So for me, I’m just

Lakers coach Redick pushingtoget better

BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter

LOSANGELES Twohours before JJ Redick’s playoff coaching debut,the Los Angeles Lakers’ new benchbosslookedready to lace ‘em up himself His leg relentlessly pumped up and down underthe table whilehemostlygave curt,onesentence answers to reporters’ questions. He sounded thoroughly consumedbythe monumental taskahead of the Lakers in the NBApostseason —but unlike mostcoaches, he looked eager to meet it physically as wellas mentally ButRedickdoesn’t want to be back in uniform,nomatter what this pure shooter’sbody languageissaying thesedays. When askedrecently whether he enjoyscoaching morethan playing, Redickquickly replied: “Yes.”

“I’ve been trying to ﬁgure that out for the last six months, honestly,” he saidwhenasked why “I think anybody that wasaround me as aplayer knows how much Ienjoyed the job every day,and knows howgrateful Iwas to be in theNBA every day,and very gratefultohave a15-year career.” He paused and added: “I like this more.”

The 40-year-old Redick was only three years removed from being Luka Doncic’s teammate during his final playing season when he took over theLakers with absolutely no coaching experience.

He attacked his new job with theintensity of his playing days, and he has showed immediate acumen: His Lakers won 50 gamesand thePaciﬁcDivision titledespite shaking up their core at midseason with that blockbuster trade to acquire Doncic.

Hisyear was tumultuous away from the Lakersaswell: His family lost its home to the wildfires in Pacific Palisades. Redick is undoubtedly exhausted, but he’s still pouring hours into figuring out how the Lakers can come back against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who routed his team in the series opener Saturday Game 2isTuesday night in Los Angeles. Redick already knows that being the head coach of the Lakerscomes with infinite layers of scrutiny,but particularlyfromthe many former players who have built media careers examining the current team —and usually finding it lacking. When theLakerslostGame 1, Magic Johnson immediately jumped onto social media to criticizethe coach, saying Redick “didn’tdoagood job.”

AP PHTOByAJMAST

Los AngelesLakers head coach

J.J. Redick questions acallashis team playsthe Indiana Pacers during the second half of agame on March26inIndianapolis.

Like any player,Redick knows the only waytoanswer critics is by winning. He alsoknows he’s still in theprocessnecessary to achieve all of his goals in his second career

“As acoach, you’re obviously judged on regular-seasonwins and losses and your ability to get to the playoffs,” Redick said. “But Ithink the other two things that you’re really judged on (are) the wayyou’re able to handle the pressure of the playoffs, the adjustments, the in-gamestuff there’sstill so much workthat we have to do —and then Ithink you’re also judged on the culture youcreate, andwhether or not your players and everybody in thebuildinglike coming to work.”

Redick thought about becoming acoach for most of his playing career,and he learned from each of his owncoaches, including Mike Krzyzewski and Stan VanGundy.He’salready enjoyingsignificantsuccess with the Lakers, who almost always look more prepared and more focused than they did last season under Darvin Ham Although Redickwasn’ta finalist forthe NBA Coach of the Year award,the Lakersbymost measures hadtheir second-best season since the end of the Phil Jackson era in 2011. Redick isn’tready to reflect on his first coaching season, however.He’sstill learning, and they’re still playing.

“Other than my house burning down in the Palisades Fire,nothing has surprisedme, becauseI wentinto this with avery open mind and abaseline level of knowledge,” Redicksaid. “And though Ididn’thaveexperience as acoach, Ihad 15 years of experience in theNBA,(and) I’ve been apartofa bunchofdifferent locker roomsinabunch of different situations, so I’ve kind of seen alot.But truthfully, there’sa different challenge every day.”

Bucksguard Lillard upgraded to questionable

BY STEVE MEGARGEE AP sportswriter

MILWAUKEE

Milwaukee’sDamian Lillard is listedasquestionable forGame 2ofthe Bucks’ first-round playoff series with the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, another step forward for the seven-time All-NBA guard after missing the past month.

ing with deep vein thrombosis, an abnormal clotwithin avessel where the congealing of blood blocksthe flowthrough on the wayback to the heart.

trying to load this team up withas manygood players as we possibly can. If aquarterback comes along and they feel the need to takehim, (I’d)welcome him with open arms and try to teach him as much as I possibly can.”

Stafford will have the entireoffseason program to forge abond with Davante Adams, his longtime rivalinthe NFCNorth.The star receiver signed atwo-year deallast month with the Rams, who also released Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp, Stafford’slongtime favorite target

“He’sbeen an unbelievable player foralongtime,” Stafford said of Adams.“Obviously hada special connection with Aaron (Rodgers) there in Green Bayfor along time, which was great to watch as long as Iwasn’t on theother sideline watching it. …Great hands. Can finish plays down the field with scores as well. I’m excited to get to work with him. I’ve been afan of his for along timeasa player,so hopefully Ican give him the rock and he can do his thing.”

The Buckshad announced ThursdaythatLillard wasoff blood-thinning medication and cleared for full basketball activityafter dealing with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. The Bucks could use Lillard after they shot 9of37from 3-point range in a117-98 Game 1loss at Indiana. The injury report upgrading Lillard to questionable came out Monday after coach Doc Rivers already hadspokentoreporters. Rivers saidhedidn’tknow whetherLillard would play Tuesday but noted that 34-year-old had been making progress.

“Wedidn’tdoalot of live stuff today,but he did everything today,” Rivers said after Monday’s practice. “He’sjust progressing. He looksgood.”

Because the Bucks had two days offbetween Games 1and 2, they returned to Milwaukee to practice before headingback to Indianapolis for Tuesday’sgame.

Lillard last played in agame on March 18. The Bucks announced aweek later that he was deal-

While he was on blood-thinning medication, Lillard couldn’tdo much from abasketballstandpoint beyond shooting free throws, though he saidspecialists eventually permitted him to do someexercises such as lifting weights. Because of his lack of basketball activity over the last month, Lillard was going to need time to get himself playoff ready even after doctors cleared him

“I was able to be active and do somestuff and then Igot cleared to be on the court, and Iwas able to do somehard workouts and do someconditioning and stuff like that,” Lillard said Friday “So we’ll see. The momentthat I feel good about it, I’mnot going to be waiting and all of that. The moment that IfeelI cango, I’m going to go.”

TheBucks went 3-1against the Pacers during the regular season, with Lillard playing each of those games and averaging 18.3 points, 9.3 assists and 5.5 reboundswhile shooting 35.5% from the floor and 38.9% on 3-point attempts.

Lillard appeared in 58 games duringthe regular season and ranked 10th in the league in both scoring (24.9) and assists (7.1) while earning his ninth All-Star Game selection.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Los Angeles Lakers guard LukaDoncic shoots as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker,from right, guard Donte DiVincenzo and center NazReid defendduring the second half in Game 1ofaplayoff series on SaturdayinLos Angeles.

Harrison

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DERIK HAMILTON

Los Angeles Ramsquarterback MatthewStafford warmsupbefore an NFCdivisional playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Jan. 19 in Philadelphia.

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

Sports draft analyst Nate Tice said. “So that changed my math.” In the event of asurprise, let’s take alook at the top safeties in this year’s classaswellassome candidates who could be on the Saints’ radaronDay 3.

Malaki Starks,Georgia

Tice likedStarks as apossible ﬁt for New Orleans at No. 9, but the safety is likely to go much later in Round 1—ifheeven getstaken on the ﬁrst day at all. Starks has great size for the position at 6-foot-1 and

wasanexperienced three-year starter on oneofthe nation’sbest defenses. Hisversatility would allow himtoplay multiple spots, and that likely would be intriguing to Saints defensivecoordinator BrandonStaley,who deployed Derwin James in asimilar fashionwhen he coached the Los Angeles Chargers. TheAthletic’sDane Brugler,however,envisions Starks more as a free safety than strong safety

Nick Emmanwori,South Carolina Emmanwori might be the first safety takenoff theboard, if it’snot Starks. TheSouth Carolina productisanathleticfreak whoregistereda perfect10RelativeAthleticScore thankstohis 4.38-sec-

ond40-yarddash,43-inch vertical jump and 11-foot broad jump He hasproductivity to match his athleticism. The21-year-old was named aﬁrst-team All-American last season afterﬁnishingwith88 tackles, four touchdowns and two pick-sixes.

JonasSanker, Virginia Sanker plays with range and haslength, giving himthe tools to possibly become astarter in the NFL. He was athree-yearstarter at Virginia, making plenty of impact plays in the box. At 6feet and206 pounds, Sankerreportedly needstowork on his pursuit angles and can lose track in his coverage. But he’s athletic and

is projected to go in the third or fourth rounds.

Lathan Ransom,OhioState One of the Saints’ betterlateround selections in recentyears hasbeen safety Jordan Howden. Could Ransom be this year’sHowden? They have asimilar size as Ransom is 6feet and 203 pounds, whereas Howden is 6feet and 209 pounds. At Ohio State, Ransom emerged as astarter over the last twoyears and spent ﬁvetotal with the Buckeyes. Ransom, with76 tackles in 2024, can makeplays in therun game andisahard-hitting safety.Ifanything, he has one of the coolernames amongthis year’s prospects.

CraigWoodson, California

TheSaintshired former California defensive coordinatorPeter Sirmon to coach linebackers this offseason, so he’d undoubtedly be familiarwith Woodson.Sidelined for allof2021 withakneeinjury, Woodsoncame back strong to emerge as athree-year starter for the Golden Bears. He can playin the nickel and on the back end, as well as contribute on special teams According to The Athletic, Woodson “got better each year,which didn’t go unnoticed by NFL scouts.”Heis 24, making him an olderprospect

Email Matthew Parasatmatt. paras@theadvocate.com

school, Williams caught acareerhigh 70 passes for 1,198 yardsand 14 touchdowns last season. He had 10 catches for 172yardsand atouchdown in the Holiday Bowl. For Williams and many others like him, the NFL is away to make abetter life, not just for himself but also his family.That’salot of pressure, but Williams embraces it.

“It would mean the world,” he said about getting drafted. “Just take alot off my mom.I canhelp my family, my siblings. It gives them motivation to keep going and just to know that dreams do actually come true. Living in asociety where alot of people shy (away) from their dreams just to have this opportunity and get drafted is just like adream come true.”

Horton recorded 1,000 yards receiving as ajunior and senior and used his COVID eligibility to stay in school and play an extra year in 2024. Aknee injury forced him to miss the second half of his ﬁfth season, buthe’shealthy and ready to go. Horton is projected to be picked in the third or fourth round.

“The whole process itself is abit of agrind, but all the work from the Pop Warner days to middle school to thehighschool days and just theadversity that you’re always facing within lifeand just thegame of football itself, it kind of all plays out,” Hortonsaid.“It kind of molds you and builds you to being that better person, that bet-

ter version of yourself. And just having alittle bit of that weight offofyourshoulders from ﬁnishing school and onlyfocusing on the sport that you lovetodo, Ifeel like that’ssomethingthat kind of helps out quiteabit for me. And Ikind of just dedicated my entire time to football and justenjoyingmylife

of studying and just dreaming and playing ball.”

Monheim’s path could be even tougher.He’sprojected to go anywhere from theﬁfth round or later, with some draft analysts predicting he might have to sign witha team as an undrafted free agent. “It would mean everything,”

Monheim said aboutgetting drafted. “I can’t waitfor whatever opportunitypresents itself. Obviously,I’ve been training forthat momentand I’ll be ready foritand it’d be an awesome moment for my family,for myself, formycoaches, everyone that’sbeen apart of this process along my whole life.

“It would mean the world. Just take alot offmymom. Ican help my family,mysiblings. It gives them motivation to keep going and justtoknow that dreamsdoactually come true Living in asociety where a lotofpeopleshy (away) from their dreamsjusttohavethis opportunity and getdrafted is justlikeadream come true.”

KyLE WILLIAMS,wide receiver

“It’sanother step on the road in my football journey.It’staken alot to get to this point, alot of people pouring intome, alot of work so you know it’sgood to be here and it’sjust another step in the road.” Oregon offensive lineman Josh Conerly spent 21/2 months training at Excel’sstate-of-the-art facilities. His stock soared after astandout performanceagainst Penn State’s Abdul Carter in the Big Tenchampionshipand he could end up giving Goodella hug on stageThursday night.

Conerly’sdaily training routine started with running in the morning, followed by position drills, ﬁlm sessions and offensive installs. After lunch, it was timeinthe weight room and then twoorthree hours of recovery

“They take care of us like no other,” Conerly said about Excel’s staff. “I’m abig tub guy,soIenjoybeing in the hot tub, cold tub, sauna, red-light therapy.I like doing allthose littlethings.Ithas my body feeling the best probably than it’sever felt.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By DAMIAN DOVARGANES

Wide receivers Kyle Williams, left, and Tory Horton train for the NFLdraft at LakeForest Sports Park in Lake Forest, Calif., on March 21.

Mandeville freshmen happy to compete on their home turf

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Mandeville freshmen Parker Greene and Wayne Kabrich did not need to travel far when they each carded a 2-under 70 to help the Skippers win a district golf tournament Monday at Chateau Country Club in Kenner But next week, their commutes will be far shorter. Mandeville will compete on its home course when it tries to qualify for the state tournament while at the Division I Region 2 tournament at Beau Chene in Mandeville.

To call that a familiar course for these two players would be quite an understatement

“We both live there,” Greene said. “Going out there every day and practicing. Sunup to sundown.” Their low rounds at the district tournament helped Mandeville win with a four-player cumulative score of 293.

Mandeville along with Jesuit (306), Brother Martin (308) and St. Paul’s (308) were assured of qualifying for the regional tournament by the time an afternoon thunderstorm caused a delay in determining the four individual qualifiers. Those qualifiers will be determined Tuesday Mandeville won with Bradley Wall (74) and Matt Yeung (79) posting the two other scores that were included in the team total. Greene came into the tournament “knowing this course was going to be really easy,” he said. “Just got to keep it on the fairway and I guess that’s what I did today.” Greene posted his low score with the help of an eagle when his approach from about 60 yards at the par-4, 284-yard No

17 bounced into the hole, he said.

As for Kabrich, his improved putting on the bogey-free back nine helped him post his score.

“I missed a few putts on the front nine that cost me a few strokes,” he said.

First-year Mandeville coach Allison Radtke described the two freshmen as “good rescue players.”

“They’re just competitors,”

Radtke said. “They don’t let a bad shot stop them. They actually play stroke by stroke. They could have a terrible shot, and they follow that up (with a good shot). They could be behind a tree, and they just play it really smart. It’s like course management — and they’re freshmen.”

Radtke noted how Kabrich’s father, Richie, is the reigning course champion at Beau Chene, providing a good foundation for the younger player

“He’s a great coach,” Kabrich said “I love having him as a dad. It’s really special ”

Jesuit sophomore Duke Nitcher carded a 2-under 70 that matched the two Mandeville freshmen

The low-round scorers for the other team qualiﬁers were Gavin McDermott and Sawyer Bernard (both 74) from Brother Martin, and Parker Church and Bennett LaNasa (both 75) from St. Paul’s.

The four top teams at the regional will advance to the state championships, set for May 5-6 at The Wetlands in Lafayette.

“The competition is so brutal, you can’t stub your toe even once,” Brother Martin coach Ron Brisbi said. “If you do, you’re out.”

Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

LSU

Continued from page 1C

coach Mac, staff and our players?”

Dupree also will have a hand in which players LSU targets in the transfer portal and on the high school recruiting trail. This will be a major point of collaboration between McMahon and Dupree.

“I call it alignment,” Dupree said. “My position it’s to support him, and for us to be aligned on his vision of how you want to play.”

Dupree will focus on not only the kinds of skills and physical traits McMahon wants from players but also on intangibles such as personality Those discussions already have started.

Dupree hasn’t been involved in the ﬁve transfer portal additions thus far Those signings came before he was hired.

“I do like who they’ve been able to add,” he said. “We have a few more spots we want to ﬁnish up on that. But just to be honest, they’ve done a terriﬁc job putting the current roster together.”

The incoming transfers are highlighted by UNLV sophomore point guard Dedan Thomas, who is ranked as the No. 14 player in the portal by 247Sports. In last season’s Southeastern Conference preseason poll LSU was predicted to ﬁnish 14th. The Tigers ﬁnished 15th and were one of only two teams in the conference to miss the NCAA Tournament. LSU aims to participate in

Lozano, other sophomores power Destrehan softball team

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Jolie Lozano knew exactly the kind of pitch she wanted to hit when she came to bat with the bases loaded and her team losing by one run.

It was the bottom of the seventh, and the Destrehan sophomore did not swing at either of the ﬁrst two pitches.

“She took a pitch on the outside corner that I thought she would have swung at, and then I just saw it in her eyes, ‘Oh, she’s really zoned in right now,’ ” Destrehan coach Craig Perrier said. “And then she got one that she liked and hit it off the left-center wall.”

The two-run double lifted Destrehan to a 3-2 victory over Mandeville, advancing the No. 15-seeded Wildcats (21-12) to face No. 2 Benton (26-5) in an LHSAA Division I nonselect second-round game that is set for 4 p.m Tuesday

Lozano completed the game with four hits, including three doubles, and drove in all three runs. As a pitcher, she allowed only three hits and two unearned runs along with four strikeouts and one walk.

Destrehan has reached the second round of the playoffs with clutch plays from Lozano at the plate and in the circle, along with

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SUSAN POAG

Former LSU player Ronald Dupree dunks during the 2003 SEC Tournament. Dupree recently was hired as the LSU men’s hoops general manager

March Madness for the ﬁrst time during McMahon’s tenure. Dupree said that is an attainable goal because of the backing the program has received. The mission is even more focused on ﬁelding a competitive team that regularly makes the tournament.

When Dupree decided to leave the Bucks, his former coworkers gave him some advice.

“One of the things they told me is, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day, don’t get too ahead of yourself, just take your time,’ “ Dupree said. “In my head the last few days, (I thought) it’s not gonna happen overnight, but then I don’t think we’re too far to the type of basketball I think fans want to see.”

“I had no doubt that she was going to hit the ball and score us all in to win the game I had confidence in her, and I would have confidence in anyone else on the team, to know that they could do it.”

AVA BURKETT third baseman, on Lozano

plenty of power from Nicholls State signee Ava Burkett, a third baseman.

Burkett, who drew a walk before Lozano drove in the winning runs, ended the regular season with a .611 batting average, 22 home runs and 68 RBIs. She has struck out only four times.

“I had no doubt that she was going to hit the ball and score us all in to win the game,” Burkett said of Lozano. “I had confidence in her, and I would have conﬁdence in anyone else on the team, to know that they could do it.”

Perrier said Burkett, Lozano and sophomore ﬁrst baseman Gracie Bourgeois “have been coming up big for us all year in clutch situations” while batting in the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 spots in the lineup.

“It’s a lot of pressure going into that situation and having to do a job,” said Lozano, who never

AREA PLAYOFF GLANCE

looked to see where the ball went when she hit it. “I felt the ball hit my bad hard. I knew my friends were on base and they had a chance to run the bases.”

Destrehan has a lineup of two seniors and seven sophomores who have played beyond their years Five of those sophomores were starters as freshmen last season, giving them loads of experience. Those sophomores have an approach to softball that might be more on par with what could be expected from a group of older players, Perrier said.

“Just understanding how to deal with failure, because it is a game of failure,” Perrier said. “And dealing with success, too. Sometimes when you’re having success, you can get a little too comfortable.”

Burkett and catcher Alayna Vicknair are four-year varsity starters, each credited with steadying the team as the younger players gained experience.

“It’s just more about growing bonds with the girls and making sure they feel welcome and comfortable enough to ask questions to help them grow themselves as players,” Burkett said. “We have good team bonding and are open and honest with everyone. That makes it feel more like a family than a team.”

PROVIDED PHOTO

Parker Greene, left, and Wayne Kabrich of Mandeville stand for a photo after an LHSAA district tournament at Chateau Country Club in Kenner on Monday.

Destrehan sophomore Jolie Lozano is a leading player on the softball team.

and Michael B. Jordan.

Cast,crew of La.-shot

BY LESLIE CARDÉ

Contributing writer

Whenever amajor film productionshootsinLouisiana, it’sabonanza for local actors in front of thecameras, as well as technical folks behindthem. In “Sinners,”RyanCoogler (“Black Panther,” “Creed”) tells astory that takes place in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 1932, butuses New Orleans, Donaldsonville andBogalusatostand in for the Mississippi town. To thank all of the cast and crew,the filmmakers and distributorWarner Bros. hada special pre-screening of the movie on April 14 at AMC’sIMAXtheater in Elmwood, outsideNew Orleans. The house was packed with Louisiana actors, production designers, grips, camera operators and anyone elsewho had apart in the making of the film. “Sinners” is asupernatural action, horror and vampire thriller If that sounds like amouthful of different genres, it is. The film leans heavily on music, played bothbymusicians within the film, and as ablues score composedbymulti-Oscar and Grammy winner Ludwig Goransson, who won one of his Oscars just last year for scoring Best Picturewinner, “Oppenheimer.”

It’sbeen 50 years, but some people stilldon’t think it’ssafeto go back in the water

The blockbuster 1975 movie “Jaws,”about amonster great white shark that terrorizes aNew England beach town, marks ahalf-century this summer.yet for manypeople, the horrorfeels as recent as the last time they nervously stepped into the surf.

We’retaking alook at this cultural phenomenon, and we want to hear from you. For example, where were youwhen you first saw“Jaws”? Howmanytimes have youseen it since? Did it changeyour life, and if so how?

Whydoyou think “Jaws” has had such alasting effect on the public, including sequels, more attention to sharks and subsequent hits like “Shark Week” and “Sharknado”? Email us at holidays@ theadvocate.com.We’ll include some responses in astoryabout the

AEW’s Timeless Toni Storm stays in retro character at ringside.

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM AEW

STORM WARNING

‘Timeless’ Toni will bring diva personato wrestling at ‘AEW:Dynamite’ in NewOrleans

BY ALEX RAWLS | Contributing writer

hen professional wrestler “Timeless” Toni Storm makes her entrance atthe UNO LakefrontArenaonWednesday as thepopular show “AEW: Dynamite” broadcasts live, she’ll be in living color.Fans watching at home, however,will see her in black and white, because Timeless Toni presents herself —with thehelpofAEW’sproduction team —asadiva from Hollywood’sglamorousGolden Age.

Timeless Toni is theAll Elite Wrestling Women’sWorld Champion. Butshe doesn’tleave her personabehind when she goes backstage. She’sathrowback to wrestling’spast, in her retro ringattire, perhaps her bravado and her dedication to hercharacter

When New Zealand-bornToni Rossall faces the public, she stays in “kayfabe,” pro wrestlingjargon for the illusion at the heartofthe sport.She is Timeless Toni on screen, in the ring, and whenever she dealswith thepublic, including interviews.

Acapybara gets scratches from visitors at The Capybara Cafe in St Augustine, Fla.

PHOTO By ELI ADÉ

‘Sinners’ director Ryan Coogler sets up ashot with actors DelroyLindo, left,

Fortunecookies adelight

Dear Heloise: Iwent onlineto learn how to make fortune cookies (it’snot difﬁcult), and on a piece of paperthat was 3inches long and ahalf inch in width, Iwrote out fortunes such as: “Temptation is sometimes mistaken for opportunity,” or “Take amuch-needed vacation to asunny place.” Iplaced the fortune cookies in abasket on the table during dessert. It was abig success because so many “fortunes” hit home with my friends. —M.D., Bristol, Connecticut M.D., what aclever andoriginalidea! —Heloise Honestythe best policy

or designer bag,let him know make sure it ﬁtsinthe budget, and allow himanew ﬁshing reel or acomputer game that he wants. —Heloise Memorablepillows

It’s notabout theyacht!(Butitis)

Hints from Heloise

Dear Heloise: When my husband passed away,I took all hisWestern shirts andmade pillows for my great-grandkids. Ialso gave each one apicture of himwearingthe shirt when he washolding them through theyears. To this day,they still treasure these pillows and the memories with him.Each one of them got adifferent shirt and photo. —L.N., in Canby, Minnesota Voiceofthe people

Dear Miss Manners: Ihave been friends with someone for 12 years. We used to do everything together,and were even roommates for awhile. Then she met awealthy guy at the coast. Ihave met him ahandful of times, and he always seemsnice. They are now marriedand live on ayacht. My husband and Ispend mostofour summer vacations at the same coastal town wherethey live. They have invited many people to come and spend weekends with them on the boat; however,wehave never been invited. Not even when we areintown for aweek. Not for so much as aglass of wine.

Dear Heloise: WhenI’d get a bonus at work, sometimes I wouldn’ttell my husband.I ended up feeling guilty,somy hint is to come clean. Tell your spouse everythingand share thewealth My marriage is better for this Susan, in Fort Wayne, Indiana Susan, Icompletelyagree with your new M.O. Honesty is always the best policy.And don’tworry: If you’re longing for agreat new outﬁt, pedicure,

Dear Heloise: Whyare so many peopleangry andvocal these days?Itseemslikenoone is happy —R.T., in Darby, Montana R.T angry,vocal people make thenews, butthere aremany happy peopleinthe world. Make up your mindtobe one of them!

—Heloise

Send ahint to heloise@heloise. com.

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Tuesday,April 22, the 112th day of 2025. There are253 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On April 22, 1889, the Oklahoma Land Rush began at noon as thousands of homesteaders staked claims to nearly1.9 million acres of land that wasformerly part of Indian Territory By the end of the day,the cities of Oklahoma City and Guthrie were established with as many as 10,000 settlers each.

On this date: In 1954, the publicly televised sessions of the Senate ArmyMcCarthy hearings began In 1970, an estimated 20 million Americans participated in gatherings for the ﬁrstEarth Day,aseries of events proposed by Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin to promote environmentalprotections.

In 1994, Richard M. Nixon, the 37th president of the United States and the ﬁrst to resign from ofﬁce, died at aNew York hospitalfour days after having a stroke. He was 81. In 2000, in adramatic predawn

raid, armed immigration agents seized 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez, the Cuban boyatthe center of acustody dispute, from his relatives’ home in Miami. Elian was reunited with his father at Andrews Air Force Basenear Washington.

In 2005, Zacarias Moussaoui pleaded guilty in afederal courtroom outside Washington, D.C., to conspiringwith theSept. 11 hijackers to kill Americans. (Moussaouiwas sentenced to life in prison in May 2006.)

In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform,operated by BP, sank into the Gulf of Mexico two days after amassive explosion that killed 11 workers. Today’sbirthdays: Actor Jack Nicholson is 88. Singer Mel Carter is 86. Author Janet Evanovich is 82. Filmmaker JohnWaters is 79. Basketball Hall of Famer SpencerHaywood is 76. Singer Peter Frampton is 75. Actor-comedian Ryan Stiles is 66. Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan is 59. Actor Sheryl Lee is58. Actor-talk show host Sherri Shepherd is 58. Actor Eric Mabius is 54. Entrepreneur SamAltman is 40. Actor Amber Heard is 39.

RODENTS

Continued from page1D

Sinceopeningits doorsinOctober in downtown St. Augustine, near the Flagler College campus, hundreds of animal lovershave visited the site to give the capybaras head scratches.Reservations are booked severalmonths in advance by patrons likeLeah Macri, who recently visited the northeast Florida location from Orlando with her daughter “Their fur kind of feels like straw abit,” Macri said. After entering areception area with couches andanopenpen of baby chicks, visitors are escorted into asmaller room in groups of ahalf dozen or so people.Blankets are placedovertheir laps, and three capybaras are brought into the room. Other animals like askunk,wallaby and armadillo are also introduced into the room, and they crawl among the humans and intotheir laps.The cost is $49 per person for ahalfhour encounter,and $99 for an hour-long encounter that involves the other animals. Even though she had comefor the capybaras, Macri enjoyed holding the armadillothe most “He was the cuddly,likethe best. He was just the softest,” she said. “He was just very sweet.” The capybara —asemi-aquatic South American relative of the

guinea pig —isthe latest in along line of “it” animals toget thestar treatment in the United States. Duringlastyear’sholiday shopping season, shoppers could ﬁnd capybara slippers, purses, robes andbathbombs.Axolotls, owls, hedgehogs, foxes and sloths also hadrecent turns in thespotlight

The web-footed capybaras can growtomore than 4feet long and weighwell north of 100 pounds.

Several zoos andwildlife parks across the U.S. offer encounters with capybaras, but Angel said none of them providethe intimacy with the animalsthat visitors get atthe Capybara Cafe.

Angelsaidshe plans to open another capybara cafe across the state in St. Petersburg, Florida, soon. The St. Augustine location doesn’tsell coffee or hot food, like acafe impliedinits name, butitdoes sellcapybara-themed T-shirts, coffee mugs and stuffed animals.

The cafe was created to ﬁnancially support theHastings, Florida-based nonprofit Noah’sArk Sanctuary Inc ananimal refuge, Angel said.

Chris Cooper,who visitedthe CapybaraCafewithhis wife, was surprised at howrough and coarse thecapybaras’ hair was.

“And Iwasn’texpecting how affectionate they were,” said Cooper, who drove up 157 miles from WeekiWacheetosee the critters. “They enjoyed thehands-on rubs.”

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

They invite us to their children’sweddings (and there have been many), and we always show up with agiftinhand. They only invite us to events where we feelobligated to bring gifts; my friend never wants to get together and just catch up with each other Is it timetogive up and accept that we are no longer friends?

It’snot about the boat, it’sjust that Ifeel that something is off. Maybe her husband doesn’tlike us, but she would never tell me that.

STORM

Continuedfrom page1D

“I’m not aone-trick pony,” “Timeless” Toni boasted in arecent interview. “Not only do Ihaveincredible acting skills (and) an incredible look, butI’m also quitethe athlete. On the physical side, I’mafantastic ﬁghter,soI thought, ‘This is going to workperfectly.’”

Commitmentand imagination

That commitment andimagination have made Timeless Toni oneofthe most popularﬁgures in professional wrestling today.She combines top-notch work in the ring withabawdy,self-absorbed comic persona.

That approach was standard until 1999 when the World Wrestling Federation changed itsname to World Wrestling Entertainment andbegan referring to its programming as “sportsentertainment ” Until that point, wrestlersworkedhardtofuel the belief that the battle between good and evil at the core of every wrestlingmatch was real.

In 1984,whenABC News’ JohnStossel told then-WWF wrestler “Dr D” David Schultz that he thought wrestling was fake, Schultz slapped him in theface twice on camera, knocking him to the ground while asking him if that was fake.

Gentle reader: But you are stillfriends, or you would not be invited to family occasions. Pleasesave that common accusation about gift-grabbing forinvitationsfrompeople you hardly know The fact is that many friendships do change in intensity over the years. It could be that thehusband feels less compatiblewithyou and your husband. It couldbethat instead of hismaking an effort

wrestling feud,ﬁghting every night with Duggan defending America’s honor against the Iranian bad guy Their arrest together couldcausefanstolose faithintheir characters.

WHEN: 6:30 p.m Wednesday WHERE: UNO Lakefront Arena, 6801 Franklin Ave., NewOrleans INFO: (504) 2807171

In 1987, theWWF ﬁred The Iron Sheik and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan when the police pulled them over for drinking while driving and found drugs in thecar.The problem wasn’t the drinking or thedrugs, though. Iron Sheik and Duggan were in a

TICKETS: $20 and up

‘SINNERS’

Continuedfrom page1D

The ﬁlm begins with narration thatseems to foreshadow events to come, when we learn thatthe work of musicians can conjure up spirits of thepast and future and cross theline between the living and the dead.But it will be awhile before we see thispremise manifest itself on the screen. In fact,the entireﬁrst half of the movie is spent getting to know twins Smoke and Stack, played by Coogler’sregular collaborator,Michael B. Jordan, thestar(s)ofthis saga.

The twins are returning to their hometown after beingaway in Chicago for sevenyears, wherethey associated with Al Caponeand other mobsters. Now,loaded with cash, they are intent on opening ajuke jointthat very night. That meansbuying an old mill from a very questionable ﬁgure in town

That character,called Hogwood, is played convincingly by actor David Maldonado, raised in New Iberiaand nowaHouston resident. When he’s questioned about whatthe reaction might be to two Black menbuying abuilding in the 1932 Jim Crow South, his response is “The Klan don’texist no more.” Beef jerkyand tobacco

“Weshot thatscene in an abandoned sawmill in Bogalusa, which was hotter than hell in thesummertime,” Maldonado said. “The script hadmycharacter,thisgoodold boy named Hogwood, tobacco dipping during the scene. We tried beef jerky,which thecrewgave me, but it burned my throat.I switched to some dip thatI brought withme, Ispatwhile Iwas delivering my lines, and it all worked out

“I tried to make Hogwood realisticwithout becoming acaricature. When Isaw the ﬁnished ﬁlm,

to knowyou,theyhavejustnot thought of adding youtotheir joint circle. It could be that as youare alreadystaying in theirtown,they don’tthink of having youashouseguests on theyacht. Anditcould be anynumberofother reasons. Miss Manners suspects that you think it has to do with their money.Why? And in that case, whywould you think them eager to squeeze awedding present out of you?

It is not timetogive up; it is timetorealize that you are not as close as you once were —and could be again, someday Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.

been astandard, slightly pretentiousthreatcomingfromanother wrestler,but it served as awindow into Cameron since it didn’t line up withher win-loss record. She delivered it like aspunky little sister, and with so much belief in herself that the linecaught on with the fans.

“Whenpeople start yelling something back to you from the audience, you feel like you’ve found something,” Cameron said. “It was definitely oneofthose ‘Eureka!’ moments.”

Cameron admits that her character is adialed-up version of who she is out of the ring, but Timeless Toni Storm’s origin is less organic.

AEW president Tony Khan told Sports Illustrated he envisioned Storm as alarger-than-lifepersona, like Gloria Swanson in “Sunset Boulevard” or Bette Davis in “All About Eve.”

‘A definedcharacter’ Another AEW female wrestler,Harley Cameron, understands why Storm protects her character so ﬁercely “It’smoreimportant than anything,” said Cameron, whowill also be performing in New OrleansonWednesday. “What people resonate with and what stays with youisa deﬁnedcharacter.”

Cameron started in AEW in 2022, but in the last six months or so, she has become afan favorite despite losing more often than she wins. The change came when Cameron discovered her catchphrase, “Feel the wrath!” The line would have

Iwas really blown away

It’s unlike anythingI’ve ever seen,with theblending of so many genres. Lovestories, horrorand vampires?” Acrescendo midway through the film touches on music and spiritualityinthe Blackcommunity, he noted. “It was surreal!”

Thespirituality andintent of the ﬁlm wasn’tlost on actress Emonie Ellison of Hammond, who plays cotton-picker Cornbread’s wife, Therise. Both are luredaway from the ﬁeld to open the juke joint for theSmoke/Stack twins.

Theﬁlm’snotionofmusic being in tune with the occult and an instrument of the devil spoketoher as she contemplated the choices people make.

“I lovedthe play on the light and the darkness,” Ellisonsaid. “Sammy,the preacher’sson, had the choice and the opportunity not to stray from the fold, and his dadtold him he wasplaying with ﬁre, and eventually it would follow himhome. Sometimeswe choose darknessinstead of light, even after weighing the consequences. Idon’t know what theintent of the writer (Coogler) ultimately was,but Ithought his film had apowerful message. Eventhe devil knows Scripture.”

Violence,loveand vampires

“That is Timeless Toni Storm,” Khan said. “She’sthat starlet, with thatpresence— backstage,inthe ring, outofthe ring —ofone of those rare old Hollywood stars.” Shoes flying

Storm brought that vision to lifeand made it herown, giving Timeless Toni an earthy sense of humor.She advised adversaries, backstage interviewers andfans, “Chin up, tits out, andwatch for the shoe,” which was often followed moments later by athrown shoe.

When asked if that was still her best advice considering the drama of herlastyear in thecompany, she said it was “Ithas served me well, and if I’mnot mistaken it has served the public quitewell,”Timeless Toni said. “People are inspired. The public areenthralled.Theycan’t get enough of it.They can’tget enough of chins, and they can’tget enough of tits.”

New Orleans actor Justin Davis gave theﬁlm a10out of 10.Playing character Jeff, whoends up in aturbulent scene at the new speakeasy,the upshot is his violent removal from the club.

“I loved the film. It seemed to

seamlessly encompass just abouteverything, Davis said. “Violence, love, vampires, Klansmen, and even Choctaw Indians.”

The movie, which takes placeoverone dayin Clarksdale, begins to go south shortly after the juke joint opens.

Thefirst person at the bar that night to order a drink is Patterson, played by prolific New Orleans actor Gralen Banks. When Patterson tries to pay for his bourbon with plantation money,aruckus ensues. It’sthe beginning of muchmore violence to come. Although many Louisianaactorswho hadroles in this film sawonly their own portionofthe complete script, Banks did the table read with the whole script, so he was aware of the impending vampires. On the otherhand, New Orleans actor Sam Malone, whose character has the distinctionofbeing shot in the butt by Smoke, was surprised by the all-out vampiric siege in the film’s second half Alongside Jordan, stars Hailee Steinfeld (Stack’s love interest) and harmonica-playing Delroy Lindo round outthe cast, with an impressive acting debut by young Miles Caton, who really knows how to sing the blues. Who will survive the assault of the vampires, and who will become one? To find out requires viewing the film,which is screening in theaters nationwide.

Contact Leslie Cardé at leslie cardejournalist@gmail.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MIKE SCHNEIDER

Stephanie Angel, left, shows off anarmadillo to visitors atThe Capybara Cafe in St. Augustine, Fla.

PROVIDED PHOTOFROMAEW

HarleyCameron poses pre-match on ‘AEW Dynamite.’

‘AEW: DYNAMITE’ AND ‘AEW: COLLISION’ TAPING

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Keep moving. Idle time is your enemy today. Too much time to think, complain or get into trouble will prevent you from taking care of business. A physical change will boost your confidence.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Broaden your horizons, participate in thought-provoking events and get in touch with people who can offer experience and hands-on help. However, find out what's expected of you before you embark on a project.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Zero in on what's important to you instead of lurking around the outer perimeters of situations. Speak openly from the heart and directly to those most likely to tell the truth.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Finish what you start, do things by the book and take responsibility for yourself, your words and your actions. Arguing will waste time and deter you from reaching your objective or destination.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) You are overdue for a change. Look at yourself, what you do and the goals you want to achieve A positive attitude will outweigh negativity and anger.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Take a break. Get out and mingle, network or participate in something that motivates or stimulates you to give your all. Now is the time to express yourself with confidence, not to hesitate.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Accept change and keep moving forward. How you

deal with what's happening around you will determine how others perceive you and your influence on your goals.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Social events will result in heartfelt discussions that give you something to think about. Be careful about what you agree to do. A project will require time and effort.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Take care of financial matters, apply for a position that interests you and manage your health care with finesse. Don't leave anything to chance or up to someone else.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Look at the long-term effects and pace yourself accordingly. Refuse to let someone drag you into their drama when you are best off working on benefits you most.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Make changes that improve your lifestyle and health. Discipline and saying no to temptation is essential Micromanagement, along with common sense, will help stabilize your life.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Take advantage of an opportunity to discuss your interests and how to use your skills to market yourself effectively. Think outside the box, and you'll discover how to diversify and update your skills.

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

cLuE: y EQuALs A

FAMILY CIrCUS

toDAy's

CeLebrItY CIpher

better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers1 to 9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the sudoku increases from monday to sunday.

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

Jim Rohn, an entrepreneur and motivational speaker who died in 2009, said, “Ifyou don’t design your ownlifeplan, chancesareyou’llfallintosomeoneelse’s plan. And guess what they have planned foryou? Notmuch.”

If you don’t design your owndeclarerplay plan, chances are you’ll fallinto the defenders’ plan. And guesswhat they have in store foryou? Down one.

In this deal, how shouldSouth play in four spades afterWest leads the diamond jack?

South was sorelytempted to rebid three no-trump, wondering if his side could take ninetricks in either no-trump or spades. But here that wouldnot have worked well. East would have led the club queen, and the defenderswould have taken four clubs and one heart for down one.

Southstartswith four potential losers: one heart, one diamondand twoclubs He has nine winners: six spades,one heart and two diamonds. Where might the 10thtrick comefrom?

He can get an extra trick if West has the heart ace or East has the club ace.

Declarermusttakethefirsttrickinhis hand with theace, retaining dummy’s kingasalaterentry.Hedrawsoneround oftrumps,thenplaysahearttodummy’s queen. If East couldtake the trickwith theace, South wouldneed East also to hold the club ace; otherwise, declarer wouldbecondemned to downone. Here, though, the queen holds.South then drawstrumps and leads hissecond heart, establishinghis 10th trick. Plan the play at trick one. ©2025 by nEa,inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

Each Wuzzle is awordriddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3 additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed toDAy’s WoRD cHEcKERED: CHEK-erd: Marked by alternating squaresof different colors, shades or materials

Average mark20words Time limit 35 minutes Can you find 26 or morewords in CHECKERED?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —MyRIADs

maid myriad yard raid airy amid amir arid arms army dairy dais daisy diary disarm dismay dram dray said sari

wuzzles

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard fillmore

dIrectIons: make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer ken ken

InstructIons: 1 Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 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 with the number in the top-left corner. HErE is a

Scrabble GramS

Get fuzzy

jump Start

roSe

DuStin

Drabble Wallace the brave

breWSter rockit

luann

LA 70721, Phone: (225) 319-4689. BIDS SHALLBEACCEPTED ONLY FROM CONTRAC‐TORS THAT ATTEND THE ENTIRE MANDATORYPREBIDCONFERENCE. ANYPERSONREQUIRING SPECIALACCOMMODA‐TIONSSHALL