Food dyes, sugary drinks would be restricted in plan
BY EMILY WOODRUFF | Staff writer
A bill that proposes to bring the Make America Healthy Again movement to Louisiana went before a packed Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday, which ultimately advanced the bill out of committee and to the full Senate.
The proposed law, Senate Bill 14, is part of a national effort to reshape food policy led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr MAHA’s broad agenda includes regulating soda and candy purchases under social welfare programs, removing fluoride from public water systems, rolling back pharmaceutical interventions and removing
Sen Patrick McMath, R-Covington, speaks while presenting SB14 during a Senate Health and Welfare Committee meeting at the State Capitol on Wednesday.
ultra-processed food from schools.
The end goals are to curb obesity, reduce chronic illness and restore individual autonomy in health decisions. Louisiana consistently ranks near the bottom in national health metrics, including obesity, diabetes and child well-being.
Sen. Patrick McMath, a Republican from Covington who authored the bill, said he worked with the Trump administration and Kennedy to craft the measure.
“This movement is taking place across the country,” said McMath, who said other states passing similar legislation have had it fast-tracked for federal
ä See HEALTH, page 4A
Bill aims to reform police civil service promotion process
Qualified ranked officers would be eligible for career advancement
BY MEGAN WYATT | Staff writer
New rules for solar projects debated
There’s agreement on regulation, but little else
BY BLAKE PATERSON | Staff writer
For much of 2021, one issue dominated Tangipahoa Parish politics: Should the parish allow a 100-megawatt solar farm to be built on 1,200 acres of farmland? And if so, under what rules? On one side, residents and farmers worried it would be an eyesore and pose a safety hazard and take up valuable agricultural land. On the other, solar developers and landowners argued that property owners should be allowed to do what they want with their land and that the project was clean and safe.
After issuing a temporary moratorium, the council passed regulations requiring 50-foot vegetative barriers, among other rules.
In April, the solar farm went online. But the debate left lasting scars.
“We had people crying. We have, still to this day, neighbors that do not speak,” said state Rep. Kimberly Coates, R-Ponchatoula, who was a member of the Parish Council. “At the time, we were like, ‘We need the state to step in and help,’ because we were not experienced.”
The debate in Tangipahoa has played out over and over again on police juries and parish councils across Louisiana in recent years, as local officials grapple with concerns from constituents amid a surge in utility-scale solar projects.
Almost everyone agrees that solar needs regulations. But there’s little agreement on how to go about it.
A group of lawmakers spent the last year studying the issue with the goal of creating state regulations that could serve as a “model for the rest
Senate Bill 142 by Sen. Brach Myers, R-Lafayette, would allow any qualified employee ranked at sergeant or above who passes the civil service exam to be considered for the promotion to major at the Lafayette and Lake
A proposed state law that would reform the police civil service promotion process for high-ranking positions in Lafayette and Lake Charles has received early support from a Senate committee.
ä Changes to civil service weighed. PAGE 1B
Charles police departments. It would also add a requirement for annual reviews by the police chief for anyone holding the position, which supporters billed as adding a layer of accountability
The current law requires civil
service candidates at police departments to be considered for promotions based on “departmental seniority” and does not require an annual review process once someone is named a major “These majors run divisions. They run a third of the department,” said Lafayette Police
ä See REFORM, page 5A
A 50-megawatt, $67 million solar power farm in West Baton Rouge Parish operated by Helios Infrastructure is operational. Two solar farms are near completion in St. James Parish by D.E. Shaw Investments, which has emerged as the developer of seven of Louisiana’s 16 proposed large-scale solar farms. ä
STAFF PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE
See SOLAR, page 4A
STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS
A massive crowd fills the Senate Health and Welfare Committee meeting room during the discussion of SB14 by Sen. Patrick McMath, left, at the State Capitol on Wednesday The crowd was large enough to fill an overflow room upstairs.
German center-left party approves coalition deal
BERLIN Germany ’s center-left Social Democrats have approved a deal to join a new coalition government, paving the way for parliament to elect conservative leader Friedrich Merz as the country’s new chancellor
The party of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholtz will join a coalition led by Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, which won Germany’s election in February with 28.5%.
The Social Democrats suffered their worst result since World War II, finishing third with just 16.4% of the vote. But the conservatives need their support to assemble a parliamentary majority without the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, which finished second.
The Social Democrats put a coalition agreement reached in early April to an online ballot of their 358,000-plus members, who voted over the last two weeks. The party’s youth wing had come out against the deal.
The party announced Wednesday that 56% of their members voted in the poll, of which 84.6% cast their ballots in favor
The deal gives the Social Democrats the crucial finance, justice and defense ministries, among others. The CDU and CSU previously approved the agreement.
Trump dismisses nominations for council
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump has dismissed many of former President Joe Biden’s nominees to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, including Doug Emhoff, the husband of former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Emhoff who is Jewish and who led the Biden administration’s efforts to combat antisemitism, criticized Trump’s action, saying, “Let me be clear: Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized.”
He added, “To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous — and it dishonors the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve.”
Others dismissed alongside Emhoff include former Biden chief of staff Ron Klain and former domestic policy adviser Susan Rice, who was the principal author of and the impetus behind the first-ever comprehensive National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism in 2023.
Anthony Bernal, a senior adviser to former first lady Jill Biden, confirmed he was also dismissed. Since taking office in January Trump has moved to fire many Biden appointees across government — including ostensibly apolitical roles Biden, too, dismissed some Trump carryover appointees after he entered the White House in 2021, most notably 18 appointees named to U.S. military academy boards, but at a far smaller scale.
Iran says next talks with U.S. to be held in Rome
TEHRAN, Iran Iran said Wednesday the next round of negotiations over its rapidly advancing nuclear program it will have with the United States will be in Rome on Saturday Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the comment on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting, adding that Iran also anticipated having a meeting Friday with France, Germany and the United Kingdom to discuss the talks.
The talks with the U.S. again will be mediated by Oman. The sultanate has hosted two rounds of talks in Oman’s capital, Muscat, and one round at its embassy in Rome.
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 half-century of enmity
U.S. 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 weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
a joint border crossing point on the
near Lahore, Pakistan, on Wednesday.
Pakistan: India will attack within days
BY PRABHJOT GILL, SHEIKH SAALIQ and MUNIR AHMED Associated Press
ATTARI, India Pakistan said Wednesday it had “credible intelligence” that India is planning to attack it within days, and vowed to respond “very strongly,” as soldiers exchanged gunfire along borders and Pakistanis heeded New Delhi’s orders to leave the country following last week’s deadly attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir
India has moved to punish Pakistan after accusing it of backing the attack in Pahalgam, which Islamabad denies, driving tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals to their highest point since 2019, when they came close to war after a suicide car bombing in Kashmir The region is split between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety.
Pakistan said the intelligence shows that India plans military action against it in the next 24 to 36 hours “on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement.”
There was no immediate comment from Indian officials. However, Indian government officials said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “given complete operational freedom to the armed forces to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India’s response to the Pahalgam massacre.”
They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations.
Last week’s attack that killed 26, most of them Indian tourists, was claimed by a previously unknown militant group calling itself the Kashmir Resistance. New Delhi describes all militancy in Indian-controlled Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism.
Pakistan denies this, and many Muslim
Kashmiris consider the militants to be part of a homegrown freedom struggle.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in separate calls with India and Pakistan, stressed the need to “avoid a confrontation that could result in tragic consequences.”
U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and “emphasized the need for both sides to continue working together for peace and stability in South Asia,” according to a Pakistan statement
Earlier, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told reporters that “I have made it very clear, on behalf of the government and the nation, that Pakistan will not be the first one to resort to any escalatory move. However in case of any escalatory move by the Indian side, we will respond very strongly.”
The army spokesman, Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif, added, “If they think that aggression is the path forward, our message is only this: We are ready, don’t test it.” Pakistan didn’t elaborate on the “credible intelligence” it cited.
The deadline for Pakistani citizens to leave India, with exceptions for those with medical visas, passed on Sunday, but many families were still scrambling to the border crossing in Attari town in northern Punjab state.
Some arrived on their own. Others were being deported by police.
“We have settled our families here. We request the government not to uproot our families,” said Sara Khan, a Pakistani who was ordered back without her husband, Aurangzeb Khan, who holds an Indian passport. She carried her 14-day-old child and said she had been living in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 2017.
Court tells Serbia to ‘prevent use of sonic weapons’ after protesters’ claims
BY JOVANA GEC Associated Press
BELGRADE, Serbia The European Court of Human Rights said on Wednesday that Serbia “should prevent the use of sonic weapons or similar devices” for crowd control following claims that a sound cannon was directed at protesters during a huge anti-government rally on March 15.
The court in Strasbourg, France, said its interim measure did not mean it had taken “any position as to whether use of such weapons had occurred” at the demonstration that was part of months-long anticorruption protests in the Balkan country.
Serbian authorities have repeatedly have denied claims by opposition parties and several experts that a sonic weapon broke a commemorative silence during the March protest causing people to suddenly run in panic while experiencing an array of symptoms and huge discomfort
The authorities initially said Serbian security agencies did not possess any sonic devices but later admitted they do own several
The European court said 47 Serbian nationals had filed complaints over the incident while up to 4,000 people reported their experiences in the application collected by a group of Serbian civil society groups. The court rejected
requests to investigate the incident or prevent legal proceedings against people who publicly alleged some kind of a device was used.
“Allegedly, the applicants experienced intense instinctive fear, panic, shock, accelerated heartbeat, trembling, hearing problems, vomiting, nausea, tachycardia, and similar symptoms,” a court statement said. “Some allegedly sustained physical injuries due to the panic.”
Footage from the rally show people standing peacefully before a sudden panic erupts and a brief stampede. An Associated Press photographer at the scene said people started scrambling for cover, leaving the middle of the downtown street almost empty as they started falling over each other
“The State should pre-
Trump says China will suffer more in trade war
BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Wednesday acknowledged that his tariffs could result in fewer and costlier products in the United States, saying American kids might “have two dolls instead of 30 dolls,” but he insisted China will suffer more from his trade war
The Republican president has tried to reassure a nervous country that his tariffs will not provoke a recession, after a new government report showed the U.S. economy shrank during the first three months of the year
Trump was quick to blame his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, for any setbacks while telling his Cabinet that his tariffs meant China was “having tremendous difficulty because their factories are not doing business,” adding that the U.S. did not really need imports from the world’s dominant manufacturer
“You know somebody said, ‘Oh, the shelves are going to be open,’” Trump continued, offering a hypothetical. “Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls. So maybe the two dolls will cost a couple bucks more than they would normally.”
His remarks followed a defensive morning after the Commerce Department reported that the U.S. economy shrank at an annual rate of 0.3% during the first quarter Behind the decline was a surge in imports as companies tried to front-run the sweeping tariffs on autos, steel, aluminum and almost every country And even positive signs of increased domestic consumption indicated that purchases might be occurring before the import taxes lead to price increases.
Trump pointed his finger at Biden as the stock market fell Wednesday morning in response to the gross domestic product report.
“This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s,” the
CustomerService:
Classified
vent the use of sonic weapons or similar devices at future protests by the State and/or non-state actors,” the ECHR said. “Any use of sound devices for crowd control (other than for communication purposes) must be prevented in the future.” The court “noted that use of such weapons for crowd control was unlawful in Serbia and, in particular, potentially serious health effects that could be caused to a large number of persons.”
Protests in Serbia started after a train station canopy collapsed in the northern city of Novi Sad, killing 16 people. Many in Serbia blamed the tragedy on alleged rampant government corruption that fueled disrespect of safety regulations and negligence during the station building renovation.
Republican president, who took office in January, posted on his social media site. “Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers. Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden ‘Overhang.’ This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS.” But the GDP report gives Democrats ammunition to claim that Trump’s policies could shove the economy into a recession. Democrats’ statements after the GDP report noted how quickly the economy, which still has a healthy 4.2% unemployment rate, appears to lose momentum within weeks of Trump returning. A top House Democrat, Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington state., said that “we’ve only seen the beginning of the dangerous impacts from Trump’s random policies.” She noted that U.S. manufacturers still depend on parts and components from China to assemble final goods and said Trump’s approach to trade reflected a misunderstanding of the investment and certainty that domestic companies need in order to construct more factories and create jobs.
“Chaos and dysfunction are not going to help build investment,” said DelBene, who leads the House Democrats’ congressional campaign efforts. “A strong economy needs stability and certainty We haven’t seen that.” The GDP report landed as Trump is trying to put the focus on new corporate investments in the U.S as he spends the week celebrating his 100th day in office. He planned remarks later in the day on the subject. Trump’s economic message contains some clashing arguments and dismisses data that raises red flags. He wants credit for an aggressive first 100 days back in the White House that included mass layoffs of federal workers and the start of a trade war with 145% in new tariffs against China.
A Pakistani paramilitary soldier searches a vehicle as another stands guard at a checkpoint in Wagah,
Pakistan and India border,
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MARKO DROBNJAKOVIC People attend an anti-corruption protest in the southwestern town of Novi Pazar, Serbia, on April 12.
Wis. court suspends judgeaccused of helpingman evadeimmigration
BY TODD RICHMOND Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended ajudge accused of helping aman evade immigration authorities, saying Tuesday that it is in the public interest to relieveher of herduties as shefaces twofederal charges.
TheFBI tookMilwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan into custody Friday morning at thecounty courthouse. She has been charged with concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest and obstructing or impeding a proceeding.
In its two-page order,the court said it was acting to protectpublic confidence in Wisconsin courts during the criminal proceedingsagainst Dugan.
The order notedthat the court was acting on itsown initiative and was not respondingtoa request from anyone. Liberal justices control the court 4-3.
“Itisordered .thatMilwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah C. Dugan is temporarily prohibited from exercising the powers of a circuit court judgeinthe state of Wisconsin, effective the date of this orderand until further order of the court,” the justices wrote.
In astatement, Dugan’s legal team said it was disappointed “that the Court acted in unilateral fashion. We continue to assert Judge Dugan’s innocence and look forward to her vindication in court.”
Astate court spokesperson said that areserve judge began filling in for Dugan on Monday for an indefinite period.
Dugan is accused of escorting Eduardo Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer from her court through the jurydoorlast
weekafterlearningthatU.S. Immigration andCustoms Enforcement agentswere in thebuildingand seeking his arrest.Flores-Ruiz, who court documents say illegally reentered the U.S. after being deported in 2013, was takeninto custody outside aftera foot chase.
Courtdocumentssuggest Dugan was alerted to theagents’ presence by her clerk,who was informed by an attorney that they appearedtobeinthe hallway
An FBIaffidavitsays Dugan was “visiblyangry” over the agents’ arrival and called thesituation“absurd” before leaving thebench andretreating to herchambers.Itsays sheand another judge laterapproached members ofthe arrest team inside the courthouse with what witnesses described as a“confrontational,angry demeanor.”
After aback-and-forth with officersoverthe warrant for Flores-Ruiz, Dugandemanded they speak with the chief judge and led them away from thecourtroom, the affidavit says.
After directing the agents to the chief judge’soffice,
investigators say,Dugan returned to thecourtroom and was heardsaying words to theeffectof“wait,comewith me” beforeushering FloresRuiz and hislawyer through thejury doorintoanonpublic area. The action was unusual, the affidavit says, because “onlydeputies, juries, court staff, and in-custody defendants being escorted by deputies used theback jury door.Defense attorneys and defendantswho werenot in custody never used the jury door.”
Dugan’sarrestshas sparked outrageamong Democrats, who have accused the Trump administration of tryingtochillthe judiciary. Demonstrators gathered outside theFBI’s Milwaukee field office Saturday to protest her arrest She is settoappear in court for arraignment May 15.
Herattorneys include Craig Mastantuono;Paul Clement, aprominent conservative lawyer; and Steve Biskupic, aformer U.S.attorneyfor theEastern District of Wisconsin who was appointed by President George W. Bush.
Roadside bombskill26peoplein Nigeria, IS claims responsibility
BY HARUNA UMAR Associated Press
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria Improvised explosive devices detonated on aroad in northeastern Nigeriakilling at least26peopleinseveral vehicles, including women and children, policesaid
Tuesday
An Islamic State group
affiliate in the West African country claimed responsibility for the Monday attack. The blasts happened on abusy road connecting the towns of Rann and Gamboru in Borno state,near the borderwithCameroon, Nigerian police spokesperson
Nahum Daso told The Associated Press. Multiple explosives planted along the route ripped into several civilian commercial vehicles coming from Rann, killing at least 26 people, he said. Most of those killed were local farmers andtraders crowded in aToyota vehicle that drove over aland mine, Daso said. He said the mine was buried by suspected militants from the Islamic State affiliate known as IS West Africa Province. Besides the dead, at least three people were injured and were taken to nearby medicalfacilities for treatment. Security forces have since secured the area and begun clearance operations.
Abba Modu, amemberof the Civilian Joint Task Force, avigilante group that supports the military in the fight against Islamic militants, said the explosives may have been intended forsecurity operatives who regularly patrol the highway “Terrorists often plant IEDs in craters or under sand on severely damaged sections of roads, typically targeting soldiers,” Modu said. The Islamic State West Africa Province, also known as ISWAP,claimedresponsibility for the attack in a statement on Telegram on Tuesday
The IS-linked group is an offshoot of Boko Haram, Ni-
geria’shomegrown jihadis who took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose theirradical version of Islamic law In 2016, ISWAPbroke away from Boko Haram following adispute over leadership and the strategy of attacking civilian targets such as mosques and marketplaces.
The conflict between Nigeria and Islamic extremists is Africa’slongest strugglewithmilitancy. It has spilledintoNigeria’s northern neighborsChad, Niger and Cameroon, and hasleftsome35,000 civilians dead and more than 2 milliondisplaced,accord-
ing to theU.N. Nigeria’snortheastern region has been particularly hardhit by Islamic militant violence.
Earlierthis month, a roadside bombsuspected to have been planted by Islamic extremists in northeastern Nigeria strucka passengerbus andkilled eight people.
On Tuesday,the Nigerian militaryappointed anew commander,Maj. Gen.Abdulsalam Abubakar,inthe fight againstBoko Haram andthe IslamicState West Africa Province insurgencies in the northeast, the spokesperson for the operation saidinastatement.
HouseGOP wantstopumpbillions into deportations anddetentions
BY LISAMASCARO AP congressional correspondent
WASHINGTON As part of theirbig taxbill, Republicans in Congress are pumping billionsofdollars into President Donald Trump’s massdeportation and border securityplan with nearly 20,000 newofficers, stark new$1,000infees on migrants seeking asylum and$46.5 billion fora longsought border wall.
Tuesday launched the first of back-to-back public hearings as House Republicansroll outthe fineprint of what Trump calls his “big, beautiful bill ”—which is focused on $5 trillion in tax breaks andupto$2trillion in slashed domestic spending. Butitalsopours some $300 billion to beef up the Pentagon and border securityasthe Trumpadministration says it’srunning out of money for deportations.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton,ispushing to have thebill wrapped up by Memorial Day and thensend it to the Senate, which is draftingits own version.
“Weare on track,” Johnson said at his weekly news conference.
This was always expected to be thehard part, where Republicans who have controlofthe House and Senate begin to fill in thedifficult details of what,until now, has simply been aframework for Trump’stax packageatthe cornerstone of the GOP’sdomestic agenda.
As Trumproundshis 100thday in office, the GOP’sstiff immigration provisions comeasAmericans areshowing unease withthe president’sapproach, with just half saying he’s focused on theright priorities. The White House is battlinghigh-profile court cases after it mistakenly deported aMaryland man to El Salvadorand, over theweekend, Trump’steam
roundedupcountless immigrants, including foreignborn parents who were deportedwiththeir American-born toddlers and small children in tow
Democrats are fighting back in the House and Senate, and the halls of public opinion, but as the minority party in Congress, they have littleabilitytostop the forward march of the package.
Instead, they used Tuesday’shearings to tryto shameRepublicans into rethinking their approach.
“Doalittle soul searching before you vote for this,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, at one point during the debate.
Building theborderwall
Centraltothe Homeland Committee’ssection of the legislation is $46.5 billion to revive construction of Trump’swallalong the U.S.-Mexico border,with some700 miles of “primary”wall, 900 miles of river barriers, and more.
There’salso $4 billion to hire an additional3,000 new BorderPatrolagents as well as 5,000 newcustoms officers, and $2.1 billion for signing and retention bonuses.
Democrats keptthe committee in session forhours, submitting somethree dozen amendments to change the package. They all failed.
Among the first Democratic amendments offered was from Rep. Troy Carter of New Orleans to prohibit the use of funding to deport American children. Another from Rep. Seth Magaziner of Rhode Island would stop the money from being used to send Americans to foreign prisons.
Experts said the newfee on asylum seekerswould put the U.S. on parwith a few others, including Australia and Iran. And that’snot all. The Judiciary Committee is expected to meet Wednesday on its $110 billion section of the package. There would be newfees on various other legal paths to entry,includinga$3,500 fee for those sponsoring unaccompanied children to enter the U.S., a$2,500 penaltyifsponsors of unaccompaniedchildren skip court appearances anda $1,000 feefor individuals paroled into the U.S. Overall, theplanistoremove 1millionimmigrants annually andhouse 100,000 people in detention centers. It calls for10,000 moreImmigration and Customs Enforcement officers and investigators.
Hegsethcomes under fire Meanwhile, the House Armed Services Committee starteddrilling down Tuesday into its section of the package, with some $100 billion in new spending, including some $5 billion for border security But the hearing became tangledbyquestions from Democratsoverfunding for Ukraine, Trump’splan for abig military parade and calls for Hegseth to be fired or resign.
“What world are we living in?” Magaziner asked. He said allowing Republicans to “keep trampling on rights, sooneveryone’s rights” will be under threat. Chairman Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., as he gaveled the committeeopen, said, “It is critical that the Republican majority do what the people elected us to do.” The committeeapproved its bill on aparty line vote. GOP goals For the first time, the U.S. under the legislation would imposea$1,000 feeonmigrants seeking asylum something thenation has never done.
MILWAUKEEINDEPENDENT PHOTO By LEE MATZ
SupportersofJudgeHannah Dugan hold arally in Milwaukee at the U.S. Courthouse in Milwaukee on April 25.
approval. Under the MAHA banner, McMath, with the vocal support of Republican Gov Jeff Landry and Surgeon General Dr Ralph Abraham, is aiming to enact several nutrition-related reforms. They include:
n Banning certain artificial ingredients and additives in school meals;
n Requiring physicians to receive continuing education in nutrition;
n Mandating QR codes on packaged food labels disclosing certain ingredients;
n Requiring restaurants to disclose use of seed oils on menus;
n Directing the state to apply for a federal waiver to restrict the purchase of sugary drinks with SNAP benefits.
While nearly all seven present senators on the committee expressed their support for the goals of the bill, the three Democratic members voiced concerns about the SNAP restriction, which would ban the purchase of any drink with over 5 grams of added sugar or containing any artificial sweetener. Drinks that contain milk, milk substitutes, added electrolytes or added vitamins are exempt
SOLAR
Continued from page 1A
of the country,” said state Rep. Brett Geymann, R-Lake Charles, who headed the effort as chair of the House Natural Resources and the Environment Committee.
House Bill 615 was the result. Sponsored by Geymann, the bill would require milelong buffers between solar projects and residential properties. It would also create approval processes at three state agencies, the Department of Energy and Natural Resources, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, to ensure projects don’t intrude on wildlife or replace valuable agricultural land.
In a committee hearing on the bill last week, Geymann said his goal is to put guardrails in place so solar can flourish “in a way that doesn’t have a negative impact on our state and our communities.”
“I’m not here to kill solar,” he said. But during the hearing, it was clear that the bill is far from a consensus.
Property owners who have leased land for solar projects said the measure would trample on their property rights. Solar developers said it would kill future developments in Louisiana. The petrochemical sector — which is increasingly turning to renewables to make its products more desirable overseas — also signaled opposition.
“The legislation in its current form decimates new util-
SNAP concerns
Sen. Katrina JacksonAndrews, D-Monroe, said she supports the bill’s broad goals, but opposes limiting what families on food assistance can buy. She said many rely on SNAP to give their children treats for special occasions like birthdays or school field trips.
“They’re depending on giving their child something decent with their SNAP benefits,” JacksonAndrews said
Another Democrat on the panel, Sen. Jay Luneau from Alexandria, criticized what he viewed as a disproportionate focus on SNAP recipients rather than addressing the broader affordability of healthy food
tion Assistance Program serves roughly 850,000 Louisianans — roughly 1 in 5 — including nearly 390,000 children. More than 80% of eligible people are enrolled. SNAP has a long history of alleviating food insecurity, the leading indicator of wellbeing for children in the U.S. It’s a popular program because it’s easy, with participants using a preloaded debit card accepted nearly everywhere groceries are sold.
“It preserves the dignity and autonomy of recipients,” said Craig Gundersen, an economist who studies food assistance programs at Baylor University “They shop alongside neighbors and friends.”
tion, saying there were challenges with labeling that would impact over 60,000 products and cost millions of dollars. They said that because Louisiana-specific labeling isn’t possible, the law could lead to higher costs for consumers. But both groups positioned themselves as willing collaborators and thanked McMath for working with them.
“If I go to a fast food place and I pull up there and order a combo meal, it’s $6 $7. If I get a salad, it’s $12,” Luneau said. “We have to do something about that if we’re going to propose this kind of stuff.”
Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, D-Lafayette, objected to what he viewed as government overreach.
“The parents should decide what’s best for their kids,” Boudreaux said.
SNAP success
The Supplemental Nutri-
Changing it to be more restrictive, said Gundersen, could make the program less effective because fewer people may participate.
“From a research perspective, this would be a disaster,” Gundersen said “Programs that demean individuals people don’t like to participate in them.”
He pointed to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which is more restrictive, limiting meats, for example, to canned tuna. Despite serving a similar
population, WIC’s participation rate in Louisiana is around 34%, far lower than SNAP’s.
Support across sectors
Representatives from several organizations spoke broadly in support of the bill, including the Louisiana Hospital Organization, the Foundation for Government Accountability Baton Rouge General, Blue Cross Blue Shield Louisiana, the American Sugar Cane League and Louisiana Citizen Advocacy Group, along with a wellness coach, pediatrician, dietitian, farmer and functional pharmacist.
“These dyes and chemicals are all risk and no possible benefit,” said Dr Wyche T. Coleman, deputy surgeon
general at the Louisiana Department of Health, referring to the ingredients that would be banned from school meals.
“They have no place in school lunchrooms.”
Dr Tracy Lemelle, a pediatrician and medical director of Blue Cross Blue Shield Louisiana, described how high-sugar, high-fat meals contribute to Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and even anxiety and attention disorders in children.
“It all comes back to what the kids are taking in,” she said.
Industry opposition
Representatives from the Consumer Brands Association and the Louisiana Beverage Association spoke against the proposed legisla-
Luneau, at one point holding up a red Gatorade and processed foods as examples, pointed out that hair dyes are potential carcinogens, but they are not vilified like food dyes Louisiana’s chemical industry is also a major contributor to carcinogens in the air, yet that often escapes scrutiny, he said.
“We tend to turn our back sometimes and let those things go,” he said. “We need to consider all of those things.”
McMath acknowledged the broader environmental contributors to poor health but said food reform is the most direct, achievable step lawmakers can take right now
“While I would love to wave a magic wand and clean up air and water I think the lowest hanging fruit, if you will, is the food that we’re
ity-scale solar generation at a time when it is needed most,” said Jeff Cantin, board chair of Gulf States Renewable Energy Industries Association and CEO of Louisiana-based Solar Alternatives, which installs solar panels for commercial and residential customers.
Tommy Cryar, board president of Beauregard Electric Cooperative, which provides electricity to more than 44,000 customers, said he supports the restrictions laid out in the bill.
“What other industry takes up two to three to four thousand acres and meanders around residential neighborhoods? And the answer is none,” Cryar said. “The public and our Legislature would not tolerate any other industry to conduct themselves in this manner.”
The legislation ultimately advanced out of committee on April 23, with assurances from Geymann that he’d bring amendments to the bill on the House floor Solar projects expanding
The solar industry has grown rapidly in Louisiana amid a boom in renewable energy investments fueled by federal incentives and growing demand among users for clean energy.
Five years ago, there were zero utility-scale solar developments in Louisiana. Today, there are nearly a dozen, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association
The supply chain to support those projects is also growing. In 2023, Arizonabased First Solar began construction on a $1.1 billion
solar panel manufacturing plant near New Iberia that’s expected to employ more than 700 workers once it’s complete.
One question is whether regulations should be left up to state or local officials.
Early on, solar farms seemed to appear out of nowhere, catching local officials by surprise and sometimes angering neighbors. Half a dozen parishes issued temporary moratoriums while they crafted rules. Livingston Parish extended its moratorium in March, in anticipation of state rules.
Geymann’s bill would require projects that are 10 acres or larger to get a permit from the state Department of Energy and Natural Resources.
“That will give us consistency across parishes,” he said.
Don Caffery, a lobbyist for the Louisiana Landowners Association, which represents hundreds of landowners, said his members believe this is “a local issue” and each of Louisiana’s 64 parishes should come up with their own rules.
The solar industry says it prefers uniform state regulations instead of a hodgepodge of local rules. But it’s not pleased with the bill that has emerged.
“What industry has sought is a transparent and predictable rule book Tell our companies what the rules are and we’ll follow them,” Cantin said, adding that most states don’t regulate solar farms unless they’re at least 500 acres.
Much of the concern
around solar projects has to do with how they look. The projects can span thousands of acres and transform agricultural vistas into seas of solar panels.
At the committee hearing, Geymann shared images of some “not so great” projects with broken panels and overgrown vegetation located near homes.
“I don’t want to be barbecuing looking at solar panels nor do my neighbors,” said Tommy Buckner, a resident who lives across from a proposed development near
Lake Charles. Geymann’s legislation would require a 1-mile setback between solar panels and residential properties, though he said he’s open to working with the industry to come up with a different number
It would also require developers to submit a plan for “decommissioning” a development once it is no longer in use and a “letter of clearance from the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry Legislators in 2022 directed the state Department
of Energy and Natural Resources to adopt a permitting process to ensure solar projects had an adequate end-of-life plan, though final rules have yet to be published. “We don’t want an orphan well situation where 10 years from now we have a whole bunch of solar projects that have been abandoned and we’re on the hook for cleaning them up,” Geymann said. Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate. com.
Boudreaux
Luneau
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
of people line up to make it into the Senate
StateHouse panelrejectscarboncapture bill
Proposal would have provided localvoteon projects
BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer
Astate Housepanel Tuesday rejected abill to let parish officials or voters decide whether controversial carbon-capture projects can be built in their communities.
But the panel did give the feelings of local officials extra weight in the permitting process through thestate Department of Energy and Natural Resources. That bill was seen by some legislators as acompromise to meet demands to let residents weigh in on therushtobring the technology to Louisiana.
Carbon captureand sequestration technology permanently stores carbon dioxide from industrial processes deep underground to cut greenhouse emissions but hassparked environmental and property rights concerns. Both billsfacedobjections from trade associations for
theoil andgas industry,the chemical industry and other business and economic development groups fearful that more regulatoryuncertainty could steer the billions of dollars in industrial projects countingoncarbon capture away from Louisiana. They argue the technology could make Louisiana an economic leader —and thetwo bills and others considered Tuesday bythe House Committee on Natural Resources and the Environment risked killing that opportunity
“These proposals are decidedly anti-industry andwould cripple Louisiana’sabilityto deliver on these historic projects or compete for future ones,” saidDavidCresson, the new presidentand CEO of the Louisiana Chemical Association.
The bill that passed, Senate Bill 73 by Sen. Mike Reese, RLeesville, would require the stateconservation commissioner to give “substantial consideration to local government comments” on carbon injectionwell permits. The languageisborrowed from thestate’s coastal use permitting process. Reese said that if the state
office denieda carbon-capture permit based at leastin part on objections by local officials, the decisionwould be on strongerfooting to withstand alegal challenge.
“That is defensible action that agency has taken, so I think it is an important tool. That tool has worked in the coastal permitting process. Therehavebeen multiple permitsjust in thelast couple years thathave been denied in the coastal permitting process underthis provision,” Reesetold the committee.
While the bill, already passed by the Senate, would require state regulatorsto consider input from local officials, theycould reject it when making their permitting decisions.
Reese’sbill passed without committeeopposition. It was aprelude to alengthy discussion on thelocal-optionbill, HouseBill4 by Rep. Chuck Owen, R-Rosepine,that went on for roughly fivehours. That bill would have mandated one of two local-option procedures —police juries could either decide themselves whether to approve carbon capture in their parish or put theissue before vot-
ers in an election.
Themarathon discussion drew commentersfrom southwest Louisiana, including members of the Coushatta Tribe, people who live in the industrial corridorbetween Baton Rouge and New Orleans, business and industry groups and state officials.
Proponents of the local-option bill were across-section of groups who generallyopposedcarbon capture, both traditional environmental and communityactivistsbut also residents and officials from southwestern Louisianawho said they normally favored the oil and gas industrybut didn’tsee carbon capture as part of it
Many arguedthatthe people should have the final sayonthe technology,which somecastasa threat to their propertyrightsand others saw as acontinuation of Louisiana’straditionally poor treatment of the environment when big dollars are at stake.
“This allows for the people, who are most importantin thiscountryand in this state, to havea say,”said James Hiatt, aLake Charles-area environmentalactivist who formerly worked foran
oilrefinery
Owen’sbill failed in a6-10 vote.
Opponents on the committee had questions about how thebillwould be appliedto projects that have injection wells in oneparish butwould send underground carbon dioxideplumesintomultiple parishes.
Blake Canfield, executive counsel forthe state natural resources department, said that as written, thebill would have only blocked projects if police jurors or voters voted againstaproject in the parish where acarbon injection well is drilled. Owen pointed out that his
billwouldn’t have blocked carbon capture —itwould simply give local officials andresidents asay in their community and chance for industry proponents of carbon capturetomaketheir case directlytothem.
After the bill’sdefeat, Owen saidhehoped to win over the oiland gasindustry by promisingtohelpthemwiththe impact of coastal lawsuits thathaveforcedthem “to prostitute”themselvesfor thedollars behindcarbon capture.
DavidJ.Mitchellcan be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.
Chief Paul Trouard, who testified at the Wednesday afternoon hearing at the Legislature. “And we’re looking for basically competency over tenure.”
Thebill receivedunanimous support from the Senate’s Local and Municipal Affairs Committee, and will head next to the full Senate. Trouard told the committee Wednesday that he has just three applicants, or about 1% of his department, who have passed the necessary test to be promotedto major.Ifthe bill becomes law, it would allowanadditional 70 to 80 peopletoapply
Avacancy in theLafayette Police Department from Maj. Michael Brown inspired the bill. Brown announced his retirementfrom the department earlier thismonth after the Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board saiditwouldlaunch an investigation into him regarding acomplaint aboutprohibited political involvement. His departure promptedthe Senate bill, alongwith asister bill introduced onthe House side by Rep. Joshua Carlson,RLafayette, according to Civil Service Board Attorney Candice Hattan “This is to makesure you get thebest, not the oldest,” Hattan said. “And thenonce you pick the best, that person doesn’tjust have it made
since this is justayearlong appointment. These chiefs neverfeellike they can fire anybody.And when they fire them, theythink thatthe board is going to putthem back in theirjobs, so they don’teven writethem up.”
Trouard,who was appointed as police chief earlier this year,said some majorswork hardwhileothersare doing the bare minimum while waiting for their retirement. Trouardsaid he’sreceived support for the bill from the Lafayettemayor-president, his police union and his police department. “I’m notlooking forany disruption,” Trouard said. “I’m notlooking to moveanybody.I’m just looking for a higher qualityofleadership.”
Lafayette Consolidated Government Chief Admin-
istrative Officer Rachel Godeauxspoke in support of thebill during Wednesday’s meeting. Though the bill would also affect the Lake Charles police department, nobody from their department testified at the hearing.
Seven othersissuedtheir support for the bill but did not wish to speak, including former state Sen. Mike Michot, R-Lafayette, and representatives with theLafayette Police Department and Lafayette Consolidated Government. No opponentsspoke againstit.
Email Megan Wyatt at mwyatt@theadvocate. com.
BY SAMYAKULLAB andHANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press
KYIV,Ukraine Ukraine is ready to sign an agreement that would give the U.S. accesstoits valuable rare minerals in the hopes of ensuring continued Americansupport for Kyiv in its grinding war with Russia, senior Ukrainian officials said Wednesday Ukraine’s economyminister anddeputy primeminister, Yulia Svyrydenko, flew to Washington on Wednesdaytohelpfinalizethe deal, Prime Minister DenysShmyhalsaidduring an appearanceon Ukrainian television. Although the main part of the agreement hadbeen settled, there were still hurdlestoovercome,saida senior Ukrainian official who spoke on condition of anonymity becausethe official wasn’tauthorized to discuss the matter publicly ForUkraine, theagreementis seen as keytoensuring itsaccess to future U.S. military aid.
“Truly,this is astrategic deal for the creation of an investment partner fund,” Shmyhal said. “This is truly an equal and good international deal on joint investment in the development and restoration of Ukraine between the governments of the United Statesand Ukraine.”
U.S. PresidentDonaldTrump indicatedinFebruarythat he wanted accesstoUkraine’srare earth materials as acondition for continued U.S. support in the war,describing it as reimbursementfor the billions of dollars in aid the U.S. has given to Kyiv.But talksstalled after atense Oval Office meeting of U.S. and Ukrainian leaders, and reaching an agreement sincethen has proven difficultand strained relations between Washington and Kyiv
Treasury SecretaryScott Bessent said Wednesday duringa Cabinet meeting at the White House that theTrump administration was readyto sign offona deal, but that there was still work to do.
“The Ukrainians decided last night to make some last-minute changes,” Bessent said when asked about reports thatUkraine was ready to agree to thepact. “We’re sure that they will reconsiderthat. And we arereadytosign this afternooniftheyare ” He didn’t elaborateastothe late changes he said Ukraine made.
The U.S. is seeking accessto more than 20 rawmaterials deemed strategically criticaltoits interests, including some non-minerals such as oiland natural gas. Among them are Ukraine’sdeposits of titanium, which isused for making aircraft
wings and other aerospace manufacturing, and uranium, which is used for nuclear power,medical equipment andweapons. Ukraine alsohas lithium, graphiteand manganese, which are used in electric vehicle batteries.
AfterKyivfeltthe initial U.S. draft of the deal disproportionately favored American interests, it introduced new provisions aimed at addressing thoseconcerns AccordingtoShmyhal, thelatest version would establish an equal partnership between the two countries and last for 10 years. Financial contributions to ajoint fund would be made in cash, and only new U.S. militaryaid would count toward the American share. Assistance provided before theagreement was signed wouldnot be counted. Unlike an earlier draft,the deal would not conflict with Ukraine’spath toward European Unionmembership —akey provision for Kyiv
TheUkrainian Cabinetwas expected toapprove the agreement’s text before it could be signed in Washington. Thedealwouldthen need to be ratified by theUkrainian Parliament before it could take effect
Putinwants answers
The negotiations comeamid rocky progress in Washington’s
Ukrainesaysit’sready to sign akey deal with U.S.
push to stop the war
RussianPresident Vladimir Putin backscalls fora ceasefire before peace negotiations, “but beforeit’sdone, it’snecessary to answer afew questionsand sort out a few nuances,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskovsaid. Putin is also readyfor direct talks with Ukraine without preconditions to seek a peace deal,headded.
“Werealize that Washington wants to achieve quick progress, but we hope for understanding that the Ukrainian crisis settlementisfar too complex to be done quickly,” Peskov said during his daily conference call with reporters.
Trump hasexpressed frustration over the slow pace of progress in negotiations aimed at stopping the war.Western European leaders have accused Putin of stalling while his forces seek to grab more Ukrainian land. Russia has captured nearly afifthofUkraine’s territory since Moscow’s forces launched afull-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.
TheAmericanpresidenthas chided his Ukrainiancounterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy,for steps thathesaidwere prolonging the killing, and he has rebuked Putin for complicating negotiations with “very bad timing” in launching
deadly strikes on Kyiv Trumphas long dismissed the war as awaste of lives and American taxpayer money —acomplaint he repeated Wednesday during his Cabinet meeting. That could spell an endtocrucialmilitary help for Ukraine andheaviereconomic sanctions on Russia.
U.S. wantstospeed things up TheU.S. State Department on Tuesday tried againtopushboth sides to move more quickly and warned that the U.S. could pull out of the negotiations if there’sno progress.
“Weare now at atime where concrete proposals need to be delivered by the twoparties on how to end this conflict,” department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce quoted U.S. SecretaryofState Marco Rubio as telling her Russia has effectively rejected aU.S.proposalfor an immediate and full 30-day ceasefire, making it conditionalonahalttoUkraine’s mobilization effort and Western arms supplies to Kyiv Russian Foreign Minister Sergey LavrovclaimedWednesdaythat Ukraine had accepted an unconditional truce only because it was being pushed back on the battlefield, where the bigger Russian forces have the upper hand.
Palestinianstudent released afterarrestatcitizenship interview
BY AMANDA SWINHART andHOLLYRAMER TheAssociated Press
BURLINGTON, Vt. Ajudge on Wednesday released aPalestinian student at Columbia University who ledprotestsagainst Israel’s war in Gaza and was arrested by immigration officials during an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship Immigration authorities have arrested and detained college students from around the country since the first days of theTrump administration, manyofwhom participated in campusprotests overthe war in Gaza,whichhas killed more than 52,000 Palestinians. Mohsen Mahdawi is among the first of those students to win his freedom after challenging an arrest. He walked out of aVermont
courthouse Wednesdayand led hundreds of supporters in chants including “No fear” and “Free Palestine.” He said people must come togethertodefend both democracy and humanity.
“Never give up on the idea that justice will prevail,” he said. “We want to stand up for humanity, because the rest of the world notonlyPalestine —iswatching us. And what is going to happen in America is going to affect the rest of the world.”
Mahdawi, 34, has been alegal permanent resident for 10 years.
He was in aVermont state prison since April 14.Inhis release order,U.S. District Judge GeoffreyCrawford said Mahdawi has raised a“substantial claim that the governmentarrested him to stifle speech withwhich it disagrees.” “Even if he were afirebrand, his
conduct is protectedbythe First Amendment,” thejudge wrote, adding that offending political opponentsoralarmingthe State Departmentdoesn’t make him dangerous enough tojustify detention
TheU.S.governmentargues they can remove Mahdawi from thecountry under theImmigration andNationality Act.
That’sbecause Secretary of State Marco Rubiosayshis presence and activities “wouldhave serious adverse foreign policy consequences andwould compromise acompelling U.S.foreign policy interest.”
Alawyer for the government on Wednesday also said a2015FBI investigation shows Mahdawi is anationalsecuritythreat, but Crawford saidthe case had been closed and the accusations appeared to be fabricated.
According to acourt filing, Mahdawi was born in arefugee camp in theIsraeli-occupied West Bank andmoved to the United Statesin 2014. He organized campus protests at Columbia until March 2024 and cofounded the school’sPalestinian Student Unionwith Mahmoud Khalil, anotherPalestinianpermanent resident of theU.S.and graduate student who was arrested in March. Khalil hasbeenheldfor nearly eight weeks in aLouisiana detention center,missing the birth of his first child. An immigration judge ruled that Khalil can be forced out of the country as anational securityrisk.
In another high-profile case, Rümeysa Öztürk, aTufts University student from Turkey,was detained in March over what her lawyers say is apparent retali-
ation for an op-ed piece she cowrote in the student newspaper
More than 1,000 collegestudentsnationwidehavehad their visasrevoked or their legal status terminated since late March, according to an Associated Press review.The federal government has sinceannounced it will reverse the termination of legal status for international students after many filed courtchallenges, agovernment lawyer said Friday. The U.S. attorney’sofficedid not respond to messages seeking comment on whetheritwill appeal the release. Thejudge referred to the Ozturk case and others like it in his ruling, saying such arrests are reminiscent of nationwide raids targeting suspected anarchists andcommunists in 1919 and1920 and deportations during the McCarthy eraofthe 1950s.
METRO
TAKING A STAND
Students, community members protest UL’s closure of Office of Campus Inclusion, other resources
BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer
A small group of University of Louisiana at Lafayette students and community members gathered in the rain Wednesday to speak out against the school’s rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
They marched from the student union on campus to downtown Lafayette holding signs and chanting, hoping to call attention to the change in programming not just at UL, but at schools across Louisiana.
“Inclusivity matters,” said Jae Regan, part of the Lafayette Inclusion Task Force, which organized the event. “We want the university to be accountable. All students should feel safe.”
In a letter shared by the Lafayette Inclusion Task Force, supporters asked UL and other universities in the state to “stand against outside pressure and stand firm in protecting every person who makes education a central part of Louisiana’s future.”
The university abruptly closed its Office of Campus Inclusion on April 11 to come into compliance with a federal directive. The office’s two employees accepted positions in another university office.
Other services and avenues that allowed students to file complaints about discrimination on campus also have been dissolved or absorbed into larger offices, making the process more cum-
bersome, said Jolie Daigle, president of UL’s chapter of Giving Love, Acceptance, Safety & Support.
The changes and closures come as President Donald Trump and his administration target diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at higher education institutions across the United States. Republicans and other DEI critics argue the efforts are discriminatory, make White people feel guilty and push progressive ideas on students.
In February, the U.S. Department of Education issued guidance to colleges and universities, claiming that all raceconscious policies and programming
violated the law
Even before the changes, Daigle said, LGBTQ students and other students of minority and marginalized groups weren’t treated like a priority on campus compared to students who come from traditional backgrounds.
And without those resources, Daigle said, those groups will become even less of a priority
“Student groups are having to step up and fill in for what the university should be doing,” Daigle said.
Email Ashley White at ashley white@theadvocate.com
500-page report at center of Mid-Barataria controversy
Former governor denies Landry allegations that document hidden
BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer
A technical report that models the flow rates of water and sediment from the Mississippi River is now at the center of a new controversy around the massive $3 billion Mid-Barataria Diversion project, until recently the centerpiece of Louisiana’s plan to restore its eroding coastline. The 500-page document commissioned by the state’s Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority and written by a third-party engineering consultant, was completed in June 2022. It studied specific components
of the sediment diversion and said that in coming decades, under certain scenarios, dredging could be needed to keep portions of the diversion operating as designed.
on social media over the weekend.
Changes to civil service weighed
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
For a second year in a row, a contested effort to change the constitution to give state lawmakers more power over Louisiana’s civil service system is underway
Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, is again championing a bill that would allow the Legislature to add additional unclassified positions to the state workforce.
Morris, during a hearing Wednesday, said the effort to “reform civil service” is aimed at creating a more efficient government that functions to some degree like a business.
“Civil service eliminates the ability to have a meritocracy, which is essential to a well-functioning organization,” he said “The taxpayers of our state deserve an efficient government. And civil service in its current form prevents that.” Morris contended that the current system is problematic in that it prioritizes seniority over performance, has rigid rules that make hiring difficult, and has burdensome disciplinary procedures that get in the way of firing employees who need to be let go for poor performance.
But current and former state employees showed up at the Capitol on Wednesday to share their opposition with lawmakers during a public hearing on the legislation.
More than 25 people lodged formal opposition to the measure, and several detractors spoke publicly
One of those was Doug Bordelon, an employee of the Department of Environmental Quality, who said he was speaking in a personal capacity Should the legislation pass, he said, “it may achieve the short-term goal of increasing administrative flexibility, but it would also likely be disastrous for public servants and for the public sector.”
ä See CIVIL, page 4B
Bill to crack down on homelessness advances
BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer
The report, one of many studies undertaken on the massive coastal project, appears to have attracted little attention in the three years since it was produced. But over the weekend, Gov Jeff Landry who has aligned himself with Plaquemines Parish fisherman and elected officials who oppose the diversion, alleged that it was improperly kept from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by the administration of his predecessor, John Bel Edwards.
“Shockingly Governor John Bel Edwards hid reports from the (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) simply to get a permit!” Landry posted
“This project is like a John Grisham novel, a real life ‘Pelican Brief.’” Edwards denied the allegation that his administration withheld any information from the Corps, calling Landry’s comments “flat out wrong.” Landry administration officials had already paused work on the project earlier this month. But on Friday the Corps withdrew a key permit, halting work indefinitely In a letter notifying officials of the permit cancellation, the Corps said that the state had “deliberately withheld information” about the project. They also listed a number of other reasons for the permit withdrawal, including the state’s move to pause construction activity The Mid-Barataria project pro-
poses to slice open the levees on the west bank of the Mississippi River near Ironton in order to allow the river — and, more importantly, its sediment to flow into the Barataria Basin. The project aims to build 21 square miles of land over a half-century and was issued a permit by the Corps after an exhaustive examination of the project’s environmental impacts.
The diversion long been seen as central to Louisiana’s plan to protect and restore its fast-eroding coastline, though it has angered fishermen and oystermen in the Barataria Basin, who argue that it will destroy their livelihoods.
While Landry has alleged behindthe-scenes intrigue relating to the report, the report itself, titled “Numerical modeling for the 90% phase of engineering and design,” is no one’s idea of a thrilling beach read.
A state Senate committee has advanced a bill that would make unauthorized camping illegal, a bid to tamp down on homeless encampments in Louisiana that drew impassioned criticism this week from advocates and New Orleans officials.
Under Senate Bill 196 — authored by state Sen. Robert Owen, R-Slidell — camping on public property would be a felony on the second conviction. But the bill would also allow judges to create court programs dedicated to homelessness cases, which could aim to put defendants through drug and mental health programs instead of sending them to prison. The bill was approved 4-3 by the Senate’s Judiciary B Committee on Tuesday, with all three senators from New Orleans — home to the state’s largest homeless population — voting no.
STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Students and supporters carry signs Wednesday during a march at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to protest the rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at it and other universities. It was hosted by The Lafayette Inclusion Task Force.
Students and supporters carry signs protesting the rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at UL. Owen
Morris
Landry Edwards
LSUresearch on aroll. Don’tlet federal cuts stall it.
The recent announcementthatLSU has reached arecord $543 million in research activity during the 2023-24 academic year should come as no surprisetoanyone who’s been paying attention. WhenPresident WilliamTate IV arrived on campus in 2021, heset outanambitious agenda he called “scholarship first” that aimed to focus research on several keyareas that are drivers of the state’seconomy.
That strategy seems to bepayingoff, with the university’sresearch activity increasing 14%over the past three years. We must take a moment to applaud the incredible strides the university has made as it aims to become one of the top 50 research universities in theUnited States, even as we acknowledge there aredark clouds on the horizon.
“Our teams have no confusion on theirmission, and they are winning for the people of Louisiana,” Tate said in astatement.
We agree. The school has been on aroll in recentyears.LSU had$345 million in research activity in 2020, earning arankingof84th nationally.By2022, LSU research spending reached $428 million. In 2023, thenumberwas $488 million.
Like the University of LouisianaatLafayette andTulane University,LSU is aCarnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education Research1level higher institution.Thereare only 187 universities with thatstatus, and ourstate has three. Carnegie Research 1statusrequires that an institution have at least $50millionin researchactivity and produce at least70 doctorates annually.LSU has metthenexceeded that threshold for years.
Like many other universities, LSU’sresearch success can be tiedinpart to federalgovernment contracts and grants.
As we watch federal agencies like theNational InstitutesofHealth and theU.S. Department of Energy say they will slash researchfunding for universities, we shudder to think whatLouisiana might look like withoutfederalresearch dollars helping UL-Lafayette, Tulaneand LSU do important work.
University researchactivity isn’tonly good for Carnegie status rankings. Researchspending provides jobs, boosts theeconomy and leads to technology advancements andgroundbreaking discoveries.Such cuts could cost LSU millions and cost universities billions. The uncertaintyled to asystemwide hiring freezeat LSU. LSU doesn’tknow whether it will have the money to attract top-tier faculty andgraduate students and to continue funding ongoingresearch. And that could havelong-term implications for our state and thenation All Louisianans should supportcontinued funding for research, not just at LSU, but at all our colleges and universities. Today’sstudents and researchers willdeterminewhatour future looks like. Yes, we need to spendtaxpayer dollarswisely. Butitwould be short-sightedtotry to save afew bucks on research todayatthe expense of abetter tomorrow
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com. TO SEND
OPINION
Oiland gasjobsfuelstate’s economy
Louisiana’seconomy depends on oil and gas, and the numbers back it up. In 2019 alone, the industry supported nearly 250,000 jobs across our state.
That’sabout 1inevery 9jobs real people in our communities who rely on this work to support their families.And these aren’tjust any jobs —they often pay significantly morethan thestate average. These positions span every corner of the supply chain, from offshore platformstoLNG export terminals to downstream refineries. With every direct hire, 1.43 morejobs are created in our economy.These are indirect and induced jobs that keep small businesses, schools and services running strong.
This is not just about paychecks —it’sabout stability. A$14.5 billion annual wage impact means real economic resilience for Louisiana. We can’tafford to losethis. Rather than pushing this vital industry away with burdensome regulations or political rhetoric, we should be working withoil and gas companies to make Louisiana the mostattractive place for them to do business. That meanssound infrastructure, askilled workforce and policies that encourage, not punish, investment. Ourfamilies, schools and communities depend on it
MARTHA CHARMAINE GRIFFIN Grand Isle
Thereturnofthe ugly American
When Iwas in college, Iread the classic book, “The Ugly American” by Eugene Burdick and William J. Lederer.Set during theheight of theCold War, it paintsableak picture of American foreign policy Ourdiplomats, businesspeople and military personnel are all arrogant,greedy, inept and culturally insensitive. They don’tspeak the language, and they don’trespect thelocal culture. They sow resentment instead of goodwill. The book espouses theuse of soft power rather than coercion. It stresses theimportance of winning over hearts andminds through understanding, cooperation and compassion. The book helped convince John F. Kennedy to create thePeace Corps, and it inspired me to join.
The new Trump administration obviously didn’tread the book, or even the CliffsNotes. The president doesn’tcare about soft power His“America first” approach to foreign policy involves bludgeoning friend and foe alike with Teddy Roosevelt’sinfamous “big stick.” He withdrew the UnitedStates from theWorld Health Organization andthe Paris Accords on climate change, and he tookanaxto USAID, the U.S. Institute of Peace andVoice of America.
Ican only imaginethatthe Peace Corps is next on thechopping block. Unfortunately,the ugly American is back on Pennsylvania Avenue. FOLWELL DUNBAR NewOrleans
DOGE claims of fraudare just smokeand mirrors
It was recently reported that Louisiana will losemillions of dollars in federal funds that Elon Musk and DOGE claim arewaste, fraud and abuse. This is great news that will only be made better when the indictmentsarrive againstthe government officials responsible for these crimes.Maybe we will get lucky and AttorneyGeneral Liz Murrell will explain why her office and the former Louisiana AttorneyGeneral allowed these crimes to occur Of course,ifthere is no widespread waste,fraud and abuse, this
would be nothing more than political theater designed to inflict pain and suffering on the mostvulnerable membersofour society. Surely, someone acting out of self-interest, withnoaccountability and no experience, would only do whatisbest for the country.Iamsure we can expect thatkeen eye for ferreting out corruptionthat Musk is applying to public healthservices will be applied withequal vigor and impartiality to major militarycontractors.
GORDON
BOWIE NewOrleans
No humane wayto carryout deathpenalty
All living things seek —even struggle to survive to reproduce to continue their kind. It is perhaps the mostfundamental rule of nature. Exceptions are rare, typically the insane or others intent on suicide, although mostsuicidal people would prefer to have their issues resolved so they can survive.
Survival being aprimal instinct, pronouncing adeath sentence is necessarily torture, by any meaningful definition of the word. Even those whoenjoy torturing acknowledge torture is cruel and unusual. Therefore, capital punishment —no matter how humanely carried out —is cruel and unusual and clearly violates the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Ending torture is anoble act intended to end depraved behavior Capital punishment is an act of revenge rather than an act of justice, is too often capriciously imposed and too often kills innocent people. The U.S. should ban capital punishment and seek to have it abolished worldwide.
STEVE OSBORNE Luling
Turning ourbackonimmigrants is turningbackhistory
Shame on us for disavowing our immigrant heritage. Our history is at stake. We are all migrants in this country
Naturalized citizens are carrying identification to prevent being caught up in this mass sweep sponsored by our current administration
My family fled Ireland, English taxation and oppressive oversight being too much to bear Idonot believe in open borders. Iprize my country.Ithas always been great. I believe legally vetted migrants who have family in this country,those who desperately need refuge and people who come to share their talents with us should be welcomed.
Let us make our borders available to those who want to join us legally and to those who want to join us as citizens.
Iamashamed of the deportation being carried out under the guise of public safety
It is indiscriminate, inhumane and unAmerican. Please join me in deploring this method of handling public safety.These methods are against all that we stand for God bless America!
BETSY KYLEBURKE
NewOrleans
ON THE RECORD WITH ARCHBISHOPGREGORy AyMOND
‘The
Holy Spiritisdoing something. Thereisa stir.’
Catholic leader discusses papalsuccessionand how thechurchischanging
New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond is the leader of approximately half amillion Catholics in the secondoldest diocese in thecountry.Asthe Roman Catholic Church mourns the death of Pope Francis and prepares to choose anew leader,he sat down with DeputyEditor for Opinion Arnessa Garrett to talk about the moment and some of the challenges the church is facing.
Arnessa Garrett
GARRETT: We’re seeing all these tributes and remembrances of Pope Francis. What hasstruck you the most abouthow people are talking about him?
AYMOND:Ithink for the most part,people have captured who he was as aman of great humility,asa man of integrity, as a spiritual father.You know,wecalled him Holy Father,but he really was afather to us and abrother.Hewalked with us, and he wanted us to accompany oneanother So Ithink people have captured in many ways who he was and his dedicationtothe church.
GARRETT: Whatdoyou think aresome of the most important things he did during his tenure?
AYMOND: He certainly reached out to those who were in need. He told thestorythat when he was elected, the cardinal next to him said to him, “Don’tforget thepoor.” And that’swhy he took thename of Francis of Assisi. One of the images that Ilike thathe used forawhile was that the church has to be afield hospital.Inthe military,theyopen hospitals where they need them to be, and so people don’thavetocometothem, but they go to the people. Andhesaidthat the church was afield hospital that hadto be there where the people were hurting, where they were poor,where theyneeded attention and love and care. (Itneeded) to take care of the wounded,whether itwas from sin or from the unfortunatethings of life. And Ithink he really did thatbyhis international travels.He was traveling this year in hiswheelchair.
GARRETT: We hear alot that churchesin Africa and in Asia and other places are becoming more and more importanttothe Catholic Church. He really kind of emphasized that decentralization from Rome.Do you think that’s the way the church isgoing in the future?
AYMOND: He talked about noncentralization because he wanted each diocese to do itsown discipleship. He called it missionarydiscipleship—peoplewere not only called to be disciples, butthey were called to share their faithwith others so that our relationshipisnot just me and God, but it’s “Webelong to the church,and therefore we must go out to others in mission ”You could call that adecentralization.But I wouldn’tsay that he decentralized the authority of the church or themoral teaching of the church.
Ideologicalsplit
GARRETT: There’sadifference of opinion (between the conservativeand progressive Catholics.) He was able to somehow keep everyone kind of on the same page. Do you think that’sgoing to be achallenge going forward?
AYMOND: Yesand no. Ithink it’s going to be achallenge because we live in asociety that likes to be divided, because we can blame theother side. So Ithink it’s going to continuetothat extent because we’re never going to be pleased, andanybody who wants to disagree withthe leadercertainly does that and does it in aina boisterousway,whereas years ago they would perhaps privately say,“Idon’t agree with this.” That’ssort of the society that we live in. Idon’tthink that the division is going to get to be aproblem. Iwould think that whoever is elected as pope—and what Iwould like to say is whoever the Holy Spirit chooses as pope through the cardinals —will be aperson whowants to unify the church.
AYMOND: As they always have, they approach the election in asense of integrity andalso preserving thelong-term teachings of the church, which go back to the time of the apostles.
Ithink that they will be talking about a sense of unity within the church —how can we bring the church closer together andalso how can we evangelize those countries that have not been evangelized. As you mentioned, Africa and some other places are doing extremely well in terms of Catholic population. Others are not doingaswell, andthey need to be evangelized more.
Andinthe United States, it’s very uneven.Some dioceses are making very good progress in terms of membership and in terms of activity in thechurch; others are struggling. We happen to be doing well in spite of all the challenges in our society, and even locally
We know thatthe Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of New Orleans is growing. We had over 600 people join the church at Easter. And that’s asignificant number.Wethink it’sprobably closer to 650, but that’ssignificant that we would have thatmany.That’s the largest we’ve had in probably adecade.
Ithink that one of thethings that people don’trealize is that in thearchdiocese, Mass attendance is up. Lastyear,itwas 5% upcompared to the year before. There are more people who are in prayer groups. There are morepeople who are taking their faith seriously.Catholic education is up. Thenumber of people in our Catholic schools, and especially our high schools, has increased.
GARRETT: Do you thinkwe’re seeing this not just in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, butaround Louisianaand in other dioceses?
AYMOND: Certainly around Louisiana, and in several other dioceses in the country, peopleare being baptized in theCatholic Church. Outofthose 600 or so (baptized at Easter), we had approximately 300 who hadnever been baptized in any denomination,and they werecoming to the church. So that says alot about where people are.
Addressingabuse
GARRETT: As the cardinals gointo theconclave,what kinds of things are they thinking about? How are they approaching the selection of anew pope?
GARRETT: Let’s talk about someofthe challenges the church is facing going forward. Certainly,the clergy abuse scandal has been —all over the country,but especially in the Archdiocese of New Orleans —a prominent issue. Howdoes thechurch move forwardand makesure that everybody who was avictim is madewhole and acknowledge the pain and the hurt?
AYMOND: First of all, it is thesin of the
church. Andwhenever clergyand other leaders of the church —it’salso been women and men religious as wellaslay people sometimes —have committed acts of sexual abuse, it’svery importantthat we do not in any way excuse that, but we condemn it, that we, as achurch, apologize for what has happened. Andwhenever possible, we apologize, not just in general, but also individually,one-on-one or in asmall group of people who cometosee aleader of the church, for example, myself.I have certainly met with alot of individuals and with groups of people whohave been abused. AndIthink that thatisimportant because it has given me an opportunity to hear their insights, but also to be able to experience some of their emotions and someoftheir feelings and their sense of betrayal.
The next step is that we care forthem, which we’re trying to do in this diocese, reaching out tothose who havebeen hurt and have been treated unjustly and sinfully to trytohelp them in regards to some reparation on our part.And we can do that through prayer.Wecan do it through listening. We can also do it financially,and we’re trying to do all of those.
GARRETT: Why do you thinkthe financial piece of it is taking as long as it has taken?
AYMOND:Ifyou know theanswer to that question, please tell me. AndI sincerely mean that. It should not have taken this long. And there are anumber of reasons, somelegal reasons that it has taken this long, but I’m not in favor of that and think that it’smost unfortunate. AndI would say unfair to thepeople who have been abused that it’staken so long, and we are in aposition right now wherewe’re saying we’re moving forward. We want to makesure that this is done as soon as possible. Then, to makesure that it never happens in thefuture, thesafe environment program is very,very important. It’s very specific, very demanding, andweget complaintsall the time that it’stoo demanding, that we’re requiring too much. But I’d rather for us to require too much and protect our children. That’swhatthat’swhat this is all about.
GARRETT: Iknow you’ve had to close parishes. What is the archdiocese going to look like in the future?
AYMOND: We’ve closed parishes because they’re too close to one another.Welive in acity where there was within amile an English church, aSpanish church,aGerman church, an Italian church.Wehad too many churches. Though we hadsome disagreement with that, Ithink the majority of people didn’tlike it but understood it.
GARRETT: So you’re optimistic about the future?
AYMOND: Iam, and I’mnot knowntobe overly optimistic about manythings. (laughs) But about this, Iamoptimistic. I think that the spirit of God is alive and well with 600-something people coming into the church. The Holy Spirit is doing something. There is astir that’sgoing on. And we have awhole number of new programsthat have started. For example, we have ACTS (Adoration, Community,Theology,Service) retreats, we have prayer groups, we have catechetical formation for families, not just forchildren. So there is a whole host of things going on in the church today that indicate growth.
Difficult decisions
GARRETT: One of the things you run is the Second Harvest Food Bank. Alot of people had alot to say about changes you made there. Can you talk about why?
AYMOND: First of all, it was started by Archbishop (Philip) Hannan. And he always had the vision that it would be a ministry of the Catholic Church, not for Catholics, but that it would be aministry of the Catholic Church forall those who are hungry and those whoare in need. He developed it with that sense that we would feed anybody and everybody,everybody would be equal. But it would be amission of the Catholic Church, and it would be aspiritual organization. And there were someofuswho believed that that spirituality had sort of been diminished. And we felt that it was important to continue that in the spirit in which it was founded. Some of the people whowere involved in it said it’snot of the church, and we would wholeheartedly disagree with them
GARRETT: Coming back to this momentand the conclave, what should the laity be doing or thinking at this time?
AYMOND:Iwould say twothings. One is to pray forPope Francis that he has the fullness of eternal life, and we thank Godfor him and what he brought to the church. None of us are perfect, but he certainly did alot and brought alot to the church. So, I think to pray in thanksgiving, but also to pray forthe giftofthe Holy Spirit. And as (the cardinals) go into the Sistine Chapel, the dominant voice is that of the Holy Spirit. They will be praying together,and they will be working together,and they’ll be talking about the mission of the church. And as they do that, my personal hope and prayer is that they really are consciously aware of the Holy Spirit so that they can say when it’sover,“It’s not we as cardinals whospoke, but it wasGod whospoke.” And that’swhat we believe.
Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | OpinionPageEditor.Emailher at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com.
STAFFPHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
Archbishop GregoryAymond leads Ash Wednesdayservices at St.Louis Cathedral in NewOrleans on March5
“Dramatic change and too much change are detrimental to any organization
To put it bluntly,dramatic change tanks morale,” said Bordelon, who said he has been astate employee for more than two decades, most of that time as aclassifiedemployeeand human resources manager
The Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee approved Senate Bill 8on aparty-line 5-2 vote, with Republicans in support and Democrats opposed.
Louisiana’scivil service system gives certain government employeesprotection against being fired and is meant to limit patronage and political retaliation.
Underthe system setupin the state constitution, there are two groups of government workers: classified and unclassified.
Classified employees those meant to be shielded from politicalpressure can only be disciplined or firedfor cause, with proper
documentation and after a chance to respond or take correctiveaction. They’re also barred from supportingpolitical candidates or parties.
Unclassified employees are considered at-willand can behired or fired at any time,and theyfacenorestrictions on political activity
By default, stategovernment jobs are classified, but the constitution lists more than adozen specific categories of stateemployeesand officials that are unclassifiedpositions. Among them: elected officials, members of boardsand commissions, and staff in the Legislature, Governor’sOffice and AttorneyGeneral’sOffice, for example.
The State Civil Service Commissioncan also approve requests from state agencies for additionalunclassified positions.
Morris’ proposal would empower the Legislature to create additional unclassifiedjobs as well.
“What’sthe true intent?” saidDana LeBherz, acurrent state employee, speaking to lawmakers Wednes-
day.“Given the scope of the changes proposed, it seems to me the ultimate aim may be to dismantle civil service.”
After thehearing, Morris said, “My intent is not to dismantle theentiresystem,” though he addedthat“ahybrid system” consisting of both classifiedand unclassifiedemployees maywork best
Ricky Patterson, who previously worked at the Louisiana Housing Corporationfor adecade, urged lawmakers to consider the“long-term impact” of themeasure.
“As astate employee and as aclassified employee, there were timesthatI received pressure from members of the Legislature,” he said.
He added: “We’reLouisiana. So we need to remember our history so we do not repeat it.”
Both Patterson andLeBherztold lawmakers that thecivil service system has mechanisms to fire employees if need be.
Some in attendance presentedamorenuancedview of the bill.
“Wesupport the idea of
civil service reform. We think it’s agood idea,” said BarryErwin, chief policy officer forLeadersfor aBetterLouisiana, an advocacy group thatrecently formed aftera merger of Committeeof100,the state’sbusiness roundtable, and Council for ABetter Louisiana.
“Weunderstand the desire that’sbeen expressed about trying to, youknow, make ourworkforce more productive, moreefficient, more private-sector-oriented,”he said.
But Erwin said the proposed constitutional amendment doesn’tpresent aclear roadmap forachieving and measuring reforms like modernizing hiring practices,creating performance evaluations and improving compensation structures.
He likeneditto“putting the cartbeforethe horse” acharacterization that Morris took issue with.
“The cartisnot beforethe horse. This is the horse,” Morris said, referring to the bill.
“It’s about time for us to reform our state, and we can’tdoitifthe constitution prevents us.”
Owen and Christopher Walters, deputy executive counsel to Republican Gov Jeff Landry,saidthe bill was intended to addressmental illness and drug addiction among homeless people.
“We’ve put alot of these people in housing, but because of these problems —mental illness, drug addiction —alot of times they don’twanttostayinthese places because there’srules there and they’re not in the rightstate of mindtofollow any kinds of rules,” said Owen.
But critics noted repeatedly on TuesdaythatOwen’s proposal does not include anyfundingfor additional mental health or drug treat-
REPORT
Continued from page 1B
Thereport, conducted by engineering and environmental consulting firm FTN Associates,states itspurpose was to analyzewater and sediment flows at the diversion’s intake —where the river is diverted into the Barataria Basin —inorder to help design astructure for the intake that would maximize sedimentflow intothe basin. It is deeply technical, and uses models to try to better understand how the diversion would function under various scenariosinfluenced by sea level rise, tides, and other river conditions.
One section in the report appears to conclude that in scenarios that involve high estimatesfor sealevel rise, additional dredging would be required to keep enough waterand sediment flowing through it achieve the project’s goals for land-building in the basin.
ment that couldberequired under homelessness court programs,orfor housing. Othersalsosaidcriminal convictions would make it more difficult for people to get off the streets and into housingorajob
“Thislaw is criminalizingpoverty— anybody can become homeless,” said David Larson, amember of UNITY of Greater New Orleans’ People’s Council, whosemembers have experienced homelessness “Sending these people to jail is atravesty.”
SB196 is one of two bills this legislativesession that propose to banhomeless encampments; theother is House Bill 619 from state Rep. Alonzo Knox,D-New Orleans. Bothbills were introduced afterLandry vowed that his office would work during the legislative
The Corps published the report on its website this month at CPRA’srequest, according to correspondence between agency officials. In hisstatement Saturday, Landry said that the Edwards administration“failedtotell the public that the Mid-Barataria project would have cost taxpayers over $50 million A YEAR in dredging.”
It is not clear how Landry determined thepotential cost of additional dredging. Landry’sofficedid not clarify how it arrived at the$50 millionfigure in astatement provided Tuesday
“TheFTN modelingpredated the permit and Record of Decision but was never shared withthe Corps, so it wasn’tpart of theofficial record,” said Elizabeth Crochet, aspokesperson for the governor.“Theythen selectively released aredacted report after the permit was issued, withholding key issues.”
One former state official whowas closetothe project has questioned whether the report shows what Landry
session to “enact legislative reforms that should producethe framework necessary to properly move people from homelessness to housing.”
In the past year,Landry hasmarshaled stateresources to first relocate homeless residents into asingle encampment in downtown New Orleans and thenfrom downtown camps into astate-run shelter, which opened in Januaryand closed after three months.
Both proposals also come after aU.S. Supreme Court ruling last year allowed cities and states to enforce bans on people sleeping outside.
Walters also said the bill wasaimed at “cleaning up our streets,providing public safety,ensuring public healthismaintained.” A
claimed.
“There was no cover-up,” said Charles Sutcliffe, asenior adviser at the National WildlifeFederation whopreviously served as Edwards’ chief resilience officer,ata House Transportation Committee hearing in Baton Rouge on Monday.“This complicated project relied on multiplemodels built and used for different purposes.”
The main model used as partofthe Corps’analysis of the project’s environmental impacts was alargerone, Sutcliffe said, which analyzed the project’simpacts on the Barataria Basin. The model used in the report that Landry is now pointing to looked specifically at the intake structure and “incidentally contained some information aboutchangesinthe greater basin.”
“Whatismostconcerning is thatthis administration has chosen tomisrepresent this as some kind of smoking gun to crater thereputation of their own agency,” Sutcliffe said.
spokesperson for Landry did not respond to arequest for comment.
Homeless services nonprofitsthroughout thestate use millions of dollars in federal funds each year to move homelesspeople into subsidized housing and connect them with services, including mental health and addiction treatment.
New Orleansofficials and service providershaveacknowledged that available mental health treatment options are insufficientto keep some of thehighestneed people stably housed.
But they saidOwen’s proposalisn’t aremedyfor that problem
Will Harrell,senior programmonitor with the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, saidthe bill would come with an “extraordinary cost”toNew Orleans.
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BeulahDupreStephan, age 104, born October 23, 1920, in Opelousas, Louisiana died peacefully at Cornerstone at the Ranch,Friday, April 25, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. Shewas precededindeathbyher husband, John Edward Stephan of Lafayette, Louisiana; herparents, Edgar MartinDupre and Edna LandryDupreof Opelousas, Louisiana; her favorite aunt, Aline Landry Cormier Wood andfavorite uncles,AdolphJoseph Cormier andCharles Wood,all of Opelousas, Louisiana; andher son, Dr John Kenneth Stephanof Lafayette, Louisiana. She is also preceded in death by hersiblings, Kirby Dupre, Margaret DupreSmith, WadeDupre, Lois Dupre Harmonand HelenDupre Duplechain.She is survived by children, Susan Anne Stephan andDr. Mark Tyler Stephan of Lafayette, Louisiana; grandchildren, Weatherly Anne Stephan of Brooklyn, NewYork: Nicholas Tyler Stephan (LeeAnn) of Austin,Texas; JackSabiusStephan of Savannah, Georgia; greatgrandchildren, Arlo Henry Stephan andEvangeline Rose Talabock of Austin, Texas; and themothers of hergrandchildren, Kerry Howell of Austin, Texas andWanda Stephan of Victor,Montana. Beulahwas agraduate of Port BarreHigh School anda 1941 graduate of SouthwesternLouisiana Institute (now University of Louisiana at Lafayette). WhileatSLI she wasa member of theRed Jackets andthe AlphaOmicronPi Sorority. She marriedher collegesweetheartJohn Edward Stephan on August 28, 1941. After graduation from theUniversity, she accompaniedher husband to Fort Monmouth(New Jersey)where John wasin officercandidate school for theUnited States Army. Theywerenext transferred to Camp Pinedale (Fresno, California) for the duration of WorldWar Il. Following thewar, Beulahand John returned to Lafayette andsettledin ahomenear thecampusof theuniversity in 1947, whereshe lived until2019. Over thecourse of herhusband'scareer, Beulah assisted with herhusband's many photography assignments, including annual ID card photos for theULstudent body, and was afrequentfixtureathis side. Sheenjoyedhandcrafts,
and
with
and daughter to hunt for antiques. Shewas aloving andindulgent Mimi to hergrandchildren andgreat-grandchildren whowill remember that she always endeda hug with asighofdelight. She wasloved by herfamily, friends andthosethat knew her. Shewillbe greatly missed. Shewas apast member of theLafayette Town House, OakbourneCountry Club, PetroleumClubof Lafayette, andthe Daughtersofthe American Revolution Funeral serviceswill be held at 1:00 PM on Saturday, May3,2025 in Delhomme Chapel of the Flowers The familywill receive friends at Delhomme Funeral Home -Bertrand on Saturday, May3,2025 from 11:00 AM until12:45 PM. Christian burialimmediately following service in theMausoleumof Lafayette Memorial Park. Fr. Hampton Davis, Pastor of St.Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, will officiatethe funeral service
Thepallbearers will be Dr.Mark Stephan, Nicholas Stephan,Weatherly Stephan,Phillip Fremin, and Edward Fremin. The honoraryPallbearer will be Larry Fremin. Personal condolences may be sent to thefamily of Beulah DupreStephan at: www.delhommefuneral home.com
BeulahDupreStephan andher familywerecared for andentrusted final arrangements to Delhomme Funeral Home, 1011 BertrandDrive, Lafayette, LA.
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Stephan, Beulah Dupre
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Perhapsit’sfitting for afreshman as talented as EmilySmith that her biggest challenge during her first season at UL has nothing todowith softball.
“Honestly,the most challenging part hasn’t really been softball,” said Smith, whoseCajuns (25-24, 11-10 SunBelt) complete the regular season with ahome series against Southern Missstarting at 6p.m. Thursday at Lamson Park.
For theKountze, Texas, native,time management has been far more of achore than getting her swing straight “I came from areally small school, so Inever really had alot of schoolwork, so now Ihave to manage schoolwork and softball and workouts and getting my study hall hours —solike, it really hadnothingtodowith softball,” she said
BY BETH HARRIS
AP racing writer
D. Wayne Lukas is easy to spot before dawn at Churchill Downs. He is one of the few Kentucky Derby trainers atop a stable pony,escorting his horses to and from the track for their workouts
At 89, he is the sport’selder statesman, aHall of Famer with fourDerby victories on avery lengthy resume. On Saturday, he will be chasing another with 30-1 shot American Promise. Like the former basketball coach he is, Lukas isn’tafraid to flip the playbook. American Promise went off the beaten path to earn his way to Kentucky with a win in the Virginia Derby.He’sa son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify “He looks exactlylike him,”Lukassaid. “He’sdeveloping very good at the right time.”
Smithcredits freshmanteammate Lillian Soto for helpingher along. Theirapartments are four doorsapart, and they’re both majoring in business.
“If Ineed help with anyofmyschoolwork,Igoto her,”Smith said. “Even in softball, if I’m in myhead, she knows and she comes up to me and says, ‘Hey,take a deep breath, you’re OK.’ She’sbeen abig help.”
It’s not like Smith hasn’thas had any rough stretches during her first season of Division Isoftball. Most of those moments were self-inflicted, though.
“In my head, Ihold myself to ahigher standard,”Smith said. “When Idon’t feel like I’ve reached that standardin games or in practices, Itend to get upset.”
Butthere’splenty of help from the coaching staff and
ä 151stKentucky Derby POST TIME: 5:57 P.M. SATURDAy,NBC
Lukas’ last Derby win wasin1999withCharismatic. He has entered 16 horses since and finished second in 2002 withProud Citizen. He wonthe 2022 KentuckyOaksfor fillies.Lastyear, he wonthe Preakness and the$1 millionPennsylvania Derby Sincehis first Derby tryin1981, Lukas has saddled the second-most entries at 50, exceeded only by his protégé, Todd Pletcher,who has 65. Pletcher also has along-shotentry on Saturday with Grande at 20-1. Apromising3-year-old in the barn come
LSU’s pivotal swing?
Baseball is not football, as Skip Bertman wasfond of saying. That’snever truerthan in the waytoanalyze how aseason is going. In college football, where the season is only 12 games, trends are abrupt. Individual wins and losses are magnified. College baseball’sseason is 56 games, athird of Major
season-defining one forthe LSU Tigers. Coming off ashocking 13-3 run-rule defeat at the hands of Northwestern State on April 22 and staring into the maw of amassive three-gameseries with then-No. 6Tennessee, the Tigers staged ahistoric rally to beat the Volunteers 6-3 on Friday night on Jared Jones’ three-run moon shot over the batter’seye in center field. How historic? According to LSU,itisthe third timeever and first timeathome that the Tigers have wonafter being shutout and trailing by three or moreruns after
ä See RABALAIS, page 3C
BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer
It wasn’tthat long ago when the New Orleans Saints regularly finished witha top-five run defense, but they’ve been abottom-10 unit in thatstatistical category for three consecutive years. They may finally be committing the resources to turn it around after finishing 2024 with one of the NFL’sworst run-stopping units. Defensive tackle DavonGodchaux has madeacareer out of being arun-stopping interior lineman, and he wasthe team’s first acquisition this offseason. The Saints then shored up their second-level run support by signing free agent safety Justin Reid, whom Pro FootballFocusgraded as oneofits top run-defending safeties last season. Then came the NFLdraft, where NewOrleans loaded up the spine of its defense with three consecutive mid-round picks, all of whom possess traits that should strengthen the Saintsagainst the run: Texasdefensive tackle Vernon Broughton, Virginia safety JonasSankerand Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman.
Cajuns first
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
Scott Rabalais
BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS
6
LSU adds senior Tamba from the transfer portal
Davis senior Pablo Tamba is the sixth transfer portal addition for LSU men’s basketball, a source within LSU’s program confirmed.
The 6-foot-7, 210-pound forward started all 32 games and averaged 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He shot 58.7% from the field and 25% from 3-point range on 16 attempts.
In his last game for UC Davis, he had 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting and four rebounds in 26 minutes.
Irvin joins St. Thomas More elite
UL signee one of best catchers in school’s celebrated history
BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer
St. Thomas More’s Shyanne Irvin isn’t one to shy away from competition or pressure.
Knowing the history of success enjoyed by STM catchers, Irvin wanted to be the next great backstop at the softball powerhouse — mentioned in the same breath as Bailey Hemphill, Lauren Houston, Maggie Bryan, Morgan Tauzin and Quinlan Duhon.
Mission accomplished.
“I was very aware of the history of catchers that have come through STM,” Irvin said. “It was one of the main reasons I wanted to come to STM. I wanted to fill those shoes and I’m proud of myself because I feel like I have.”
Irvin, a UL signee, is hitting .522 with a career-high 17 home runs, 10 doubles, 40 RBIs, a 602 on-base percentage and a 1.222 slugging percentage.
“Shyanne has really come into her own,” coach Andria Waguespack said. “She wants to be the best that she can be, and she is willing to work for it. She has this seriousness about her, and she understands that you don’t become great by doing the minimum.” That hard work has paid dividends.
“Personally, I’m having my best year since I’ve been in high school,” said Irvin, who will
St. Thomas More’s Shyanne Irvin, who has 17 home runs and 40 RBIs this season, will lead the Cougars against Mount Carmel in a Division I select semifinal game on Friday at Frasch Park in Sulphur
lead the second-seeded Cougars against No. 6 Mount Carmel at 5 p.m Friday in a Division I select semifinal at Frasch Park in Sulphur “I have 17 homers and I’m among the team leaders in RBIs. I also feel like I’m doing well behind the plate. It has been a good year.”
What separates Irvin from other players?
“Shyanne has a great work ethic, and she is always looking to improve upon the little things,” Waguespack said. “But she also does a great job of taking criticism and focusing on it to improve. She has found ways to get better and better She trusted the
process and stayed the course.” Irvin cited her confidence in the batter’s box as her best attribute.
“When I get into the box, I’m thinking ‘This pitcher cannot beat me,’ ” she said. “I’m very confident. I’m telling myself, ‘She’s not better than me.’ ”
Waguespack sees a bright future for Irvin.
“As good as she has been with us, I see bigger things coming for her in the future,” Waguespack said. “In particular, when she gets with the coaching staff at UL. Shyanne has the potential to be great at catcher or first baseman. She is good enough to
SOFTBALL SCHEDULE
Friday’s semifinals at Frasch Park, Sulphur Nonselect
Division I
n No. 4 St. Amant vs.
do whatever she puts her mind to.”
With her prep career winding down, Irvin said finishing it off with a state title would be the perfect ending.
“I don’t want to sound dramatic, but it would mean the world to us to win the state championship,” Irvin said. “Knowing what we have been through this year all of the ups and downs, we — especially this group of seniors — want to go out with a bang.”
Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.
New QBs the norm in powerhouse SEC
More than half of teams have new man under center
BY MARK LONG AP sportswriter
More than half the teams in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference will have new starting quarterbacks this fall.
Many of the changes were expected. Some were needed. All of them will be overly dissected before training camps open in August. Alabama (Jalen Milroe), Auburn (Payton Thorne), Missouri (Brady Cook), Ole Miss (Jaxson Dart) and Texas (Quinn Ewers) lost entrenched starters to the NFL. But those typical progressions were hardly the norm elsewhere.
Georgia’s Carson Beck transferred to Miami Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava bailed on a $2.4 million name, image and likeness deal and ended up at UCLA. Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold landed at Auburn. And Kentucky’s Brock Vandagriff retired from football after getting benched.
“A new day and age in football,” said current Florida backup quarterback Harrison Bailey who previously played at Tennessee, UNLV and Louisville. “I’m glad I’m getting out of it.”
The burgeoning transfer portal the lure of more money or a better opportunity elsewhere, really — continues to create roster turnover in college football, and no school appears safe from the chaos.
Not even the SEC, which has every head coach returning for the first time since 2019 and for just the second time since 2005. Despite all the different faces under center, 10 SEC schools are poised to start the season with some level of continuity at the allimportant quarterback position. The holdovers
LaNorris Sellers, Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed and Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia have significant experience in their current systems. Sellers, though, has a new offensive coordinator, former Alabama coach Mike Shula. Green could make a jump in his second year under offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Lagway and Sellers, athletic big men with above-average arms, look like budding stars who could carry improving teams to the College Football Playoff.
Nussmeier is entering his third year in coach Brian Kelly’s system. Shapen, a sixth-year senior, is healthy again. Reed flashed early last season before losing four of his final starts as a freshman. And Pavia was a bright spot for the Commodores, finishing with 20 touchdown passes and four interceptions
The not-so-newcomers
Georgia’s Gunner Stockton came up big in last year’s SEC championship game against Texas and should benefit from sitting
behind Beck the past two seasons. Ole Miss is confident Austin Simmons will step in for Dart and keep the Rebels rolling. And the Longhorns have been waiting two years for Arch Manning to take the spotlight. “I hope he’s got a really hard decision to make around Jan. 21,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian told the Houston Touchdown Club this week “That means we played a long time. That means he played a really good season. And that means he’s trying to figure out do I want one more year in the burnt orange or is it time to go to the NFL?
“I hope it’s a really hard decision. I hope it’s not a no-brainer to come back to school.”
Everyone else
The six remaining schools — Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee — have varying degrees of uncertainty about their quarterbacks following spring football. Alabama is turning to Ty Simpson. Auburn is expected to go with transfer Jackson Arnold. Kentucky is taking a chance with transfer Zach Calzada, who is entering his seventh collegiate season after transferring from Incarnate Word.
Missouri appears content with Penn State transfer Beau Pribula, who signed a $1.5 million NIL deal. Oklahoma is confident its new duo from Washington State quarterback John Mateer and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle — will pay immediate dividends.
Tennessee might have the most to figure out. The Volunteers ended up with UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar in a pseudo trade. But Aguilar still has to beat out Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre for the job.
“I’m looking forward to being a part of the traditions, the fans, and the legacy of winning at Tennessee,” Aguilar wrote on social media. “I’m ready to get to work, compete at the highest level and building something special with my teammates and coaches. I can’t wait to get to Rocky Top!”
Tamba, 21, played two seasons at UC Davis (15-17) after starting his career at Idaho State and spending his sophomore season at Indian River State, a Florida junior college.
The Málaga, Spain, native played on his country’s FIBA U20 European championship team in 2023.
Atlanta guard Daniels wins NBA’s most improved award
Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels was voted the NBA’s most improved player
The 22-year-old Daniels beat out fellow finalists Cade Cunningham of Detroit and Ivica Zubac of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Daniels’ first season in Atlanta was nothing like either of his first two NBA seasons with New Orleans.
His numbers soared with careerbests in points (14.1, more than double his 5.8 average last season), rebounds (5.9), assists (4.4), steals (a
3.0) and his fieldgoal shooting went from 43.5% in his first two seasons to 49.3% this year The Hawks made him a full-time starter, something Daniels hadn’t been with the Pelicans.
Jets announce QB Travis is retiring from football
Jordan Travis pushed through the struggles of a long and valiant comeback attempt from a serious leg injury until he was told it was time to finally walk away
The New York Jets announced Wednesday that the quarterback informed them he will retire from playing football, a surprising NFL ending for the 24-year-old former Florida State star Travis hurt his left leg during a game against North Alabama in November 2023, the last time he played in a game at any level. His left leg rolled under a defender, twisting his ankle awkwardly and fracturing it.
Travis was a fifth-round draft pick last year but spent last season on the Jets’ non-football injury list The team will now place him on the reserve/retired list.
Angels star Trout leaves game with knee soreness
SEATTLE Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout left Wednesday’s game at Seattle with a sore left knee.
Trout was taken out ahead of his at-bat in the fourth inning after he tried to leg out a ground ball to second base the inning before He was replaced by pinch-hitter Jo Adell.
“When it happened, I knew it was like just a weird one,” Trout said after the game. “But now, after getting treatment and stuff, I should be a little better soon.”
Trout said he’s hopeful it was merely scar tissue breaking up and added that he plans to try to play
Thursday
During Trout’s at-bat in the third, he sprinted down the line and lunged toward first — and was barely out. He stayed in the game on defense but was pulled the next inning.
Swiatek recovers from 0-6 start, beats Keys in Madrid MADRID Iga Swiatek survived “one of the weirdest matches” after losing the first six games and recovering to defeat Madison Keys 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 and stay on track to defend her title at the Madrid Open on Wednesday
The second-ranked Swiatek will face Coco Gauff in the semifinals after the 21-year-old American beat teenager Mirra Andreeva in straight sets in the youngest WTA 1000 quarterfinal since 2009. Swiatek was overpowered by Keys early in their quarterfinal but eventually found a way to rally past the fifth-ranked American on center court.
Swiatek said of going down 0-6 at the start of the match: “At least it was fast, that’s the only positive think.”
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VASHA HUNT
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson looks to pass during the Crimson Tide’s spring game. Simpson is expected to replace Jalen Milroe next season.
the
first Saturday in May can put aspring in any trainer’sstep. Also invigoratingLukas arethe deep-pocketed owners he has after his stock of good horses had gone way down.
“Our business the lastsix months hasjust taken off,” he said.
He remindedhis clientelethathewillbe 92 when the young horses theybought are readytobetrained at theracetrack. He suggested they mightwant to limit their purchases or send some to younger conditioners. They ignored him and bought 18 instead.
Lukas isn’tacomplainer,but he toldJohn Bellinger,co-owner of American Promise, that his legs were tired.
“That’sfine, don’tworry aboutthat,‘ ” Bellinger responded. “‘Just don’tloseyour mind.’ Far from it, according to Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens. He and Lukas teamed up to win the Derby in 1988 with filly Winning Colors.
“Wayne is known for how meticulous he is with everything that he does. Thathasn’t changed and it won’tchange,” Stevens said “He still rides out every morning.Hecan still tell agood horse. He’sgot agreat eye. He picks all these horses outatthe sales, their angles, their looks. He’sstill got it at 89.” That was evident at the auction where Lukas spotted American Promise. His old friend andrival Bob Baffert also hadhis eyeonthe colt since he hadtrained the sire, Justify Noticing acontusion aboveone of the colt’sknees,Baffertfigured he couldget him for asteal at $400,000. Notsofast. American Promisesoldfor $750,000.
“I went to see who bought this horse,” Baffert said. “There he was —The Coach.” While otherswere thinkingthe colthad a bad knee, Lukas’ gut told him otherwise
“That was just abump,” he said.“It went down in aweek.”
One of Lukas’ few concessions to age is adesire to limit his stable to 40 horses, the same number of stalls he has at Churchill Downs in the spring and at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas in thewinter
“We’ve run the red lightonthat,” he said. “We’reuptoabout 52 or 53 now.”
Lukas told his fifth wife, Laurie, that given his age the couple might want to buy a fewhorses of their own for fun and send them to someone else to train. Thatplan
BaezaFlavien
Trainers (bypostposition): 1. Bob Baffert; 2. Saffie Joseph Jr.;3.BradCox;4.Bob Baffert; 5. D. Wayne Lukas; 6. YukihiroKato; 7. Noriyuki Hori; 8. Michael McCarthy; 9. Ian Wilkes; 10. Todd Pletcher; 11. Whit Beckman; 12. Brendan Walsh; 13.SteveAsmussen; 14.SteveAsmussen; 15. KennyMcPeek; 16.Lonnie Briley; 17.Mark Casse; 18. Bill Mott; 19.Ethan West; 20. Brian Lynch; 21. John Shirreffs. Owners (bypost position): 1. SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Bashor Dianne,DeterminedStables,Masterson, RobertE Ryan, TomJ WavesEdge Capital LLCand Donovan, Catherine; 2. C2 Racing Stable LLC, Parsard, Ian, Shining Stables LLCand Stefania Farms LLC; 3. Juddmonte; 4. SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket StablesLLC,Stonestreet Stables LLC, Bashor,Dianne,Determined Stables,Masterson, Robert E Ryan, TomJ WavesEdge Capital LLCand Donovan, Catherine; 5. BC Stables LLC; 6. JunkoKondo; 7. KoichiNishikawa; 8. Bridlewood Farm, DonAlberto Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Elayne Stables 5LLC,LaPenta, Robert V.,Magnier-Lessee, Mrs. John, Smith-Lessee, Derrickand Tabor-Lessee, Michael B.; 9. Whitham Thoroughbreds LLC; 10.Repole Stable; 11. Two Eight Racing, Berry Family Racing LLCand Kaleta Racing; 12. Godolphin, LLC; 13. King, Gus and Estate of Brereton C. Jones; 14. Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, Magnier,Mrs John, Tabor, Michael B.and Smith, Der; 15. BaccariRacing Stable LLC, Dream Walkin Farms, Inc MJM Racing and Rocket Ship Racing; 16. Norman Stables LLC; 17. D. J. Stable LLC, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Stables; 18. Godolphin; 19.Terry L. Stephens;20. Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing LLC; 21. CRK Stable LLCand Grandview Equine. Post time: 5:57 p.m. Distance: 1¼ miles. Purse: $5,000,000. Weights: 126 pounds. First place: $3,100,000. Second place: $1,000,000.
also went awry
“I bought four or five, and we now have 11 racehorses,” he said. “Wegot some really nice colts.” In other words, don’texpect Lukas to ride off into retirementanytime soon
“I always thought he would have been agreat commissioner of racing, agreat spokesperson, because he’ssosmart, speaks well,” Baffertsaid. “He knows theins and outs, and he still plays at that high level.”
Lukas and Baffert—who ownsarecordtying six Kentucky Derby wins —have the most victories of any trainer in this year’s race.Nineofthe trainers areinthe Derby for the first or second time.
“There’snohow-tobook,” Lukassaid.
“Those younger guys aregoing to make mistakesjust like we all did. They’ll all learn, especially in this race.”
Continued from page1C
her teammates.
“The good thing about (head) coach Aly (Habetz) is she’salways there to help me and tell me that I’m doing great,‘You’re good,’ ”Smith said. “Evenif it wasa bad game, she’slike, ‘Keep swinging. You’ll get them the next time.’
Smith received that message loud and clear early in the season afterstriking out with the bases loaded in thelast inning.
“Everybody came up to me and was like, ‘You’re good …it’sjust one, you’reOK, Smith said. “My teammates reallyhelped me through that.
“Yeah, I’ve gotten betteratgetting through it. Ijust have to thinkthatthe one play or one at-bat Ihad isn’tthe reason we lost the game. It wasn’tall on oneperson.”
When the Cajuns beatsecond-place Texas State two of three games last weekendinSan Marcos, Texas, Smith was abig reasonwhy She finished the series 6for 12 with two homers and six RBIs, including acritical three-run homer in Sunday’s rubbergame.
“In the Saturday game, she came up and hadabig home run, but we just didn’t have runners on base,” Habetz said. “ThenSunday,she comes up and does it again, but Dayzja (Williams) and Maddie (Hayden) are on base and it becomesa three-runhomerun
“It was tremendous that she could come through the wayshe didthisweekend.She had atremendous weekend.” Smith is batting .352 with six doubles, 12 homers, 40 RBIs, a.680 slugging percentage and a.417 on-base percentagethis season
“That’sall she’sdone is she’sjust worked,” Habetz said. “She’sthere earlyand stays late; she’soff the tee. She’sdoingall the little things. As acoach, to see an athletededicate alot of time to work througha slump, it’s awesome to see them have success inthe biggest stage.”
Smith doesn’twant to focus too much on the big weekend, however,toavoid “getting comfortable or lackadaisical in practice” enteringthe stretch drive.
It’skind of what Smithenvisioned when she decidedtocometoLafayette after also visiting TexasTech,Sam Houstonand ULMonroe.
“None of those places,theydidn’treally feel like hometome. Iwent on the visits and Italked with the coaches anditjust didn’t feel right,” Smith said. “But when Icame on myvisithere, it honestly just felt like my second home. Icould just see myselfbeing here for four years.
“WhenIcame on thevisit, allthe girls were really nice to me andreally welcoming. Icould tell they had agood culture, and it really just felt like afamily around here.”
The feeling was so strong thateven the news of coach Gerry Glasco leaving for TexasTech couldn’tsway Smith.
“Really, when the coaching change happened, Ididn’thaveany thought of leaving because Iknew this place was going to be my home,” Smithsaid. “It didn’treally matter to me who was going to be thecoach, because Ijustreally loved it here.”
Along phone conversation with Habetz didn’thurt, either
“She wasjust trying to get to know me, and Icould tell just talking to her,I knew even morethatthis is where Ishould be and that my time here was going to be really awesome because she was going to be my coach,” Smithsaid.
Smith is hoping to stayhot and carry the Cajuns to afantastic finish to the season.
“Honestly,just go outthere anddoour best,” she said. “Weget to competewith these teams. Iknow we can do verywell againstthese teams. We work hard every singleday,sojust trust the process and trust theprocess and trust thatthe work we’re putting in is going to do it for us.”
Email KevinFoote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.
eight innings. Aperhaps predictable 9-3 loss to the Volunteers followed, but theTigers refilled thetank and bounced back Sunday to run-rule Tennessee 12-2. LSUthen came back and run-ruled avery respectable Southeastern Louisiana team 15-2 on Tuesday with aswarm of Geauxrilla ballera home runs. Despitea2-2 week leadinguptothe SLU win, LSU’s series victory overthe Vols was impressive enough that it vaulted the Tigers (now37-9, 14-7 Southeastern Conference) back to No. 2inthe D1Baseball poll behind Texas. That’sthe same Texasteam thatLSU outplayed for half theseries in Austinbut lost twoofthree against when it was all done. The Tigers’ RPI also jumped from No. 9toNo. 5after beating SLU, which is now No. 53 by that metric. Over the course of along season, you look for that spark, that landmark momentfrom ateam that shows it has that special something.Beingasrare as it quantifiably is, Jones’home run Friday appears to qualify,though the moment illustrates how close the Tigers were to tumblingdown an icy slope of defeat. That’show capricious fate can be, of course, as LSUnow appears to have all kinds of momentum. Momentum the national experts expect theTigers to capitalize upon.
This week’sNCAA Tournament projectionsfromBaseball America and On3. com both have LSU as the No. 3national seed behind Texas and Georgia(once again, how brutal is the SEC)? Baseball America has Louisville, SLU and Wright Stategoing to Alex Box Stadium,with the regional paired withone hosted by No.14 Oregon State (competing as an independent in this post-Pac-12 world) forasuper regional. On3has Virginia Tech, SLU and Missouri Stategoing to The Box, with the regional paired against one hosted by No 14 N.C. State.
Baseball America calls the Tigers a “virtual lock” tofinish as atop-eight national seed, barring atotal collapse. It has
SAINTS
Continuedfrom page1C
Although Broughton(Round3,Pick 71) was the first of the three selected, he may need themost time out of the group to acclimatize to the NFL game. His immense size (6-foot-5, 311 pounds, 837/8-inch wingspan) already makes him aSaintstype of player,though bettingontraits has burned the Saints in thepastwith defensive linemen specifically
But if Broughton can hit his potential,New Orleans could reap somehuge benefits Thereisn’tmuchtostudywithBroughton despite the fact that he spent fiveseasons (including apandemic-shortened true freshman year) at Texas. He started only one season there and spent alot of time waiting behind top-40 NFL picks Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat. What he did show,however,was aquick first step that led to alot of disruptionbehind theline of scrimmage. Broughton didn’talwaysfinish the play —herecorded just 41/2 tackles for losslast season —but he did frequently interrupt the flowand timing of opposing run games. He is aplayer with tools who could potentially give newdefensive coordinator Brandon Staley rotationaldepth all across thedefensive line. While he mostly played three-technique at Texas (aligned over the outside shoulder of theguard), Broughton linedupeverywherefor Texas, including some snaps as anose tackle andothers in awide-ninealignment (over the outside shoulder of the tight end).
New Orleans brought back virtually its entire defensive interior from last season, adding Broughtonand Godchaux to amix that includes Bryan Bresee, Nathan Shepherd, Khalen Saunders, JohnRidgeway and KhristianBoyd. It will be interesting to see how the Saintsmanage the snaps between that group.
been high on the Tigers all season, having them in its top three in eight of the past nine weeks. Tengames remain in LSU’sregular season, and the Tigers hardly have it made yet. LSU now travels to start athree-game series Friday at Texas A&M. The preseason No. 1Aggies just got swept at Texas but have wonthree of their past four SEC series overall. LSU then comes home to face No. 11 Arkansas (after amidweek game with Grambling on Tuesday) and wraps up the regular season in the “Paul Mainieri Classic” at South Carolina Clearly atop-eight national seed is there forthe Tigers’ taking. If LSU can wintwo of three in each remaining SEC series, hosting aregional and super regional should be in the bag. Even going 5-4 in conference would put LSU at 43-13 (including aGrambling win) going into anew single-elimination, 16-team SEC Tournament. It’s such ahighly unpredictable format that shameonthe NCAA selection committee if it holds aone-offdefeat againstany national seed contender The Tigers have an elite offense: LSU is No. 2inthe SEC with a.312 average and fourth in slugging percentage. The key is what it does on the mound. An impressive Sunday start from freshman Casan Evans against the Vols was huge, but the picture of LSU’sthird weekend starter remains murky.Chase Shores, whopitched only one rocky inning of relief in the series, appears to be out, but now what? Evans probably would have pitched in relief if LSU had the lead Saturday.Maybe Zac Cowan would have started Sunday in that case, but either one shifting to astarter depletes the LSU bullpen. Evans and Cowan each has six of the Tigers’ 13 saves. Bottom line, for LSU to makeittoand thrive in the College World Series, other arms have to deliver in the bullpen. Maybe it will be Shores in anew role. Maybe that will be William Schmidt (Tuesday’sstarter against SLU), Jaden Noot (he has LSU’s other save), Conner Ware or Jacob Mayers, who has thrown only 92/3 innings so
While Broughton may take some time, Stutsman and Sanker are more ready-made players to affect the run defense.Both excel against the run, and that was reflected in their collegestatistics:Stutsmantopped100 tackles in each of his final three seasons at Oklahoma, while Sankerrecorded at least 95 in both of his final two seasons. Stutsmanwas at his best when playing downhillfor theSooners, reading theopposing offense and reacting to makeabig play.His aggressiveness was at times his best and worst trait with the Sooners, but Pro Football Focus graded him as college football’ssecond-best run-defending linebacker last season (grade: 90.9). Stutsman doesn’thave aclear path to astarting job out of camp—atleast one where he sees the field the majority of the game. Demario Davis is not going anywhere,and the Saints just committed to a long-term deal with Pete Werner last year ButifStaley does bringa 3-4baselook with him to NewOrleans, Stutsman should have opportunitiestocontributeearlyin packages.
Sanker also isn’tlikely to see the field early as astarter,withTyrann Mathieu and Justin Reid ahead of him on the depth chart. But he also may be able to earn some timeinspecificpackages —potentially a big nickel, in which he’d work out of the slot, or adimepackage.
As arun defender, Sanker is somewhat similar to Stutsman; he is explosive and aggressive when defending the run, which can lead to him being overextended at times. Buthis highlight reel is littered with himmaking playsatorbehind the lineof scrimmageasarun defender —askill the Saints could findaway to deploy It allhas to come togetherinStaley’s scheme, but New Orleanshas takensteps toward addressing its problematic ground defense this offseason.
Email Luke Johnsonatljohnson@ theadvocate.com.
Pan-fried trout is fast butfancy
BY BETH DOOLEY
The Minnesota Star Tribune (TNS)
When it comes to fixing afast dinner, Igowith trout fillets. A rich, fatty fish, trout is as flavorful as salmon but the thinnerfillets cook off in ajiff
Most often sold skin-on, the fishhas ahigh skin-to-flesh ratio. Even if you don’tcare for the skin, cooking with it on intensifies the flavor and helps keep the fillet tasty and juicy If you favor the skin, there’s plenty to savor when it cooks up to be crisp and salty.Plus, the bits and pieces left in the pan are the foundation for aterrific butter-lemon-herb sauce. Trout is an especially healthy choice. Amember of the salmon family,itishigh in omega3s and low in fat. Alean, clean, low-calorie protein, troutis rich in vitamins and minerals
The best technique for cooking trout is also the fastest. All you need is good butter anda heavyskillet. The whole process takes less than 5minutes from start to finish, and the short cooking time reducesthe chance of those lingering fishy smells. Simply film the skillet with aneutral oil, and then sear thefish on both sides. Add anob of butter to the pan and baste like crazy as it melts.The trout will form alovely crust as the butter browns into atasty,nutty basefor alemony sauce. The method works for mostfillets that are ahalf-inch thick Arctic char,cod, rockfish, sea bass, etc. It’saneasy technique adapted from restaurantchefs, whose fish must come to the table straight from the stove, hot and not overdone.
This simple weeknight dinner is also dinner-party worthy
Servewith boiled new potatoes, lightly smashed and gilded with that buttery lemon pan sauce, aside salad or steamed vegetables, and crusty bread to sop up all that goodness
DREAMSTIME/TNS PHOTO Arich, fatty fish, trout is as flavorful as salmon.
Pan-Fried Trout with LemonyButterySauce
Serves2,but is easilydoubled. Recipe is from Beth Dooley
All you need for this simple recipe is aheavy skillet and good butter.Inthis recipe we vesprinkledthe trout with sesame seeds for additional crunch. The whole process takes less than 5minutes
If you’re serving company consider garnishing the fillets with capers or chopped olives andminced chives. Otherwise, justasprinklingofparsley brings the whole thing together
2skin-on trout fillets, each about 6ounces to 8ounces
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1tablespoon sesame seeds, optional 1tablespoon neutral oil, such as grapeseed, avocado or canola
2tablespoons unsalted butter
2tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2tablespoons whole milk Greek yogurtorheavy cream
Chopped parsley,for garnish
1. Pat the trout dry with apaper towel and lightly season on both sides with salt and pepper Sprinkle the sesame seeds on the flesh side of the trout.
2. Filma largeheavy skillet with the oil and placeover medium-highheatuntil shimmering. Place the trout skinside down in the pan andcook undisturbed until the skin starts to brown and feels crisp when tapped, about 3to4 minutes.
3. Add the butter to the skillet. Using aspatula, carefully flip the fillets and baste with the melting butter and cook until the fish is cooked through and the flesh begins to flake, about 1to2minutes.
4. Remove the fish from the pan and quickly whisk in the lemon juice and yogurtand cook until it thickens, about 30 seconds.Serve thefish,flesh sideup, drizzled with the pan sauce. Garnish with parsley before serving.
IBY LIZ FAUL | Contributingwriter
nLouisiana, we are lucky to have fresh local shrimp.
Despite thisfact, Iusually buy frozen shrimp from our local grocery store. Last week, afriendofmine toldmethat he likes to go to the WestwegoShrimp Lottobuy fresh shrimp, crabs and fish. A30-minutedrive to buy fresh local seafood sounded like afun new experience. Sometimes,food adventures like thisserve as inspiration to gather friends and family for ahome-cooked meal. So Igrabbed acooler of iceand went to the banks of Bayou Segnette in Westwego to buy freshshrimp
WhenIarrived at theShrimp Lot, the parking lotwas full, and Icould see why.The lot waslined with seafood vendorsthat were sellingshrimp, wholeredfish, snapper,crabs, sacks of live crawfish and prepackaged bags of alligatormeat.Iwalked around, surveyed all thechoices and decided to buy freshshrimp fordinner and frozen fish filletstohave on hand foranother meal.Ithought about buying apackofalligator meat, but Idecided to save that food story for another day
BY GRETCHEN McKAY
Post-Gazette (TNS)
Usehairdryerssafely
Anne, in Texas
Dear Heloise: I’m reading the warnings on my hair dryer
Some of these may seem obvious, but they are good safety hints: The manufacturer recommends unplugging the dryer after each use and not placing it where it can fall into the tub, toilet or sink. Don’tuse it while bathing or near water at all. If thedryer happens to fall into water,unplug it right away; never reach into the water
Storepolicyoverwhelmsworker
Hints from Heloise
The filter of the dryer canalso get clogged. If it’snot blowing hot air,turn the unit off. Letthe unitcool completely,thenclean the lint filter.There may be ared “reset” button on the plug;press it and plug the hair dryer back in.Itshould work perfectly
Anne, greatsafety hints!The special plug on ahairdryeris called an appliance leakage current interrupter (ALCI), andit’sdesigned to help prevent electrical shock. It workstogetherwith the GFCI (ground-fault circuitinterrupter) outlet. P.S. Alwaysread appliance safety manuals to getthe full scoop. —Heloise Cheese please
Dear Heloise: I’vediscovered that shredded cheese melts more evenly than ablock of cheese. This saves timeinthe long run!
—Emily S.,inSan Antonio
Send ahint to heloise@heloise. com.
TODAYINHISTORY
By The Associated Press
Today is Thursday,May 1, the 121st day of 2025. There are 244 days left in the year
Todayinhistory:
On May 1, 2011, President Barack Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden during aU.S. commando operation, which took place in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in the early morning hours of May 2local time.
On this date:
In 1866, three days of racerelated rioting erupted in Memphis, Tennessee, as White mobs targeted Black people, 46 of whom were killed, along with two Whites.
In 1931, the Empire State Building was dedicated in New York City; it would be the world’stallest building forfour decades.
In 1960, the Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane over Sverdlovsk and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers.
In 1963, Jim Whittaker,joined by Sherpa mountaineer Nawang Gombu, became the firstAmericantosummit Mount Everest.
In 1964, the computer programming language BASIC (Beginner’sAll-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) wasfirst run by its inventors, DartmouthCollege professors John G. Kemeny andThomas E. Kurtz.
In 1971, the national passenger rail service Amtrak went into operation
In 2003, President George W. Bush,inaspeech delivered from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln which bore a banner reading “Mission Accomplished,” stated, “Major combat operationsinIraq have ended.” (Thelast U.S.combat troops would not withdraw from Iraq until December 2011.)
In 2011, PopeBenedict XVI beatified PopeJohn Paul II, movinghis predecessor astep closer to sainthood in aVatican Mass attended bysome 1.5 million pilgrims.
In 2015, six Baltimore police officers were charged with felonies ranging from assault to murder in connection withthe deathofFreddie Gray,aBlack manwho’d suffered aspinal injury while riding in apolice van. (None of the officerswould ultimately be convicted.)
Today’sbirthdays: Singer JudyCollins is 86. Singer RitaCoolidge is 80. Filmmaker John Woois79. Actor DannFlorek is 75. Musician Ray Parker Jr.is71. Hall of Famejockey Steve Cauthen is 65. Singer-actor TimMcGraw is 58. Filmmaker WesAnderson is 56. Football Hall of Famer Curtis Martin is 52. Actor Jamie Dornan is 43. SingerVictoria Monét is 36. Social mediapersonality Charli D’Amelio is 21.
Potato Crust Quiche withSpinach, Feta and Bacon Serves 6-8. Recipe is adapted from foodandwine.com.
2½ pounds babyYukon gold potatoes scrubbed
2tablespoons, plus 2½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
12-ounce packagefrozen chopped spinach,thawed, drained and squeezed dry
6-ounce packagecrumbled garlic and herb feta (about 1cup)
6slices cooked bacon, crumbled
8largeeggs, lightly whipped ½cup heavy whipping cream
1generous tablespoon choppedfresh dill, plus more for garnish
1generous tablespoon choppedfresh mint, plus more for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Position rack in lower third of oven
2. Combine potatoes, 2tablespoons salt andenoughcoldwatertocover by 1inch in alarge saucepan. Bring to aboil over high heat, undisturbed.
3. Reduce heat to medium; cook, undisturbed, untilpotatoesare fork-tender,about 25-30 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels.
4. Generously brush a10-inch cast-iron skillet evenly with 2 tablespoons oil. Place drained potatoes in an even layer in skillet. Using aflat-bottom measuring cup,smash potatoes firmlyinto thebottom, then press over bottom and about 1½ inches upsides of skillet.
5. Use aspoon or small offset
QUICHE
Continued from page5C
adaptable to personal tastes or whateveringredients needtobe cleaned out of your refrigerator’scrisper or happen to be on sale. If, for instance, you don’t like feta, use Swiss or cheddar cheese to bind the filling instead Youcan also ditch the bacon for acustard packed with ham, chorizo or any other sausage. For ameat-free quiche,stirin any favorite chopped vegetable
DearMiss Manners: Iamemployed at alocal department storewhere my primary position is in the dressing room.Icheck thenumber of itemstaken into each room, then Ibutton,zip and hang up itemstobeplaced back on the floor racks. Ourstore’sdressing room has alimit of 10 items per customer at a time. Most of thetime, the customer will bring in the full 10 items, keep two or three things and hand the rest to me when they are done. Often they will bring shopping cartsloaded with more than 10 things, tryonafew,then bring those back to their cart to swap for additional items. They will still leave with just acouple of items, or none at all!
making the work harder to keep up with—and making fewpurchases to show forit. Most of us only make minimum wageasitis.
traveling forlong distances, standing in line fortoo long, and folding it up to put in acar
spatulatoevenly spread potatoes, smoothing and patching any holes or thin spots as needed.
6. Brush potato crust evenly with 1tablespoon oil and sprinkleevenly with 1teaspoon salt. Bake potato crust until edges are golden brownand slightly crisp andcenter is lightly golden, 3540 minutes.
7. Whilecrust bakes,heatremaining 1tablespoon oil in a separatemediumskillet over medium.Add onions and cook, stirringfrequently untilvery soft and tender,5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in spinach and crumbled feta until evenly combined. Set aside
8. Removeskillet from oven. Sprinkle half of thefeta (about ½ cup)inaneven layer over bottom of potato crust. Topevenly with spinach mixture followed by remaining halfoffeta.
9. Whisk together eggs, cream, dill, mint and remaining 1½ teaspoonssalt in alarge bowl until well combined, about 30 seconds. Pour eggmixture over filling in skillet, spreading into an even layer,ifneeded
10. Carefully transfer to oven using kitchen mitts. Bake until filling is set anda paring knife inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes, loosely covering edges with aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning if needed.
11. Let cool slightly on awire rack before serving, about 20 minutes. Serve garnished with more dill andmint,ifdesired.
—think fresh mushrooms,bell peppers, zucchini or fresh or sun-dried tomatoes. Looking to be even more creative? Youalso can play around with the herbsand spices, addingmore or less, changing them up orleavingthemout altogether,savefor thesalt.Myhusband, for instance, was not afan of the fresh dill Iaddedtothe filling. Or as he put it, “What was that?” Leftoverscan be reheated, covered in foil,untilwarm in a 350 Foven. Youalso can reheat quiche pieces in askillet or air fryer
There aren’tnearly enough racks in the dressing room to rehang all the items that are deposited withme. We are abusy store and it’s impossible to keep up withthis frenzy Iwish Icould get thestoremanagers to reduce thelimit of items allowed in the dressing room, but that’snot going to happen, so I’m appealing to you women here: Rein in thefree-for-all try-ons. Youaren’tcreating jobs, just
Gentlereader: Carrying out apolicy that makes your workday harder is one of the joys of working forothers —particularly when the policy is either so poorly thought out or so poorly implemented that it cannot achieve its objectives. But unilaterally implementing one’sown policy will result in looking for a new job. And so the options are: carrying out the objectionable policy,convincing the boss to see the erroroftheir ways, or finding away to implement the boss’s policy that does work. The latter may be the mostchallenging, but will open up possibilities for an even better fourth option:findingamore agreeable job, either by expanding your experience or by proving your worth in your currentposition.
Dear Miss Manners: Iknow several people whouse walkers, and I see someofthe devices’ limitations. It can be hard navigating tall curbs, walking over rocky ground, maneuvering through tight spaces, walking downhill,
Every so often, Isee someone using awalker that seemsreally well designed forvarious terrains or different uses. Isometimes stop and ask them about it where they got it, if it works well, what they think of it, etc.
Everyone Ihave talked to has been receptive and informative. But now Iwonder if they were just being polite and Iwas being a pest. What do you think?
Gentle reader: Asking people about their medical devices is technically not, Miss Manners admits, inquiring into someone’smedical condition —which would be a no-no —but it is too nearly that to receive her blessing. She would be slightly morereceptive if you were using asimilar device yourself,orifyou werethe person’s doctor.Orlying prone and in need of assistance.
Send questions to Miss Manners at herwebsite,www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postalmail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.
SEAFOOD
Continuedfrom page5C
Peelingfresh shrimpisdefinitely the downside of the adventure, but theeffort pays off with fresh flavors that Gulf shrimp add to a meal. Once theshrimpare peeled, an easy,delicious meal comes together quickly.Inthis dish, the shrimpare coated withherbs and
2cups uncooked dried orzo pasta
2pounds largefresh shrimp (peeled and deveined) or substitute frozen shrimp
2teaspoons garlic powder
2teaspoons dried oregano
2teaspoons dried thyme
1teaspoon of salt
2tablespoon olive oil (divided)
3-4clovesofgarlic (chopped)
1teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1bunch fresh asparagus (cut into small segments)
1pint cherry tomatoes
1lemon (zested and juiced)
¼cup grated Parmesan cheese
Smallbunch of fresh basilleaves or fresh parsley (chopped)
OPTIONAL GARNISH:
¼cup toasted pine nuts
1. In alarge pot, addwater anda dash of salt and bring the water to a boil. Add theorzo to theboiling waterand stir.Boil the pasta for about 8minutes (or according to package directions). Drain the pasta in acolander and setaside in abowl.
2. If using fresh shrimp, start by peeling and deveining theshrimp. Place peeled shrimpinabowl and season the shrimpwith garlic powder, oregano, thyme,salt andpepper 3. Put the olive oil in alarge skillet over low heat. Addthe chopped fresh garlic, stirring frequently until it turnsalight golden color.
sauteed with fresh garlic. Once cooked, shrimp are atasty protein source to add to pasta foraonedish meal full of spring asparagus and bright cherry tomatoes. This recipe forshrimpand asparagus orzo is light and refreshing. It is agreat choice for Louisiana’swarmer weather in May.The lemon zest and parsley topping adds azingy flavor that brings up that flavor profile. Serve this delicious shrimpdish
with awarm, crunchy baguette foramemorable home-cooked meal that can be served in one dish. Stay tuned formore summer mealsfrom the seafood mart. Does anyone have an alligator recipe worth sharing?
Liz Sullivan Faul is aregistered dietitian nutritionist whoenjoys cookingand sharingmealswith her friends andfamily
*Note: Do not overcook the garlic or it will taste bitter
4. Add the seasoned shrimp to thepan, and turn the heat to medium-high. Spread the shrimpout so they cook evenly in the pan. When the shrimp turn pink on oneside (approximately 2minutes) turn them over.Cook the shrimp until they are completely pink. Remove shrimpfrom the pan and set aside.
5. Add olive oil to the large skil-
Shrimp and Asparagus Orzo with Lemonand Parmesan
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
PHOTO By LIZ FAUL
PHOTO By LIZ FAUL
Buy fresh shrimp, crabs and fish right from the dock at the WestwegoShrimp Lot.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Cut to the chase and make things happen. Say what's on your mind and offer alternatives while addressing concerns and implementing incentives. Choose peace over discord.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Open your eyes, and your vision will capture new possibilities and opportunities. Don't wait for things to come to you; engage in activities that will lead to positive alternatives.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Emotions will skyrocket, leaving you wondering what to do next. When in doubt, your best choice is to sit back and observe. A happy attitude will help you gain control and influence others.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) All you need to do is show up prepared and let your charisma do the rest. Engage in conversations that offer insight and connections to influential people.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept 22) Take a trip and visit places that ground you. You are overdue for a change, and time alone or with someone who brings out the best in you will help you find your way.
LIBRA (Sept 23-Oct 23) Get the ball rolling. Join forces with people who share your views and want to make similar changes Let your mind wander, and you'll find the thing that help you start a movement.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) You will benefit if you get out and experience
what's happening in your industry or neighborhood. Pour your energy into a personal transformation that helps you look and feel top-notch.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23-Dec. 21) You are on a roll; don't waste time on trivial matters. Paint a picture with words for someone you want by your side, and it will bring you closer together.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan 19) Bide your time and watch what's happening around you. An undertaking someone mentions at a networking or social event will resonate with you. Take information for future reference.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Entertainment will take your mind off something you may not like. The joy you experience will put you in the proper mindset to rethink what's bothering you.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Keep life simple and affordable Do whatever it takes to lower stress and put your mind at ease. Get rid of emotional baggage and possessions that you no longer have an attachment to or need.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Slow down, listen, observe and consider what others want and how they react. Trust your intuition to give you the input you require to avoid emotional battles.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
TODAy'S CLUE: H EQUALS D
CeLebrItY CIpher
For better or For WorSe
SALLY Forth
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
SherMAn’S LAGoon
bIG
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Puzzle Answer
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Bridge
BY PHILLIP ALDER
In “Peanuts,” Peppermint Patty struggledgreatlyatschool.Inonecartoon,she cries, “I know the answer! The answer lies within theheart of all mankind!” There is apauseasthe reader moves to thenext panel.
“The answer is 12? Ithink I’m in the wrong building.”
Ifyougodowninacontract,especially onefor 12 tricks that you should have made, youwill probably wish you had chosen to visit adifferent building.
Let’s see if you made agood choice to cometothisbridgegamewhenyoureach sixspades in this deal. AfterWestleads thediamond king, what should you do?
North’sbiddingwasoptimistic,despite the known nine-card-or-better spade fit.
You have at leastone spade loser and apotential loser in hearts. Youmustget lucky in spades, and it looks as though youalso need theheartfinessetowin. However, aquick peek at thediagram showsthatitislosing.Thereisasolution, whichishardtospotifyouhavenotseen thethemebefore.
Thebest play is to ruffa diamond in your hand at trick two. Then cash the spade ace, play aclub to the queen, ruff another diamond, return to dummy with aclub, trump the last diamond, and cash theclubace.Withtheminorseliminated, exit with atrump.
Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
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
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles
Wall Street stormsback from early losses
Ascary Wednesday for Wall Street found agentler ending as U.S. stocks stormed backfrom steep early losses to continue their manic swings amid uncertainty about what President Donald Trump’strade war will do to the economy
The S&P 500 rose slightly to extend its winning streaktoa seventh day.The DowJones IndustrialAverage was up; the Nasdaq composite edged down Stronger-than-expectedprofit reports from big U.S. companies have helped support the market, and Seagate Technologyjumped 11.6% for one of Wednesday’sbiggest gains afterthe maker of data storage joined the parade Gains for otherstoragemakers also helped to offset drops for stocks within the artificial intelligence industry,which have been pulling back on worries their prices shot too high in prior years.
Super Micro Computer warned that some customers delayed purchases in the latestquarter,which causedthe maker of servers used in AI and othercomputingtoslash its forecast for sales and profit. Its stock tumbled 11.5% for the largest lossinthe S&P 500. Inflation cools and spending accelerates
Aclosely watched inflation gauge cooled last month in a sign that priceswere steadily easing beforemost of President Donald Trump’stariffs were implemented. At the same time, consumersaccelerated their spending, particularly on cars, likely in an effort to get ahead of the duties. Wednesday’sreport from the Commerce Department showedthat consumer prices rose 2.3% in March froma year earlier,down from 2.7% in February.Excludingthe volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.6% compared with ayear ago, below February’s3%. Economists track coreprices because they typically provide abetter read on where inflation is headed
The slowdown in inflation could be atemporary respite until the widespread duties imposed by Trump begin to push up pricesinmany categories Someeconomists expect inflation to start picking up in the comingmonths.
Visa wants to give AI ‘agents’ your credit card
Visa announced Wednesday it is partnering with agroup of leading AI chatbot developers —among them U.S. companies
Anthropic, Microsoft,OpenAI and Perplexity,and France’s Mistral —toconnect their AI systems to Visa’spayments network. Visa is also working with IBM, online payment company Stripe and phone-maker Samsung on the initiative. Pilot projects begin Wednesday, ahead of more widespread usage expected next year
This could allow AI personal assistants to do such tasks as make weekly grocerypurchases and buyairline tickets.Customers would setabudgetand shoppingpreferences
“Wethink this could be really important,” said Jack Forestell,Visa’s chief product and strategy officer,inaninterview “Transformational, on the order of magnitude of the advent of e-commerce itself.” The San Francisco payment processing company is betting that what seems futuristic now could become aconvenient alternative to our most mundane shopping tasksinthe near future. For emerging AI companies, Visa’sbacking could also boost their chances of competing with tech giants Amazon and Google, which dominate digital commerce and are developing their own AI agents. Forestell said thatdoesn’t mean AI agents will take over the entire shoppingexperience, but it might be usefulfor errands that either bore some people or aretoo complicated
Reading is firstdrop in threeyears
BY PAUL WISEMAN and CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writers
The U.S.economyshrank at a 0.3% annual pace from January through March, the first dropin three years, as President Donald Trump’strade wars disrupted business. First-quarter growth was slowed byasurge in imports as companies in the United States tried to bringinforeign goodsbefore Trump imposed massive tariffs.
TheJanuary-March drop in gross domesticproduct, the nation’soutput of goods and services, reversed a2.4% gain in the last three months of 2024. Imports grew at a41% pace,fastestsince 2020. Consumer
spending also slowedsharply— to 1.8% growth from 4% in OctoberDecember last year.Federal government spending plunged5.1% in the first quarter Forecasterssurveyed by the datafirm FactSet had, on average, expected the economytoeke out 0.8% growth in the firstquarter, butmany expected GDP to fall.
The surgeinimports,the fastestsince 1972 outside COVID-19 economic disruptions, is likely to reverse in the second quarter,removing aweight on GDP.For that reason, Paul Ashworth, of Capital Economics, forecaststhatAprilJune growth will rebound to a2% gain.
Trade deficitsreduce GDP.But that’smainly amatter of mathematics. GDP is supposed to count only what’sproduced domestically.Soimports —which the government countsasconsumer
spending in theGDP reportwhen youbuy,say,Swiss chocolates have to be subtracted to keep them from artificially inflating domestic production.
Andother aspects of Wednesday’sGDP report suggested that the economy looked solid at the start of the year
Acategorywithin theGDP data thatmeasures the economy’sunderlying strengthrose at ahealthy 3% annual rate from Januarythrough March, up from 2.9% in the fourth quarter of 2024. This category includes consumer spending and private investment butexcludesvolatile items like exports, inventories and governmentspending.
Still, some economists say that Trump’smassive importtaxes —and theerratic way he’srolled them out —will hurt growth in the second halfofthe year and that re-
cession risks are rising.
“Wethink the downturn of the economy will get worse in the second half of this year,” wrote Carl Weinberg,chiefeconomist at High FrequencyEconomics.“Corrosive uncertainty and higher taxes tariffs are atax on imports —will drag GDP growth back into the red by the end of this year.”
Wednesday’sreport also showed an increase in prices likely to worry theFederal Reserve, whichis still trying to cool inflationaftera severe pandemic run-up. The Fed’s favored inflation gauge —the personalconsumption expenditures priceindex—rose at an annual rate of 3.6%, up from 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core PC inflation registered 3.5%, compared with2.6% from October-December.The central bank wants to see inflation at 2%.
Climatechangesentprices up,and tariffslikelywill, too
BY MAX CONWAY|Rochester Institute
of Technology and CEDAR ATTANASIO|Associated Press
ROCHESTER, N.Y.— With her purple-and-pink hair swaying, Reneé Colón stands on astepladder in the rented corner of awarehouse, pouring Brazilian coffee beans intoher groaning old roasting machine.
Thebeansare preciousbecausethey survived severedrought in ayear when environmental conditions depressed coffee productionglobally,doubling theprice of raw beans in just months.
“Unfortunately,coffee is going to become morescarce,” said Colón, founder and roaster at FuegoCoffeeRoasters. “Seeing that dramatic loss of theBrazilian crop is a perfectexample.”
Losses from heat anddrought have cut production forecasts in Brazil and Vietnam, theworld’slargest coffeegrowers. Global productionisstill expected to increase, but not asmuch as commodity market investors hadexpected. That’s sent coffee pricesup,
largelybecause of continued high demand in Europe, the U.S.and China.
Prices peaked in February buthaveremained high, forcingroasters like Colónto weigh how much of that costtoabsorb and how much to pass on toconsumers.
The beans Colón wasroastingcost her $5.50 per pound in early March, more than double what they cost in September.And that was for mixed, midrange beans. Specialty coffees —grownindelicateclimates to slow growthand add flavor —can cost even more.
President Donald Trump’scurrent 10% tariffs covermost coffee-producing countries, including Brazil, Ethiopia andColombia, andare expected to drive up costs forAmericans. Amidhis chaotictariff pronouncements —atone point, he threatened 46% tariffs on Vietnam imports and32% on Indonesiaimports beforepausing them —American coffee roasters are rethinking their supply chains.
“With all these changes in coffee maybe we should open our own damn farm,” Colón muses.
Rural New York isn’tanoption, of course. The world’sbest coffee thrives near the
equator,where seasons are long, and in high altitudes, where slow growing allows beans to gather flavor.But Puerto Rico, where Colónand herhusband have roots, isn’ta serious option, either —labor costs are too high andshe worries aboutthe increasing risk of crop-damaging hurricanes.
In February,global coffee greenexports weredown 14.2% from ayear earlier,according to the InternationalCoffeeOrganization’smarket report. The shortage led to the highest priceeverfor rawcoffee in February,breaking the record set in 1977 when severe frost wiped out 70% of Brazil’s coffee plants.
Some of the recent rise in coffee prices maybefrom importers buying extra in anticipation of the tariffs. Colón believes prices will go still higherasimporttaxes begin being paid.And with consumer confidence hitting a12-year low,Colón could see adecrease in demand forher premium coffee.
“Itistough on ourend because it drives the price up, tough on the consumer end because they have to paymoreand tough on the farmers’ end because they maybeexperiencing really significant losses,” Colón said.
BY TIMOTHY BOONE Business editor
Afterbeing interimpresident andCEO for five months,David Politz is the new head of Associated Grocers, in time forits 75th anniversary Politz has been with Associated Grocers for 40 years, serving as senior vice president andchief information officer for the past five. He took over as
interimpresident in November, when Manard M. LagasseJr. stepped downtobecome chief operating officer for TopcoAssociates,aChicago-area grocery wholesaler.Lagasse had been president and CEO since 2019. Politz startedworking forAssociated Grocers part-time when he was astudent at LSU.
“I am honored to be able to continue to servethe independent retailers allalong the Gulf Coast with acompany that has meantso muchtomepersonally,” he said in astatement. Associated Grocers offers ser-
vices to more than 180 independent supermarkets. It provides storeswith food and products including refrigeration equipment, shelving andcustomized software It offers services such as payroll, accounting, marketing andadvertising support. The company hasannual sales of more than $800 million and more than600 employees, with most working in Baton Rouge. Associated Grocers hasshifted its leadership team withPolitz’s appointment. CarlMarks is now executive vice president and chief strategy
officer; Chris Kennedy is senior vice president and chief financial officer; Bobby Williams is senior vice president and chief operating officer; Gerry Bucklesissenior vicepresident andchief sales officer; Pete Tortorich is vice president of retail operations;Mike Bove is vice president of category management and procurement; William Holtman is vice president of wholesale operations; andStephen Acosta is vice president of information services.
Email TimothyBoone at tboone@theadvocate.com.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByMAX CONWAy
Renee Colon, left, co-owner of FuegoCoffee Roasters in Rochester,N.y., withemployeeClaireTerrelli,
