The Acadiana Advocate 04-27-2025 by The Advocate

Fightover Medicaid hashuge stakes for Louisiana

Congress to determine program’sfutureover thenextfew weeks

BY MARK BALLARD |Staff writer

WASHINGTON —The futureofMedicaid will be determined over the next few weeks after months of speculation over howpotential cuts could affect Louisiana.

House Speaker Mike Johnson,R-Benton, and President Donald Trump are trying to pass “one big, beautiful bill” that will achieve Trump’spriorities like extendinghis 2017 tax cuts, tougher border security,more defense spending andexempting tips from taxation. To help pay for it, Republicansinthe House want to cut the federal budget by $1.5 trillion —and the committee that oversees Medicaid has been tasked with eliminating $880 billion. That has raised alarm amongdoctors,

ä See MEDICAID, page 6A

Artistsfrom La., Canada sharecultural connection throughmusic

BY JOANNA BROWN |Staff writer

Les Hay Babies, an indie folk band from New Brunswick, Canada, has played Lafayette’sFestival International twice. They’ve recordedmusic during acreative retreat in Erath, and have built connections with fellow musicians and new friends across years of gigs and trips to south Louisiana. According to Les HayBabies band member Julie Aubé, her ties in the Acadiana region stem from the language,

ä See MUSIC, page 7A

‘Hewas apope amongthe people’

Mighty andmeeksay farewell to Francis duringVatican funeral, last popemobile ride

coffinofPopeFrancis is

file

theperipheries and re

BY NICOLE WINFIELD and COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press

VATICAN CITY World leaders and rank-and-file Catholic faithful bade farewell to Pope Francis in afuneral Saturday thathighlighted his concern for people on the peripheries and reflected hiswishtoberememberedasa simple pastor.Though presidentsand princes attendedthe MassinSt. Peter’sSquare, prisoners and migrants welcomed Francis’ coffinathis final resting place in abasilica across town. According to Vatican estimates 250,000 people flocked to thefuneral Mass at theVatican and 150,000 more lined the motorcade routethrough downtown Rome to witnessthe first funeral procession for apope in acentury.Theyclappedand cheered “Papa Francesco” as his simple wooden coffin traveled aboard amodified popemobile to St. Mary Major Basilica,

31/2 miles away As bells tolled, the pallbearers brought the cofﬁn past several dozen migrants, prisoners andhomeless people holding white roses outside the basilica.Onceinside, the pallbearers stopped in front of the icon of the Virgin Mary that Francis loved. Four children deposited the roses at the foot of the altar before cardinals performed theburialriteathis tombina nearby niche.

“I’m so sorry that we’ve lost him,” said Mohammed Abdallah, a35-yearold migrant from Sudan who was one of the people who welcomed Francis to his ﬁnal resting place. “Francis helped so many people,refugees like us, and many other people in the world.”

ä See FRANCIS, page 4A

Johnson Trump

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO Pope Francis died on Mondayatage 88.

ä Faithful celebratethe pope’slife. PAGE 5A

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByEVANVUCCI

The

carried into St Peter’sSquare for hisfuneral at the Vatican on Saturday. Worldleaders and rank-and-

Catholic faithful have said farewell to Pope Francis in afuneral that highlighted hisconcernfor people on

flected his wish to be remembered as asimple pastor

Syria’s Kurds call for democratic state

QAMISHLI Syria Representatives of Kurdish groups in Syria called Saturday for a democratic state that gives the country’s Kurds their ethnic rights after the fall of Bashar Assad.

Some 400 people representing Syria’s main Kurdish groups met in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli to unify their positions a month after Syria’s new rulers signed a breakthrough deal with Kurdish-led authorities in the northeast Kurds in Syria were marginalized during the 54-year Assad family rule, with many denied citizenship and wrongly described as Arabs. Since the fall of Bashar Assad in early December, Syria’s Kurds have been trying to keep the cultural gains they made in the northeast enclave they carved out during the country’s civil war

A statement issued at the end of the one-day meeting that was attended by groups including the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, and the Kurdish National Council called for a “fair and comprehensive” solution for the Kurdish cause in a “democratic and decentralized country.”

They said that the country’s constitution should “guarantee the national rights of the Kurdish people and abide by international laws for human rights and women’s rights.” The statement said women should actively participate in state institutions in Syria.

The groups also called for post-Assad Syria to give equal rights to all its citizens “without marginalizing anyone.”

Letter written on board Titanic sells at auction LONDON A lettercard penned by one of the Titanic’s most wellknown survivors from on board the ship, days before it sank, has sold for $399,000 at auction

In the note, written to the seller’s great-uncle on April 10, 1912, first-class passenger Archibald Gracie wrote of the ill-fated steamship: “It is a ﬁne ship but I shall await my journeys end before I pass judgment on her.”

The letter was sold to a private collector from the United States on Saturday, according to auction house Henry Aldridge & Son in Wiltshire, England. The hammer price far exceeded the initial estimated price of about $80,000.

The letter is believed to be the sole example in existence from Gracie from on board the Titanic, which sank off Newfoundland after hitting an iceberg killing about 1,500 people on its maiden voyage

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge described it as an “exceptional museum grade piece.”

Trump doubts Putin willing to end war

U.S., Ukraine leaders meet at pope’s funeral

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

ROME President Donald Trump said Saturday that he doubts Russia’s Vladimir Putin wants to end his war in Ukraine, expressing new skepticism that a peace deal can be reached soon.

Only a day earlier, Trump had said Ukraine and Russia were “very close to a deal.”

“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump said in a social media post as he ﬂew back to the United States after attending Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican, where he met brieﬂy with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

sharply contrasted with Trump’s positive assessment that the two sides were “very close to a deal” after his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Putin in Moscow on Friday. The Trump-Zelenskyy conversation on the sidelines of the pope’s funeral was the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since they argued during a heated Oval Ofﬁce meeting at the White House in late February That confrontation led the White House to briefly pause U.S. military assistance and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

Trump also hinted at further sanctions against Russia.

“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?”

Too many people are dying!!!” Trump wrote.

The new doubts aired by Trump come as the president and top aides intensify their push to come to a deal to end the war that began in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. The comments also

Israeli strike kills 10

Mediators try to restart ceasefire

BY WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip An Israeli airstrike ﬂattened a three-story home in Gaza City on Saturday, killing 10 people — half of them children — as Arab mediators scrambled to restart a ceaseﬁre.

Israeli strikes killed at least 49 people in the past 24 hours, according to health ofﬁcials. The dead in the early morning airstrike in a neighborhood in western Gaza City included three women and ﬁve children, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the bodies.

Israel’s military said that it had struck a Hamas militant and the structure where he operated collapsed, adding that the collapse was under review

“There is no one from the resistance among them,” said Saed Al-Khour, who lost his family in the strike.

“Since 1 o’clock until now we have been pulling out the

remains of children, women and elderly people.” He stood amid the rubble, under a tilted ceiling. Three other people were killed in the Shati refugee camp along Gaza City’s shoreline Hamas said Saturday that it had sent a high-level delegation to Cairo to try and get the ceaseﬁre, shattered last month by Israeli bombardment, back on track. Israel has vowed to continue the war until all hostages are returned and Hamas is destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile. It says it will hold parts of Gaza indeﬁnitely and implement U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for the resettlement of the population in other countries, which has been widely rejected internationally

Hamas has said that it will only release the dozens of hostages it holds in return for Palestinian prisoners, a complete Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceaseﬁre, as called for in the now-defunct agreement reached in January

Hamas said that its delegation will discuss with Egyptian ofﬁcials the group’s vision to end the war which also includes reconstruction.

Days after ordering the pause, Trump also announced he was “strongly considering” imposing new sanctions and tariffs on Russia to try to prod Putin to negotiate in earnest. Trump has not yet followed through on the threat — something even some of his staunch Republican allies are now pressuring him to do. In fact, when Trump announced new global tariffs this month, one major economy he excluded was Russia’s.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Friday urged Trump to “put the toughest of sanctions on Putin,” arguing there is “clear evidence that he is playing America as a patsy.”

It’s the second time in a matter of days that Trump has rebuked Putin, whom the American president rarely publicly criticizes.

On Thursday Trump

publicly urged the Russian leader to “STOP!” after a deadly barrage of attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.

After their brief meeting Saturday, Zelenskyy’s office had said the U.S. and Ukrainian teams were making arrangements for the leaders to talk again Saturday But Trump went directly to the Rome airport after the funeral and boarded Air Force One for the 10-hour ﬂight back to the United States.

Zelenskyy’s spokesperson, Serhii Nykyforov, said Trump and Zelenskyy did not meet again in person because of their tight schedules.

Zelenskyy called it a “good meeting” on social media after the funeral.

“We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceaseﬁre. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out,” said the Ukrainian leader who also held talks Saturday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results. Thank you.”

The White House said the discussion was “very productive.” The meeting lasted about 15 minutes inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, where Francis often preached the need for a peaceful end to the war, just before Trump and Zelenskyy took their seats at the outdoor funeral service.

Russia says it has reclaimed Kursk region

Ukraine says it is still fighting there

BY SAMYA KULLAB and KATIE MARIE DAVIES Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine All Ukrainian troops have been forced from parts of Russia’s Kursk region, which Moscow lost control of last year to a surprise Ukrainian incursion, Russia’s top general said in a Kremlin meeting Saturday Ukrainian ofﬁcials denied the claim.

Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff for Russia’s Armed Forces, gave Russian President Vladimir Putin the news in a meeting Saturday, Peskov told Russian state news outlet Interfax. In a statement, Putin congratulated the Russian soldiers and commanders and said that Kyiv’s incursion had “completely failed.”

“The complete defeat of our enemy along Kursk’s border region creates the right conditions for further successes for our troops and in other important areas of the front,” he said.

Ukrainian ofﬁcials, however, said the ﬁghting was still continuing. “The statements of representatives of the high command of the aggressor country about the alleged end of hostilities in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation are not true,” Ukraine’s General staff said Saturday

“The defensive operation of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in certain areas in the Kursk region continues.

The operational situation is difﬁcult, but our units con-

tinue to hold designated positions and carry out assigned tasks, while inﬂicting effective fire damage on the enemy with all types of weapons, including using active defense tactics,” it added.

The Ukrainian army stunned Russia in August 2024 by attacking across the border and taking control of an estimated 500 square miles of land. The country’s leaders believed the capture of Russian territory might help in any future peace negotiations, but their gains were slowly eroded and Ukrainian troops continued to lose control of the territory throughout early 2025. Gerasimov also conﬁrmed Saturday that North Korean soldiers fought against Ukrainian troops in Russia’s Kursk region. Gerasimov said that they took part in “combat missions shoulder to shoulder with Russian servicemen during the repelling of the Ukrainian incursion” and “demonstrated high professionalism, showed fortitude, courage and heroism in battle.” In the fall, Ukraine, the U.S. and South Korea all said that North Korea, which previously had supplied weapons to Moscow had deployed 10,000-12,000 of its troops to Russia to ﬁght in Kursk. Moscow and Pyongyang until now had responded vaguely to the South Korean and Western claims of the troop deployment, emphasizing that their military cooperation conforms with international law, without directly admitting the presence of the North Korean forces in Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens Saturday during a meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow.

theadvocate.com/eedition Archives: theadvocate.newsbank.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BABENKO

Rescue workers clear the rubble Thursday after a Russian strike in a neighborhood in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Trump

Zelenskyy

SPUTNIK PHOTO By BALEXANDER KAZAKOV

India says Pakistani troops fired at positions at border

BY AIJAZ HUSSAIN, RAJESH ROY and MUNIR AHMED Associated Press

SRINAGAR, India Pakistani

soldiers ﬁred at Indian posts along the highly militarized frontier in disputed Kashmir for a second consecutive night, the Indian military said Saturday, as tensions ﬂared between the nucleararmed rivals following a deadly attack on tourists last week.

India described the massacre, in which gunmen killed 26 people, most of them Indian tourists, as a “terror attack” and accused Pakistan of backing it.

Pakistan denies the charge. The assault, near the resort town of Pahalgam in India-controlled Kashmir, was claimed by a previously unknown militant group calling itself the Kashmir Resistance.

It was the restive region’s worst assault targeting civilians in years. In the days since, tensions have risen dangerously between India and Pakistan, which have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir. The region is split between them and claimed by both in its entirety

The Indian army said Saturday that soldiers from multiple Pakistani army posts overnight opened ﬁre at Indian troops “all across the Line of Control” in Kashmir “Indian troops responded appropriately with small arms,” the statement said. There were no casualties reported, the statement added. There was no comment from Pakistan, and the incidents could not be inde-

pendently verified. In the past, each side has accused the other of starting border skirmishes in the Himalayan region.

Markets and bazaars were open in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Saturday, and there was no sign of evacuations from villages near the Line of Control.

After the tourist attack,

India suspended a crucial water-sharing treaty and closed the only functional land border crossing. It revoked visas issued to Pakistanis with effect from Sunday Pakistan retaliated by canceling visas issued to Indians, closing its airspace to Indian airlines, and suspending trade with its neighbor

Palestinian president Abbas appoints new deputy

BY JALAL BWAITEL

Associated Press

RAMALLAH, West Bank Pales-

tinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday named a veteran aide and conﬁdant as his new vice president.

It’s a major step by the aging leader to designate a successor The appointment of Hussein al-Sheikh as vice president of the Palestine Liberation Organization does not guarantee he will be the next Palestinian president.

But it makes him the frontrunner among longtime politicians in the dominant Fatah party who hope to succeed the 89-year-old Abbas. The move is unlikely to boost the image among many Palestinians of Fatah as a closed and corrupt movement out of touch with the general public. Abbas hopes to play a major role in postwar Gaza. He has been under pressure from Western and Arab allies to rehabilitate the Pales-

tinian Authority which has limited autonomy in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. He has announced a series of reforms in recent months, and last week his Fatah movement approved the new position of PLO vice president.

The PLO is the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people and oversees the Westernbacked Palestinian Authority Abbas has led both entities for two decades. Under last week’s deci-

sion, the new vice president, coming from the PLO’s 16-member executive committee, would succeed Abbas in a caretaker capacity if the president dies or becomes incapacitated. That would make him the front-runner to replace Abbas on a permanent basis, though not guarantee it. The PLO’s executive committee would need to approve that appointment, and the body is ﬁlled with veteran politicians who see themselves as worthy contenders.

Nationals from both sides began heading to their home countries through the Wagah border near Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore on Friday

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday vowed the government would respond “with full force and might” to Indian attempts to stop or divert the ﬂow of water

He also said Pakistan was open to participating in any “neutral, transparent and credible investigation” into the tourist attack.

On Saturday, a Pakistani official from the disaster management agency, Saeed Qureshi, accused India of suddenly releasing large amounts of water into the

Jhelum River raising fears of ﬂooding in parts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir Authorities told residents living along the riverbank to evacuate, Qureshi said A spokesman for India’s External Affairs Ministry was not immediately available for comment. New Delhi describes all militancy in Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism, a charge Pakistan rejects Many Muslim Kashmiris consider the militants to be part of a home-grown freedom struggle. Rebels have been ﬁghting Indian rule since 1989 for uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAR yASIN

Kashmiri villagers inspect the debris of the blown-up home of Ahsan Ul Haq Shiekh, a militant who officials say is involved in the deadly attack on tourists in Pahalgam, on Saturday at Murran village in Pulwama, south of Srinagar Indian-controlled Kashmir

FRANCIS

Continued from page 1A

Earlier, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re eulogized history’s ﬁrst Latin American pontiff during the Vatican Mass as a pope of the people, a pastor who knew how to communicate to the “least among us” with an informal, spontaneous style.

“He was a pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone,” the 91-yearold dean of the College of Cardinals said in a highly personal sermon He drew applause from the crowd when he recounted Francis’ constant concern for migrants, exempliﬁed by celebrating Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border and traveling to a refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece, when he brought 12 migrants home with him.

“The guiding thread of his mission was also the conviction that the church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open,” Re said, noting that with his travels, the Argentine pontiff reached “the most peripheral of the peripheries of the world

An extraordinary meeting about Ukraine

Despite Francis’ focus on the powerless, the powerful were out in force at his funeral. U.S. President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy U.N. SecretaryGeneral António Guterres and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined Prince William and continental European royals leading more than 160 ofﬁcial delegations. Argentine President Javier Milei had pride of place given Francis’ nationality, even if the two didn’t particularly get along and the pope alienated many in his homeland by never returning there.

In an extraordinary development, Trump and Zelenskyy met privately on the sidelines. A photo showed the two men sitting alone, facing one another and hunched over on chairs in St. Peter’s Basilica, where Francis often preached the need for a peaceful end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Thousands flocked to the Vatican Francis choreographed the funeral himself when he revised and simpliﬁed the Vatican’s rites and rituals last year His aim was to emphasize the pope’s role as a mere pastor and not “a powerful man of this world.”

It was a reflection of Francis’ 12-year project to radically reform the papacy, to stress priests as servants and to construct “a poor church for the poor.” He articulated the mission just days after his 2013 election, and it explained the name he chose as pope, honoring St. Francis of Assisi “who had the heart of the poor of the world,” according to the ofﬁcial decree of the pope’s life that was placed in his cofﬁn.

The white facade of St. Peter’s glowed pink as the sun rose Saturday and throngs of mourners rushed into the square to get a spot for the Mass. Giant television screens were set up along the surrounding streets for those who couldn’t get close.

Police helicopters whirled overhead, part of the massive security operation Italian authorities mounted, including more than 2,500 police, 1,500 soldiers and a torpedo ship off the coast Italian media reported Many mourners had planned to be in Rome anyway this weekend for the now-postponed Holy Year canonization of the ﬁrst millennial saint, Carlo Acutis. Groups of scouts and youth church groups nearly outnumbered the gaggles of nuns and seminarians.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and President Donald Trump talk as they attend the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican on Saturday.

nun holds a

attending

“He was a very charismatic pope, very human, very kind, above all very human,” said Miguel Vaca, a pilgrim from Peru who said he had camped out all night near the piazza. “It’s very emotional to say goodbye to him.” A special relationship with the basilica Francis, who was also the ﬁrst Jesuit pope, died Easter Monday at age 88 after suffering a stroke while recovering from pneumonia.

Even before he became pope, Francis had a particular affection for St. Mary Major, home to a Byzantine-style icon of the Madonna, the Salus Populi Romani. He would pray before the icon before and after each of his foreign trips as pope.

The popemobile that brought his coffin there was made for one of those trips — Francis’ 2016 visit to Mexico and was modified to carry a coffin.

The choice of the basilica was also symbolically signiﬁcant given its ties to Francis’ Jesuit religious order St. Ignatius Loyola, who founded the Jesuits, celebrated his ﬁrst Mass in the basilica on Christmas Day in 1538.

The basilica is the resting place of seven other popes, but this was the first papal burial outside the Vatican since Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903 and was entombed in another Roman basilica in 1924.

Following the funeral preparations can begin in earnest to launch the centuries-old process of electing a new pope, a conclave that will likely begin in the ﬁrst week of May In the interim, the Vatican is being run by a handful of cardinals, key among them Re, who is organizing the secret voting in the Sistine Chapel.

German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who will participate in the conclave, said the outpouring of support for Francis at his funeral showed the clear need for the next pope to continue his legacy

Crowds waited hours to bid farewell

Over three days this week, more than 250,000 people stood for hours in line to pay their ﬁnal respects while Francis’ body lay in state in St. Peter’s Basilica. The Vatican kept the basilica open through the night to accommodate them, but it wasn’t enough. When the doors closed to the general public at 7 p.m. Friday, mourners were turned away in droves.

By dawn Saturday, they were back, some recalling the words Francis uttered the very ﬁrst night of his election and throughout his papacy

“We are here to honor him because he always said, ‘Don’t forget to pray for me,’” said Nigerian Sister Christiana

“So we are also here to

Neenwata.

PHOTO

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EMILIO MORENATTI

A priest gives communion to a nun during the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Saturday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALESSANDRA TARANTINO

A view of the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Saturday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GREGORIO BORGIA

Dean of the College of Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re spreads incense around the coffin of Pope Francis during his funeral in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Saturday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANDREEA ALEXANDRU

photo of Pope Francis while

his funeral in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Saturday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MAURO SCROBOGNA

The coffin of Pope Francis is transported Saturday in front of the Colosseum in Rome on its way to St Mary Major, where he was buried.

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

Faithful celebrate the pope’s life

BY VANESSA GERA Associated Press

VATICAN CITY Thousands of young people from around the world had come to Rome expecting to rejoice this weekend in the canonization of the ﬁrst millennial saint during the Vatican’s Holy Year They ended up bidding farewell to Pope Francis instead, with their exuberance giving an uplifting tone to Saturday’s otherwise somber funeral.

“He always said you have to be joyful about life, you have to live life in a similar way,” said Marco Falchi, who traveled from his home near Perugia with his wife and 11-year-old son. He and his wife credit Francis with reviving their spirituality, and they named their son, Francesco, after him.

The family is also devoted to the cause of sainthood for Carlo Acutis, a young Italian who died in 2006 from leukemia and inspired faith in many young Catholics. They planned their trip to Rome around that.

The canonization of Acutis had been scheduled for Sunday during the ﬁrst-ever Jubilee of Adolescents, dedicated to teens. It was suspended after Francis’ death on Monday Falchi was struck by the lack of deep mourning at the funeral for the pope, and he is convinced Francis would have been pleased.

“Especially since this was the jubilee for adolescents, he certainly didn’t want a day of mourning but he wanted a day of joy,” he said.

‘I feel like I grew up with Francis’

There was a clear blue sky over St. Peter’s Square. Some people camped out the night before to get a good spot. Many stood respectfully, their hands folded, as they followed the Mass on large screens. Radio broadcasts in multiple languages added to the hum of humanity They applauded when Francis’ simple wooden cofﬁn was moved outdoors.

Tens of thousands of Catholic faithful had planned their trips before the pope’s death.

“I bought my ticket for Carlo,”

said Reyes Arribas, a 23-year-old from Valencia, Spain. “And then suddenly Pope Francis died, so I came to the funeral.”

She confessed that while she admired Francis, she felt a closer afﬁnity to his predecessors, St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Her feelings for Acutis, however are very strong. She excitedly praised him as “the ﬁrst saint of young people” because he was immersed in the technological world of today

Even those who were disappointed by the suspended canonization were gratiﬁed that they could celebrate Francis, loved by many for

his humility and concern for the poor

“I feel like I grew up with Pope Francis,” said Jessica Naranjo, a 27-year-old from Austin, Texas. “I felt very connected with him in the way he advocated for social justice and the environment. This was a big loss for me.”

“I”m disappointed that I’m here celebrating the pope’s life instead of celebrating with the pope,” she said.

Ana Kalen, a 22-year-old medical student, traveled to Rome for the Acutis canonization with a group from Sarajevo,

Bosnia-Herzegovina.

“The plans have changed, but we are still so glad to be here for this historical moment,” Kalen said, a Bosnian flag draped over her shoulders. “We are sad about each death. But we do believe that Pope Francis is in a better place.”

Resonates with young Catholics

After St. John Paul II died in 2005, the mood was different. The faithful made pilgrimages from his Polish homeland and elsewhere to mourn a towering ﬁgure of the 20th century in a spirit of deep sadness and loss.

Francis had a different style. During his 12-year papacy, he urged people to maintain a sense of humor, and that spirit seemed to guide many participants Saturday Groups of young people filled St. Peter’s Square before the funeral Mass. One from a parish in Cassano Magnago in the northern Italian province of Varese danced in circle and sang religious songs. The pope’s death during Easter season ﬁlled them with a sense of peace, one teenager said. “It’s a good sign,” said 16-yearold Matteo Cozzi “The death of a pope at Easter is a sign of hope.”

ThankYou

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GREGORIO BORGIA

hospitals and state budget officials, who fear reductions to Medicaid could leave low-income Americans without health insurance or blowholes in state budgets.

Medicaid is astate-federal program that provides health insurance to 83 million Americans. Louisiana has one of the highest rates of residentsonthe program—1.6 millionpeople, or about athird of the population.

Louisiana congressmen will also play an outsized role in the debate:Johnson and Rep. Steve Scalise,RJefferson, arethe House’s highest-ranking members and are steering its budget strategy.And Rep. Troy Carter,D-New Orleans, sits on the committee that is responsiblefor Medicaid.

Republicans insist they will not be cuttingactual health care for anyone on Medicaid who deserves it.

“No onehas talked about cutting one beneﬁt in Medicaid (to abeneﬁciary) who is duly owed,” Johnson said afterrecessingthe House on April 10. “Wehave to root out fraud, waste and abuse. We have to eliminate, for example,onMedicaidpeoplewho are not eligible to be there.”

The House GOP saysit will target waste, fraud and abuse in the program.

Trump and Johnson say about $51 billion is lost to fraud and abuse each year; Scalise has estimated $60 billion.

“That’sthe theftofhardworking taxpayers’ money That’s taking health care away from thedisabled who need it,” Scalise said.

Just how “waste, fraud and abuse” is deﬁned and how it is applied to Medicaid could lead to an epic fight that could endanger Trump’sdesire to revamp thefederal government.

Carter and other Democrats are skepticalofthe changes Republicans seek under the banner of ﬁghting waste.

“Obviously,we’re open to finding opportunities, if they exist, to be more efficient and to root out waste, fraud or abuse. But we’re going be ever mindfulof dismantling systems and resources that mean something to the American people,” said Carter,who is a memberofthe Democratic minority on the House Energy’sHealth Subcommittee that gets afirst crack at the bill this week.

What mightcutslooklike?

House committeemembers working on Medicaid budget plans have been told not to discuss those proposals in public. But according to an internal memo seen by The Advocate |The Times-Picayune and interviews with members of the health subcommittee from both parties, thepanelis weighing roughly 21 scenarios to decide howmany to include in the ﬁnal bill.

Those ideas match those reported by KFF —Kaiser Family Foundation, aSan Francisco-based nonproﬁt that researches health issues —and Politico, the political trade publication.

Some options would require states to pick up more of the cost of Medicaid, something many Republicans have long supported.

“Medicaid is meant to be astate-federal partnership. States are supposed to pay for 40% of the cost. Most states are paying forless

documents supporting the medical necessity

“It’sabig number,” Timothy Hill, acommissioner with the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission,whichadvises Congress andthe Department of Health and Human Services, said Thursday at aKFF seminar.“But the vast majority of the improperpayments, 74%, 75% across thecountry and consistently year to year, arearound documentation issues. …Itdoesn’tmean that somebody didn’tget care.What it does mean is that the rules that the agencies established for getting payment weren’tfollowed.” Hill said paperwork errors are not an issue that, if ﬁxed, would reduce the cost of Medicaid.

“All those errors could be corrected. The total outlayofthe programcould still be the same, but they would be in compliance as opposedtobecounted as an error,” he said.

What’s thetimeline?

thieves.

than 15%,” Sen. Bill Cassidy,R-BatonRouge, said April 16 on X. “States have been cutting Medicaid for decades.Peopleshouldnot be asking whatisthe federal government doing, they shouldbeaskingwhy aren’t the statesdoing more.”

One idea being considered by the House committee is to reverse aBiden administration decision to increase federal matching funds, which would save about $25 billion but cost states more. Other proposals would change the federal medical assistance percentage, or FMAP,the formulathat determines how much the federal government contributes to each state’sMedicaidprogram. If Congress loweredthe FMAP percentage for every state that expanded Medicaid rolls under the Affordable Care Act, which includes Louisiana, it could save an estimated $561 billion —but require states to shoulder moreofthe costs. Anotherproposal would reduce FMAPfor higherincome states to the tune of $387 billion. Cuts to thefederal share of Medicaidwouldhave a major impact on Louisiana, wheregovernment-subsidized health care accounts for about$21 billion each year,ofwhich state’staxpayers are expected to put up about $3.2 billion. Another possibility on

thetable, which would save about $22 billion, is repealing aMay 2024 minimum staffing rule for nursing homes.

And up to $900 billion could be cutbylimiting the total amount for services the federal government pays. Currently, states are guaranteed federal support for actual spending; states that exceed the “cap” would have to paythe overage.

Another $100 billion could be savedbyrequiring Medicaid beneﬁciaries to work.

“What we’re talking aboutisreturning work requirements, for example, so you don’thave able-bodied young men on aprogramthat’sdesigned for single mothersand the elderly disabled,” Johnson said. “They aredraining resources from people who are actually due that. If you clean that up and shore it up you save alot of money andyou return the dignity of work to young men who need to be out working instead of playing video games all day.Wehave alot of fraud, waste and abuse in Medicaid.” Carter said he andfellow Democrats on the committee will scrutinize those ideas closely.

“Wewill listen carefully We will read the options andthe suggestions that the Republican Party presents, or thatthe Trumpad-

ministration presents, and we will go through it with a ﬁne-toothed comb,” Carter continued.

Howmuchisspent?

Outright fraud does exist in Medicaid. It’sahuge program with lots of moving parts andthus atempting targetfor scammers and

But when individual cases are compiled, the data shows theamount of fraud is little different than what private insurance encounters, federal watchdogs say The Health Department’s OfficeofInspectorGeneral,the U.S. Department of Justice and the Government Accountability Office found very fewbeneficiaries were gaming the system for monthly payments. Mostly it was people workingfor clinics, nursing homes, pharmacies, equipment supplies, physicians and thelike seeking payments for ambulance runs not taken, prescriptions not filled,medical services not rendered, andthe like,according the Health Department’sfraud and abuse control report. Fraud units nationwide reported1,151 convictions and $1.4 billion in recoveries for fiscal year 2024.

Atotal of 94.9% of the payments made on behalf of Medicaidin2024 were proper,with all i’sdotted and t’scrossed, the Government Accountability Ofﬁce found. About $31.1 billion were improperbecause providers did not correctly ﬁll out the forms, according to the reports.

Usually it was physicians not submitting the proper

Johnson hopesthe full budget legislation will clear both chambers and land on the president’sdesk before Memorial Day, in four weeks.

Republicans on the committeeoverseeing Medicaidhopetohaveabill ready for avote by May 9. It would then go before the full House. The Medicaiddebate is only one piece of alarger budget puzzle. Johnson and Scalise are trying to balance thedemands of far-right members for deeper spending cuts with moderate Republicans who don’twant Medicaidincapacitated. They canonlyaffordtolosethe support of three GOPmembers if Democrats stay united in opposition and everyone showsupfor the vote.

Carter says he wants to make sure the process isn’t rushed.

“This is why we need in-depthresearch rather thanjust accept the talking points,” Carter said. “When we do it quickly,we risk the chance of missing things that are important and making bad policies that couldhurt things. If you want to find the bug in theflour,you need sift carefully,not just toss out the bag.”

Email Mark Ballardat mballard@theadvocate. com

this political uncertainty will pass. Hopefully soon we can go back to the status quo of reciprocal cultural exchange.”

LeBlanc has booked Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys to playhis Festival AcadiendeClare,inNova Scotia,taking place this July and August. “I’m so happy to bringthem—they represent aside of ourculture that we really wanttoexperience,” says LeBlanc.

Moncton, New Brunswick, booking agentand record labelowner Carol Doucet works with anumber of bands in Louisiana and the Maritimes, including Steve Riley,Les Hay Babies and artist Hert LeBlanc,who has traveledtoLafayette several timestoplayatFestivals Acadiens et Créoles.

In Lafayette for Festival International,Doucet said thatwhile she may decide not to travel to Chicago or New York rightnow,Louisiana is in adifferent category

“The reason why we’re here anddecidednot to boycott like alot of people do, is because for us, this is our family,” said Doucet. “It’s

weird, but it’sthe truth. Our namesare thesame, it’slike looking around andseeing all of your relatives. Imean, the ties are too important to stay home,just because of him.” Hert LeBlanc, who last performed in Lafayette at the 2023 Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, says that he’sdecided to give it at least ayear before planning any more traveltothe U.S.

“Togoplay in Louisiana, it’s expensive and you don’tget much money forplaying, but some things you don’tdofor pay. Igofor Cajunculture, to see friends we’ve made over the years, to taste food and hear music,” he says. “Everything is up in the air right now, and I’m really not at ease aboutthe horrorstories you hear at the border There’s alot of angergoing on now,and we all know why, but it’snot towards the people in the U.S. in general. I’m sure hoping everything gets settled soon, so we can go back in ease andtaste good food.”

Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.

Continued from page1A

music and cultural similarities to be found between Acadiana and her home in New Brunswick. Theprovince is part of Canada’sMaritimes region, which includes Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The area, known historically as Acadia or “Acadie,” is alsosomething of anorthern homeland for Louisianansof Acadian descent —or, as we know them, “Cajuns.”

“When Acadian and Cajun artists get to meet it’sexciting,” says Aubé. “Weshare the ways in which we are culturally similar.When you ﬁnd peoplewho arelikeyou, it’s like an instant connection.”

That connection is maintained through aswift rateof musical exchange between the Maritimes and Acadiana, with localartistslikeSteve Riley frequently traveling up north to play gigs with his band, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys.

“It’sincredible what they have going on up there as farasthe music and artist scene,” said Riley,who is traveling backtoAcadiein July for athree-week tour with the Mamou Playboys. “I was just up there with Jourdan Thibodeaux last October, and I’ve never gone and had abad experience. It’sgreat to go there and speak French, and shareour culture with people so closely related to us. It’s aspecial place and special people.”

‘Political uncertainty’

In an interview with Time magazine on April 22,President Donald Trump said he was “reallynot trolling when he suggested that Canada shouldbecome the 51st U.S. state.Hehas levied a 25% tariff on cars madein Canada, and his commentary and escalating trade threats —this week, Trump told Oval Office reporters that Canadian tariffs could go up —has produced an upswell of anti-U.S. feeling in Canada.

The political climate is beginning to affect tourism between the two countries

Everyﬁve years,Louisiana hosts the“Grand Réveil Acadien,” or Great Acadian Awakening, which brings visitors from Acadie to Acadiana to celebrate shared ties. ThenextGrand Réveil is scheduled totake place Oct. 11-18, 2025 —but organizers Ray Trahan and Randal Menard have said that up to fourbusloads of Canadian visitors have already canceled their trip.

Afew Canadian groups arecurrently in Lafayette to perform at Festival International de Louisiane, including Shauit, from the NorthShore of Quebec, New Brunswick’s Lisa LeBlanc and interactive artist Johanne, also from New Brunswick. Twoweeks ago, that numberincludedNew Brunswick band Baie, which was scheduled to play three sets at Festival International before canceling their shows. The Montreal group Sale-

barbes was also planning to perform, but canceled their trip several weeks ago. Neither group stated if their reasons for canceling were basedonthe current political climate between the U.S. and Canada.

NovaScotia artistDaniel LeBlanc hasplayedFestival International before, and has beeninvolvedinorganizing theAcadian Pavilion at Festivaltopromote Acadian musicians and cultural groups. He says he knows several Canadian bands whoare choosing not to travel right now due to uncertainty in the political landscape.

“There’salittle bit of stresshere in terms of the tariffs and political comments, but what is very important is the cultural aspect,” he said. “I’ma strong believer in maintaining those ties. Somebands are hesitant to go to Louisiana right now, butfrommypoint of view,

By Stevie Cavalier Licciardi| stevie.licciardi@theadvocate.com

This articleisbrought to youbySon of aSaint

Creating connectionsthatlasta lifetime—this is thebenchmark of successfor Sonofa Saint, a non-proﬁtorganizationthatprovidesmentorship, wraparound services,and opportunitiestoyoung boys in NewOrleans whohavelosttheir fathers. Theorganizationwas foundedin2011byBivian “Sonny”Lee IIIwho lost hisfathertoaheart attack at an earlyage.The programinducts newmentees startingatage 10,and participants remain involved untilthe ageof21. As Sonofa Saintapproachesits 15th anniversary, thefullscope of itsimpactcomes into view as alumni begintoﬁnd successintheir youngadulthood

“Wewillbeﬁfteenyears oldonJanuary 1, 2026, andthatisgreatfor ourlegacy, for ourtenure, and forwhat’sstill building,”saidElliotHutchinson, Creative Director at Sonofa Saint, whostarted as a volunteerwiththe organization nearly 10 yearsago “But it’s interestingbecause with thetypeofwork we do,the full journeyfor each mentee takesclose to 11 years. So,insomeways, we arestill just hitting ourstridewiththese ﬁfteen years.”

AccordingtoHutchinson, theﬁrstfew classesof alumni arenow reachingthe pointinyoung adulthood wheretheyare starting families andembarking on theircareers.AsSon of aSaint alumni branch out into therealm of adulthood, thegenuine relationshipstheyhaveforgedthroughouttheir journeywill serveasfoundationalsupport in theiradult lives.

When participants enterthe SonofaSaint community, they areassignedtoanin-housecase team.Thatteamconsistsofcasemanagers, mental health specialists,aswellassuccesscoaches,who work in tandem to addressand supportthe individualized needsofthe child, whetheremotionally, psychologically, or academically Additionally,eachboy enrolled in SonofaSaint is paired with an adultmalementorthrough aseriesof organicopportunities andextracurricular activities

SonofaSaint recognizes theimportanceofallowing youngmen to choose amentorbased on personal connectionsand shared interests. In turn,the mentor commitstomaintaining astrongconnectionwith hismentees for yearstocome.

SonofaSaint also makesroomfor theboysto connectwithvolunteersand staff throughvarious programs andscheduled engagements, whichare typicallyupwards of 30 permonth. If aparticipant wishes to exploreanew mentorship over time arrangements canbemadeinvolving thementee, thenew mentor,staff,and theparticipant’s family

“WhenyouareinSonofaSaintyoustayconnected It’s adecades-long, lifelong collaborationprocess, Hutchinson said Cemon“CC”Anderson’sjourney exemplifies everythingSon of aSaint hopestoinstill in thelives of itsyoung men. Andersongraduated from Sonofa Saintin2019, andthe mentorshefound throughthe organizationcontinuetoplaya pivotalroleinhis life today. Hisdesignatedmentorwas ChrisMusco,but Andersonalsosharedhow he developedmeaningful connectionswithseveral staff members, as well as long-timeSon of aSaint partnerand supporter, LonNichols,DirectorofHuman Resources for Felipe’s Taqueria “WhenIfirstmet Lon, he wasa realsticklerfor therules,which Idefinitely needed,” Anderson said “OnceIgot to know him andactuallytalkedtohim,I sawhow Lonisapersonwho willbring outthe best in anyone.Hecan push youtoyourlimits. Somehow, he knowsyourlimitsbetterthanyou do. He’s like the perfectrolemodel.”

“Cemon hasalwaysstood outasaleader, even in hisyounger years,”Nichols said.“Whetherthrough hisdedicationtolearningevery position within his work environmentorthe respectheshows to everyonearoundhim,hehas earned hissuccess everystep of theway.Watchinghim grow into theaccomplished manager, leader,and father he is todayhas been an absolute privilege. Hisgenuine smileand hiscommitment to making others better aretruly inspirational. This past December,Andersonwas promoted to Restaurant ManageratFelipe’sTaqueria’sUptown location,after moving throughthe ranksstartingin 2021.Tosupport histransitionintothisleadership role,Felipe’sprovidedAndersonwiththe opportunity to participateinthe Dale Carnegie Leadership TrainingProgram last month.

“I neversaw myself becoming amanager.It’snot easy,and it’s been abig change,” Anderson said.“Now, Iamresponsible for thewhole restaurant.” AccordingtoAnderson, the3-day training programprovedtobea valuable resource,illuminating keyaspects of leadership,including howto take initiative,delegatetasks,manageemployee mistakes,and foster apositiveand trustingwork environment.

Theconnectionbetween Felipe’s Taqueria and SonofaSaint endures, with meaningful andimpactfulwaystonot only supportthe organization’s young menteesintheir career opportunities, butalsothe nonprofit’s holistic mission. Forthe entire monthof May, Felipe’s Taqueria willraise moneyfor Sonof a Saintbyofferingthe round-up option for guests at allfourNew Orleansrestaurantlocations.Round-up fundraisersgivegueststhe option to rounduptheir totalcheck to awhole dollar amount as adonation to acharity or communitycause.ThisMay,Felipe’s Taqueria willmatch thecollectiveround-updonationsmadebytheir guests to benefit Sonofa Saint. Severalyears ago, whileattending collegein Maine, Andersonmadethe decision to return home to care forhis grandmotherwhose health wasfailing at thetime. Hisgrandmother,who washis guardian for much of hischildhood,has sincepassedaway, but Anderson fondlyreflects on hismemoriesofher and howitbrought asmile to her face to seehim succeed during histimeatSon of aSaint “She prepared me forthe worldasbestasshe could,”sharedAnderson. “She gottomeetmywife andmydaughterbeforeshe passed,and shewould be proudofthe manthatI’vebecome.” Sonofa Sainthas wovena multi-dimensional tapestry over theyears that extendsacrossdisciplines,industries, andgenerations.The program empowers youngmen to delveintofields that ignite theirinterestwhile providingaccess to resources that willnurture theirwell-beingand aspirations. TheSon of aSaint Headquarters, affectionately knownas“TheClubhouse”,isalwaysbustlingwith activity.Mondaythrough Thursday,academic resources areavailable,including acomputer lab, library, tutors, andevenaroboticsclub. On theweekend, themodular furnitureand creatively designed spaces shapeshifttoaccommodatevarious recreationalactivities. Cookinglessons,movie nights, fishing trips, fitness training,video gaming andso much more, providelasting memories andlifelessons that willenrichthe livesand relationshipsofthese youngmen for yearstocome.

“Son of aSaint savedmylife, if I’mbeing honest,” Anderson said.“It taught me howtobeaman.” Formoreinformation,ortosupport SonofaSaint as theGiveNOLADay 2025 charitable donation period approaches from April29toMay 6, please visit: www.sonofasaint.org

STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Les HayBabies band membersVivianne Roy, fromleft, Julie Aube and Katrine Noel talk May19, 2022, at acottage retreat in thecommunity of Henry.

FILEPHOTO By ROBINMAy

Steve Riley, center, performs at the Festivals Acadiens et Creoles Legacy Series held at the Feed and Seed in Lafayette onJuly 7, 2022.

LOUISIANA POLITICS

Should Medicaid cover doulas?

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

Reproductive health advocates in Louisiana are trying once again to bring doula services provided during and after pregnancy under Medicaid coverage.

Rep. Dustin Miller, D-Opelousas, ﬁled the bill, which recently passed the House Committee on Health and Welfare. Similar bills were heard in the House and the Senate last year, and both failed to reach the governor’s desk — one of them didn’t pass because of potential cost

“There’s a ﬁscal note on this bill, but if you look at it, it’s a relatively low-cost investment for what we save on the back end,” Susan East Nelson, executive director of the Louisiana Partnership for Children and Families, said during a meeting of the House Committee on Health and Welfare.

The ﬁscal note attached to the bill estimated that bringing doula services under Medicaid would cost less than $1 million but did not provide a precise ﬁgure.

“When we talk about the money that we’re saving, we’re not just talking about less C-sections and things like that, we’re talking about the societal cost of the death of a mom,” Nelson said.

Doulas are nonmedical professionals who offer support and guidance to pregnant clients. They will often help create birth plans, prepare women emotionally and mentally for childbirth and advocate for their comfort and preferences when it comes to things like pain relief or birthing positions.

The legislation would ensure Medicaid reimbursement for doula services before, during and after childbirth, including ﬁve prenatal

PROVIDED PHOTO

Divine Bailey-Nicholas

visits, three postpartum visits and assistance through labor

Supporters of the bill argue that expanding access to doula care would improve the poor maternal and infant health outcomes in Louisiana, where the maternal mortality rate per 100,000 live births is 37.3, compared to the national rate of 23.2.

“Just imagine the difference that doulas can make if they were accessible to any mom who’s on Medicaid,” said Frankie Robertson, founder and president of social justice consulting ﬁrm The Amandla Group.

Doulas can reduce mortality rates

Evidence shows women who receive one-on-one, nonclinical support such as doula care through the pregnancy and birth process have fewer C-sections, which are generally riskier and more invasive than vaginal birth They also report more positive feelings about the experience overall, according to a 2017 systematic review for the health care database Cochrane Library Divine Bailey-Nicholas, certiﬁed lactation counselor, doula trainer and founder of Community Birth Companion in Opelousas, said doulas can translate medical jargon and help during childbirth.

She navigated birth in a hospital setting with her ﬁrst daughter, who was premature.

As a Black woman, Bailey-Nicholas said she can feel unheard by the medical system and as if decisions about her body are not her own

Midwives and doulas help ensure decisions are made collaboratively between the patient and the medical team, she said.

“They’re not doing things to you,” Bailey-Nicholas said. “It feels like a companionship.”

State data shows clear disparities between white families and families of color when it comes to maternal and infant health outcomes. The preterm birth rate among Black babies in the state is 1.5 times higher than other babies, according to the March of Dimes 2024 Louisiana Report Card.

Doulas alone cannot rectify the factors that give rise to these statistics, Bailey-Nicholas said.

“They still have to see their doctors, and they still have to have doctors that are willing to talk to them and see them as humans, right?” Bailey-Nicholas said. “Doulas are part of the win, but they’re not all of it.”

The legislation’s future

The bill was unanimously approved by the House Committee on Health and Welfare and recommitted to the Committee on Appropriations, where it died last year due to the ﬁscal note.

“I want to feel good about it,” Robertson said “There’s been several years of education on basics what is a doula? Why are doulas important?”

During the House committee meeting, Rep. Peter Egan, R-Covington, said legislators should consider how to license or certify doulas before the bill reaches the House ﬂoor Doulas are currently not required to earn certiﬁcation through state or national professional boards.

“They can do a tremendous amount of good,” Egan said. “There is that potential as well for not doing good and probably doing some harm.”

Rep. Jason Hughes, D-New Orleans, reafﬁrmed his support for the bill.

“I think this bill is phenomenal,” Hughes said. “And given our awful maternal health outcomes, we just can’t afford not to do this.”

Email Haley Miller at haley miller@theadvocate.com.

Scalise led House delegation to Vatican WASHINGTON U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, led a 10-member delegation of representatives to the funeral services of Pope Francis in Vatican City Scalise is the highest-ranking Catholic in the House and the only Catholic in Louisiana’s eightmember congressional delegation. Louisiana has about 1 million Catholics, mostly living in the southern parishes.

to elect a new pope in the coming weeks,” Scalise said in a prepared statement.

The funeral took place Saturday in St. Peter’s Square.

“It is my honor to send this Congressional delegation, during which participating Members will celebrate the life of Pope Francis and the teaching of the Catholic Church,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton.

“As a lifelong Catholic, I am honored to represent the House in paying our respects and praying for the soul of Pope Francis, as Catholics all around the world grieve, and as Church leaders prepare

Everybody’s a critic when it comes to government. Especially taxes and spending

The delegation Scalise led included: French Hill, RArk.; Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Brendan Boyle DPenn.; Ann

and Laura

Now you can try to crack the riddle of Louisiana’s budget for yourself, playing both governor and Legislature.As the real officials gather at the State Capitol to debate raising or cutting taxes — and spending — you can do the same. Just

The Solve the Budget feature is a collaboration among the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana,The

and the LSU Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs.

Wagner, R-Mo.; Tom Suozzi, D-N.,Y.; John Joyce, R-Pa; Pete Stauber, R-Minn.; Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis.;

Gillen, D-N.Y

Massive explosion rocks Iranian port

At least 8 killed, 750 hurt in

blast linked to missile fuel

BY JON GAMBRELL

Associated Press

MUSCAT, Oman A massive explosion and ﬁre rocked a port Saturday in southern Iran purportedly linked to a shipment of a chemical ingredient used to make missile propellant, killing eight people and injuring about 750 others.

Helicopters dumped water from the air on the raging fire hours after the initial explosion, which happened at the Shahid Rajaei port just as Iran and the United States met Saturday in Oman for the third round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. No one in Iran outright suggested that the explosion came from an attack. However, even Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led the talks, on Wednesday acknowledged that “our security services are on high alert given past instances of attempted sabotage and assassination operations designed to provoke a legitimate response.” Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni gave the casualty figure in an interview on state television. But there were few details on what sparked the blaze just outside of Bandar Abbas, which burned into Saturday night, causing other containers to reportedly explode. The port took in a shipment of “sodium perchlorate rocket fuel” in March, the private security ﬁrm Ambrey said. The fuel is part of a shipment

from China by two vessels to Iran ﬁrst reported in January by the Financial Times. The fuel was going to be used to replenish Iran’s missile stocks, which had been depleted by its direct attacks on Israel during the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“The fire was reportedly the result of improper handling of a shipment of solid fuel intended for use in Iranian ballistic missiles,” Ambrey said.

Ship-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press put one of the vessels believed to be carrying the chemical in the vicinity in March, as Ambrey said. Iran hasn’t acknowledged taking the shipment. The Iranian mission to the United Nations didn’t respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

It’s unclear why Iran wouldn’t have moved the chemicals from the port,

Iran, U.S. hold talks in Oman on nuclear program

BY JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

MUSCAT, Oman Iran and the United States held in-depth negotiations in Oman over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program on Saturday, ending the discussions with a promise for more talks and perhaps another highlevel meeting next weekend. The talks ran for several hours in Muscat, the mountain-wrapped capital of this sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula

A person close to Steve Witkoff, the U.S special envoy to the Middle East, acknowledged that the meeting had started and later ended. The source spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks. Iranian state television also reported their conclusion.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state television after the talks that the parties exchanged written points throughout the day in discussions that he described as “very serious and work-focused.”

“This time, the negotiations were much more serious than in the past, and we gradually entered into deeper and more detailed discussions,” he said. “We have moved somewhat away from broader, general discussions — though it is not the case that all disagreements have been resolved. Differences still exist both on major issues and on the details.”

A senior U.S. administration ofﬁcial said that the talks were “positive and productive.”

“This latest round of direct and indirect discussions lasted over four hours,” the ofﬁcial said on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks. “There is still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal. We agreed to meet again soon, in Europe, and we thank our Omani partners for facilitating these talks.” Omani Foreign Minister

Badr al-Busaidi, who has mediated the two previous round of talks in Muscat and Rome, offered a positive note at the end of Saturday’s negotiations.

Iran and the U.S. “identified a shared aspiration to reach agreement based on mutual respect and enduring commitments,” alBusaidi posted on X. “Core principles, objectives and technical concerns were all addressed. Talks will continue next week with a further high level meeting provisionally scheduled for May 3.”

Araghchi arrived Friday Oman on the eve of the ta and visited the Muscat Inte national Book Fair, surrou ed by television cameras a photojournalists Witkoff was in Moscow on Friday meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and arrived on Saturday to Oman. Meanwhile on Saturday a major explosion rocked a port in southern Iran just after the talks began, ki ing four people and injur ing more than 500 other Authorities offered no mediate cause for the bla which appeared to have been caused by a highly combus tible material — though officials ruled out its oil and gas industry. The private security ﬁrm also linked to a shipment of a chemical ingredient used to make missile propellant to the port as well.

particularly after the Beirut port blast in 2020. That explosion, caused by the ignition of hundreds of tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate, killed more than 200 people and injured more than 6,000 others. However, Israel did target Iranian missile sites where Tehran uses industrial mixers to create solid fuel.

Social media footage of the explosion on Saturday at Shahid Rajaei saw reddish-hued smoke rising from the fire just before the detonation. That suggests a chemical compound being involved in the blast like in the Beirut explosion.

“Get back get back! Tell the gas (truck) to go!” a man in one video shouted just before the blast. “Tell him to go, it’s going to blow up! Oh God, this is blowing up! Everybody evacuate! Get back!

Get back!”

On Saturday night, the state-run IRNA news agency said that the Customs Administration of Iran blamed a “stockpile of hazardous goods and chemical materials stored in the port area” for the blast, without elaborating.

An aerial shot released by Iranian media after the blast showed ﬁres burning at multiple locations in the port, with authorities later warning about air pollution from chemicals such as ammonia, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in the air Schools in Bandar Abbas will be closed Sunday as well.

Shahid Rajaei has been a target before A 2020 cyberattack attributed to Israel targeted the port It came after Israel said that it thwarted a cyberattack targeting its water infrastructure, which

it attributed to Iran. Israeli ofﬁcials didn’t respond to requests for comment regarding Saturday’s explosion.

Social media videos showed black billowing smoke after the blast. Others showed glass blown out of buildings kilometers, or miles, away from the epicenter of the explosion. State media footage showed the injured crowding into at least one hospital, with ambulances arriving as med-

ics rushed one person by on a stretcher Hasanzadeh, the provincial disaster management official, earlier told state television that the blast came from containers at Shahid Rajaei port in the city, without elaborating. State television also reported that there had been a building collapse caused by the explosion, though no further details were offered.

The talks seek to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions the U.S. has imposed on the Islamic Republic closing in on a halfcentury of enmity President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran’s program if a deal isn’t reached Iranian officials increasingly warn that they could pursue a nuclear

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC NEWS AGENCy PHOTO By MOHAMMAD RASOUL MORADI

Firefighters work Saturday as black smoke rises in the sky after a massive explosion rocked a port near the southern city of Bandar Abbas, Iran.

EDUCATION

LSUpresident toutsresearchgains as federalcutsloom

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

Since taking the reins of Louisiana’sﬂagship universityfour yearsago, LSU President William F. Tate IV has celebrated some bigwins.

The public university shattered enrollment records last fall, with nearly 42,000 studentsacross its eight campuses and onlineand its highest-achieving class of incoming freshmen ever

This week, LSU announced another milestone: The university spent arecord $543 million on research during the 2023-24 academic year,with most of the funds coming from federal grants and contracts. The research has improved Louisiana’sagricultural yields, led to advances in cancer treatment, protectedthe state’s coasts and ﬁsheries, enhanced cybersecurity and promoted the energy industry,the university said

“The momentum is jaw-dropping,” Tate said in an interview Wednesdayatthe state Capitol, where he’d come to tout the school’s accomplishmentsduring its annual “LSU Day” celebration.

YetLSU also faces headwinds that could disrupt its progress and derail its research.

The National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Energy have said they will slash researchfunding for universities. The moves have been challenged in court, but they could cost universities billionsof dollarsifenacted. The ﬁnancial uncertaintyled Tate to enact a systemwide hiring freeze last month.

President Donald Trump has also threatened to cut fundingto universities that promote diversity,equity and inclusion, or DEI, which Trump calls discriminatory.And his administration has revokedinternational students’

visas, thoughfederal ofﬁcials said Friday they would temporarily restore the students’legal status.

Closer to home,LSU is navigating questionsfrom lawmakers aboutits enrollment practices, state hiring restrictions and a possiblereduction in state-funded scholarships.

TheTimes-Picayune and The Advocate asked Tate about LSU’s recent gains andthe challenges ahead.The interview has been condensed andedited for clarity.

How did LSU gettothisrecord levelof research activity?

It’sgrown 14% ayear for the last three years.

Theplan was very clear:We were doublingdown on our identity as an A&M school where agriculture and mechanical was going to drive whatwedid.Wecame up with our ”pentagon” strategy of agriculture, biomedical science, coastal research,defense and energy.

The momentumisjaw-dropping relative to where we were four years ago. It was abusiness plan that’snow comingtolife.

It’sexcitingfor students. You can gotoaplace where people are actually working with companies, innovating andcreating solutions to problems

What’s the status of LSU’sfederal research funding?

Rightnow we’re not affected because allofthe thosedecisions (to reduce funding) areincourt.

If the NIH (National Institutes of Health)one happened, that’sa $12million hitfor us as asystem DepartmentofEnergy is about amillion dollars that we would have to comeupwith ourselves.

Our hope is that there is anegotiation and we can comeupwith a rate that actually covers our cost

for doing research.

If the federal cuts are upheld, what would be the impact at LSU?

Potentially you would not have funding for some staff, researchers and students. We’ve been operating with the perspective that we can make it through this year Then in theout years we would have to makesome decisions.

All of ourletterstograduate studentsright now are conditional. You’re admitted conditioned on having theﬁnancial support to takecare of you.

That’sa very precarious situation because you’re talking about themost talented students in the country.You’re basically telling them they have aconditional opportunitytogotoour school as opposed to saying you’re deﬁnitively coming and we’re going to help you get aPh.D. in physics or astronomy or microbiology or agriculture.

We can’tdeﬁnitively say that right now and someofthem will decide not to do it.That’s atalent loss for the country

The chancellor of LSU’smedical school in New Orleansrecently said that Gov.Jeff Landry’sstate-government hiring freeze could have a“devastating” effect on the school. Can you talk about that?

We’reinacompetition for clinicians —either we hire them or someoneelse does.

We have healthcare partners that have to have these clinicians because they’re doctors who actually serve people while they simultaneously teach. If we don’t hire them, another organization might.That keeps us from growing our research. It keeps us from having thepeople we need.

Abig part of our request to the statewill be: We’ve got to be able to hire our clinical faculty. They

WE’RE ASKING EXPERTS ACROSS THESTATEHOW TO TACKLE THEBIGGEST CHALLENGES FACINGLOUISIANA

legislative friends to educate themasbestwecan.

We’re trying to help everyone understand the full impact of any decision. Ifeel comfortable with the fact thatthey’re very open to being educated

The billwas recently amended to add an extrastipend for LSU’sTOPSstudents. Does that go far enough?

Youknowthat’sreally aquestionfor the parents.

Morethan adozen international studentsinLouisiana wereamongthose whosevisas wererevoked. Have anyLSU studentsbeen affected?

Ihavenot received any information thatsuggests we’ve had anyvisasrevoked or anyvisa problems at all.

aren’treally paid with state dollars, they generate their own revenue. So we’re hopeful that those kinds of requests will be able to be dealt with

One wayLSU generates revenue is by enrolling out-of-state students, who payhigher tuition. Can youtalk about that?

The strategy is to maintain or increase the number of in-state students, which is basically what thedata says we’ve done. And because LSUisavery big brand in the higher ed marketplace, we can take in moreout-of-state studentswho are very qualiﬁed.

For every one we admit, they pay for twostudents whoare actually here. So they subsidize the current students.

What Ialways say is we’re the biggestin-migrationtool in the state of Louisiana.Ifwekeep just oneortwo outofevery 10, that’sareally talented set of people who aregoing to come here and be taxpayers andadd value to ourstate. Abill in the Louisiana Legislature would set new rates for thestate’sTOPScollege scholarships that arehigher at most schools, but lower at LSU(for some TOPS awards). What’s your stance on thebill?

Well we’re working with our

About 4% of LSU students areinternational. What is theuniversity doing to supportthem?

Well Ithink on allofour campusesour teams are working with the students to help them understand the policies going on in the country andtojust afﬁrm thatwevalue them.

Criticsarguethat theTrump administration’s efforts to force changes at universities poseathreat to academic freedom. What areyour thoughts on that?

The foundational purpose of the university is the pursuit of truth. Our jobistobeable to pursue anddiscover what is real and true andIdon’t think we should deviate from thatpursuit.

And Ipromise faculty that there’s onehill to die on —the onerelated to their ability to pursue the truth.

We’re conﬁdent thatwe’re going to keep ﬁghting for that, but we haven’thad any local pressuresrelated to that at all. In fact, many of our legislative friends have put together proposals (to promote)freedom of speech.SoI’m thankful for that right now.

Email Patrick Wall at patrick. wall@theadvocate.com.

ICEdeportationsraise major concerns amid crackdown

Lawyerssay immigrantmom of infant,3U.S children deported

BY MARC LEVY Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa.— Immigration and CustomsEnforcement agents have in recent daysdeported theCubanborn mother of a1-year-old girl —separating them indeﬁnitely —and threechildren ages 2, 4and 7who are U.S. citizens along with their Honduranborn mothers, their lawyers said Saturday Thethree cases raise questions about who is being deported, and why,and come amid abattle in federal courts over whether President Donald Trump’s immigrationcrackdownhas gone too far and too quickly at the expense of fundamental rights. Lawyers in the cases described howthe women were arrested at routine check-ins at ICE offices, given virtually no opportunitytospeak with lawyers or their family members and then deported within three days or less.

JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have in recentdaysdeported the Cuban-born mother of a1-yearold girl—separating them indefinitely —and three children ages 2, 4and 7who are U.S. citizens along withtheir Honduran-born mothers, their lawyers said Saturday.

ä Judge says 2-yearold from Louisiana wasdeported to Honduras.

The American Civil Liberties Union, NationalImmigration Project and several other allied groups said in a statement that the wayICE deported children who are U.S. citizens and their mothers is a“shocking —although increasingly common abuseofpower.”

Gracie Willis of the National Immigration Project said themothers, at the very least, did not have afair opportunity to decide whether they wanted the childrento stay in theUnitedStates.

“Wehave noidea what ICE was telling them,and in this case what has come to light is that ICE didn’tgivethemanother alternative,” Willis said in an interview.“They didn’t gave thema choice, thatthese mothers only had the option to taketheir children with them despite loving caregivers beingavailableinthe United States to keep them here.”

The4-year-old— who is suffering from arare form of cancer —and the 7-yearold were deported to Honduraswithin aday of being arrested with theirmother, Willis said.

In thecaseinvolvingthe 2-year-old, afederaljudge in Louisiana raised questions aboutthe deportation of the girl,sayingthe government didnot proveithad doneso properly

In Florida, aCuban-born woman who is the mother of a1-year-old girl and thewife of aU.S. citizen was detained at ascheduled check-in appointment at an Immigration andCustoms Enforcement ofﬁce in Tampa, herlawyer said Saturday.

Heidy Sánchez was held without any communication andﬂown to Cuba twodays later.She is still breastfeedingher daughter,who suffers from seizures, herlawyer,Claudia Cañizares, said.

Cañizares said she tried to file paperwork with ICE to contestthe deportation Thursday morning butICE refusedtoaccept it,saying Sánchezwas alreadygone, although Cañizares said she doesn’tthink that was true.

Cañizaressaidshe told ICE that she was planning to reopen Sánchez’case to help her remain in theU.S. legally,but ICE toldher that Sánchez can pursue thecase while she’s in Cuba.

“I think they’refollowing orders that they need to remove acertain amount of

U.S. judgetemporarily stopswestTexas deportations under AlienEnemies Act

BY JOHN RABY Associated Press

Afederal judge in west Texas joinedother courts in temporarily blocking the deportationsofVenezuelan immigrants under an 18thcentury wartime law known as the Alien Enemies Act.

U.S. District Judge David BrionesinElPaso, Texas, issued therulingFriday while he ordered the release of acouple accused of being members of aVenezuelan criminal gang. Brio-

SUNDAY

NEWS SHOWS

ABC’s“This Week”: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent; former national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

NBC’s“Meet the Press”: Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Sen. Bernie Sanders,I-Vt.

CNN’s“State of theUnion”: Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins; Sen. Chuck Schumer,D-N.Y.; Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz.

CBS’ “Face the Nation”: Tom Homan, the White House executive associatedirector of enforcement and removal operations; Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.; Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov; Gary Cohn, IBM vice chairman and former Trump administration National Economic Council director.

“Fox News Sunday”: Sen. John Kennedy,R-La.; Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash.

The Associated Press

nes wrotethat government lawyers “have notdemonstrated they haveany lawful basis” to continue detaining thecoupleonasuspected alien enemy violation

Amessage left with anattorney for thecouple wasn’t immediately returned Saturday

The couple is accused of being part ofTrendeAragua,whichthe Trump administrationhas designated aforeignterrorist organization. Trump hasinvoked theAlien Enemies Act from

1798 that lets thepresident deport noncitizens 14 years or olderwho arefroma country with which the U.S. is at war

Earlier this month,the U.S. Supreme Courtblocked, for now,the deportations of any Venezuelansheld in northernTexas underthe act.

The high court also ruled anyone being deported underTrump’sdeclaration deserveda hearing in federal court ﬁrst andare given “a reasonable time” to contest their pending removals.

people by day and they don’t care, honestly,” Cañizares said.

Sánchez is not acriminal andhas astrong case on humanitarian grounds for allowing her to stay in the U.S., Cañizaressaid, but ICE isn’t

taking thatintoconsideration when it hastomeet what the lawyer said were deportation benchmarks.

Sánchezhad an outstandingdeportationorder stemming froma missedhearing in 2019,for whichshe was

detained for nine months, Cañizares said. Cuba apparently refused to accept Sanchez back at thetime,soSanchez was released in 2020 and orderedtomaintaina regular schedule of check-ins with ICE, Cañizares said.

MeganClaireMcCartyalwaystookpride in living ahealthy lifestyle. Sheworkedout three to five timesper week formorethana decade Sheate cleanand avoidedalcohol andsmoking After thebirth of herdaughter, now5,she was rightbackintoher ﬁtness routineand lost the additional weight within amonth.Her only vice wascaffeine –multipleenergydrinksand cups of coffee were part of herdaily routine.

So,atage 31 with no knownhealthissues, it cameasacompleteshocklastJulywhenMcCarty suddenly blackedout andfeltout of sortswhile visiting with afriend.

“I startedtoleave,and Ifeltreallyweird,” she recalled.“He askedifIwas okay,and Itoldhim I felt like Ineededa nap. I’ve neverbeendrugged butthe sensationIhad is what Iimagine being druggedwould feel like.”

McCarty’sfriend,whoreceivedmedicaltrainingwhile servinginthe military,immediately suspectedshe washavingastroke. He asked McCartytoraiseherleftarm,whichshecouldnot do.Whenhecalled911,McCartywentintoapanic “Hetells me,‘Youare having astroke.’I told himIwasn’t. Iwas trying to grab thephone from him,”shesaid.“ItoldhimIneededwater.WhenI triedtodrink water, Ispilled it allovermyshirt That’swhenIknewsomethingbadwasgoingon.”

McCartywasbroughttoOurLadyofLourdes, Acadiana’sfirst Stroke Center of Excellence Doctorsquickly confirmedthe diagnosisand told McCartyshe hadthe option of receivinga powerfulmedicationcalledatissueplasminogen activator(tPA),thatwould destroythe bloodclot causingthe stroke

guidelinesthatsupportbetteroutcomesforstroke patients.Innovativetreatmentsavailableinclude thetPAclot-bustinginjectionandthrombectomy aprocedure used to remove larger clotsand stop strokesintheir tracks “Weareabletodoalotoftestsandcalculations to seehow much of thebrain hasdiedand how much more is at risk,” Dr.Karim explained. “In thepast, alot of doctorsweremoreapprehensive abouttreatingstrokepatientsbecause of arisk of bleeding.Thathas changedinthe last four to ﬁveyears basedona lotofnew research.Weare able to treatbiggerstrokes nowbecause we’ve establishedthe treatmentissafer andthe beneﬁt to thepatient’s brainismuchhigher.”

“Wealwayssaytimeisbrain,becausethebrain isverysensitive.Studiesshowthat32,000neurons dieinone second when somebody is having a stroke.Thatmeans thebrain is agingmorethan normal,”saidDr.SaadKarim,OurLadyofLourdes vascularneurologistandstrokespecialist.“That meansthateveryminuteastrokepatientdoesn’t receivetreatment,1.9 millionneurons arelost. And,oncetheyare gone,theyare gone forever.”

McCartywas initiallyapprehensiveabout taking themedication, with concerns about itseffectiveness andpossiblesideeffects.The potentialfor long-termbrain damage ultimately outweighed anyfears,asdid theadvicefromDr. Karim. McCartyreceived themedicationand dozedoff.Whensheawokeabouttwohourslater, shewas nearly back to normal “Mybodywas weak,but everythingelsewas fine,”she said.“When Ifirstsaw my neurologist, they called me themiracle childbecause Ihave hadnodeficiencies.IlaterlearnedfromDr.Karim thatifIhadchosennottohavethetPA,thatIprobably wouldhavebeenparalyzed or unable to talk becauseofwheretheclotwasandhowbigitwas.”

OurLadyofLourdes is 1of3hospitals in Louisianaand theonlyone in Acadiana to earn theAmericanStrokeAssociation GetWith TheGuidelines® Stroke Gold Plus honorfor 10 consecutive years, demonstratingthe facility’s adherencetothe latest research-based clinical

Although most strokesoccurinpeoplewith a historyofdiabetes,highcholesterol,smoking,alcohol or drug abuseand asedentary lifestyle, that was notthecaseforMcCarty.Sheisstillunsureexactly whatcausedher stroke,although shehasstopped consuming energydrinksand some optional medicationsas shehas become more mindful ab ou tw ha t sheputsinher body.Duringher strokerecovery, McCartyalso discovered she hasirregularity that causes her hearttobeattoo fast at times. Shenow sees a cardiologist forregular monitoring andhas routinecheck-ups with aneurologist

“I am stayinginthe gym, but my workouts are less intensenow,” shesaid. “I stillstaytruetomy diet,but if Ireallywantthe cheeseburger,I do eatit. Ilivemylifea little more now. I’mmuch more consciousabout what Iput in my body.I walk alot more andadrink more waterthanI ever did. IhavemoreenergythanI didbefore. Thewhole experience made me open my eyes to howI live my life andhow Itreat my body.”

Dr.Karim said youngerstrokepatients like McCartyoften experience better outcomes becausetheirbrainsareyounger.However,several doctorsand clinicians at OurLadyofLourdes meet regularlytoreviewall recent stroke cases, discussthe patientoutcomesand collaborateon ways to help heal as many patients as possible

“Wehavetargetgoals on howquickly astroke patientisevaluated in theemergency room,how quicklytheyhavea CT scan,how quicklythey seea neurologistand othersteps in thepatient journey,”Dr.Karimexplained.“Everymonth,we sitdownand discusseachcase, includingwhat went well andifthere areany areastoimprove. OurstandingasaStrokeCenterofExcellence meansalot to us,soweworkhardtomakesure we live up to that credential.”

Our Stroke Center of Excellence, the first of its kind in Acadiana, continues to lead theregion in stroke education, prevention andadvanced care. We are theonly facility in Acadianatohold theGold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission forAdvanced Primary Stroke Centers for10consecutive years. LourdesRMC.com/stroke

Amanda McElfresh|

Lourdes.

MeganClaireMcCarty,32, is shownrelaxingathome

with herdaughter, MaevyRose, 5.

otheritems closebyfor inspiration.

Boston celebrates MLK’s1965Freedom Rally

Advocatesurge continued fight againstinjustice

BY MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press

BOSTON As aBlack teenager growing up in Boston, Wayne Lucas vividly remembers joining about 20,000 people to hear the Rev.Martin Luther King Jr speak out against the city’s segregated school system and the entrenchedpoverty in poor communities.

Sixty years on, Lucas was back on the Boston Common on Saturday to celebrate the anniversary of what became known as the 1965 Freedom Rally.Hejoined others in calling for continued activism against many of thesameinjustices and inequities that King fought against, and in criticizing PresidentDonaldTrump and his administration for current divisions and fears about race and immigration across the country

“The message was. that we stillhaveworktodo, said Lucas, 75. “It was a lotofinspiration by every speaker out there.”

The gathering drew several hundred people on arainy and windy day,conditions similar to those during the 1965 event. It was preceded by amarch by asmaller group of people, mostly along the route taken to the Boston Common 60 years earlier.Upto125 different organizations took part.

King’sson, Martin Luther King III, gave akeynote speech, saying he never thoughtracismwould still be around and on the rise like it is today

“Wemust quadruple our efforts to create a more just and humane society,”hetoldthe crowd.

“Weused to exhibit humanity and civility,but we have chosen temporarily to allow civility to be moved aside. And that is not sustainable, my friends.”

He added, “Today,we’ve got to find away to move forward, when everything appears to be being dismantled, it seems to be attempting to break things up. Now,you do have to retreat sometimes. But dadshowed us how to stay on the battleﬁeld, and mom, throughout their lives. They showedus how to build community.”

The gathering was near the site of a20-foot-high memorial to racial equity, which shows Martin Luther King Jr.embracing his wife, Coretta Scott King.

U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley,aMassachusetts Democrat, said the work of 1960s civil rights leaders remains unfinished, with too many people still experiencing racism, poverty and injustice.

“Weare living through perilous times,” she said.

Doreen Wade, ofCambridge, Mass., raises her fist in the air Saturdayatthe ParkmanBandstand on Boston Common, to commemorate the60th anniversaryofthe 1965 Freedom Rally on Boston Common, which featured Martin Luther King Jr.She was 6years old when she marched with her family in 1965.

“Across the country,we are witnessing adangerous resurgence of White supremacy,ofstate-sanctioned violence, of economic exploitation,ofauthoritarian rhetoric.”

Theoriginal protest rally in 1965 brought the civil rights movement tothe Northeast, aplace Martin LutherKing Jr.knewwell from his time earning a doctoratein theology from Boston University and serving as assistant minister at the city’sTwelfth Baptist Church.It was also the placewhere he methis wife, who earneda degreeinmusic education from the New England Conservatory In hisspeech, King told thecrowd that he returned to Boston not to condemn the city but to encourage its leaders to do better at a time when Black leaders were fighting todesegregate theschools andhousing and working to improve economic opportunities for Blackresidents.King also implored Boston to become aleader thatother citieslike New York and Chicago could follow in conducting “the creative experiments in the abolition of ghettos.”

“It would be demagogic anddishonest for me to say that Boston is aBirmingham, or to equate Massachusetts with Mississippi,” he said. “But it wouldbe morally irresponsible were I to remain blind to thethreat to liberty,the denialofopportunity,and the crippling poverty that weface insome sections of this community.”

The Boston rally happenedafter President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and months ahead of theenactment of the VotingRights Act of 1965 signed in August King and other civil rights movement leadershad just comeoff theSelma to Montgomerymarch in Alabama also referred toasBloody Sunday,weeks before the Bostonrally.The civilrights icon alsowas successfulin the 1963 Birmingham campaignpromptingthe end of legalized racial segregation in theAlabama city,and eventually throughout the nation Saturday’srally came as the Trump administration is

waging war on diversity,equityand inclusion initiatives in government,schools and businesses around the country,including in Massachusetts

Sincehis Jan.20inauguration, Trump hasbanned diversity initiativesacross thefederal government.The administration haslaunched investigations of colleges public and private—that it accuses of discriminating against White and Asian students with race-conscious admissions programs intended to addresshistoric inequities in accessfor Black students.

TheDefense Department at one point temporarily removedtraining videos recognizing theTuskegee Airmen andanonlinebiography of Jackie Robinson. In February,Trump ﬁred Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr., a champion of racial diversityinthe military, as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Brown, in the wake of Floyd’skilling, had spoken publicly abouthis experiences as aBlack man,and was only thesecond Black generaltoserve as chairman

Theadministrationhas fired diversity officers across government, curtailed some agencies’ celebrations of Black History Month and terminated grants and contractsfor projects ranging fromplantingtrees in disadvantaged communitiestostudying achievement gaps in American schools.

Martin Luther King III toldThe Associated Press that the attacks on diversity make little sense,noting, “Wecannot move forward without understanding what happened in thepast.”

“It doesn’t mean that it’s aboutblamingpeople. It’s not about collective guilt.It’s about collective responsibility,”hecontinued. “How do we become better? Well, we appreciate everything that helped us to get to where we are. Diversityhasn’thurt thecountry.”

King saidopponentsof diversity have floated an uninformed narrative that unqualiﬁed people of color aretaking jobs from White people, when thereality is they have long been denied

the opportunitiesthey deserve.

“I don’tknow if White people understandthis,but Black people are tolerant,” he said.“From knee-high to agrasshopper, you have to be ﬁve times better than your White colleague.And that’show we prepare ourselves. So it’s never amatter of unqualiﬁed.It’sa matter of being excluded.”

ImariParis Jeffries,the president and CEO of Embrace Boston,whichalong with the city put on the rally, said the eventwas achance to remindpeoplethat elements of the “promissory note” King referred to in his “I HaveADream”speech remain “out of reach” for manypeople. “We’re having aconversation aboutdemocracy

This is the promissory note —public education, public housing, public health, accesstopublic art,” Paris Jeffries said. “All of these things are apart of democracy.Those arethe things thatare actually being threatened right now.” Associated Press writer Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

By Amanda McElfresh| amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

LSUEuniceiscontinuingtoestablish itself as oneofLouisiana’s premierhighereducation institutions thanks to thededicationand innovation of itsfaculty anda leadership team that is consistentlylookingforwaystoproviderelevant training in accessibleformats

Thissemester’senrollmentatLSUEstandsat 3,292students,arecordhighforaspringsemester. Thesestudentsaretakingatotalof29,974credit hours, a2.5 percentincreasefromspring2024 andthe highestnumberofcredithours at LSUE in asemestersince 2010.Inaddition, LSUE has recentlyseenitshighest-evernumberofgraduates as well as dual enrollment students –those who areearningcollegecreditwhilestillinhighschool.

Overall, more LSUE students arealsohaving betteracademicoutcomes.Allmathsectionshave recently experienceda37.1percent increase in overallsuccessfromlastacademic year,while students in introductory Englishcourses have hada 7.3percent increase in overallsuccess within thepastyear.

“Our facultyhavedug deeply into making changesinthe course design andhow they are delivering thecourses,” said LSUE Chancellor Dr.NanceeSorenson. “Theyhavelookedatthe waytheyare delivering material andthe way they aretesting andhow they canstreamline thecurriculum.”

Dr.SorensonsaidseveralLSUEfacultyalsoserve as tutors in thecampus’ StudentSuccess Center andcontinuetocollaborate with oneanother on ways to engage students in theclassroom

“Mathisalwaysthe biggestarea where students need help or lack confidence,” Dr Sorenson said.“It’s aboutbelieving youcan do it anddemonstrating itspractical applications in dailylife. I’msoimpressed with thehuge progress that they have made.Westillhave room forimprovement, butwe’re really pleased with seeing abig turnaround.”

LSUE’s rising enrollment numbersare also attributed to thepopularityofonlinecourses, degreesand certificateprograms. Theonline method hasproventobeespeciallyattractiveto nontraditionalstudentsandworkingadultswho mayotherwise notbeabletoattendin-person classes.Dr.Sorensonsaidthatbecauseofthelarge

interest,LSUEispreparingtooffercertiﬁcatesin accounting,managementand entrepreneurship throughonlineeducation in thefuture.

“Thisability of ourfaculty to be more nimble andthinkoutside of thebox hasgiven us the conﬁdencetoreallyoperate alittledifferently within thehighereducation space,”saidCarey DavidLawson, executivedirectorofthe LSUE Foundation.“This hasenabled us to receive investmentsfromprivate partners such as the LouisianaBlueFoundation, OchsnerLafayette Generaland theRapides Foundation.I feel that hascomeabout becausewehavebeenboldand committedtodoing what is best forstudents. That work includes regularassessments of LSUE programs to seewhere adjustmentsmay beneeded.Forexample,thecollegeplanstomove forwardwithenhancementstoitsChemicalTechniciancertiﬁcate,sinceithasbroadapplications inmultipleindustries.TheComputerInformation Technologyofferingshaverecentlybeentweaked basedonindustry input andthe latest trends.In addition,LSUEAssistantProfessor NikkiMay recently received theInnovativeContributions toOnlineLearningAwardfromLSUOnlineand Continuing Educationfor herworkinplanning techniques andcoursedesignofLSUE’sonline AssociateofApplied ScienceinManagement degree “I’m really proudthatwehavecreated an environmentwhere facultyare always learningsomething newand leaningintowhatour students need andwant,”Dr. Sorenson said “Weare abovethe national averageinalmostall categoriesinourmostrecentstudentsatisfaction survey,which also hadgreat representation amongall agegroups. We want that feedback to know if we aremeeting students’needs andtomakeadjustmentsifthere’s something differentweneedtoprovide.”

LSUE is acomprehensive two-year institution that is part of theLSU System.The college offers25differentassociate degree or certiﬁcate programs,aswellasmorethan100 transfer programs.The campus hasanaverage 21-to-1 teacher-to-student ratio, with tuitionthatis signiﬁcantly lowerthanfour-year universities Visitwww.lsue.edutolearn more.

TheVincentismorethan just aplace to live, it’s aneighborhood dedicated to providing exceptional senior living experiences. Our enchanting community invites you to explore life’s exciting opportunitiesand deﬁesyourexpectations of whatseniorliving should be.Weare dedicated to providing outstanding senior living experiences for those seeking thebest in life. At TheVincent, youenjoy an exciting,adventurous, social, and enriching lifestyle. Come by foratourand experiencethe warmth andsupportofour community foryourself!

Tour anddeposit today to save up to $2,500!* Call forinformation or atour. 337.345.4105

*Deposit must be made by May31, 2025.

BOSTON GLOBEPHOTO By JOHN TLUMACKI

This articleisbrought to youbyLSU Eunice

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

For nearly 80 years, late-night partyers on Bourbon Street have drunkenly staggered to Lucky Dog carts stationed in the heart of New Orleans for an ultra-processed American delicacy dripping with chiliand relish.

The French Quarterispackedwith bastions of haute cuisine, fromthe James Beard Award-winning Jewel of the South to the world-famous Brennan’s. Butdespite its many culinary accolades, Lucky Dogs has been astaple that’ssold over 21 million hot dogs since 1947.Itwas even the inspiration behindthe ﬁctitious Paradise Vendors stand in John Kennedy Toole’s“A Confederacy of Dunces.”

In recent years, its popularity has expanded beyond New Orleans, with carts landing in Baton Rouge, Hammond and now,its ﬁrst out-of-state venture in Mississippi.

Buoys Bar,alocal hot spot on the beach in Bay St.Louis, announcedon socialmedia last month that Lucky Dogs is serving on their boardwalk, earning athumbs-up on Facebook from the city’smayor,Carnival krewe and shopping district

The expansion shows thatthe American desire for hasty service and cheap prices goes beyond the bustling locations where hot dog stands predominantly thrive, like New York City and Chicago. The classic dish doesn’tcatertoa specific clientele, landing in the hands of more than just revelers scrounging forabite to eat past midnight.

Founder Steve Loyacano created Lucky Dogs with the intent of sellingafast food that would satisfy anyone’shunger pangs. It dawned on him that while the FrenchQuarter is overﬂowing with chic restaurants, it

THE GULF COAST

OceanSprings waterfront home most wishlisted Airbnb in Miss.

PHOTO Buoys Bar in BaySt. Louis has added the first

also hasits fair shareofbars. Andafteranight of heavy drinking, people crave aquick bite to eat, rather than aﬁve-course meal.

“In real life, Paradise HotDogs areLucky Dogs,”a Times-Picayune reporter wrote in 1981. “Tube steaks for the hungry.Abacchanal for the drunken. Nectar for the Bourbon Street beehive. Hot dogs fresh from the womb of the mother ship.”

Outsideofserving anationallyloved food, Lucky Dogs’ branding attracted acascading line of customersdaily, especially at the1984 World’sFair,when the7-foot cart was replaced with alengthier one made from sheet metal.

The company debutedits 10-footlong cart,shaped like ahot dog with mustard-drizzledsausagecradled in abun, designedbyanother local shop. Dressed in striped smocksand paper hats, vendors would push the cart to the corner of Bienville and Bourbonstreets, where they occasionally hawked their wares.

“Most people’sattention was attractedtothe carts,” Loyacanoadmitted in a1981 interview,“But Ilike to think we put out agood product, too.”

Theproduct is, in fact, just as unforgettable as the branding, outliving acatalogue of local institutions —Schwegmann’s, K&B, McKenzie’s —that did not stand the test of time. EmailPoet Wolfe at poet.wolfe @theadvocate.com.

Cabinhas hottub, fire pitand more

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

Astrikingly orange home

perchedonhighstiltsoverlooking the Gulf of Mexico was ranked themostwishlisted vacation rental in Mississippi.

Lastmonth, Airbnb compiled alist of the most desired listings in the U.S., based on internal guest searches. The data revealed that some vacationers are interested in propertiesin private, forested areas —like atriangular cabin in Many and atreehouseoutside of Dallas —while others are hoping to resort to awaterfront getaway as summer approaches.

Nestled in the Belle Fontaineneighborhood, the Ocean Springs property spans 1,708 square feet with three bedrooms, ﬁve beds and two baths, according to the listing. Most of the interior adheres to contemporary designs,withwhite walls and aglowing neon sign that reads “The Ocean Springs House” in gold cursive above thecouch.

Ahomebase for outdoor activities, therental features afire pit besiegedbylounge chairs and string lights, as well as kayaks and aprivatehot tub that sits on abalcony.Near the fire pit are soft white sands, separatingthe Gulf waters from acres of grassland.

Theproperty’s No. 1ranking is understable forreasons beyond itsserene nature —it’s settled in an artistic hub known for its ever-growing dining scene, artand boutique shopping.

Ocean Springs was once voted one of America’shappiest seaside towns by Southern Living’sreaders, largely in part of

itswaterfrontviews, live oaks and bustling downtown. And just outside of it is Biloxi, an area that attracts thousands every year with its casinos and beaches.

Though it reigns as oneof the oldest cities in Mississippi, Ocean Springs is home to amix of historic andcontemporary institutions. The downtown area is filledwith restaurants, including Vestige —a James Beardaward finalist that specializes in Japanese-inspired cuisine— and Tatonut Donut Shop, abakery that has been using potato flour as its“secret”ingredi-

ent since 1960.

For decades, Ocean Springs, Bay St. Louis and Biloxi alike have attracted an inﬂux of New Orleanians whowantatemporary escapefroma more chaotic city life.

But on anational level, there has been an increase in nearby summergetawaysand spontaneous travel. The rise comesatatime when scheduling atrip is nearly effortless, thanks to remote workdrivenbythe pandemic andeasily accessible websites forbooking vacationrentals and plane ﬂights.

About 25% of guest searches were for trips within 50 to 300 miles, according to Airbnb in the list of most-wished rentals. Anothertravel-related company, American Express, said in its 2024 Global Travel Trends Report that78% of respondents found spontaneous trips appealing and 44% favored spontaneity over planning while traveling.

Email Poet Wolfe at poet. wolfe@theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTOByAIRBNB

Nestled in the Belle Fontaine neighborhood, the Ocean Springs, Miss., property spans 1,708 square feet with three bedrooms, five bedsand twobaths.

-Michael C.

Poll: Many in U.S. say Trump focused on wrong issues

BY SEUNG MIN KIM and LINLEY SANDERS Associated Press

WASHINGTON Many Ameri-

cans do not agree with President Trump’s aggressive efforts to quickly enact his agenda, a new poll ﬁnds, and even Republicans are not overwhelmingly convinced that his attention has been in the right place.

Americans are nearly twice as likely to say Trump has been mostly focusing on the wrong priorities as to say he has been focusing on the right ones, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Further, about 4 in 10

Americans say Trump has been a “terrible” president in his second term, and about 1 in 10 say he has been “poor.” In contrast, about 3 in 10 say he has been “great or ”good,” while just under 2 in 10 say he has been “average.”

Most haven’t been shocked by the drama of Trump’s ﬁrst 100 days. About 7 in 10

U.S. adults say the ﬁrst few months of Trump’s second term have been mostly what they expected, and only about 3 in 10 say the Republican president’s actions have been mostly unexpected. But that does not mean they are pleased with how those opening months have gone.

In fact, Democrats seem even unhappier with the reality of the second Trump term than before he was sworn in on Jan 20 About three-quarters of Democrats say Trump is focused on the wrong topics and about 7 in 10 think he has been a “terrible” president so far That is an increase from January, when about 6 in 10 anticipated that he would be “terrible.”

Rahsaan Henderson, a Democrat from California, said “it has been one of the longest 100 days I’ve ever had to sit through.”

“I think the next four years will be a test of seeing who can resist the most and continue defying whatever he’s trying to do, since he deﬁes everything, including the Supreme Court,” said Henderson, 40.

Republicans are largely standing behind the president, but are ambivalent about what he has chosen to emphasize. About 7 in 10 say he has been at least a “good” president But only about half say he has mostly had the right priorities so far, while about one-quarter say it has been about an even mix and about 1 in 10 said Trump has mostly had the wrong priorities.

“He’s really doing the stuff that he said he was going to do,” said Tanner Bergstrom, 29, a Republican from Minnesota. He is “not making a bunch of promises and getting into ofﬁce and nothing happens. I really like that. Even if it’s some stuff I don’t agree with, it’s still doing what he said he was going to do.”

Those who were surprised by Trump’s ﬁrst few months seem to have had a rude awakening. The people who say Trump’s actions were not what they expected who are mostly Democrats and independents — are more likely to say Trump has had mostly the wrong priorities and that he has been a poor or terrible president, compared with the people who mostly expected his actions. About 4 in 10 in the survey approve of how Trump is handling the presidency overall. The issue of immigration is a relative strength. According to the poll, 46%

of U.S. adults approve of his handling of the issue, which is slightly higher than his overall approval But there are also indications that foreign policy, trade negotiationsand the economy could prove problematic as he aims to prove his approach will beneﬁt the country

Trump’s approval on those issues is much lower than it is on immigration Only about 4 in 10 U.S. adults approve of how he is handling each. Republicans are less likely to approve of Trump’s approach to trade and the economy than immigration. There are additional signals that some Trump supporters may not be thrilled with his performance so far The share of Republicans who say he has been at least a “good” president has fallen about 10 percentage points since January. They also have grown a bit more likely to say Trump will be either “poor” or “terrible,” although only 16% describe his first few months that way

Harvard researcher awaits judge’s decision on deportation to Russia

BY SARA CLINE Associated Press

Kseniia Petrova never imagined she would face significant immigration issues, but it has been 68 days since she was detained at the Boston airport while traveling with undeclared frog embryo samples.

The Russian-born scientist and Harvard University researcher associate was in the United States legally But she ﬁnds herself thrust

into a detention system that has been in the national spotlight as President Donald Trump pursues his promise of mass deportations. Petrova, 30, was sent to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Louisiana where she continues to await a judge’s decision on whether she will be deported to Russia, where she fears she will be imprisoned or worse.

The Department of Homeland Security accuses Petro-

va of knowingly breaking the law, while friends and advocates are calling for her release and saying the incident was an infraction that normally would be punishable by a ﬁne. As Petrova spends days in a crowded dormitory awaiting her fate, her colleagues say their research, including using a one-of-a-kind cancerdetecting microscope, will be delayed or moot without the scientist who they say plays a critical role.

Former Taliban commander pleads guilty in killings of U.S. soldiers, kidnapping of journalists

By The Associated Press

NEWYORK A former Taliban commander pleaded guilty Friday to providing weapons and other support for attacks that killed American soldiers and for key roles in the 2008 gunpoint kidnapping of a reporter for The New York Times and another journalist. Speaking through an interpreter, Haji Najibullah entered the plea in Manhattan federal court to providing material support for acts of terrorism and conspiring to take hostages. The bearded Najibullah, wearing a black skull cap

over his shaved head, told Judge Katherine Polk Failla that he provided material support including weapons and himself to the Taliban from 2007 to 2009, knowing that his support “would be used to attack and kill United States soldiers occupying Afghanistan.”

Republican Stephanie Melnyk, 45, from Tennessee, is supportive of Trump’s handling of the presidency more broadly but said she did not approve of his handling of foreign affairs particularly on the war in Ukraine. Melnyk’s family emigrated from Ukraine and she said Trump is “trying for a quick ﬁx that’s not going to last” and that Russian President Vladimir Putin “is not to be trusted.”

Melnyk, who voted for Trump largely for his positions on immigration, said she wished the president would stay on script.

“He sounds like he can be very condescending, and it sounds like my way or the highway,” Melnyk said. “It’s like, dude. You’re not 12.” It’s common, though, for a

president’s standing to be at its best before taking ofﬁce and beginning the work of governing. And Trump continues to hold high approval from Republicans. About 4 in 10 Americans have a favorable opinion of Trump, roughly in line with his approval number Among Republicans, the figure is about double: About 8 in 10 Republicans have a positive view of the president, and about the same share approves of how he is handling the presidency About one-third of U.S. adults have a favorable opinion of Vice President JD Vance, including about 7 in 10 Republicans. Those Republicans interviewed were particularly fond of efforts to scale back the size of the federal gov-

ernment led by billionaire outside adviser Elon Musk and Trump’s cost-cutting initiative, the Department of Government Efﬁciency

“Overall, I would have to say that I’m happy with the Trump presidency,” said Matthew Spencer, 30, a Republican from Texas. “I think that the Department of Government Efﬁciency has made great strides in reducing our spending, and I also agree with putting America ﬁrst. I agree with the policies he’s put in as far as border protection and America standing for itself again as far as the tariffs.”

“We’re only three months in, but so far, so good,” said Carlos Guevara, 46, who lives in Florida. Guevara, a Republican, said DOGE has been a “smash hit” and on tariffs, and while there may be short-term pain, “if that does encourage businesses to start manufacturing here then that’ll wash out over time.”

Democrats have a much bleaker outlook on the economy than they held before Trump took ofﬁce. The poll also found that the vast majority of Democrats think he has “gone too far” on deportations and tariffs.

The AP-NORC poll of 1,260 adults was conducted April 17-21, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probabilitybased AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

By Amanda McElfresh,amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

This isn’t just aboutsecondchances.It’sabout rewritingfutures AcrossLouisiana,adult learners arestepping intoclassroomsnotwithshameorregret—butwith purpose, power, andpromise.Manyare parents determined to buildbetterlives fortheir children workersbreaking free from low-wage incomes, andindividualsreclaimingdreamsoncesetaside Behindeachofthese storiesisthe continued movement ledbythe LouisianaCommunity and TechnicalCollege System (LCTCS)and itspartners. It’s amovementfueledbybelief in human potential—onethatmeets learners wherethey areand helpsthemrise.

KristenHardnett’sjourney is oneofmany. At 50,she didn’t just earn herhighschooldiploma throughEmpower 225, sheunlockeda newlife. Herstory,likethousands more, is proofthatwhen adulteducationisdoneright,itdoesn’tjustchange résumés. It changesentiretrajectories.

“I wasacustomerservice representative at an insuranceagency, whichwasn’ta badjob,but Iwas stuckmaking$12 an hour,” Hardnett said “I knew Icould do better.And more than that, Iwantedtobeabetterrolemodel formyson.I couldn’t askhim to ﬁnishschoolifI hadn’t done thesame.Earningmyhighschoolequivalencywas theright thingtodo. Ihavenoregrets.”

Today,HardnettisanambassadorforEmpower 225and avocal advocate foradult education. She speaks at conferences,encouragespeers,and is preparingtoenrollatBaton RougeCommunity Collegetopursueher dreamofbecominga licensed mental health counselor. Alongthe way, she’sapplyingfor jobsthatsupport children with autism—likeher son.

“Twoyearsago,Iwouldn’tbetalkingaboutthese things,”she said.“ButIknowthere arepeopleout therewho’vefallenbythe wayside. If Ican help someone else believeinthemselves, then that’s what I’mgoing to do.”

Kristen’sstory is onevoice in agrowing chorus of adultlearnerswho arebreakingbarriers, discoveringtheir value, andreclaimingtheir stories—eachfortheirownreason.Someareyoung adults wholefthighschooltoo soon.Othersare single parentsseeking stabilityorolder adults chasingconﬁdence,literacy, or simply thepride of achievement. “Wealwaysstart with aconversationabout whytheyare here,”saidErinLandry, Executive

DirectorofAdult Educationfor LCTCS. “Not everyone hasthe same goal,and ourprograms arebuilt to reflect that.Whether someonewants abetterjob,tohelptheir kids with homework,or to finally readfluently—we’re here to help them getthere.”

Adulteducation services areoffered at no cost acrossallLCTCSinstitutionsanddozensofpartner sitesstatewide—including schools, churches,and communitycenters At RiverParishesCommunity College(RPCC), adulteducation is more than aprogram—it’s acommunity.ChancellorQuintin Taylor says that’s intentional. From studentIDbadgestoaccesstocampus resources,adult learners arefullyintegrated into thecollege environment. Butthe real gamechanger? Theopportunity to pursue workforce trainingatthe same time they work toward their high school equivalency.

“Our integrated educationand trainingmodel allows students to stackcredentials andearn industry-based certiﬁcationswhile earningtheir diploma,” Taylor said.“It motivatesthemand

showsthemwhat’spossible—notjust ajob,but a career they canbeproud of.” RPCC also provides robust advising,tutoring, andacademicsupport,recognizingthatconfidence andconnectionare as importantascurriculum. “Peopledon’t drop outofhighschoolbecause they aren’t smart,” Taylor said.“Life gets in the way. We’reheretoshowthem that theirstory doesn’tend there. We’reheretohelpthemwrite thenextchapter.” AprilPorterfieldhaswitnessedtransformation firsthand. As ExecutiveDirectorofVolunteer InstructorsTeachingAdults(VITA), aLafayette-basednonprofitand LCTCSpartner,she believes that adulteducation is aboutmorethan academics—it’s aboutrebuildingself-worth. “Earning adiploma isn’t just acredential,”she said.“It’s proofthattheycan finish what they started. That they matter.Thatthey’re capable.” VITA’sone-on-onetutoringmodelpairsstudents with volunteers whooften sharesimilar backgroundsorcareergoals.These relationshipsoffer more than instruction; they providementorship, accountability,and hope “Matchingstudentswithmentors from similar fieldsshows them that theirgoals arepossible,” Porterfield said.“It makessuccessfeelrealand reachable.” AcrossLouisiana,adultlearnersarereclaiming theirfutures—one classroom, onecredential,one breakthrough at atime. Whether they’reseeking better jobs, supporting theirfamilies, or fulfilling long-helddreams, thesestudentsare provingthat it’s nevertoo late to learn, grow,and lead As AdultEducation Advocacy Monthshinesa spotlightontheir progress,the messageisclear: withtherightsupport,everylearnerhasthepower to change theirstory—and in doingso, change theircommunity To learnmoreabout adulteducation

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters Friday as he and first lady Melania Trump depart on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington.

Lafayette judge could face censure

Colbert testifies before state Judiciary Commission

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

NEW ORLEANS The Louisiana Judiciary Commission is considering how to discipline 15th Judicial District Court Judge Royale Colbert after a hearing Friday in which they questioned the sincerity of the Lafayette judge’s apologies for his behavior during a 2023

UL solar farm to be part of research network

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL

Staff writer

The U.S. Department of Ener-

gy’s Sandia National Laboratories designated the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Louisiana Solar Energy Lab as a regional test center for emerging solar technologies.

The facility, whose main building was named Antoun Hall after Acadiana-area philanthropist and UL alumnus Georges Antoun at a Friday ceremony, will be the DOE’s sixth Regional Test Center and will be used for research into new solar technologies to advance American energy markets.

“It’s a network of world-class research institutions across the United States. And what we’re doing in terms of photovoltaic (solar panels) innovation and research is unparalleled,” said Laurie Burnham of Sandia National Laboratories. “We’re really proud to have the university be a part of that.”

The testing centers are strategically located across the United States to test the impact of different environments on solar panels, said Terry Chamber, director of the Louisiana Solar Lab. Sandia chose Louisiana for its high heat, humidity frequent rainfall and extreme weather events.

The 4,500-square-foot solar energy lab will test U.S. manufacturer prototype commercial solar panels, research systems used for the data collection on next-generation solar cells and modules, and commercially available systems for long-term performance testing.

“This is not about solar This is not about traditional resources. From an energy perspective, as a country, we’re on the cusp of tremendous growth when it comes to power and it’s important for us to put all of our research together and deliver that power,” said Antoun, chief commercial officer for First Solar

Email Stephen Marcantel at stephen.marcantel@ theadvocate.com.

trafﬁc stop Colbert was investigated by the commission, which oversees judges, because of the trafﬁc stop and for holding an off-the-record Saturday meeting in his courtroom over whether a 2021 concert at The District club on Johnston Street could take place that evening after the city shut down the event because of a shooting at the venue

a week earlier John Keeling, assistant special counsel with the state ofﬁce that prosecutes judicial misconduct, said the facts of the accusations are not in dispute since Colbert admitted to them. The only thing to be determined is the discipline.

“Case law supports censure here,” Keeling said.

Censure is a “strong condemna-

tion of a judge” who admitted he committed wrongful acts, he said. Colbert said during the hearing and in documents filed with the commission that he admits he acted improperly during the May 2023 trafﬁc stop when he berated the Lafayette police officer and cursed. Colbert said he was in a hurry to get home because his child, who had been in and out of the hospital for two weeks, was sick again. The police officer alleged Col-

ABOVE: Fermin Ceballos and Merengue4 perform on Scene Lafayette

RIGHT: Dobet Gnahoré performs at Scene Lafayette.

Species looking for food in residential areas

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

Louisiana black bears are more common in northern and coastal parishes, but could that be changing? Black bears have been spotted roaming around the greater

Colbert

bert ran a red light. At the time, Colbert insisted he had not. He said the ofﬁcer was angry and seeking revenge because the judge blew his horn when he passed him. During the traffic stop Colbert told the police ofﬁcer he would tell

ä See JUDGE, page 2B Mucca Pazza performs at the intersection of Jefferson and Vermilion streets as Festival International de Louisiane continues on Saturday in downtown Lafayette.

STAFF PHOTOS

By BRAD BOWIE

PASSIONATE PERFORMANCES

Louisiana black bear population bouncing back

Baton Rouge region in the past

week, leaving residents to wonder if there are more black bears than normal this year

A bear went up to residents’ front doors in Holden on Tuesday Zachary residents found a bear calmly wandering through their yards Monday And instead of an Easter bunny, a bear made its rounds Sunday in the residential Watson area. But John Hanks, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries large carnivore program

manager assures residents this is normal for springtime in this area.

“This time of year, all the way to the summer — there is a lot of food availability,” Hanks said.

Since temperatures are rising, bears are more likely to be spotted as they look for food in the next few months — in any parish.

Bears, especially younger males, travel farther out for food and for less competition during breeding season in the summer Hanks said Some male bears

will travel 20 miles a day looking for a mate.

So, while bears are normally found in parishes closer to Shreveport, it is not impossible to ﬁnd them farther south.

“It’s always been like that,” Hanks said.

The Louisiana black bear population has bounced back signiﬁcantly in recent years after being a threatened species for decades, so much so the state

ä See BEAR, page 2B

Judgesays2-year-oldU.S.citizen wasdeportedtoHonduras

Officialssay mother hadactive deportationorder

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

A2-year-old Louisiana girlwho is aU.S. citizen was deported by Trump administration officials this week with “no meaningful process,”a federal judge wrote in acourt order lateFriday night

U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had flown the child —aBaton Rouge-born girl describedincourt records by the initials V.M.L. —to Honduras. She was deported Friday along with her mother and 11-year-oldsisterwho were not U.S. citizens and had active deportation orders for entering the country illegally

The 2-year-old appeared to have been deported despite pleas from immigration attorneysand the girl’sfather to ICE officials, including in an earlier legal ﬁling, that asserted she had been born in

Louisiana and was aU.S.citizen, according to court records. Deporting acitizen is “illegal and unconstitutional,” Doughty,aTrump appointee, wrote in his order

“Thegovernment contends that this is all OK because themother wishes that the child be deported with her,” Doughty said. “But the court doesn’t know that.”

AWhite House spokesperson did not respond to multiple textand phone messages Saturday.AnICE spokesperson did not respond to emailed questions about thecase.

Doughty ordered aMay 16 hearing at the federalcourthouse in Monroe“in theinterest of dispellingour strong suspicion that the Government justdeported aU.S citizen with no meaningful process.”

Thecase highlights how Trump’s sweeping second-term immigration agenda is ensnaring people who may not be subject to deportation, particularly without aformal legal process.

The administrationinrecent weeks ﬂew hundreds of Venezuelan mentoanotorious prison in El Salvador under an agreement with thatcountry’s president, spurring

questions from federal judges about what they have described as alack of due process the men received before their removal.

Louisianahas played acentralrole in Trump’simmigration crackdown in part due to its large number of ICE detention facilities,including an Alexandria facilityconnected to an airportfrom which the agency conducts deportation ﬂights. Thestate is second only to Texas for thenumber of immigrantsitholds in ICE detention. Detained,deported

According to court ﬁlings in the Western DistrictofLouisiana by immigration attorneys representing the 2-year-old girl’sfather,Adiel Mendez Sagastume, ICE agents detained the child on Tuesday in New Orleansalong with her mother,Jenny Carolina Lopez Villela, and her sister,who were attending aroutine ICE check-in that morning. The family lives in theBaton Rouge area.

The father’sattorneys described communicating with ICE agents multiple times before thegirl was deported.Yet federal ofﬁcials refused to releaseV.M.L. to alegal

custodian,Trish Mack, whowas appointedbyher father, even after the lawyers pointedout thatthe girlisa U.S. citizen, the attorneys said. In responsetoSagastume’sfiling, JusticeDepartment attorneys said that the little girl’smother “made known to ICE officials that she wanted to retain custody of V.M.L.” and thatshe wished to bring the girl with her to Honduras. Filings indicate that after being taken to an ICE detention center in Alexandria, the girl, her sister and her mother wereput on aplane andsent to Honduras on Friday Courtfilings and apress statement by immigrationattorneys indicate that themother,Lopez Villela, is pregnant.

In his order, Doughtywrote that he called the administration’s lawyersshortly after noon on Friday“so thatwecould speak with V.M.L.’s mother and survey her consent andcustodial rights.”

The government lawyers called back shortlyafter 1p.m. and said that speakingwith V.M.L.’s mother “would notbepossible, because she (and presumably V.M.L.) had

just been released in Honduras,” Doughty wrote. The administration’sactions spurred an outcry from immigration advocates and attorneys. In anewsrelease,the ACLU of Louisiana criticized alack of careful reviewthatpreceded what they described as the stunning step of deporting aUnited States citizen.

“These types of disappearances are reminiscent of the darkest eras in ourcountry’shistory and put everyone, regardless of immigration status, at risk,”said Homero Lopez, an attorney with theImmigrationServices and Legal Advocacy organization and former immigration judge, in the release.

The ACLU said that the Trump administration haddeported anothermother andtwo additional children, both of whomthe organizationdescribedasU.S.citizens, the sameweek as V.M.L. was returned to Honduras with her mother

Thefamilies“had lived in the UnitedStates for years and had deep ties to theircommunities,” the ACLU said.

Manfound guilty in Terrytownducttapekilling

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

Six years after Mohamed Mezlini was attacked andsmothered to death by duct tape wrapped around his head,aJefferson Parishjury has convicted his accused killer of manslaughter, according to the Jefferson Parish DistrictAttorney’sOfﬁce.

Saleh Omar,47, had been charged with second-degreemurder,but jurors found him guilty Thursday on the lesser charge following eight hours of deliberation.

Omar had been accused of killing theTerrytown 29-year-old known as “Mo” over abusinessdispute, according to authorities.

Mezlini,who’d once worked at Omar’s cellphone store, Wireless Hub, left to open his own business, leaving his former bossfeeling ﬁnancially slighted, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

On Sept.8,2018, Omar convinced histhen-17-year-old stepbrother, Yazan Omar,tocall Mezliniand lure him to avacant jewelrystore located next door to Wireless Hub on Terry Parkway,authorities said. Mezlini, wholeft his parked carrunning, entered the suite, of which the windows were papered over.Saleh Omar grabbed Mezlini from behind, putting him in achokehold, the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce said.

Mezlini managed to break free and bloody Saleh Omar’smouth with apunch, the District Attorney’sOfﬁce said. But Omar,armed witha gun and knife, quickly quelled any resistance.

Omar had Yazan Omarhelp secure Mezlini with duct tape, wrapping it tightlyaroundhis chest, arms and head, according to authorities. Yazan Omarthen left thesuite, testifying that the duct tape around Mezlini’shead wasnot

JUDGE

Continued from page1B

everyone the officerwas aliar.Not until six to eight weeks later,when someone he trusted viewedthe police video, did Colbert admit he may have run the red light.

“You said you would destroy his career if he was wrong,” said Judiciary CommissionerDavid Ardoin, aThibodaux attorney

“You’re asking us to grant you grace that you wouldn’t grant the police ofﬁcer if he was wrong.”

An emotional Colbert banged on the tablewhile describing the medical crisis with his child, explaining that he wasn’tthinking properly when he challenged the ofﬁcer First Judicial District Court Judge Brady O’Callaghan, who is on the Judiciary Commission, said he was reassured when he read documents submitted for the hearing where Colbert admitted he ran the red light. During Friday’s hearing, O’Callaghan said, it seemed Colbert wasn’tad-

coveringthe man’snose when he departed, according to thedistrict attorney’sofﬁce.

Leavinghis stepbrother and Mezlini in thevacant store, Yazan Omar returned to Wireless Hub where he told employees whathad happened, though no onetook it seriously enough to call911 at the time, the District Attorney’sOfﬁce said.

However,the employees became concerned when they saw Saleh Omar leavethe suitewith blood on hisface. RealizingthatMezlini had neverexited the vacant store, theemployees usedascrewdriver to open the locked suite and discovered Mezlinibound andunconscious inside, authoritiessaid.

Mezlinihad duct tape wrapped completely around hishead, from the top of thebridge of his noseto his chin, according to Sheriff’s Of-

mittingit.

“The way you say it is that you’re stuck with (theadmission) because it’sinthe legal documents, but you don’treally believe you ran the red light,” hesaid.

“I watched video,” Colbert said. “I ran the red light.”

Regardingthe Saturday meeting in the courthouse in August of 2021, Colbert said he thought he was acting appropriately by meeting with then-City-ParishAttorney Greg Logan and organizers of aconcert at The District to discusshow theconcert couldtake place that evening.

He said he was angry with city-parish ofﬁcials for waiting until 5:15 p.m. on a Friday to halt theconcert becausetheyknewthe promoters wouldn’tbeableto getaninjunction after hours andthe youngmen stood to lose $60,000.

Colbert was at thecourthouse in gym clothes and aSuperman shirt for the meeting, he said. He didn’t wear his robes, wasn’tsitting on the bench and didn’t callinhis law clerk or stenographerfor themeeting, which he considered infor-

mal.

ﬁceinvestigators.

Mezlini was takentoahospital in critical condition but died the following day.Anautopsy determined he died of asphyxia by strangulation and smothering, authorities said.Healso hadinjuries indicatinghe’d been beaten,the District Attorney’sOfﬁce said.

Yazan Omarwas arrestedonthe dayofthe attack.Hewas later charged with second-degree murderfor his alleged role in assisting his stepbrother,the District Attorney’sOfﬁcesaid.

Butthe chargewas dropped, and he pleaded guiltyin2021 to false imprisonment while armedwitha weaponand obstructionofjustice. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, authoritiessaid.

Saleh Omar ﬂedthe country afterMezlini’sattack. He was arrested Sept. 26, 2018, in Panama

He admitted to using the terms “B.S.” and “chickens***” during the meeting, explaining he would not say those things while wearing his robe or on the bench.

Third Circuit Court of Appeal Judge SharonWilson, whoisonthe Judiciary Commission,saidwhether Colbertiswearing his robe or aSupermanT-shirt, he is always ajudge.

“You have acalling and aresponsibility.You never stop being ajudge,” Wilson said. “Ifwe’re sleeping, we are bound by the judicial canons.”

Bruce Hampton, chairman of the Judiciary Commission and ajudge withthe 3rd Judicial District Court, said Colbert didn’tseem preparedtodiscuss details of theincidentswiththe commission Friday TheJudiciaryCommission did notannouncea decision Friday.Itwill recommend disciplinaryaction, then send the case to thestate SupremeCourt for the ultimate decision.

Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.

City,Panama. Omar had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. His defense attorneys argued that Mezlini was alive when Omar left the locked suite, according to the District Attorney’s Ofﬁce.Theyalsoargued that Omar hadbeen defending himself.

“Heleaves with the only key that can save Mo,” Assistant District Attorney Kristen Landrieutold jurors. “And he doesn’tlook back. Not once. He made it out of the country.Heduct-taped (Mezlini’s) mouthand noseshut. What do you think is going to happen?”

Jurors deliberated fortwo days before ﬁnding Omar guilty of the lesser charge.Manslaughteris punishable by up to 40 years in prison.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 14.

BEAR

Continued from page1B

brought back black bear hunting season for the ﬁrst time in 35 years last Decemberand is nowexpanding it.

Hanks said this year the odds of seeing ablack bear are on par with the past two to three years, but the odds of seeing a black bear are “higher nowthan15years ago.” Jerry Mitchell, of Holden, saidhehas lived in Louisiana for 61 years andhas neverseen alive bear until now.Mitchell said ablack bear walked right up to his front door afew days ago. “It’sactually pretty amazing,”hesaid. “I ﬁnd it strange they don’t mind coming right up to your home.” Mississippi’sblack bear population,which is partly made up of Louisiana black bears, is also growing. Bears from Mississippi and Arkansas can also find their way into Louisiana, Hanks said.

To avoid attracting bears, residents should secure food andbird feeders and remove garbageoutside.Black bears rarely get aggressive, but bearwise.org hastips for whattodoinanencounter.

LOTTERY

FRIDAY,APRIL25, 2025 PICK 3: 5-4-2

PICK 4: 2-8-1-4

PICK 5: 9-3-8-0-4

MEGA MILLIONS: 38-40-60-62-70

MEGA BALL: 9 Unofficial notification, keep your tickets

nanceProgramstomonitor condition of plantand equipmenttomaximize safety andreliability andreducedown‐time.Oversee maintenanceprojects andmonitor progressofexternalmain‐tenancecontractors;Conduct “end-oflife”assessments andmakerecom‐mendations forequipment repair and replacement. Assist with equipment repairsasneededand provideinforma‐tion andguidancetooriginalequip‐ment manufacturers, after-market suppliers andoutside repair shops; Provideleadershipand technicalex‐pertisetosolve complexoperating problems.Provide technicalguidance to less-experienced engineers; De‐velopand implementequipment,pro‐cedure andprocess changesincluding design andimplementationofim‐provementprojectsand participation in Hazard OperabilityStudies and ProcessHazards Analysis.Serve as ProcessSafety Management custo‐dian at plantinevaluationofmanufac‐turing process-relatedrisks andinci‐dents. Providetrainingasrequiredto manufacturing personnelinrelevant manufacturing processes; Communi‐cate as required with regional andcor‐porate counterpartstofacilitate con‐tinuous improvementand ongoing or‐ganizational learning;Support efforts to implementand maintain Responsi‐bleCare® Management System in line with therequirementsofRC14001® technicalspecification as applicable to thesite/region.Located in Franklin,LA. Requires:Bachelor'sdegreeorForeign Degree Equivalent in Chemical Engi‐neeringorrelated Engineeringdisci‐plineAND

STAFFPHOTO By MICHELLE HUNTER

Mohamed Mezlini, 29, wasattacked inside avacant jewelrystore in astrip mall

102-year-old festival fan makes home in Jazz Tent

WWII veteran Tom Brown saw music legends in person

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

Tom Brown’s Jazz Fest plan was simple. He was going to ﬁnd a roost in the WWOZ Jazz Tent and listen. He didn’t study the cubes or any such thing. He knows what he likes, and what he likes takes place in the Jazz Tent every day during the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Asked if he ever listened to new music, Brown confessed that he does not. Jazz was the new music of his youth, and it will remain so forever Brown is 102 years old Brown, who lives in Richmond, Virginia, can’t recall exactly how many times he’s attended the Jazz Fest. He said his ﬁrst was 1992, and he was a regular until Hurricane Katrina. But Brown came back as soon as possible. He’s seen something like 10 fests since then. Brown arrived at the Gentilly entrance of the Fair Grounds accompanied by his 66-year-old son Mike, a former firefighter Brown, who used to be a real estate broker — among other professions — looked dapper in a chocolate-colored polo shirt, cream-colored cap and shades. He was greeted with glee by Jazz Fest workers who recognized him from past years.

Jacks and jazz

Brown said that he grew up one of six boys. But upstairs lived a family with a solitary daughter, with whom he played jacks. Sure, he said, jacks was supposed to be for girls and marbles for boys, but he played with her anyway Her dad was a

musician. Here, young Tom Brown ﬁrst heard jazz. This would have been, like, 1930. Segregation didn’t really “tick him off” until he went in the Army during World War II, Brown said. Before that he thought it was just a Southern thing. But in the service he found out prejudice was pretty much everywhere.

He was lucky to be stationed at Fort Dix, near Trenton, New Jersey, 90 minutes from New York City and some legendary jazz shows. “I saw Louis Armstrong, Billy Holiday, Duke Ellington, all the jazz artists, you know?” he said. Brown was a payroll clerk in the Army and served in Germany before the fall of the Nazis in 1945. He expected to be sent to the Pacific theater Happily, the Japanese surrendered ﬁrst. Brown said he and Mike were going to visit the New Orleans’ National World War II Museum on Saturday Brown had a daughter and two sons. Sadly, his oldest son — who also used to come to Jazz Fest has passed away, and Brown’s wife has passed away as well.

Veteran likes New Orleans

Talking to Brown can feel like a time warp. One minute you’re conversing about buying a $13 Rolex watch in Switzerland in the aftermath of World War II, the next you’re discussing his recent discovery that rice flour makes an excellent fried chicken crust

Asked what his favorite New Orleans food was, he answered “anything they cook.” Once, he said, he was served a fried soft-shell crab bigger than his hand. He took a picture of it Last night he and Mike ate at some sort of Italian place called, maybe, Mandina’s.

Near the Gentilly entrance, Brown seated himself in a wheelchair to more easily get around the

grounds. No exploration was necessary, of course. Mike pushed his father directly to the Jazz Tent, found a spot a few rows from the front and settled in. Mike said he liked the blues too, but you know Dad.

Here’s a great thing about New Orleans. The people are convivial, and never more so than at the Fest. As singer Phillip Manuel did a sound check, the lady in front of Tom and Mike chatted them up about all things jazz. Jazz seemed to be her jam too. They were in their happy bubble. There wasn’t much need for anything else at the moment. Or maybe ever

Asked how long he planned to stay at the Jazz Tent, Brown said “I’ll be here until it closes.”

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Tom Brown, 102, listens to music in the WWOZ Jazz Tent during the second day of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans on Friday.

Jazz Fest worker Marie Brousseau greets 102-yearold jazz fan Tom Brown at the Fair Grounds on Friday. Behind them at left are Brown’s son, Mike Brown, and Glen Brousseau. Tom Brown has been to the Jazz Fest 10 times in the past 20 years, always to visit the Jazz Tent.

STAFF PHOTO By DOUG MacCASH

OPINION

OUR VIEWS

Keep Bourbon Street open

After the deadly New Year’sDay attack on Bourbon Street, scrutiny of security gaps that left the FrenchQuarter vulnerable wasuniversally welcomed. The deathsof14people whena terrorist was abletodrive atruck on asidewalk, then down the street in theearly morninghours, is atragedy that demands answers.

So we were glad to see Gov.Jeff Landry,New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell andothers vow early on that there would be acomplete and open investigation. We also approvedwhen New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick took quick action in naminga security consultanttolookatways to preventsimilarattacks in the future.

That consultant, aNew York-based ﬁrm called Teneo, has produced a43-page report with several recommendations that deserve serious consideration. Butthe onethatisdrawing the most discussion is one we cannot support:closing Bourbon Street permanently to vehicular trafﬁc.

One of the most iconic streets in theworld —and onethat is pivotal to ourstate and local economy —Bourbon also sitsatthe center of a real neighborhood where people liveand work daily.Residentsand business owners rightly worry about what such aclosure wouldmean for their livelihoods. They wonderiftakingtrafﬁc off Bourbon would create congestioninother parts of the Quarter.They question whether emergency vehicles would beabletoreach them without problems.

We share these concerns andalso would add that part of the charm of our most famousstreet is the vibrant life that existsthere. Closing off Bourbon to cars could be aprelude to making theQuarteradifferent kind of placealtogether —one that is difﬁcult to access andcut offfrom the rest of the city

The plan outlined in thereport is to close Bourbon to trafﬁc from Canal to Dumaine,including all cross streets. Deliverieswould be allowedduringcertain hours, andstaggered barrierswould allow access to driveways.It also says that the pedestrian-only zonecould be extended to otherstreetsinthe future Cantrell saysthe recommendations arebeing reviewed. It will ultimately beuptothe City Council to determine if closing cars to Bourbon makes sense.Wewould urge themtoget input from residentsand stakeholders before taking anyaction

Butwewould rather see thecityfocus on some of the other recommendations in the report, which pointed out some glaring failures that need to be remedied. It urges the city to seek apermanent top-tier federal risk rating,or SEAR 1, for Mardi Gras, which providesaccess to federal resources. It calls for theremoval of trashcansthat could be used to conceal explosivesfrom parade routes. It also calls forimproving the intelligence-gathering capabilities of the NOPD.

It strongly criticized the lack of coordination between the city’sOfﬁce of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness andthe police department. It particularly pointed outthe neglect of “tabletopexercises,” whichusedtobe routine, where ofﬁcials from various agencies gather ahead of major events tomodelwhat could go wrong and how to respond. We argue theseare thereal steps thatthe city needsto take to ensure the safety of residents andvisitors to the French Quarter.Closing Bourbon to carswould make headlines, but it is this kind of behind-the-scenes workthat has been sorely lacking. We are pleased to seethat Kirkpatrick isn’twaiting to implementsome of theserecommendations.

We know that many are still grieving lost loved ones and recovering from injuriessuffered in the attack. They arenever farfrom our thoughts. We all have an interest in making sure no one can ever inﬂict such horroruponus again. We believe that can be achievedwithout sacriﬁcing the French Quarter’sbeatingheart.

From thepeople’sbusinesstofamilybusiness

Donald Trump’sdefenders have taken great offense to suspicions by Democrats and others that the Trumpfamily and its close circle are doing insider trading to proﬁt from market convulsions. There’sno“proof,”they say It’strue that there’sbeen no proof so far,but there’ssurely enough smoke to warrant an investigation. Problem is,the Trumpadministration has ﬁred theinvestigators or replaced them with people who won’tinvestigate. To quoteaWall Street Journal headline, “TrumpAdministration Retreats from White-Collar Criminal Enforcement.”

Whence comes thesmoke? For starters, it comes from the total lack of consistency in Trump’spronouncements on tariffs. The administration announced that iPhones, laptops and other tech products would be exempt from the“so-called reciprocal tariffs” against China that run as high as 145%, theJournal noted. “But on Sunday morning, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said tariffs on electronic goods would go up again in the future.”

See thegame? When Trumpannounces new tariffs,stock prices crater.When he announces aretreat, the

When theLegislature is in session, there is no shortage of opinions about what our state lawmakers are doing. Bills are moving swiftly through the process,and sometimes we can’tget all your letters in before they become law.But we will try our best to create opportunities for you to have your voice heard. We believe there is no better check on legislative overreach than an engaged citizenry. We know lawmakers are paying attention to public opinion. It can be skewed, however,because most people are more apt towritewhen they oppose ameasure than when they support it.When possible, we try to

TOWN SQUARE

indices soar.And how nice it would be to becomeone of theinsiders who get aheads-up right before announcements are made. Butone investmentthat stopped jumping at every hint of trade sanity: U.S. Treasury securities. Once considered theworld’ssafest place to keep money at times of economic stress, theworld’sinvestors are moving out of U.S. government bonds. They now seeAmerica as an increasingly unstable country no longer governed by theold rules of capitalism but by crony and familyinterests. And extortion.

Wall Street Journal, thank you again for yet another headline: “Trump’s$1 Billion Law FirmDeals Are the Work of His Personal Lawyer.” That would be Boris Epshteyn, indicted in Arizona for trying to overturn Trump’s2020 election loss in that state. And he has pleaded guiltytodisorderly conduct in abar Epshteyn doesn’twork forthe government.Hedoesn’t even have a government email address. But he’s been shaking down law ﬁrmsdeemed opposed to the Trump agenda forpro bono, that is, free, work. On April 12

alone, five law firmssubmitted and agreed to hand over about $600 million in legal services, gratis. Several law firmshave hired Trump-friendly lobbyists. Others, however,have resisted the intimidation. Law firmshave every right to represent clients opposed to actions by the Trumporany other administration.

Astounding how the MAGAright accuses anyone they disagree with of being a“socialist” and then throws into the dumpster the guardrails and respect forimpersonal decisions that help capitalism function.

Four years ago, Trumpcalled crypto “a scam.” He told Fox News that he objected to crypto because it competes with the U.S. dollar.But Trumphas a long history of regarding ascam as an opportunity.Trumpisnow deregulating crypto as his family goes into everything from bitcoin mining to stablecoins.

The people’sbusiness has been given over to afamily’sbusiness. Small wonder that the free world is bailing out of America.

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com

feature arange of letters on all sides of an issue. We also often receive guest columns from those behind the bills that are drawing themost attention. Advocacy groupsthat lobby legislators are also frequent contributors.Westrive to provide aforum where experienced voices can give insight into the legislative process. If there is aspeciﬁc issue you’d like to know more about or alawmaker you’d like to hear from, please don’thesitate to write to us. Going to our letters inbox, Ican give you thenumbers from the week of March 27- April 3. That week, we received 66 letters. The hottest topic was

the defeat of the four constitutional amendments on the ballot March 29. We received 12 letters on the topic, with mostwriters seeking to explain the opposition to the measures. Next, you were interested in what is going on at Tulane University,which has been threatened with cuts by the Trumpadministration. We received three letters on that topic. And lastly, immigration, the protests at Tesla dealerships and the protests by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in various cities werethe subject of two letters each.

Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | OpinionPageEditor.Emailher at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com.

For an upcoming feature,weasked youtoconsider matters of religious faith We want to know: Howimportant is your faithtoyour daily life, and what role, if any, should it playinpublic life?

Send responses to letters@theadvocate.com.Wewill publish aselection of the best responsesina future edition.

Arnessa Garrett

Froma Harrop

COMMENTARY

BubbaHenry wasa secret intellectual

Quin Hillyer

More than four decadesafter he left public life, former state House Speaker E.L. “Bubba” Henry was no longer afamiliar figure to most Louisianans. But Henry, who died April 23 at age 89, helped make state government considerably better Before Henry in the late 1960s helped lead areformist group called the “Young Turks,” the Legislature wasn’t merely the somewhat wild and woolly place it was in, say,the 1980s and early 1990s, butsowild andwoolly that people today have ahard time believing the stories. The late John Hainkel, also a Young Turk before later becoming both speakerand stateSenate president, told me once of alegislative session reaching itsmandatory end date without having passed abudget —a legislative calamity.Asthe clock high on the wall neared midnight, someone figured that if they stopped the clock, they could claimthe legislative day hadn’tended, andanything passed hours later would still be valid. When they couldn’tfind aladder

PROVIDED PHOTO By BEN BAGERT

FormerSpeaker E.L. ‘Bubba’Henry, left, and former statelegislator Ben Bagert, right,reminisce in 2021 about the ‘young Turks’ group of which theywere apartof50years earlier

to reach the clock,they resorted to other tools. Food and drink back then were allowed on the House ﬂoor,solegislators started throwingchickenbones and whiskeybottles at theclock until one well-aimed throw broke the darn thing.Ithink Iremember Hainkel saying that the budget that ﬁnally passed about4 a.m. was deemed valid

Henry was oneofthe leaders of thereformers who changed all

that. After theYoung Turks successfully pushed for rule changes, legislators actually were given thechance to analyze the budget before voting on it.(Gee, what aconcept!) As this newspaper’s Tyler Bridges reported, lobbyists had been allowed freely toroam theHouse ﬂoor and even use the members’ voting machines. Junior legislators weren’tgiven advance notice of committee meetings and had no staff. The Turks changed all that, too.

In Henry’snext term, he became the speaker who nursed through theLegislature acall for anew,reformist constitutional convention, which he then oversaw as chairman.

Longtimelegislator Ben Bagert introduced the ﬁrst bill calling for theconvention (although Gov Edwin Edwards had another legislator introduce an altered version keeping more power in the governor’shands) —and, though Bagert didn’tattendthe convention itself, he closely followed its every move.

“Bubba was really agreat leader in that convention,” Bagert told me. “There were times it looked like the convention would be a failure, but he held it together.A lot of people were critical that it

was taking too long, but they had somegreat legal minds in that convention whotook their time in order to do areal good job, especially on the bill of rights.”

In theend, convention delegates approved the new document, 1211, and the public ratiﬁed it in a statewide vote.

The key then and in Henry’s speakership, Bagert said, was that “he was an intellectual disguised as acountry boy.Hehad charisma and people found it easy to follow him.”

Bagert also praised Henry’s “zany sense of humor,” which sometimes got in the wayofkeeping the House in order

“Every once in awhile,” Bagert said, “his sense of humor got the best of him andhewould say something to crack the House up, but then he would slam the gavel and with a[mock]tone of indignationreprimand us forbeing out of order.”

It all worked. The House ran smoothly under his leadership and wrote new lawsexpanding governmenttransparency and keeping special interests more restrained Henry ran forgovernor in 1979 and, to my 15-year-old eyes, made an attractive presentation. None-

theless, he didn’tmake the runoff, but when straight-laced Republican DaveTreen won that runoff by awhisker,Treen appointed Henry as his commissioner of administration —essentially the state government’sday-to-day chief operating ofﬁcer Treen’sadministration accomplished morethan mostpeople remember,but it notoriously often washobbled, at times to the point of near-paralysis, by power struggles between his twotop advisers, John Cade and Billy Nungesser Nonetheless, said Bagert, “Bubba did create somemovement when otherwise there would have been stasis. He ran agood ofﬁce. He steered the ship well. He kept it in the channel.”

When Treen lost his bid forreelection, Henry leftpublic ofﬁce forgood, instead embracing a role as an elder statesman worthy of consultation. Still only 48 at the time, he nonetheless had left an indelible mark, forthe better, on the government of the state he loved. In the state’spolitical history,Henry merits aplace not just in the pantheon of greats, but in that pantheon’supper echelon. Quin Hillyer canbereached at quin.hillyer@theadvocate.com.

GOP, whyexposechildren’scriminalhistory?

ous in the proposed legislation.”

Last year,the GOP-controlled Louisiana Legislature passed and Gov.Jeff Landry signed intolaw the “Truth and Transparency in theLouisiana Criminal Justice System” during aspecial session focused on crime. After years of protecting youth offenders with conﬁdentiality governed by the Louisiana Youth Criminal Code, Republicans decided that moving four years of juvenile court data into a single online system and requiring the online publication of court minute entries for children charged with violent crimes on or after Jan. 1, 2024, was the way to go. All for the sake of transparency

Will Sutton

An earlier versionofthe transparency law,in2023, would have forced youth offenders in Caddo, East Baton Rouge and Orleans parishestobeapart of apilot program. The idea was dropped after youth activists and advocates pushed back on the effects in what are predominantly Black parishes.

It’simportant to watchwhat’s happening in the Legislature during the sausage-making before

the sausage is wrapped, packaged anddistributed as law.The bill that led to Amendment3moved through theLegislature, was reﬁned, gotpushback but madeit throughasaconstitutional amendmentthat voters could approve or reject. It would haveput moreminors in adult courts and in adult prisons with longer sentences. But more than 66% of voters rejected the amendment. It didn’t have to get that far.

House Bill 445 isn’texactly like Amendment3,but it is worrisome.

Here’show thePower Coalition for Equity and Justice breaks down the two bills:

Last year’sHouse Bill 1aimed to publicize some juvenile court records, madecertain juvenile records accessible to the public, and focused on youths accused of violentcrimes and repeat offenders.

This year’sHB445 would specifically make juvenile records part of achild’s“criminal history,” applytoall juvenile records, would share juvenile records more

broadly across thejustice system while calling that confidentiality and change some legal definitions without anew,confidential public access system.

Iasked thebill’ssponsor,state Rep.Debbie Villio, R-Kenner, about it.

“HB445 IS NOTadisclosure bill,”she wroteinatext, capitalizing “is not.” “It removes none of theguardrails in place regarding juvenile records. It allows the records to be maintained electronically.All parishes.”

“The bill simply provides a complete and accurate picture of the individual in front of those authorized to have access to the information,” she continued. “It does nothing more.”

Child advocates don’tsee it that way Attorney Lauren Hall, apolicy associate with the Louisiana Center for Children’sRights, said Villio’sbill is aconﬁdentiality jab.The way she and other child advocates see it, theTruthand Transparency law madeviolent youthcrimecases more public, and this measure would target children with misdemeanors and nonviolent ﬁrst offenses.

As Isee it, we’re not talking about adult offenders, we’re not talking aboutviolent youth offenders.We’re not talking about children whohave been accused of kidnapping, rape or murder We’retalking about children who might be charged with truancy, violating curfew andunderage use of alcohol

When Hill testified against the bill at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge, she madeseveral points, including that the bill “threatens to takeaway the confidentiality that is an essential part of juvenile rehabilitation.” Children accused of misdemeanors and have never been in trouble before would lose confidentiality protections, and the bill would “remove theprovision explicitly excluding juvenile records from the adult criminal justice database,” she said.

In addition, “This bill will not improve transparency.Itwill prevent children from getting jobs and successfully growing into early adulthood, if their records are accessible in the adult criminal justice database,” she added.

Villio said people shouldn’t“assumethere’ssomething nefari-

She told me one of her concerns is that adult court judges don’t have acomplete picture when they have youths in their courts, sometimes because ayouth from one parish might have their case heard in aparish that doesn’t have access to criminal history records.

An updated electronic database would resolve that, she said. Or,in her words, “Maybe we should go back to stone documents carried by horses.”

No, Idon’tthink any of us want stone tablets, documents delivered by people on horseback or even by buses or trains. Though somemight speed in avehicle, delivery by automobiles or trucks wouldn’twork welleither.The right people need the right information at the right time, and astatewide electronic database forjuvenile records sounds like a good idea.

I’mconcerned about what might happen in the sausagemaking, and Iwant to err on the side of protecting children.

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

Amoral messenger’sfinal warningtothe United States

On Easter morning, the day before he died, Pope Francis met Vice President JD Vance, adevout defender of President Donald Trump’s virulent anti-immigration policies.Francis andVance exchanged brief pleasantries, but afew minutes later,anarchbishop read the pontiff’s holiday homily,which decried “how much contempt is stirred upat times towards the vulnerable, the marginalized and migrants.” It was the last of many occasions when the pope played his role as moral messenger,embracing the marginalized aroundthe globe, especially migrants driven from their homes by conﬂict,povertyand disaster He did not criticize Trumpor Vance by name, but he has often branded the president’scrusade against foreigners a“disgrace” and “not Christian.”

Steven Roberts

Catholic Church. not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrantand refugee brothers and sisters,”he wrote. The ﬁght over foreigners is playing out on many fronts. The president is only thelatest in along line of American demagogueswho have demonized alien “others” for political gain, and he’sconvinced that despite Francis’ moral opposition, he’swinning thebattle for public opinion. During thecampaign, he called immigration the No. 1issue that would win him the election and added,“That beatsout theeconomy.Thatbeatsitall out to me; it’s not even close.” Indeed,hewon 59% of theCatholic vote, ajump of 12 points over 2020, when he lost narrowly to thesecond Catholic president,Joe Biden.

his favorable score on trade matters.

Arecent report by acoalition of religious groups says that 3out of 5undocumented immigrantswho could be subject to deportation by Trumpare Catholics, many from Latin andSouth America. But Catholic voters remain ambivalent on this issue, especially those whose families came here several generations ago from countries like Ireland, Italy and Poland, manyofwhom lack sympathy for thenewcomers.

he is starting to lose somelegal skirmishes.

The administration has been using an 18th-century statute, the Alien Enemies Act, to justifythe expulsion of hundreds of Venezuelans accused of belonging to violent gangs. In an unusual predawn order,the SupremeCourt temporarily barred the White House from further deportations under that law

Harvie Wilkinson, aRonald Reagan appointee widely admired in conservative legal circles, wrote:

“The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order.”

In February,for instance, the pope issued an unusual open letter to America’sCatholic bishops denouncing mass deportations. “I exhort all the faithful of the

An AP-NORC poll reports that 49% approve of how Trumpis handling the immigration issue —his highestratingonany issue tested,and 11 points higher than

Anthea Butler,aprofessor of religion at the UniversityofPennsylvania, analyzed this split for theReligious News Service and NPR: “On one hand, you have a big, giant denomination who is going to be profoundly affected by people being renditioned —and I’m going to use theword renditioned —out of this country who are faithful and loyal Catholics. Butonthe other hand, you have Catholic suburbanites and others who voted for Trumpwho are like, ‘OK, this is cool.’”

ButifTrumpiswinning the political contest over immigration,

Andwhile the court did not reach the underlying legal issues in the case, it wasnoteworthy that only two of the six conservative justices —Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito —dissented from theorder Georgetown Law professor Steve Vladeck told The Washington Postthat the court’sruling was “a sign that amajority of the justices have lost their patience with the procedural games being played by the Trumpadministration,” at least as it relates to the cases involving the Alien Enemies Act. Apanel of Fourth Circuit appellate judges waseven morecritical of Trump’spolicies. Judge J.

As Trumpcontinues to defy court orders and constitutional principles, the voices of alarm are growing louder.“The choice before the administration could not be stated moreclearly —or moreconsequentially,” wrote columnist DanBalz in the Post.

“Does this president believe in the rule of law or does he believe he has unfettered power to act as he wishes?”

As Pope Francis has warned, this crucial question has moral as well as practical consequences.

“The vulnerable, the marginalized and migrants” might be political pawns to Donald Trump, but they are all children of Godto the Holy Father

Email Steven Roberts at stevecokie@gmail.com.

‘NO-FLAW KID’

BY MATTHEWPARAS Staff writer

Three years ago, Kelvin BanksJr. didn’t enrollatthe University of Texas until the summer

This usually wouldn’tbeabig deal, butfor high-proﬁle recruits, it hasbecome common to graduate high school early andarriveoncampus as soon as possible. The coaches can begincoaching, and the kids getmoretime to acclimate to the program.

So when Banks finally got the chance to step on thepractice field as afive-star freshman that July and work against the other athletes that had amonths-long head start, offensive coordinator Kyle Flood went over to chat with coach Steve Sarkisian.

“All right, that’sour left tackle,” Flood told him. “It took about two days.”

From Day 1—orDay 2, to be precise —Banks was adominant player who coaches relied on as aprogram cornerstone.Atthe start of Banks’ three-year tenure, theLonghorns were coming off a5-7 season. By the end of it,Texas had made the College Football Playoff.

That sort of transformation requires amuch larger buy-in than just one lineman, but Flood said for

Former STMreceiverselected in second roundofNFL draft

BY Contr

two-for

that to happen, ateam’sbest players have to lead theway.And Banks was among Texas’ best players, if not the outrightbest

Banksmade the kind of impact the New Orleans Saints are hoping to get by drafting the 21-year-oldwiththe ninthoverall pick in this year’sNFL draft on Thursday In terms of ﬁlling aneed, Banks should help provide immediate an-

swersupfront. That could be at left tackle, aspot that would allow last year’sstarter—Taliese Fuaga —to move back to his natural position of righttackle. Or it could be at guard, thebiggest question markfor the offensive line.

But don’tlose the signiﬁcance of Banks becoming the Saints’ first draft pickundernew coach Kellen Moore. In New Orleans,Moore will need anew generation of leaders

ä See SAINTS, page 3C

Cajuns claim twowins

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

It wasn’ttechnically adoubleheader, but the UL Ragin’ Cajuns celebrated twowins Saturday at Russo Park.

First,the Cajuns finishedoff Friday’s suspended gamefor a4-1 winoverGeorgia Southern, then pulled off a7-3 winover the Eagles in the regularly scheduled game.

“We’re playing pretty good,” UL coach Matt Deggs said. “I’m not saying awhole lot right now.I’m just kind of letting them play.We’ve kind of been through the meat grinder.This series is important, though. We haven’tdone anything yet. We need to come out and take care of business tomorrow.” The Cajuns improved to 22-23 overall and 12-8 in Sun Belt play while Georgia Southern dropped to 23-20 and 9-11. The final game of theseriesisslated fornoon Sunday. Friday’sseries opener was suspended at 8:36 p.m.Friday after multiple lightning delays and later rain. It resumed at 1:05 p.m Saturdayand took 40 minutes for the Cajuns to nail downthe victory Luke Yuhasz played akey role in both Ca-

ä See CAJUNS, page 3C

tack Leading up to the draft,Bech repeatedly said the team that selected him also wouldget his brother,who played receiver at STM and Princeton.

“Let’sgo! They’re getting a dog, man,” Bech said. “Ican’t wait to get to Vegas. Ijust can’twait toget to work.Ican’t wait to getthere,learn from the guys, get on the ﬁeldand get this work in.” Family,friends and well-wishers gathered in the STM Chapel for aMass in honor of Tiger Bech before moving to the Athletic

I’m ready to

Let’sgowin some

Mel Kiper’slist.

Four batters later, juniorLSU slugger Jared Jones was mobbedbyteammatesafter hitting awalk-off, three-run homeasthe No. 7Tigers scored six times in theinning to capture a6-3 victory over No. 6Tennessee at Alex

PHOTO By MIKE COPPAGE

Former St. Thomas More wide receiver Jack Bech was drafted by the Las VegasRaiders in the second round of the NFLdraft on Friday.

STAFFPHOTO

5:30 a.m.

STM slugger’s HR caps 13-3 win

Lafferty has big day at plate as Cougars advance to state tourney

BY NICK FONTENOT

Contributing writer

When Addison Lafferty stepped into the batter’s box in the bottom of the ﬁfth inning, she had a ﬂashback.

St. Thomas More was leading Dominican 11-3 in Friday’s Division I select quarterﬁnals, and the moment felt eerily familiar

Just last season, Lafferty found herself in nearly the same spot batting with a runner on and an eight-run lead in the quarterﬁnals against Alexandria.

That time, she launched a gameending home run to punch STM’s ticket to the semiﬁnals of the state tournament in Sulphur Friday? Same swing, same stakes, same result.

Lafferty crushed a two-run homer — again — to send the Cougars back to Sulphur for the second straight year after posting a 13-3 win in a game shortened to six in-

nings because of the 10-run rule.

“I knew it would end the game if I got it over, and yeah, I deﬁnitely thought about last year,” Lafferty said

“Honestly, I just wanted to get the run home, but when I hit it, I knew it was gone.”

Lafferty was unstoppable at the plate, ﬁnishing 4 for 4 with two doubles, the walk-off home run,

and six RBIs.

STM coach Andria Waguespack said in a lineup full of stars, Lafferty tends to ﬂy under the radar but not in her eyes. “People forget how good Addi is,” Waguespack said. “She’s quiet, but she carries us. She’s been our rock all year In a big moment, she’s locked in. That kid can ﬂatout play.”

Lafferty said she doesn’t get caught up in pressure or outside noise. She’s conﬁdent in her role and trusts the process.

“When I’m up in those big spots, I just focus on me,” she said “I don’t hear the crowd, I don’t worry about social media. I know if I do my job, I’m helping the team win. When we all play like we did today, we’re tough to beat.” Margaret Oge earned the win, pitching all five innings. She allowed three hits and struck out three. Dominican held a 2-0 lead in the ﬁrst inning after a home run, but Waguespack said she never wavered.

“My confidence in Margaret never changes,” she said. “And I always believe our lineup can dig out of any hole. Whether we’ve got 21 outs or two outs left, these kids never quit. We got big hits in big moments today, and that’s exactly what it takes this time of year.”

With the team heating up at the right time, Waguespack is thrilled her seniors get one more shot at a title run.

“I’m beyond excited to give these seniors another trip to Sulphur,” she said. “We just have to keep the moment from getting too big. Every day, we focus on the little things.”

Pitching duo helps STM claim series

BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer

Behind two pitchers described by coach Justin Robichaux as warriors, St. Thomas More roared past St. Augustine in a Division I select regional baseball series on Friday and Saturday at STM. Riley Rowell and Cayden Dartez each threw a one-hitter as the fourth-seeded Cougars defeated the No. 13 Purple Knights 6-1 and 12-0 to advance to the quarterﬁnals against another New Orleans Catholic League opponent, No. 5 Jesuit (24-10).

“It’s a testament to what (pitching coach Braden Bristo) has done,” Robichaux said. “He’s done a really good job with our pitchers from top to bottom. Everybody has gotten better from a development standpoint. We just had two guys go wire-to-wire but the depth of this staff is a strong part of the team.” On Friday, Rowell struck out ﬁve and walked two while facing two batters over the minimum He also homered from the clean-up spot In Game 2, Dartez struck out eight and walked one

The Purple Knights (18-16) got

ball. They make it tough for you to come out there and take the ball from them, and this team backs them.”

Rowell had an RBI single as a designated hitter in Game 2. Right fielder Andrew Carriere homered on the first pitch in the bottom of the first of Game 1. Cade Wilkerson added two home runs in that game. John Henry Parker and Cooper Hawkins each had doubles.

“Offensively, our guys did a good job of buying into the game plan,” Robichaux said. “They executed it really well from top to bottom Defensively we didn’t make an error the whole time. On the mound, our guys gave us a chance to win.

That’s all you can ask.”

the leadoff hitter on base in the ﬁrst and second innings, but Dartez recorded four strikeouts (three looking) and catcher Hayes Hebert picked a runner off ﬁrst base.

“Rowell and Dartez are as solid as they come,” Robichaux said.

“They’re ﬁerce warriors out there.

They’re competitors who want the

The Cougars (24-7) erupted for six runs in the seventh inning of Game 2. Wilkerson was a menace at the plate again with two hits, two runs scored and an RBI. Vincent Cicardo had two hits. Parker had two hits and two RBIs, and Landyn Craft collected two hits, a homer and three RBIs.

“When we start hitting one through nine, we’re tough to beat,” Robichaux said. “With Craft getting going (batting eighth), it’s only going to help us moving for-

ward. Carriere has been a spark plug since moving to the top of the order.”

Jacob Froehlich drove in a run with a sacriﬁce ﬂy to the fence in Game 2 Hebert had hits in each game.

“We’ve been consistent, for the most part, for the whole year,” Robichaux said. “I hope we can continue to do that. Consistency is the key Baseball is a game of adjustments. It’s a battle of consistency The most consistent team is going to be the one standing at the end.”

The Cougars were without shortstop Parker Castille, who should be available against Jesuit, which swept No. 12 Captain Shreve. Brennan LeBlanc, a pitcher and starting infielder, is out indefinitely

“Our pitching depth will get tested pretty soon,” Robichaux said. “No matter who we face from this point forward, it’s going to be tough. We’ll have to put our best foot forward.

“You don’t luck your way into a state championship, especially in three-game sets. The most complete teams — the ones who can hit, pitch and play defense — are going to be there at the end.”

Determined Erath sweeps series from Mamou

BY NEAL McCLELLAND Contributing writer

And the hits just kept coming.

The second-seeded Erath Bobcats pounded out 12 hits, which led to 17 runs, and Erath rolled into the quarterﬁnals of the nonselect Division III playoffs with a 17-2 mercy-rule win in four innings Saturday in Erath.

The rout of Mamou gave the Bobcats a sweep of the bestof-three series over the No. 18 Green Demons after a 6-0 win on Friday With the win, Erath advances to the quarterﬁnals for the second time in four years. The Bobcats are shooting for their ﬁrst state tournament berth.

This year’s tournament is in Lake Charles.

“Our guys really showed up today,” Erath coach Jeremy Picard said. “After a week, week-and-ahalf off with the bye, it took us a little while, but they did the little things we preach about and this is the result.”

The Bobcats, playing as the visiting team in the second game of series, came out swinging and scored four runs in their ﬁrst atbat to stake starter Landen Derouen to a 4-0 lead.

“In the ﬁrst inning, I wasn’t at my best, but after that I locked in and threw strikes and did the work,” said Derouen, who gave up two runs in the bottom of the first before throwing a shutout

the rest of the way I think there was a little playoff pressure there because it was my ﬁrst ever playoff start. So I don’t think I was totally focused.

“But once the ﬁrst inning was over I was locked in and ready to go.”

Derouen had only one strikeout, but he said he trusted his defense behind him.

“I think he had a little nerves in the ﬁrst inning but they he locked down and did what we needed him to do,” Picard said.

Erath’s Brennan Broussard had the big blast of the day, a home run in the fourth that clinched the win.

“I was feeling good today,” he said. “I kept walking a lot so when

I ﬁnally got a strike I knew that I was going to send it out.”

Broussard was a freshman on the last Erath team to make the quarterfinals. Last year Erath lost in the regional round of the playoffs.

“I knew coming in today that we were going to win,” he said.

“Losing was not an option. Everyone came in with their heads held high looking to win this ﬁrst game and get out of here

“Last year, we lost that first game and everyone was down going into the second game. We weren’t going to do that again this year.” With the win, Erath will host No. 7 seed Jena, which beat Doyle 2-1 in their best-of-three series.

Djokovic talks ‘new reality’ after three-match skid

After losing a second straight opening match and three in a row overall, Novak Djokovic said he is facing a “new reality” in his tennis career

Djokovic’s public coming to terms with his rare losing streak came after he fell in straight sets to Matteo Arnaldi 6-3, 6-4 in his ﬁrst match of the Madrid Open on Saturday in Spain.

Djokovic, 37, lost his opener to Alejandro Tabilo at the Monte Carlo Masters two weeks ago.

“I was hoping I can play one more match than I played in Monte Carlo. (It’s) kind of a new reality for me, I have to say, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament,” he said.

Giants legendary LB sacks Carter’s jersey request

Abdul Carter gave it a shot, ﬁguring he had nothing to lose.

Sure, Lawrence Taylor’s No. 56 is retired by the New York Giants and is one of the most revered jersey numbers in franchise history. But Carter the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, idolizes Taylor and wanted to wear his number

L.T sacked those dreams quickly Taylor heard of Carter’s request and, while honored, thinks the former Penn State pass rusher should make his own legacy

“He has to be the player that he is,” Taylor told ESPN. “He can’t be another Lawrence Taylor.”

Carter wore No. 11 at Penn State, but that number is also retired by the Giants for quarterback Phil Simms.

Former St. Louis GM Jocketty dies at age 74

Jocketty died Friday in the Phoenix area, former Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told the team after speaking with Jocketty’s wife Sue.

The Cardinals announced the death Saturday

The Cardinals won the National League Central Division seven times under Jocketty’s leadership. St. Louis also won National League championships in 2004 and 2006 and their 10th World Series title in 2006.

In his tenure with St. Louis, Jocketty either drafted or acquired Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Mark McGwire, Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, David Eckstein, Jason Isringhausen, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen and others.

Twins acquire INF Clemens from Philadelphia Phillies

The Minnesota Twins acquired inﬁelder Kody Clemens from the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday Clemens, the 28-year-old son of seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, was designated for assignment by the Phillies on Wednesday The Twins were in need of another inﬁelder after rookie Luke Keaschall broke his forearm in Friday’s game against the Angels.

Minnesota is expected to use Clemens as a backup at ﬁrst and second base, but he also has played third base and both corner outﬁeld positions in the majors.

Clemens played 56 games with the Tigers in 2022 before spending parts of the last two seasons in Philadelphia.

This year, he was hitless in six atbats in limited playing time with the Phillies.

Front-nine birdie spree ties Ryu for LPGA lead

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Haeran Ryu capped a front-nine run in the Chevron Championship with a chip-in birdie, then held on in tricky wind conditions Saturday for a share of the third-round lead with Mao Saigo.

On a gusty sunny day at The Club at Carlton Woods in the ﬁrst women’s major tournament of the year, Ryu parred the final nine holes for a 4-under 68. Saigo followed with 69 to match Ryu at 9-under 207.

Ryu opened with a 65 on Thursday for a share of the lead with Yan Liu, then shot a 74 to fall two strokes back.

On Saturday, after a bogey on the third hole, she birdied No. 4 and ran off four straight on Nos. 6-9.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

St. Thomas More’s Ava Segura collects a hit during the Cougars’ 13-3 Division I select quarterfinal playoff win over Dominican on Friday at STM.

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

St. Thomas More’s Riley Rowell celebrates his home run during the Cougars’ 6-1 win over St. Augustine in a Division I select regional playoff game Friday at STM.

juns’ wins.

“He’slookinggood,” Deggs saidofYuhasz. “He’snot over swinging.”

In the first game, he singled home the first run in the first inning and contributed an RBI triple in the eighth. Yuhasz came home on aConor Higgs’ sacrifice flyfor thethreerun lead. Then in the second game, Yuhasz sparked UL’s four-run first inning with an RBI double before later scoring on aHiggs’double.

Yuhasz was acombined 4for 8with three RBIs.

“I’m just trusting the work I’ve put in and sticking to my approach,” hesaid.“Youjust have to trust it. Right now,myapproach is hitting the fastball to right-center on aline andadjusting to everything else. It’sbeen working out for me.

“Westarted off alittleslower than we would have liked, but we’re starting to click on offense. Even if everyone’snot having a good game, we’re startingtopick each other up. If someone has abad at-bat, we won’t let it be twoin arow.”

MaddoxMandino’s double andDrew Markle’sbase hitgot the big inning started Caleb Stelly’sRBI double gaveULaninsurance run in the fourth. Higgs smashed a two-run homer— his14thof the season in the sixth to put the Cajuns on easy street. “I didn’thave areally good at-bat against that guy the at-bat before,” Higgs said of his homer.“Iwas kindoflate. Igot in the dugout and Igot to thinkabout getting my work done alittle bit —juststaying early and balanced. Igot awalkthe next at-bat and saw him alot better. Iﬁgured he’dbe coming backwith that curve ball at some point, and Igot it and Iwas on time for it.” Higgs was 2for 4with four RBIs inthe second game.

UL electedtostart thesuspended game Saturday with Andrew Herrmann, who was expectedtostartthe secondgame.

“I like our lefties against those guys,” Deggssaid of the strategy.“Iknew we could get more mileage out of Herrmannupfront if we caught awave. We never really caught that wave. It was kind of agrind, butstill to go almost six innings,that’spretty good.”

Herrman had trouble in the seventh givingup asolo homer to DanielHaab and two singles —but limited theEaglestoone run. He allowed only atwo-outdoubleto Haab in the ninth the rest of the waytonail

LSU

Continued from page1C

Johnson said. “Proud of theteam.”

Following Reaves’walk, fifth-year senior pinch-hitter Dalton Beck came up with a clutch single up the middle that drove intwo runs and cut the LSU deficit to one. It was just his second hit of the season “He hit 18 home runs last year at Incarnate Word and wanted to comehere,” Johnson said. “In asense, he almost kindofrecruited us when he wentinthe portal and then went and did abillion summer classes to be transfer eligible as afifth-yearguy, and then has not one second complained about being arole playeronthisteam.”

The Tigers were down totheir finalstrike after Beck’ssingle, but freshman Derek Curiel rapped agame-tying single past the diving first baseman to send the remaining LSU (35-8, 13-6 SEC) faithfulintoa frenzy Jones ended the game four pitches later He blasted a452-foothome run over thebatter’seye in center field to hand LSU the1-0 lead in the series.

“It was a1-2 count. Coach just likes to talk about ﬁghting, hitting theball hard and low throughthe middle of theﬁeld,” Jones said. “And that was kind of my main goal with two strikes.

“Just battle. The winningrun was on third so asingle would have done thejob.Just get afastball in the zone and don’tmissit.”

Before the memorable night began, everyonehad to wait. A205-minute weather delay pushed the ﬁrst pitchfrom6:30 p.m. to 9:55 p.m. The game lasted three hours and 22 minutes and didn’t conclude until 1:17 a.m.

“That’slike the ﬁfth or sixth time thisyear that we’ve kindofjust sat around at the ﬁeld for acouple hours,” Jones said, “but we’ve got alot of things to do here to keep us entertained.”

The night started out as aclassic pitcher’s duel betweenLSU sophomoreleft-hander Kade Anderson and Tennessee left-handed aceLiamDoyle. They tradedzeroesuntil the sixth inning, when Tennessee third baseman Andrew Fischer singled home second basemanGavin Kilen withnobodyout Anderson lasted until the eighth inning, allowing just six hitsand strikingout 11bat-

BECH

Continued from page1C

“It couldn’thappen to abetter person or family,”STM coachJim Hightower said “He’sone of the hardest working players I’ve ever been around, andthatstarted from avery young age.”

Bech led the Cougars to consecutivestate titles in his ﬁnal two seasons, catching 150 passes for2,800 yardsand 35 touchdowns. He also wasastarteron theschool’sstate championship basketball teams.

Bech originally committed to Vanderbilt before landing an LSU offer and signing with the Tigers. He transferredtoTCU andenjoyed abreakoutsenior year with 62 receptions for 1,034 yards (fourth best in school history)and nine TDs.Heisonly

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

UL rightﬁelder Maddox Mandino celebrates on second base after hitting aleadoff doubleagainst Georgia Southernduring their game on SaturdayatRusso Park.

down hissecondsave of the season

Chase Morganpitched the ﬁrst six innings Fridayfor his second qualityouting of the season, giving up twohits, twowalks and striking out ﬁve in six innings.

In thesecond game Saturday,Herrmann lasted 22/3 innings and 57 pitches before givingway to Tate Hess for 42/3 innings.

“I thought Herrmann, heroic effort again,“ Deggs said. “You can always count on him todocrazy stuff. Ithought Tate Hess really won us that game. He came in andput it on ice for awhile.”

Hess got the win after surrendering two runs on four hits, one walk and striking out three over 53 pitches.

“Today was the hottestweather I’ve pitched in so far thisseason,” Hess said. “Weknew coming in they’re not going to strikeout. They’rereally good with the balls in the zone, so our plan was toattack the zone andlet the defense work. Towards the end,they saw us for the second, maybe third time through.”

Dylan Theut relieved him for one inning and then Matthew Holzhammer gotthe ﬁnal two outswith thebases loaded to nail down the winfor his fourth save.

ters. He exited forjuniorright-hander Zac Cowan after aone-out double from Fischer Tennessee(34-8,12-7) extended itslead against Cowan. Awild pitch allowed Fischer to advance to third base before he eventually scored on asinglethatsnuckthrough adrawnin LSU inﬁeldfor a2-0 Tennessee lead.

Junior right-hander Jacob Mayers pitched the ninth inning, surrendering arun-scoring doubletoKilen that extended the Vols’ lead to three.

“There’sacouple of big-leaguers in that lineup, for sure,”Johnson said.

LSUdidn’tget its ﬁrst hit until the sixth inning when Jones singled up themiddle with two outs.

The Tigers wereunable to run Doyleout of thegameuntilthe seventh inning after he walkedsophomoreJake Brown withtwo outs. Doyle, ajunior,ﬁnished his night with justone hit allowed and three walks in 62/3 innings.Hehad six strikeouts.

“The ball explodes up and away from a righty, and ironically he can do it to alefty too,” Johnson said. “And there’sthreedifferentoff-speed offerings, and it just it makes it really hardtosquare up.

“I thought we hada very good plan against him,and theonlypartofitwereallyexecuted was we made him work.”

theﬁfthTCU receiver to reachthe 1,000yard mark in aseason

“He had to deal withinjuries for acouple of seasons, but he worked his way through that,” Hightower said.“Once he got healthy, he wasabletodisplaywhathe’scapable of doing. I’m proud of the way he goes about hisbusiness, andthe way he accomplished it.”

The sure-handed receiver had onlyone drop in 91 targets last season. He caught the game-winning pass and was namedSenior Bowl MVP amonth after his brother died.

“It’sveryexciting,” Hightower said. “I’m looking forward to seeing him do big things. They have areal high-character guy in Jack.”

LasVegas, which will be in its ﬁrst season undercoachPete Carroll, acquired quarterbackGeno Smithinatrade withthe Seattle Seahawks earlier this year

SAINTS

Continuedfrom page1C

to set atoneand pave the waytohelp the organization become annual contenders again.And theSaintsbelieve they’vestarted that process with Banks, atwo-time captain at Texas who Sarkisian called “the perfect Longhorn.”

“It givesthem somebody whowent throughit,” Floodsaid. “Kelvinwas abig part of what we had to do here in changing this organization.”



Banks said he becamea man early in his college career

FacingWill Anderson andDallas Turner of Alabama —two of the nation’stop pass rushers who are now bothinthe NFL—in thesecond game of your collegiate career will do that. Banks didn’tback down.

It also setthe stageofwhat he’d see over thenext few years.

“It just meantalot,” Banks said, “having to grow up fast.”

Not many freshmen are thrown into the ﬁre, but perhaps even more rare was the lack of surprise when it happened. Flood said what unfolded in the summer of 2022 made the Texascoachingstaff more than comfortable trusting him to hold his own Andeven in Banks’ own family, they knew he was up to thetask.

What makes someone ready forthat stage?

“I always told him to perfect his craft,” Kelvin Banks Sr.said.

He wanted his son to have anormal childhood. He wanted him to have the freedom to explorehis interests, which have come to include ﬁshing and reviewing barbecue restaurants.

But thefather,who was an offensive lineman who playedindoor football with theConroe Storm, football was partof their family.Sonaturally,his took aliking to the sport —and dad did the best he could to prepare him.

Those early lessons included studying ﬁlm. Whenhis sonwas 9or10, theBankses would pore over ﬁlmofBanks Jr.’sgames, study upcoming opponents and watch the best from theNFL.

“He took thatand made it hisown,” Banks Sr.said. “He ran with it. And that’s the typeofpersonheis. He’saprofessional.”

Banks Jr ’s physical giftsalso allowed himtobeready for thechallenge. Flood, whoalso servesasthe Texasoffensive line coach, said thelineman has “great natural length andpower.” But thetackle’smost underrated trait?His core strength, Flood said. By having astrong core, Banks is “very rarelyoff balance.” Andwhenheisoccasionally knocked off his spot, he can recover quickly to sustain contact andﬁnish plays. According to Pro FootballFocus, Banks allowed only ﬁve sacksin42career games. Then there’sthe mental component. Flood said Banks hasa“unique ability” to focus on thegame, no matter the stakes. Thelineman is able to concentrate, whether histeam needsafour-minute drive to seal the victory or come from behind with atwo-minute drill.

“In the NFL, every gameiscompetitive,” Flood said. “I mean,all the games. There’s so manygames every week to come down to atwo-minute drill. Yeah, he’sabsolutely ready forthat.” At Texas, Banks also wentthrough a challenging family situation that he rarely talked about until last season. His mother, Monica, fought alife-threatening illness thatcausedher to collapse afterone of Banks’games duringhis freshman year andlater puther on aventilatorin2024. That same year,Monica’sdoctors discovered she needed gallbladder surgery, which ended up saving her life. These days, she’sdoing well. As aresult of her illness, Monicahad to relearn how to walk and speak. During the saga, Banks Sr.remembers how his son wouldn’tlet it “deter” him.Neither of his parents would have it any other way On draftnight, Monica was there on the couch when Banks got the call that he was amember of the Saints.

“She was very proud,” Banks Sr.said, “and I’mglad she got to be here to see it.”



At an LSU coaching clinic last month, Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier stood in front of aroom of high school coaches andspoke about culture He told them that culture —football’sfavorite buzzword —isn’tamatter of quotes on awall or apage in the team’s playbook.

“The players have to live it,” Nussmeier said. Speaking over the phone, aday after Banks was drafted, Flood reiterated the sameidea. And Banks, he said, madethat areality forTexas.

Flood would often notice how Banks interacted withyoungerteammates,not afraid to pull them aside to say “that’snot how we do it here.” The tackle wasn’tloud or boisterous, but he helped set the standard.

For that standard to takeroot, Banks had to be reliable. And he was.Banks’ durability was astrength for the Longhorns as the lineman missed only one game for an injury over his last three years, and that is undoubtedly appealing for aSaints team that was ravaged upfront last season.

“Just through his process, he’s everything you want your organization to represent,” Moore said after the Saints drafted Banks. On draftnight, Moore leftthe door open about whether Banks would play tackle or guard at the next level. Scouting reports from TheAthleticand theNFL Network suggest Banks, because of his shorter33inch arms, may be better suited forthe inside.Onthe broadcast, The NFL Network’s DanielJeremiah said he thinks Banks could “hold up” at tackle,but thathe’d be “hell on wheels” at guard.

Banks said he’ll play anywhere.

Asked about his thoughts on the debate, Flood said he doesn’thave “any doubt” that Banks could thrive at tackle in the NFL. Just like he saw during Banks’ ﬁrst two days all those years ago.

“I know it sounds disingenuous whenI describe what Kelvin’slike, but this is really what he’slike,” Flood said. “He’sanoﬂaw kid.”

Email Matthew Parasatmatt.paras@ theadvocate.com

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU pitcher Kade Anderson celebrates after astrikeout against Tennessee to end the ﬁrst inning of their game on Friday at Alex Box Stadium. LSU won6-3.

Catholic, 4p.m. Thursday No. 10 Central Private at No. 7Ascension Episcopal, 6p.m. Wednesday No. 15 St. EdmundatNo. 2Vermilion Catholic, 6p.m.Thursday Pro basketball NBAPlayoffs FIRST

STAFF PHOTO By BRADKEMP

UL right fielder Dayzja Williamstripled andscoredinSaturday’s 3-2 loss to TexasState. The

Bobcats have split the firsttwo games of theseries.

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

Thus far,the UL-Texas State softball series has been as hotly contested as expected. Perhaps it’sfitting that the noon game Sunday is the rubber gameafter the Ragin’ Cajuns suffereda 3-2 decision against Texas State on Saturday in San Marcos, Texas. That came one dayafter UL ralliedtotakea 5-4win in eight innings on Friday night. After splitting the first two games, UL is now 24-24 overall and 10-10 in league play.The Bobcats are 31-17 and 13-7. The Cajuns took a1-0 in the fourth on Saturday when Dayzja Williams tripled and scored on an error. ButTexas State respond-

ed inits half of the fourth with atwo-runhomer from Megan Kelnar with two outsoff of UL starter Sam Ryan for a2-1 lead. Ryan pitched effectively overall but saw her record slip to 5-5after yielding two runs on two hits,three walks and no strikeouts in four innings

Tyra Clary pitched the ﬁnal twoinnings, allowing one run on twohits, twowalks and striking out one. That run came in the ﬁfth on an RBI doublefrom Erin Peterson Emily Smith homered in the sixth for the Cajuns, but UL still fell one run short. Thenight before, theCajuns hadsome late-game magic

Afterscoring tworunsin theﬁfth to tie thegame, the Cajuns got atwo-out RBI single from Smith after getting two runners thrown

out at the plate in thetop of theeighth. The UL defense turned a double play to securethe win in the bottom of the eighth inning. UL’s rally in the ﬁfth was sparked by leadoff singles from Williams and Smith.

Aftera Sam Roefly out moved up one runner and McKayla Ferguson stole abase, Kayla Falterman’s ground ball to second was botched to chasehome both runners for a4-4 tie.

Smithﬁnished thegame 4 for 5with an RBI while Williams was 3for 4and Mia Liscano2for 4.

Mallory Wheeler lasted the ﬁrst 52/3 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, sixwalks andone strikeout Clary (6-5) got thewin with twoshutout innings, surrendering one hit and two walks.

Mitchell (202) 9:46 a.m.: Snedeker/Reavie (201),Detry/ MacIntyre(201) 9:57 a.m.: Peterson/Rosenmueller(200) Riley/Hardy (200) 10:08 a.m.: Chappell/Hoge (200),Tway/Cauley (200) 10:19 a.m.: Bridgeman/Phillips (198),Manassero/DelSolar (199) 10:30 a.m.: Gotterup/Cummins (197), N. Taylor/Hadwin(197) 10:41 a.m.: Castillo/Mouw (197),Lashley/ Springer(197) 10:58 a.m.: Gerard/Walker(197),B.Taylor/ Skinns (196) 11:09 a.m.: Rai/Theegala(196),Straka/Garnett (196) 11:20 a.m.: Echavarria/Greyserman(196) Fisk/Widing(196) 11:31 a.m.: Whaley/Albertson(196),Buckley/ Thornberry (196) 11:42 a.m.: Lipsky/Wu(195),Ramey/Lower (196) 11:53 a.m.: Mullinax/Shelton(195),Stevens/ McGreevy (195) 12:11 p.m.: Dickson/Crowe(195),Vilips/ Thorbjornsen (195) 12:22 p.m.: Davis/A. Svensson(194),List/ Norlander (194) 12:33 p.m.: McIlroy/Lowry

Wilbanks. 3B:MichaelDorantes T—3:22. A—12,919. Golf Zurich Classic Round 4pairings TPC Louisiana, Avondale Foursomes No. 1tee 9:35 a.m.: Ventura/Rozner(201),Poston/

Cajunsand

LIVING

FOLK ROOTS/TODDMOUTON

Aconcertposter for zydeco legend Clifton Chenier

featured on tributealbum forLouisiana zydeco legend

Herman Fuselier

Millions of music fans will ask the same question in the coming months: “What in the world are the Rolling Stones doing on atribute album to a Creole-speaking, accordion player from Opelousas, Louisiana?” Before the Stones became rock icons with 250 million records sold,they were studying the accordion boogie and blues of CliftonChenier,heralded as the king ofsouthwest Louisiana dance music called zydeco.

“Clifton was agreat inﬂuence on me,” Mick Jagger told Far Out magazine in a2020 interview.“We ﬁrst listened to him around 1965 when we wentto the States. Ilove the way he just grabs ablues number and adapts it to his style.”

Jagger and the Stones perform on “A Tribute to theKing of Zydeco,” a14-song album that salutes the centennial of Chenier’sbirth, June 25, 1925. Chenier became aGrammy Hall of Fame musician and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner withadmirers across the globe. The tribute album, released on musician Joel Savoy’sValcour Records label basedin Eunice, pairs rock, folk and blues icons with zydeco and Cajun musicians performing Chenier classics. The record was officially announced April 24 with the releaseofthe first single, “Release Me” featuring Lucinda Williams, swamppop legend Tommy McLainand “Zydeco Boss” Keith Frank Other featured artists include Jimmie Vaughan, Taj Mahal, Charley Crockett Ruben Ramos with Los Texmaniacs and Augie Myers,Marcia Ball, John Hiatt, Johnny Nicholas, Shannon McNally, Molly Tuttle, Steve Earle, David Hidalgo, Sonny Landreth, Jon Cleary,AJHaynes and Kam Franklin. Homegrown accordionists include Clifton’sson, C.J. Chenier,along with Nathan Williams Sr., Geno Delafose, Roddie Romero,Anthony Dopsie and Curley Taylor Grammy winner Steve Riley and the Stones perform “Zydeco Sont Pas Sales,” with Jagger singing the Creole lyrics. The single willbereleased this summer Profits from record sales will be donated to aChenier memorial scholarship at the Center for Louisiana Studiesat the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The fund will offer financial assistance to students learning zydeco accordion in UL’s traditional music program. No worries of stolen licks The Stones’ long interest in Chenierand zydeco is the stuff of legend and lore. In MichaelTisserand’s“Kingdom of Zydeco” book, Lafayette

ä See LEGEND, page 4D

‘IT’SPART OF LIFE’

SamOliver,executive director of the Acadiana Centerfor the Arts, speaks April 19

newLouisiana Scoring Studio inside the ACAinLafayette.

In aregionknown forlivemusic,big moves bringthe recordingindustrytoAcadiana

BY JOANNABROWN Staff writer

Lafayetteisknown forthe exceptional quality of itslive music. Almost any day of the week, Acadiana residents can catch Grammywinning bands like Buckwheat Zydeco or LostBayou Ramblers— local musiciansatthe top of their game, who love playing for hometown crowds.

The accessibility of top-notch live music drives much of Louisiana’srenownedculture.Whether you’re in New Orleans or Mamou, visitors andlocals mingletogether in venues where generations of musicians have created new genres and built world-shaking careers. For working musicians, Louisiana is one of the best states in the country to develop areputation as abrilliant live performer

However,according to industry experts, there’swork to be done to extend musical opportunities in other important roles. For example, session recording jobscan offermusiciansstability and thekind of commercial opportunity that’s rarely found in the pursuit of live gigs —and in Lafayette, abroadbased industry training ecosystem

THEWELFARE ROCK

ChicagosculptorAlfonso

Iannelli designed and created ‘The Welfare Rock’ monument, which stands outside the Iberville Building in Baton Rouge.

Astudio session is held

is being built that has thepotential to bring business and creative opportunities directly to homegrown artists.

Scott Durbin, songwriter and founder of thekids’ band (and Disney Channel series)the Imagination Movers, leads theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette music business program. This year,he was also selected as aGrammy U

mentor —aprogram where Recording Academy members work with young musicians to help them access awiderange of industry roles.

“There are all these weird pockets of relevantindustry opportunitiesthatpeople just aren’taware of,” said Durbin. “Like, I’mfriends

See MUSIC, page 4D

BYROBIN MILLER Staff writer

PROVIDED PHOTO By LOUISIANA

PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

before the ribbon cuttingfor the

PHOTO By TRAVIS GAUTHIER

at the recently opened Louisiana Scoring Studio.

TRAVEL

Treehousevibes foundoutside of Dallas at this Airbnb

BY MOLLYTERRELL Staff writer

Atreehouse in the small town of Ladonia, outside of Dallas, is the most wish-listed Airbnb inTexas

An article by Airbnb ranks the mostwish-listed listings in each state with theideathatyou don’t need to travel acrossthe country tohave aone-ofa-kind experience.

Accordingto the listing, this LadoniaAirbnb, hosted by Highpoint Treehouses co-hosts Steve and NancyTaylor,isthe most unique treehouse destination you will ﬁnd.

This tree house is for guests ages 12 yearsand older,and houses up to four guests with two bedrooms,two beds and onebathroom.There is also a covered ﬁre pit and otheramenities provided

The interior has amodern farmhouse style,and there are five balconies and sixfloors.The third floor has ascreened porch witha hottub, and the sixth floor has acrows-nest 50 feet in theair where you can swing in ahammock 40 feet off the ground fully surrounded by extra-tall railings. There are also anumber of trails to take by footor by bike to take advantageofthe country

The listing notes that each of the balconies has unique perspectives of nature and shade

The Taylors were happytohear thattheyreceived the distinction of most wish-listedhomein Texas.

“So fun to hear that after being open threeyears with 5-star reviewsfrom allguests, all thework haspaid off and othershaveheard and wantto comestay,”they said.

They were surprised when they received their ﬁrst out-of-state booking and now theyhavehosted guestsfromover 30 states in thesmall country town.

“After 25 years, we are on the vergeofcompleting the 8,000-acre Lake Ralph Hall andthatwill bring even more activities for ourguests,” they said. “Our guests have more funcomingwhile being immersed in nature that will allowtheir souls to catch up.”

Local animals that guestsmay see includedeer, wild hogs, raccoons,armadillos, opossums, rabbits, bobcats, squirrels, owls, red-tailedhawks and many other varieties of birds.

Email Molly Terrell at molly.terrell@ theadvocate.com

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

RVsharekeeps atraveler’sdeposit afterrentalvan leaks

Irented aMercedes vanfor two weeks through RVshare, arental company. It rained on the wayhome, and water leaked through the air-conditioner vent.

when we returned it. Ifeel the owner did notmaintainthe van, which caused the damage. Can youhelp?— Aaron Olbrich, Morgan Hill, Calif.

couldn’thave taken a“before” video becauseitwasn’training. Butwhile you rented thevan, it did rain—exposing theproblem and faulty maintenance.

cover you in caseofanaccident or damage causedbyinclement weather

Christopher Elliott

After Ireturned the van, RVshare charged me by keeping my $1,500 deposit. Here are afew facts about our rental. First, when it rained,the airconditioner vent would leak.The owner of the vanlied and said Ileft the vent open. Ihaveavideo, butbecause they don’thaveabefore and aftervideo, they are denying my deposit.

Another fact: The owner of thevan put it back in service right away.Sowhere’sthe damage?

Ihad to shorten my trip by aday because of the leaky van.

And getthis: Ihad insurance! We paid $1,372 for apolicy

Iwould like my $1,500 depositback. I did not cause anydamageand returned the vaningreat condition.They said as much

RVshare shouldn’tmake you pay for someone else’sdamage. Butwhose responsibility was this leak?

First, we should probably back up and talk about RVshare. Think Airbnb for recreational vehicles

Therental process works about the same, except that some of its policies more closely resemble those of acar rental company

According to RVshare’sterms of service, actsofGod such as rain, hail and wind are the renter’s responsibility.Atthe same time,there’sanimplied warranty thatthe RV you rent is roadworthy and thatthe roof won’tleak. I’ve examined the videos you took of the Mercedes van, and to me, it appears there was some kind of leak in the roof. Andyou

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday,April 27,the 117th day of 2025. There are 248days left in the year

Todayinhistory On April 27, 2011, duringthe four-day 2011 Super Outbreak, 112 tornadoes touched down across the southeastern United States, killing 319 in thedeadliest dayoftornadoes in the U.S.since 1925. On this date:

In 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the Battleof Mactan in the Philippines as he attempted to expand Spanish colonization in the region In 1813, the Battle of York took place in Upper Canada during the Warof1812 as U.S. forces defeated the Britishgarrison in present-day Toronto; U.S.Brigadier GeneralZebulon Pike and37 other American soldiers were killed near the end of the battle when retreating British forces exploded the ammunition magazineof Fort York as the Americans approached. In 1865, the steamer Sultana,carrying freed Union prisoners of war,exploded on the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tennessee; as many as1,800were killed in the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history In 1994, former PresidentRichard M. Nixon was interred following afuneral service attended by all ﬁveofhis successors, at the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda,California

In 2010, former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega arrived in France after being extradited from theUnitedStates; he was later convicted in aFrench court

Ican’tverify if theowner returned thevan to service, but if that is true, that’sabig red ﬂag. It means thenext renter might also have to pay for damages that they didn’tcause. (In the car rental industry,this is called the ding-and-dent scam.)

Ithink you might have ﬁxed this by sending abrief, polite appeal to one of the RVshare executives Ilistonmyconsumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. This appeared to be enough of aborderline casetomerit asecond look.

Irecommend reviewing the terms of your rental carefully beforeyou drive away in acar, van or recreational vehicle. If you areworried, you can always purchaseinsurance that will

of laundering drug money andreceived a seven-year sentence.

In 2012, the space shuttle Enterprise, mountedatop ajumbo jet, sailed over the New York Cityskyline on itsfinal flight before going on display as part of the USS Intrepid Museum. In 2015, rioters plunged part of Baltimore into chaos, torching apharmacy, setting police cars ablaze and throwing bricks at officers hours after thousands attended afuneral service for Freddie Gray,aBlack man whodied from asevere spinal injury he’d suffered in police custody.

In 2018, NorthKorean leader Kim Jong Un made history by crossing over to SouthKorea to meet with President Moon Jae-in;it was theﬁrst time amember of the Kim dynasty had set foot on southern soil since the end of the Korean Warin 1953. In 2019, agunman opened ﬁre inside a synagogue near San Diego as worshippers celebrated the last day of Passover,killing awoman and wounding arabbi and two others. (John Earnest, aWhitesupremacist, was sentenced to both federal and state lifeprison terms for the shootings.)

Today’sBirthdays: Singer KatePierson (The B-52’s) is 77. GuitaristAce Frehley is 74. Sen. JimJustice, R-W.Va., is 74. Basketball Hall of Famer George Gervin is 73. SingerSheenaEaston is 66. Sen. Cory Booker,D-N.J., is 56. Actor Sally Hawkins is 49. Musician Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy)is41. Actor William Moseley is 38. SingerLizzo is 37. Tennis player Nick Kyrgios is 30.

Icheckedwith RVshare about your case. Arepresentative said you did indeed have insurance, but you chose the basic insurance policy offering liability coverage, windshield damage and campsite liability.You also put down arequired$1,500 security deposit

RVshare says youhad the option of adding a$79 security deposit waiver, but declined. Ithink youwere probably feeling alittle feefatigue at thatpoint, which is completely understandable. If you had chosen the waiver,you would have avoided the $1,500 fee, according to RVshare

“The ownerreported thatthe damages amounted to $2,972 and withheld the security deposit,” a representative said.

RVshare says it’sbeen working with you during the dispute pro-

cess. It says it spoke with your wife and“due to the unforeseen weather eventand the fact that it is unclear if the owner providedthe propermaintenance post-trip, we arerefunding the security deposit in good faith,” a representative told me If there’s atakeawayfrom this case, it’sthatyou need to choose your insurance coverage carefully —especially whenrenting aspecialty vehicle like an RV But there’s also alessonlearned for RVshare.Maybe it offers too many insuranceoptions, which confuses its customers. Why not just include insurance in all rentals, which would eliminate future cases like yours?

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonproﬁt organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

Dear Miss Manners: My teenage son had begun seeing anew neurologist, who is highly recommended and seems to be very skilled. We have hadtwo appointments with this doctor, and both times,heusedatleasta halfdozen swear words in the20-minute appointment. He’syoung, veryfriendly,very informal, and probably thinks it’s no big deal because my sonisa teenager.Heworks for thepediatric hospital, and I’m hoping he doesn’t use the same language when giving medical caretoyoung children! But it’svery uncomfortable for me, and my sonagrees thatit seems strange.Itseems so inappropriate for aprofessional person! Of course I’ve heard all these words before, but Idon’tenjoy hearing casual swearing. Imissed my chance to say something in the appointment. We’ll seehim again in six weeks.Isthere away to bring this up respectfully?

it in the car afterward. He will have been in the waiting room during your discussion with the doctor not because he cannot know whatishappening, but because it will help convince the doctor that you are serious.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Gentlereader: At the next appointment, ask to speak with the doctor ﬁrstwhile your son remains in the waiting room. Then tell him thatbothyou and your son appreciate the workheisdoing, but that you (and the boy’s other parent,ifapplicable) ask that he not use swear words during appointments. Tell him thatyou aretrying to set adifferent example for your son.

The doctor will conclude thatyou have no sense of humor or concept of the modern world. This is ﬁne, solong as he understands thatyou mean what yousay —and thatyou arethe customer Youand your son can have alaugh about

Dear Miss Manners: While having dinner at aﬁve-star restaurant, he took out 15 assorted vitamins and supplements, placing them on his bread plate. Then he used his dinner plate for the buttered bread.

Taking supplements is ﬁne, Ijust feel there’sabetter waythan lining themup on aplate at arestaurant. When the server offered dessert, he stated, “I’m too full, but I’ll have abite of yours.” Imade light of it, saying, “No,I’m not sharing. It’sall for me,” and everyone laughed. He was serious, and would’ve sampled it, I’m certain. How to handle? Gentle reader Pronouns are so muchmore helpful when they are attached to clear antecedents. That the “he” in questionwas near enough to reach your dessert suggests anything from ahusband to aboyfriend to ablind date to adinner partner.Your certainty that he wasserious about sampling your dessert implies you do have some uncertainty —and therefore indicates amore casual connection. This being so, Miss Manners agrees with handling him as you did, which is that his boorish behavior with the vitamins is his own concern, but he must keep his hands off of you and yours.

Email Miss Manners at dearmissmanners@gmail.com. Thecaseofthe foul-mouthed neurologist

The LadoniaTreehouse, TOP,islocated outside of Dallas, Texas,and the mostwish-listed Airbnb in Texas.The interior, BOTTOM LEFT,isdone in a moderntownhouse style, with ascreened-in porch, BOTTOM RIGHT,that has ahot tub

PROVIDED PHOTOS

‘Andor’takes ‘StarWars’ to new, rebellious places

BY ANDREW DALTON AP entertainment writer

BEVERLYHILLS,Calif.— “Andor” returned forits secondseasonon Disney+ with athree-episodepremiere last weekand the weight of the “Star Wars” galaxy seemingly on its shoulders.

But creator Tony Gilroysays he and his collaborators felt little pressure from Disney and Lucasﬁlm as they sought to tell the story of agrowing revolutionary resentment against the Galactic Empire andthe birthofthe Rebel Alliance leading up to the events of the 2016 ﬁlm he scripted,“Rogue One.”

“Wetook no creative notes on this show,” Gilroy,whose deep screenwriting resume also includes four films in the “Bourne” franchise and 2007 Oscar nominee “Michael Clayton,” which he also directed. He told The Associated Press that “I’ve never had this much freedom before, even in ﬁnal-cut ﬁlms that I worked on. The latitude was astonishing.”

The forthcomingseason, whose production was delayed by Hollywood’s2023 strikes, arecoming withhigh expectations from fans who have been disappointed in other recent “Star Wars” TV offerings, with no new movies releasedinthe franchise in six years

The new episodes trace how the spark lit in Diego Luna’sCassian Andor in the 2022 ﬁrst season spreads through the galaxy. And they do it with characters and arcs rarely found in this realm before “This second season, it’sabout all the layers, and the social and political climate that needs to happen for arevolution to erupt, for a rebellion to exist,” Luna told theAP.

“The universe of ‘Star Wars’ never stopped to tell the story of these regular people that becomes crucial for the history that weknow.”

Gilroy drew inspiration froma broad range of historical and ﬁctional sources.

“Who’sever goingtoget another

chance to do another1,500 pages on revolution again, with this much money and this much muscle, and everything else?” he said.

Epic scope

But as epicasthe story is, its most essential moments are marked by intimate, one-on-one conversations.

“I start small,”Gilroy said. “I work teaspoon by teaspoon.

That includesa season-opening scene that starts with Cassian giving ayoung imperial mechanic the courage to help him in amajor heist. He sellsher on the ecstatic feelings of destiny rebellion can bring.

“It’s quite beautiful and idealistic also, likea revolution has to be, It’s agreat reminder of how romantic the ideaofrevolution is,”Luna

said. Cast members sayitcan feel revolutionary working forGilroy whopasses on thesame freedom to them that Disneygives to him They’re never kept in the dark withthe sort of script-rationing andsecret-keeping that are the norm in major franchises.

“He doesn’tbelieve in withholding information as power,” said Adria Arjona,who plays Andor’s partnerBix Caleen. “Before Iread episodeone,I knew theend.It’s just unheard-of.”

Her character’sarc in particularbrings real-world elements including addiction and even darker formsoftrauma unlike anything “Star Wars” has shown before. Stretching the‘Star Wars’canon Gilroysaid he didn’t have to ﬁght

over the galaxy’scanon at all. He had to get used to certainelements when he ﬁrst worked within the franchise —nopaper, no hinged doors, no knives, forexample. But it’snot necessarily held as sacred.

“I’ve seen canon stretch so much,” he said. “Itwas really tight on ‘Rogue.’ But alot of things have changed since then.”

The overall direction of the show wasbasically determined when workbeganonthe series ﬁve years ago.

“I know what I’m doing withCassian,”Gilroy said. “I know that the ﬁrst year is the making of arevolutionary and the road to Damascus, that’sthe ﬁrst year,Iknow I’m leading to Rogue,I know where he’sgonna end up.” Otherelements, like the route MonMothma (Genevieve O’Reilly)

takes fromrespectable senator to leader of the rebellion, werenot predetermined. They werediscovered in thewriting andinthe performances. Herearly-season path includes awedding ceremony full of rituals —and dances —new to “Star Wars” that Gilroyinvented out of whole cloth.Hesaid oneofthe pleasures of getting to make something so large andsprawling is that he has gotten to use nearly every writing thought he has had.

“All Idid forﬁve yearswas just max outmyimagination,” Gilroy said.

ReturningfromSeason1

Mothma is among the “Rogue One” characters who appeared in theﬁrst season andreturnfor the second, along with Forest Whittaker’sradical rebel Saw Gerrera, who this season givesaspine-tingling calltoarmsthat is teased in the trailer: “Revolution,”he preaches to an underling, “is not forthe sane!” Season2 alsoseesthe emergence of “Rogue One” characters forthe ﬁrst time in theTVseries, includingAndor’sdroid sidekick K-250, played by Alan Tudyk, and Death Star builder Orson Krennic, played by Ben Mendelsohn.

Luna took special pleasure in the return of Tudyk and his robot who speaks with no ﬁlter

“I had so much fun playing with him,and having him back meansa lot,” he said.

Thethree episodes gel to form what’sbasically a21/2 hour movie, with Cassian stuck among rival rebel factions, Bix living in afarming communityamid an imperial crackdown, and MonMothma having to play the patrician matriarch at her daughter’swedding, before allthreeare pulledinnew directions. Theentire series has been planned in those kinds of clusters.

“Wereally think of it that we made eight movies in ﬁve years,” Gilroy said.

Bigreality showslike‘Love is Blind’ usingpopular songs

BY MARIA SHERMAN AP music writer

NEW YORK When acouple decided to take their relationship further on the most recentseason of “Love Is Blind,” the moment was soundtracked with afamiliar song: Billie Eilish’s “Birds of aFeather.”

It wasn’taflash-in-thepanmusical surprise. The season was stacked withfamiliar needle drops —Miley Cyrus’ “WreckingBall,” Justin Bieber’s“Holy,” Ariana Grande’s“Into You,” Selena Gomez’s“Lose Youto Love Me” —agesture away from thelittle-known, sometimes generic pop songs that used to meet the show’smost emotional moments.

Show creator and Kinetic Content CEO Chris Coelen attributed the pivot to the show’sanniversary

“Wedecided, in this Season 8, to coincide with our ﬁfth anniversary,toreally embrace popular music in abig way,” he said. “And so, we ended up using throughout the entire season and in every episode —we used popular music cues.” “Love Is Blind” isn’tthe

only reality show thatwalks the linebetween what viewers have labeled “real songs” andunfamiliar music.

Wheredoesit come from?

It’snot artificial intelligence, where “nobody controls the copyright,” says “The Bachelor” music supervisorJodyFriedman. “There’stoo much risk involved with using AI music in these projects.”

Excluding big-time pop records, themusic usedon television comes from a number of sources. It can be custom, original music by the show’scomposers. It can be licensed directly from artists, or from sync agents, production music libraries or a“one stop,” what supervisorscall acompany that hasthe rights to license boththe master recording and the composition rights. Music supervisors might also turn to covers of wellknown songs.Onthe most recent season of “The Bachelor,”Friedman used a cover of Phil Phillips’“Sea of Love,” aclassic ’50stune. It’s more affordable to pay to license acover than the original recording —“and

creatively,it’samodern take on an old song,” he says.

“Love Island USA” music supervisor SaraTorres also uses covers.

“That can bring in other listenersthat may notnecessarilybeintopop,but if they hear thesong in adifferent genre, it might pull them in, to go back and listen to theoriginal version,” shesays.

Music libraries —companies that representmusic catalogs for licensing purposes —are key, too, because if asong is too expensive to license, asupervisor can insteadﬁnd asong that evokes thefeelingofBTS’ “Butter” withouthavingto pay for it

“The indie libraries, let’s say, for TV,couldbeanywhere from$1,000-1,500 perneedle drop use,” says Friedman. For TV shows in general, biggercommercial songs can range from $20,000 to upward of $100,000, with high-proﬁle songs earning more depending on theuse, he says.

Using‘real songs’

The use of instantly rec-

ognizable popmusic differs from program to program “LoveIsBlind” has used popular music in the past, but sparingly.Coelen points out the use of Lee AnnWomack’s“IHope YouDance” in BlissPoureetezadi and Zack Goytowski’sstoryinSeason 4. But the frequency of Top 40 hits in the most recent season is new

He says the beneﬁt of using these songs, creatively, is that it “elevates theexperience,” for the viewer: “Emotions aresoconnected to certain pieces of music, andtheycan conjureup feelings that we relate to.”

Kinetic Content declined TheAssociated Press’request to speak withthe show’smusicsupervisor, Jon Ernst.

“Love Island USA” featuredsongs likeChappell Roan’s “Kaleidoscope” and Sabrina Carpenter’s“Please Please Please” in its most recent season.Executive producer James Barker points out that the original U.K. showhas always used commercial music, and therefore the U.S.version has endeavored to do thesame.

“The show is meantto

feel like you’re on vacation with your best friends. Of course, whenyou’re on vacation,you’re sharing music,” he says. “I think that translates into how we create the show.”

Torres agrees. Sheadds that the show typically uses more commercial music in the beginning of the season, andthenagain in the ﬁnale —“youwant that bigimpact.”

Becausethe show has aquickturnaround time, withsix episodesa week “whatever happens in Fiji on Monday airs Tuesday in America,”asBarkerdescribes it —the showteam “pre-clears” over athousandsongs,justincasethey work for aparticularnarrative moment. Thatmeans requests are sent out to publishers andlabelsahead of time,but they’re not paid foruntil thetracks are selected

Ashow withmore lead time, “The Bachelor” has long used commercial songs in itsprogramming. This year’sseason,the show’s 29th, had several memorable musical moments, including aCardi B, Bad Bunny and J

Balvin needle drop when “I

Like It” played as the cast madetheir waytoMadrid.

“This is my first season with ‘The Bachelor,’ but historically they’ve used Colbie Caillat, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys,” lists Friedman. “TheyusedBillie Eilish last season. This season we used aDavid Guetta track, Dropkick Murphys for the episode in Boston. There’sa Karol Gtrack.” He adds “The Bachelor” does use alot of recognizable pop songs, typically one or two per episode.

“Each episode does have a budget. So, while they may splurge on apop song, the rest of the budget” is spent on other music that comes at alower cost, he says. Will therebemore?

For “Love Is Blind,”Coelen says simply:“Theanswer is yes.” Barker from “Love Island USA” agrees.

“Not only are you engaged with the characters, but the songsand artists that you care about listening to at homeare being represented on television,” he adds. “It’s just abridge between us all.”

Dear Heloise: My four kids wreak havoc on my refrigerator! There always seems to be something sticky clinging to each shelf. Ihave to cleanthe shelves nearly every other day.Can you recommend ahint for my situation?

M.R., in Oklahoma

M.R., here is asimple method that Iuse all the time: After cleaning all of the shelves, carefully wrap each shelf with clear cling wrap. When the cling wrap gets messy, just remove it and grab another sheet of clingwrap to protectyour shelves. —Heloise Cleaning walls

Dear Readers: Whenwashingyour walls, dust them before washing and wash them from the bottom up so that the drips won’tleave their marks. Clean one small area at atime, then rinse and dry before moving on to another area. —Heloise Charging forawedding

Dear Heloise: My ﬁrst cousin andI

were very close growing up, but nowthat her wedding is coming up in mid-August, she has gotten very demanding.Ibelieve she’sforgotten her manners. She wantstocharge peopletogotoher wedding. We come from alarge family,and the groom’s family is fairly large as well. Both of them want to have this huge blowout wedding, butthey really can’t afford it. Sheasked my opinion aboutcharging people afee, and I told her that I’m against it. Itold her to scale back the wedding to a much smaller and simpler affair instead.

Thefuturebride was so angry at theidea that she said Iwasn’t invited. They planonasking for $100 for single people and $150 for couples. Ithink thewhole idea is tacky! Isthisa “thing” or the “new wedding trend” these days?

—B.T., in Missouri

B.T., Ihate to say it, but this is notthe ﬁrst time I’ve heard of abride and groom charging for

entrance to their wedding. From theletters Iget, it never works out well. People are invited to awedding to help acouple celebrate the beginning of an important chapter of their lives. It’sa time to share thehappiness and excitement of the moment with others. The bride and groom (or their families) pay for their wedding, so if they can’tafford thewedding that they want, perhaps they should wait and save until they can pay for thewedding that they’re dreaming of. After all, there’smuch moretoa good marriage than just the wedding ceremony! —Heloise Displaying flowerscreatively

Dear Readers: Want to display flowers, but don’thave avase? Just about anything that holds water can work as avase. For example, you can display flowers in acrystal ice bucket, fluted Champagne glasses, mugs, or cocktail pitchers. Don’tthrow away your favorite crystal water glass or pitcher

when it has achip in it. Useitto hold fresh or artificial flowers. Silk flowers can be arranged in your favorite containers that don’thold water —Heloise Magazinesand books

Dear Heloise: From time to time, someonewill ask what they should do with an abundance of reading material. Call various nursing homes and see if they would like some reading material. Icontacted a nursing homethat’sonly amile from where Ilive, and they were excited to get new books in their collection. Hospitalsalso like books. A local hospital here in towntells patientsthat they can take the book withthem when they are dischargedifthey haven’tﬁnished reading it yet. —Grace W.,in Mesa,Arizona

Usingcoupons

Dear Heloise: My husband also pooh-poohscoupons and says it makes us look hard up and cheap. He will help me unload the cart

while we’re at the checkout line but then will walkfar away when Ibring out my coupons. Ihave always been afrugal person, especially while raising our children, and Ienjoy clipping and saving. We can afford to forgo the coupons, but Ienjoy the savings, especially when Iuse one to try anew product. Tencents here and 25 cents there add up, and it’s cash in my pocket. Iwish manufacturers would start printing morecoupons again! It’s awin-win foreveryone. Thank you. —Barb,inWisconsin Scam calls

Dear Heloise:When my caller ID alerts me of ascam call, Ianswer “Thank you forcalling the IRS. How may Ihelp you?” Or Isay, “Lincoln City jail.” There’salways an immediate click. Very rarely, it’salegitimate call, in which case Itell the caller what Iwas doing. It always elicits alaugh. —Robert Morris, via email Sendahinttoheloise@heloise com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

DiegoLuna starsasCassian Andor in Season 2of‘Andor’ on Disney+.

Hints from Heloise

Alena Allen running the show at LSU’s law school

BY JAN RISHER Staff writer

turned bright red.

BATON ROUGE CLASSICS

In March, the dean of LSU’s Paul Hebert Law Center and I sat near each other in a large auditorium at an LSU event. Truth be told, on that day, I thought Dean Alena Allen was a student — a very polite student and maybe a grad student, but still a student. For Allen, who started her job at LSU in July 2023, the gap between perception and reality is a common theme. At 46, she is armed with a Yale Law degree, a strong teaching record, a clear sense of purpose and a 200-piece Barbie collection. She is no stranger to shattering stereotypes

At our lunch at Mestizo, my ﬁrst question was, “What is the secret to your youthful appearance?” Her one-word answer was simple, “Genetics.”

Setting the tone from the start I was not the ﬁrst to mistake her for a student. She was 30 years old when she started teaching law at the University of Memphis.

“I look young now, so I even looked younger then,” she said. “I was riding up the elevator, and a student said, ‘Oh, who do you have for torts?’ I smiled and I said, ‘I have Allen.’ The student was like, ‘Oh, I have her too. She’s new Nobody knows anything about her.’ And I said, ‘I heard she’s mean.’ And he was like, ‘Oh, good to know.’”

A few minutes later, when the same student walked into the classroom and saw his new professor, he

CURIOUS

Continued from page 1D

resident said. “But there isn’t any explanation for it, and it just seems out of place. I’m curious about the story behind it.”

The answer starts with its creator, Iannelli, who was an art world celebrity in the early 20th century. He worked closely with architect Frank Lloyd Wright and maintained friendships with the likes of Wassily Kandinsky.

“As a metaphor for America’s cult of celebrity, he had become enormously famous,” author David Jameson wrote in his 2013 book, “Alfonso Iannelli: Modern by Design.” “Then he was forgotten.”

A celebrity artist

But Iannelli still had celebrity status when the state of Louisiana, under the administration of Gov Earl K. Long, commissioned him to create a monument to stand outside the Department of Public Welfare Building at 755 N. Third St. in Baton Rouge. The building was constructed on the former home site of Mexican War hero Zachary Taylor the only Louisiana resident elected to the presidency. The structure

MUSIC

Continued from page 1D

with Ami Spishock, who’s the artist manager for Fleet Foxes and the War on Drugs, and she’ll come talk to my artist management class here in Lafayette. There’s the music synchronization world, where you’re working with a music supervisor setting out music for a particular show or ﬁlm or commercial.”

One of Durbin’s recent grads now lives in Los Angeles, where he is a sample clearance coordinator for Warner Chappell Music.

“He works with the publishing side, where if anybody wants to use a sample from an artist, they have to clear it with the publisher and whoever controls the underlying composition and sound recording,” Durbin said. “There are so many different things you can go into, and students from little old Lafayette can go and work in L.A. in a short amount of

LEGEND

Continued from page 1D

saxophonist Dickie Landry tells the story of bringing Jagger to a 1970s Chenier dance at the Verbum Dei High School auditorium in South Central Los Angeles. Landry tells Chenier that Mick Jagger with the Rolling Stones wants to meet him. Chenier replies, “That magazine. They did a

But he had it easy that day compared to the ﬁrst student she called on. She still remembers that the student’s name was Emily “I said, ‘Can you tell me the facts of Vosberg vs. Putney?’ And she said, ‘No, I can’t.’ And I said, ‘Why not?’ And she said, ‘Well, I didn’t know where to look for the assignment.’ And I said, ‘It was posted.’

And she said, ‘Sorry.’” Allen went on to ask why the student, who was sitting toward the back of the room ﬁlled with 90 students, didn’t think to ask someone else. The student offered no excuses or explanations.

At which point, Allen walked toward Emily and said, “ ‘Here’s a copy of the case. Read it now, and we’ll wait.’”

And she waited there with her arms folded as the student read the case.

“Thank God I wore deodorant today. The faces of the students, like the color drained,” she said. “It was really really uncomfortable.

But in my mind, at that moment, I was like, ‘As young as I look, being Black, being female, there’s no good way to handle this other than to be draconian, right?’”

She felt like she had to set the tone from the get-go.

The student read the case. Allen grilled her for 5 minutes and moved on.

“To her credit, she did a fabulous job under pressure,” Allen said. “And that class eventually elected me professor of the year

later was renamed the A.Z. Young Building, in honor of the Louisiana civil rights leader

The Young Building was demolished in 2007, making way for the A.Z. Young Park, catercorner from Capitol Park. But the monument, according to a 2006 Advocate article, was moved to its current place at the north end of the Iberville Building at 627 N. Fourth St., before the demolition.

No plate, no lights, no benches

A 2016 article in The Advocate noted, “This beautiful statue near the Iberville Building has no artist plate, no lights, no benches.” They consulted the State Library of Louisiana for information, which turned up Iannelli as the artist Still, the library’s information was slightly different from that ﬁled in Louisiana’s Percentage for Art program, which created “J. Iannelli” for the sculpture.

“Based on the style, date and medium, it may actually be linked to Alfonso Iannelli, a well-known Chicago sculptor who collaborated with Frank Lloyd Wright and was active until his death in 1965,” program director Scott Finch said this week. “Iannelli did work in architectural ornament and sandstone, so this could plausibly be a piece from his studio.”

time, simply because they’ve got a strong foundation.”

That foundation is birthed in the strength of south Louisiana’s cultural identity with music, according to Durbin, even though this area is known as the home of niche regional genres like Cajun and Zydeco.

“That’s rare,” he said. “You go anywhere else in the country and you aren’t going to ﬁnd that kind of identity. I think it predisposes people in the community to engage more intimately with music.

“We’re more on the business side, but I have students going out and working with bands and saying, ‘Hey, have you registered your songs? Have you done these things to maximize your creative efforts or protect yourself?’ It’s a side product of the fact that around here, going out to see a band and going dancing is more than a special event — it’s part of life, and I think it allows students to see and work with music as a living, breathing thing.”

good article on me.” Jagger arrives by limo, afraid to cause a scene. Landry assures Jagger all is well as he and Chenier connect during the intermission

“All of a sudden, this group of people come with autograph papers,” said Landry “Jagger starts backing up, and they walk right by him to get to Clifton.” Before their 1994 concert in the Superdome, the Stones watched zydeco sensation Beau Jocque at

when they graduated.”

She considers herself “a natural introvert” and recognizes that teaching requires a certain level of extrovertedness. She considers building authentic connections with students over the course of a semester as the best part of the job.

Allen says, of all of the classes she’s taught, she keeps in touch with most of the people in that one, including Emily

“I think it’s a story that ﬁrst impressions aren’t always accurate, right?” she said.

Home and heart

For the New Orleans native, moving back to Louisiana was about more than a job.

Prior to returning, she was deputy director for the Association of American Law Schools and professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law

When she got the job at LSU, a friend who knows her well sent a gift a “You Can Be Anything Barbie.”

“And so that Barbie doll is proudly displayed in my ofﬁce,” she said. Allen graduated from Dominican High School and earned her undergraduate degree at Loyola in New Orleans. She’s Catholic and enjoys going to church at St. Francis Xavier in Baton Rouge. She loves Bao and Dorothy’s Soul Food Kitchen. She has appreciated the return to the familiar friendliness of her childhood.

“When somebody calls me

It is, indeed, from Iannelli’s studio where it was created in three pieces, each carved from Indiana limestone.

Installed in 1956

Iannelli came to Baton Rouge in 1956 to piece together the three blocks of his four-sided, 18-ton sculpture. Yes, that is how much this monument actually weighs. according to Martin L. Tanney’s photo in the June 12, 1956, edition of the State-Times.

According to David Boudreaux, studio program manager at the Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette’s recently opened Louisiana Scoring Studio is another piece of the music industry puzzle that is poised to make big waves locally, for both homegrown and international artists.

Boudreaux said that recording music for products like movies, video games and television shows is big business but until now, Louisiana has not had the infrastructure to support session recording jobs locally, or the development opportunities to help local musicians build the needed skills.

“Louisiana Scoring represents a tectonic shift in the music industry in our state,” according to Boudreaux. “Louisiana has largely been a live music state. We don’t have recording studios with musicians on a payroll, where they walk in, and know their job weekly is to record professional music for an audience. This is a route for musi-

the famed dance hall/bowling alley, Rock ’N’ Bowl. Music writer Keith Spera recounts that the band had to pay the iron-clad $5 cover charge. When a Stones security guard asked cover enforcer Sherry Blady Pitre if she was serious, Pitre shot back, “Is he going to let me into his concert for free?” Later, the dancers barely noticed Jagger and the band at a table near the bandstand. But Beau Jocque noticed and told owner

‘baby,’ my heart sort of leaps

’cause you just don’t have that in Memphis,” she said. “And certainly not in New Haven and D.C.”

She also appreciates the heat and said she will take “99 over 49 any day.”

Even so, home’s biggest draw for the single mother of three was her mother and aunt.

“They make my life work,” Allen said. “Because I really don’t think I could do my job without the level of support that I have.”

Life beyond law

Allen’s oldest son is a sophomore at Tulane University — and is picking up speed on his way toward becoming a track star Her daughter is a junior at University High and also runs track. Her younger son is a ﬁrst grader at University Lab School.

“I spend a lot of time at track meets,” she said.

Having the two younger children in school directly across the street from her ofﬁce at LSU is another perk.

I asked if her kids understand that she’s a big deal.

“The older two do, especially around football season,” she said.

“I’m a big football fan — whether it’s NFL or college.”

She’s not that into basketball but makes an exception at LSU.

“I’m a huge Kim Mulkey fan, so I watch LSU basketball because of Kim,” she said.

The only fun reading she has time for right now is with her youngest.

“We’re on the last three ‘Amelia Bedelia’ books,” she said. “And ‘Nate the Great.’ He also loves ‘Fly Guy.’”

The photo shows the artist installing the sculpture in its original location.

“Sculptor Alfonso Ianelli is shown blasting away with his air hammer on ‘The Welfare Rock,’ near the front entrance to the State Welfare Building,’ Tanney wrote about the photo.

Tanney’s description of the sculpture may be the most accurate since it came from Iannelli, himself.

“Iannelli’s piece of sculpture weighs 18 tons and depicts the various welfare services — old age assistance, aid to children, aid to the needy and visual care. ‘The old man and the old woman are being protected by the state,’ the sculptor says, ‘which is symbolized by the pelican. The child represents the coming generation.’”

Born in Italy

Iannelli was born in Andretta, Italy, in 1888 and immigrated to America 10 years later He studied under Gutzon Borglum, who sculpted Mount Rushmore, then in 1914, Iannelli created several Sprite sculptures for Chicago’s Midway Gardens.

This modernist entertainment venue in Chicago was considered architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece of public architecture. Midway Gardens was torn

cians to have a consistent income.”

That being said, Boudreaux emphasized that session recording is an entirely different game from performing live. The artist needs exceptional sight-reading skills, and the ability to be hyper-focused on the task of playing someone else’s work perfectly

“When these musicians come in for sessions, they’ve never seen the music before. It forces them to think differently The skill level has to be very high, with no worry about the ability to play a certain passage,” he said. “We can’t use musicians that play by ear.”

When composers are given a recording budget for a scoring project, they have the ability to shop around the world for the best studio and rates to record their work.

The hope is that the Louisiana Scoring Studio can attract these high-visibility jobs, while providing an outlet for musicians to train and work in an aspect of the industry they previously would have

Johnnie Blancher, “That’s why I turned my back, so they wouldn’t steal my licks.” Lafayette’s Dwayne Dopsie, nicknamed “The Jimi Hendrix of the Accordion,” had no worries of stolen licks when he performed last year with the Stones at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. More than 500,000 cheered as Dopsie joined the band on stage for “Let It Bleed,” the title song from their 1969 album. “I felt like we had been knowing

Amid all her responsibilities, she’s also managing the process of building a new house in Baton Rouge.

Calling and clarity

Allen was only 21 when she started Yale Law School.

“I was the youngest person in my class, and if I could do it again, I would not have gone to Yale at 21. I would’ve taken a gap year,” she said.

These days, her message to law students, especially “three-plusthree” students (who start law school after three years of undergrad), is that they are going to have people’s lives in their hands, and they need a certain level of maturity to really appreciate the gravity of that.

She said law school applications nationally are up 20% this cycle, and there is a lot of debate about why

“If you believe in justice, if you believe in the rule of law, certainly in my lifetime, there’s never been a better time to go to law school,” Allen said. “Because I think whether you’re conservative or liberal, it really doesn’t matter.”

She does have questions if a person’s motivation for going to law school is solely to make a lot of money — being unsure what the future holds with AI’s potential to write legal documents or give cheap, legal advice — and the overall value proposition.

“But if you’re going into it because your heart is really in the work, certainly immigrants need you. Teachers need you,” she said. “There’s so much need. So, I think there’s never been a better time to go to law school.”

down in 1929, but a few of Iannelli’s geometric sculptures survived and are on display in Phoenix.

Iannelli also worked with famed New Bauhaus founder and artist László Moholy-Nagy, and his public works include Chicago’s Adler Planetarium’s art deco plaques, the Rock of Gibraltar relief on the face of the Prudential skyscraper, also in Chicago. He also was known for his industrial designs, which included the art deco Sunbeam T9 toaster in 1939.

Iannelli, along with his wife Margaret, established Iannelli Studios in Park Ridge, Illinois. The building is now occupied by the Kalo Foundation, a nonproﬁt organization “dedicated to preserving the rich artistic legacy of the city.”

Iannelli died in 1965, and though his name hasn’t completely faded in the art world, it isn’t a household name like that of his colleague Wright. And though his Baton Rouge sculpture is relatively unnoticed, it still stands.

Do you have a question about something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.

had to leave Louisiana to access.

“We beat Nashville, New Orleans, Seattle and LA in having one of the most affordable, high quality, professionally run studios in the U.S.,” said Boudreaux. “It can put musicians on a world stage. They love to do this stuff it’s movie magic.

The studio is busy

In the last few sessions, artists have recorded music that runs the gamut — including music for new short films, the main theme for an upcoming video game — and a choir for social media.

“Itrytoletasmanypeopleknowas possible that this is a huge deal, for many different reasons. It inspires musicians to be better,” Boudreaux said. “It will inspire colleges to reach for more and more difﬁcult repertoire. Students will want to work harder to be a part of something like this. It’s a market for the entertainment industry around the world.”

Email Joanna Brown at joanna. brown@theadvocate.com.

each other for a long time,” said Dopsie. “We just hit it.” Stay tuned for more lore as the Stones dance with zydeco and its king continues.

Herman Fuselier is executive director of the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. A longtime journalist covering Louisiana music and culture, he lives in Opelousas. His “Zydeco Stomp” show airs at noon Saturdays on KRVS 88.7 FM.

PROVIDED PHOTO Dean Alena Allen, Paul Hebert Law Center at LSU

STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER

‘The Welfare Rock’ monument in Baton Rouge weighs 18 tons and has four sides.

MissingDon’s,but breadpuddingcan

BY DEBRA TAGHEHCHIAN

Contributing writer

“Did you order the bread pudding?”

“No, why?”

“Oh, you missed out on the best dessert!”

This would have been the typical conversation when talking to anyone who had gone to Don’s Seafood&Steakhouse in downtownLafayette. Althoughthe restaurant is closed and has been demolished, its legacy as having the best bread pudding in town persists.

If you like very dense, cinnamon-laced bread pudding with a caramel-type topping, then this bread pudding maynot be what youare looking for.This bread pudding is souffle-like witha light and fluffy meringueontop. Also, the rum sauce is creamy like melted vanilla ice cream with arum flavor

Ilearned this recipe when I was in high school,and it has always been our family favorite. Ihave made it for so manyfamily occasions, and it is always requested by my brother,John. With every bite, Iamtransported and connected to those many occasions.

That is what good food has the power to do.

Like most of my recipes, Ilike to use basic ingredients witha focus on freshness,qualityof ingredients, and technique.You may have all the ingredients on hand to make this recipe at any given time.

Here are afew pro tipsto keep in mind:

n Use the freshest eggsyou can ﬁnd and allow them to come to room temperature.

n Make sure that your bowl and beaters are very well cleaned and have no oil residue.

n Separate your eggs one by one. If any of the yolk gets mixed with the egg white, you cannot use.Your meringue willnot rise.

n Read the full recipe before you begin.

Bread Pudding alaDon’s

Makes 9-12 servings Ilike to serve the bread pudding and the sauce at different temperatures. Example:

Warm pudding withcold sauce or cold pudding with warm sauce.

4egg yolks

1cup sugar

1(12-ounce) canevaporated milk 2cups milk

1teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3 cup (6 tablespoons) melted butter 9slicesofwhite bread

1. Combinethe egg yolks and sugar and mix with awhisk. Once well combined, gradually addthe evaporatedmilk

2. Nextadd the milk, vanilla and butter.Stir to combine.

3. Tear thesliced bread intomedium-sized pieces and addtothe milk mixture. Stir to combine. Themilk mixture will be absorbed by the bread

4. Pourthe mixture into an 8-inch-by-11-inch baking dish.

5. Allow to rest while the oven is preheating to 450 F.

6. Bakefor 20 minutes or until thebread pudding is slightly puffed and some of the bread pieces arebrowned.

7. Remove from oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 F.

Meringue

4egg whites 1pinchofsalt 1/2 cup sugar

1. Place eggwhites in aclean mixing bowl andbeat until they just begin to foam.

2. Addapinch of salt (this will help to stabilize the eggwhites).

3. Increase speed and beat until soft peaks form.

4. Gradually add sugar while beating and beat until ﬁrm peaksform.

5. Spread meringue over the bread pudding andbakefor 10 to 15 minutes or until the meringue is golden in color

6. Removefrom oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

RumSauce

Makes 1 1/2 cups 1/2 cup evaporatedmilk

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

2tablespoonsbutter

1heaping tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons water 1/2 teaspoon rum flavoring

1. Combineevaporated milk, milk, sugar and butter in a3-quart saucepan.

Many Americansare fortunate to havedental coverage fortheir entire working life, through employer-provided benefits.Whenthose benefits end with retirement, paying dental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock, leading people to putoff or even go without care. Simply put —without dentalinsurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcare coverage.

When you’re comparingplans ...

 Look forcoveragethat helps pay formajor services. Some plans may limitthe numberof procedures —orpay forpreventive care only.

 Look forcoverage with no deductibles. Some plans mayrequire you to payhundredsout of pocket before benefits are paid.

 Shop forcoveragewithnoannual maximum on cash benefits. Some planshaveannual maximums of $1,000.

fora checkup .$190 for afilling. $1,213 fora crown.3 Unexpected bills likethis can be arealburden especially if you’re on afixed income.

Ask

2. Heat over medium-high heat until the mixture just begins to boil. Addthe dissolved cornstarch and stir.The mixture should im-

mediately thicken.

3. Remove from heat, add rum ﬂavoring and place in abowl or measuring cup to cool.

PHOTO By DEBRA TAGHEHCHIAN

Bread Pudding alaDon’s

Freshfromwinning abig award, poet looksatN.O.

Tulane

professorreflects on herart,and what’s next

BY RACHEL MIPRO

Contributing writer

Karisma Price grew up in New Orleans, thenattendedColumbiaUniversity and earnedher MFAinpoetry fromNew York University.Price’sdebut poetry collection, “I’m Always so Serious,”usedher connection to New Orleanstoexplorethemes such as Blackness, family and the impact of Hurricane Katrina.

As an assistant professorofEnglish at Tulane University,a screenwriter and amedia artist,she’skept busyportraying the worldaround her through avariety of mediums.

Price recently receiveda WhitingAward in the poetrycategory, becoming one of 10 writers honoredthisyear. The annual award, which comes witha $50,000 gift, is given to writers identified as emerging talents in nonfiction, drama,poetry and fiction.

The following interview has been editedfor lengthand clarity.

Let’sstartwith the award itself.What does this award mean to you?

Oh, it’s fantastic. First of all, it’s abig surprise.Itfelt likea secret writing spy mission,because youget arandom phone callone day. Iwas taking anap,soIcalled them back,and, you know,when you’re half asleep, “I’m like,ifthisisa dream,I’m going to be so mad.” But it wasreal. They don’ttellyou who nominated you, the judgingpanel is anonymous, all youget to know is that you won and that thereare people rooting for you. Even though Idon’tknowwho it is speciﬁcally,itgave me areally nice boost of conﬁdence in myself andmywriting. TheWhiting is avery important award. Alot of great writers who’ve had very successful careers have wonit. This is an emerging writersaward.Itjustlets me know that I’m on the right track. It motivates me to just keep itgoing. Ilove that word emerging too,becauseit’sall about your potential, both through past works and in the future.Doyou have anything new you’re working on?

Well, Iamworking on asecond collection of poems,and I’m also working on anovel, which is veryhard. There’s alot of action in it, as opposed to poetry.There is narrative poetry, but poetry is more so meditation on an idea or subject.SoI’m workingonasecond collectionofpoems anda novel.

Wow. Can you tell me alittle bit about the themes of these?

The themes of the poetry collection,I write fromapre- and apost-Katrina landscape. Sosome of itisabout the landscape and theecosystem, particularly becausewelive in aplace very vulnerable to hurricanes.It’sabout community andBlackness andhow residents are doingpost-Katrina, andthe gentriﬁcation that has come from that,and howitishardertolive. Especially if you’re from here originally, thereisa NewOrleans that only lives in memory,especially now thatwe arepost-Katrina. Howlong have youbeen writing? Wasthere anypoint when one dayyou wokeup and said,“I’m going to be apoet?

In the seventh grade, Iwas like, “Oh, I’ll be apoet.” Itook a creative writing class,and Ialways likedstories. Ialways call my parents the ﬁrstpoets. They aren’tpoets, but theygrew up together,sothey had known each other since the third grade. So when they have astory,it’ssomeonethey mutually know. They both tell the story because they were both there, loving each othersincethey were 8. In the Black community,and poetry in general, it ﬁrststarted as oration.Itwasn’toriginally written down. When you think about“TheOdyssey,”“The Ili-

ad” and Greek mythology,you would sit people around andthe person, Homer and whoever else, would memorize it andgive youthis epic poem. So listening toalot of storytelling,I feel also contributed to me being astoryteller

Tell me about your own writing process.What is that like?

Ifeel like alot of my writing takes place when I’m moving around, whether I’m walking or driving. For mostwriters, a lot of writing starts, you know,just thinking in your head until youeventually put it on paper.Sofor me, alot of thinking is involved, especially if I’m in motion.That really helps my brain turn on. And this is more of awide-ranging question here, but where do you think American poetryisheaded? We’reinafairly turbulent time right now.Doyou see that impacting anything with writers and future generations?

Unfortunately,this is not the ﬁrst time we’vebeen going through someturbulent times as acountry.When there’sany type of emotional or political turmoil, artists create things. They create thingstokeep themselves sane. They create things to respond to thepolitical climate. So Idofeel thatweprobably,inthe next few years, we’ll be getting bodies of workthat respond to thetime. Artists, we have aresponsibility to bring information forward. We’renot preachers, but we do present things in whatever creative manner we work in. So Idothink that this will bring about many artistsresponding to,and creating, bodies of work.

FlanneryO’Connor’sbeliefinredemptionastimelyasever

As my wife andIhoneymooned in Charleston, South Carolina,three decades ago, Iducked intoa localbookstore and bought acopyofFlannery O’Connor’scollected stories.

O’Connor’sﬁction wryly comical andsometimes violent —was unusual reading foraman in the ﬁrst daysofweddedbliss. But my bride andIwere in the Deep South,and O’Connor, agreat Southern writer,struckme asapromising guide.When I’d studiedO’Connor as a college student in Louisiana, some of heroddball characters seemed like folks I’d known.

Icouldn’thaveknown, as our week in Charlestonunfolded, howeerily O’Connor’s themes wouldchime with our travels. Not farfromour charming bed-and-breakfast, the wife of aprominent business owner wasfound

murdered. The soft sublimity of ourﬁrst days of marriage wasshadowedbythe aftermath of adark deed. All of this came back to mind this spring as O’Connor’sfansmarked the centennial of herbirth.

Born on March 25, 1925, O’Connor was drawn to the connectionbetween grace andsuffering, whichrested at theheart of herﬁction and deep Catholic faith. She knew pain up close, often conﬁned to herhome in Milledgeville, Georgia,because of thelupus that claimedher life in 1964. Ahundredyears after her birth, O’Connor’sbeliefthat

possibility can growfrom abroken worldseems as timely as ever In spiteofher illness —or perhapsbecause of it O’Connor was enormously productive,rising forMass each morning, then writing until herfrailbodyforced her to stop.Her storiesbrim withsometimes hilarious eccentrics, thekinds of quirky characters who might now ﬁll thecast of aCoen brothersmovie.O’Connor’sgift for comedy made thegrimturns in herstories allthe more shocking.

In “A Good ManIsHard to Find,”a silly oldgrandmother joins afamily road trip to Florida with“her big black valisethatlooked likethe head of ahippopotamus” andPitty Sing, hercat. Laughs abound until she meets amurderer,using her ﬁnal moment to greet him as oneofher own children. Her gesture afﬁrms theidea

“The New Menopause”byMaryClaireHaver 10. “Poems of Parenting”byLorynBrantz

that even in theface of evil, we can shapeour destiny through moral choice.

In this way,acharacter ﬁrst seen as aclown attains a redeeming nobility.

My favorite O’Connorstory is “Good Country People,” wherethe only real violence involvesinjured pride.It concernsbooksmart Helga, who thinks cynicism is a form of sophistication.She’s easily outwitted by an apparentrube,who tells her, “you ain’tsosmart. Ibeen believing in nothing sinceIwas born!”

The prospect of redemption deﬁnedFlannery O’Connor’s complicated life andwork, anditcontinuestochallenge andinspireher many readers. As sheput it,“My subject in ﬁction is theaction of grace in territory largely held by thedevil.”

Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman.com

1. “Enchantra”byKaylie Smith

2. “Den of Vipers” by K.A. Knight

3. “The Crash” by Freida McFadden

4. “WardD”byFreidaMcFadden

5. “How to SolveYour Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

6. “LightsOut”byNavessa Allen

7. “Wildest Dreams” by L.J. Shen

8. “Quicksilver”byCallie Hart

9. “The Twisted Throne”byDanielle L. Jensen

10. “The Boyfriend”byFreida McFadden

PHOTO By BEOWULF SHEEHAN

2024 Whiting Award winner KarismaPrice grew up in NewOrleans.

DannyHeitman AT RANDOM

SPLITTING THEBILLS

Will Green, who took the helmofthe Louisiana Association of Businessand Industryin2023, said he’sconfident that this year’s two-monthregular session will endwith more victories for his members, but insurance is likely to be the biggest fight.

PROVIDED PHOTO

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

Louisiana’spowerful business lobby had abanner year in 2024, winning long-sought tax changes and education reforms,aided by anew governor and aRepublican supermajorityinBaton Rouge.

But on some of its top issues this year,the LouisianaAssociation of Business andIndustry is facingmore friction.LABI, which representsmorethan 2,000 employers andisa force in Louisiana politics through

campaign contributions and its inﬂuentiallegislative scorecard, is backing astring of proposals thatwouldmake it harder for peopletowin big payouts over car accidents, which it argues will lower auto insurance rates.

It’s also trying to stop legislation that would create more regulatory hurdlesfor carbon capture and sequestration projects, and ﬁghting to get morefunding for early childhood education at atime when competition for statedollars is ﬁerce.

“What adifference ayear makes, right?” LABI President

Afteracquisition,parking aidtechstartup

BYRICH COLLINS

Staff writer

ParkZen, aBaton Rougetech

startup that helps drivers find parking spots, has found apermanent space of its own.

Last week, Houstonbased Parking Guidance Systems announced that it has purchased ParkZen in adeal that combines an undisclosed amount of cash and equity.The transaction followstwo years of collaboration between the two companies.

industryall morning.”

Citing anondisclosure agreement,Chatzopoulos said he was unable to share details of the acquisition, butindustryinsiders estimate thedeal was worthseveral million dollars.

Will Green said in an interview to discuss his objectives as this year’ssession gets underway

Last year,the stateLegislaturemovedtorepeal thecorporate franchise tax and ﬂatten corporate and personal income taxes, while raising sales taxes. Lawmakers also created anew program to help Louisiana families pay for private education withtax-fundedgrants. Green said 50 legislative and regulatory measures were enacted under LABI’s plan to transform

ä See LOBBY, page 2E

ParkingGuidance, whichhas been in business since2013, installs andoperates parking technology hardware, including sensors installed on theceilings of parking garagestotrack availability of parking spaces.

“This is ahuge opportunity for us,” ParkZen co-founder Manos Chatzopoulos said Tuesday by phonewhile attendinganindustry trade show.“I’ve been getting congratulations from peopleinthe

Parking Guidance

CEO Derek Frantz didn’t respond to requests for comment Co-founded in 2020 by Chatzopoulos, an LSU associate professor of astrophysics, and real estate ﬁnancier George Triarchou, ParkZen uses smartphone data to help drivers hunt for parking spaces in the same way that Waze or Apple’smapshelpthem avoid trafﬁc snarls. The company’s customersinclude universities, airports and other businesses around the country

The companies teamed up in 2023 to provide parking hardware and software for the Baltimore/Washington International Airport.

“The airport was looking for a consumer-facing apptoremind drivers where their car was parked based on license platedata,”Chatzopoulossaid. “Wecame along for therideonthatproject andbuilt the mobile app.”

The successful collaboration set the stage for the recent acquisition.

Thedealcomes at atimewhen the roughly $120 billion U.S.

ä See PARKING, page 2E

STAFF FILE PHOTOByJAVIER

Walmarttoremodel18

south Louisiana stores

Eighteen south Louisiana Walmart storesare scheduledto be remodeled this year as part of the retail giant’sefforts to overhaul more than 650 locations across the U.S.

The work will involve updates such as new signage, expanded online pickup departments and

private screening rooms in the pharmacy

The storesscheduled for remodeling are: the Natchez Drive, Robert Boulevard and Pontchartrain Drivelocations in Slidell; the CourseyBoulevard and O’Neal Lane locations in BatonRouge; 880 N. U.S. 190 and 2800 N. U.S. 190 in Covington;Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie; South Range Avenue in Denham Springs; La. 42 in Prairieville;La. 1inPort Allen;La. 3089 in Donaldsonville; West Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette; Northeast Evangeline Thruway in Carencro; Ontario Avenue in Bogalusa; Odd Fellows Road in Crowley;La. 70 in MorganCity; Archbishop Hannan Boulevard in Meraux.

ACADIANA INBOX

Lauren Fitts has been hired as campaign manager for Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Louisiana

Fitts has more than adecade of experienceinnonproﬁtdevelopment, fundraising and event management. She spent nearly seven years as the development director for Junior AchievementofGreater Baton Rouge &Acadiana.

Sincethe charity’s founding in December 1983, it has served more than

Louisiana into an economic leader in the South.

Green, whotookthe helm of LABI in 2023 after eight years at the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association, said he’sconﬁdent that this year’stwo-month regular session will end with more victories for his members, but insuranceis likely to be the biggest ﬁght “On casualtyand carinsurance?”

Green said. “We’ve got aton of work left to do.”

LABI hasaligned itself with Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple and acrop of lawmakers on legislation that Green saidwill “prevent jackpot justice” and attract new insurers, eventually lowering rates. But on some measures, LABI is at-odds with Gov.Jeff Landry, whosaidhewants ”a balanced approach” that favors neither trial lawyers nor insurers. Landry angered the business lobby last year by vetoing one major piece of legislation opposed by trial lawyers andwatering down several other measures before agreeing to support them.

In the firstweekofthisyear’s session, Landry appeared before aHouse committeetostumpfor a bill opposed by the business lobby that would give Temple the power to reject excessive auto insurance rate increases. The governor said it’snowonder residents are frustrated, as insurance companies “continue to report record proﬁts while our rates continue to rise.”

The outcome of this year’sﬁght could help shed light on LABI’s clout in the CapitolunderLandry, said Jan Moller, executivedirector of Invest in Louisiana, which hasn’t taken aposition on the auto insurance legislation butfrequently clashes with LABI on issues like raising the minimum wage.

“Most of these battles are Republican on Republican in away that we haven’tseen before,” said Moller,who noted that fordecades, Republicans have been in lockstep with LABI in opposing the trial bar “You have aconservative governor taking an opposite position. It’sa

Constructionatall of thelocations is slated to beginthisyear and Walmartexpectsthe work to

be ﬁnished by the end of 2025.

Leadersfor aBetter Louisiana adds members

Leaders for aBetter Louisiana’s

Committee of 100 added 10 new membersduring the ﬁrst quarter

Thenew members are: Denise Bottcher, state director,AARP; Paul Brummett, presidentand CEO,JD Bank; Brian Haymon, CEO,Load-

PARKING

Continued from page1E

30,000 familiesfromAcadiana region

Shane Davidson hasbeen hiredbyAcadianAmbulanceascommunity relations director in Louisiana. Davidsonhas 35 years of expertise in emergency medical care, operations management andbusiness leadership. He is anationally registeredparamedic and graduateofUniversity of Louisiana at Monroe.

test of thegovernor’spowers, and atest of how much inﬂuenceLABI really has.”

LABI is alsoopposing efforts by agroup of mostly rural,Republican lawmakers to put restrictions on carbon capture and sequestration. Green said misinformation around carbon capture is fueling fears that it could pollute drinkingwater or pose asafetyhazard and said it is up to LABI andother industry groups to build trust with the public sothatthey aremore open to the technology.

“If we do thisright, we can bring millions of dollars in jobs and investments to Louisiana,” Green said. “We’ve got the talent here. We’ve gotthe businesses here We’ve got the infrastructure here.” Affordable childcare‘crisis’

On other issues, LABI faces less controversybut will still needto sway legislators. The group’snext biggest priority besides auto insurance is expandingaccesstoearly childhood education for working families, Green said.

Louisiana has amongthe lowestlaborforce participation rates in thecountry,meaning there are fewer workers here than elsewhere. Green said thatmanyof thepeoplewho have left thelabor force are parents with young children whocan’t afford high-quality child care.

“It really is acrisis,”said Mary Beth Hughes,LABI’sdirectorof governmental affairs. “Especially when we’re talking aboutall of the huge economic development projectsthat are coming to Louisiana, if we don’thavethe workforce to support them, it’sahuge problem.”

LABI is urging lawmakers to providefunds forthe state’sChild Care Assistance Program, which helps low-income families pay for high-qualityearlychildhoodeducation so parents can go to school or re-enter the workforce.

Landry’sbudget proposal recommended setting aside around $78 million in state funding for the program. LABIand othersare hoping to boost that to $87million if funding becomes available.

Employeeabsencesand turnover due to childcareissues cost Louisiana’seconomy $1.3 billion annually,according to an analysisfrom

theLouisiana Policy Institute for Children, anonpartisan think tank focused on improving outcomes for Louisiana’s youngest children.

Libbie Sonnier,the Policy Institute’sCEO, saidLouisiana’s business community has been atrailblazer nationally in making the argumentfor funding early childhood education andlaudedGreen’s efforts to elevate theissue.

LABI is alsobacking abill that would restructure the Louisiana WorkforceCommission to make it aone-stop shop forresidentslooking for job training.

DOTD overhaul,taxes

LABI is also supportive of apush to overhaul the state Department of Transportationand Development.

Green pointedtoarecentreport from the National Transportation Research Groupthatfound that half of Louisiana’s major roads are in poor or mediocrecondition and 1,500 bridges—or1in10spans arepoor or structurally deﬁcient.

“A good transportation system is absolutely afactor in economic development and attracting and growing business,”Green said.

Senate PresidentCameron Henry hasalsomaderestructuring of DOTDatop priority In arecentinterview,hesaid DOTD underformer Gov.John Bel Edwards helped lureacompany to arural part of northLouisiana by promising it would fix brokenbridges but never followed through. Green shared asimilar story,saying faulty infrastructure made it difﬁcultfor oneofhis memberstotransport apiece of machinery to ajob in Texas, costingthe business“millions of dollars aday in delays.”

Green saidLABI is alsohoping to restore atax credit that’sslated to endinJuly 2026 that reimburses businesses for theinventory tax paid to local governments.

That’sneeded,Green said, after votersinMarch rejected aconstitutional amendment thatwould’ve provided local governments an incentive to stop collectingthe tax.

Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate.com. and follow himonTwitter,@ blakepater

parking industry looks for ways to boost proﬁts despite challenges created by the rise of remote work,ride-hailingplatforms and e-commerce —all of which have reduced demand.

Companies that own or manage parking lots are turning to tech companies to help them maximize profits, according to industry reports. Solutions include apps that let drivers reserve spaces in advance, sensors that automaticallycharge drivers when they pull in andout of parking spaces, andtech that will automatically adjustprices forparking spaces based on demand.

Parking Guidance’sacquisition of ParkZen givesthe company more artiﬁcial intelligencedriven and data-drivensoftware solutions for its customers, said Chatzopoulos.

Icyinspiration

Chatzopoulosbegan brainstorming atech solution to parking adecadeago, when he was a postdoctoral fellow at the UniversityofChicago. His daily routine involved lots of driving around looking foraparking space, followed by long walks in coldconditions.

He ﬁgured there had to be abetter way to avoid parking hassles, which he said cause unnecessary carbon emissions, loss of productivityand trafﬁc accidents.

Chatzopoulos, who by dayuses supercomputer simulations to understand supernovas and stellar evolution, applied his skills in data analysis to tackle the more down-to-earth challenge.

“I realized most parking problems weren’tjustabout toofew spots; they were about people not knowing where open spots actually were,” he said. “I knew Icould use data to bridge that informationgap and make parking way less stressful.”

After he started working at LSUin2016, Chatzopoulos joined forceswithTriarchou to launch ParkZen

Today,ParkZen is used by about adozen schools, including the University of Alabama and theUniversity of Tennessee. The startupalso has a$2million contract with theVirginia Department of Transportation covering 59 commuter parking lots. Chatzopoulos declined to disclose revenue details, citing competitive concerns.

‘Great exampleofincubation’

In 2022,ParkZen wona $100,000 investment after taking ﬁrst place in apitch competition during BatonRouge Entrepreneurship Week, run by the nonproﬁt business incubator Nexus

star Product Handling Services; Karl Hoefer,regional president, First Horizon; Jay Lapeyre, president, Laitram;Todd Little, managing member, Little &Associates; Malcolm Murchison, special counsel, Bradley Murchison Kelly &Shea; Matt Saurage, innovation manager, CommunityCoffee; Kevin Simpson, manager or Southeastpolicy, Shell; and GuyWilliams,president and CEO,Gulf Coast Bank &Trust.

Louisiana.

Theinvestment came from InnovationCatalyst, aBaton Rougebased nonprofit that invests in local entrepreneurs, andits subsidiary,the Red Stick Angel Network.

Chatzopoulosused the injection of cash to hire asalespersonand software developers. Thecompany also becamea“virtual tenant” at Nexus, where it received coaching andother support services.

Nexus President and CEO Tony Zanders said ParkZen’s Parking Guidance deal is proof thatthe Baton Rouge entrepreneurial ecosystem works —even if the deal isn’tassplashy as the 2021 exits of New Orleans tech companies Lucid, Levelset andTurbosquid. The Lucid deal alone was worth morethan $1 billion.

Bill Ellison,CEO of Innovation Catalyst and the Red Stick Angels,saidhewas planninganother majorinvestment in ParkZen, along with aSouth Carolina-based venture capital fund, when Parking Guidance made its acquisition offer

“Wehad the deal done, but Manos said he had an offer to be acquired that was too good to pass up,” Ellison said.

‘Leading innovation’

For Chatzopoulos, the Parking Guidance deal is achance to ofﬂoad some of the responsibilities of astartup founder so he can focus on hisfavorite aspects of thebusiness —leading innovation.

He wants to continue to make parking easierfor students, and he envisions aday when enough drivers areusing his software that it will workoutside of designated parking lots.

He also hopes to sell ads based on customers’ locations. And he wants to growthe company’s services in the paid parking sector,which he describes as amore “dense and competitive space.”

Now,he’ll be pursuing those goals as part amore established venture thathas installedroughly 200 parkingguidance systems encompassing 360,000 parking spaces at airports, universities, hospitals andcorporate campuses.

Thecompany hasoffices in Houston, Dallas, Orlando, Miami, SanDiego,Washington,D.C., and, now,Baton Rouge. Both ParkZen partners and all three employees will remain with the company

“This is what Silicon Valley calls an ‘acqui-hire,’ ”Zanders said. “They aren’tjust buying the ParkZen tech and sending the team offtoHawaii foravacation. The skills they are bringing to the table will help PGSfurther expand into the software space.” Email RichCollins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

TALKING BUSINESS WITH KERRy DUET

Home construction groupaddressingworkershortage

BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor

With the rain still coming down on the Sunday of what was becoming the ﬂoods of 2016,Kerry Duet, of the Design Center of Acadiana, got aphone call from one of her builders.

The rising waters meant two things: Awave of homerepairs was imminentand there might not be enough qualiﬁed workers todo the jobs. So the caller quickly got to the point: “Well, Kerry,what are yougoing to do about this?”

Duet called ameeting the next morning, and whathappened after that call set the wheels in motion for the Master Guild of Acadiana, aprogram Duet and others started as away to train workers forthe home construction industry.The guild is aco-op that merges the efforts of employers,educatorsand professional organizations to meet industry needs in the Lafayette region and in south Louisiana And the needs, Duet said, are signiﬁcant. Astrong majority of employees operating at amasterlevel are age 50 or above,the industry has a55% turnover rate, and only 3% of young adults are pursuing the construction trade. Areport from the NationalAssociation of Home Builders agreed. To address the nation’shousing shortage, thousandsofskilled construction workers are needed.

“Weare in aworld of hurt regardless of what demand is,” she said “Whether people wanttobuild pool houses right now or new subdivisions, it doesn’tmatter.Welive in southLouisiana, and if youjust wait aminute, we’regoingtoget whacked by some storm and have to rebuild.There’snoreason to ever stop developing aworkforce for the trades in my lifetime.”

One Acadianarecently honored the guild with its inaugural ConnectEd Award as part of its ConnectEd initiative that linkseducators with industry to promote career-connected learning.The guild was noted for its four-step process —recruit, train, coach and retain.

In this week’sedition of Talking Business, Duet talks more about how the conditions that gotthe

Kerry Duet,owner of the Design Center of Acadiana, helped launch the Master Guild of Acadiana, aco-op that mergesthe efforts of employers, educators and professional organizations, as away to trainworkers for the home construction industry.

program started, howthe guild is unique to not only Louisiana but across thecountry and how she has made acareerout of an industry often dominated by middle-aged men.

This interviewhas been edited for clarity Tell me more about the industry’sworkforce needs.Is there maybe anumber of people employers could hire today?

Volume-wise is not where we’re focusing. It’sthe depth of experience that we’re going for.One of the thingswe’ve been able to accomplish that I’m really proud of is that if you talk to any of our recruits theyhave experience. They have been able to experience multiple trades. We have one recruit,Sam, whoisaproject manager now for Habitat for Humanity.She spent some time with an arborist, with timber framers and in landscaping. She was able, through herrecruit

journey,toget exposed to all these different parts of the build, which is making her really effective.

So, back me up abit on the recruiting process.How doesthatprocessgowithrecruits and connecting them to the training resources theguild offers?

The idea that people decide what they want to do and go learnitand then do it is not true in ourindustry

Therehas to be some kind of inclination. Oneofthe hardestthings to try to extract from aperson is what it is they’re capable of. The onlyway that we candiscover the innate talent is to getthemworking quicklyand gettheminsupportive roles wherethere’snorisk involved.One of my recruits was a38-year-old engineer who didn’t want to be in the oil ﬁeld anymore. He had to start out site-keeping at $10anhour,likeeveryone else. If you’re really good, that means you won’tdoitlong.

How active is the guildrecruiting?Doyou, say, speak at high schoolsorcolleges?Are we targeting 18- to 25-year-olds? More like 16 to 62. We run multiple recruiting rounds ayear We runrecruiting rounds in high schools and the general public. We usually trytosync themupwith job fairs.Wehaveawork-readytraining linedup, sometimes the same day. We recruit andsay,“Hey, if you want ashot, just come to class at 3o’clock.” This year,we’re also running areentrycohort, which is for the oneswho are getting ready to be released fromprison. We’re trying to recruit fromthe prisons thatalready have trades training going on so we canrecruit people who can come out and run at anew career hard. Take me backtohow the guild gotstarted. Thedemand soared after the flood. So what happened when you called that meeting? If you’ve ever lined up acontrac-

tor,you’ll know whatafeat this is. I walked in, andthere were 27 skilled subcontractors looking at me.I didn’t even have aplan.Wepassed around aclipboard and had everybody put their contact information on it andwhattheylike to do.Weorganized the list and gave everyone acopy. We decentralizedthe contracting, and everything wentchaotic fora littlewhile,and already it was chaos out there. Then the labor started to be imbalanced. Guys couldn’tget things started because they were waiting on everybody else.Thenwestarted ﬁguring out the size of the crews and realized how disproportionate it was. Everybody can’tbeatileguy.Wehad to balance it out. How did you land in this industry? Ihad dropped out of college because Igot pregnant. Iwas workingatStage. Iwas theyoungest assistant manager Stage had ever had. Iwas 19. Igot promoted becauseIcould countmoney faster than anyone they had ever seen. Iwould work until 8or9atnight, and Iwanted aday job. I’m from Bayou Lafourche, and Hurricane Lili passed. We’re born knowing how to mitigate and what the inside of awall looks like. Iwalked into Hollier’sFlooring &Remodeling because they were close to Stage. They hired me basically because I was young and knew how to work a computer and Ihad this post-storm experience just from growing up. They sent me with an estimator and he showed me how to draw to scale.I’vealwaysdrawn sinceIwas akid. It’swhatI can do.I pickedit up, andtheysaidIhad drawn faster than anybody who hadever picked it up. They sent me out in the ﬁeld. Ilearned really quick and wanted to listen to them because Iama high performer.When Ishoot it, I want it to be abull’s-eye. Because Icould draw,when Iwould go out there and they’d describe what they wanted, I’dgrab apiece of paper,draw it and say,“Like this?” And they’d go, “Yeah, like that. Can you draw another one like that that Ican give to my client?” And that’s how Ibecameadesigner

EmailAdam Daigle at adaigle@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Readersquestionstability of banks

Typically,when people ask me if they should keep alargestashof cash at theirhouse, Ioften joke: “Give me your address.”

who monitor the ﬁnancial health of banks to reduce the risk of a failure.

Fool’s Take: Value for uncertain times

so a50-basis-point movewould be 50/100 of one, or half apercentage point.

Michelle Singletary

THE COLOR OF MONEy

My attempt at humor is away to get them to see that stockpiling too much cash is nota good idea. There’s the risk of it being stolen or destroyed in aﬁre or severe storm. And with some institutions offering high-yield savings accounts, people give up the opportunity to earn adecent interest rate on their money

However,there is growing anxiety about the safety of our ﬁnancialinstitutions.

Here’swhy: The independence of the federal agencies charged withprotectingour funds is being undermined.

Last week, President Donald Trump ﬁred Todd Harperand Tanya Otsuka, the Democratic board members of the National Credit Union Administration, which supervises and insures more than 4,400 federally insured credit unionswith $1.78 trillion insured shares and deposits and 142.3 million members, according to its most recent report.

“This is the latest in astringof actions by the Trump administration to subvert the law and undermine financial regulators that keep Americans’ money safe,” Adam Rust said in astatement following the firings. Rust is director of financial services for the Consumer Federation of America.

Only one board member remains: Kyle Hauptman,the Republican appointed by Trump in 2020. He is now the chair

“If aPresident can ﬁre an NCUA Board member at any time, how will we maintain public trust in our nation’sﬁnancial services’ regulatory system?” Harper asked in astatement on LinkedIn, calling the move “illconceived and politically motivated.”

Meanwhile, afederal hiring freeze and staff reductionshave left the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.short-handed. In January,the administration rescinded job offers to more than 200 new bank examiners —the employees

Remember, just twoyears ago, three major banks collapsed— Silicon ValleyBank, Signature Bankand First Republic Bank. Downsizing the FDIC just doesn’t make sense.

Oneconcerned reader emailed me asking about how I“would advise about protecting assetsin banks.”

Other readers have raised similar concerns over the last several weeks about the safety of their deposits in banks and credit unions.

It’snot alaughing matter. Here’swhat I’ve said.

Youare not being paranoid

On onefamilyvacation to the beach, my sister slipped in afew feet of water near the water’s edge. As anonswimmer, she was so frightened by the fall thatshe panicked and couldn’tregain her balance.

It’slike that with Trump’s policies, which have knocked the economy out of balance. His ﬁring of ofﬁcials on independent boards and at certain watchdogagencies raises concerns over whether therules governing the safety of insured accountswillbejust as easily dismissed.

Given the numerous lawsuits challenging the movesofTrump and hispolitical appointees, you’re not irrational to wonder about the safety of your insured bank deposits.

Butfor now,Ihave no reason to believe you’re betteroff keepingvast amounts of cash at your home.

If it makesyou feel better,get asafe that’swaterproof and ﬁreresistant, and keep afew hundred dollars for an emergency in case, for instance, astorm knocks out power and you can’tuse acredit or debit card.

Butifyou’re trulyinapanic about the federal protection of your deposits, letyour congressional representative know howyou feel. That’sbetterthan keeping your money under your mattress. FDIC and NCUAInsuranceprotection is still in place.

TheFDIC insures deposit products, including savings and checking accounts, money market deposit accountsand certiﬁcates

of deposit If you’re unsure whether your money is federally insured, use the FDIC’stool, the Electronic Deposit InsuranceEstimator. It helps consumers ﬁgure out on a per-bank basis how much of their money,ifany,exceedscoverage limits. Insuranceworks by ownership categories. The standard coverageis$250,000 per depositor, per insuredbank, foreach account ownership category NCUAprotects members’ share accounts at federally insured credit unions. It’ssimilartothe deposit insurancecoverageprovidedbythe FDIC. Members can calculatethe amount of insured coveragebyusing the NCUA’s Share InsuranceEstimatoratMyCreditUnion.gov. No one has ever lost asingle dollarofinsureddepositsata federally insuredbank or credit union. Notice, though, that the key point is insured deposits.

Nondeposit productsare not covered It’s important to note that the FDIC and NCUAdon’tcover nondeposit products, evenifthey were purchasedata federally insuredinstitution. These include stocks, bonds, mutual funds, annuities, insurance products and cryptoassets.

There is anonprofit corporation, the SecuritiesInvestorProtection Corp.,created under the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970, that covers securities(or stocks), mutualfunds and bonds. But it’snot the equivalent of the FDIC or NCUAfor securities. Instead, the SIPC helps you recover missing cash or securitiesif your brokerage firm goesunder. It won’tcover lossesif, for example,your investments decline,as many retirement accounts have because of Trump’strade war. The limit of SIPCprotection is $500,000, which includesa $250,000 limit forcash.However, you can have separate coverage fordifferent account registrations at the same firm. Forinstance,individual, joint and IRA accountsare typically treated as distinct for the purposesofSIPC coverage

EmailMichelle Singletary at michelle.singletary@washpost com.

When the stock market seems shaky,manyinvestors shifttheir focus from high-ﬂying growth stocks to undervalued stocks. Agreat way to invest in seemingly undervalued stocks is via the Vanguard Value ETF (ticker: VTV). The ETF tracks theCRSP U.S. Large CapValue Index by investing directly in its component companies. The index features stocks that have been screened using avariety of metrics —including ratios of price to book, price to forward earnings, price to historical earnings, price to dividend andprice to sales —to focus on undervalued stocks. Investing in this ETFprovides some exposure to midcap stocks, too.

The ETF’sultralow expense ratio (annualfee) of 0.04% meansinvestorspay $4 per $10,000 they have in the ETF.Thus, the Vanguard Value ETF is one of the least expensive and most efﬁcient ways to investinmorethan 300 value stocks.

Compared with the S&P 500, the Vanguard Value ETF has less exposure to the technology and consumer discretionary sectors, and outsized exposure to ﬁnancials, health care, industrials, consumer staples, energy,utilities and real estate. Many companies in these sectors paydividendsand are valued more for their current earnings than their potential growth.(The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends theVanguard Value ETF.)

Fool’s School:

Termstoknow

Here are someﬁnancial terms youmay run across that are good to understand: Aggressive growth fund: Amutual fund or exchange-traded fund that aims to growvalue forshareholders by investing primarilyinstocks of fast-growing companies. It aims for above-average returns but also tends to have above-average risk.

Asset classes: Kinds of investments with similar traits. Three of the major ones are cash, bonds and stocks. Basis point: Most often used as a measure of changes in interest rates.One basis point is onehundredthofapercentage point,

Capital gain/loss: The difference between the price at which an asset is sold and its original purchase price (or “basis”).

Commodities: Goods that are generally the samenomatter the producer —such as crude oil, silver gold, coffee, soybeans, wheat or beef.They’re traded in large quantities on an exchange.

Cost basis: The original price paid foraninvestment (including commissions).

Equities: Generally,afancy name forstocks.

Escrow: An arrangement whereby athird party holds funds securely to facilitate atransaction. Escrow is commonly used in real estate, such as when funds are held by a mortgage lender to cover tax and property insurance payments. Free cash flow: The cash that’sleft over after expenses —including bills from suppliers, salaries, new equipment and advertising —are accounted for.

Gross domestic product (GDP): The value of all goods and services provided within the borders of a country

Joint venture: In the business world, typically apartnership between twoormore companies to achieve apurpose while sharing expertise, costs and proﬁts.

No-load fund: Amutual fund that does not charge asales commission.

Securities: Financial assets that can be easily traded; common types include stocks, bonds and certiﬁcates of deposit.

Ask the Fool:

What is stagflation

I’ve heard America maysoon experience stagflation.What’sthat? —F.E., La Crosse, Wisconsin Stagflation, acombination of the words stagnation and inflation, is an economic environment marked by high unemployment, rising prices and slowing economic growth. It can be hard foraneconomy to get out of stagflation: Remedies for slow growth (such as stimulating borrowing by lowering interest rates) often increase inflation, but remedies forinflation (such as raising interest rates) often put brakes on growth.

Someeconomists are indeed worried about stagﬂation in the near future, due to factors including tariffwars and government layoffs

Motley Fool

Texasunmannedvesselstartup buys La.shipyard

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

In the not-too-distant future, the Navy mightbedeploying ﬂeets of unmanned shipsthroughout the world, and some of them might be manufactured in Louisiana. That’sthe vision of former Navy SEAL and defense technology entrepreneur Dino Mavrookas, whose Austin,Texas-based startup Saronic last week announced the acquisition of Gulf Craft, ashipyard in Franklin. Terms of the deal were not made public.

Saronic, which reports a$4billion valuationbased on potential militaryand commercialcontracts, said it will use the 100-acre facility to produce unmanned surface vessels —essentially water drones —starting with a150foot autonomous surface vessel dubbed the Marauder.The company has already produced smaller autonomous vessels at itsinland headquarters.

“Weacquired Gulf Craftbecause we believe in their culture and what they’ve been able to produce to date,” Mavrookas said. “Wesee the value they can bringtoscalingproductionofour autonomous surface vessels, so we’re going to invest heavily there.”

Founded by ScottTibbs in 1965, Gulf Craft produced roughly 400 vesselsoverthe last halfcentury, including many crew boats that ferried workersand supplies to and from offshoreoil rigs.

Mavrookas said Saronic will invest $250 million in the shipyard overthe next four years,while creating500 new jobs and producing up to 50 unmanned surface vessels annually.The ﬁrstMarauders could come off the line within the next 12 months.

Among those to cheer the deal is House Speaker Mike Johnson, aBenton Republican who visited Saronic’sheadquartersearlier this month.

“The investment of Saronic in Louisiana’sshipbuildingindustry will grow our economy,create high-quality jobs and bolster America’smaritime strength,” he

said.

Mavrookas said money will be spent modernizingGulf Craft’s infrastructure, acquiring new machinery and updating the facilities. Saronic has retained the shipyard’sroughly30-personworkforce.Inaddition to hiring more shipbuilders, welders and electricians, thecompanyplans to create jobs for engineers, technologists andnaval architects, whowilldevelop and scale production of its medium unmanned surface vessels, or MUSVs.

Mavrookas said the shipyard’s location, expertise and facilities are well suited to develop, test and produce thecompany’s ﬁrst MUSV model, whichisdesignedtocarry

weapons and other military equipment, or transport two full 40-foot shipping containers for commercial purposes.

The ship has apayload capacity of 40 metric tons andisdesigned to travel up to 3,500 nautical miles or stay in place for morethan30 days.

The Gulf Craft deal comes two months after Saronic closed a$600 million round of funding led by San Francisco angel investor Elad Gil.

Much of that money is earmarked to build alarge shipbuilding facility that Mavrookas is calling “Port Alpha.” Saronic said the company intends to invest over $2.5 billion to developthe shipyard, which would hire thousands

of people to produce hundreds of unmanned vessels annually

While the company is searching for alocation, it purchased Gulf Craft to begin production now Saronic’sacquisition of Gulf Craft comes as the Trump administration toutsefforts to revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding industry, which requires investment in infrastructure, production models and workforce.

Mavrookassaidit’simportant for the U.S. to narrowthe shipbuilding gap with China.

“Our whole mission is to redeﬁne maritime superiority for the U.S. andour allies around theworld, andwejust made the decision very early on that we have to do

that through autonomy,” he said.

“Autonomy lets youstrip95% of the complexity out of the ship, and manufactureatavery high rate, so you can actually change how we do shipbuilding to regain that shipbuilding manufacturing superiority that we once had.”

Email RichCollinsatrich. collins@theadvocate.com.

PresidentTrumpCuttingRed Tape to StrengthenLouisiana’sSeafood Industry

Thisarticle is broughttoyou by the Louisiana CommercialFishing Coalition LLC Louisiana’scommercial fishing families have longbeenthe backbone of the state’s working coast.Fromshrimp docksinTerrebonnetooysterreefs in Plaquemines,Louisiana’sfishermen arevital to the state’s economyand the nation’sseafoodsupply.Now,a national push to reduce unnecessary regulationsin the fishing industry offersaturning point forLouisiana’sshrimpersand other local fleets burdened by outdated, one-size-fitsall rules.Thisinitiative could revitalize the industry by aligning federal policies with the realities of modern seafood production. PresidentDonaldTrump’sExecutive Order on Promoting AmericanSeafood Competitivenessand EconomicGrowth calls formodernizing U.S. fisheries management, giving Louisiana’sleaders achance to adopt reforms thatboost efficiency and sustainability. AWin for ShrimpersFacing RedTape Louisiana’sshrimpindustryfaces rising costs,low-cost imports,and regulatory burdens unrelatedtoon-the-water realities.Shrimpersoperate on razor-thin margins,strugglingwith outdated, onesize-fits-all policies.The Executive Order directs federal agencies to review and remove unnecessary regulations, which could lead to faster permitting, clearer rules,and fewerduplicative requirements forshrimpers. Thesechanges will encourageinvestmentinmodern gear and vessels,making the industry more competitiveina challenging market.

Louisiana lawmakersnow have a model to follow—one thatrespects local knowledgeand promotes science-based decision-making. Louisiana shrimpers deservearegulatory approach thatreflects the unique dynamics of Gulf fisheries,with rules thatevolveasconditions changeand as newdatabecomes available. “Louisiana shrimpershavebeen asking forcommon-sensereforms for years, and it’sencouraging to seethe federal governmentfinally recognizehow outdatedregulations have become,”said AcyCooper,Presidentofthe Louisiana Shrimp Association. “The ExecutiveOrder is astepinthe rightdirection, but we need BatonRougetofollowsuit.Our fishermen arecompeting with foreign imports,rising costs,and rules thatdon’treflect what’s really happening on the water. If Louisiana wantstoprotect this industry and the working families behind it,weneed to cut the redtape and start managing our fisheries with real-world experience and modern science.”

Smarter Science,Better Decisions

TheExecutiveOrder mandates modernization of fisheries science and data collection, along-overdue reform thatwill benefit every fishery in the state Shrimpershavelong raised concerns about seasonal closures,gear restrictions, and bycatchregulations thatare based on incompleteoroutdateddata. Better science leadstosmarter,adaptiverules that support sustainability. As climate change and salinityshifts affectshrimp production acrosscoastal Louisiana, having up-to-date data will enable officials to makeinformed decisionsthatbetter balance sustainabilityand industryneeds. Modernizing Oversightfor All of Louisiana’s Fisheries Louisiana’sshrimpers, crabbers, and oyster harvestershavelongfaced layers of overlapping rules,often with little coordination between state and federal agencies.This fragmentation leads to confusion and inefficiencies

The expansionofexemptedfishing permits (EFPs) allows local fleetstotest newgear,techniques, or management approacheswithout being bound by rigid, one-size-fits-all rules.This flexibility empowers fishermen to adapt to changing environmental conditions,reduce bycatch, and innovate to remaincompetitive all while continuing their tradition of sustainabilityand stewardship

Defending DomesticSeafood Unfair international competition from countries withlax environmental and labor standards has devastatedLouisiana’s shrimpmarkets. Strengthening trade enforcement and boosting the Seafood ImportMonitoring Program (SIMP) areessential steps toward protecting Louisiana’shardworking seafood producers from being undercut by cheap,low-qualityimports.Ensuring a levelplaying ﬁeld with fair,transparent trade will help safeguardthe integrityof Louisiana’sseafood industry State-levelaction canreinforce these federalgoals by creating stronger local seafood labeling laws,promoting the consumption of domesticseafood, and cracking down on deceptiveimport practices.Thesemeasures will help restore consumertrustand support Louisiana’s seafood industry ACall to Action for Louisiana

PresidentTrump’sExecutive Order signals anew eraofregulatory reform and investment in America’scommercial fishing communities.But forLouisiana’s seafood industry to fully benefit,state legislators must act as well. This means reassessing outdatedgeographic restrictions,removing duplicative regulations,and investing in real-time data and science thatreflectthe realities of today’sGulf fisheries.Local innovation must be supported by aregulatory environment thatrespondstoboth environmental changes and technologicaladvances Louisiana’sshrimpers, oyster harvesters,crabbers, and menhaden fishermen all deservelegislation thatrewards stewardship,embraces innovation, and supportsthe livelihoods of the hard-working fishermen and their families who maketheir living from the water.

By aligning withthis national momentum, Louisiana canreassert itself as aseafood powerhouse—not just becauseofour history,but becausewe’re committed to astronger,morecompetitive futurefor our working coast

Mavrookas

Austin, Texas-based defense technology startup Saronic plans to manufacture the Marauder,a 150-foot autonomous surfacevessel, at Gulf Craft, a shipyard between Lafayette and Houma.

POUND FOR

POUND

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

Greg Lutz still remembers his first crawfish season. Working toward his doctorate and living in a trailer outside Lafayette, he split time between research at LSU and working a 64-acre crawﬁsh pond with a seasoned Louisiana ﬁsherman.

“At the end of the day, there’d always be a few pounds left over,” Lutz said “He’d say ‘Well, they don’t want that. They’re not gonna buy that You take that home.’”

By the end of the season, Lutz joked, he would’ve traded crawfish for hot dogs Four decades later the LSU AgCenter aquaculture specialist loves the mudbugs as much for their ﬂavor and nutrition as for their environmental beneﬁts and their cultural and economic role in Louisiana.

Steaming red crawﬁsh piled high on yesterday’s newspaper is a staple of

Louisiana tables in springtime. Beyond mudbugs’ place in local tradition, the crustacean offers something else: a potentially healthy, sustainable seafood option.

The catch is knowing how it’s prepared and where it came from.

High protein, low fat

Crawﬁsh may be small, but they offer the gold standard of nutritional value.

“Low in calories, high in protein,” said Mandy Armentor a registered dietician and nutrition agent with the LSU AgCenter based in Abbeville.

A standard three-ounce serving of tail meat (peeled from about 1.25 pounds) contains around 70 calories, 14 grams of protein, one gram of fat and about 115 milligrams of cholesterol. Crawﬁsh deliver 20 grams of protein per 100 calories, making it one of the most proteindense foods, beating out chicken, beef, salmon and eggs.

Catherine Champagne, a nutrition re-

searcher at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, said the cholesterol content in crawﬁsh is not a concern for most people because they’re low in saturated fat.

“They’re relatively low in fat and calories,” said Champagne. “It’s a healthy choice.”

They’re also packed with key micronutrients like copper, manganese, selenium and B12, which are all great for overall health, brain health and immune system protection, Armentor said.

Crawfish contain about 200 to 300 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids per serving. That’s not as much as cold water fish like salmon, but more than white fish such as cod or tilapia.

The communal way they’re eaten can also encourage healthier eating habits.

“When you have to sit there and peel it, you slow down,” Champagne said.

While crawﬁsh is naturally lean and

ä See CRAWFISH, page 3X

Risk of dementia can be reduced

BY SHANTELL GOMEZ and MARGARET DeLANEY

Contributing and staff writers

Watching someone suddenly struggle to remember simple everyday things is heartbreaking. The person is still physically present, but as their memory declines, personality and sense of self begin to disappear

The loss and care required takes an enormous toll on families.

Researchers have examined potential causes and risk factors for dementia for years. In 2024, the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care suggested that up to 45% of dementia cases may be prevented by fully addressing 14 lifestyle risk factors including: n not completing secondary education, resulting in less cognitive reserve, n hearing loss, n high LDL cholesterol, n depression, n traumatic brain injury, n physical inactivity, n diabetes, n smoking, n hypertension, n obesity n excessive alcohol consumption, n social isolation, n air pollution, n and untreated visual loss. Dr Virginia Kellner, a Lafayettenative and neurologist, emphasizes the point that lifestyle changes can signiﬁcantly reduce the risk of dementia. Kellner says that up to half of dementia cases could be prevented with these lifestyle modifications addressing the 14 risk factors.

Even those with a genetic predisposition to dementia can decrease their risk through healthy choices: n prioritizing cognitively stimulating activities throughout life, n minimizing exposure to harmful noise, n staying socially active and avoiding isolation; n addressing vision loss when possible; n maintaining healthy sleep and stress management habits.

The most critical period for making these changes is midlife, between the ages of 18 and 65, though beneﬁts can still be seen later in life.

The role of diet in brain health

The Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, or MIND diet, targets the health of the aging brain. This diet combines the healthy diets based on food found in countries near the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet that was

Lifestyle changes, daily brain activities help, La. doctors say ä See DEMENTIA, page 2X

STAFF

PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Jordan Jones stirs crawfish as they boil at the booth for C&M Crawchicks during Crawfête in March in Baton Rouge.

HEALTHMAKER

N.O. heartdoctorhas passionfor global health

Cardiologist has provided resources to Uganda

BY MARGARETDeLANEY Staff writer

Dr.Craig Sable, aworld-renowned pediatric cardiologist, has rejoined the New Orleans teamas the associate chair of pediatrics for academics as the co-director of the Ochsner Children’sCongenital HeartCenter.

Sableisaninternational leader in pediatric echocardiography,telemedicine, rheumatic heartdisease and global cardiovascular disease. He held multiple positionsinhis 27 years at Children’sNational Hospital in Washington D.C. including chief of cardiology,director of global health initiative and executive director of telemedicine.

He is alsoanadjunct professor of pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine. Sable has authored 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts (including severalin the New England Journal of Medicine and Lancet Journals). He has been aprincipal or co-investigator for several NIH, AmericanHeart Association and foundation grants. His passion is global health Sable has done work in Uganda since 2002, visiting more than50 timestohelpadvance echocardiography,catheterization andsurgery at Uganda Heart Institute, improve care of children and young adults with congenital and rheumatic heart disease, support research in rheumatic heart disease andtrain the next generation of Africancardiologists.

While he left Louisiana in his early career for Washington D.C., he fell in love with New Orleans— he has ridden in the Krewe of Hermes for 13 years.

How did you becomeinterested in working with children with heart disease overseas?

In New Orleans in the early 90s, Iworked with the team at Ochsner to set up one of the ﬁrsttelemedicineprograms in the country to improve access to babies being born with heart problems around thestate of Louisiana —which was incredibly underserved at the time My experience heremademe aware of how great the disparities werebetween people who were born in places with good access and poor access to care. That’sso magniﬁed with congenital and acquired heartdisease in children, where children have asurvival rate for

DEMENTIA

createdbydoctors at Pennington

Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.

Dr.Cathy Champagne, alead developer of the DASH diet, said it was ameal plan easy to stickwith and works for the whole family

“It is scientiﬁcally proven tolower blood pressure, lower therisk of stroke, lowerthe risk of cardiovascular events and works to improve metabolism regardless ofyour size,” Champagne said. All three diets (the MIND, Mediterranean and DASH) highlight plant-basedfoods and limit the intake of animal and high saturated fat foods.

Research shows that individuals who followed theMINDdiet experienced a53% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’sdisease.

“Eventhosewho adhered to the diet moderatelydemonstrateda reducedrisk,” said Lafayette neurologist, Kellner

TheMINDdietencourages the consumptionof:

n extra-virgin olive oil (used as primary cooking oil)

n six or more servings perweek of green leafy vegetables

n other vegetables (atleastone serving per day)

n two or more servings of berries per week

n three servings daily of whole grains

n seafood (at least once aweek)

n poultry (twice aweek)

n beans and legumes(at least four servings aweek)

n nuts (at least ﬁve or more servings per week).

Foods to avoid withthe MIND

diet include fried and fatty foods, sweets andpastries, butter and trans-fat margarine, whole-fat

Dr.Craig Sableisapediatric cardiologist in NewOrleans.

heartsurgery andfor most conditions between 98 and 100%,but only 10% of theworld has access to that life-saving heart surgery That inspired me, when Iwas in Washington D.C., to try to change the course for children in less-privileged countries. Istarted going to Africa in the late 90s, and Idid my ﬁrst of probably 50 trips to Uganda in 2002.

What progress has been made working with childrenwho need heartsurgeryinUganda?

Ourinitial workwas to work with several differentnonprofits to be able to help diagnose and bring kids to other countries for heart surgery.Wewould see these children at age oneortwo whowould have been fine if they lived in the U.S. It sounds sort of simplified, but for alot of thesecases, it’splumbing or fixinga hole; it’srelieving a blockage or fixing aleak.

If we can get the kidssurgery, thatchanges their total outlook and life expectancy.Also, alot of these kids live in villages where up to a hundredofpeople’slives are impacted by onesick kid. There are programs in New Orleansthathavetaken care of some of thesekids. Butunfortunately, that’sjustthe tipofthe iceberg. After transferring many kids outofUganda for surgery,itbecame clear that theonly real way forward was to help build asustainable heartsurgery program in country. In 2007, we did the ﬁrst surgical trip, where instead of bringing abunchofkids out, we were able touse thesame funds andtake careof20kids instead of two, and do heart surgery in Uganda.

The ultimate goal, which we’ve achieved to somedegree, is to teach the locals and build the infrastructure to teach the local team howtodoheartsurgery on their

cheese andred meat. Cognitiveengagement

Although improving diet and exercise will help lower therisk factors involved in dementiaand brainaging, peoplemust also work to keep the brain active throughoutlife.

Kellner advises that any activity that challenges the brain —such as reading, solving puzzlesor learning anew instrument or language —can help build cognitive resilience.

Even little things, like memorizing agrocery list instead of relying adigital list on the phone, can be beneﬁcial

Dr.JeffKeller,the director of theInstitute forDementiaResearch &Prevention at PenningtonBiomedicalResearchCenter anda professor of aging and neurodegeneration, said these little measures to test the mind, go along way with latterlife brain aging.

Astudy published in Neurology in 2021 found that high levels of cognitiveactivity, such as reading, playing games like checkers, puzzlesand writing letters, can delay the onset of Alzheimer’sdisease by ﬁve years among thoseaged 80 years andover

Another study from Journal of the American Medical Association Open, published in July2023, found that frequently engagingin brain-challengingactivities, including journaling, playing chess and solving crossword puzzles was associated with alower risk of developing dementia amongolder adults.

“Theseactivities increase the cognitivereserve, or mental library,” Keller said. “As new books are added, thelibrary grows biggerand bigger.Building this library of information in your brain creates abuffer for memoryloss.”

Although keeping the brain ac-

own.

We still do visits whereweimprove the training. In 2024, the hospital in Uganda didalmost 300 heart surgeries withonly eight performed by visiting teams.

We still have alittle work to do, but we’ve been abletobuild something that we’re really proud of.

What is congenital heartdisease?

Congenital heart disease, or holes in the heart, is the most common birth defect that affects about one out of 100 kids. Probablyhalf of those kids need heart surgery to survive.

Andover alifetime, aquarter of the kids are probablycritical, meaning they need some form of treatment in the ﬁrst year of life. This is aubiquitous problem that’s thesameeverywhere.

What inspired you to study cardiology?

Whatisn’tthe sameeverywhere is there’sasecond pediatricheart problem called rheumatic heart disease, which very few people have heard of in the United States because it’snot very common here.

Rheumatic heart disease is caused by the body’sreaction to a sore throat. If you get strep throat and you don’tget penicillin, your immune system can attack the heart, especially if you live in an area that’sreally crowded, and you

get strep throat multiple times. It was ahuge problem in the United States until1960 when we kind of started using widespread antibiotics, including penicillin My grandmother had it when she was growingupinthe 1910s and 1920s. Igrew up watchingher be sick. It inspired me to getinvolved in cardiology. Andironically,I’m leading the way andtakingcare of acondition thatshe suffered from acentury ago.

Thiscondition,over time, can lead to heart valve damage. It affects over 50 million peopleinthe world, and it causes almost halfa milliondeaths.

In the countries that we visit, surgery is the answer for manywith end stages of thedisease. However if we ﬁnd it early andgivekids penicillin, we can prevent them from ever needing surgery.Part of our workinAfrica is thatwe’ve built ahugeresearch infrastructure in Uganda andnow partner with multiplecountries around the world to try to preventrheumatic heart disease.

In Louisiana, what are new technologies or new research that will impactthe pediatric cardiologyhealthspace? Someofthe most excitingdevelopments in the worldofpediatric cardiology are focused on imaging

across thespectrumoflife. We’re now able to do fetal echoes and diagnose heart disease at 12 or 14 weeks gestation —which is incredible.

Andit’snot only ultrasounds. We’re now able to do fetal MRIs thatinclude the heart. For along time, it was really hard to getmotion picture.

Now,wehaveacouplepeople thatare really advancing the abilitytomakepictures of the fetal heart,which for critical heart disease, is really importanttoknow aboutitbefore birth.

There’sahuge change from the heart before andafter babies are born. We can miss an opportunity to start babies on life-savingmedicationsorprovide life-savinginterventions if we do not have these images. Thecombination of prenatal imagingwithearly postnatal care can have ahuge difference. On theotherspectrum, we have manyadults with complex congenitalheart disease, and there are a wide varietyofnew innovationsin terms of bothcatheter-based and surgical treatmentthat can makea difference.

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@theadvocate. com.

tive throughout life is essential to reducingthe risk of cognitivedecline, managing other risk factors (like depression, isolation and environment) must accompany those activities.

Social,environmental factors

Social isolation is aconsiderable risk factor for dementia, increasing the likelihood of the condition by 27%. Staying socially engaged helps the brain become more resilient.

To address this challenge, Kellner recommends community involvement, family gatherings and joiningclubs —anything thatfosters connection.

Stress management is an essential factor,though an indirect one. Chronic stress increases inflammation and cortisol levels, which can contribute to dementiarisk by worsening vascular issues.

“Stress can also lead to depression, which has been linkedtoincreased dementia risk,” Kellner said Louisiana residents mayalso face environmentalrisksdue to air pollution. Matter from industrial processes, vehicle emissionsand

wildﬁres hasbeenlinkedtovascular damage in the brain.

“We’re still learning aboutthe direct effects, but minimizing exposure to pollutants is asmart move for long-term brain health,”she said Habits like exercising, reading and eating well can be incorporated at any age. Assessmentsare availablethrough primary care providers forthose concerned about any

cognitive issues. For youngergenerations, the best adviceistoestablisha foundation of good health early

“Aim for thehighestquality education possible, stay physically and mentally activeand care for your overall health,” Kellner said.

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@theadvocate. com.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

TheLouisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and re-examining tried and true methods on ways to livewell.

Health editions will also profile people whoare advancing health forthe state of Louisiana.

Do youhavea health story? We want to hear fromyou. Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Dr.Craig Sable conducts acardiac ultrasound (echocardiography) in aremote partofUgandatodetect rheumatic heartdisease.

Continued from page 1X

PROVIDED PHOTO

Advancing Alzheimer’sresearch holdspromise for more effective treatments, earlier detection and enhanced patient care.

Keller

Champagne

Eat Fit Live Fit

BRO UGHT TO YO UB Y

Rosemary garlic biscuits:A healthier reimagining of abelovedcomfort food

Molly Kimball

Assomeonewho grewupon flaky,freshly bakedbiscuits—and nowspendsherdays helpingpeoplefind healthierwaystoenjoy theirfavoritefoods—I’m thrilledtosharea recipethatchecksboth boxes.Theserosemary garlicbiscuitshitthat savory-satisfyingnote withouttheneedfor refinedwhiteflour.

Gluten-free,vegetarianandlow-carb,these rosemarygarlicbiscuits arealsoincrediblysavory,ﬂuffyandfullofﬂavor.Ilovethembecause they’retrulyreminiscentof a“realbiscuit.”TheyweredevelopedbymyfriendBen McLauchlin,whoworkedwithusonthedessertand bakeryrecipesforourEatFitcookbook.Whileexperimentingwithleftoverdoughfromhislemonscones,he decidedtoadaptitintoasavorybiscuitthatcombines therobustnuttinessofgarlicwithfresh,pineynotesof rosemary.

Usingcoconutoilinsteadofbutterkeepsthebiscuits plant-basedwhilestilldeliveringrich,satisfyingtexture. Coconutoilcantypicallybeswappedinforbutterata 1:1ratio(tablespoonfortablespoon).It’saplant-based fatthatremainssolidatcoolertemperatures,making itagreatstand-inforbutterinbakedgoods,offeringa similartextureandrichness.

RosemaryGarlicBiscuits Makes10biscuits

1¾cupalmondﬂour ¼cupcoconutﬂour 2½teaspoonsbakingpowder ¼teaspoonsalt 4tablespoonsSwerveGranular 1tablespoonchoppedfreshrosemary 2tablespoonschoppedfreshchives ½tablespoonchoppedgarlic ½teaspoonxanthangum 4tablespoonscoconutoil,chilled 1egg(roomtemperature) 4tablespoonsunsweetenedalmondmilk

Insteadofall-purposeflour,Benusesalmondflour andcoconutflour,whichoffermoreprotein,fiberand plant-basedfatsforsteadierenergyandglucoselevels. Anotherkeytothisrecipeisxanthangum.Itservesthe functionofgluten(providingstructureandtextureto bakedgoods),sodon’tskipitoryoumaywindupwith acrumblymess.

Theserosemarygarlicbiscuitsareadeliciousaddition toanymeal—weeknightdinners,brunchorasanaturallygluten-freeoptionwhenyouhaveguestsover.They alsomakefantasticbreakfastsandwiches.Justslice open,addscrambledorfriedeggs,andtopwithyour favoritecheeseorprotein.Youcanmakeabatchahead oftimeandfreezethem,thenpullthemouttoreheatin theovenwheneverabiscuitcravingcalls.

MollyKimball,RD,CSSD,isaregistereddietitian withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsner’sEatFit nonproﬁtinitiative.Formorewellnesscontent,tuneinto Molly’spodcast,FUELEDWellness+Nutrition,andfollow @MollykimballRDand@EatFitOchsneronsocialmedia. Emailnutrition@ochsner.orgtoconnectwithMollyor scheduleaconsultwithherteam.

Prevention —well overthe national averageof13.1teen births per 1,000. Mississippi hadthe highest rate of teen births in the nation with 24.9 teen births per 1,000, followedbyArkansas with 23.8 teen births per 1,000.

Babies borntomothers between ages 15 to 19 arenearly twice as likely to die in their first year of life as those bornto mothers between 30 and 34, according to the CDC.

Teenagers’ bodies are smaller and their hips are narrower than womenin their 20s and30s. Physicians saythose factors maymaketeens less prepared physiologically to givebirth,leading to more pretermbirths, lowbirth weights and complications during delivery.

From 2022 to 2023,the birth rate forteenagers ages 15 to 19 declined in 17 states (Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky,Maine, Michigan, Mississippi,

CRAWFISH

Continued frompage1X

high in protein, it canquickly becomeunhealthy depending on how it’sprepared. If boiled (more on this in aminute), it’susually healthy,Armentor said. “But when we start frying it, or putting it in an au gratin,orsome pasta dishes that are cream-based, then …we’re negating thehealthy beneﬁts.”

Frying crawﬁsh adds fat, throwing off the nutritional balance. Most people who are boilingupa pot of crawﬁsh in thebackyard are going to include aseasoning mix

in the remaining 33 states” including Louisiana, according to analysisfrom the CDC.

Southern statesstill remainthe outliers with high rates of teen births:

n Mississippi (24.9 teen births per 1,000 women)

n Arkansas (23.8 teen births per 1,000 women)

n Louisiana (23.7 teen births per 1,000 women)

n Kentucky(20.7 teen births per 1,000 women)

n Oklahoma (20.6 teen births per 1,000 women)

n Tennessee (20.4 teen births per 1,000 women)

n Alabama (20.1 teen births per 1,000 women)

These states had the lowest ratesof teen births: NewHampshire (4.6 teen births per 1,000 women)

That changes the health calculus a bit, according to Champagne, becauseofthe high sodium content.

“All of the Cajun seasoning,salt is the ﬁrst ingredient,” Champagne said Instead, Armentor recommends sticking to spices like garlic,red pepper andlemon.

An environmentalwin

In addition to being healthy on the plate —oroften, afolding table

crawﬁsh are also awin for the environment

“It’s aboutasnatural andsustainable of aseafood as you could ﬁnd anywhere, really,” saidLutz, the aquaculturespecialist. Nearly all Louisiana crawﬁshare

Preheatovento400degrees.Greaseabakingsheetorround bakingpan.

Inamedium-sizedbowl,mixtogetheralmondandcoconut ﬂourwiththenext7ingredients.Workcoconutoilinto ﬂourmixturewithaforkoryourhandsuntilitresembles breadcrumbs.Setaside

Inasmallbowl,beattogethereggandmilk.Add5 tablespoonsoftheegg-milkmixturetotheﬂourmixture (leavingalittleeggandmilkforbastingthetopofthe scones)andmixuntilwellcombined.

Transferdoughtoanalmond-ﬂouredcountertoporcutting board.Shapethedoughintoasmallcircleabout2inches thick.Usingabutteredchampagneﬂuteorsmallbiscuit cutter,cutbiscuitsoutofdough.Placebiscuitsclosetogether onacookiesheet.(Whentheycook,youwanttheedgesto touchsotheystaysoft.)Bakefor13-16minutes,oruntiltops aregoldenbrownaroundtheedgesandthedoughiscooked through.Removebiscuitsfromovenandtransferthemtoa bowllinedwithabreadcloth,clothnapkinorkitchentowel tokeepthebiscuitsmoistandwarmforserving.

Perserving(1biscuit):220calories,18gramsfat,8grams saturatedfat,180mgsodium,14gramscarbohydrate(6 gramsnetcarbs),3gramsﬁber,2gramssugar(0added sugar),7gramsprotein

n Vermont (5.7 teen births per 1,000 women)

n Massachusetts (5.8 teen births per 1,000 women)

n Connecticut (6.8 teen births per 1,000 women)

farm-raisedinseasonalrotation with rice, creating aproductive system that uses land, labor and equipment that might otherwise sit idle. After rice is harvested, farmers flood the fields and let the leftover nutrients breakdowntocreatea natural food chain for the crawfish.

Crawﬁsh farmsalsoserve as habitats for other animals.

“A crawfish farm is really like an artificial wetland,” Lutz said. Migratory andwadingbirds,critters like opossums and river otter,turtles andfrogs can be foundincrawfish farms, alot of which have been “crowded out” of other habitats over the last 100 years, he said.

Unlike other types of aquaculture such as salmon farming, crawﬁsh

n Maine (7.2 teen births per 1,000 women)

n Rhode Island (7.5 teen births per 1,000 women)

n NewJersey(7.5 teen births per 1,000 women)

farmingrequires fewresources. The water used in ponds is typically drawn from bayous and canals and is often cleaner when it leaves the pond than when it entered, thanks to the natural ﬁltering processes at work, said Lutz.

Louisiana’scrawfish industry

Louisiana is the leading producer of crawﬁsh in the UnitedStates, accounting forapproximately 90% of the nation’s supply,according to the Louisiana Crawﬁsh Promotion and Research Board, an industry group.

However,not all crawﬁshonthe market originate from Louisiana. Frozen crawﬁsh tail meat is imported fromChina and other countries,

where production practices andenvironmental standards may differ Lutz said that in those countries, crawfish are often farmed from wild sources ratherthancontrolled ponds. Whenshopping, Armentoradvises checking the label. If it’saproduct of Louisiana, it will say so.

Thesedays, Lutz spends less timepulling crawfish traps and more timeanswering questions for Louisiana’scrawﬁshfarmers, who generateabout $300 million for the

annually Buthehasn’t lost hisappreciation for what he calls

“I still enjoy

achance,” he said.

Staffgraphic

Source:Centers forDisease Controland Prevention

RD,CSSD

Stay on funsideofthe medicaltent

Follow thesetips to stay safe this festivalseason

BY MICHAEL MERSCHEL

American HeartAssociation News (TNS)

As aveteran of morethan 20 musicfestivals,Los Angeles law student Christian Langstonhas seen alittle bit of everything.

Musically,he’sseen indie rock bands and electronic dance music extravaganzas. He’switnessed unbelievable spectaclessuch as agiant ﬂame-spouting metal octopus in Las Vegas –and that time EDM act Ookay brought out smooth-jazz saxman Kenny Gfor asolo.

He’s also been around arange of health crises. He’shad friends who needed medical helpfor cuts, scrapes or because they didn’tdrink enough water andneededanIV. And he’sseen medical workers weave their way through crowds to help people dealing with dehydration or drug issues.

Doctors whoworksuchevents have seen it all, too.

“Every eventisunique in and ofitself,” said Dr.Matt Friedman, emergency medical services fellowship program director at Maimonides MedicalCenterand an assistant professor of emergency medicineat SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University,both in Brooklyn.

He’sworked at venues ranging from New York City’sYankee Stadium, where he’slead housephysician, to the Gorge Amphitheaterin remote central Washington.

With heavy metalorcountry crowds, he’sseen “a fair amount of blunt trauma, either from the mosh pit or from ﬁghts.”

For EDM crowds,the mostcommon emergency has been drug toxicity.And when he’sworked the massive Burning Man festival, which draws tens of thousands of people to the Nevada desert, he’s dealt with eye problems from blowing dust, as well as injuries from accidents.

“People are frequently intoxicated, and people frequently are engaged in high-risk activities like climbing,” which is “not agreat combination,” said Friedman, who

alsoisnationalmedical director of CrowdRx, whichprovidesmedical services at large events.

Whatever your own idea of an excitingfestival —whether it’s Lady Gaga and Missy ElliottatCoachella in California in April or Luke Combs and Olivia Rodrigo at Bonnaroo in Tennessee this June —hereare some of the health issues doctors saythey commonly see— andadvice on avoiding them

Stay hydrated

“Not drinking enough water may be the most likely reason someone will end up in amedical tent,”said Dr.Katie FitzGibbon, an emergency medicine physician at UPMCin Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

The combination of outdoor heat and excessivealcohol leaves alot of people feelingmiserable, said FitzGibbon, lead author of a2017 study on medical care at EDM festivals. “If you could make sure you’re hydrating for acouple of days before you go, and notjust chugging water the day that you’re there,that probably would be agood idea.”

Dr.Alison Leung, aclinical assistant professorofemergency medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville, also said thatthe bulk of cases she’sseen at festivals are “heat-related or related to not eating enough or not drinking enough water.”

Langston has seen howthis happens. Oneofhis favoritefestivals, theElectric Daisy Carnival, takes placeatLas Vegas Motor Speedway, where he’sexperienced triple-digit temperatures well into the night.

“You could be completely sober, and people were still passing out from dehydration, because you’re notthinkingabout water– you’re thinking about, ‘I have to get across the speedway to the next stage because my favoriteartist is playing.’”

Leung, who has worked or attended festivals fromMoonrise in Baltimore to Coachella in Indio, also is the associatemedical director for Sumter County EMS. She said many major music festivals “are very good at providing cooling areas and hydration stationsfor participants.”

If you’reallowed to bring in a reﬁllablewater bottle or hydration pack, “I alwayshighly recommend that,” she said, and if you drink alcohol, drink abottle of water between

every one or twoalcoholic drinks.

Know theweather

Heat isn’tthe only temperature concern, Leung said. At desert venues or at aplace like the Gorge Amphitheater or Burning Man, where shewas oneofthe medical directors for the ﬁeld hospital last year,itcan be scalding during the day but freezing at night, she said.

“Many people wear verylittle clothing at these festivals,” said Leung. “They don’trealize it gets cold,”and medical workers hand outfoil-like emergency blankets to warm them up. Afriend, she said, jokingly likens the people in such gear to “baked potatoes.”

While Leung recommends bringing asmall fan to help you stay cool during the day— anddon’t forget the sunscreen, of course —“bring ajacket”toavoid becoming abaked potato aftersundown,she said “Bring layers.”

Keep theshoes sensible

“Yourchoice of attire andfootwear is really important,” Langston has learned. Attire can be apart of the fun at afestival, he said, but people can be more concerned about looking good than beingpractical. He’shad friends in “crazy”strap outfits who’vefallen on aFriday, thensuffered for the rest of the festivalweekend.

So, wear sturdy shoes that can stand up to allthe walking and dancing you’ll be doing, Leung said. “

Youwanttomake sure that you’re not going to be wearingsomething that you can easily trip in or sprain your ankle in, like apair of high heels or platforms.”

And carry achange of socks, Langstonadvised, “because if you get blisters at oneo’clock in the morning, andthen you keep going, andyou have three moredays of that, it can becomemiserable.”

FitzGibboncan vouch forthat.

At one largeEDM event, shesaw asteadystreamofpeople needing bandages because of ill-ﬁtting shoes.

Bringessential medications

People sometimes forget important medications, said Friedman, who with Leung was aco-author of a2021 National Association of Emergency Medicine Services Physicians positionstatementonmass gathering medical care.

“Ifyou,for example,haveahistory of anaphylaxis, bring your EpiPen,”hesaid. “Ifyou have ahistory of diabetes, make sure you have your insulin withyou.Ifyou have a history of asthma, make sure you have an extra asthmapump with you, just in case.”

Don’toverindulge

Ever since someofthe grandparents of today’sfestival fans were warned about the “brownacid” at Woodstock, recreational drugs have been part of the concert scene. Leung saidthat “whether or not we wanttoacknowledge that as acon-

stant presence at festivals, it’sgoing to be available.”

Unfortunately,FitzGibbon said, many people at these festivals are younger,“and common sense is not always as readily present as we wishitwould be.”

So,while “it obviously goes withoutsaying, ‘Don’t use drugs that you ﬁnd in the bathroom,’”FitzGibbon said, some people do. And sometimes, that type of behavior gets them in lethal trouble Euphoria-inducingdrugs such as MDMA predominate at EDM festivals.Inhighdoses, MDMA can lead to afatal increase in body temperature. It also can disrupt the heart rhythm and cause spikes in blood pressure.

Friedman describesthe problem at festivals as “a lack of moderation”for attendees whotry multiple stimulantsatonce. He’s also had patients who thought they weretaking astimulantthatturnedout to be apotent opioid, which depressed their breathingtothe pointthatthey needed to be putona ventilator For people who plan to use drugs despite the risks, manyfestivals have stations where pills can be tested to make sure they’re what the user is expecting, Leung said. Sheencouragedthose whocan to carrynaloxone,theover-the-counter nasal spray that temporarily reverses theeffects of opioids. If someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally,AmericanHeart Associationguidelinessay to call 911 andstart CPR while someone else retrieves an automated external deﬁbrillator,ifone is available. If opioids are thought to be involved, give naloxone,use the AEDand continue CPRuntilEMS arrives.

“You just never know when you might be able to save alife,” Leung said.

Have aplanand sticktogether

When you arrive at afestival, scoutout the medical tent and know where theexitsare,FitzGibbonsuggested

It’s agreat ideatogowithfriends who can keep an eyeonone another, shesaid.

And stay in agroup, Friedman said. Make sure youhave extra batteries for your phone, andarrange foraplace to meet in case of aproblem.

STAFF PHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD

The Onward Brass Band performs on the Louisiana Fish FryStageduring the last dayofthe French Quarter Festival on April 13.

Ochsner Transplant Institute gives newhope to patients and familiesacrossthe region

By Amanda McElfresh amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

Thisstory is brought to you by OchsnerHealth.

he Ochsner TransplantInstitutein

TNewOrleans stands as anational leader in organtransplantsurgery Since 1984, Ochsner’s team of renowned physicians,surgeons,nursesand support specialists have successfully performed morethan 8,000 life-savingliver,kidney, pancreas,lung and heart transplants from both living and deceased donors. This makes Ochsner TransplantInstitutethe most activeand experienced transplant center in theregion.

Last year,Ochsner TransplantInstitute’slung transplantprogram marked a major milestone of its ownwithits 500th successful lung transplant

CourtneyShappley,DO Pulmonologist OchsnerMedicalCenter-NewOrleans

“It’sahugedeal. Lung transplants are not performed as often as liver or kidney transplants.Acenterlikeoursmay perform hundreds of liver and kidneytransplants in ayear,while lung transplants aremuch lesscommon,”said CourtneyShappley, DO, pulmonologist,Ochsner MedicalCenter-

New Orleans.“Last year we performed 14 lung transplants,and ourgoal is always to continuetobuild on successful outcomes of the previous year As the only lung transplantprogram in Louisiana, we feel proud to be able to offer this life-savingprocedure andcomprehensive specialized care to patientsacrossthe state and beyond.”

Wehaveahigh volumeandhigh complexity.We’re themostactiveand mostexperienced transplantcenterin theregion.

Dr.Shappley said most lung transplant patients suffer from end-stagelung diseasecaused by conditionssuch as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), idiopathicpulmonary ﬁbrosisand cystic ﬁbrosis. Aset of international guidelines helps physicians determine when apatient maybea lung transplantcandidate,taking factorsintoconsideration such as disease state, signs of lung function decline and frequentinfections, among others.

DennisSonnier,MD Abdominaltransplantsurgeon

“When patients come in fora transplant, they areonoxygenand areweakened from theeffectsoftheir diseaseand lack of physical activity,” Dr.Shappleysaid. “By the time theyleave thehospitalafter atransplant, they areoff oxygen and breathing more normally.Itcan takemonthsfor patients to adjust to their medicationregimen and gettheir strengthback.Around six months after the transplant, most patients saythey arefeeling normal again. They cangoback to work, run a5Korbabysit the grandkids. It is truly amiracle to seeevery time.

Approximately 103,000 men, women and children areonthe national organ transplantwaiting list,and anew person is addednearly every eightminutes.Each organdonor cansaveuptonine lives and impact75morelives

In addition to transplants from deceased donors, the OchsnerTransplantInstitute also has robust living donor programs for the liver and kidneys.AtOchsner,about 30% of kidneytransplantpatients receive

Ochsnerclinicians,organrecipients,livingdonorsanddonor familiesgathertowatchLouisianaOrganProcurementAgency (LOPA)raisetheDonateLifeﬂagatOchsnerMedicalCenterin NewOrleansonApril11

organs from living donors,either someone theyknoworatotal stranger.Ochsneris alsohometothe only living liver donor program in Louisiana not only foradult patients, but childrenaswell. Its surgeons handle some of themost difficult living liver transplantcases,including re-transplantation, which involves asecond transplant, and transplantation of patients withportal vein thrombosis,the formationofa blood clot in the veins of your liver

DennisSonnier,MD Abdominaltransplantsurgeon OchsnerMedicalCenter-NewOrleans

We have ahigh volume and high complexity. We’rethe most activeand most experienced transplantcenterinthe region,”said DennisSonnier,MD, abdominal transplantsurgeon, Ochsner MedicalCenter– NewOrleans.“We have alarge team of peoplewho areall very specialized in organ transplantation and howtotakecareof

both donorsand recipients before, during and after their operations.”

Dr.Sonnier said thatthe team includes surgeons,anesthesiologists,nurses, nurse coordinators,pharmacists,dietitians and social workers.

Since performing Louisiana’sﬁrst liver transplantin1984, theexpert teams at Ochsnerhaveperformedmorethan 3,000 successful liver transplants forboth adults and children. Each year,morethan 125 patients undergoaliver transplantatthe OchsnerTransplantInstitute.

Today, Ochsner continues to build on its strong reputation as an organtransplantcenterwith newtechniques thatare among themost advanced in medicine. Dr Sonnier said one of the biggest innovations at Ochsner is the useofminimally invasive surgery fortransplants

“Ochsnerisnow utilizingroboticsurgery tools to performkidney transplants forboth donor andrecipient,”hesaid. “With this minimally invasiveapproach, ourpatients canheal faster andfeelbettersooner.”

Living donorscan donate asingle kidney or apart of their liver to a family member,friendorstranger. Dr Sonnier said most people who need akidney transplantcan wait forﬁve yearsormore, and many neverreceivethe transplant theyneed.The livertransplantwaiting list is alsolong, withmost patientswaiting at least severalmonths,and oftenlonger Living and deceasedorgan donation offershope forcountless patients who may face ayears–long waiting list Forthese individuals,every daywithout a donor canbring heighted uncertainty as conditions mayworsenwithtime. Thegift of organdonationisanextraordinaryact that Ochsnerphysicians and care teamswitness ﬁrst-hand, even in themostunexpected and challenging circumstances serving as apowerful symbol of compassion and generosityfromthosewho choosetogive.

“Through their generosity,organ donors truly give the gift of life,”Dr. Sonnier said Visit ochsner.org/save9 formore informationabout howtobecomeanorgan donorinLouisiana.

AtOchsnerLafayetteGeneral,webelieveincommunityandeverythingitrepresents.Whether it’sworkingtogethertowardacommonpurposeorcomingtogethertolaugh,danceand celebrate,wehaveonegoal:toinspirehealthierlivesandstrongercommunitiesthrough accesstocare.Visitochsner.org/communityformoreinformation.

LOUISIANA

GROWINGHOME

HarryTompson Center expandsday shelterfor theneedy andunhoused

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

Like many cities, New Orleanshas struggled to address its homelessness crisis in away that is both compassionate and effective.

While there are no easy solutions,a day shelter on the edge of the Central Business District, the Harry Tompson Center,isshowing the way, providing its “guests” with clean showers, private bathrooms, device charging stations and other vital services to help them ﬁnd apermanent home.

Over the past few years, the Harry Tompson Center has helped about150 individuals ayear,onaverage, qualify for housing —a monthslong process that involves assessment, handholding, paperwork, medical screeningsand behavioral health counseling. The center helps hundreds moreeach year ready themselves for that process.

But that’sjusta fractionof the more than 17,000 mostly men and some women whoavail themselves of the center’s hygiene services. The Harry Tompson Center sees hygieneasa gatewayto greater care,sothe real way to measure its effectiveness isbythe number of folks who gothere to take ashower

“If you are standing around waiting for ashower,one ofour housing case navigators can comearound andtalk to youand begin to have that initial conversation,” said Paisleigh Kelley,the center’scommunications director.“It opens the door.”

Now,the Harry TompsonCenter is opening that door even widerwith an expanded facility thatwill make hygiene servicesmore accessible —and, staffers hope,more enjoyable —thereby enabling the organization to serve more people.

In early March,the center cutthe ribbon on an expandedhygiene areawith 10 showers, six private bathrooms and twice as many sinks as before, 18 in all, with hot water.The new space also has alaundry facility, where astaffer will wash guests’ clothes, and alarger,better-lit commonarea.

The facility is notonlymore spacious butalso more functional.

“It’sa betterutilizationof space that is beautiful and will help us betterfulﬁll ourmission,” said thecenter’s Executive DirectorEmily Wain.

The $2.1 million project marked the ﬁrst phase of atotal $3.6 million overhaul of the center.Phase two, now underway,includes the build-out of three medical treatmentrooms, fourcounseling/case managementrooms, threeprivate phoneboothsand newadministrative ofﬁces.

The newspace is scheduledtobecompleted in late fall.

“This will enable us to really kick things up anotch and do an even better job for those we serve,” said Wain. “We’re hopingtoexpand our medical services from two days aweek to ﬁve.”

Beautifulcollaboration

TheHarry Tompson Center was founded in thelate 1990s by thelate Rev Harry Tompson, apopular Jesuit pastor and high school administratorinNew Orleans, who also founded Café Reconcile and The Good Shepherd School.

It began when Tompson started offeringsnacks and other assistance to needy people at the communitycenter building nexttohis church, Immaculate Conception on Baronne Street. After Tompson’s death in 2001, volunteers took over the organization and ofﬁcially incorporated it as a501(c)(3) afew years later

In 2007, as thecitybegan rebuilding after Katrina, the center movedtoits present locationinthe parking lotbehind St.Joseph’sCatholicChurchon TulaneAvenue.Itpartnered with the pastor of St. Joseph’sand with Lantern Light Ministries, another local nonproﬁt that servesthe homeless, to createwhat is known as Rebuild.

In the nearlytwo decades since, Rebuild has evolved into apartnership of four organizations, each working independently yetcollaboratively to care for thehomeless andneedyindistinctand complementary ways.

The Harry TompsonCenter provides hygiene and other basic services to help stabilize guests and prepare themfor housing.

Lantern Light serves breakfast and lunch daily.Italsoprovides regular mail service andhelps people secure state ID cards —two critically importantservices to those living on the streetsand seeking jobs or housing.

DePaul USA, which joined Rebuild in 2012, places guests in housing and

works to keep them housed, trying to ensurethey get thetype of support they need once they’ve moved into an apartment.

St.Joseph’s, thefourth partner in Rebuild, makes thepropertyinits parking lot available for free.

“It’sreally abeautifulcollaboration,” Wain said. “It’sa partnership in the true sense of the wordand we all really work well together,even while staying in our own lanes.”

‘Inittogether’

Wain came to New Orleans from St. Louis in 2004 as amemberofthe Jesuit Volunteer Corps, aservice program for young adults. Herplacement as aJV was with theHarry Tompson Center, back when it was operating from the space on Baronne Street.

“I thought Iwould stay ayear or two and thenﬁgure out what to do with my life,” she said.

Morethan two decades later,she’s ﬁrmly entrenched in New Orleans, with ahusband and twochildren, and has built hercareer at the Harry Tompson Center.In2020, weeks into theCOVID pandemic, she was tapped to succeed longtimeexecutive director,Vicki Judice, who still volunteers at the center and serves on its board.

“It’shard to capture in words how special this placeis,”Wainsaid. “Even in the hardtimes,I’m surrounded by amazing people, guests, staff, volunteers. We’reinittogether.”

Her days at the center are unpredictable,crazy and rewarding. Of late, she’sbeen preoccupiedwith keeping services running as smoothly as possible amid the din of buzz saws andhammers,making sure last-minute glitches —dryers that aren’t heating quite enough, erratic water pressure —are resolved.

Shealsostays busy coordinating

At 30,000 ft, embarrassment hasanupside

When asked, “What wasthe mostembarrassing thing you’ve ever experienced?,” Ihave aclear answer Abit of background is required: In preparation forthe 2009 Congrès Mondial Acadien, which was set to take place in New Brunswick, Canada, organizers invited agroup of Louisiana journalists to makethe trip up north foraweek of festivities in 2008.

The goal wasfor us to tell the people back homeabout the big event coming up. Hopefully,lots of Broussards, Poches, Landrys, Heberts and all the rest of the people with Acadian in Louisiana would makethe trip to connect with long-lost cousins and get in touch with their roots. At the time, Ilived in Lafayette and had twodaughters whowere 11 and 7. It wasthe weekschool wasstarting —anexhausting timefor parents with school-age children. The lists of things to buy and send to school with them is long.

All in all, lifewas busy and full. Before we left, Ibarely had a chance to look at the list of names of people whowere going on the trip and realize that Ididn’tknow asingle soul. They had chartered abus forustodrive from Lafayette through Baton Rouge to pick up morefolks and then make our waytothe airport in New Orleans.

We leftextra early on ahot August morning. Iamnot amorning person and realized as Iwas running out the door at 5a.m., with my favorite pillow in hand, that Ihad forgotten afew things. This was before airlines did their best to force people to do carryon only.Wewere all checking our bags. After all the traveling Ihad done, Ihad apersonal policy of things Ialways took with me on the plane.

Iran back in the house and grabbed the short list of mandatory itemsI had forgotten and stuck them in my pillowcase, which I’ve done on manyoccasions.

We madeittothe grocery store parking lot and met the others from Acadiana going on the trip. Iboarded the bus and unsuccessfully began to try to take a nap on our way to the airport. As planned, we stopped in Baton Rouge and picked up sometelevision journalists. David D’Aquin, whogrew up in Lafayette, was among that crew

By the timeweall boarded the plane, Iwas so tired. Istuck my pillow in the overhead compartmentand took my aisle seat, waiting forthe timethe little bell would ding and Icould ﬁnally take along nap.

All of the rest of the group, about 20 people, were seated behind me —including various television anchors and abevy of newspaper reporters. When the little bell dinged, Istood up, grabbed my pillow and promptly began to go to sleep.

About 10 minutes later,someone tapped me on my leftshoulder,which was to the aisle. Iwas incredulous. Why would someone deliberately wake me up when Iwas clearly sleeping? Iturned around and could see that the entire group’seyes wereonme. D’Aquin, whoworked forNBC33 and Fox 44 in Baton Rouge, had tapped my shoulder

He wassitting across the aisle, arow behind me. When Iturned toward him, he leaned forward and pointed toward the center of the aisle between us. He then whispered/ yelled over the engines and said, “You dropped something.”

Ilooked downtothe airplane aisle, with asinking feeling of

ä See RISHER, page 2Y

STAFF PHOTOSByBRETT DUKE

Emily Wain, executivedirector of the HarryTompson Center,sits at the center recently in NewOrleans.

Showers at the Harry TompsonCenter are available for the needyand unhoused

Q&A WITH JANE PATTERSON

Baton Rouge expert shares tips for hummingbird season

Education chair holds 20 years of experience

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

Jane Patterson, the president and education chair of the Baton Rouge Audubon Society, started her birding odyssey in 2005 when she spotted a bird in her backyard that she didn’t know The discovery set her on a 20-year path of birding and birding education. After taking classes at LSU, joining and then becoming president of the Baton Rouge Audubon Society, Patterson is a go-to source for birding information. Her passion goes beyond spotting birds and extends to teaching others about the intricacies of different species and the keys to successful bird-watching. She teaches birding classes in the spring and the fall at the LSU Hilltop Arboretum. To date, she has taught more than 700 people in her birding classes at Hilltop Arboretum. She shares her hummingbird wisdom here.

What was the initial draw for you to become interested in birding?

I was a gardener before I was a birder Twenty years ago, about this month, I had a bird feeder in our yard. I had my first digital camera, and I was taking pictures of birds in my yard when I found a bird that I wasn’t familiar with.

I tried to use my husband’s 1974 Field Guide to figure out what bird it was. It was a pain to figure it out, but I finally did it. According to the little map in the book, I had a rare bird in my yard. Because I’m a geek, I went to the internet, and this was before Google. I prowled around and discovered that the bird was a house finch, and it would have been a rare bird in 1974, but the house finch has expanded its range across all of North America, so it wasn’t rare in 2005. In that process, I started learning about Louisiana, and I discovered that LSU is an ornithological treasure, and Louisiana is an amazing place for birds I started doing basic birding classes at

Hilltop. This was even before I was with the Audubon Society just to share my excitement with other people. I was also seeing that kids were migrating more and more indoors, and not playing outside not in touch with nature. I thought that birds would get kids interested in the outdoors, so I started a bird club for kids.

In the summer months, what should people do to prepare for hummingbirds?

After May, people may ask, “Where are my hummingbirds?” Well, they’re busy nesting if they’re still here. The best thing to do when it’s really hot is take your feeders down so you don’t have to maintain them. Instead, you may want to add some plants to your garden, so the birds can use those ﬂowers.

In the fall, when nesting starts winding down, you’ll notice an uptick in August and it peaks in mid-late September as they’re moving back through on their way to Mexico and Costa Rica again. Through the Louisiana Birding Observatory’s banding program, we know it takes a ruby-throated hummingbird two days to ﬂy from Baton Rouge to Costa Rica, which is pretty amazing.

Can people still see ruby-throated hummingbirds in south Louisiana in late April?

The ruby-throated hummingbird — which is the only hummingbird that breeds in the eastern U.S. and winters in southern Mexico and Central America starts returning to the Ba-

ton Rouge area in early to mid-

March. Some do stay here all summer and breed, but many more of them are just passing through on their way north. Some of them head all the way into Canada, and they won’t get there until the early part of May

There are still some coming in and coming through, so we see this uptick in our feeders in April and early May and then that tapers off. During the breeding season, unless you are in a territory where the hummingbirds are breeding, you may not see them for most of May, June and July

How should people arrange their feeders to attract hummingbirds?

The most important thing about a feeder is making sure you have one that can be cleaned thoroughly, because one of the things that people don’t do is change the nectar often enough. They tend to hang it out there, and it gets really gross, which can actually make the hummingbird sick. You want a feeder that can open up completely so you can clean all the nooks and crannies. During the spring, cleaning and replacing the nectar every three to four days is ﬁne

I have a video on our YouTube, Baton Rouge Audubon channel, on hummingbirds and winter hummingbirds. Secondly, you don’t want any yellow parts on the hummingbird feeder because yellow attracts bees and wasps. They don’t hurt

SHELTER

Continued from page 1y

with volunteers, some of whom help out once or twice a week in their spare time; others, like Sr Kathy Obermann, who come daily to man the charging stations and is indispensable to daily operations.

When she has time to take a break, she enjoys sitting with guests in the Rebuild courtyard, with its wide benches shaded by lush palm trees and tall bamboo.

“It’s really cool when you share community with people,” she said “I can’t tell you how many people in the course of a day ask me about my two little boys They’re not saying it to be polite. They really care.”

Team effort

Planning for the Harry Tompson Center’s construction project started more than two years ago and was long overdue, Kelley explained.

“Our center is constructed of modular trailers and wooden decking and was never designed to be permanent,” Kelley said. “Heavy usage, weathering and the wearand-tear of nearly 18 years of foot trafﬁc were threatening the structural integrity of our facilities.”

On top of that, showers and toilets were falling through the ﬂoors, creating unsafe and unsanitary conditions, and the center was outgrowing the ofﬁce space, which it shares with DePaul USA.

In late 2022, the board, led by longtime board president Mary Baudouin, created a capital campaign committee, chaired by CPA

Jane Patterson, president and education chair of the Baton Rouge Audubon Society, started birding 19 years ago as an offshoot of gardening and now spends her time hosting educational events and birdwatching classes in the community

the hummingbirds, but they’re pigs, and they’ll drink it all.

Third, you don’t want to use any red dye in the nectar You just want to make your own with sugar and water Don’t use any commercial dyes because you’re trying to simulate Mother Nature, and she makes the container red, but doesn’t make the nectar red.

Is there anything else you want people to know about hummingbirds?

We do get different hummingbirds in the winter time, particularly in the Baton Rouge area It’s very possible to get other species of hummingbirds in the colder months.

Hummingbirds have an amazing spatial memory. If they ﬁnd food opportunities as they travel north, they very often will go to those same locations to check if there’s food there. People have described that when they look out and there’s a hummingbird hovering out where they had a feeder last year, and that’s their cue to get their feeder out. For more information, visit braudubon.org.

Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

RISHER

Continued from page 1y

Stephen Romig. With help from board members Paul Buras, James Pellerin and others, they began fundraising. They raised the money, hired architects and engineers, secured permits from the city and put the project out to bid.

It broke ground in early 2024 and phase one was completed about a year later When the new facility opened, guests were amazed and raved about the comfort of the showers and the luxury of having hot running water to shave with in the sinks.

“To see the appreciation our guests have for what we offer here is really special,” Wain said. “It’s about meeting them where they are and hopefully, many times, leads to something more.”

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.

what I was going to ﬁnd. There, to my horror, were my panties that I had “carefully” placed in my pillowcase earlier that morning. I believe in always having certain necessities with me in the cabin — and there they were for all to see. They had been looking at them for 10 full minutes, debating what to do.

D’Aquin later told me that when the ﬂight attendant started down the aisle with the drink cart, he couldn’t take it anymore. He had visions of them getting caught in a wheel. All I knew was that I had to be with this group of people for a full week. How was I going to recover?

I said, “Thank you,” picked up the panties, put them back in my pillowcase, buried deeper this time, and tried to go back to sleep. But my face was burning. I

was mortified. I wasn’t sleepy anymore. I took the next two hours on the flight to talk to myself and gear myself up for making light of the most embarrassing moment of my life. When we arrived in Canada, I did my best to acknowledge the hilarity of the situation. I sought D’Aquin out in particular We had mutual friends. I had heard he was funny He was. We started to laugh about it. We became friends. Seventeen years later, he is one of my best friends. I officiated his wedding. He remains a light in my life. I don’t know if we would have become friends had “the airplane panty incident,” the most embarrassing moment of my life, not occurred. Enduring embarrassment, according to lots of research, can be a factor in leading to success. If my embarrassing experience is an indicator, I would say that the research is right. Email Jan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Kip Barard and Sister Kathy Overmann chat at the Harry Tompson Center in New Orleans.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Hummingbirds flock to a feeder

PROVIDED PHOTO

David D’Aquin giving Jan Risher a hug after they both read to classes at United Way’s Dr Seuss Day in Lafayette in 2020.

From client to volunteer, nowexecutive director

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

In 1978, Julia Richard visited the Thensted Center of Grand Coteau when she was looking for assistance to purchase ahome. She talked with Sister Margaret Hoffman, of Society of the Sacred Heart,founder of the center,and they cametoan agreement.

Hoffman paid half of the down payment, and Richard paid the other half. Richard paid it back —half with cash and half with volunteer hours.

Soon enough, Richard began volunteering with the Thensted Center to give back.

“I offered to volunteer becauseI was justsopleased with the fact that this sister didn’t know me, but she trusted me,” Richard said.“My giving back was to be able to volunteer as often as Ipossibly could.”

At the time, Richard didn’tthink that volunteering at the Thensted Center would be long-term.However,over several years, she went from answering the phones and distributing food to being program director,and then seven years later, to being executivedirector of the center in 1996.

“My thoughts were not that Iwas gonna stay here in the future,” she said. “I thought Iwould be here to help out as much as Icould,but I’ve been heresome 30 oddyears. Ienjoyed it, and Ilearned so much from Sister Margaret Hoffman and from the people we served.”

In January, the 72-year-old director stepped back to be the administrative assistant to the new director, Jeannine Gilbert.

“I told her Iwould stay herewith her and be the angel beneath her wings to support her,” Richard said. Servicingany andevery need Grand Coteau is arural town in St. Landry Parish with ahigh number of veterans and disabled residents. Aquarter of itselderly residents, and nearly half of the children, live below the federal poverty line. According to ALICE, which stands for

Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, and represents the growing numberoffamilies who are unable to afford thebasics of housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, andtechnology,29% of St. Landry Parishlivesbelow the poverty line. The town is most well known for its200-year-old boarding and day school, the Academy of the SacredHeart

Hoffman began the Thensted Services in 1974 andnamed it after Father Cornelius J. Thensted, a priest known forhis civil rightsand humanitarian efforts in St. Landry Parish. The Thensted Centerbuildingopened in 1982 and primarily serves the rural communities of Bellevue, Grand Coteau, Sunset andArnaudville,but the center hashistorically helpedanyone who shows up inneed regardless of race, creed, ethnicityorgender.

The programs and services offered are direct responses to the documented needs of the community

“I think alot of people don’tunderstand thedifference between urban and rural,” said Sister BonnieKearney,asister of the Society of the Sacred Heart, who now lives in New Orleans.

Kearneytaughtatthe Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau for several years.

In herwork and service, shehas gained an understanding of the dif-

ferent needs rural and urbanpopulations have

“The reason Thensted Centerisso important is becauseitservices any and every need thatcomes to it,” Kearney said. “Thelocal seniors, veterans, children and needy are seen, fed, clothedand helped by the workthatJulia hasstarted, pushed and struggled to getfunded.”

Kearney says that Richard offers direct, compassionate and consistent care, with lovefor each one served.Richard also writes grants, collaborates with organizations in the Opelousas area, hostsmonthly lunch and learns,runs asummer enrichmentprogram for children anddistributesfood to the elderly and disabled every Wednesday In March 2024, Richardorganized amedical and social services event at theThenstedCenterwithhospice providers, medical personnel, mental health services, gift bags, spiritualityoptions and other social services from allnearby areas.Peoplecame by buses and cars, stayed the day and received free medical tests and feedback from health care workers.

Of all theprograms that the centerprovides, Richard is particularly passionate about the Representative Payeeand Budgeting Program for individuals who need assistance in coordinating ﬁnances to liveindependently. She is arepresentative payee

through theDepartment of Social Security’sRepresentative Payment Program,whichprovides benefit payment management forbeneﬁciaries whoare incapableofmanaging their Social Security or SupplementalSecurity Income payments. Richardservesinthatrolefor her clientsthat areunable to manage theirﬁnances.

Thecenter runs asub banking budgeting program whereRichard teaches financial education and provides ﬁnancialguidancefor herelderly and disabled clients. She meets with each participant and developsabudgetingplan that prioritizeshousing, utilities and food.

The clients’ money is deposited to thecenter, andthe center pays theirbills,divides theremainder and portions it out for each client so monthly ﬁxedincomes will last through the month.

Treateachother like family

Richard says the center is able to manage so manyprograms and

meet so many needs becausethey treat oneanother likefamily “Wesay,‘Good morning, Thensted family,’ and‘How are you today, Sister?’ when working together,”Richard said. “Weall have this joy and this spirit thatGod gives us thatﬁlls us so it’s not so tiring. Thechallenge is rewarding.”

Relationshipsand trustare priority for Richard She knows whatit’slike to ask for help, so shehonors each person with dignity.She saystheir clients arecomfortable asking for personal needs because theyknowthe center values their privacy Richard’s years of organizingand serving have allowed her to grow spiritually.Ingiving to the community,the community has given back to her “You never know who may show up andneed help,” Richard said about herday-to-daylife at the Thensted Center.“Ilove whatI do andlovethe peoplethatIserve.” For more information, visit thenstedcenter.org.

Julia Richard, right, receivesthe RotaryClubThe Service Above Self Award from MaryBobb Singleton, avolunteer for the Empowering Seniors Program.

FAITH & VALUES

Aspiring ministers partake in cadaver mock funerals

Professor aims to help students get comfortable with death

BY BOB SMIETANA Contributing writer

Several years ago, theology professor Mike Tapper asked a group of young, aspiring pastors how many had ever been to a funeral.

Less than half, it turned out. Many had never been in the same room as a dead person.

Tapper, who teaches in the school of theology and ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, worried what might happen when his students found themselves ministering at a church.

“I don’t want their first officiated funeral to essentially be their first funeral experience,” he said.

That’s why Tapper and some of his students began taking trips to the school’s cadaver lab. The idea was to get them used to being around someone who had died. The students ﬁrst visited the lab in March during Lent, the time of the church year when Christians prepare for remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus during Holy Week. They then performed a mock funeral for the cadavers they met in the lab It took some getting used to.

Joshua Martin, a third-year student in Tapper’s Theology and Practice of Christian Worship class, said he’d been to a funeral before, so he did not think going to the cadaver lab would be a big deal. Then, he started to worry a bit.

“I thought, this is going to be serious,” he said.

Caden Mack, also a third-year student, said he “deﬁnitely did not see it coming when I signed up for the class,” but the visits to the cadaver lab sounded like a good idea

Not everyone in the class was thrilled with Tapper’s plan. Naomi Rugh, a third-year student, said she cried in class the ﬁrst time she heard about the upcoming trip to the cadaver lab. In the days leading up to the ﬁrst visit, Rugh said she spent a lot of time asking herself what God wanted her to learn from the experience and how might it prepare her for a future in ministry She also thought of Jesus, recalling the Bible said he became acquainted with death for the sake of his followers.

“What am I going to learn from this for other people?” Rugh asked herself

Britt Storms, an associate professor and anatomist who teaches in the physical and occupational therapy programs at Indiana Wesleyan, oversees the school’s cadaver lab. While the cadavers — whom Storms refers to as “friends” — were donated to use for learning, not every student needs to encounter them, she told RNS.

“I’m not going to bring an accounting student in just to see the bodies,” Storms said.

When Storms’ dean approached her about working with Tapper, she thought it was a good idea. But she had some concerns, mainly whether students were properly prepared for the experience. Medical cadavers, she said, “don’t look like us anymore,” which can be a shock.

Storms said she also has very clear rules about cadavers being treated with respect. There’s no photography or videography allowed while students are working with them. She collects phones from students when they enter the lab and tolerates no nonsense, she said.

“I put the fear of God in them,” she said.

Storms also gives every cadaver a new name to remind students to show respect for the person who donated their body “That’s not Table No 7,” she said, “that’s Sherlock.”

Martin said when he ﬁrst entered the lab, Bernadette, one of the cadavers, was face down, so he didn’t feel much of a connection. He thought, “This is what we look like when we die.”

But when the cadaver was turned over, that changed.

“I started thinking, this was a person with a story,” Martin said. “This was somebody who had a life, and there’s something beautiful to the fact that they’re continuing to teach people past the point where they were alive.”

During the students’ ﬁrst visit to the lab, the hoods on the cadaver tables were open so the students could experience what it was like to be in their presence. On the second visit, the hoods were closed much like a casket at a funeral service — and their assignment was to perform parts of a funeral service, including a welcome, Bible readings, a eulogy and graveside prayers. Rather than read from a script,

each student planned out the services and wrote a brief eulogy for which students were given a brief synopsis of the donor’s life to draw from. For example, one of the people who donated their body was a grandfather who loved to ﬁsh and to spend time with his family

“These students are much better prepared today than they were even a few weeks ago to actually officiate funerals early in their ministry,” said Tapper, who hopes to continue the cadaver lab visits for his students.

Zoe Stroud, a third-year student, agreed.

“It was a sacred event that we wanted to be worshipful,” she said. “I came out feeling way more prepared to give a funeral than I went in.”

For at least one student, taking part in the mock funeral became overwhelming. Bi Khaimi was assigned to give a eulogy for a cadaver named Penelope, and as he began to write her story he also began to grieve. He became overwhelmed with sorrow while doing the class funeral and could not go on.

“I could not bring myself to go to the last bit of it because it became too personal,” Khaimi said.

Still, he said the experience was good for him and that he’d feel better prepared if called on to ofﬁciate a funeral, knowing the emotions he might have to deal with.

Rugh said Tapper gave students the option of doing an alternative assignment instead of visiting the

cadaver lab, which she considered. She eventually decided to go, though, in part because it would help her better prepare for Easter and understand what Jesus went through in the cruciﬁxion.

“God went through that so that we could be redeemed,” she said.

A free-transit prescription for healthier communities

BY ELIZABETH HEWITT

Contributing writer

A few years ago Christiana Sylvaine stopped driving. Diagnosed with narcolepsy, she’d had a few incidents behind the wheel that scared her So she sold her car and turned instead to the two bus lines that ran within blocks of her home in Kansas City, Missouri.

When Sylvaine boarded the bus, she never paid a fare.

That’s because Kansas City’s public bus system stopped charging riders altogether in 2020, becoming the largest city in the U.S. to adopt a zero-fare policy

For Sylvaine, saving money on parking, gas and bus rides gave her more ﬁnancial ﬂexibility. And she believes that free use of the bus system had an impact on her health. When a health issue came up, she didn’t hesitate to seek medical care.

“I was more inclined to not just brush it off or something like that, because I had access really easily to those bus services,” she says.

The connection between transportation and health may not be obvious. But how people get around communities is interconnected with physical and mental wellbeing. Easy access to public transit is linked with direct health impacts, like increased levels of physical activity Transportation also opens doors to other factors that contribute to health as Sylvaine found with her health care appointments.

“It’s the linkage between you and all of these other things that impact your health,” says Amanda Grimes, an associate professor of health sciences at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. “Access to food itself is a social determinant of health. But how do you get access to food? It usually takes transportation.”

Across the U.S 5.7 percent of adults don’t have access to reli-

able transportation to get around for their daily needs. One in ﬁve Americans who don’t have access to a car or public transportation have gone without necessary medical care.

According to Kelly Clifton, an associate professor in transportation planning at the University of British Columbia, transportation is important not only for people to be able to get to necessary destinations — like work or the grocery store — but also to partake in leisure activities.

“The mere nature of being able to engage in society wholly sets you up for health success, better health outcomes from the get-go,” Clifton says.

In North America, many cities lack reliable public transportation systems. Even where there are transit options, there can be barriers that stop some people from being able to use them, she notes. Forms of fare collection that rely on credit cards, for instance, aren’t accessible to people who do not have a bank or credit card.

In many municipalities, there are programs that give reduced or free rides to certain people, like older adults, students or people with limited incomes. But even those programs can have limitations. If users need a special bus pass, they risk losing their transportation if they misplace it.

In Kansas City, before the zero-fare policy, some programs offered rides to residents who needed transportation to a medical appointment. But those could be difﬁcult to navigate, and many people didn’t know about them, according to Amy Scrivner, of BikeWalkKC, a transportation advocacy organization. Adopting a policy that allows anyone to ride for free removed a lot of those hurdles.

“That is just one more easily accessible resource that just wasn’t there before,” she says.

Across the U.S., many transit systems temporarily eliminated fares in the height of the pandemic, but some municipalities are opting to keep fare-free policies for the long haul. A quarter of transit agencies in Virginia are operating without fares. Albuquerque, New Mexico made zerofare permanent last year

Outside of large cities, transit systems tend not to make much money from fares. Reducing them also cuts wait times and reduces the burden on low-income riders.

Advocates for zero-fare systems say that the increased mobility they offer supports health, but now, researchers in Kansas City are working to understand just how much A project led by Grimes and colleagues at the University of Missouri–Kansas City is looking at the immediate and indirect health impacts. (Sylvaine works as an assistant on the research project.)

The researchers are finding a clear health beneﬁt: physical activity

People who use the bus in Kansas City take more steps per day than the average American, according to Grimes.

A walk to the bus station may not seem like a lot, but Grimes explains that incorporating more movement into daily life is linked to beneﬁts when it comes to health factors like obesity, blood pressure and heart disease. “Every minute we can add really translates into improved health outcomes.”

Preliminary findings are showing a range of other benefits for residents. In a survey of 50 bus users, people reported that using the free public transportation system boosted their health, made it easier to get to their jobs and improved access to food and health care, according to Grimes. Many people also shared that removing the bus fare relieved a lot of finan-

cial stress.

One woman with young children told researchers she needed to bring her kids with her every time she went to the grocery store so a single trip used to cost about $10. Without the bus fare, the family had more money to spend on food.

Kansas City residents also appear to be using the bus more frequently since the system became free. During the pandemic, public transportation ridership dropped everywhere, but Kansas City rebounded faster than other places, according to Jordan Carlson, professor of pediatrics at Children’s Mercy Hospital and University of Kansas City–Missouri. As of early 2024, bus ridership in Kansas City was about 24 percent higher than in other similar cities.

“We know that riding the bus contributes to physical activity, and we know that more people are riding the bus, and they’re riding it more often than they would be if it wasn’t free,” says Carlson, who is a leader of the research project.

In the next phase of the project, researchers will try to get an even deeper understanding of the impact of a zero-fare system on health by looking at data from a major health care system in Kansas City. They’ll be considering health factors like cholesterol, blood pressure and risk for diabetes and heart disease.

Health beneﬁts have followed in other regions that have removed public transportation fees. In the U.K., a program that provides free bus passes to people over age 60 was found to have beneﬁts for brain health People who used the free bus passes also had higher rates of physical activity and lower levels of social isolation.

A free-fare program for women in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu

resulted in women saving 800 rupees a month, almost $10, which went toward household expenses including education and health care. The benefits go beyond improved health for individuals, explains Joey Lightner, a University of Missouri–Kansas City researcher involved with the project. Higher public transportation usage can improve air quality by reducing the vehicles on the road. There are also social beneﬁts, like spending more time outside and building relationships.

“It’s about how the community works together and the health of the community as a whole,” says Lightner “Transportation is key in that.”

As promising as the zero-fare model is for community health it is limited by how well the system itself functions. Some Kansas City neighborhoods are not wellconnected to bus lines, requiring residents to walk long distances. And infrequent service means bus riders often have signiﬁcant wait times.

There are also broader hurdles in many North American cities, where people who don’t have to use public transportation often choose not to.

“We still have a long way to go about changing the culture around public transit,” says Carlson. The long-term future of the fare-free system in Kansas City is uncertain. The City Council voted in April to keep buses free for at least a year Other U.S. cities are also considering a similar model, including Washington, D.C.

From Carlson’s perspective, there is a lot to learn from Kansas City’s experience, and how the model is supporting people and their health.

“This free fare is really cool because it is impacting, I think, the people who really can beneﬁt most from this,” he says.

Ian Milbourn, from left, Christopher Paterson, Zoe Stroud and Chad Harbert at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana, in March 2025.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Chad Harbert, left, and Clayton Watkins perform a mock funeral for cadavers at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana, in March.

SUNDAY, April 27, 2025

CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley

SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr

GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters

ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson

ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis

directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

word game

instructions: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters 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 words are not allowed.

todAY's Word — GreMLins: GREMlins: Small mischievous gnomes. Average mark 39 words Time limit 60 minutes

Can you find 56 or more words in GREMLINS?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

Sudoku

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

Landon HorTon

Know your percentages

Today’s deal illustrates why good players, or players who want to be good, invest some time into learning some of the basic bridge percentages. It is not that complicated, and it does not take a math ‘whiz’ it just takes a little time and effort

Any activity worth your time deserves a little effort.

East wins the opening trump lead with his ace and shifts to a low spade. West wins with the ace and shifts to a diamond. Should declarer take the diamond finesse or rise with the ace and hope for four tricks from the club suit? The chance for a successful diamond finesse is 50%.

The chance for the six missing clubs to split 3-3 is 36%. So we should take the diamond finesse, right? Not so fast. There is also a chance for the doubleton jack of clubs to fall — an additional 16% chance It’s a coin flip now

Unless you want to go out and conquer the tournament world, knowing the exact percentages is not necessary Rounding them off into numbers that are easy to remember will usually be enough.

wuzzLes

super Quiz

Take this Super Quiz to a Ph.D. Score 1 point for each correct answer on the Freshman Level, 2 points on the graduate Level and 3 points on the Ph.D.

SUBJECT: FAMOUS BUILD-

AND STRUCTURES You are given the loca-

Identify the famous building or structure. Alternate answers may be possible. (e.g., Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Answer: Burj Khalifa or Burj Al Arab.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL 1. 300 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, Texas. Answer________ 2. Pisa’s Cathedral Square, Italy Answer________ 3. Acropolis, Athens, Greece. Answer________

Liberty Island, New York. Answer________

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washing-

There is also an 8% chance that West will have five or more clubs, making a finesse for the jack a sure thing. That makes the club suit about a 60% chance to provide four tricks. Rise with the ace of diamonds!

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2025 Tribune Content Agency goren Bridge

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Refuse to succumb to anger when it’s best to stay busy Alter your surroundings to make your life more efficient and comfortable. Don’t argue or get involved in a no-win situation.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Spontaneity can be exciting but not always fruitful. Take a moment to map out the best way forward. Too much of anything will impact your expectations and results adversely

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Pay attention to how you look, feel and use your skills. Simplify your life-

style to ease stress. Refuse to let temptation undermine you or put you in harm’s way LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Don’t give anyone the chance to complain or criticize. An unusual event will be an eye-opener into what’s possible. Diversify challenge yourself mentally and stay calm in emotional situations. VIRGO (Aug 23-Sept 22) An open mind will lead to positive feedback and an interesting suggestion regarding your skills, experiences and goals. Commit from the heart and follow through. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Prepara-

tion is everything. Leave nothing to chance, and do not let yourself fall short when trying to make a good impression. Let your charm and talent lead the way

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Sit tight, be observant and refuse to let anyone bait you into an argument. Look at what you’ve achieved and what’s still on your bucket list, and you’ll feel optimistic about your prospects.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23-Dec 21) Choosing brawn over brain will give someone the impression they can take advantage of you. Don’t lead someone on or try to

buy love. Just be honest and yourself.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Play fairly but without fear Organization and preparation will be your ticket to the winner’s circle. Trust your instincts, implement your strengths and courage, and let no one outmaneuver you.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Try something new Expand your mind and initiate lifestyle changes that will lead to better health. Do things uniquely and with personal gratitude, and you’ll excel. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Do your fair share, but don’t let anyone

compromise or take advantage of you. Take better care of yourself by knowing when to say no. An environmental change will be uplifting. ARIES (March 21-April 19) It’s OK to be different and to stretch your boundaries and skills to find peace and happiness. Make your environment less toxic and more productive.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact.

1. Alamo Mission. 2. Leaning Towerof Pisa. 3. Parthenon. 4. StatueofLiberty. 5. WhiteHouse. 6. Empire State Building.7.Big Ben (Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster). 8. Gateway Arch. 9. TajMahal.10. SydneyOpera House. 11.One World Trade Center.12. Eiffel Tower. 13.Space Needle. 14. The Pentagon. 15. Blue Mosque or Hagia Sophia.

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

There should be achildren'ssong: "Ifyou're happyand youknowit, keep it to yourself and let your dad sleep." —Jim Gaffigan

jeFF mACnelly’sshoe/ by Gary Brookins &Susie MacNelly

FoXtrot/ by BillAmend dustin /bySteve Kelley&JeffParker

The Acadiana Advocate 04-27-2025

Fightover Medicaid hashuge stakes for Louisiana

Artistsfrom La., Canada sharecultural connection throughmusic

‘Hewas apope amongthe people’

Trump doubts Putin willing to end war

Israeli strike kills 10

Russia says it has reclaimed Kursk region

India says Pakistani troops fired at positions at border

Palestinian president Abbas appoints new deputy

FRANCIS

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

Faithful celebrate the pope’s life

ThankYou

LOUISIANA POLITICS

Should Medicaid cover doulas?

Massive explosion rocks Iranian port

blast linked to missile fuel

Iran, U.S. hold talks in Oman on nuclear program

Get back!”

EDUCATION

LSUpresident toutsresearchgains as federalcutsloom

ICEdeportationsraise major concerns amid crackdown

U.S. judgetemporarily stopswestTexas deportations under AlienEnemies Act

SUNDAY

Boston celebrates MLK’s1965Freedom Rally

THE GULF COAST

OceanSprings waterfront home most wishlisted Airbnb in Miss.

Poll: Many in U.S. say Trump focused on wrong issues

Harvard researcher awaits judge’s decision on deportation to Russia

Lafayette judge could face censure

Colbert testifies before state Judiciary Commission

UL solar farm to be part of research network

PASSIONATE PERFORMANCES

Louisiana black bear population bouncing back

Judgesays2-year-oldU.S.citizen wasdeportedtoHonduras

Manfound guilty in Terrytownducttapekilling

JUDGE

BEAR

102-year-old festival fan makes home in Jazz Tent

OPINION

OUR VIEWS

Keep Bourbon Street open

From thepeople’sbusinesstofamilybusiness

TOWN SQUARE

COMMENTARY

BubbaHenry wasa secret intellectual

GOP, whyexposechildren’scriminalhistory?

Amoral messenger’sfinal warningtothe United States

‘NO-FLAW KID’

Cajuns claim twowins

STM slugger’s HR caps 13-3 win

Pitching duo helps STM claim series

Determined Erath sweeps series from Mamou

Front-nine birdie spree ties Ryu for LPGA lead

LSU

BECH

SAINTS

LIVING

‘IT’SPART OF LIFE’

In aregionknown forlivemusic,big moves bringthe recordingindustrytoAcadiana

THEWELFARE ROCK

TRAVEL

Treehousevibes foundoutside of Dallas at this Airbnb

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

RVsharekeeps atraveler’sdeposit afterrentalvan leaks

TODAYINHISTORY

‘Andor’takes ‘StarWars’ to new, rebellious places

Bigreality showslike‘Love is Blind’ usingpopular songs

Alena Allen running the show at LSU’s law school

BATON ROUGE CLASSICS

CURIOUS

MUSIC

LEGEND

Born in Italy

MissingDon’s,but breadpuddingcan

Bread Pudding alaDon’s

ADVERTISEMENT

Freshfromwinning abig award, poet looksatN.O.

Tulane

FlanneryO’Connor’sbeliefinredemptionastimelyasever