With Festival International opening today, here is a guide for first-timers and locals alike
BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer
Downtown Lafayette is coming alive for the five-day cultural celebration known as Festival International de Louisiane.
The 39th annual Festival International will take place Wednesday through Sunday in Lafayette, where festivalgoers can experience local and global cuisines, listen to bands from near and far, and purchase art, clothing and festival souvenirs from hundreds of vendors coming to downtown Lafayette
Here is all you need to know to make navigating Festival just a little easier — from parking and festival etiquette, to Festival International’s mobile app and cashless wristband system.
Wristband and payments system
Official Festival International vendors, including food and drink stations, conduct transactions via RFID cashless wristbands. This means that you cannot pay with cash, or credit or debit cards, at these stations. Nonofficial vendors do accept other forms of payment, such as the craft booths, or the food trucks that park near festival stages. RFID wristbands can be used to purchase official Festival International merch. Patrons can pick up their RFID wristband before Festival, they can reuse their 2024 wristband, or snag one at the event at the RFID tents set up around the Festival International grounds. Once the wristband is secured, users can register their payment information with a debit or credit card online or on-site, secure
Pope’s funeral set for Saturday
Francis thankful he made Easter greeting, Vatican News reports
BY NICOLE WINFIELD and COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press
VATICAN CITY Pope Francis was thankful that he was able to greet throngs of people in St Peter’s Square on Easter, a day before he died, though he initially had some doubts given his poor health, Vatican News reported Tuesday
The Argentine pontiff, who had been recovering after being hospitalized for five weeks with pneumonia died Monday at age 88. He made his last public appearance Sunday, delivering a blessing and looping around Vatican City’s famous square in his popemobile. Francis initially had doubts about the ride, Vatican News reported “Do you think I can manage it?” the pope asked Massimiliano Strappetti, his personal health care assistant, according to the news agency The pope was reassured, and he stopped to reach out to people, es-
INSIDE
ä Pope Francis converted to environmental cause. Page 5A
ä Unlike his predecessor, Francis believed papacy was for life. Page 5A
pecially children, as he was driven through the crowd of 50,000 — the first time since his release from the hospital that he had mixed with the faithful at large. Afterward, Francis told Strappetti, “Thank you for bringing me back to the square,”
ä See POPE, page 4A
Bill would tie school funding to attendance
Critics warn it could unfairly penalize financially strapped school systems
BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer
As Louisiana continues to grapple with high rates of student absenteeism, a lawmaker wants to push districts to tackle the issue by tying funding to student attendance so that schools with low attendance rates would get less money
Currently, public school districts receive funding based on how many students they serve and those students’ needs. House Bill 185 by Rep. Barbara Freiberg, R-Baton Rouge, would instead give schools money based on attendance data that districts collect daily
Proponents argue the proposal, which is loosely modeled on policies in other states, will encourage districts to do more to reduce the growing number of students who miss too much school. But critics warn it could unfairly penalize financially strapped school systems and make it more difficult to address the root causes of absenteeism, which experts say often stem from issues outside of school.
Nearly one in four Louisiana students was chronically absent last year, according to state data. The absenteeism rate, defined as students who miss 10% or more of a school year, grew three percentage points from 2023 even as most states saw their rates decline.
“The goal is to get districts more involved in making sure that students are there daily,” Freiberg said. The bill “is one piece that might be helpful in trying to stem the great numbers” of students who are chronically absent.
Six states — California, Kentucky, Idaho, Mississippi and Texas — use average daily attendance
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By FRANCISCO SECO Pilgrims arrive in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Tuesday.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Alabama inmate wants his execution to happen
MONTGOMERY, Ala. A man on Alabama’s death row wants his execution to go forward this week, saying he believes in an “eye for an eye.”
“The reason I dropped my appeals is I am guilty of murder,” James Osgood told The Associated Press in an telephone interview from prison. “I’m a firm believer in, like I said in court, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I took a life so mine was forfeited. I don’t believe in sitting here and wasting everybody’s time and everybody’s money.”
Osgood, 55 is scheduled to receive a lethal injection Thursday at his south Alabama prison.
He’s one of only a small number of inmates on U.S. death rows to abandon their legal challenges. He also said he doesn’t want opponents of the death penalty protesting under his name.
Osgood was condemned to die for the 2010 killing of Tracy Lynn Brown in Chilton County Prosecutors said Osgood cut her throat after he and his girlfriend sexually assaulted her Osgood told the AP that he wants to apologize — to Brown’s family, and to his own — but he realizes the words are inadequate.
“I would like to say to the victim’s family, I apologize,” Osgood said. “I’m not going to ask their forgiveness because I know they can’t give it.” Brown was found dead in her home Oct. 23, 2010, after her employer became concerned when she did not show up for work. She had been stabbed and her throat was cut, prosecutors said.
After Osgood was convicted in 2014 and sentenced to death an appeals court threw out the sentence, ruling that a judge gave improper instructions to jurors. But as a new sentencing hearing began, Osgood asked for another death sentence.
Judges accept charges against Bolsonaro allies
SAO PAULO A panel of Brazil’s Supreme Court justices unanimously accepted criminal charges Tuesday against six more key allies of former President Jair Bolsonaro over an alleged coup plot to keep him in office after his 2022 election defeat.
Last month, the panel unanimously accepted charges against Bolsonaro and seven close allies over the alleged coup plot following his loss to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and ordered the former right wing leader to stand trial.
When Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet accused Bolsonaro and 33 others of attempting a coup, he divided them into five different groups based on their roles and positions in the alleged plot. Bolsonaro and his closest allies, including running mate Gen. Braga Netto, were placed in the “core group,” according to the charges. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court panel reviewed charges against the second group, which Gonet said held managerial roles.
The second group includes former presidential foreign affairs adviser Filipe Martins, retired Gen. Mario Fernandes, former Federal Highway Police director Silvinei Vasques, former presidential aide Col. Marcelo Câmara and two federal police officers, Fernando Oliveira and Marilia Alencar Bolsonaro and his allies have repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
The former president says he’s being politically persecuted
Israeli airstrikes kill 17 in Gaza
BY WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 17 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and destroyed bulldozers and other heavy equipment that had been supplied by mediators to clear rubble.
Also on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump spoke by phone, two weeks after the two met in Washington. Trump wrote on his social networking site Truth Social that the two spoke about trade and Iran, among other issues “The call went very well — We are on the same side of every issue,” he wrote. Netanyahu’s office did not have an immediate comment, but his hastily-arranged visit to Washington was not deemed a rousing success after he appeared to fail to secure the support he wanted from Trump on issues such as stopping Iran from developing nu-
clear weapons, reducing Trump’s tariffs, the influence of Turkey and the war in Gaza.
Israel’s 18-month offensive against Hamas has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, raising fears that much of it may never be rebuilt. The territory already had a shortage of heavy equipment, which is also needed to rescue people from the rubble after Israeli strikes and to clear vital roads.
The Israeli military said it struck and destroyed around 40 pieces of heavy machinery Israel said Hamas used the vehicles, including bulldozers, for planting explosives, digging tunnels, and breaching fences, including during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
A municipality in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza said a strike on its parking garage destroyed nine bulldozers provided by Egypt and Qatar, which helped broker the ceasefire that took hold in January Israel ended the truce last month, renewing its bombardment and ground operations and
sealing the territory’s 2 million Palestinians off from all imports, including food, fuel and medical supplies.
The strikes also destroyed a water tanker and a mobile generator provided by aid groups, and a truck used to pump sewage, the Jabaliya al-Nazla municipality said.
An Israeli airstrike early Tuesday destroyed a multistory home in the southern city of Khan Younis, killing nine people, including four women and four children, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. The dead included a 2-year-old girl and her parents.
“They were asleep, sleeping in God’s peace. They had nothing to do with anything,” said Awad Dahliz, the slain girl’s grandfather “What is the fault of this innocent child?”
Also on Tuesday, a strike in the built-up Jabaliya refugee camp killed three children and their parents, and a strike in Nuseirat killed a man and two children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry’s emergency service and local hospitals.
Russia continues battering Ukraine
BY ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine Russian drones battered the Ukrainian port city of Odesa and glide bombs hit Zaporizhzhia, local authorities said Tuesday, as the Kremlin again warned that negotiators are unlikely to obtain a swift breakthrough in peace talks on the war Ukrainian, British, French and U.S officials are due to meet in London on Wednesday to discuss the war Anticipation is building over whether diplomatic efforts can stop more than three years of fighting since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor Hostility has run deep since Russia invaded and illegally annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, U.S.
President Donald Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia, will represent Washington in peace discussions with Ukrainian and European officials this week in London, the U.S. State Department said Tuesday. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio won’t attend because of a scheduling issue, according to a spokesperson.
Trump said last week that negotiations were “coming to a head,” and insisted that neither side is “playing” him in his push to end the war That came after Rubio suggested that the U.S. might soon back away from negotiations if they don’t progress.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cautioned that “the settlement issue is so complex that it would be wrong to put some tight limits to it and try to set some short time frame for a settlement, a viable settlement — it would be a thankless task.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Ukraine’s delegation heading to the U.K. has a mandate to discuss only an unconditional or partial ceasefire with Russia.
Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine will never recognize the occupation of Crimea or other territories, saying such concessions are incompatible with the country’s constitution. “There is nothing to talk about — it is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people,” he said.
Odesa came under a “massive attack” by Russian drones overnight, wounding at least three people, the head of the regional administration, Oleh Kiper, wrote on his Telegram page. A residential building in a densely populated urban area, civilian infrastructure and an educational facility were hit, he said.
Later Tuesday, Russia hit the southern city of Zaporizhzhia with two aerial glide bombs a retrofitted Soviet weapon that for months has been used to lay waste to eastern Ukraine.
The attack killed a 69-year-old woman and wounded 24 people, including four children, according to regional governor Ivan Fedorov
Student detained in La. denied release to see child
BY SUSAN HAIGH and JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press
NEW YORK Federal immigration authorities denied Mahmoud Khalil’s request for a temporary release from detention to attend the birth of his first child, who was born Monday in New York, according to emails shared with The Associated Press.
Khalil, a Columbia University activist who has been held in a detention center in Jena, Louisiana, for six weeks, requested a two-week furlough on Sunday morning, noting that his wife, Dr Noor Abdalla, had gone into labor eight days earlier than expected. His lawyers said he would be “open to any combination of conditions” to al-
low the release, including wearing an ankle monitor and attending regularly scheduled check-ins with immigration authorities.
Around 30 minutes later, Mellissa B. Harper, the New Orleans Field Office Director for U.S. Immigrations and Customs, wrote back: “After consideration of the submitted information and a review of your client’s case, your request for furlough is denied.” Abdalla said she had to give birth to a baby boy on Monday in New York without her husband by her side, which she called “a purposeful decision by ICE to make me, Mahmoud, and our son suffer.”
“ICE and the Trump administration have stolen these precious moments from our family in an attempt to si-
lence Mahmoud’s support for Palestinian freedom,” she added.
Khalil is a legal permanent U.S. resident and graduate student who served as spokesperson for campus activists last year during large demonstrations at Columbia against Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and the war in Gaza.
He was detained by federal agents in Manhattan on March 8. The Trump administration has not accused Khalil of criminal conduct, but has argued he should be expelled from the country for his beliefs.
An immigration judge in Louisiana ruled earlier this month that the government’s assertion that Khalil’s presence in the U.S. posed “potentially serious foreign policy consequences” satisfied requirements for deportation.
The Israeli military did not have immediate comment on the strikes, but has accused Hamas of using civilian infrastructure for militant purposes. The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 people hostage. They are still holding 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.
Hamas has said it will only free the remaining hostages in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceasefire. Israel has said it will keep fighting until the hostages are returned and Hamas has been either destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile.
An Israeli drone strike southeast of Beirut killed Hussein Atwi, a member of the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a regionwide Sunni Islamist political movement. The group said he was leaving for work when the drone struck.
Hegseth
BY TARA COPP Associated Press
WASHINGTON Defense
Secretary Pete Hegseth is defending himself against a second assertion that he shared classified material through an unapproved and unsecured network this time taking airstrike information from a military communications channel and sharing it in a chat.
Hegseth pulled the information he posted in the Signal chat from a secure communications channel used by U.S. Central Command. NBC News first reported that the launch times and bomb drop times of U.S. warplanes about to strike Houthi targets in Yemen — details multiple officials have said are highly classified — came from the secure channel.
A person familiar with the chat confirmed that to The Associated Press. The information was identical to the sensitive details of the Yemen operations shared in the first Signal chat, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal for speaking to the
press. That initial leaked chat included President Donald Trump’s top national security officials. It accidentally included the editor of The Atlantic and has caused an investigation by the inspector general in the Defense Department.
Hegseth has not directly acknowledged that he set up the second chat, which had more than a dozen people on it, including his wife, his lawyer and his brother Instead, the secretary blamed the disclosure of the second Signal chat on leaks from disgruntled former staff.
Hegseth has aggressively denied that the information he posted was classified. Signal is a commercially available app that not authorized to carry classified information.
“I said repeatedly, nobody is texting war plans,” Hegseth told Fox News on Tuesday “I look at war plans every day What was shared over Signal then and now, however you characterize it, was informal, unclassified coordinations, for media coordinations and other things.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KATERyNA KLOCHKO Rescue workers inspect a multi-story building damaged by a Russian strike on a residential neighborhood Tuesday in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
their wristband with apersonal code, and purchase official Festival merch, foodand beverages. Wristbands can also be picked up before the start of Festival at ParishInk Downtown.
There is also the option to load your RFID wristband with cash at the Festival RFID tents. If you need to be refunded any unspent cash at theclose of Festival, patrons can fill out the cash refund forms on the Festival International website within 30 days after the event. Cash refund requests will be refunded directlytothe user’s bank account.
Plan to bring and use multiple forms of payment to getthe most out of the unique goods,drinks andfood offered at Festival International. Many downtownrestaurants offer Festival specials,and they do not use the RFID system.
Gettingaround
Parking downtown can be difficult during Festival, so festival shuttles are provided, running from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Health Science Campus parking garages located at 601 West St.Mary Boulevard and 411 St. LandrySt. to downtown Lafayette. Shuttle service is every15minutes. Parking is $15. Credit and debits cards are accepted only,no cash. Check outthe shuttleschedule at festivalinternational.org/ shuttle. Or take advantage of thefree bike corral, located in the Lafayette Public Library Parking lot, near the Federal Courthouse on Lafayette Street.
Themobileapp
Festival International is spread across seven stages that span the full breadth of downtown Lafay-
ette —and there’ssomething different happening at each one, for four daysstraight. The mobile app makes it easier to navigate and see what’shappening where.
Theapp showsthe user’s RFID wristband account, alongwith maps and schedules for art vendors, bands and food and beverage sources. The app will alsoshow weather updates, in the event that some artists are delayed or canceled duetosevere weather
The 2025 Festival International de Louisiane mobile app is availablefor download on Android and
iPhones.
Accessibility information
Handicapped-accessible restrooms andviewing areasare available at multiple stages. Some of the accessible restrooms are located on Vermillion Street, Buchanan Street near theart market andLee Street near thevolunteer center.The viewingareas include theFais Do Do stage near theMcDonald’spin booth on Lee Street, and the Scene LUSstage near the First Horizon tent on Congress Street
See more information about getting around during Festivalby checking the mobile app’sfestival map for more accessibility locations.
What else to know Festival International is adogand pet-free zone. It is difficult, and unadvised, to bring fourlegged friends to this jam-packed outdoor event —soleave Fido at home,and enjoy the sights and sounds of Festival without worry Festivalgoersare notpermitted to bring icechests or tents, but
wagons, chairs, umbrellas and blankets are fine. Be aware of tight spaces at manyofthe stages, and never leave your itemsbehind. Stay hydrated, and stay in shade. South Louisiana weather in late April is variable, but even in comfortable temperatures, the effects of dancing outdoors all day can be unpleasant if you aren’tprepared. Emergency services are on hand to attendtomedical emergencies during Festival International.
ratestodetermine school funding, said Hedy Chang, executive director of Attendance Works, anational nonprofit thataimstoimprove student attendance
Another 24 states provide fundingbased on “average daily membership,” which some define as the number of studentsenrolled on the count date, plus those in attendance in the 10 days prior Louisiana law requires districts to submit student enrollment data to the state every February and October.Those numbers go into the state’sschool-funding formula.
The proposed bill would require the stateboardof education to develop asystem that uses average daily attendance numbers as the base to determine each school or district’sfunding. The legislation defines average daily attendance as the “aggregate days of student attendanceduring the school year divided by the number of days that school is in session.”
Freiberg’sbill is supported by Ronnie Morris, president of the state board of education, which develops the funding formula. His district includes East BatonRouge
therest of the school day
Attendance-based funding tends to disproportionately reducefunding to districts thatserve studentswith greater needs, she added. Students from low-income households are more likely to face healthissues, unstable housing, transportation challenges and other obstacles that can make it harder to attend school.
Giving schools withlow attendance rates less money isn’t goingtoremovethe barriers that many economically disadvantaged families face, said Elizabeth Ostberg, principal andfounderofThe NET Charter High School in New Orleans.
needs,” she said. “ButI would also saythat they are thedistricts that need this kind of attention more than any.”
Some states have tried to mitigate disparitiescaused by attendance-based funding.
Parish, whereroughly33% of students were chronically absentlast year In astatement, Morris called theproposal “a step in the right direction.
However,Changemphasized that while suchpolicies can motivateschools to improve attendance, they may also incentivize them to fudge their attendance numbers.
When districts are funded based on attendance, “they may opt for alowerthreshold,” Chang said. For example,theymay count students who attend asingle period as “present,” even if they miss
“You’removingjobs, you’re moving (housing), you can’tfixyour car when it breaksdown,” shesaid “There are amillion reasons why it’sharder for someone withalower incometoget their child to school every day.”
Public schools are already incentivizedtohelp students show up because they’re rated based on student test scores, which tend to decline when students are frequently absent, Ostbergadded.
Freibergsaid her bill is “a work in progress” and likely to be revised, adding that she’sopen to hearing from districts that couldbemost impacted by the change.
“I would notwanttopunisha districtthathas high
teeism
Freiberg said the ultimate aim of her bill is to spark a conversation about absen-
In California, districts receive abase amount for every student based on average daily attendance. But they also get extra money forlow-income students, English learners and foster children to account forthe extra support those students might need.
“Ifyou’re not in school, you can’tlearn,” she said. Schools will have abetter grasp of the issue “if they really delve into why each student isn’tinattendance.” Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate. com.
STAFFFILE PHOTOByBRAD BOWIE
Vatican News said.
The pope showed the first signs of illness around 5:30 a.m. the next day and fell into a coma an hour later, Vatican News reported His Easter appearance from the same loggia where he was introduced to the world as the first pope from the Americas on March 13, 2013, was a fitting bookend to a 12-year papacy that sought to shake up the church and return it to its Gospel-mandated mission of caring for the poorest.
Francis’ funeral will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square, celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. U.S.
President Donald Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump plan to attend, and Argentine President Javier Milei is also expected He will lie in state starting Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff.
According to current norms, the conclave to choose Francis’ successor must begin between May 5 and 10.
“He truly gave everything he had, up to the end,” said Sister Nathalie Becquart, one of the highest-ranking women at the Vatican.
While the ordinary faithful will have an opportunity to pay their respects beginning Wednesday, Vatican officials were allowed to say their goodbyes starting Monday evening. Speaking to reporters after she paid her respects, Becquart marveled at Francis’ final Easter salute to his flock. “He really walked with his people,” she said Italian Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi said it was specifically Francis’ effort to promote the role of women in the church that will be one of his greatest legacies. Ravasi noted that Francis chose to be buried near his favorite icon of the Madonna, in a basilica across town, and not in the grottoes underneath St. Peter’s, as is typical for popes.
“He wanted to be buried under the shadow of a woman, in this case Maria,” said Ravasi, the Vatican’s former culture minister, as he arrived for Tuesday’s first meeting of cardinals charting the next steps. “That is significant, his desire for the church to do more for women.”
The first images of Francis’ body were released Tuesday, showing him in red vestments and his bishop’s miter in a wooden casket, with the Vatican secretary of state praying over him in the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta hotel where he lived and died.
In his final will, Francis said he wanted to be buried at St. Mary Major Basilica, which is home to the Salus Populi Romani icon of Mary Before and after every foreign trip, Francis would go to the basilica to pray before the Byzantine-style painting that features an image of Mary draped in a blue robe,
holding the infant Jesus, who in turn holds a jeweled golden book.
Francis stopped by the basilica on his way home from the Gemelli hospital on March 23, after his 38day stay, to deliver flowers to be placed before the icon. He returned April 12 to pray before it one last time.
Bells tolled in chapels, churches and cathedrals around the world and flags flew at half-staff in Italy, India, Taiwan and the U.S. after Francis’ death was announced by the camerlengo, who takes charge of the Vatican after a pope’s death.
Soccer matches in Italy and Argentina were suspended in honor of the pope who was a lifelong fan of the San Lorenzo soccer club World leaders praised Francis for his moral leadership and compassion, while ordinary faithful remembered his simplicity and humanity
“Like every Argentine, I think he was a rebel,” said 23-year-old Catalina Favaro, who had come to pay her respects in the Buenos Aires church where Francis discovered his priestly vocation “He may have been contradictory but that was nice, too.”
In East Timor, where Francis’ final outdoor Mass drew nearly half of the population last September President Jose Ramos-Horta praised Francis’ courage “Pope Francis was a brave man who was not afraid to speak out against the rulers of the world who seek war, but do not want to seek peace,” Ramos-Horta said.
“He challenged the powerful to act with justice, called nations to welcome the stranger, and reminded us that our common home — this Earth — is a gift we must protect for future generations,” said Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.
The pope’s formal apartments in the Apostolic Palace and in the Santa Marta hotel were sealed Monday evening, following a centuries-old ritual. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who as camerlengo had the task of announcing the death and
confirming it once the cause was determined, presided over the rituals.
Francis chose not to live in the palace, but in a two-room suite in Santa Marta on the other side of Vatican City He died there and his body was transferred to the hotel chapel in the lobby, where the private viewing was underway Tuesday for Vatican officials and members of the pontifical household.
In changes made by Francis last year, his body was not placed in three wooden coffins, as it had been for previous popes. Rather, Francis was placed in a simplified wooden coffin with a zinc coffin inside.
Once in St. Peter’s, his casket will not be put on an elevated bier — as was the case with past popes — but will just be placed simply facing the pews, with the Paschal candle nearby
“He was a pope who didn’t change his path when it came to getting (his hands) dirty,” Francis’ vicar for Rome, Cardinal Baldassarre Reina, said in a Mass in his honor “For him, poor people and migrants were the sacrament of Jesus.”
After the funeral, there are nine days of official mourning, known as the “novendiali.” During this period, cardinals arrive in Rome and meet privately before the conclave.
To give everyone time to assemble, the conclave must begin 15 to 20 days after the “sede vacante” — the “vacant See” is declared although it can start sooner if the cardinals agree.
Once the conclave begins, cardinals vote in secret sessions in the Sistine Chapel. After voting sessions, the ballots are burned in a special stove. Black smoke indicates that no pope has been elected, while white smoke indicates that the cardinals have chosen the next head of the Catholic Church.
The one who has secured two-thirds of the votes wins.
If he accepts, his election is announced by a cardinal from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica who tells the world: “Habemus Papam” — Latin for “We have a pope.”
Pope Francis converted to environmental cause
BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
VATICAN CITY Few moments in Pope Francis’ papacy better exemplify his understanding of climate change and the need to address it than the rain-soaked Mass he celebrated in Tacloban, Philippines, in 2015.
Wearing one of the cheap plastic yellow ponchos that were handed out to the faithful, Francis experienced firsthand the type of freak, extreme storms that scientists blame on global warming and are increasingly striking vulnerable, low-lying islands.
He had traveled to Tacloban, on the island of Leyte, to comfort survivors of one of the strongest recorded tropical cyclones, Typhoon Haiyan. The 2013 storm killed more than 7,300 people, flattened villages and displaced about 5 million residents.
But with another storm approaching Tacloban two years later, Francis had to cut short his visit to get off the island.
“So many of you have lost everything. I don’t know what to tell you,” Francis told the crowd in Tacloban’s muddy airport field as the wind nearly toppled candlesticks on the altar Francis, who died Monday at 88, was moved to silence that day by the survivors’ pain and the devastation he saw But he would channel it a few months later when he published his landmark encyclical, “Praised Be,”
which cast care for the planet as an urgent and existential moral concern The document, written to inspire global negotiators at the 2015 Paris climate talks, accused the “structurally perverse,” profit-driven economy of the global north of ravaging Earth and turning it into a “pile of filth.” The poor, Indigenous peoples and islanders like those in Tacloban suffered the most, he argued, bearing the brunt of increasing droughts, extreme storms, deforestation and pollution. It was the first ecological encyclical, and it affirmed the Argentine Jesuit, who in his youth studied to be a chemist, as an authoritative voice in the environmental movement. Later cited by presidents and scientists, the document inspired a global faith-based coalition to try to save God’s creation before it was too late.
“I think he understood from the beginning that there are three relationships that had to be regenerated: our relationship with God, our relationship with the created world and our relationship with our fellow creatures,” said papal biographer Austen Ivereigh It wasn’t always so. Francis had a steep learning curve on the environment just as he did with clergy sexual abuse, which he initially dismissed as overblown. He himself pointed to a 2007 meeting of Latin American and Caribbean bishops in Aparecida, Brazil, as the moment of his ecological awakening. There, the then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio had been elected to draft the conference’s final document, and was under pressure to
could and should respond to the plight of the Amazon and its impoverished people.
“I think the pope’s most important contribution was to insist on the ethical aspect of the debate about climate justice,” said Giuseppe Onofrio, head of Greenpeace Italy, “that the poor were those who contributed the least to pollution and the climate crisis, but were paying the highest price.”
Some of Francis’ strongest calls to protect the environment would come on or around Earth Day, celebrated April 22.
include calls from Brazilian bishops to highlight the plight of the Amazon.
Bergoglio, the dour-faced archbishop of urbane Buenos Aires, didn’t get what all the fuss was about.
“At first I was a bit annoyed,” Francis wrote in the 2020 book “Let Us Dream.” “It struck me as excessive.” By the end of the meeting, Bergoglio was converted and convinced.
The final Aparecida document devoted several sections to the environment: It denounced multinational extraction companies that plundered the region’s resources at the expense of the poor It warned of melting glaciers and the effects of lost biodiversity It cast the ravaging of the planet as an assault on God’s divine plan that violated the biblical imperative to “cultivate and care” for creation.
Those same issues would later find prominence in “Praised Be,” which took its name from the repeated first line of the “Canticle of the Creatures,” one of the best-known poetic songs of the pontiff’s nature-loving
Unlike Benedict XVI, Francis saw his duty as the pope to be for life
BY NICOLE WINFIELD and VANESSA GERA Associated Press
VATICAN CITY Pope Benedict XVI stunned the world when he announced his resignation in 2013, the first in 600 years. That led some to wonder if, as he grew increasingly frail and sick, Pope Francis would follow that precedent.
While Francis kept open the possibility, and even had a resignation letter prepared, he said more recently that he believed that the papacy was for life. And he ultimately lived out that belief, serving in his ministry until his death on Monday, at the age of 88.
Benedict, even before his resignation, had argued that a pontiff should step aside if he got too old or infirm to do the role. It was nonetheless a shock when he announced in Latin that his “strength of mind and body” had diminished and that he couldn’t carry on. His dramatic exit paved
the way for Francis’ election and created the unprecedented arrangement of two popes living side-by-side, with Benedict in a converted monastery in the Vatican gardens until his death Dec. 31, 2022.
In his 2024 memoir, “Life: My Story Through History,” Francis recounted how, when he was still the archbishop of Buenos Aires, he thought he had misunderstood the news when he first learned about Benedict’s resignation.
“For a moment I was paralyzed. I could hardly believe what I was hearing,” Francis wrote. “This was news I had never expected to receive in my lifetime: the resignation of a pope was unimaginable, although it was provided for in canon law.”
But he said he realized that Benedict would have meditated and prayed for a long time before coming to that “brave and historic decision.”
During the decade they lived together in the Vatican as a reigning and “emeritus
pope,” Francis repeatedly praised Benedict’s courage and humility for resigning and said that he had “opened the door” to future popes also stepping down.
But after Benedict died, Francis’ changed course. While confirming he had a resignation letter prepared in case he became medically incapacitated, he pointed to the risks that papal resignations might become a “fashion” or the norm.
“Benedict had the courage to do it because he didn’t feel like going on because of his health. I, for the moment, do not have that on my agenda,” he said, according to closeddoor comments with the Jesuit community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in February 2023, which were reported by the Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica.
“I believe that the pope’s ministry is ad vitam (for life). I see no reason why it shouldn’t be so. The ministry of the great patriarchs is always for life. And historical tradition is important.”
namesake, St. Francis of Assisi.
They also would be highlighted in the Amazon Synod that Francis called at the Vatican in 2019, a meeting of bishops and Indigenous peoples specifically to address how the Catholic Church
In many ways, those same issues would also come to define much of Francis’ papacy He came to view the environmental cause as encapsulating nearly all the other ills afflicting humanity in the 21st century: poverty, social and economic injustice, migration and what he called the “throwaway culture” a melting pot of problems that he was convinced could only be addressed holistically
“For some time now, we have been becoming more aware that nature deserves to be protected, even if only because human interaction with God’s biodiversity must take care with utmost care and respect,” Francis said in a video message released on Earth Day in 2021.
Cardinal Michael Czerny, the Canadian Jesuit whom Francis would later entrust with the ecological dossier, said the 2007 meeting in Brazil had a big impact on Francis.
“In Aparecida, listening to so many different bishops talking about what was deteriorating, but also what the people were suffering, I think really impressed him,” Czerny said.
BigTowns two-daysummitkicks off
Challenges of midsizecitiesdiscussed
Staff report
Big Towns, atwo-day summit celebrating midsize cities and what they do to thrive, returns to Lafayette on Wednesdayand Thursday
Organized by TheCurrent and
Paul Breaux Middle namesnew principal
Trahan ’24La. Principalofthe year
BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer
Paul Breaux Middle School will have anew principal in the fall.
TiaTrahan will serveasthe school’sleader at the start of the 2025-26 school year,the Lafayette Parish school system announced Wednesday morning.
“Becoming the principal of Paul Breaux Middle School is more than anew chapter —itfeels likecoming to aplace rooted in purpose, pride, and promise,” Trahan said inastatement.
“Paul Breaux is not just aschool; it’sacommunity cornerstonewith a rich history and legacy that Ideeply respect and look forward to honoring,” she added. “There’saninvisible thread that ties the pasttothe present and stretches forward into our future —and Iamcommitted to nurturing that connection while maximizing the potential of every student and adult of the Paul Breaux Family.” Trahan replaces Ryan Martin, who was appointed in April 2024 to lead Paul Breaux Middle. It is unclear where Martin willbeworking in the fall.
For the past nine years, Trahan has served as the principal of Lafayette Middle.While there, shewas named the 2024 Louisiana Overall Principal of the Year.The school has had significant academic gains under her leadership, earning the Louisiana Comeback Campus distinction Trahan has more than 20 years experience as an educator,starting as an elementary school teacher working at J.W.Faulk, Evangeline and Katharine Drexel. She also has served as areading facilitator at Ernest Gallet Elementary,assistant principal at Ridge Elementary,assistant principal at Ernest Gallet and principal of Milton ElementaryMiddle. Trahan served in the U.S. Army National Guard aftergraduating high school.
“Tia Trahan exemplifies servant leadership,” Superintendent Francis Touchet Jr.said in astatement.
“Her passion for students, herfocus on academic growth and her unwav-
the United WayofAcadiana, Big Townsbringsspeakers from acrossthe country to discuss problems, solutions, and ideas often seenininmidsize cities, accordingtoorganizers.
The panel discussions align along four tracks: growth and
economy, civics and media,community andculture,and health and health care
This event beginsWednesday, with registration and breakfast at 7:30 a.m., followed by awelcome address from Mayor-President Monique Boulet, accompanied
by local and national speakers scheduled throughout the day
On Thursday, attendeeswill start the day at 7:30 a.m. with breakfast, followed by additional panels and speakingengagements, including akeynoteconversation at 11 a.m.featuring Mayor TimKelly,ofChattanooga,Tennessee, and Dean Baquet, former editor of The New York Times.
Additionally,there will be an optional field trip to theNorthgateMall for adiscussion around “What Do We Do with That Old Mall?
Allother scheduled events will be held at theAcadiana Center for the Arts, 101 W. Vermilion St Visitbigtowns.orgfor more information or to purchasetickets
ONEOFA KIND
Unique,unoccupied greenhouse in Carencro officially on themarket
BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer
With vines climbing along the walls and bamboo adozen feet tall lining the path-
way, the unoccupied greenhouse on Moss Street is astriking sight and atime capsule of what used to be. Spectators have wondered what could become of the once fully functioning space, which has fallen into disrepair over the past several years.
According to the property owner,Luke Dupont, “the opportunities are endless,” now that it has hit the market.
Due to the uniqueness of the structure,
which combinedthe use of telephones polesand cables to buildsuch alarge buildingand theelegance of itsexterior design, the greenhouse won the highest award from theAmerican Institute of Architects Louisiana, an organization thatrecognizes individuals for their excellent work and service to the profession, and their dedication to the practice of architecture.
The Louisiana State Police Insurance Fraud/Auto Theft Unit collaborated with the Breaux Bridge Office of Motor Vehicles for an investigation intofraudulent paperwork being processed at multiple offices that has resulted in five arrests. The probe beganMarch 28 aftersupervisors at theBreauxBridgeOMV
reportedariseinsuspicious activity
Authoritiesuncovered numerousfraudulent documents, including fake proofs of insurance, bills of sale and vehicle titles
The following suspects were booked intothe Lafayette Parish Correctional Center:
n Maria Herrera-Alvarez, 36, charged with 36 counts of filing false public records
n Winston MoraPerez, 25, charged with 36 counts of filing false public records
n Jose Alarcon, 34, charged with 12 counts of filing false public records and one count of operating avehicle without lawfulpresence in theU.S. The following suspects were booked into the St. Landry Parish jail: n Siervo Amador,32, charged with 32 countsoffiling false public records n David Amador,19, charged with 32 countsoffiling false public records. The investigation is ongoing.
Co-ownerofOpelousas cardealershiparrested Amultiagencyauto theftinvestigationled to the arrest of an Opelousascar dealership owner andthe recovery of four stolen vehicles, accordingtoLouisianaState Police. Allen Guillory Sr., 55, the coowner of AJ Auto SalesonSchool Road in Opelousas, was arrested and charged with fourcounts each
Trahan
STAFFPHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
When he purchased the land at 4834 Moss St., Dupont envisionedcreating agreenhouse that resembled the iconic Grand Palais in Paris, which he visited once with friends.
He spent months building the Grand Palais-inspired greenhousewith helpfrom architect Allen Bacque andfriends. Dupont, who graduated from theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayettewith adegree in commercial design, said he always took an interest in the structure of things. He spent most of his childhood building treehouses.
Although the greenhousewas his first project, he has since designed buildings throughout the Acadiana area and continues his plant business on asmallerscale.
“I have many fond memories in this place, but Iamofficially ready to part ways withit. Iwant to seeitrevived however the next owner sees fit, but Ijust hope they keepits structure,” Dupont said.
Now that this one-of-a-kind property is hitting the market,giving someone the chance to own apiece of history,beauty and nature all in one, Dupont said he is excited to see what’s next.
This hidden gemhas officially been listed on the market for thefirst time at $400,000.
The listing includes three acres complete with the three-story greenhouse that has offices on the second and thirdfloor, acatwalk overlooking the space that was crafted using telephone poles, cablesand
BLOTTER
Continued from page1B
of possession of stolen items and alteration or removal of vehicle identifying numbers.
On April 16, detectives withthe State Police Insurance Fraud/Auto TheftUnit launched an investigation into theinventory audit at AJ Auto Sales. Detectivesdiscovered four stolen vehicles: a2021 Dodge Challenger Hellcat, a2021 Cadillac Escalade, a 2022 GMC 3500 Denali and a 2021 GMC 2500 AT4. Each vehiclealso had an altered VIN and was accompanied by afraudulent title provided by Guillory,according to police.
The total combined value of the stolen vehicles was estimated at $275,000. Investigators also found that Guillory allowed dealer tags assigned to the dealership to be used on the stolen cars and by an unauthorized individual, violating Louisiana vehicle dealership regulations.
Guillory was booked into St. LandryParishjail. The investigation remains ongoing.
2shotinthe head drive to police station
Twopeople were shot in the head in Rayne on Sunday evening but managed to drive
durable cypress wood, acharming twobedroom home with alivingroom, kitchen, dining area and apool adjacent to the house, all of whichneed major renovations.
“If abuyer is looking to do another greenhouse, creatinganevent space, opening a bed-and-breakfast or simply wanting to enjoy the tranquility of aprivate oasis, this place is it,”listing agent David Wegner said.
The specially designedgreenhouse thrived as aplant nursery,supplying arranged foliagetocustomers from 1985 to the early 2000s. Dupont acknowledged that over time the propertyhas fallen into disre-
themselves to apolice station, authorities said. Rayne Police said they responded about7:30p.m. Sunday to ashooting in the 900 block of Lyman Avenue.
After being shot,policesaid, thetwo victims, an 18-year-old woman and a28-year-old man, droveinaprivatevehicle to theRayne PoliceDepartment seeking help.
After first aid was given, the victimswere transported to a Lafayette hospital for further treatment. Both had sustained gunshot wounds to thehead, but are in stable condition, officials said.
The incidentisunder investigation bythe Rayne Police Department.
Anyone with information or who mayhave witnessed the shooting is urged to contact theRayne PoliceDepartment or CrimeStoppersofAcadia Parishat(337) 789-8477.
Suspect arrested in March shooting
Aman was arrested Sunday in connection to afatal shooting in Iberia ParishinMarch.
Officials said they arrested Reginald Peters Jr., 25, in connection to aMarch 22 shootingonSouth LaSalleStreet, where police found aman shot multiple times, lying deceased in theroadway
During the investigation, officials said they were able
pair due to the difficulty of maintaining the space since he relocated out of Carencro.
Property values in Carencro have continued to rise with the area’sgrowing population, which contributes to the listing price of Dupont’sproperty,Wegner said.
After getting the property appraised, thethree acres were valued exactly at $400,000, based on theland’svalue andrecent sales in the area.
“They didn’tget thestructural value, just theland. So when comparingwhat’ssoldrecently to what Mr.Dupont has here, those values of the other properties support the price of this property,” Wegner said
to positivelyidentifyPeters as asuspect and obtained warrantsfor his arrest April 17.
Police say they spotted Peters on Sunday at astore in the 800 block of East Dale Street in New Iberia. Peters fled on foot and waslater apprehended after abrief foot chase.
PeterswillbesenttoanIberiaParish jail on the charges of second-degree murder, illegal use of weapons, and possession of afirearm by a convicted felon, officials said. 8-year-old killed in three-vehicle crash
Athree-vehiclecrash in Jennings on Friday killed achild from Texas.
Louisiana State Police said Penelope Richard, 8, of Texas City,died in awreck that happened on La. 26 near Andrus Cove Cemetery Road about 3p.m.Friday
Troopers reported that a 2019 Kia Sportage had slowed down on La. 26 to make aleft turn and a2012 Toyota Corolla wasslowing downbehind it when a2017 ToyotaTacoma rear-ended the Corolla.
Troopers said they have not yet determined why the truck didn’tslow down and collided with the car
They added the impact pushed the Corolla off the road, and the Tacomacontin-
ued forward, also hitting the Kia.
Police saidRichard was a passenger in the back seat of the Corolla and suffered serious injuries in the crash. She wastaken to an out-of-area hospital, where she later died.
The drivers of all three vehicles suffered minor injuries.
Authorities said all occupantswere wearing seat belts. They collected toxicology samples from the drivers, although impairment is not suspected.
No charges have been filed.
The investigation is ongoing.
Abbeville man found fatally shot in car
Ashooting lateFriday left one mandead and another injured, according to Abbeville
Police.
PRINCIPAL
eringcommitmenttoequity makeher the perfect fit for Paul Breaux.” Paul Breaux Middle has been in the spotlight lately as the School Board has made significant changes to programs and campuses. In acontroversial move last spring, the board voted to removethe French andSpanish immersion and full-time gifted programs from the school, slashing itsenrollment populationinhalf.The decisioncamewithsignificant pushback from community members andfamilies. In thefall, theboard also votedonseveralproposalstoconsolidate and close schools, rejecting most of the recommendationsfrom astrategic planner.One of thefew changes it did vote on wastochangeLafayette Middleintoanelementary school campus, which will mostly be populated by students currently enrolledatS.J. Montgomery Elementary
Police Chief Mike Hardy said Tavian Young, 20, of Abbeville,was found dead inside a2012 Chevrolet Tahoe that had crashed Friday night into autility pole in the parking lot of Landry’sLaundromat on CharityStreet. He said Young had suffered afatalgunshot wound to the chest
Officers laterfound asecondshooting victim on Prairie Avenue who turnedout to have been apassenger in the SUV drivenbyYoung.
Continued from page1B LOTTERY
Police said the woman had been shot in thehead andwas in stable condition at an area hospital.
Atoddler wasalso inside the SUVatthe time of the shooting, police said, but the 3-year-old was not injured Police received calls about shots fired near the 700 block
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The elementary school, which has significant drainage and other infrastructure problems, will be demolished and the site will be used as baseball and softball fields for the nearby Lafayette High. Oneofthe proposals includedbuildinga new Paul BreauxMiddle facilityonthe site of Northside High’scampusalongsidea newly rebuilt high school building, repurposing the oldPaulBreaux facility.Onceanew middle school facility existed, AcadianaMiddlewould close andstudents would be rezoned forthe new school. But because theboard rejected virtually all of theother cost-saving changes, it said it didnot have themoney to follow through on that plan Trahan’s appointment comes as the school system announced other leadership changes at elementaryschools and somedistrict-levelpositions.
Email AshleyWhite at ashley.white@ theadvocate.com.
of South GuegnonStreet just after 10 p.m.Friday and then other calls came in about the locationsofthe victims. Anyone with informationisencouraged to contact the Abbeville Police Department at (337) 8932511 or provide anonymoustipsthrough Crime Stoppers of Vermilionat (337) 740-8477.
or even go without care Simply put— without dentalinsurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcare coverage.
you’recomparingplans ...
Medicare doesn’tpay for dental care.1
That’sright. As good as Medicare is, it wasnever meanttocovereverything. Thatmeans if you wantprotection,you need to purchase individual insurance.
Early detection canprevent small problems from becoming expensive ones.
The best waytopreventlarge dental bills is preventivecare. TheAmerican Dental Association recommends checkups twice ayear.
you shouldn’t takeyourdental health forgranted. In fact,yourodds of having adental problem onlygoupas you age.2
Treatment is expensive especially theservices people over 50 often need. Consider these national average costs of treatment. $222 fora checkup $190
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
The specially designed greenhouse in Carencro thrived as aplant nursery.
Congressman demands reason for revoked visas
Southern University international students sent into panic
BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer
A Louisiana congressman is demanding that the Trump administration explain why it recently revoked the visas of several international students at Southern University
In a letter Tuesday to federal officials, U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, called for “an immediate review and explanation” of the visa terminations at Southern, a historically Black university in Baton Rouge. The international students at Southern were among more than a dozen at universities across Louisiana whose visas were revoked in recent weeks without explanation as part of the Trump administration’s targeting of foreignborn students studying in the U.S. In his letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons, Fields de-
manded a “transparent explanation” for the revocations, including any alleged violations by the students that prompted the actions. He also called on the federal agencies to consider reinstating the students’ visas “pending a full investigation,” and to ensure that all actions by immigration authorities follow due process.
“The sudden termination of these students’ legal status without clear justification not only threatens their academic careers but also undermines our nation’s reputation as a welcoming place for global scholarship,” Fields said in a statement. Such decisions demand immediate review and full transparency.”
He asked federal immigration officials to take action, saying that international students “deserve fair treatment consistent with our American values.” Fields’ letter states that eight international students at Southern had their visas revoked, but a university spokesperson said that, as
of last week, the number of impacted students at the Baton Rouge campus was seven. In addition two students at Southern University’s New Orleans campus also had their visas revoked, officials said. Southern spokesperson Janene Tate said in an interview last week that the school was not given a reason for the revocations and declined to offer additional information, citing federal student-privacy laws.
Including Southern, more than a dozen international students statewide have had their visas revoked in recent weeks, leaving them vulnerable to detention and deportation. They include at least two students at Tulane University three at the University of New Orleans, and three at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
A spokesperson for the U.S. office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in an email that the department does not issue or revoke visas. Representatives for Rubio and Noem did not respond to requests
Patrols raised as Miss. River rises
Corps tests
spillway opening
BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer
The rising Mississippi River has prompted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and local officials to increase precautionary measures along levees from Baton Rouge to Venice, but it remains unclear if the Bonnet Carre Spillway will have to be opened for the first time since 2020 The Corps announced that the river was expected to rise above 15 feet at the Carrollton gauge in New Orleans on Tuesday, which roughly translates to 15 feet above sea level. That triggered what the Corps calls a Phase II flood flight, necessitating daily patrols of levees to spot any seepage or other potential problems. A spillway opening is triggered when the river flow reaches 1.25 million cubic feet per second, which tends to translate to around 17 feet on the Carrollton gauge. Current projections show the river cresting at around 16.5 feet on April 30 before beginning to fall, making a spillway opening possible. The Corps ran a test open-
ing of Bonnet Carre on Monday in preparation for the possibility
A Phase I flood fight began April 14, when the river hit 11 feet on the Carrollton gauge. That meant twiceweekly inspections of the levee system.
During Phase I, all subsurface construction within 1,500 feet of the river levees must be suspended unless a waiver is granted by the Corps and the local levee district. Under Phase II, all waivers are suspended.
Email Mike Smith at msmith@theadvocate.com.
for comment. International students nationwide have been increasingly targeted by President Donald Trump’s efforts to clamp down on immigration, which recently expanded to include noncitizens who are residing in the country legally In many cases, students with F-1 or J-1 visas, which allow them to study at American universities have been singled out for expressing pro-Palestinian views or participating in campus protests. It’s not clear whether any of the Louisiana students were targeted for participating in protests.
Earlier this month, Rubio ordered overseas diplomats to comb through the social media accounts of student visa applicants to bar those suspected of being critical of the U.S. or Israel from
entering the country The New York Times reported.
Since he became secretary of state in January, Rubio has reported revoking at least 300 visas.
“If we knew this information about them before we gave them a visa, would we have allowed them in?” he said. “If the answer is no, then we revoke the visa.”
As of April 21, at least 1,500 students from nearly 250 colleges and universities nationwide have had their visas suddenly revoked in recent weeks, according to an analysis by Inside Higher Ed, a news outlet that covers higher education The reason behind many of those revocations remains unknown.
Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate. com.
OUR VIEWS
Keeping tabs on school spending
Anew websiteunveiled by the state Department of Treasury this month gives taxpayers awindow into how publicschools spendtheir money,and we believe thiswill have several positive effects.
School districtsinLouisiana spend about $15,400 per student, of which about$2,200 comes from federal sources, accordingtothe site.The amounts canvarybetween public and charter schools. But the new website showsa breakdown of how that money isspent,dividingitinto categories that include instruction, administration, transportation and studentand instructional support.Italso includes information on vendor contracts, employee salariesand revenue sources.
Act 370, passed by the Legislaturein2023, requires school districtsand charterschool operators to report the information twiceayear to the treasury department. Private schools are not yet included, but StateTreasurerJohn Fleming said the aim is to one day include anyschool that receives public funds. With theLAGATOR educationscholarship funds soon to allow public money to flow into private schools, we think the ability to see where these funds gowill be crucial. It also should shine alight on those school districts that are spending money wisely anddoing more with less. Toooften,wefail to acknowledge thosethat are succeedinginthe face of tremendous challenges
Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge,who authored the originalbill, said he hopes whenparents see the ledger of what schools spend, they will have anew appreciation forhow districts operate.
“I hope what that does is bring confidence in some of those systems,” he said. We do as well, and we applaud efforts to make ourstate governmentmore accessible
Officials saythe website isstill aworkin progress, so some data maybemissing.They are urging the publictoreport anyerrors to the treasury department. Butright now,theysay, even though it’sincomplete, thewebsite is one of the most comprehensiveinthe country tracking school spending.
There has been much emphasis of late on tackling waste, fraud andabuse in state and federal government. Andwe agree thatitisa worthy goal. We would argue that this is abetter way to do thatthan ordering random cuts and closures. Making the public apartner inrooting out waste also puts more eyes on what areessentially local issues.
Fleming said at anews conference when the site was launched that the goal is togivepeople thetools to hold schools accountable
“The more transparency we offer thepeople of Louisiana, the more efficientour stategovernment will become,” he said We couldn’tagree more. Measures suchas these build trust and make taxpayersmorewilling to fund essential services for the common good
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. 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.
TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE
Congress should stop cuts harmfultoresidents
The Trumpadministration’sactionsare harming Louisianans across income and racial-ethnic groups. In aMarch 29 article, the head of aCalcasieu Parish organization (which serves apredominantly low-income Whitearea that supported Trump) said of EPAand DOEfund cuts her organization received, “If you target poor people of color,you also target poor Whitepeople because we all live in the samecommunities and work in the samejobs.” The tariffs and stock market de-
clines are drastically affecting the incomes of Louisiana retirees and businesses. In aApril 4article, the largest Louisiana-based car dealer sees car prices rising sharply andsaid, “The administration has dropped an atomic bombonthe industry.”
USAID cuts in purchasing agricultural productsare harming Louisiana farmers.
Federal worker staff andother cuts in the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairslessen Louisianans’ access
Reject methodsofanautocrat
The judiciary,the free press and universities play important roles in thehealth of anation. The chief justice of the Supreme Court noted that for over two centuries, the proper responseondisputed judgments is to appeal in courts, not for thepresident to threaten judges.
Similarly,the great universities of this country have centuries-old normsofacademic freedom and free exploration, including criticism, of all ideas.
Societyhas seen as necessary for thepublic good that universities investigate and question ideas and beliefs. The president cannot insist on some “patriotic” path for everyone to follow.That is theway of a dictator
AU.S. election does not elect a king, only one who swears an oath to theConstitution. Election does not makehim an authority on thearts, science, economics, public health and history
This country is great because of its ideals, the Constitution, the rule
Iwould like to ask all thepeople who bought President Donald Trump’slies about the way tariffs work how they feel today.During his campaign, he dismissed theidea that his plan would cause thestock market to do exactly what has happened. He was warned about this by manyeconomists and financial experts. Evidently,hebelieves he is thesmartestperson in the country He believes he can do whatever
of law,not of men. “Wethe people,” notone man.Threatening neighbors was the behavior of Germany or Japan in the past and Russia today not of the U.S. Insulting and bullying other countries inevitably extends to his own countrymen. Snatching awoman student off the streetsbymasked men not wearing uniforms of police or FBI is the way of ayatollahs’ moralityenforcers in Iran, not in aland of civil liberties. Whisking someone away at dead of night,leaving family and lawyers in the dark, happened to the“disappeared”in thepast in thePhilippines, Brazil or Chile. It should not happen in today’sU.S. An immigrant may be an easy target today,but it will also extend to citizens, as it did in those countries. Allshould condemn and reject these tactics. History will be aharsh judge of other past regimes, seeing the U.S. as once great but not now
A.R.P.RAU Baton Rouge
he wantstodoand is supported by theSupremeCourt, which gave him immunity for anything he does in his official capacity Iguess he will attempt to subvert the Constitution in his attempt to get athird term. Ihope those whovoted for him this time will think twice before pulling thelever forhim ever again.
CHUCK
GOODWIN Baton Rouge
to needed benefits. Staffcuts at the National Weather Service undermine forecasts of stormsharmful to Louisiana. These are only afew of the Trump administration actions that are making us worse rather than great. It is past timefor our Louisiana Congressional representatives, such as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and others, to say no and oppose Trumpadministration actions so harmfultous. PHYLLIS RAABE NewOrleans
Ihave been following what President Donald Trumpistrying to do to help our country to becomebetter.I’m not sure if what he is doing is right or wrong, but Idosupport his efforts because Ican plainly see he loves the United States.
What does bother me is what the Democrats are doing in protesting everything he does. The Democrats don’t support any of his efforts, and not because they are right or wrong but because they hate him.Trumpcould present apolicy that would positively benefit this country,and Democrats will rail against him only because of hate.
Ichoose to support the president in his efforts and hope that they work because Itruly believe he wants what is best forour country.People tend to get caught up in mob actions and will blindly jumpinand support anything if they feel the hatred of whatever cause the demonstrators are carrying on about. It’s timetorealize that the president is doing what he feels is going to makeour country better Ibelieve in what he is saying and doing. It’s timetobepatient and give him achance to prove his case, and if he is right and his policies work out as planned, you can be sure the haters will demonstrate against it anyway because they will follow the crowd. It’s timetobesmart, open your mind to positive thinking and show support forthe man whowants what is best for all of us.
PAUL ESKINE Metairie
Trumpkilling oneofour strongestexports
President Donald Trump says he wants to reduce our trade deficit. Yet he’sdestroying one of our winningest exports: higher education.
Colleges and universities are among America’smost competitive international exporters. In dollar terms, last year,the United States sold more educational services to the rest of the world than it soldinnatural gas and coal combined. We alsorun ahuge trade surplus in this sector,meaning that foreigners buy much more education from the United States than Americans buy from other countries. In the 2022-2023 school year, more than three times as many international studentswere enrolled in the UnitedStatesasthere were American studentsstudying abroad. Translated to cash: Our education-services trade surplus is larger than the trade surplus in the entire completed civilian aircraft sector Why? Regardless of what Trumpland claims, America is really,really good at higher education.
Our K-12 schooling outcomes are mediocre when compared withpeer countries,but our postsecondary institutions are the envy of the world. That’sparticularly true for larger U.S. research institutions, which excel not only at passing on existing knowledge but also enlisting students in the production of new knowledge —such as the cutting-edge scientific research that powers careers, businesses and entireeconomies.
Our ability to attract international academic talent is ahuge boon for other,non-trade-related reasons, too.
The international studentsweenroll are more likely to pay full freight This means their tuition dollars crosssubsidize financial aid for lower-or middle-income American students. (Such as, say,Vice President JD Vance, who attended Yale University.) International studentshave also served as apowerfulweapon in building American soft power: Those who train here learn not only our rigorous scientific procedures but also American values. They bring those values —respect for civil liberties, due process, democracy —back totheir home countries Or they did, anyway.Trump either ignores all these virtues or writes them off as vices. As with many politicians, Trump’s trade agenda fetishizes 1950s-style manufacturing rather than 21stcentury services, even though it is the latter that the United States excels at producing and selling abroad. (Think not only education, but also software, engineering, entertainment,financial services, etc.) We runahuge trade surplus in the services sector,which Trump perplexingly excludes when
quantifying our trade balance. More significantly,Trump and his underlings have deep contempt for universities, including (perhapsespecially?) the ones they attended.
Amongthis administration’sfirst actions was to(illegally) cut off scientific grantstoacademic research institutions,including those working on cancer cures and HIV treatments. Courts have paused or temporarily reversed some of these measures, so Trump found other ways to continue his vendetta against colleges.
Under the guise of protecting Jews, Trump has frozen billions of dollarsof federal funding at theUniversity of Pennsylvania (Trump’salma mater), Columbia,Harvard and other institutions.Not asingle Jewishstudent has been made safer by these actions, which slashed funding for both research and financial aid.
This will be ahugefinancial blow even for the richest universities with large endowments,which areusually restricted by donor stipulations and legalobligations. Institutions of all meansare scrambling to contain the damage. Some schools are slashing admissions or rescinding already-offered acceptances. This hasbecome particularly common in hard-science graduateprograms, which are expensive to runand rely heavily on grant funds. They also happen to be critical to U.S. economic growth.
Butsay schools somehow found away toplug funding holes and re-
sumed regular admissions of American and non-American students alike What international student in their right mind would still come study here?
Masked immigration agentshave snatched studentsoff thestreets on allegations of antisemitism and supportfor terrorism, even despite internal memos admitting that zero evidence for such accusations exists. Elsewherearound thecountry,atleast 1,000 studentshave had theirvisas revoked, according to an Inside Higher Ed database.
Based on my own interviews with university officials, studentsoften do not know why they are being toldto self-deport or face detainment.Many participated in no Gazaprotests or other political activities (not that this should matter).
As though that weren’tterrifying enough, some universities are actively collaborating with immigration enforcement to ferret out international studentsaccused of wrongthink.
Last fall, Trump promisedgreen cards to any international student bright enough to graduatefrom U.S. colleges. He also promised to help his country better compete on theglobal stage. Today,he’sdestroying one of our most powerful economic engines —and ensuring international students don’tcome here (let alone graduate) at all.
Email Catherine Rampell at crampell@ washpost.com. She is on X, @crampell.
Paying taxestofeedthe insatiable beast
America’sannual rituals and observances include days we usually celebrate together (July Fourth, Memorial Day, Veterans Day), or as members of special groups (Passover,Easter and Christmas).
The one annual ritual it can be safelysaid most Americans despise is April 15, whenthe half of us who pay federal income taxes must “render unto Caesar” portions of our hardearned money to agovernment that wastes much of it and dislikes exposure and accountability. It’swhy Elon Musk and his band of DOGE warriors are despised by the Left and the misspenders.
lionaires on lowsix-figuresalaries?
Thelargely indecipherable federal taxcode is incredibly complex —so complexthat it covers6,871 pages. If taxregulations are added —the Treasury’sofficial interpretations of the tax code —the number of pages climbs to 75,000.
Why did so manyfans watch the final episode of “The White Lotus?” Suspense. The first episode of Season 3had teased amurder,and viewers wanted to know the victim Uncertainty is the oldest trope in the TV playbook, and Donald Trumplearned that lesson well during his 14 seasons starring on “The Apprentice.” Who will be fired this week? And as the maincharacter in his current show,Season 2ofThe President, he’sfollowing the same playbook: Always keep ‘em guessing!
That strategy might be good forattracting ratings, but it’sdreadful formanaging the economy.When it comes to making financial decisions, people want clarity —not confusion. Otherwise, they won’t build or buy,hire or invest.
That’swhy Trump’smercurial approach to tariffs and trade has shaken stock markets around the world. What’shis real goal? How does he get there? The reactions from independent experts have been damning.
“The recent tariffs will likely increase inflation and are causing manytoconsider agreater probability of arecession,” wrote Jamie Dimon, the widely respected CEO of JPMorgan Chase.
The Economist magazine waseven blunter: “Donald Trumphas committed one of the worst policy blunders of all time.”
The dismay goes wellbeyond the tussle over tariffs.Trumpischallenging the basic values that have governed international relations for generations —asystem that essentially prizes cooperation over conflict, mutual benefit over national domination.
“Trumpisbuilding walls,” writes David Brooks in The New York Times.“His trade policies obstruct not only the flow of goods but also the flow of ideas, contacts, technology and friendships as well. His immigration policies do the same. The essence of the Trumpagenda might be:Wedon’tlike those damnforeigners.” Trumpinsists that things are “going very well.” Most Republicans are still so loyal —and so intimidated —that they’re standing by him And no one really knowswhether his bet will pay off. But small cracks of concern are starting to splinter Republican ranks.
In aReuters/Ipsos poll, 57% agree with the statement that “Trump’smoves to shake up the economy are too erratic,” including 1in3 Republicans. Overall, 37% approve of Trump’s economic performance. That drops to 30% when asked directly about his handling of inflation.
Afew brave Republicans are willing to risk Trump’swrath and criticize him openly.Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky,anoutspoken free-trader,noted that high tariffs have sunk the GOPin the past and concluded, “So they’re not only bad economically; they’re bad politically.”
Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management and amajor Trump donor, warned on social media, “The president is losing the confidence of business leaders around the globe,” and added: “This is not what we voted for. “The Trumphoneymoon collapsed with the stock market,” concludes Republican pollster Whit Ayres.
Seven Republican senators have signed on to abill promoted by Iowa’s Chuck Grassley that would give Congress the authority to veto any new tariffs imposed by the president. The measure’snot going anywhere, but it signals the simmering discontent on Capitol Hill —particularly among lawmakers from farm states, which are heavily dependent on exports, especially to China.
Twoconstitutional amendments have been especially hated by the public.One was the 16th Amendment that was ratified on Feb. 3, 1913. It granted Congress the authority to impose and collecttaxes on income. Before then the government raised money through tariffs (sound familiar?) and excise taxes. The 18th Amendment prohibited the manufacturing, sale and transportation of intoxicating liquors. That amendmentwas repealed in 1933. The 16th Amendment remains, allowing Congress to continue its intoxication with our money,bilking those “millionaires and billionaires” Democratslove to attack, although some of them are wealthy.How did some become mil-
Oneneeds instructions on the instructions to understandit, which has kept tax accountants in business for decades TheInternal Revenue Service is only partially to blame for this annual annoyance. Bureaucratic regulators who add to laws passed by Congress, and Congress itself,which grants deductions to some, butnot others, are the real culprits. While DOGE is exposing some of the waste, fraud and abuse in government, it won’tbefully stopped until two things happen. First, Americansmust rely less on government and more on themselves.Responsible decisions in one’spersonal and financial life mostly guarantees that government will be less likely afirst resource and more likely alast resort. Second, the people who have tortured us must be shamed. In Puritan societyshaming, or public humiliation, was acommon practice. Its purpose was to enforce moral standards and maintain social order.Today almostnothing is shameful because most standards have been discarded.
MembersofCongress, who voted for spending and programs that are now being exposed as unnecessary and wasteful, should have shame heaped upon them. This would include“earmarks,” which is spending by members for favored projects that have not gone through theproper budgetaryprocess. Public shaming might force members to be moreresponsible withthe power and purse they have been given and put thecountry’sinterestahead of theirpersonal interests, which include reelection.
As Ihave repeatedly argued, every Cabinet agency and most government programs have been established by acharter or legislative authority. If agencies and programs are achieving theirpurposes and goals and their work can’tbedone less expensively and more efficiently by theprivate sector,wekeep them. If not, we get ridofthem. DOGE has begun that process. Simply firing people won’t fully solve theproblem. The value and success of these entities must be examined for their cost and efficiency. The ones that are not performing must be shut down, otherwiseanew Congressand anew administration could firethem up again and we will be back where we started
Email Cal Thomasattcaeditors@ tribpub.com
“There’salot of faith in the president, but that doesn’tpay bills,” Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, aco-sponsor of Grassley’sbill, told The Hill. “So there has to be something that solves this problem or we’re going to lose another significant number of producers across the country.”
Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota warns that the White House has “got to be able to reassure the American people that there’sapath forward, that retirement accounts will be bouncing back.”
Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana worries, “We don’tknow how long it will take. We don’t know whatthe short-term consequences will be. We don’tknow if the medicine will be worse than the disease. We’re in the economic unknown.”
Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota says his farmers are “heading into spring season and banks are lending them money.They need somecertainty.”
Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina asked U.S. Trade representative Jamieson Greer,“Whose throat do Iget to choke if this proves to be wrong?”
As Season 3of“The White Lotus” ended, we found out whodied. Season 2ofThe President is still soaked in suspense. And the audience is getting irritable and apprehensive.
Email Steven Roberts at stevecokie@gmail. com.
Steve Roberts
Cal Thomas
Catherine Rampell
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO Students, faculty and members of the Harvard University community rally last week in Cambridge, Mass.
SPORTS
BREAK FROM NORM?
Saints might finally drafta QB in first round, butnot at No.9
One of themost bizarre streaksin NFLhistory finally could come to an end this week
The New OrleansSaints might finally select aquarterback in thefirst round of the draft, ending the club’s mind-boggling 54-year drought.
BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer
If history is any indication, general manager Mickey Loomis will have the New Orleans Saints trade up during this week’sNFL draft.
But will it be foraquarterback?
That’sthe big question, one that will growevenlargerifthe Saints pass on taking asignal-callerwith the ninth overall pick Thursday.ESPN’sAdam Schefter reported Mondaythat New Orleans already has begun making calls abouttrading up from No. 40, its second-round selection.
TheSaints, whoare dealingwithstarter Derek Carr’sshoulder injury,have nine picks to work with in this year’s draft, which gives the front office extra resources to workwith if it wants to execute adeal
Historically,the price tag to trade back into the first round —oreven up in the second —isn’tnearly as costly compared to whatteams have paid to moveuptothe top of the drafttoland a quarterback.
Last year,for instance, the Minnesota Vikings acquired pick No.23ofthe first
TheSaints are expected to select aquarterback highinthis draft, perhaps as early as Round 1, but it will be asurprise if they pull thetrigger at No. 9. It’smore likely they trade back intothe bottomof
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
The truthofthe matteristhere doesn’tappear to be any former UL Ragin’ Cajuns with better than an average chance of getting draftedinthisweekend’s 2025 NFL Draft. For one, the most accomplished player is kicker and Lou Groza Award winner KennyAlmendares. Almendaresiscoming offa fabulous senior season in whichhe made 28 field goals in 31 attempts. He scored atotal of 130points. The
Round 1ortop of Round 2toget their guy Plain and simple, the value isn’tthere to take aquarterback in thetop 10 this year.The quarterbacks in this classare graded as second- and third-round talents. The lone exception is Cam Ward, whom Tennessee is set to selectwith the No. 1overall pick.
third miss came in the New Mexico Bowl after winningthe Lou Groza Award with only two misses on the season. Typically two is the average number ofkickerswho aredrafted each season. Nineteen kickers have been drafted over the past 10 drafts.
FloridaState’s Ryan Fitzgerald, Miami’s AndresBorregales and Ben SaulsofPittsburgh join Almendares as themost likely kickers to be selected in this week’ssevenround draft. “What I’m hearing there is poten-
At No. 9, theSaints are asmartbet to address other needs, and there are plentyfor ateam coming off a5-12 season.The belief is theSaints will select either atop lineman or best player available with their first pick. Doing so would adhere to alongstanding organizational philosophy: Big men with elite athleticism are extremely rare, and to acquire them requires apremium cost.
Since 2018, theSaints have drafted an offensive or defensive lineman with six of their seven first-round picks, the lone exception being receiver Chris Olave in
tial,” Almendares said. “Atthe end of theday,itjust depends on how thedraft goes withotherteams. I potentially could getdrafted and potentially not, but all Iwant is an opportunity to show what Ican do.”
At UL’s pro dayinlate March, Almendares showed off abooming leg, highlighted by a60-yard field goal. He trained in Buffalo, New York, and is convinced he improved during the process. “The plan was for me to become thebestkicker Icould possibly
become,” said Almendares, who was 69 of 81 on field goals over his collegecareer. “The training was specifiedfor that and it’s somethingIbenefited from alot.
“Just feeling comfortable and confident. But at the end of the day,we’vegot to wait until draft day and see what happens.” UL’s next best chance of getting aplayer’sname called is linebacker KC Ossai.
The 6-foot-2, 240-pounderwas a tackling machine throughout his college career with 277 totaltackles. His senior season was his most
productive with 110 total stops.
“You can never know in this situation,” Ossai said. “Anything can happen, so I’mjust trusting Godto lead the waytoput me in the best position to succeed.”
Ossai’sbrother Joseph currently is adefensive endfor the Cincinnati Bengals.
Other former Cajuns hoping to hear their namecalled in the draft or shortly thereafter with free agent offers includecenter Landon Burton, offensive guard AJ
STAFF FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Darttries to make amoveagainst LSU linebacker Whit Weeks on Oct. 12 at TigerStadium.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JACOB KUPFERMAN
Louisville quarterbackTyler Shough passes theballagainst ClemsononNov.2 in Clemson, S.C.
Jeff Duncan
LSU guard Sheppard returns to the portal
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
A guard who signed with the LSU women’s basketball team as a transfer in 2024 has decided to jump back in the portal after one season in Baton Rouge. Mjracle Sheppard, a rising junior, is searching for her third school in as many years, a source confirmed Tuesday Last offseason, Sheppard transferred to LSU from Mississippi State. Coach Kim Mulkey and her staff planned for her to contribute early in the 2024-25 season, but an October foot injury set her back. The 5-foot-10 defensive specialist cracked the rotation once she recovered and found a groove in time to give the Tigers energetic minutes off the bench across the back half of the year
Sheppard appeared in all four of LSU’s NCAA Tournament games.
The sophomore scored 10 points in 17 minutes of a first-round win over No. 14 seed San Diego State. She logged 19 more minutes in a second-round victory over No. 6 seed Florida State, proof that she could carve out a role as a junior as well. But now Sheppard is removing herself from competition for minutes in a crowded group of guards. LSU can bring back both Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams, as well as Kailyn Gilbert and Jada Richard. It’s also adding three freshman guards, all of whom are ranked among the top-35 recruits in the country, according to both ESPN and On3.
Before Tuesday, the Tigers had lost four players to the portal: Sa’Myah Smith, Last-Tear Poa, Aalyah Del Rosario and Jersey Wolfenbarger They’ve so far signed two transfers, former Notre Dame forward Kate Koval and former East Carolina forward Amiya Joyner
LSU is also in the mix to land former Wisconsin star Serah Williams, a 6-4 forward who visited Baton Rouge on Thursday and Friday
Any other women’s basketball players who wish to enter the transfer portal must do so by Wednesday.
Bailey eager to see Hunter play offense and defense
BOULDER, Colo. — Take it from Hall of Famer Champ Bailey, the last true two-way star to come out of college: Heisman winner Travis Hunter will have his hands, feet and head full trying to play both wide receiver and cornerback in the NFL.
“It’s easy to just say, ‘Oh yeah, he can go play both,’” Bailey said. “Well, there’s so much preparation that goes into playing one thing. So, you’ve got to consider what is it going to take to do everything all the time like he did in college?”
Digesting two playbooks.
Navigating concurrent position meetings.
Convincing coaches that switching back and forth from one side of scrimmage to the other won’t diminish his effectiveness or learning curve on either side.
Then, there’s the mental toll, the physical toll, the emotional toll.
“It’s almost unrealistic when you think about it,” Bailey said.
“But, we’re looking at one of the greatest athletes we’ve ever seen.
It changes your mindset to think he could possibly do this. I’m not going to rule it out.”
Few can relate to what Hunter did in college and will try to do in the pros better than Bailey, who won the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation’s top defender in his final season at Georgia in 1998, when he picked off three passes and also starred on offense, catching 47 passes for 744 yards and five touchdowns
Bailey, however, would play almost exclusively at cornerback in the NFL after being drafted seventh overall by Washington in 1999. During his 15-year pro career, Bailey saw just nine targets at wide receiver Five of them came in 2000 when he caught three passes for 78 yards to go with his five interceptions.
But Norv Turner was fired
midway through his second season and his replacement, Marty Schottenheimer, squelched Bailey’s ambitions to dabble in the offense.
Bailey suggested that for Hunter to really get his chance to try being a two-way player in the NFL, he’ll have to land with the right team, the right coach, the right teammates, the right scheme — on both offense and defense — the right schedule and the proper amount of patience.
Hunter is widely expected to get drafted second overall by the Cleveland Browns who need help at both of his positions on Thursday night after the Tennessee Titans take Miami’s Cam Ward as their new quarterback to kick off the 2025 NFL draft
Hunter told the Browns, and every other team he met with, not to bother selecting him if they’re not going to let him line up on both sides.
Deion Sanders, the Hall of Famer who played defensive back and wide receiver in the NFL he had two interceptions and a touchdown catch in 1996 for Dallas — was Hunter’s coach at Jackson State and Colorado and had no qualms about letting Hunter play both ways.
Sanders, however, allowed Hunter to take several days off after games to recuperate, a luxury he won’t have in the NFL.
Last season, Hunter caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns and collected 35 tackles, 11 pass breakups, eight forced incompletions and four interceptions while allowing just one touchdown.
Hunter logged a whopping 1,484 snaps, by far the most in college football last season Next up was Florida center Jake Slaughter at 800 snaps. By way of compari-
son, NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II played 978 snaps in 17 games last season, all on defense.
It’s unlikely Hunter will be able to play every snap in the NFL, Bailey said, so the biggest decision for the team that drafts him is which side will be his primary position?
Scouts are divided on whether it would be best for him to be a cornerback who gets a handful of offensive snaps or a wide receiver who occasionally gets into some sub-packages on defense.
Bailey added that Hunter needs a head coach who won’t allow his offensive and defensive coordinators to fight over him and he said that if the position meetings for defensive backs and wide receivers are held at the same time, Hunter will be putting in hours of overtime every day to catch up.
Then there’s the negotiating the learning curves on the field.
“You’ve got to learn how to communicate with your safeties, your other corners, anybody that’s on your side. Once you get that down and you understand the terminology of the defense, you can pull back a little bit from the mental side of it a little bit if you’re playing offense,” Bailey said “But, it’s risky, it’s risky Because you leave some stuff out there. It’s just he has to put in more time.”
What would be easier to be a fulltime cornerback and parttime wide receiver or vice versa?
One thing Bailey is sure of is that Hunter needs to take his shot at playing both ways while he’s young.
“If I had to bet on it, I would say he’ll be at one position down the road,” Bailey said. “I don’t know what it would be because he’s so exceptional at both. But right now with his youth and his bounce, he’s a great athlete right now he’s fresh.
“You don’t want to wear him out but you also want to utilize what you have.”
Biles undecided on competing at LA Olympics
PARIS Simone Biles is unsure whether she will compete at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. For now, the most decorated gymnast of all-time has other priorities and is listening to her body, too.
“I’m really trying to enjoy life, to spend time with my husband (Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens), go support him at his games, live my life as a woman,” she said in an interview with French sports daily L’Equipe published on Tuesday “I’ve accomplished so much in my sport. For me to come back, it would really have to excite me.”
The 28-year-old American will be in Los Angeles for the Games but does not yet know in which capacity “Whether on the apparatus or in the stands, I still don’t know that,” she told L’Equipe. “But 2028
seems so far away, and my body is aging I felt it in Paris.”
The American gymnast won three gold medals and a silver at the Paris Olympics, taking her career tally to seven Olympic golds and 11 medals overall. But her body cracked from the strain.
“I went back to the village, I took the elevator and my body literally collapsed I was sick for 10 days,” she said, before recounting another experience. “The other day we were sprinting in the garden with friends, I had aches and pains for three days. So, I honestly don’t know We’ll see.” She praised her rival, Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, for recovering from injury and for “pushing me beyond my limits,” but also said gymnastics no longer needs both of them.
“It only needs one of us, no? Especially since (Andrade) will not
Sportsman of the Year award goes to Duplantis
Lafayette native Mondo Duplantis won Sportsman of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony in Madrid, Spain, on Monday.Duplantis, who was handed his award by 2024 winner Novak Djokovic, picks up his first Sportsman of the Year honor after being nominated in each of the previous three years. He is only the second track-andfield athlete to win the honor, following Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. American gymnast Simone Biles, who won a pair of gold medals in the Paris Olympics, was honored as Sportswoman of the Year Duplantis, a former LSU star who competes internationally as a pole vaulter for Sweden, won a second consecutive Olympic gold medal in Paris in 2024, breaking his own world record in the process.
Timberwolves’ Edwards fined for obscene gesture
NEW YORK Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves has been fined $50,000 for directing inappropriate language and making an obscene gesture toward a fan during a playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers, NBA president of league operations Byron Spruell announced Tuesday Edwards intervened when teammate Rudy Gobert was being heckled in the third quarter of the Timberwolves’ 117-95 win in Game 1 of their first-round series on Saturday in Los Angeles. Edwards, standing along the sideline, told the nearby fan how many millions of dollars Gobert has. The exchange ended with Edwards making a lewd gesture and comment.
Celtics star Tatum listed as doubtful for Game 2 Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has been listed as doubtful with a bone bruise in his right wrist for Game 2 of Boston’s Eastern Conference first-round series against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday He injured the wrist in the fourth quarter of the Celtics’ 10386 victory on Sunday With Boston leading 89-73 with 8:28 remaining, Tatum went up for a dunk and was hit hard by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as he tried to block it. Tatum landed awkwardly on his right side. After a video review by referees, the foul was upgraded to a flagrant foul. Tatum missed the two ensuing free throws but remained in the game. He finished with 17 points, but was 8 of 22 from the field in 40 minutes of action.
Guardians
place Thomas on 10-day injured list
Guardians center fielder Lane Thomas was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a bruised right wrist suffered when he got hit by a pitch two weeks ago. Cleveland made the move retroactive to April 20 — before facing the New York Yankees in the second game of a three-game series. To replace Thomas, the club selected the contract of infielder Will Wilson from Triple-A Columbus. Thomas, who was a postseason star for Cleveland in 2024 was struck on April 8 in the home opener against the Chicago White Sox. The 29-year-old has played in five games since, most recently on Sunday at Pittsburgh. Manager Stephen Vogt hopes putting Thomas on the IL will give him time to let the injury heal correctly
Cincinnati freshman player dies unexpectedly
Cincinnati football player Jeremiah Kelly died unexpectedly at his residence early Tuesday, the athletic department announced. The school did not disclose a cause of death, and the city of Cincinnati police department did not immediately return a message.
The freshman from Avon, Ohio, was a 6-foot-3, 320-pound offensive lineman. He helped Avon High School to a 16-0 record and a state championship in 2024. He was an early enrollee who was participating in spring practice.
be alone,” Biles said. “A young generation will knock at the door and everything will start again.”
The interview took place before Monday’s Laureus Awards in Madrid, where she was named sportswoman of the year
Whatever she decides regarding her career, Biles will continue to speak about mental health.
“I am very proud of the work accomplished to reach this point,” she said, “and I will continue to be the voice of the voiceless.”
“We’ve suffered a heartbreaking loss today,” athletic director John Cunningham said.
“All of us at UC send our love and prayers to the
family and we will do everything that we can to support them.”
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU guard Mjracle Sheppard pulls up for a jump shot against Florida State on March 24 at the PMAC.
Bailey
BY ARNIE STAPLETON
AP pro football writer
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID ZALUBOWSKI
Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter takes part in drills during Colorado’s pro day on April 4 in Boulder
Associated Press
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MANU FERNANDEZ
Simone Biles celebrates her Sportswoman of the year award during the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony on Monday in Madrid, Spain.
DUNCAN
Continued from page 1C
2021. Since 2002, the Saints have used an NFL-high 15 first-round draft picks on offensive and defensive linemen.
As such, look for the Saints to address their needs in the trenches at No. 9. The exception would be if an elite, blue-chip talent such as running back Ashton Jeanty or tight end Tyler Warren fell to No. 9. Having taken the best lineman or player available at No. 9, the Saints can turn their attention to finding what they hope is their quarterback of the future.
This is where the Saints’ draft should start to get interesting, because they won’t be alone in their pursuit of a quarterback. Three other teams — the Steelers, Browns and Giants — also are in the quarterback market, and they have selections from pick Nos 21-34.
Behind Ward, the highest-rated quarterbacks on most teams’ draft boards are Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe and Tyler Shough. The Saints have been linked to each of them. Word in NFL circles is the Saints are highest on Dart and Shough, and not necessarily in that order They have done extensive research on both.
If the Saints are “hot and heavy” for either of them, as one NFL executive told ESPN’s Adam Schefter this week, they might just have to go get him, because they face a potential logistical problem in Round 2. At No. 40, they sit behind the Browns and Giants at Nos. 33 and 34, respectively If they stand pat, they’ll have to hope the Browns and Giants bypass their guy at the top of the second round.
HISTORY
Continued from page 1C
round from the Houston Texans in exchange for a second-rounder (No. 42), a sixth-rounder (No. 188) and a 2025 second-rounder (No. 56, which was eventually sent to the Buffalo Bills).
The Vikings hammered out that deal out before the draft. In the first round, the team moved up again to No. 17 to select pass rusher Dallas Turner, who is not a quarterback. Conventional wisdom suggests teams typically give up a little more to try to find their quarterback of the future. So what could be the price for the Saints? Let’s take a look at notable quarterback trades that took place near the end of Round 1, in Round 2 and a few midround selections. These are the deals that were made after the NFL implemented its current rookie wage scale in 2011.
2023
This turned out to be a busy draft for quarterback deals, even beyond the blockbuster trade that saw the Carolina Panthers move up to grab Bryce Young with the first overall pick.
In Round 2, the Tennessee Titans sent picks 41, 72 and a
The Saints’ pre-draft intel on the plans of the Steelers, Browns and Giants likely will dictate the team’s quarterback strategy If the intel reveals a trade isn’t in the cards or will be too expensive, then the Saints probably will stand pat and wait for their selection at No. 40. If the Saints learn their QB-needy rivals are not interested in their top-rated QB, then they can also afford to sit at 40 and wait it out.
2024 third-rounder to the Arizona Cardinals so they could grab Will Levis at No. 33 and land No. 81, which was used to take Tulane running back Tyjae Spears Levis ended up starting 21 games for the Titans, though he’s on the verge of being replaced as Tennessee likely will select Miami’s Cam Ward with the first overall pick Thursday Also this year, the Saints actually traded up for a quarterback The team sent a 2024 fourth-rounder and a seventh-rounder in 2023 (No. 227) to land Fresno State’s Jake Haener at No. 127. That same round, the Raiders sent a fifth and sixth for the Patriots’ No. 135 selection to take Aidan O’Connell, who has started 17 games for Las Vegas.
2020
This year isn’t an exact apples-to-apples scenario for New Orleans, but the Green Bay Packers notably went from No. 30 to No. 26 to grab quarterback Jordan Love. The cost? The Packers only had to send the Miami Dolphins an additional fourthrounder (No. 136) Not bad.
2019
The 2019 draft has another second-round trade that’s worth studying. The Denver Broncos jumped up to No 42 to grab Drew Lock, sending the Indianapolis Colts picks No. 52 (second round), No.
But history shows they’ll try to be aggressive. If so, they’ll need to leapfrog the Browns and Gi-
125 (fourth round) and No. 182 (sixth round).
The Saints, of course, pick at No. 40, but they hold two third-round picks (No. 71, No. 93), two fourths (No. 112, No. 131) and two sevenths (No. 248, No. 254).
2018
What a quarterback draft.
The first round saw Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen and Lamar Jackson all taken in the first round and four of those signal-callers were taken as a result of trades (Darnold, Allen, Rosen and Jackson).
For these purposes, let’s focus on the Jackson deal
The Baltimore Ravens snuck back into the end of the first round, taking Jackson at No. 32. To do so, they sent the 52nd pick, the 125th pick and a 2019 second-rounder to the Philadelphia Eagles who also gave Baltimore a fourth-round pick (No. 132) to facilitate the trade.
Also that year, the Pittsburgh Steelers sent No. 79 in the third round and No. 220 in the seventh round to move up three spots to grab quarterback Mason Rudolph with the 76th pick.
2016
Though the 2017 draft featured three first-round trades involving quarterbacks, those were near the top of the draft, so let’s skip
Gillie,
Buffalo Bills, who sit at Nos. 29 and 30, lack third-round picks.
The reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles also could be in play at No. 32. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has a well-documented history of making deals with Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman.
Making such a bold move would be in character for Loomis He has traded up during the draft 20 times since 2011.
Loomis also has shown a predilection to support his head coaches by working to procure a quarterback for them early in their tenures. He collaborated with Sean Payton to land Drew Brees in 2006 free agency, and he aggressively recruited Deshaun Watson and Derek Carr for Dennis Allen.
It’ll be surprising if Loomis doesn’t do likewise for Moore. A trade likely will cost them draft capital, and this is where they might benefit from the deal they made with Washington last season. One or more of the third-, fourth- and sixth-round draft picks acquired from the Commanders in exchange for cornerback Marshon Lattimore could be used as trade chips to help them land their quarterback of the future.
ants by trading into the bottom of Round 1, where they could have multiple trade options with teams already set at quarterback.
Minnesota, which selected J.J. McCarthy in the first round a year ago and has just two picks in the first four rounds, might be a target at No. 24. Likewise, the Washington Commanders and
to 2016. There were splashy trades for No. 1 (Jared Goff) and No. 2 (Carson Wentz), but the Broncos’ trade for Paxton Lynch is more relevant for these purposes. Lynch obviously did not pan out as a pro, but at least it didn’t cost the Broncos much to get him. They sent No. 31 and a third-round selection (No. 94) to Seattle to take Lynch at No. 26. The Lynch trade turned out to be very similar to the Packers’ pursuit in 2020 of Love, though Green Bay only gave up a fourth-rounder instead of a third.
2014
With Carr reportedly injured and entering what is likely the final year of his tenure in New Orleans, finding a quarterback of the future is critically important for the franchise.
We’ll learn just how important later this week.
Email Jeff Duncan at jduncan@ theadvocate.com.
Of all the deals listed so far, this might be the most interesting parallel because it directly involves pick No. 40, which the Saints have this year
In 2014, the Minnesota Vikings sent No. 40 and a fourth-round pick (No. 108) to the Seattle Seahawks so they could grab Teddy Bridgewater at No. 32. The Philadelphia Eagles hold this year’s No. 32 pick, which they also did in 2018 when they moved the selection to Baltimore. If the Saints trade back
into the first round, one of the more interesting subplots will be whether they have to give up any picks from the 2026 draft The Saints have shown a willingness to trade future assets, notably in 2022 and 2018. But of the examples laid out, teams haven’t always had to do that when moving back into the first round. It likely will depend on how far the Saints want to trade up — and who they have to outbid.
Email Matthew Paras at matt.paras@theadvocate. com
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By VASHA HUNT
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe looks to throw against Missouri on Oct. 26 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Cafe offers placeto cuddle with giant rodents
BY MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press
ST.AUGUSTINE, Fla. Animal lovers now have aplace to hang out withthe “it” animals of the moment—big furry rodents.
In the back of areal estateoffice building in what is known as America’soldest city,capybarasare crawling into visitors’ laps, munching on corn on the cob and hunting for scratches from humans at TheCapybara Cafe in St.Augustine, Florida.
“You give them lots of scratches and love,” saidStephanie Angel,who opened The CapybaraCafelate last year.“A lotoftimes they’ll climb on your lap because they’re very usedto people,and if you’re really good at giving scratches, they’ll actually fall over. So that’salways our goal to get them so comfortable that they fall over.”
Since opening its doors in October in downtown St. Augustine, near the Flagler Collegecampus, hundredsof animal lovershave visited the site to give the capybaras head scratches. Reservations are bookedseveral months in advance by patrons like Leah Macri, who recently visited the northeast Florida locationfrom Orlando with her daughter “Their fur kind of feels like straw abit,” Macrisaid.
scratches from visitors at The Capybara Cafe in St.Augustine, Fla.
Afterentering areception area with couches and an open penofbaby chicks, visitors are escorted into asmaller room in groups of ahalf-dozen or so people. Blankets areplaced overtheir laps, and three capybaras are brought into theroom. Otheranimals likea skunk, wallaby and armadillo arealso introduced into the room, and they crawlamong the humans and into their laps. The costis $49per person for ahalf-hour encounter,and $99for an hourlong encounter that involves the other animals.
Even though she had come for the capybaras, Macri enjoyed holding the armadillothe most “He was the cuddly,like the best. He was just the softest,” she said. “He was just very sweet.” The capybara —asemi-aquatic South American relativeof the guinea pig —isthe latest in along line of “it”animalstoget the star treatment in the United States. During last year’sholiday shopping season,shoppers couldfind capybara slippers, purses,robes and bath bombs. Axolotls, owls,hedgehogs, foxes and sloths also had recent turns in the spotlight.
The web-footed capybaras can grow to more than 4feet long andweigh wellnorth of 100 pounds.
Several zoos and wildlife parks across the U.S. offer encounters with capybaras, but Angel said none of them provide the intimacywith the animals that visitors get at the Capybara Cafe. Angel said sheplansto open another capybaracafe across the state in St. Petersburg, Florida,soon. The St. Augustine location doesn’tsell coffee or
The weekend late-night menuatTon’sDowntown
HAVE A GOODNIGHT
Barhopping in downtown Lafayette? Trya late-night burger from this Acadiana institution.
BY JOANNABROWN Staff writer
In nightlife districts acrossthe world, late-night food optionslike doner kebabs,street tacos and karaage fried chicken go hand-in-hand withthe bar-hopping experience.
But, if you’re outinLafayette after about 10 p.m.,downtown partiers, residents and service industry professionals have few options to grab asatisfying meal along Jefferson Street.
The downtownfood district offers awide variety of cuisines, and new spots to grab abite areopeningall the time —like UncleBob’s Roundup, anew food truck park that closes at 10 p.m. on theweekends. Restaurants like Central Pizza stay open alittle later, till 11 p.m., with awell-heeled vibe suitable for cocktails anddatenights.
However,you’relooking for an even later,casual post-bar or postshift meal —something that really hits the spot, like burgers, fried chickenand chilidogs— there’s
The soft-shelled crabroll, left, Philadelphiaroll, right, andsamba roll, top, atSushi yama in Baton Rouge
Ton’sDowntown late night hours are Friday and Saturday, 5p.m. to 12 a.m.and is located at 500 Jefferson St
only one downtown eatery that can scratch that after-hours itch.
Ton’s, which has historically served breakfast andlunch only, stays open lateonFridayand Saturday nightsfrom 5p.m. to midnight at thedowntownlocation. Right now,they are offering an ab-
breviated version of their menuat night, but the bases are all covered —burgers, beignets, mini meat pies,hot dogs andevenasingle piece of fried chicken for$3are all availableifyou need aquick pickup before turning in forthe night.
When Ton’sDowntown first opened in November 2023 at 500 Jefferson St., they brought decades of experience in classic diner itemsfrom the original Ton’s DriveInlocation in Broussard, such as plate lunches, chili, gumbo and big, delicious burgers. And sinceadding late-night hours last fall, third-generation owner Hollie Girouard and her team have been serving that history to midnight diners in the heart of Lafayette’s nightlifedistrict.
“Moving downtown,weleaned hard on what the brand is,” says Girouard, who spent her whole lifearound the Broussard drive-in started by her grandparents, Rose Mary and Alton Girouard, in 1963.
See TONS, page 6C
AP PHOTO By MIKE SCHNEIDER
Acapybara gets
PROVIDED PHOTOS FROM TON’S DOWNTOWN FACEBOOK
in Lafayette includes burgers, fried chicken, Frito pieand more.
Passive-aggressive is as passive-aggressive does
Dear Miss Manners: Iworked with someone who was uber passiveaggressive and made my life at work difficult. Fortunately, she retiredatthe end of the semester There was aretirement gathering for her with cake and coffee, givenby her colleagues. Ivowed long ago as division chair to never attend agathering for this individual, so I skipped it. Iwas confronted and scoldedregarding my absence. I didn’twant to lie, so Isaid there were personal issues that precluded me from attending Should Ihave just gone and been the better person? ShouldIhave
lied that Ihad an appointment?
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
Gentle reader: “Passive-aggressive” is oneof thoseterms that MissManners has never entirely understood. Wouldanexample be putting upwith bad behavior from acolleague for years without resolving it, andthen venting the accumulated frustration by shirking one’sdutyasdivision chair to attend aceremonial gathering honoring that person’sretirement?
She is equally unclear on the moral distinction between beingtruthfulabout yourabsence (when there are no consequences) compared to havingpresumably been civil and professional every
prior day (when there were). What would have been theharm in showing up for acolleague you did not care for —but will not have to see again afterward? Instead of being thebetter person, we can call it being thebigger person. Or doing your job Or showing that there are more important things in your life than her bad behavior
Dear Miss Manners: When Iissue online invitations to multiple guestsatonce, Igenerally use the option to hide theguest list from invitees. I’m not sure why Ido this,except that back when Isent invitations through the mail, nobody got (or expected) alist of the other invitees. However,some of our friends,
from page5C
cream cheese. And the samba roll proved to be the favorite, made with tempura shrimp, avocado, tuna, crunchies and masago in soy wrap topped with eel sauce. It was freshand provided asymphony of flavors
—Lauren Cheramie, features coordinator Bang bang shrimp
n Hot Food Express, 3013 Cameron St.,Lafayette
Fried rice is acomfort food for me. It fills me up, makes me warm and reminds me of monthly dinners with my bestfriends in high school. Maybe that’swhy Ilove Hot Food Express, but it’sprobably becauseit’ssodelicious
The bang bang shrimp is my go-to meal —itincludes flavorful fried rice with eggs, vegetables and fried shrimp with aspicy-sweet sauce.The lunch portion, about $12, is the perfect amount of food to eat without making me feel like I immediately need anap If you’re feeling adventurous and have room for
TONS
Continued from page5C
“At the same time, it’sadifferent clientele downtown. So we started serving the frozen coffees, the fresh juices. Also, there are people downtown at night. We have customers that work in the service industry and they might not always be able to affordto eat at the places where they work, so it’sgiving options for them, and for people who are leaving ashow at the ACA or something like that.
dessert,the applepie egg roll, about$3, is agooey, sugary delight.
—Ashley White, education reporter Mac and cheese burger
n Our Mom’s Restaurantand Bar, 250 West LeeDrive, Baton Rouge
Lured by the promise of $5 burger night, Iwas immediately derailed by theadventurous burger selection. After debating the merits of theMac and
For Girouard, moves like this —expanding to anew location, new hours and new clientele —are away to continue her family’slegacy, even while taking on new challenges.
“I’d worked the business my whole life,but I’d never opened arestaurant before,” she said. “There were so many scary things to me, but Ijust thought, ‘OK, Imight spendmywhole life savings to open this restaurant, but what if Idon’teven try?’ So Itook theleap.”
Herfamily’soriginalrestaurant still servescustomersthat have been regulars forthe past 60 years —and
Cheese burger or Hawaiian, thewaitress helped me settle on theMac and Cheese burger —she getsitall the time. The burger comes overflowing with cheesy goodnessand crunchy bacon, but to me, what put it over the top was their homemade ranch. It’sa great addition to their adventurous burger menu, and Ican’twait to try theothers.
—Serena Puang, features writer
in justover ayear,Ton’s Downtown is steadily carving out itsown niche, both with their after hours menu, andwithcreatingthe same homey experience that Acadiana grew up withatTon’s Drive In.
“Wereally have grown agreat, regular clientele downtown. We’ve made it thefirst year anda half With restaurants, it’shard to makeitthe first year or two. Andwe’re doing it, and I’m really proud of where we are.”
Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.
before they tell us whether they plan to attend or not, immediately ask who else is invited or whoelse is coming. It makes me wonder if they only plan to intend if the list includes the Cool Kids.
Gentlereader: Wonder no more.
Dear Miss Manners: Afamily member called to confirm birth dates and anniversary dates formy adult children and their spouses. When Ireminded her that both my daughter andmydaughterin-law had opted to keep their maiden names when they married their husbands, she replied that she knew,but that she would continue to address their anniversary cards as “Mr.and Mrs. John Doe.” Ipolitely but firmly disagreed, to which she replied that she did
not care —not once, but twice. I am wondering what you think of this attitude. Ifind it disrespectful, not only of my daughter and daughter-in-law,but of me.
Gentle reader: Knowingly addressing the cards incorrectly is disrespectful toward the recipients.
Telling you of her plan to do so is impertinent and picking afight.
Telling you she does not care about your opinion, twice, is redundant and also tiresome.
And Miss Manners notes that this is being done as aprelude to wishing relatives well on their birthdays and anniversaries.
Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com.
By The Associated Press
Today is Wednesday, April 23, the 113th day of 2025. There are 252 days left in the year
Todayinhistory
On April 23, 1971, hundreds of Vietnam War veterans opposed tothe conflict protested by tossing their medals and ribbons over awire fence constructed in front of the U.S. Capitol.
On this date: In 1635, theBoston Latin School, thefirst public school in what would become the United States, was established.
In 1898, Spain declared war on the United States, which responded in kind two days later In 1940, more than 200
RODENTS
Continuedfrom page5C
hot food, like acafe implied in itsname,but it does sell capybara-themed T-shirts, coffee mugs and stuffed
people trapped inside adance hall died in the Rhythm Club Fire in Natchez, Mississippi, one of the deadliest nightclub fires in U.S. history
In 1988, afederal ban on smoking during domestic airline flights of two hours or less (accounting for80% of all U.S. flights) wentinto effect.
In 1993, labor leader Cesar Chavez died in San Luis, Arizona, at age 66. In 2005, the recently created video-sharing website YouTube uploaded its first clip, “Me at the Zoo,” which showed YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim standing in front of an elephant enclosure at the San Diego Zoo.
In 2007, Boris Yeltsin, Russia’sfirst popularly elected president, died in
animals. The cafewas created to financially support theHastings, Florida-based nonprofit Noah’s Ark Sanctuary Inc., an animal refuge, Angel said. Chris Cooper,who visited theCapybaraCafewithhis wife,was surprised at how
rough andcoarse the capybaras’ hair was “And Iwasn’texpecting how affectionate they were,” said Cooper,who drove up 157 milesfrom WeekiWachee to see the critters. “They enjoyed the hands-on rubs.”
STAFF PHOTO By SERENA PUANG
The Mac and Cheese burgeratOur Mom’sRestaurant and Bar
tAuRuS (April 20-May 20) Make a to-do list and embark on taking care of business and freeing up time to nurture yourself and meaningful relationships. Refuse to let anyone exploit you or bait you into a no-win situation.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Do the groundwork and avoid conflict. Today, take time to prepare and look out for yourself. Refuse to let the changes others make confuse you or disrupt your agenda.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Stop talking and start doing. Your words will have no merit if you are all talk and no play. Obliterate bad habits and replace them with proper diet, exercise and a positive attitude.
LEo (July 23-Aug 22) If you don't like what's happening, do something about it. Complaining won't help, but actions and enforcing the changes that can improve your life will.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Detail, precision and a modest budget will produce positive results. Refuse to let anyone talk you into overdoing it or overspending. Question and verify the information you receive.
LIBRA (Sept 23-oct 23) It's best to get approval to avoid bailouts or setbacks. Stick to facts and question any information you receive. It's nice to give a picturesque adaptation, but don't promise the impossible.
ScoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Take time to acquaint yourself with interesting people. Focus your energy on lively
discussions. Getting closer to someone who can assist you will encourage a joint venture.
SAGIttARIuS (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Note how others react. Address problems and discrepancies. What you see and what someone is telling you may differ. A financial gain is apparent, but so is overspending. Easy come, easy go.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan 19) Keep personal information to yourself. Someone will twist your words or mislead you if you aren't specific. Establishing how you feel and what you want is in your best interest.
AQuARIuS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Concentrate on your health and well-being. Protect your reputation and keep your thoughts to yourself. Update your skills to ensure you can keep up in a competitive market.
PIScES (Feb. 20-March 20) Cap your spending, simplify your life and eliminate things you no longer need, want or use. Rethink what brings you joy and take responsibility for your happiness.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Look for alternatives when facing negativity. A backup plan will offer peace of mind and ensure you won't lose time or damage your reputation. Patience, precision and a positive attitude are necessary.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
toDAy'S cLuE: y EQuALS V
CeLebrItY CIpher For better or For WorSe
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
bIG
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
CurTiS
Bridge
By PHILLIP ALDER
Surrealist painter Salvador Dali said “I do not paint aportrait to look like the subject; rather does the persongrow to looklikehis portrait.”
At thebridgetable, some bids paint a perfect picture of aplayer’s hand. Butif an opponent thenbecomes the declarer, hehasbeengivenaroadmapforplaying the contract
Inthisdeal,Southwasinfivediamonds What didhedoafterWest ledthe spade king: ace, seven, four?
West’stwo-diamond overcall was a Michaels Cue-Bid, promising at least 5-5 in themajors. After East jumped to four hearts, South, unsure who could make what,sensiblyrebidfivediamonds.Then East, eying the vulnerability, passed. (Five heartsdoubled should go down two,minus 500.)
Southhadthreelosers(twospadesand oneclub)andonly10winners(onespade, seven diamonds and two clubs). But he hadahugeadvantage,knowingthatEast had startedwith asingleton spade and could not reach hispartner’shand.
At trick two, declarer started apartial elimination and endplay by ruffing a heartinhishand.Hereturnedtodummy with atrumptothe eight, ruffed aheart high, played adiamond to the nine, and ruffedthe lastheart. Then South cashed his topclubs and played athird club. East wonbut had no answer. Whether heledaheartoraclub,Southwouldsluff aspade loser from his hand and ruff on the board.
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 uPScALE: UP-skale: Of asuperior quality.
Average mark 24 words
Timelimit 40 minutes Can you find 36 or morewords in UPSCALE?
U.S. stocks jumped in awidespread rally Tuesday,and other U.S. investments steadieda day after falling sharply on worries about President Donald Trump’s trade war and his attacks onthe head of the Federal Reserve
The S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite more than made up theirbig losses from the start of the week.
The value of the U.S. dollar also stabilized after sliding against theeuro and other competitors, while longer-term Treasury yields held steadier as more calm returned to financial markets. Sharp, unusual moves for the dollar and for Treasurys have recentlyraisedworries that Trump’spolicies are makinginvestorsmoreskeptical about U.S. investments’ reputation as the world’ssafest.
The only prediction many Wall Street strategists are willing to make is that financial markets will likely continue to veer up and down as hopes rise and fall thatTrump may negotiate deals with other countries to lower his tariffs. If no such deals come quicklyenough, many investors expect the economy to fall into a recession. Asuite of better-thanexpected profitreports from big U.S. companies, including Equifax, 3M and PulteGroup helped drive stocks higher
Officials to phase out artificial dyesfromfood
U.S. health officials on Tuesdaysaidtheywouldphaseout petroleum-based artificial colors in thenation’sfood supply potentially triggering an ingredients overhaulfor scores of brightlyhuedproducts on American store shelves.
The federal Food and Drug Administration willtake steps to eliminate the synthetic dyes by the end of 2026, FDA CommissionerMarty Makary said at a news conference. The agency willestablish astandard and timelinefor industry to switch to natural alternatives, revoke authorization for dyes not in productionwithin coming weeks and take action to remove remaining dyes on the market. Health advocates have long calledfor theremoval of artificialdyes from foods, citing mixed studies indicatingthey can cause neurobehavioral problems, including hyperactivity and attention issues, in some children. The FDA has maintained that theapproveddyes aresafe and that “the totality of scientific evidence showsthat most childrenhave no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives.”
Swiss company to invest $50B in U.S. Swiss pharmaceuticals powerhouse Roche announcedTuesday it plans to invest $50billion in the United Statesover the nextfive years,creating 12,000 jobs.
TheBasel-based company, whose array of products includes cancer medicines and multiple sclerosis treatment Ocrevus, said theinvestment would go toward high-techresearch anddevelopment sites and new manufacturing facilities in places includingCalifornia, Indiana, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania
Some of the $50 billion in investments were already underway or plannedfor the next several years, Roche spokesperson RebekkaSchnell said in an email, adding that the company was not specifying how much was announcedfor the first time on Tuesday
The announcement comes as U.S. PresidentDonaldTrump has urged foreign businesses to invest more in the United States, and announcedsweeping tariffs earlier this month on imports as part of hopes to reduce alarge U.S. trade deficit when it comes to sales of goods. Roche, in its statement, said thatonce the new,expanded manufacturing comes on line, the company “will export more medicines from the U.S. thanit imports” —thoughitmadeno mention of tariffs.
BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer
WASHINGTON The U.S. and global economies will likely slow significantly in the wake of President Donald Trump’stariffs and the uncertainty they have created, the InternationalMonetaryFund said Tuesday
The IMF said that theglobal economy will grow2.8% this year, downfrom its forecast in January of 3.3%, according to itslatest World Economic Outlook. And in 2026, global growth will be 3%, the fund predicts, also below its previous 3.3% estimate.
Andthe Fund sees the world’s twolargest economies, China and the United States, weakening: U.S economic growth will come in at 1.8% thisyear,down sharply from its previous forecast of 2.7% and afullpercentage point belowits 2024 expansion. The IMF doesn’t expect aU.S. recession, though it has raised its odds of onethis year from 25% to about 40% China is now projected to expand 4% this year andnext, down
roughly half apoint from its previous forecasts.
“Weare enteringa newera,” Pierre-OlivierGourinchas, chief economistatthe IMF,said. “This global economicsystemthathas operated for the last eighty years is being reset.”
Theforecasts underscore the widespread impact of boththe tariffs and the uncertainty they have created. Every countryin the world is affected, the IMF said, by hikes in American import taxes that have nowlifted average U.S. duties to about 25%, the highest in acentury
The forecasts are largely in line with manyprivate-sector economists’ expectations, though some do fear arecession is increasingly likely.Economists at JPMorgan say thechances of aU.S. recessionare now60%. The Federal Reserve hasalso forecast that growth will weaken this year,to 1.7%.
The IMF is a191-nation lending organization that works to promote economic growth andfinancial stabilityand to reduce global
BY JOSH BOAK and FATIMAHUSSEIN Associated Press
WASHINGTON U.S. Treasury Secretary
ScottBessent said in aTuesday speech that the ongoing tariffs showdown against China is unsustainableand expectsa“de-escalation” in the trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
Butina private speech in Washington for JPMorgan Chase, Bessentalsocautioned that talksbetween theUnited States and China hadyet to formally start. Trump placed import taxes of 145% on China, which has countered with 125% tariffs on U.S. goods. Trump has placed tariffs on several dozen countries, causing the stock market to stumble andinterest rates to increase on U.S.debt as investors worry about slower economic growth and higher inflationary pressures
Details of the speechwere confirmed by two people familiar with theremarks who insistedonanonymity to discussthem.
“I do sayChina is going to be aslogin terms ofthe negotiations,” Bessent said, according to atranscript obtained by The Associated Press. “Neitherside thinks the status quo is sustainable.”
TheS&P 500 stock indexrose after Bloomberg News initially reported Bessent’sremarks.
TheTrump administrationhas met for talks with counterparts from Japan, India South Korea,the European Union, Canada and Mexico, among other nations. But Trump has shown no public indications that he planstopull back his baseline 10% tariff, even as he has insisted he’s looking for other nations tocut theirown import taxes andremove any nontariff barriers that the administration sayshave hindered exports from the U.S. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday thatTrump told her“we’re doing very well” regarding a“potential trade deal withChina.” China on Monday warned other countries against making trade deals with the United States that could negatively impact China.
“China firmly opposes any party reaching adeal at the expense of China’sinterests,”
BY BERNARD CONDON AP business writer
NEW YORK Tesla’sfirst-quarter
profits plunged by more than twothirds amid abacklash against Elon Musk’s electriccar company that has hurt sales and sentits stock plunging. TheAustin, Texas,company said Tuesday that quarterly profits fell by 70% to to $409 million, or 12 cents ashare. That’sfar below analyst estimates. Tesla’srevenue fell 9% to$19.3 billion in the Januarythrough March period, also below Wall Street’sforecast.
The disappointing results come as thecompany struggles to sell cars to consumers angry over Musk’sleadership of afederal government jobs-cutting group
poverty
Gourinchas said that the heightened uncertainty around the import taxesled theIMF to take the unusual step of preparing several different scenariosfor
future growth. Its forecasts were finalized April4,after theTrump administrationannounced sweeping tariffs on nearly60countries alongwithnearly-universal 10% duties.
China’sCommerce Ministry saidinastatement. Leavitt saidthe Trump administration has received 18 proposals from other countries fortrade deals with theU.S., adding that “everyoneinvolved wantstosee atrade deal happen.”
The uncertainty over tariffs in thefinancial markets has also been amplified by
that hasdivided the countryand sparked protests. Muskalsohas publicly supported far-right politicians in Europe and alienated potential buyers there, too. Many investors have alsocomplained Musk is too distracted with his Trumpadministration roletoberunning Teslaand that he should either relinquishhis positionasCEO or abandonhis advisory roleinWashington.
Tesla’ stock has fallen morethan 40% this year but rose slightlyin after-hours trading.
Morningstaranalyst Seth Goldstein said earlierreports of plunging salesthathad tankedthe stock made the results almost predictable. “They’re not particularly sur-
Trump calling on the Federal Reserve to cut its benchmark interest rate, with the president saying he could fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell if he wantedtodoso.
Leavitt said Trump believesthe Fed has acted “in the name of politics, rather in the name of what’sright forthe American economy”byholding rates steady as it awaits the impactsoftariffs.
prisinggiven that deliveries were down,” Goldstein said, addingthat thecompany is still generating cash. “It was good to see positive cash flow.”
Thecompany generated $2.2 billion in operating cash versus $242 million ayear earlier.
The company is expected to roll outacheaper version of its bestselling vehicle, theModel YSUV later in the year.Teslahas also saiditplanstostartapaiddriverless robotaxiserviceinAustin in June.
Itscloselywatched gross margins, ameasure of earnings for each dollar of revenue,fellto 16.3% from 17.4%
Thecompany that once dominated EVs is also facing fierce competition for the first time.
Earlierthis year,Chinese EV maker BYD announced it had developed an electric battery charging system that can fully power up avehicle within minutes.And Tesla’sEuropean rivals have begun offering newmodelswith advanced technology thatismaking them real alternatives, just as popularopinion in Europe has turnedagainst Musk. Investors expect Tesla will be hurt less by the Trumpadministration’stariffs than most U.S. car companies because it makes most of its U.S. carsdomestically But Tesla won’tbecompletely unscathed. It sources some materialsfor its vehiclesfromabroad thatwill nowface import taxes.
OUR LIVES TO IMPROVING YOURS
Whetherit’shurricane-resilient and termite-resistanthousing materials, breakthrough cancertreatments andlifesavingmedicaltests, more drought- andweather-tolerant crops, hands-on coastal preservation andrestoration, cybersecurityfor state ports and small businesses, energy developmentand expansion, or countless other research and outreach initiatives, the work of LSU innovators benefitspeople in Louisiana and across the nation every day of theyear.
BUILDING DISASTERRESILIENT HOMES
Likemany placesacross the U.S., Louisiana faces rising insurance costs due to natural disasters. Professor Carol Friedland, acivil engineer,isthe director for the LSU AgCenter’sLaHouse, amodel home and educationalcenter that showcases researchbased building materials and methods to make homes less vulnerable to flooding, hurricanes, andwind, as well as more energy efficient. She is also working in partnership with state agencies and industry to address Louisiana’s risk and insurability challenges and rising energy costs so homeownership can be more affordable
HARNESSING AI FORRESCUE OPERATIONS
TheNational Fire ProtectionAssociation estimates that one home fire-relateddeath occurs in the U.S. every three hours and 14 minutes. Engineering Assistant Professor XiangyuMeng designed an intelligent drone thatuses thermaltechnologyfor rescue operations, which will help firefighters and first responders save lives.
CREATING NEW ANTIBIOTICS TO CURE CHRONIC INFECTIONS
Each year,anestimated 1.6 million Americans developfootulcers associated with diabetes, frequently leading to chronic infections that result in amputation and costing more than $10 billion each year in treatment. Chemistry Professor Mario Rivera is developing anew class of antibiotics capable of bypassing thedefenses of drug-resistant bacteria, which will makeiteasier to cure chronic infections likethese
DEVELOPING VACCINES TO PREVENT LIVESTOCK ILLNESS ANDDEATH
Bovine respiratory disease and related illnesses kill around 8millioncalves each year and cost the U.S. cattle industry more than $1 billion. Veterinary Medicine Professor Shafiqul Chowdhurydeveloped anew vaccine that prevents the virus from spreading and circulating among cattle populations.
WE BUILD TEAMS THATWIN IN LOUISIANA FORTHE WORLD
LSU’sfuture-forward researchinitiatives drive economic growth by fostering the developmentofnew technologies, industries, and businesses. Through partnerships with industry and collaborationswith our peers, LSUhelps create newproducts, services, andprocesses thatsignificantly impact the local, national,and global economy.
$6.1 BILLION ANNUAL ECONOMIC IMPACT FORTHE STATE
AWARDED$1.5MILLION FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCEFOUNDATIONTO DEVELOPINNOVATIVEFLOOD RISK REDUCTIONSOFTWARE
DESIGNATED A CENTER OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IN CYBEROPERATIONS BY THENATIONALSECURITYAGENCY
RANKED NO.1 LOUISIANAUNIVERSITY BY THEWALLSTREET JOURNALAND FORBES
INNOVATION WITH IMPACT
ASTUDENT-AND ALUMNI-CREATED AI-POWERED TOOL, CALLED FARMSMART, THATUSES DECADES OF RESEARCH TO HELP FARMERS MANAGE CROPS AND GET RID OF WEEDS
ABREAKTHROUGH TESTTO DETECT SEPSIS,THE NO.1CAUSE OF DEATH IN HOSPITALS
ATOOL, USING SUPERCOMPUTERS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, THAT PREDICTSSTORM SURGE AND FLOODING DURING SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS
ACYBERSECURITY CLINIC TO HELPSMALLLOUISIANA BUSINESSES DEFEND AGAINST CYBERATTACKS,THE FIRST IN THE NATION CREATEDBYA UNIVERSITY
AFIBER OPTICS-POWERED DISCOVERYTHATCAN QUICKLY AND ACCURATELYIDENTIFY PIPELINE LEAKS, PREVENTING POTENTIALLYSIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE AND SAVING THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AYEAR
