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
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 7A
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
ä See SOLAR, page 7A
50-megawatt, $67
power farm in West Baton Rouge Parish operated by
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.
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 sedi-
ment 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 thirdparty 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.
“Shockingly Governor John Bel Edwards hid reports from the (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) simply
ä See REPORT, page 6A
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.
Landry Edwards
STAFF PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE
million
Helios
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.
Sen Patrick McMath, R-Covington, speaks while presenting SB14 during a Senate Health and Welfare Committee meeting at the State Capitol on Wednesday.
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 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.
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
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
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.
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
renovation.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By K.M. CHAUDARy
A Pakistani paramilitary soldier searches a vehicle as another stands guard at a checkpoint in Wagah, a joint border crossing point on the Pakistan and India border, near Lahore, Pakistan, on Wednesday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MARKO DROBNJAKOVIC People attend an anti-corruption protest in the southwestern town of Novi Pazar, Serbia, on April 12.
HouseOKs carinsurance bill
Republicanssplit over measure pushed by Landry
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
Gov.Jeff Landrypowered over Republican opponents in the state House on Wednesday in ahigh-stakes battle that also pits him against Insurance Commissioner TimTemple and business lobbiesover how best to lower car insurance
rates
The key vote camewhen
theHouseapproved an amendmentsponsored by Rep. Brian Glorioso, RSlidell, who said the change would give Temple greater authority to reject rate increases that he deems“excessive, inadequate or unfairly discriminatory.”
“The commission er should have the authority to review everything that is submitted,” Glorioso told his colleagues, saying that under current law Temple can reject rate increases as
excessive onlywhen he deems thatthe insurance market is uncompetitive.
Th eG lo rio s o amendment passed on a67-33 vote. Significantly,only 36 Republicans supportedit, while33 opposed it. All 31 Democrats voted in favorofthe amendment
TheHouse then passed the amended measure, House Bill 148. It now headstothe Senate, where it will likely face an easier road in the less-conservative chamber Temple and Republicans opposed to thebill believe that Landry wants to usethe lawasacudgel to blame the insurance commissioner if car insurance rates don’tgo down.
No legislator said that publicly on Wednesday But Glorioso faced tough questions and comments from fellow Republicans on whetherthe change will prove beneficial.
“Who determines what excessiveis?” asked Rep.Jay Galle, R-Mandeville. “That
can be very subjective.”
The commissioner does,Glorioso replied, adding that underhis amendment there will be “a process in place to makesureit’snot done in an arbitrary manner.”
Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge, turned to making statementswhile asking questionsofGlorioso.
“We’re sending amessage to the industry that we’re an unstable place to do business,” said Davis, who worked for the Insurance Department for adecade. “I just don’tthink this is good policy.”
The governor has been facing aproblem in recent days because House Republicans had pointedly refused to back thebill when it was sponsored by aDemocrat, as theyendorsed all car insurance bills sponsored by Republicans Landry got Rep. Jeff Wiley,R-Gonzales, to allow Glorioso to add hisamendment to Wiley’sbill.
HouseGOP wants to pump billions into deportationsand detentions
BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent
WASHINGTON As part of their big tax bill, Republicans in Congress are pumping billions of dollarsinto President Donald Trump’s mass deportation and bordersecurityplanwith nearly 20,000 new officers, stark new $1,000infees on migrants seeking asylum and$46.5billionfor alongsoughtborder wall.
Tuesday launched the first of back-to-back public hearings as House Republicans roll out the fine print of what Trump calls his “big, beautiful bill ”—which is focused on $5 trillion in tax breaks and up to $2 trillion in slashed domestic spending. But it also pours some $300 billion to beef up the Pentagon and border security as the Trump administration says it’srunning out of money for deportations.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton,ispushing to have the bill wrapped up by MemorialDay and then send 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 the hard part, where Republicans who have control of the House and Senate begin to fill in the difficult details of what, until now, has simply been aframework for Trump’stax package at the cornerstoneof the GOP’sdomestic agenda.
As Trump rounds his 100th day in office, the GOP’sstiff immigrationprovisions come as Americans are showing unease with the president’sapproach, with just half sayinghe’sfocused on the right priorities. The White House is battling high-profile court cases after it mistakenly deported a Maryland man to El Salvador and, over the weekend, Trump’steam rounded up countless immigrants, including foreign-born parents who were deported with their 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 little ability to stop the forward march of the package. Instead, theyused Tuesday’shearings to try to shame Republicans into rethinking their approach.
“Do alittle soul searching before you vote for this,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee,atone point during the debate Building theborderwall Central to the Homeland Committee’ssection of the legislationis$46.5 billion
to revive construction of Trump’swall along the U.S.Mexico border,withsome 700milesof“primary” wall, 900 milesofriver barriers, and more.
There’salso$4billion to hire an additional 3,000 new Border Patrol agents as well as 5,000 new customs officers, and $2.1 billion for signing and retentionbonuses.
Democratskept the committeeinsession for hours, submittingsomethree dozen amendments to change thepackage. They all failed.
Among the first Democratic amendments offered was from Rep. Troy Carter of New Orleans to prohibit the useoffunding to deport American children. Another from Rep. SethMagaziner of Rhode Island wouldstop the moneyfrom being used to sendAmericans to foreign prisons.
“Whatworld areweliving in?”Magaziner asked. He said allowing Republicans to “keep trampling on rights, soon everyone’s rights” will be under threat.
ChairmanRep. Mark Green,R-Tenn., as he gaveled thecommitteeopen, said, “It is critical that the Republican majoritydo what the people elected us to do.”
The committee approved its bill on apartyline vote.
GOP goals
For the first time, the U.S. underthe legislation would imposea$1,000fee on mi-
grants seeking asylum somethingthe nation has never done.
Experts said the new fee on asylum seekers would put the U.S. on par with a few others, including Australia and Iran.
Andthat’snot all.The Judiciary Committee is expected to meet Wednesday on its $110 billion section of thepackage.
Therewould be new fees on various other legal paths to entry,including a$3,500 feefor thosesponsoring unaccompanied children to enter the U.S., a$2,500 penalty if sponsors of unaccompanied children skip court appearances anda $1,000 fee for individuals paroled intothe U.S.
Overall, the planistoremove 1million immigrants annually and house 100,000 people in detention centers. It calls for 10,000 moreImmigration andCustoms Enforcement officers and investigators.
Hegsethcomes under fire
Meanwhile, the House Armed Services Committee started drilling down Tuesday into its section of the package, with some $100 billioninnew spending,including some $5 billionfor border security
Butthe hearing became tangledbyquestions from Democrats over funding for Ukraine, Trump’splan for abig military parade and calls for Hegseth to be fired or resign.
Wis. courtsuspendsjudge accused of helpingman evadeimmigration
BY TODD RICHMOND Associated Press
MADISON,Wis. The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspendeda judge accused of helping aman evadeimmigration authorities, saying Tuesday that it is in the public interest torelieve her of herduties as she faces two federal charges.
The FBItookMilwaukeeCountyCircuit Judge HannahDuganintocustodyFriday morning at the countycourthouse. She has been chargedwithconcealinganindividual to prevent his discovery and arrest and obstructing or impeding aproceeding.
In its two-page order,the court said it was actingto protect public confidence in Wisconsincourts during thecriminal proceedings against Dugan.
The order noted that the court was acting on its own initiative and was not responding to arequest from anyone. Liberal justices control the court 4-3.
“It is ordered that Milwaukee County Circuit JudgeHannahC.Dugan is temporarily prohibited from exercising the powers of acircuit courtjudge in the state of Wisconsin, effective the date of this order and until further order of the court,” thejustices wrote.
In astatement, Dugan’s legalteam said it was disappointed “that the Court acted in unilateral fashion. We continue to assert Judge Dugan’sinnocence andlook forward to her vindication in court.”
Astate court spokesperson saidthat areserve judge beganfilling in for Dugan on Monday for an indefiniteperiod.
Duganisaccused of escortingEduardo FloresRuiz and his lawyer from hercourt through the jury door last week afterlearningthatU.S.Immigration
and CustomsEnforcement agents were in the building andseeking his arrest. Flores-Ruiz, who court documents sayillegally reentered the U.S. after being deported in 2013, was taken into custody outside aftera foot chase.
Court documents suggest Duganwas alertedto the agents’presencebyher clerk, who wasinformed by an attorney that they appeared to be in the hallway
An FBI affidavit says Dugan was “visibly angry” over the agents’ arrival andcalledthe situation “absurd” before leaving the bench and retreating to her chambers. It says she andanotherjudge later approached members of the arrest team inside the courthouse with what witnesses described as a “confrontational,angry demeanor.”
After aback-and-forth withofficers over the warrant forFlores-Ruiz, Dugan demanded they speak withthe chiefjudge and led them away from the
courtroom,the affidavit says.
After directing the agents to the chiefjudge’s office, investigators say, Duganreturnedtothe courtroom and was heard saying words to the effect of “wait, come with me” before ushering Flores-Ruiz andhis lawyerthrough the jury door into anonpublic area.
Theaction was unusual, the affidavit says, because “only deputies, juries, court staff, andin-custody defendantsbeing escorted by deputies used theback jury door.Defense attorneys and defendants who were not in custody never usedthe jury door.” Dugan’sarrests has sparked outrage among Democrats, whohave accused the Trumpadministration of trying to chill the judiciary.Demonstrators gathered outside theFBI’s Milwaukeefieldoffice Saturday to protest her arrest. She is set to appear in courtfor arraignmentMay 15.
NoticeisherebygivenpursuanttoArticle7, Section23(C)oftheLouisianaConstitution andR.S. 47:1705(B) thatapublichearing of Livingston Parish Assessor’s Office in Livingston Parish will be held at itsregular meetingplacelocatedat20400Government Blvd Livingston,LA70754 on Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 10 am to considerlevying additional or increased millage rates without furthervoter approval or adopting theadjustedmillageratesafterreassessment androllingforward to ratesnot to exceed the prioryear’smaximum Theestimated amount of tax revenues to be collectedin the next year from the increased millage is $1,885,308.76 andthe amount of increase in the taxes attributable to the millage increaseis$1,432,834.66.
Landry
Palestinian student released after arrest at citizenship interview
BY AMANDA SWINHART and HOLLY RAMER Associated Press
BURLINGTON, Vt. — A judge on Wednesday released a Palestinian student at Columbia University who led protests against 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 the Trump administration, many of whom participated in campus protests over the war in Gaza, which has 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 a Vermont courthouse Wednesday and led hundreds of supporters in chants including “No fear” and “Free Palestine.” He said people must come together to defend 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 — not only Palestine — is watching us And what is going to happen in America is going to affect the rest of the world.”
Mahdawi, 34, has been a legal permanent resident for 10 years. He was in a Vermont state prison since April 14. In his release order, U.S District Judge Geoffrey Crawford said Mahdawi has raised a “substantial claim that the government arrested him to stifle speech with which it disagrees.”
“Even if he were a firebrand, his conduct is protected by the First Amendment,” the judge wrote, adding that offending political opponents or alarming the State Department doesn’t make him dangerous enough to justify detention.
The U.S. government argues they can remove Mahdawi from the country under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
That’s because Secretary of State Marco Rubio says
his presence and activities “would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences and would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest.”
A lawyer for the government on Wednesday also said a 2015 FBI investigation shows Mahdawi is a national security threat, but Crawford said the case had been closed and the accusations appeared to be fabricated.
According to a court filing, Mahdawi was born in a refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and moved to the United States in 2014.
He organized campus protests at Columbia until March 2024 and cofounded the school’s Palestinian Student Union with Mahmoud Khalil, another Palestinian permanent resident of the U.S and graduate student who was arrested in March. Khalil has been held for nearly eight weeks in a Louisiana detention center, missing the birth of his first child. An immigration judge ruled that Khalil can be forced out of the country as a national security risk In another high-profile case, Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University student from Turkey, was detained in March over what her lawyers say is apparent retaliation for an op-ed piece she co-wrote in the student newspaper
More than 1,000 college students nationwide have had their visas revoked or their legal status terminated since late March, according to an Associated Press review The federal government has since announced it will reverse the termination of legal status for international students after many filed court challenges, a government lawyer said Friday
The U.S. attorney’s office did not respond to messages seeking comment on whether it will appeal the release.
The judge referred to the Ozturk case and others like it in his ruling, saying such arrests are reminiscent of nationwide raids targeting suspected anarchists and communists in 1919 and 1920 and deportations during the McCarthy era of the 1950s.
Ukraine ready to sign deal with U.S.
BY SAMYA KULLAB and HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine is ready to sign an agreement that would give the U.S. access to its valuable rare minerals in the hopes of ensuring continued American support for Kyiv in its grinding war with Russia, senior Ukrainian officials said Wednesday Ukraine’s economy minister and deputy prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, flew to Washington on Wednesday to help finalize the deal, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said during an appearance on Ukrainian television. Although the main part of the agreement had been settled, there were still hurdles to overcome, said a senior Ukrainian official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly
For Ukraine, the agreement is seen as key to ensuring its access to future U.S. military aid.
“Truly, this is a strategic 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 States and Ukraine.”
U.S. President Donald Trump indicated in February that he wanted access to Ukraine’s rare earth materials as a condition for continued U.S support in the war describing it as reimbursement for the billions of dollars in aid the U.S. has given to Kyiv But talks stalled after a tense Oval Office meeting of U.S. and Ukrainian leaders, and reaching an agreement since then has proven difficult and strained relations between Washington and Kyiv
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday during a Cabinet meeting at the White House that the Trump administration was ready to sign off on a deal, but that there was still work to do.
“The Ukrainians decided last night to make some lastminute changes,” Bessent said when asked about reports that Ukraine was ready to agree to the pact. “We’re sure that they will reconsider that. And we are ready to sign this afternoon if they are.”
He didn’t elaborate as to the late changes he said Ukraine made.
The U.S. is seeking access to more than 20 raw materials deemed strategically critical to its interests, including some non-minerals such as oil and natural gas. Among them are Ukraine’s deposits of titanium, which is used for making aircraft wings and other aerospace manufacturing, and uranium, which is used for nuclear power, medical equipment and weapons. Ukraine also has lithium, graphite and manganese, which are used in electric vehicle batteries.
After Kyiv felt the initial U.S. draft of the deal disproportionately favored American interests, it introduced new provisions aimed at addressing those concerns.
According to Shmyhal, the latest version would establish an equal partnership between the two countries and last for 10 years. Financial contributions to a joint fund would be made in cash, and only new U.S military aid would count toward the American share Assistance provided before the agreement was signed would not be counted. Unlike an earlier draft, the deal would not conflict with Ukraine’s path toward European Union membership — a key provision for Kyiv
The Ukrainian Cabinet was expected to approve the agreement’s text before it could be signed in Washington. The deal would then need to be ratified by the Ukrainian Parliament before it could take effect.
Putin wants answers
The negotiations come amid rocky progress in Washington’s push to stop the war Russian President Vladimir Putin backs calls for a ceasefire before peace negotiations, “but before it’s done, it’s necessary to answer a few questions and sort out a few nuances,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin is also ready for direct talks with Ukraine without preconditions to seek a peace deal, he added.
“We realize that Washington wants to achieve quick
progress, but we hope for understanding that the Ukrainian crisis settlement is far too complex to be done quickly,” Peskov said during his daily conference call with reporters.
Trump has expressed 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 a fifth of Ukraine’s territory since Moscow’s forces launched a full-scale invasion on Feb 24, 2022.
The American president has chided his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for steps that he said were prolonging the killing, and he has rebuked Putin for complicating negotiations with “very bad timing” in launching deadly strikes on Kyiv
Trump has long dismissed the war as a waste of lives and American taxpayer money — a complaint he repeated Wednesday during his Cabinet meeting. That could spell an end to crucial military help for Ukraine and heavier economic sanctions on Russia.
U.S. wants to speed up
“We are now at a time where concrete proposals need to be delivered by the two parties on how to end this conflict,” department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce quoted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as telling her Russia has effectively rejected a U.S proposal for an immediate and full 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt to Ukraine’s mobilization effort and Western arms supplies to Kyiv Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed Wednesday that 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.
Ukrainian civilian casualties Meanwhile, Ukrainian civilians have been killed or wounded in attacks every day this year, according to a U.N. report presented Tuesday in New York.
The U.N. Human Rights Office said in the report that in the first three months of this year, it had verified 2,641 civilian casualties in Ukraine. That was almost 900 more than during the same period last year Also, between April 1-24, civilian casualties in Ukraine were up 46% from the same weeks in 2024, it said. The daily grind of the war shows no sign of letting up. A nighttime Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s secondlargest city, Kharkiv, wounded at least 45 civilians, Ukrainian officials said. Also Wednesday, the Ukrainian Security Service claimed its drones struck the Murom Instrument Engineering Plant in Russia’s Vladimir region overnight, causing five explosions and a fire at the military facility The claim could not be independently verified.
The U.S. State Department on Tuesday tried again to push both sides to move more quickly and warned that the U.S. could pull out of the negotiations if there’s no progress.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By AMANDA SWINHART
Palestinian student activist Mohsen Mahdawi speaks outside the courthouse in Burlington, Vt., after a judge released him on Wednesday.
PHOTO PROVIDED By UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS OFFICE
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy right, and President Donald Trump talk as they attend the funeral of Pope Francis in Vatican City on Saturday.
BY WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS and JOSH BOAK Associated Press
NEW YORK Amazon saysit’snot planning to display addedtariff costsnexttoproduct prices on its site —despite areport that sparked speculationthe e-commerce giant would soon show thenew import charges, andthe White House’sfiery comments denouncing the purported change.
The Trump administration’sreaction appeared to be based on amisinterpretation of internal plans being considered by Amazon, rather than afinal decision made by the company
Andeven those talkswerelimited. Only Amazon’sHaulservice —its recently launched,low-cost storefront —“considered the idea” of listing import charges on certain products,company spokesperson TimDoyle said in astatementsent to The Associated Press. But this “was never approved and is not going to happen.”
Earlier Tuesday,Punchbowl News had reported that Amazon planned
to start showinghow much of each product’scost derived from tariffs “right next to” its total listed price, citingananonymous sourcefamiliarwith the matter.
TheTrump administration was quicktocriticize news of thepotential move.Ata briefingwith reportersearlierinthe day, White Housepress secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Amazonoftaking a“hostile andpolitical act” —and furtherattacked thecompany by suggesting ithad “partnered with aChinese propaganda arm.”
Asource familiar with thematter, who spoke of the condition of anonymity,toldThe Associated Press that the president also called Amazonfounder Jeff Bezos to complain aboutthe reported plans Tuesday morning.
Theadministrationseemedto change its tune following Amazon’s clarifyingstatement.
“Jeff Bezos wasverynice. He was terrific,” President Donald Trumptold reporters before leaving the White House for Michigan on Tuesday afternoon.“He solved aproblem very quicklyand he did
the right thing. He’sa good guy.” Bezos was one of ahandful of powerful, ultra-wealthy tech titans who attended Trump’sinauguration in January —fillingsome of the most exclusive seats rightbehind the president.But Trump’srelationship with much of thecorporate world has been testedsince, as the tariffwars he’slaunchedwith nearly all of America’strading partners continue to plunge companiesinto uncertainty.
Trump’stariffs —and responding retaliation from targeted countries, notably China —threaten to increase prices for both consumers andbusinesses. Economists warn these import taxes will hike prices for arange of goodsconsumersbuy each day and lead to worse inflationary pressure.
There’sa reason why the Trump administration responded the way it did to Tuesday’sAmazonspeculation, explains RobLalka, aprofessorofbusinessatTulaneUniversity’sFreemanSchool —noting that such quick and harsh words from the White House signals concernabout companies “redirecting
customer frustration.”
At the same time, volatile tariffs put alot on the line for businesseslike Amazon— andthose companies mayhavetoplayball, too, while trying to be transparent with customers.ManyCEOs across industries have recently shared weaker outlooks due to thenew and at times on-again, off again import taxes. And some big names havealready raised prices while specifically pointing to the costs of tariffs,including Amazon rivals Temu and Shein.
Earlier this month, Temu and Shein said in separate but nearly identical notices that theiroperatingexpenses hadgoneup“due to recent changes in global trade rules andtariffs” —both announcing price hikes to take effect last Friday (April 25).
Temu,owned by the Chinese ecommerce company PDD Holdings,now lists added “import charges” —whichhavereportedly doubled many items’ prices, although those available in local warehouses currently appear to be exempt. Meanwhile, Shein, now
based in Singapore, has acheckout banner that reads, “Tariffs are included in the price you pay.You’ll never have to pay extra at delivery.”
Tariffs maynow be in the spotlight like they never were before —but companies have long itemized addedcosts to thethingswe purchase, Lalka notes, from city occupancy taxes on ahotel bill to rideshare apps like Uber breaking out local fees. And Amazon itself “already turned to this playbook” whenitbegan collecting state sales taxes, he adds,althoughanother line in your online shopping cart maybelessapparent than potentially seeing total import taxes next to each product you scroll by It’s amessageregardless, he explains.
“Companies are always communicating something with us when wheneverthey are putting things in their receipt,” Lalka said —adding that, while Amazon later confirmed it wasn’tactually breaking out tariff prices, the idea didn’tcomefrom nowhere.“The reality is that politics are always being played.”
to getapermit!”Landry posted on social media over the weekend. “This project is like aJohn Grishamnovel,a real life ‘Pelican Brief.’” Edwards denied the allegationthathis administrationwithheld anyinformation from the Corps, calling Landry’scomments “flat out wrong.”
Landry administration officials had already paused work on the project earlier this month. But on Friday,the Corps withdrew akey permit, halting workindefinitely.Ina letter notifying officials of the permit cancellation, the Corps saidthat the state had “deliberately withheld information” about the project. They also listed anumberof other reasons for the permit withdrawal, including the state’smovetopause construction activity
The Mid-Barataria project proposes to slice open the levees on the west bank of the Mississippi Rivernear Ironton in order to allowthe river —and, more importantly,its sediment —toflow intothe Barataria Basin. The project aims to build21square miles of land over ahalf-century and was issued apermit by the Corps after an exhaustive examination of the project’s environmental impacts.
The diversion long been seen as centraltoLouisiana’s plan to protect and restoreits fast-erodingcoastline, though it hasangered fishermen and oystermeninthe Barataria Basin, who argue that it will destroy their livelihoods. 500pages of modeling
While Landry has alleged behind-the-scenes intrigue relating to the report, the report itself, titled “Numerical modeling for the 90% phase of engineering anddesign,” is no one’sidea of athrilling beach read.
The report, conducted by engineering and environ-
mentalconsulting firm FTN Associates, states that its purpose wastoanalyze waterand sediment flows atthe diversion’sintake— where the river is divertedinto the BaratariaBasin —inorder to helpdesign astructurefor theintake that wouldmaximize sediment flowinto the basin.
It is deeply technical, and uses models to try to better understand how the diversion would functionunder various scenarios influenced by sea level rise, tides, and other river conditions.
One sectioninthe report appears to concludethat in scenarios that involve high estimates for sealevel rise, additional dredging would be required to keep enough water and sediment flowing through it achieve the project’sgoals for land-building in the basin.
The Corps published the report on its website this month at CPRA’s request, according
to correspondencebetween agency officials.
In hisstatement Saturday, Landry said thatthe Edwards administration “failedtotell the public thatthe Mid-Barataria project would have cost taxpayersover $50 million A YEAR in dredging.”
It is notclear howLandry determinedthe potential cost of additional dredging. Landry’soffice did not clarify how it arrived at the$50 millionfigure in astatement provided Tuesday
“The FTN modeling predated the permit and Record of Decision but wasnever sharedwith the Corps, so it wasn’tpart of the official record,” said ElizabethCrochet, aspokesperson forthe governor.“They thenselectively released aredacted report after the permitwas issued, withholding key issues.”
‘There wasnocover-up’
One former state official who was close to theproject
has questioned whether the report shows what Landry claimed.
“There was no cover-up,” said Charles Sutcliffe, a senior adviseratthe National Wildlife Federation who previously served as Edwards’chief resilience officer,ataHouse Transportation Committee hearing in BatonRouge on Monday. “This complicated project reliedonmultiple models built andusedfor different purposes.”
The main model used as part of theCorps’ analysis of the project’senvironmental impacts was alarger one, Sutcliffe said, which analyzed the project’simpacts on the Barataria Basin. The model usedinthe report thatLandry is now pointing to looked specifically at the intakestructure and “incidentally containedsomeinformation about changes in thegreater basin.”
“What is mostconcerning
is that this administration has chosen to misrepresent this as some kind of smoking gun to crater the reputation of their own agency,” Sutcliffe said.
In apost on XTuesday, Landry said the hearing showed that Edwards’ team “hid thebad stuff and only showed (the Corps) the version they liked.”
Edwardshas strongly rebuked Landry and the Corps’ allegationthatany information was improperly withheld.
“Anybody thatmaintains that Iormyadministration withheld information from the Corps is flat out wrong,” Edwards said in aprepared statement. “Gov. Landry’s attempttoscapegoat is exactly why partisan politics has no place in Louisiana’s coastal restoration work, but he can’thelp himself.”
For its part, the Corps in March told CPRA that some information in the FTN re-
port had been redacted in previous submissions to the Corps as part of the permitting process, according to correspondence between the agencies. However,it said that the report would have had no impact on the Corps’ decision to issue a permit forthe project. James Karst, aspokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, which supports river diversions as away to restore Louisiana’s coast, said in a statement that “all coastal projects should be carefully considered.”
“Given thelegal andpolitical challenges of this project, CRCL understands the state’sdesire to reassess it. We look forward to assisting in any way we can,” Karst said. “In themeantime,the riverisstill capable of building land and our coastal wetlandsare stillwashing away Our actions must reflect the urgency of this crisis.”
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
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 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 utility-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
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,” Jackson-Andrews 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
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.
“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.
“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.”
Changing it to be more restrictive, said Gundersen, could make the program less effective because fewer people may participate.
“The parents should decide what’s best for their kids,” Boudreaux said.
SNAP success The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
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.
“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 partici-
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
lenges 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.
pation 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 Loui-
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.
siana 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 legislation, saying there were chal-
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
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 putting in our bodies,” he said.
Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate. com.
of Energy and Natural Resources to adopt a permitting process to ensure solar projects had an adequate end-oflife 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
Cardinals thank Becciu for stepping back from conclave
BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
VATICAN CITY Catholic cardinals acknowledged Wednesday the definitive word is still out about the Vatican trial that convicted Cardinal Angelo Becciu of financial crimes, in the latest twist to a drama that has dominated conversations leading up to the May 7 conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor Becciu, 76, is the oncepowerful Italian cardinal who formally withdrew his participation in the conclave on Tuesday, after days of uncertainty about his status.
The Vatican’s criminal court convicted Becciu in 2023 of embezzlement and other finance-related charges at the end of the so-called “trial of the century.” But the convictions are being appealed and there are lingering questions about the integrity of the
trial, which the College of Cardinals appeared to refer to in a statement Wednesday As in Italy, convictions in the Vatican criminal court are not considered definitive until all appeals are exhausted.
In the ir sta te ment Wednesday, the college thanked Becciu for withdrawing and for “contributing to the communion and serenity of the conclave.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
down Tuesday after being presented with letters from Francis, penned before his death, saying he couldn’t take part.
tion’s prime witness against Becciu was coached, threatened and manipulated by outsiders to persuade him to turn on the cardinal.
Questions around the trial
Monsignor Angelo Becciu presides over an eucharistic liturgy at the St. John in Lateran Basilica in Rome on Feb 9, 2017.
Becciu denied wrongdoing but said at the time that he wouldn’t be able to vote in a future conclave. After Francis died April 21, Becciu had asserted his right to participate. But he backed
“The Congregation of Cardinals expresses its appreciation for the gesture he has made and hopes that the competent organs of justice will be able to definitively ascertain the facts,” said a statement from the cardinals who are meeting in pre-conclave discussions Francis in 2020 forced Becciu’s resignation as head of the Vatican’s saint-making office and forced him to renounce the rights of the cardinalate after receiving allegations of financial misconduct against him. Those allegations were the basis of the subsequent trial.
Australian woman stands trial for murdering people with mushrooms
BY ROD MCGUIRK Associated Press
MELBOURNE The Australian host of a weekend family lunch is on trial charged with murdering her estranged husband’s parents and an aunt and attempting to murder an uncle with poisonous mushrooms.
Prosecutor Nanette Rogers opened her case on Wednesday against Erin Patterson, 50, in the Victoria state Supreme Court. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
She served meals of beef Wellington, mashed potato and green beans at her home in the rural town of Leongartha on July 29, 2023. Her guests included her parentsin-law Gail and Don Patterson, both 70, Gail Patterson’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, and Wilkinson’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, 68.
All four guests were hospitalized the next day with poisoning from death cap mushrooms, also known as amanita phalloides, that were added to the beef and pastry dish. Ian Wilkinson survived after a liver transplant. Erin Patterson’s husband, Simon Patterson, 50, was also invited to the lunch but declined.
Charges dropped
The jury was told on Tuesday that prosecutors had dropped three charges that Erin Patterson had attempted to murder her husband whom she had been separated from since 2015.
Two weeks before the poisoning, Erin Patterson had invited her husband and his relatives to lunch while she was attending a Korumburra Baptist Church service where Ian Wilkinson was the pastor Simon Patterson initially accepted the invitation
“She said the purpose of
the lunch was to discuss some medical issues that she had and to get advice about how to break it to the kids,” Rogers said
“The accused said that it was important that the children were not present for the lunch,” Rogers added.
The Wilkinsons were surprised by the invitation because they’d never been to Erin Patterson’s large fivebedroom house.
Lunch guest puzzled
When Heather Wilkinson was taken to the hospital the next morning, she told Simon Patterson she had been puzzled by Erin Patterson eating from a different plate than those served to the guests.
“I noticed that Erin put her food on a different plate to us. Her plate had colors on it I wondered why that was. I’ve puzzled about it since lunch,” said Heather Wilkinson, according to the prosecution.
Simon Patterson told his aunt that his wife might have run out of plates.
Rogers told the jury that Erin Patterson fabricated an ovarian cancer diagnosis to explain why her children didn’t attend the lunch
“After the lunch, the accused announced that she had cancer and asked for advice on whether to tell the children or to keep it from them,” Rogers said
“They had a discussion about it being best to be honest with the children. They prayed as a group for the accused’s health and wisdom in relation to telling the children,” Rogers added.
A ‘terrible accident’
Defense lawyer Colin Mandy told the jury his client never had cancer and that the guests had been poisoned by mushrooms she had served, but that the poisoning was accidental.
“The defense case is what happened was a tragedy A terrible accident,” Mandy said.
Rogers told the jurors that she she would not provide a motive for the poisonings.
“You might be wondering now why would the accused do this? What is the motive? You might still be wondering this at the end of this trial,” Rogers said. “You do not have to be satisfied what the motive was or even that there was a motive.”
Two days after the lunch, Erin Patterson went to the hospital complaining of diarrhea and nausea. By then, medical staff had diagnosed her guests as suffering death cap poisoning.
Erin Patterson told authorities that she had cooked with a mixture of fresh mushrooms bought from a supermarket and dried mushrooms bought from an Asian food store.
Wild mushrooms
Mandy said his client had lied to police when she said she hadn’t foraged for wild mushrooms.
“She did forage for mushrooms. Just so that we make that clear, she denies that she ever deliberately sought out death cap mushrooms,” Mandy said.
Doctors insisted that Erin Patterson’s two children, then aged 9 and 14, be tested because their mother said they had eaten beef Wellington leftovers.
Erin Patterson said the children were safe because she had scraped the pastry and mushrooms from the steak. She explained the children didn’t like mushrooms.
Rogers said Erin Patterson had not eaten poisonous mushrooms and had not fed her children the lunch leftovers. Mandy said she had eaten the mushrooms but had become less sick than the others.
During the Vatican trial, which focused on the Vatican’s bungled 350 million euro investment in a London property, defense lawyers discovered that Francis had secretly issued four decrees during the investigation to benefit prosecutors, allowing them to conduct intercepts and detain suspects without a judge’s warrant.
Defense lawyers argued such interference by an absolute monarch in a legal system where the pope exercises supreme legislative, executive and judicial power violated their clients’ fundamental rights and robbed them of a fair trial. Also during the trial, it emerged that the prosecu-
The tribunal rejected the defense objections at the time and the trial went ahead. But in recent weeks even more evidence has emerged about the outside manipulation of the witness and apparent collusion with Vatican prosecutors and gendarmes to target Becciu. The Domani newspaper has published previously redacted WhatsApp chats and an audio suggesting that Vatican gendarmes and prosecutors were involved indirectly in coaching the witness, Monsignor Alberto Perlasca, to turn on Becciu.
Becciu has responded to the reports with outrage, saying they prove that his prosecution was manipulated from the start.
“From the very first moment I spoke of a machina-
tion against me: an investigation built on falsehoods, which five years ago unjustly devastated my life and exposed me to a pillory of worldwide proportions,” he said in a statement April 14, when the first chats were published.
The appeal is scheduled to begin in September.
Vatican finances a topic
The trial uncovered evidence of gross financial mismanagement that cost the Holy See tens of millions of euros at a time when the Vatican’s finances were precarious at best.
The Vatican hasn’t released a consolidated budget for over two years, but previous estimates have pointed to a structural deficit of more than 50 million euros and a pension fund that is so poorly resourced that Francis warned last year that it couldn’t guarantee its obligations in the medium term.
BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to restore $12 million that Congress appropriated for Radio Free Europe, a prodemocracy media outlet at risk of going dark for the first time in 75 years.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth also tucked a lesson on the three branches of government inside Tuesday’s ruling, cautioning that the system of checks and balances established by the U.S. Constitution must remain intact if the nation is going to continue to thrive.
Lamberth granted the temporary restraining order for the U.S. Agency for Global Media to disburse
money for April 2025 for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty pending the outcome of a lawsuit seeking to keep the station on the air. He said the Trump administration could not unilaterally revoke funding approved by Congress.
“In interviews, podcasts, and op-eds, people from both inside and outside government have variously accused the courts myself included of fomenting a constitutional crisis, usurping the Article II powers of the Presidency, undercutting the popular will, or dictating how Executive agencies can and should be run,” wrote Lamberth, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan. Those notions reflect a
“fundamental misunderstanding” of the role of the federal judiciary and of the Constitution itself, he said.
“Reasonable people can reach different conclusions in complicated legal disputes such as this,” Lamberth wrote, and that’s why the appellate courts exist. The administration could also ask Congress to pull back the funds, he noted.
Attorneys for the media outlet say President Donald Trump’s administration has terminated nearly all of its contracts with freelance journalists, missed payments on leases and furloughed 122 employees. They warn that more employees will be furloughed and more contracts will be canceled on May 1 if funding isn’t restored.
Man sentenced in BR bank robbery
Defendant to serve more than 12 years in holdup, car chase
BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer
A man who robbed a Baton Rouge bank last May and later crashed a stolen car on Interstate 10 while being pursued by police was sentenced Wednesday to more than 12 years behind bars.
Johnathan Wayne Lanaute 40 was sentenced by U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick to 151 months in federal prison following his conviction for bank robbery He plead-
ed guilty in the case last August.
Lanaute walked into the United Community Bank on Bluebonnet Boulevard on May 3 wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and a black Saints baseball cap and said he needed to cash a check. When he arrived at the teller’s counter, he passed her a handwritten note that read: “give me all the money in the cash register before everybody die in here,” according to his guilty plea. The teller complied, and Lanaute
fidgeted in his sweatshirt as if he had a firearm. As the machine behind the counter dispensed $100 bills, 50 at a time, Lanaute told the teller to “hurry up, hurry up,” and to not make any moves. He left the building with $20,000 in cash and drove away in a dark-grey Mitsubishi
Lancer When members of law enforcement arrived on the scene, they used surveillance video to identify the car Lanaute used to escape,
which had been reported stolen after an armed robbery near the bank the previous night.
Officers located the car a short time later and attempted to stop it. Lanaute drove off, beginning a chase in which he drove into oncoming traffic and ran another motorist off the road. The pursuit ended when Lanaute crashed headon into another motorist’s car on I-10 near Perkins Road. The other driver sustained minor injuries. Lanaute fled on foot before being
apprehended and taken into custody He had $8,207.89 on his person at the time of arrest.
In addition to his sentence of 151 months, Lanaute must be supervised for three years following his release and also must pay $20,000 in restitution.
The case was investigated by the FBI, Baton Rouge Police Department and the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Lundin Craig was the prosecutor
Email Quinn Coffman at quinn. coffman@theadvocate.com.
HIGH POINT
Pedestrians look Tuesday at a swollen Mississippi
35 feet.
Hearing set on Ascension plant permits
Facility would produce millions of tons of ammonia
BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer
A hearing is scheduled for Thursday night on draft permits for a proposed ammonia facility on the west bank of Ascension Parish, which, if approved, would produce 7.2 million tons of the
chemical annually Clean Hydrogen Works has submitted plans for the plant, which would be situated on a 1,700-acre site between Donaldsonville and Modeste. The project is backed by ExxonMobil, Japanese Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Singapore-based Hafnia.
The draft permit, if approved by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, will allow the facility to release around 399,000 tons of greenhouse gases and set upper limits on toxic air pollutants. These include a permitted annual release of some formaldehyde, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently found presents an “unreasonable” risk to health. But in its application materials, Clean Hydrogen Works argues its facility will emit far fewer emissions of formaldehyde and other chemicals than similar facilities. The company also touts the job investments, with an estimated 350 permanent positions and
1,500 construction jobs.
Several companies including Hyundai and CF Industries — plan to construct large industrial facilities in the same region, which 2023 census estimates say has a poverty level of around 32%.
The hearing will begin at 6 p.m. at the Lemann Memorial Center Gymnasium at 1100 Clay St., in Donaldsonville, according to the public notice.
BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
For a second year in a row, a contested effort to change the constitution to
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
River, which was sitting at 42.1 feet, from the levee in Baton Rouge. Flood stage is
PHOTO By MOLLy BAHLINGER
Harrison, from left, Laura Vinsant and Adrian Jones place flags
Arrest made in fatal shooting at Amazon facility
A suspect is in custody in a fa-
tal shooting Monday night at the Amazon Fulfillment Center, Baton Rouge police said Wednesday morning.
CRIME BLOTTER staff reports
Detectives identified the suspect as 18-year old Carlgene Nash, an employee at the facility who is accused of shooting and killing a former co-worker 21-yearold Daylon Anthony
According to the arrest affidavit, the incident began with a verbal and physical altercation between Nash and Anthony near the entrance doors of the warehouse. As Anthony attempted to flee inside, Nash fired his weapon, fatally striking him, according to police.
AMMONIA
Continued from page 1B
Here are some takeaways from the 733 pages of application materials:
Formaldehyde release
The draft permit allows an annual release of 1.79 tons of formaldehyde, which the EPA said presents an “unreasonable” risk to human health and must be regulated.
The EPA’s risk mapping tool estimated that as of 2020, the incremental lifetime cancer risk from formaldehyde in the area where the facility is planned is 1 in 41,000. This means that in 41,000 people who are continuously exposed to a certain level of formaldehyde over 70 years, one person may develop cancer on top of any other cancer risks from other sources
Some risks in the area may also be due to ethylene oxide emissions, according to the agency’s tool.
In its December announcement, the EPA stated that workers in facilities that make or use formaldehyde face the highest risk. A few months before that, it determined that inhaling formaldehyde causes certain cancers in humans, along with other health effects.
For a lifetime exposure to 1 microgram of that chemical, the EPA said the upper-bound estimate is that it would cause 1.1 additional cancer cases in a population.
For its part, Clean Hydrogen Works said its formaldehyde release will be far below traditional ammonia facilities.
“A similarly sized facility producing ammonia using conventional means would typically have annual formaldehyde emissions of approximately 1,900 tons per year,” the application stated.
“Due to CHW’s use of a fuel having a high hydrogen content, formaldehyde emissions from the facility are reduced by greater than 99% when compared to conventional ammonia production processes, thus reducing any cancer risk significantly.”
Carbon capture plans
In 2023, Ascension Parish ranked as the 11th highest parish or county in the nation with facility greenhouse gas emissions, with EPA data showing a total of 16,874,754 metric tons.
Human-caused greenhouse gases contribute to climate change, which scientists expect to cause sea level rise and more flooding in Louisiana. Clean Hydrogen Works’ draft permit will allow the annual release of 399,633 tons of greenhouse gases, approximately equivalent to the emissions released from 84,500 cars in one year
The facility plans to use carbon capture technology, which it says will capture up to 98% of the facility’s carbon dioxide emissions. After capturing the carbon dioxide, the facility plans to transport it through pipelines and store it deep underground.
The company estimated that the plant will release 2.6 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, adding that if it used the industry standard of ammonia production, it would release around 25 million tons annually
“Thus, the facility is addressing the global demand for ammonia with a greatly reduced carbon footprint and a lower impact on climate change,” it stated in the packet. Comments on the permit can also be submitted via mail or email to LDEQ until 4:30 p.m. Monday
Email Christopher Cartwright at christopher.cartwright@ theadvocate.com.
Nash left the scene before authorities arrived but turned himself in to police early Wednesday Officers also recovered valuables belonging to Nash at the scene, according to the affidavit.
The shooting happened about 11:20 p.m. Monday at the Amazon facility at 9001 Cortana Place.
28 students punished in school vandalization
Dozens of people vandalized a Livingston Parish high school last week, throwing glitter and condiments in classrooms, smearing Vaseline on items and hiding sardines in the ceiling, authorities said.
Livingston Parish school leaders announced Tuesday that they iden-
DOWNTOWN
Continued from page 1B
for affordable housing were plastered in Post-it notes with residents’ thoughts and suggestions by the end of the night.
At one table, the crowd could vote on what amenities they thought downtown lacked — using green puffballs dropped into labeled Mason jars.
In the center of the lobby sat a large map of downtown, where residents were invited to plant thumbtack-sized flags on the areas they loved, as well as those they thought needed work.
Aaron Franklin, a real estate broker and owner of Third Street’s Dark 30 wine and cocktail bar put it bluntly
“Baton Rouge is missing class; you can just feel it,” he said.
“We’re a city of dive bars.”
Franklin himself had planted a few red flags in the map of downtown, showing streets he wished could be improved.
“Every street needs an identity Nightlife on Third, dining a street over, something different on the next block,” he said.
Many residents had their attention drawn to one board showing different ways the riverfront could be improved, from a raised boardwalk development to an artificial beach.
“We need more connection to the Mississippi riverfront,” said Sydney Milligan, a landscape architecture student at LSU.
She said she was happy to know Sasaki was chosen as the cityplanning consultant for this master plan due to its reputation for taking a holistic look at the cities they design for, which include the downtowns of Little Rock and Raleigh.
She also would like to see more Baton Rouge development centralized in downtown, rather than slowly spreading alongside suburbs to the south end of the parish.
She thinks it would help connect LSU to downtown, too.
Reginald DeVold, who worked downtown in Louisiana state government for 35 years, agreed that other parts of the parish need better access to downtown He says he was around to witness the last two master plans.
CIVIL
Continued from page 1B
“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 shortterm goal of increasing administrative flexibility, but it would also likely be disastrous for public servants and for the public sector.”
“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 a state employee for more than two
tified 31 people involved in vandalizing Springfield High School on April 25. It was determined that 28 of 31 of them are parish students.
Security cameras show people entering the school at 12:15 a.m. and 2:42 a.m. People were jumping the gate, wearing masks and carrying items such as flour, hot dogs and toilet paper, according to a news release.
Livingston Parish public schools said students are being disciplined based on the severity of their participation and restitution will be required for any damaged property
“The action taken by these individuals is not a prank. It is vandalism to school property,” Superintendent Jody Purvis said. The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s
Office assisted with the investigation, but the school system will carry out any discipline.
Man sentenced to 4 years in child porn case
A former Baton Rouge lobbyist was sentenced Wednesday to nearly five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of 565 images of child pornography including those that depicted prepubescent children.
James S. “Jimmy” Burland, 70, who pleaded guilty in November, will also be required to serve five years of supervised release, pay $5,000 and register as a sex offender In announcing his sentence, the federal court described Burland’s
conduct as “serious and troubling.”
Burland was a veteran lawyer and lobbyist in Baton Rouge. Federal authorities had raided his office, a stone’s throw from the State Capitol, in April 2024.
He was first identified after uploading a file containing an image of child pornography to his internet-based cloud storage account.
Overall, Burland was found to possess 565 images of child pornography including images of prepubescent children and minors younger than 12.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.
“It’s hard getting down here, especially rapidly and especially from the parish land and from north Baton Rouge,” DeVold said. He said Baton Rouge too often treats public transit as an option only for those who don’t have
decades, most of that time as a classified employee and human resources manager The Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee approved Senate Bill 8 on a party-line 5-2 vote, with Republicans in support and Democrats opposed.
Louisiana’s civil service system gives certain government employees protection against being fired and is meant to limit patronage and political retaliation.
Under the system set up in the state constitution, there are two groups of government workers: classified and unclassified.
Classified employees — those meant to be shielded from political pressure — can only be disciplined or fired for cause, with proper documentation and after a chance to respond or take corrective action. They’re also barred from supporting political candidates or parties.
Unclassified employees are considered at-will and can be hired or fired at any time, and they face no restrictions on political activity.
By default, state government jobs are classified, but the constitution lists more than a dozen specific categories of state employees and officials that are unclassified positions. Among them: elected officials, members of boards and commissions, and staff in the Legislature, Governor’s Office and Attorney General’s Office, for example.
The State Civil Service Commission can also approve requests from state agencies for additional unclassified positions.
cars, rather than designing it to be a better alternative to commuter traffic.
Two previous master plans for downtown Baton Rouge have been drawn up and implemented. These plans saw the addition of $3 billion
Morris’ proposal would empower the Legislature to create additional unclassified jobs as well.
“What’s the true intent?” said Dana LeBherz, a current state employee, speaking to lawmakers Wednesday “Given the scope of the changes proposed, it seems to me the ultimate aim may be to dismantle civil service.”
After the hearing Morris said, “My intent is not to dismantle the entire system,” though he added that “a hybrid system” consisting of both classified and unclassified employees may work best.
Ricky Patterson, who previously worked at the Louisiana Housing Corporation for a decade, urged lawmakers to consider the “longterm impact” of the measure.
“As a state employee and as a classified employee, there were times that I received pressure from members of the Legislature,” he said.
He added: “We’re Louisiana. So we need to remember our history so we do not repeat it.”
Both Patterson and LeBherz told lawmakers that the civil service system has mechanisms to fire employees if need be.
Some in attendance presented a more nuanced view of the bill.
“We support the idea of civil service reform. We think it’s a good idea,” said Barry Erwin, chief policy officer for Leaders for a Better Louisiana, an advocacy group that recently formed after a merger of Committee of 100, the state’s business roundtable, and Council for A
in public and private investments and the construction of landmarks such as the Shaw Center for the Arts, the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center, Rhorer Plaza and the Downtown Greenway Sasaki, in fact, celebrated these past master plans in its presentation saying that more than 80% of past proposed developments have actually become a reality for downtown Baton Rouge Sasaki will now work with the community over the next year to continue developing Plan Baton Rouge III. The goal is now to attract residents from all income levels to come to downtown and experience the city “Sasaki will, over the next nine to 12 months, work with each of you and others in our community to help build a plan that we can execute on that will leave downtown Baton Rouge as the most attractive, vibrant city on the Mississippi River,” said Chris Meyer, CEO of BRAF
Email Quinn Coffman at quinn. coffman@theadvocate.com.
Better Louisiana.
“We understand the desire that’s been expressed about trying to, you know, make our workforce more productive, more efficient, more private-sector-oriented,” he said.
But Erwin said the proposed constitutional amendment doesn’t present a clear roadmap for achieving and measuring reforms like modernizing hiring practices, creating performance evaluations and improving compensation structures.
He likened it to “putting the cart before the horse” a characterization that Morris took issue with.
“The cart is not before the horse. This is the horse,” Morris said, referring to the bill.
“It’s about time for us to reform our state, and we can’t do it if the constitution prevents us.”
Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse.pfeil@ theadvocate.com.
PHOTOS By MOLLy BAHLINGER
East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards delivers opening remarks at the Plan Baton Rouge III community kickoff Wednesday at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum to gather public feedback on planning efforts focused on downtown Baton Rouge.
Cody Flurry, from left, Ellen Ogden and Nelson Sanchez read and add their feedback to project plans.
Dooley,Pat
Christ’s Community Church,26574
JubanRd, DenhamSprings,LAat4pm
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St.Catherine of SienaCatholic Church, 1705 E. Peters Colony Road Carrollton, TX 75007 at 12pm
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Greenoaks FuneralHomeat10am.
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St.Michael theArchangel Catholic Church at 11am
Manley,James ResthavenGardens of Memory 11817 JeffersonHighway in Baton Rouge at 11am
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Obituaries
Elgiar, Wilkes George
Wilkes GeorgeElgiar of Carrollton, Texas, age 83, passed away peacefully Sunday morning,April 27th, 2025 after along and bravebattle withseveral serious medicalconditions.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 8th, 1941, to the late George Charles and Fay Chase Elgiar, Wilkes had along and successful career spanning 47 years with Comerica Bank. It was at Comerica that he met the loveof his life, Theresa Troxclair. They married on January 16th, 1965 in New Orleans, where they raised abeautiful and loving family of four children. During his early professional career, Wilkes also servedinthe Air Force Reserves and was honorably discharged in November, 1969 with the rank of Sergeant.
In 1990, Wilkes was promoted and transferred to Comerica's Dallas office, at which time the family relocatedtoCarrollton.Heretiredfrom Comerica in 2007 as Vice Presidentof Transaction Services with many awards and accolades earned during his tenure.
In retirement, Wilkes delighted in working in the yard of his home, which was always impeccably maintained, and in spending time with his family, especiallyhis grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He loved to travel both with his children when they were growing up and later in life with Theresa, and was especially fond of the time they spent together in Italy. He was afaithful and devoted Catholic, attending services regularlyatSt. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Carrollton until his health prohibited it.
Wilkes is survived by his devoted wife, Theresa (née Troxclair), and his children, Sheila Elgiar Nuss (David), Jeffrey Elgiar (Jodi), Sean Elgiar(Leah), and Jennifer Elgiar Smith (Kevin); four grandchildren Jodi Nuss Schexnaydre (Alex), Matthew Elgiar (Leslie), Ryan Elgiar (Kayla),Sera Elgiar and Landon Smith; four great-grandchildren, Ella, Ozzy, Cash and Ivy; and ahost of nieces, nephews and grand -nieces and -nephews. He was preceded in death by his twin brother, George Wilkes Elgiar.
Services will be held at St.Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, located at 1705 E. Peters Colony Road, Carrollton, TX 75007 on Thursday, May 1st with visitation starting at 10:00 AM followed by arosary service and concluding with aCatholic Mass startingat12:00pm. This willbe followed by an entombment service at Restland Funeral Home shortly afterwards at the Whispering Waters Mausoleum at 1:30pm, located at 13005 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75243.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, https://themmrf.org.
Harris,Patricia Glenda Ann
Patricia Glenda AnnHar‐ris departed this life on SundayApril 20, 2025 at her home. Shewas 68 years old.A native andresident ofAbend,La. Visitation at Demby andSon Funeral Home on Friday,May 2, 2025, 3pmto5pm.Visita‐tioncontinues at Mt Calvery Baptist Church,St. James,La, 9amuntil reli‐gious services at 11 am, conducted by Rev. JonathanRainey. Burial in Mt. Moriah BaptistChurch Cemetery. Dembyand Fu‐neral Home in charge arrangements.
TedAlton Jones Sr., passed awayonSaturday, April 26, 2025,atthe age of 95. Ted was born on December 27, 1929,inBaton Rouge,toAlbert and Pauline Jones. Ted was a proud graduateofNortheast University,graduating in 1956,whereheplayed football under the guidance of Coach JimMalone He then went on to become an AreaSupervisor forBRECfor 30 years. Outside of his professionalendeavors,Ted found joyin spending time at hisfarm, whereheraised cattle. He also enjoyedhunting and fishing,and spending time with his friends and family Tedissurvivedbyhis wife of 65 years, Betty Gambrell Jones; daughter, Stacy JonesCleveland (Steven); son,Ted A. Jones, Jr.(Debbie); grandchildren, Bronson Jones, Britton Jones, Cody Cleveland, and Clayton Cleveland; and greatgrandchildren, Sadie Blanchard, Maddox Jones,Karson Jones, PalmerGrace Cleveland, Clayton Mack Cleveland, and Case Michael Cleveland.Hewas preceded in death by his father,Albert M. Jones Sr.; his mother, Pauline Easley Jones; sister, JerryJones LeBeau; brother,Albert M. JonesJr.;and his good friends, Buck Morgan and Scotty Morgan. Friends and family areinvited to attend the visitation, which will be held on Saturday, May3,2025,from 10:00 AM until11:00 AM at Resthaven Gardens of Memory &Funeral Home, located at 11817Jefferson Hwy, Baton Rouge,LA. A Memorial Service willfollow beginning at 11:00AM. The graveside service will be held at 1:00 PM,in Roselawn MemorialPark, located at 4045 North St., Baton Rouge, LA.
Joseph,Ernestine Dennis'Teen'
Ernestine"Teen"Dennis Josephwas born May22, 1938, to Mr.and Mrs. Austin (Alma) Dennis of Welcome,LA, andwas a lifelongresidentofDonald‐sonville. Shepeacefully en‐tered God’skingdom on EasterSaturday, April19, 2025, at OchsnerMedical CenterNew Orleans, LA Sheleavesher love and legacytoher daughter, Michelle Joseph-Deloch (Anthony);son,Michael JosephSr. (Rozilla); grand‐children, Lakeisha Joseph, LeahDeloch, JeaneDennis, Charles LewisIV, Jordan Deloch, andMichael JosephJr.;and greatgrandchildren,Amyron Joseph, CharlesLewis V, andKaidenceLewis.Also
cherishing hermemoryare her sisters, Irma Varner, AudreyVerdin, Rosebelle Brown (Robert),and Rose‐maryDennis; brothers, AustinDennisSr. (Kather‐ine), CharlesDennisSr. (Leona),HermanDennis, and Dale Dennis Sr (Sherry); sisters-in-law SylviaWilliams(Richmond, CA),EvelynJoseph(Don‐aldsonville,LA),Yvonne Joseph(Donaldsonville, LA),and CarolynSobers (Houston, TX). Shewas welcomedintoeternal rest byher parents, Austin and AlmaDennis; husband James Joseph Jr.Father and Mother in-law;James and EvaJoseph; sister, Deborah Baptiste;and inlawsWilmer& Bernice Jenkins,HaroldWilliams, AudreyOctave, Laverne Dennis, Milton Batiste, Al‐bertVerdin; andEdmond Varner. Demby& Sonvisi‐tationwillbeheldonMay 2,2025, from 6:00 pm -8:00 pm. Visitation will be held Saturday, May3,2025, from 9:00a.m.until religiousser‐viceat11:00 a.m. at Mt.Tri‐umphBaptist Church,206 W.Tenth Street,Donald‐sonville, LA.PastorCarnel Josephofficiating. Inter‐ment: Protestant Ceme‐tery, Donaldsonville.Ser‐vices entrustedtoDemby and SonFuneralHome.
Jo Ann "Jody" Landry passed away peacefully at theage of 84 on Friday, April25, 2025, surrounded by her family.She was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother,and great-grandmother. Jody was borninNew Roads, Louisiana, and movedto Baton Rouge at ayoung age. She attended St. Gerard MajellaCatholicSchool and graduated fromRedemptorist High School in 1958. Jody completedtwo years of college at Louisiana StateUniversity. She was employedat ExxonFederal Credit Union for over 20 years, where she beganasa teller and retired as theChief Executive Officer. Beyond her noteworthy career, Jody was alongtime parishioner of St.PatrickCatholic Church. Her devotionto her faithwas also reflected in her outreach to the community as theCo-director of theAssociates with theSchool Sisters of NotreDame,where she dedicated herself to spreading the"good news" of Jesus Christ. She embodiedthe Corporal WorksofMercy in every aspect of herlife.In2011, Jodywas inducted intothe Redemptorist HighSchool Hall of Fame,which represented her professional accomplishmentsand well as her dedication to Christian servicetothe Catholic church, theSchool Sisters of NotreDame,and her community. Her favorite pastimes included praying, helping others, cooking, and spending time with her family.Jody was preceded in death by her belovedhusband of 33 years, LeroyJ.Landry; her parents, Leo and Christine Goudeau; her brother, Leo Dale Goudeau; her sister-in -law, Betty Goudeau; her great-grandson, William Bailey III; andher stepdaughter, Debra Landry Diez. She is survived by her twochildren, CherieCampagnaBaileyand her spouse, Bill, and Lynn Gregory Campagna Jr. and his spouse, Mary Beth; five grandchildren, BillBailey, ChristopherBailey, Madeline Bailey, Ryan Campagna, and Caroline Campagna; and four greatgrandchildren, HarperBailey, Brooks Bailey,Flora Bailey,and Daphne Campagna. She is also survived by Leroy'schildrenand grandchildren, whom she considered her own, Roy Landry and his spouse, LaDonna, and Todd Landry and hisspouse, Shannon; her seven grandchildren, JacobDiezand his spouse, Jessica, Amanda Diez and her spouse,Elvis, Josh Landry and his spouse, Sylvia, Christina Landry, TaylorLandry and his spouse, Caroline,Derek Landry, and Karlyn Landry; and her twelvegreatgrandchildren, Rebecca Diez,Landry Diez, Debra Grace Stewart,EllaStewart, Blake Stewart, Sophia Landry, Isabelle Landry, Brayden Gutierrez, Gage Gutierrez, Drake Gutierrez, Julia Landry, and Priscilla Landry. The family reh i i i h
quests that visiting hours be observedonSaturday, May 3, 2025, at St.Patrick CatholicChurch, 12424 Brogdon Lane, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, from 9:00 a.m. until theMass of ChristianBurial at 11:00 a.m.,celebrated by Father Michael Miceli.Pallbearers includeBillBailey, Christopher Bailey,Ryan Campagna, JacobDiez, Josh Landry, TaylorLandry, and Derek Landry. The interment will take placeat Resthaven Gardens of Memory Cemetery. In lieu of flowers,pleasedonate to theSchool Sisters of NotreDame or the Louisiana Hemophilia Foundation.
Enteredinto eternal rest on April23, 2025 at theage of 70. He was aLab Analyst,for WestlakeCorporation, retiredwith40years of service. Survivedbyhis wife, Carol TillmanMaracalin; daughter,Taylor MichelleMaracalin; sisters, Barbara M. Diggs and KarlaM.Jordan; brothers, Frank Maracalin Jr.and Julius Maracalin. Preceded in death by his parents, Frank Sr. and Gladys K. Maracalin; Jacqueline M. Williams and Jonathan Maracalin. Visitation Friday, May 2, 2025, Mount Zion InnerCity, 24400 EleanorDrive, Plaquemine, LA 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Visitation continues, Saturday, May 3, 2025, 9:00 am until religious service at 11:00 am. Reverend Ricardo Handyofficiating.Entombment Heavenly Gates Cemetery of BatonRouge, Baton Rouge,LA. Funeral Service EntrustedtoHall Davis and Son. www.halldavisandson.com
Lois Thomas Mathews, a residentofThibodaux,LA, passedawaypeacefully at her home on April13, 2025, atthe ageof69. Shewas a nativeand resident of Thi‐bodaux, LA.Visitationon Thursday,May 1, 2025, at Williams &SouthallFuneral Homefrom2:00amto 4:00pm. Visitation on Fri‐day,May 2, 2025, at Old FountainBaptist Church from9:00amuntil thereli‐gious services at 11:00am Intermentwillfollowinthe church cemetery.Arrange‐ments arebeing handled byWilliams& Southall Fu‐neral Home,located at 1204 ClevelandSt, Thibo‐daux, LA 70301. Forthose wishing to sign theguest book or offercondolences, pleasevisit theirwebsite atwww.williamsandsout hallfuneralhome.com.
BorninLiberty, MS. Wenttobewiththe Lord surrounded by his family Sunday April27, 2025. Frank retired fromEBR Schoolboard.Heserved as Assistant Pastor of Canaan Missionary Ministry B.R. Rev. SamuelAlsander. Viewing willbeheldon
Friday, May2nd from 5pm7pm at Canaan Missionary Ministry, Baton Rouge,LA. Saturday May3rd at Greater NewHope B.C. Zachary, LA. From 9am til 11am Service.Burial will follow Service at Southern Memorial Gardens, Baton Rouge,LA.
Merrick, Robert Winfried
Robert W. Merrick, Jr August 31,1944 -April 28, 2025
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Robert W. Merrick(Bob), abeloved civic leader, philanthropist, keenfly fisherman,husband, father,step-father, grandfather andgreatgrandfather, on April 28th, at the age of 80.
Bob wasknown for his zest for life andunwaveringdeep commitment to both hisbeloved Louisiana andthe passionshecherished.Bornand raisedin NewOrleans,Bob was a man whose spirit embodiedthe rich culture andgrit of hishometown.
Bob attendedSam Barthe Elementaryschool, St.Martin'sEpiscopal high school, andTulane University, wherehe formed manylasting friendships andcreated a foundation for his illustriouscareer.
Throughouthis life,Bob wasknown for hiscommitment to making New Orleansa betterplace.He dedicatedcountless hours andsignificantresources to philanthropicendeavors that are nearly too numeroustocount.Hegave generouslytothe RedCross, University of NewOrleans OchsnerHealth System, MD Anderson, Boy Scouts of Southeast Louisiana, Sonofa Saint,Ruth Fertel Foundation,Habitat for Humanity, Fore Kids Foundation, Junior AchievementofGreater NewOrleans,the United Way of Southeast Louisiana, theNational WWII Museum, March of Dimes, St.Martin's Episcopal School, and Isidore NewmanSchool. He washonored to be thefirst person in the stateof Louisiana to give over million dollars to both the United Way of Southeast Louisiana andthe Red Cross.
In recognition of his generosity, Bob washonored with TheNational Red CrossHumanitarian of the Year Award,The University of NewOrleans Chancellors Medallion for DistinguishedService,The NewOrleans Councilfor Community& Justice's WeissAward,Mobil Oil Company"Strategic Partnerofthe Year", Gambit'sNew Orleanian of theYear, TheAlexis de Tocqueville Lifetime AchievementAward from United Way, andthe prestigiousTimes-Picayune Loving Cup.
Bob excelledinthe business world, earning therespect and admiration of colleaguesand competitors alike.Bob formed his owncompanyin1973, Robert W. Merrick, Inc. Realtors handlingappraisal and brokeragewith particular emphasis on commercial andindustrial properties. During that
time,Bob andone of his mentors, Heidel Brown,negotiatednumerousbrokerage transactionsofmajor Mississippi Riverindustrial sites from Baton Rouge to Plaquemines Parish _In 1986, Bob purchased Latter &Blum, Inc./Realtorsone of thelargest and oldest, full service real estate companiesinLouisiana. Subsequent to this initial acquisition,Bob hasacquirednumerous local brokerage firms andhas incorporated amortgage firm, atitle company, and insurance agency.In1995, Bob acquired C.J. Brown Realtors in Baton Rouge, themarket leader in that area, in 2009 he acquired Noles Frye Realtyin Alexandria, Louisiana, and in 2012 he acquiredthe largest real estatecompany in Lafayette, Louisiana, VanEaton &Romeo. In 2015 Latter &Blumacquiredone of the largest real estate companiesin Houston, Realty Associates with over 2,000 agents. Over thenext nearly forty years, Bob grew Latter and Blumintoone of the largest and most successful full service real estate firms in theGulf South,recently selling to NewYork basedCompass Real Estate.
It is impossible to encompass theamount of joy andpride Bob felt steering Latter andBlum throughoutthe years. Thecountless friendshipsheformed with itsemployeesand agents filledhis days with immensehappiness. The entire Latter andBlum/ Compass group was truly Bob's "other family", and we wouldliketoparticularly thank his loyal assistantofoverforty years, TerriBurke
Bob hada wickedsense of humor and an uncanny abilitytoconnect with people from all walks of life. An avidlover of the outdoors,hefound immense joyinstalkingwild turkeyand fly fishingthe saltwater flatsofMexico with hisdear friendand guideChico (EutemioChin) by hisside. Bob's passion for theoutdoorsallowed himtoappreciatethe beautyofnature andforge unforgettable memories with familyand friends. Hisadventuresonthe waterwerelegendary, catchinganimpressive 138 Permitinhis lifetime,not to mention countless Tarpon, Snook, and Bonefish.Hewas happiest with arod or guninhis hand, aWinston cigarette betweenhis lips, andan icecold glass of Tito'sby hisside. Bob lived an incrediblyfulllife, packing tenlives into his80years, enriching theworld around himwith love,laughterand generosity. He didn'tburn thecandleoflifeatboth ends, he snapped it in half andburnedall four
He leaves behind not only alegacyofphilanthropy and leadership,but also aprofound impact on theheartsofthosewho knew him. Hisnumerous friends andcolleagues will miss hislargerthanlife presence, butnonemore than hisfamily. Bob was preceded in death by his parents Robert W. Merrick Sr., motherElaine Herbst MerrickGelpi,and stepsister Nita Weil.Heleaves behind his belovedwife Sheryl, sisters; Patricia MerrickBrinson (Vernon) andSusan Merrick; his daughters Elizabeth (Ellie) Merrick, ChristineMerrick Stewart (Andrew), Amanda MerrickSeale(Justin), Lacey MerrickConway (Jason), step-son Justin Duplantis(Adele), grandchildren; Taylor Ghere Smith (Taylor), Laney Ghere Marion(Ryan), Lillian Andersson, Merrick
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McKnight Sr., Rev.Frank
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
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OPINION
Oiland gasjobsfuelstate’s
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
Earlier this month,Icame to my hometown of Baton Rouge to attend theLSU Faculty Award Ceremony on April 22. It was myprivilege to honor theAcademic Affairs’ invite as atributetothe donor who endowed theeponymous Brij Mohan Distinguished Professor Award for 2025. Due to personal circumstances, Ihad to fly back to SantaBarbara, California, without participating in this noble event. Baton Rouge is abeautiful community. The serenity of campus oaks is unforgettable. My 34 years
at LSU offered me numerousopportunities that have sustained my faith in discovery and discourse. It broke my heart to dissolve my precious library sincenoone, including theleading public librarians, would accept my collection as adonation. Agood old friend in the neighborhood rescued manyjewels: Books from AmartyaSen to Wittgenstein have found anew home. Iamdelighted beyond words.
BRIJ MOHAN dean emeritus, LSU School of Social Work
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
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!
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.
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 doing as well, and they need to be evangelized more
And in the United States, it’svery 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
Arnessa Garrett
Andersson, Henry Andersson, Tatem Seale, Alexander Seale, Merrick Seale, Olivia Conway, and Hunter Conway. He also leaves behind his stepgrandchildren Braden Wheat and Timothé and Chloe Duplantis, all of whom he loved as his own.
Bob Merrick, atrue son of New Orleans, has left this world amuch better place. May he rest in peace, forever cherished and remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing him.
Acelebration of life will be held at St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church on Friday, May 2nd at 12:00pm with familyvisitation from 10:30am12:00pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Bob's honor to TheUnited Way or Son of aSaint.
Morel, Bertha Cox
DEATHS continued from she nurtured withthe same love and care she gave tothe people in her life.She was preceded in death by herhusband, Ralph J. Morel; her son, George Louis Morel; her parents, George LouisCox and Cecile MayBarbier Cox; and hersister,Lorraine Montero. Bertha is survived by her children, Charmaine (Tommy) Barrilleaux, Maris (David) Martinez, and Sigmund (Staci) Morel; her sister,Lucie (Charles) Conrad; her brother,G.L. (Joe Anne) Cox; and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews,and extendedfamilymembers who willcarry hermemory forward. Pallbearerswill be MarkBarrilleaux, Jeff Martinez, Jamie Barrilleaux, Lucas Barrilleaux, Brady Martinez, Paul Barrilleaux, and Seth Morel. A visitation for Bertha willbe held on Saturday, May3 2025,from12:00PMto2:00 PM at Ourso Funeral Home, 13533Airline Hwy, Gonzales, Louisiana 70737, followed by afuneral service at 2:00 PM. Bertha's legacy of love, service,and strength willliveoninall who knew her
Bertha Cox Morel,age 92, of McComb, Mississippi, passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Born in Convent, Louisiana, Bertha lived alife rootedin service, compassion, and deep love for her family. Bertha dedicated much of her professional life to helping others. She worked for the State of Louisiana in Social Services, specializing in adoption services where her care and dedication changed countless lives. Alongside her beloved husband, Ralph J. Morel, she co-owned Successful HumanDevelopment, apersonal and professional consulting business that supported businesses, organizations, and individuals in achieving their full potential. Family was at the heart of everything Bertha did. She was adevoted wife, mother, grandmother, and sister who loved nothing more than being surrounded by loved ones. She also found great joy in tending to her garden, particularly her cherished roses, which
Pittman,Maxine Maxine Pittman,a resi‐dent of Tunica,passed awayonSunday, April27, 2025. Shewas 87 yearsold and wasretired from West Feliciana Parish School Board with 33 yearsofser‐vice. Visitation will be at Charlet FuneralHomein Zachary on Thursday,May 1,2025 from 10am until ser‐viceat12pm. Burial will be inRogillio Cemetery,Tu‐nica. Maxine is survived by her children,DeniseWade and husband, Thomas; Stacy Ramseyand hus‐band, Steve; andScott Pittman andwife, Bonnie.3 sisters,Helen Gwin,Ann Rozycki andhusband,Bob and JennyCencer. Grand‐children, Thomas Wade,Jr., Heather Wade Stahl(John) Patti Bordelon (Mchael), ShelbyKretzmeier(Grant) Great grandchildren, Bren‐ton Thurman, Emmalee Wade, Kiya Pittman,Ethan Stahl,Michael Wade,Lay‐ton Stahl, Fisher Bordelon, LilyBordelonand Baby Boy Kretzmeierdue November 2025. Sheisprecededin death by herhusband of 53 years,William “Bill” Pittman,daughter, PattiJo,
granddaughter, Mandyand great grandchildren, Keira and Baby Darryl.Her par‐ents, Otheland Lillian Sherman andsiblings, Bobby Shermanand Alice Weiss. Pallbearerswillbe her grandsonsand great grandsons.Honorarypall‐bearers will be Pete Pittman andJimmy Dixon. Maxineenjoyed reading, puzzles andworking in her yard. Sharesympathies, condolences andmemo‐riesatwww.CharletFune ralHome.com
Ferdinand 4.15.1951 -4.19.2025 Memorial Service:Friday, 5/2/25
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Willie
Jones’ dramatic home runvs. Vols type of moment that canset acoursetoOmaha
LSUaimsto nurtureits upcoming seeds
BY JIM KLEINPETER
Contributing writer
IVOTAL S ING?
Coming offperhaps itsmostimportantseries of the season,LSU softball coachBeth Torina welcomes one of those odd schedulingweeks with only two days between the end of the last series and the start of the next. The No.10Tigers travel to No.8Arkansas fortheir final Southeastern Conference series beginning with a6 p.m. game Thursday The teams play Friday at 6p.m. and wrap up Saturday at 1p.m. LSU improved its chances of garnering atop-eight national seed with aseries win against Florida after getting blasted 14-4 in the opening game.Monday’s10-2 victory was acomplete effort of pitching, hitting and defense.
“I do thinkwehavealot of momentum,” Torina said. “Maybe this quickturnaround will workinour favor
“I can’texplainthe value of (winning) these twogames, throughout the course of theseason,not just the spot we’re in They’re (Florida) the No.2RPI team in the country at the top of our league, ateam that is historicallyanincredible program.These twowins mean aton, especially as we’re heading to the postseason making our case and strengthening our resume.”
If the Tigers (39-11, 11-10 SEC) can keep
ä See LSU, page 4C
Baseball is not football, as Skip Bertman was fond of saying. That’snever truer than in the way to analyze how a season is going. In college football, where the season is only 12 games, trendsare abrupt. Individual winsand losses are magnified. Collegebaseball’s season is 56 games, athirdofMajor League Baseball’s marathon, yes, but stilla number thatlends itselftoa much longer-range, take-it-all-in-from-20,000-feet view All that said, it’seasy to believe thepastfour-game stretch will wind up beinga season-defining onefor the LSU Tigers. Coming off ashocking 13-3 run-ruledefeat at the hands of Northwestern State on April 22 andstaring into the maw of amassivethree-game serieswiththenNo. 6Tennessee, the Tigers staged ahistoric rally to beatthe Volunteers 6-3 on Friday night on Jared Jones’
Scott Rabalais
three-run moon shot over the batter’s eye in center field. How historic? According to LSU, it is the third time ever and first time at homethat theTigers have won after being shutout and trailing by three or moreruns after eight innings. Aperhaps predictable 9-3 loss to theVolunteers followed, but theTigers refilled the tank and bounced back Sunday to run-rule Tennessee 12-2. LSUthen cameback and run-ruled avery respectable Southeastern Louisiana team 15-2 on Tuesday witha swarm of Geauxrilla ball-era homeruns.
Despitea2-2 week leading up to the SLUwin, LSU’s series victory over the Vols was impressive enough that it vaulted the Tigers (now37-9, 14-7 Southeastern Conference) back to No. 2inthe D1Baseball poll behind Texas
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.”
ä 151stKentucky Derby
POSTTIME: 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 Kentucky Oaks for fillies. Lastyear, he wonthe Preakness and the $1 millionPennsylvania Derby Since his first Derby try in 1981, Lukas hassaddled thesecond-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
ä See DERBY, page 3C
Saints make runat slowingfoes’ ground game
BYLUKE 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.
ä See SAINTS, page 3C
STAFF FILE PHOTOByMICHAEL JOHNSON LSUthird baseman DaniecaCoffey fires the ballacross the diamond to getaPenn State runner out in the fourthinning of theirgame on Feb.21atTiger Park.
6
New QBs the norm in strong 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
Arkansas’ Taylen Green, Florida’s DJ Lagway, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Mississippi State’s Blake Shapen, South Carolina’s 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
Quarterback Diego Pavia returns after making an instant impact for Vanderbilt last
leading the Commodores to a 7-6 record and bowl win
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
Former WWE superstar commissioner of Real American Freestyle league
BY CLIFF BRUNT AP sportswriter
Hulk Hogan felt sure he was onto something. After watching the NCAA Division I wrestling championships, he was absolutely certain. Hogan is one of the most popular professional wrestlers of all time, and he stayed in that lane until his teenage stepson pulled him into watching freestyle and folkstyle wrestling After becoming more familiar, Hogan started to believe those traditional wrestling styles could become more popular and profitable with the right promotion.
Then, it happened. Last month, Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson stunned Minnesota’s Gable Steveson — an Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo with a late takedown to claim the national title at heavyweight in collegiate — or folkstyle wrestling Hendrickson saluted President Donald Trump after his victory last month in Philadelphia. Then, with a United States flag draped over his shoulders, the Air Force second lieutenant walked over and shook Trump’s hand and hugged him.
Hendrickson’s dramatic win and the moments that followed vaulted wrestling into the mainstream and made the timing perfect for Hogan
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!”
to help launch Real American Freestyle. He’ll be commissioner of a league that announced its plans on Wednesday.
Hogan wants the league to provide more earnings opportunities for a sport that historically has lacked them. And after Hendrickson’s big moment, he said the time is now.
“When I saw that happen and I saw our president hug him, I went, OK, we are on point, we’re ready to go and instincts have prevailed and I smell victory,” Hogan said. “I think we’re right on track, brother.” Hogan, who at 71 still has those massive arms and the charisma to match, initially was a bit worried that the freestyle wrestlers might not have the personality to sell tickets. He changed his mind as he began to connect with them.
“Dude, they’ve all got that edge,” he said.
“These kids are young, they’re smart. They’re
watching TV They know about branding, they know what sells. And they’ve all got that little Conor McGregor swag.” Real American Freestyle events will feature single matches at eight men’s and four women’s weight classes. The first event is scheduled for Aug. 30 in Cleveland, with other sites to be named in the coming months.
Wrestling has been hot in the United States in recent years. The women’s U.S. Olympic freestyle team earned four medals in six weight classes in 2024, while the men claimed three medals. Folkstyle wrestling, which covers most of high school and college wrestling, has been popular, too According to the National Federation of High Schools, wrestling set participation records for boys and girls in 2023 and 2024.
Hogan said Kennedy Blades, an American who earned a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, will be the face of his company’s women’s division. Zahid Valencia and Ben Askren have agreed to participate on the men’s side.
Hogan said Hendrickson and Steveson are possible additions, and his eyes lit up when the subject of a possible rematch came up.
“How much can we say,” Hogan asked his advisers. “It’s on the radar.” Hogan’s Real American Beer serves as the title sponsor and he has plenty of support. Chad Bronstein is the co-founder and president. Left Lane Capital, which has backed Gerard Piqué’s Kings League, Shaun White’s Snow League and League One Volleyball, among other things, has added this to its list of ventures. Cassius is another sponsor.
LSU adds senior Tamba from the transfer portal
UC 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.
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 league-leading 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.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO Hulk Hogan, 71, will help launch Real American Freestyle, an unscripted freestyle wrestling league.
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
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV
season,
Abig heartjuststart of finding aDerby champion
Aglobalspotlight will shineonequineathleticism at Kentucky Derby
BY LAURA UNGAR and CHRISTINA LARSON AP science writers
LOUISVILLE, Ky.— On acrisp, clear morning, achestnut thoroughbred thundered down the dirt stripat Churchill Downs, his exercise riderleaningforward above the saddle. Other horse-and-rider pairs followed.
Dr.Will Farmer looked down from aviewing point, admiring the speed and agility of the 1,000-pound animals.
The whole world will havethe chance to seehorsesinaction here Saturday,when the Kentucky Derby shines aglobal spotlight on equine athleticism. It’sthe subject of agrowing body of research that cites aconstellation of characteristics: big hearts, immense lung capacity,robust musculoskeletal systems and long, thin legs— all of which help horses survive in the wild.
“It goes back to the roots: They are an animal of prey,” said Farmer,a veterinarian and equine medical directoratChurchill Downs. “That’show they got away from being eaten.” Horses honed skillssuchasrunning, jumping and pulling as humans bred and trained them for various purposes over millennia.
And the 151st Derby —horse racing’smost-watched event —will draw attention not only to the animals’ skills but also to concerns about their treatmentand health. Advocates havelong raised concerns about deaths and injuries
—calls that were amplified two years ago when 12 horses died at Churchill Downs.
There’snodoubt that war,agriculture andsocieties have been transformed by thehuman-horse relationship.
“Horses allowed us to circumvent our own biological limitations as aspecies,” said Timothy Winegard, ahistorian at Colorado Mesa University and author of arecent book, “The Horse.” “Wecombined our brains with the horses’ size, strength, stamina and speed to form the most unstoppable animal coalition.”
What makes horses so powerful?
Ahorse’s heartand lungsare the source of its extraordinary power
The heart averages 10-12 pounds,orabout 1% of theanimal’sbodyweight, compared with half apercentfor the typical humanheart. Secretariat, the storied horse that won the Triple Crown in 1973, was found afterhis death to have aheartweighing more than 20 pounds.
Horse hearts are built for exertion.The average horse can go from aresting heart rate of about 34 beats per minute to 220 or 240 while racing —faster than ahuman heart during maximum exertion.
“One thing that’sreally unique about horsesisthat they have an incredible capacity to move blood aroundtheir bodies.Their heart rate can go really high and still be safe,” said University of Connecticut researcher SarahReed, editor in chief of thejournal Animal
at $400,000. Not so fast. American Promise sold for $750,000.
“I went to see who bought this horse,”Baffert said.“There he was —The Coach
Frontiers.
They alsohave alung capacity of 60 liters, or 10 times that of humans.
“Thatmassivelungfieldallows for oxygen to transfer from the air intotheir blood, which is vitally importantfor sustaining aerobic energy,” Farmer said.
Recentresearch in the journal Science found that agenetic mutation enables horsestoavoid negative side effectsofsuper high energy production.
“Horses aregreat athletes because they can deliver alot of oxygen to their muscles —way morethan an elitehuman can, and by elite human, Imean Olympic athlete,” said Gianni Castiglione, the study’sco-author.“They have abigger tank of gas and they have amore efficient engine …and this mutation is contributing to bothof those things.”
Horsesstore extra red blood cellsintheirspleens. Thesecells arereleased to carryeven more oxygen around thebodyduring intense exertion.
“Adrenaline when exercising causesthe spleen to release extra redblood cells intocirculation,” veterinarian Hilary Clayton said. “What horses are doingisessentially‘blood doping’ themselves.”
Meanwhile, horses’ brains allow them to process sensory informationand react quickly.That’sdespite having frontal lobes, parts of the brain used for thought and planning that are proportionally smaller than those in humans.
NFLfinesFalcons, DC Ulbrichfor Sandersprank call
BY CHARLES ODUM AP sportswriter
ATLANTA— The AtlantaFalcons have been fined$250,000 anddefensive coordinatorJeff Ulbrich has been fined $100,000 as aresult of Ulbrich’sson participating in aprank calltoShedeur Sanders during the NFLdraft.
The NFLconfirmed the fines on Wednesdayfor the roles theFalcons and Ulbrich playedinfailing to prevent the disclosure of confidentialinformation distributed to theclub ahead of the draft.
TheFalcons,who disclosedthe role of Ulbrich’s21-year-old son JaxintheprankcallasSanderswas waiting for his name to be called in the draft, said they accept the discipline from the league. At anews conference, JeffUlbrich apologized to Sanders, his family,FalconsownerArthur Blank and the rest of the organization.
“My actions —myactions —of not protecting confidential data were inexcusable,” Ulbrich said.
“My son’s actions were absolutely inexcusable, and forthatweare both deeply sorry.The NFL has taken action, andI fullyrespect thepunishment. We take full responsibility,myson and myself, and we will not be appealing the fineinany way. Goingforward I promise my son and Iwill work hard to demonstrate we are better than this.”
The Falcons said in astatement thattheyappreciated the NFL’s “swift and thorough review”of thematter
“Wewere proactive in addressing the situation internally and cooperated fully with the league throughout theprocess, and acceptthe discipline leviedto Coach Jeff Ulbrich and the organization,” the statement said. “We are confident in our security policies andpractices andwill continue to emphasize adherence to themwith ourstaff whetheronor off premises.”
The Falcons also said the Ulbrich family “is working with the organization to participate in communityserviceinitiatives in relation to last week’smatter.”
On Sunday,the Falcons said in astatement that Jax Ulbrich “unintentionally came across the draft contact phone numberfor Shedeur Sanders off an open iPad while visiting his parent’shome andwrote thenumberdown to later conduct aprank call.”
JaxUlbrich wassitting beside an unidentifiedfriend who actually made the call to Sanders on Friday,the second day of the draft. Sanders, astandout quarterback from Colorado, is the son of Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders, who began his NFL career with the Falcons.
Sanders, whoentered the draft expectingtobeafirst-roundpick, wasselected Saturday in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns. The FalconssaidJeff Ulbrich wasunaware of the data exposure or the prank until after the fact. He said he madethe Falcons aware of the situation and then got hold of the Sanders family to apologize.
SAINTS
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the first Saturday in May can put aspring in any trainer’s step. Also invigorating Lukas are the deeppocketedowners he has afterhis stockofgood horses had gone way down.
“Our business the last sixmonths has just taken off,” he said He remindedhis clientelethathe will be 92 whenthe younghorses they bought are ready to be trained at the racetrack. He suggested they might want to limit their purchases or send some to younger conditioners. They ignoredhim and bought 18 instead.
Lukas isn’tacomplainer, but he told John Bellinger,co-owner of American Promise,that hislegs were tired.
“That’sfine, don’tworry about that,‘ ”Bellinger responded. “‘Just don’tlose your mind.’ ” Far from it, according to Hallof Fame jockeyGary Stevens. He and Lukas teamed up to win theDerby in 1988 with filly Winning Colors.
“Wayne is known for how meticulous he is with everything that he does. That hasn’tchanged and it won’tchange,” Stevens said. “He still rides out every morning. He canstill tell agood horse. He’sgot a great 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 oldfriend and rival Bob Baffert also had his eye on the colt since he had trainedthe sire, Justify Noticing acontusion aboveone of the colt’sknees, Baffert figured he could get him for asteal
While others were thinking the colt hadabad knee, Lukas’ gut told himotherwise.
“That was just abump,”hesaid.
“It went down in aweek.”
One of Lukas’few concessions to age is adesire to limit his stable to 40 horses, thesamenumber of stalls he has at Churchill Downs in the springand at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas in thewinter
“We’verun the red light on that,” he said. “We’re up to about 52 or 53 now.”
Lukastold his fifth wife,Laurie, that given hisage thecouple might want to buy afew horses of their own for fun and send them to someone else to train. That plan also went awry
“I bought four or five,and we now have 11 racehorses,”hesaid.
“Wegot some really nice colts.”
In other words, don’texpect Lukastoride off into retirement anytime soon.
“I always thought he would have been agreat commissioner of racing, agreat spokesperson, because he’s so smart, speaks well,” Baffert said. “He knows the ins and outs, and hestill plays at that high level.”
Lukasand Baffert —who owns a record-tying six Kentucky Derby wins —have the most victories of any trainer in this year’s race. Nine of thetrainersare in the Derby for the first or secondtime.
“There’snohow-to book,”Lukas said.“Those younger guys are goingto make mistakesjustlike we alldid. They’ll
Lonnie Briley; 17.Mark Casse;
19. Ethan West;20. BrianLynch; 21. John Shirreffs. Owners (bypost position): 1. SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket StablesLLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Bashor, Dianne, DeterminedStables, Masterson, Robert E., Ryan, TomJ WavesEdge Capital LLCand Donovan, Catherine; 2.C2Racing Stable LLC, Parsard, Ian, Shining StablesLLC andStefania Farms LLC; 3. Juddmonte;4.SFRacing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket StablesLLC,Stonestreet Stables LLC, Bashor, Dianne, Determined Stables, Masterson, Robert E., Ryan, Tom J., WavesEdge Capital LLCand Donovan, Catherine; 5.BCStables LLC; 6. JunkoKondo; 7. Koichi Nishikawa; 8. Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable,EclipseThoroughbred Partners,ElayneStables 5LLC,LaPenta, RobertV Magnier-Lessee, Mrs.John, SmithLessee, Derrick and Tabor-Lessee,Michael B.; 9. Whitham Thoroughbreds LLC; 10.Repole Stable; 11.Two Eight Racing, BerryFamily 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., MJMRacing 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
and
Although Broughton (Round 3, Pick 71)was thefirst of the three selected, he may need the most time out of thegroupto acclimatize to the NFL game. His immense size (6-foot-5, 311 pounds,837/8-inchwingspan) already makes him aSaints type of player,though betting on traits hasburned the Saints in the past with defensive linemen specifically But if Broughton can hit his potential, New Orleans could reap somehuge benefits. There isn’tmuchtostudy with Broughton 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 top40 NFL picks Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat. What he did show,however,was aquick first step that led to alot of disruption behind the line of scrimmage. Broughton didn’t alwaysfinish theplay—herecorded just 41/2 tacklesfor loss last season —but he did frequently interrupt theflow and timing of opposing run games. He is aplayer with tools who could potentially give new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley rotational depth all across the defensive line. While he mostly playedthree-technique at Texas (aligned over the outside shoulder of the guard), Broughton lined up everywhere for Texas, including some snaps as anose tackle andothers in a wide-nine alignment (over the outsideshoulderofthe tight end) New Orleansbrought back virtually its entire defensive interior from last season, adding Broughton and Godchaux to amix that includes Bryan Bresee, Nathan Shepherd, Khalen Saunders, John Ridgeway andKhristian Boyd. It will be interesting to see how the Saints managethe snaps between
that group. While Broughton maytake sometime,Stutsman and Sanker aremoreready-made players to affect the run defense. Both excel against the run, and that was reflected in their college statistics: Stutsman topped 100 tackles in eachofhis final three seasonsat Oklahoma,while Sankerrecorded at least 95 in both of his final two seasons.
Stutsman was at his best when playing downhill forthe Sooners, reading the opposing offense andreactingtomakea bigplay. His aggressivenesswas at times his best and worst trait with the Sooners, but ProFootballFocus gradedhim as college football’s second-best run-defending linebacker last season (grade: 90.9). Stutsman doesn’thave aclear path to astarting job out of camp —atleast one where he seesthe field the majority of the game. Demario Davis is notgoing anywhere, andthe Saints just committedtoalong-term deal with Pete Werner last year.But if Staley does bring a3-4 base look with him to New Orleans, Stutsmanshould have opportunities to contribute early in packages. Sanker also isn’tlikely to see the field early as astarter,with Tyrann Mathieu andJustinReid ahead of him on thedepth chart. Buthealso maybeabletoearn sometime in specific packages potentially abig nickel, in which he’d work out of the slot, or a dimepackage. 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. But his highlight reel is littered with him making plays at or behind the line of scrimmage as arun defender— askillthe Saints could findaway to deploy It allhas to come together in Staley’sscheme, but New Orleanshas taken stepstoward addressing its problematic ground defense this offseason.
Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLIE RIEDEL
Aracehorse works out at Churchill Downs on Wednesday in Louisville, Ky
AP FILEPHOTO By JASON GETZN
Atlanta Falcons defensivecoordinator Jeff Ulbrichspeakswith members of the media at the Falcons’ training facility on Jan. 27 in Flowery Branch, Ga.
LSUwomen lose outto UConnoncoveted transfer
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
One of the LSU women’sbasketball team’stop transfer targets is headedelsewhere.
On Wednesday,former Wisconsin forward Serah Williamsannounced that she had committed to UConn, giving the Huskies some extra size, experience,scoring and rim protection for their run at arepeat national title.
Williams is 6-foot-4,athree-year starter,a two-time member of the All-Big Tendefensive team, and one of the most experienced,productive transfer-portal entries of the 2025 cycle. As ajunior,she averaged19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game while converting 49% ofher field-goal tries. Her blocks average led theconference in both her freshman(1.9) and sophomore seasons (2.8).
LSU hosted Williams onavisit from April 17-18.
Had coach Kim Mulkeyand her staff landed the former Badger, they would’ve begunthe 2025-26 season with what would’ve likely been the nation’sNo. 1transfer class.
Last Friday,LSU revealed that it had signed MiLaysia Fulwiley,a former South Carolina star known for her dazzling transition finishes
The Tigersalready had inked Kate Koval— a6-5 forwardwho considered LSU in 2024 before she committed to Notre Dame as one of thefive best recruitsinthe nation —and dipped into the midmajor ranks to sign former East Carolinaforward AmiyaJoyner, arisingseniorwho canhandlethe ball,defend, reboundand score around therim.Lastseason, she averaged 15.0 points and9.6 rebounds per game Williams, the eighth-best player in ESPN’stransfer rankings,reportedlyalsoconsideredNorth Carolina.
LSU
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up thepace, they could get Tuesdayoff in the SEC Tournament, which begins Tuesday.LSU is one of fourteamstied for seventh at 11-10, with Ole Miss right behind at 10-11. The top nine teamsget abye to Wednesday’ssecond round. Facing Arkansas on the road will be anothertough test. The Razorbacks (36-10, 12-9) have the No. 4strength of schedule and the No. 7RPI, so they are in direct competition with LSU for anational seed. LSU has the No. 5 RPI behind Texas A&M,Florida, Oklahoma and UCLA andpossessesthe seventhbest strength of schedule. The Razorbacks have had a strong season, including series wins against Texas A&M, Florida and Tennessee. They also boast the best offensive player in the leagueinfirst baseman Bri Ellis, wholeads the conference in battingaverage (.491) and home runs (24).
appearances. The Razorbacks have another slugger in designated player Courtney Day with 14 homers, 57 RBIs and a.327 average.
Robyn Herron, ajuniorlefthanderwith a15-4recordand a2.25 ERA, is thetop Arkansas pitcher.She hasstruckout 127 batters in 109 innings. Opposing hitters are batting .180, the fourth-best markinthe league.
“Our whole model is having all three things—pitching, defense and hitting —working.”
DANIECACOFFEy, LSU thirdbaseman
Tori Edwards continuedher hothitting last weekend forLSU with apair of home runs among her four hitsand four RBIs vs. Florida. She has taken over the team lead in batting average witha.423 mark. Edwards is tied for second in the SEC in homers (18) with Missouri’s Madison Walker behind Ellis.
Third baseman Danieca Coffey showed signs of comingout of herslump with twohits, including akey two-run double,inthe decisive gamevs. Florida. Coffey had entered the gamewith just seven hits in her previous 37 atbats over an 11-game span.
Giannisentersoffseason with questions abouthis future
BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer
Giannis Antetokounmpo had to have known the question was coming.
“Do you think that you can still win that second championship here in Milwaukee after athird straight first-round exit?”
The question came after the Bucks’ season ended in Indianapolis on Tuesday night. Antetokounmpo is surely askinghimself the same question right aboutnow Antetokounmpo didn’thave a public answer for it following the 119-118 overtime, season-ending loss in Game 5ofRound 1against Indiana. He probably doesn’thave aprivate answer to it, either.But he needs that answer sometime over the coming days or weeks, because he is now officially at the crossroads that plenty of superstars have reached over the years. Stay or go?
Yes, afair question —though it’s notreally Antetokounmpo’sdecision. He’sunder contract to the Bucks for multiple seasons. Even if he asks for atrade, they don’t
Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green, left, drives on Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry during Game 5 of a first-round playoff series on Wednesday in Houston. The Rockets defeated the Warriors 131-116.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHOTO By DAVID J. PHILLIP
have to accommodate him.
It couldbegreat for Antetokounmpo; he’d pickanew spot and that team would instantlybeconsidered atitle contender.Itcould be great for theBucks;most teams afteryears of contending have to hit the reset button at some point anyway,and they could get ahaul of players and picks to begin anew
“I’m not going to do this.I’m not going to do this,”Antetokounmpo said in responsetothe question
“I know. whatever Isay,Iknow howit’sgoing to translate. Idon’t know,man.IwishI wasstill playing. Iwish Iwas still competing and going back to Milwaukee. I don’tknow.
Here’swhat mightfigure into the answer,whenever the time comes to formulatethe real one: His place in Milwaukee loreissecure, he’s brought anNBA championship to thecity,hewon’t have Damian Lillard for much if not all of next season because of Lillard’storn Achilles, histeam just got eliminated in the first round for the third consecutive season and the Bucks aren’t exactly loaded withdraft picks or easy waystobolster their roster
Antetokounmpoisinhis prime. He’sabout to finishinthe top four of the voting for theNBA MVP award— atrophyhe’swon twice —for theseventh consecutive year.Hejust averaged 30 points per game for the third year in a row,and if he hadscored eight more measly pointsinthe 2021-22 seasonit’d be fourstraightyears of doing that. He just averaged at least 25 points and 10 rebounds for the eighth straightseason;only Shaquille O’Neal,Kareem AbdulJabbarand Karl Malone have moresuch seasons.
Antetokounmpo will wantmore, whether he’sinMilwaukee or elsewhere.
“There’s alot of times that life has made me sadorfrustrated since Iwas akid. Inever gave up,” Antetokounmpo said. “You know,I always try to find solutions in my life. Ithink it translates to the basketball court.I always try to, even though things mightnot happen the way Iwant it to happen. Ialways have class,and Ihavethisoptimistic mentality of comingback, keep on working. Andthere’sgoing to be aday that’sitgoing to be your turn.”
Rocketsavoid elimination, rout Warriors to forceaGame6
BY KRISTIE RIEKEN AP sports writer
HOUSTON FredVanVleet scored 26 points, Amen Thompson added 25 and the Houston Rockets avoided elimination with a131-116 rout of the Golden StateWarriors in Game 5ofafirst-roundplayoff series Wednesday night. Game 6isFriday in San Francisco. Warriors coach Steve Kerr threw in the towel early in this one with the game out of hand. Alayup by VanVleet midway throughthe third quarter made it 93-64, and Kerr called timeout and cleared his bench. Houston coachIme Udoka followed suit with about aminute to go in the third and his team up 105-76. He put all his starters back in with about eight minutes left after Golden State cut the lead to 109-92. Dillon Brooks added 24points on anight when all fiveHouston
scored in double figures.
A9-5 run by the Warriors got them within114-101 before a fracas broke out with about four minutes togo. Pat Spencer pushed Brooks and then was ejected after headbutting Alperen Sengun in the ensuing scuffle.
Houston went on a7-2 run after that to put the game away
The Rockets put together their best game this postseason to extend the series afterlosing both games in California,including Game 3, which Jimmy Butler sat out withaninjury
They raced to a14-point lead after one quarter andbythe time Stephen Curry made his first basket ona 3-pointer midway through the second, theyled 55-32. They had a27-point lead at halftime behind19points from VanVleet Butler managed just eight points in 25 minutes on 2-of-10 shooting after combiningfor 52 pointsin
thetwo full gameshe’dplayedin this series. Curry was 4of12for 13 points after scoring morethan 30 points in two of the first four games to move the Warriors within agame of clinching the series.
The Warriors made15of44 3-pointers and shot 41.7% overall. The Rockets made13of303sand shot 55.1%. By extending the series, the Rockets have achance to become the14thteam in NBAhistory to overcome a3-1 deficit in abest-ofsevenseries. Houstonhas done it twice, mostrecently in the 2015 Western Conference semifinals against the Clippers.
TheWarriors wereonthe wrong end of suchacomeback, losing the 2016 NBA Finals to LeBron James andClevelandafter having a3-1 advantage.
Golden Statehas dominatedthe Rocketsinthe playoffs, eliminating themfour times between 2015 and 2019.
Ellis has driven in 65 runs and is atoughout with46walks, also best in the conference, and only 11 strikeouts in 169 plate
“Our wholemodel is having all three things —pitching, defense and hitting —working,” Coffey said. “Coach has been focusing on that, and we’ve been trying to turn it on moreand more.”
RABALAIS
Continued from page1C
That’s the sameTexas team that LSU outplayed forhalfthe series in Austin butlost two of three against whenitwas alldone. The Tigers’ RPI also jumped from No. 9toNo. 5after beating SLU, which is nowNo. 53 by that metric.
Over the course of along season, you look forthat spark, that landmark momentfrom ateam that shows it has that special something. Being as rare as it quantifiably is, Jones’ home run Friday appears to qualify, though the momentillustrates how close theTigers wereto tumbling downanicy slope of defeat
That’show capricious fate can be,ofcourse, as LSU now appears to have all kinds of momentum. Momentum the national experts expect the Tigers to capitalize upon. This week’sNCAA Tournamentprojections from Baseball Americaand On3.com both have LSUasthe No. 3national seed behind Texas and Georgia (once again, how brutal is the SEC)?
Baseball America has Louisville, SLUand Wright State going to Alex Box Stadium,with the regional paired with one hosted by No. 14 Oregon State (competing as an independent in this post-Pac-12 world) forasuper regional.On3 has Virginia Tech, SLUand Missouri State going to The Box, with the regional paired against one hosted by No. 14 N.C. State.
Baseball America calls the Tigers a“virtual lock” to finish as atop-eight national seed, barring atotal collapse. It has been high on theTigers 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 madeyet. LSU now travels to start athree-gameseries Friday at Texas A&M. The preseason No. 1Aggies just got swept at Texas but have won three of their past four SEC series overall. LSU
then comes hometoface 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 a Grambling win) going into a new single-elimination, 16-team SEC Tournament. It’s such a highly unpredictable format that shameonthe NCAA selection committee if it holds aone-off defeat against any national seed contender
The Tigers have an eliteoffense: LSUisNo. 2inthe SEC witha.312 averageand fourth in sluggingpercentage. The key is whatitdoes on themound. An impressive Sundaystart from freshman Casan Evans against theVolswas huge, but thepicture of LSU’sthird weekend starter remains murky.Chase Shores, who pitched only onerockyinning of reliefinthe series, appears to be out, but nowwhat?
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 make it to and thrive in the College World Series, other armshave to deliver in the bullpen. Maybe it will be Shores in anew role. Maybe that will be William Schmidt (Tuesday’s starter against SLU), Jaden Noot (he has LSU’sother save), Conner Ware or Jacob Mayers, who has thrown only 92/3 innings so far The Tigers appear to be inches away from being set up fora long postseason run, but there is still so much lefttoprove in what remains of the regular season.
For more LSUsports updates, signupfor ournewsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter
STAFFPHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK LSU first baseman Jared Jones celebrates after hitting asolo home runinthe first inning against SoutheasternonTuesday at Alex Box Stadium.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON Wisconsin forward Serah Williams plays against Washington during a game on Jan. 7inSeattle.
Breaking outinBrusly
Broadmoor’s Hanktonhas busy day, wins girlsMVP
BY ROBIN FAMBROUGH Staff writer
Broadmoor’sTaylor Hankton took amoment to catch her breath after winning the 300-meterhurdles at the Class 4A, Region II track meetonWednesdaynight at Brusly High.
She still had one more race. When asked about her day, the Southern University signee briefly broke into asmile.
“I didn’texpect to run aPRin the 100 hurdles,” Hankton said. “Being in the top three andqualifying(forthe state meet) was the goal.
“You conserve energy when you can. Ithink I’m ready.”
Hankton, the girls overall MVP, ran apersonal best of 14.82 seconds to win the 100-meter hurdles, won the 300 hurdles (46.12) and then placed second to one of the state’spremier sprint/jumps competitors in the 200.
West Feliciana’sTristen Harris wonthe 200 with a24.96 mark
Cecilia’sBrent Gordon, aUL football signee, also won two hurdles races and was the overall boys MVP
Though West Feliciana (girls) and Cecilia (boys) claimed team titles in the meet, most were focusing on gaining top-three finishes to qualify for next weekend’s LHSAA outdoor championships at LSU.
West Feliciana finishedwith 89 points in the girls division toedge St. Thomas More (82) and Teurlings Catholic (81). Host Brusly was close at 79.
Cecilia compiled 74 points to finish ahead of Brusly (641/2)and Westgate (64) in the boys division. The Saints were led by Harris as expected. TheSouth Carolina track signeealsowon the100
metersand long jump. Other toplocal performers, including West Feliciana’sDiamondPeck and Brusly’sPatrick Gales, also excelledwhile qualifyingfor the state meet.
“I like anycompetition. More than anything else, Ihate to lose,” said Gales, who swept the boys 100 and 200 meters. “I like my top speed in the200. In the 100, Iwas able to stand up andget out fast.
“I’m pleased. Ithink this should
put me in agood position for state next week.”
Gales recorded with winning times of 10.83 and 21.63 seconds in the 100 and 200.
Though Harriswas amarquee attraction for West Feliciana, her jumpsteammate DiamondPeck served noticethatthe Saints could be athreat to win both jumpseventsatthe 4A state meet. Peck hada breakoutperformance, leaping 39 feet, 61/2 inches
to win thetriple jump. That mark ranks among the state leaders in all classifications.
“The longest jump before todaywas 38-3,” Peck said. “I just feltgood today.Each jump, Ifelt good.
“My goal wastogo39-1, so on my fourthjump Iran as fast as I could and Igot it.”
Email Robin Fambrough at rfambrough@theadvocate.com
BY ROBIN FAMBROUGH Staff writer
After spending two years as an assistant coach at Live Oak High School, former Doyle coach Amanda Decell was hired as the new softball coach at District 5-5A rival Denham Springs.
“They approached me and gauged my interest in the job and toldmewewould talk after our season ended,” Decell said. “I metwith (Denham Springs administrators on Tuesday) andeverything went great.
“Because of travel ball with my threechildren, Ineed to be close to home. Denham is five minutes closer than Live Oak. Ifeel like this is the best thing for us as a family.Iwant my kids with me to watch them graduate from Denham Springs.”
Decell, aformer LSU Eunice and LSU Alexandria player,spent 11 years as Doyle’s coach, leading the Tigers to one state title and one runner-up finish in five LHSAA tourney berths. She was voted state coach of the year once andwon five district titles at Doyle.
Decell said thetwo yearsshe spent as an assistant coach to Katie Prescott at Live Oak were insightful. The Eagles’ season ended with aDivision Iquarterfinal loss to topseeded Sam Houston last week.
“At Live Oak, Igot to take astep back and see how Katie did things andoperated herprogram,” she said. “I learned alot and Ithink that experience has better prepared me for this job.”
Email RobinFambrough at rfambrough@theadvocate.com
sha, Brusly,12.60. 100 hurdles: 1, Taylor Hankton, Broadmoor, 14-82. 2, KayleiBrown, Beau Chene, 15.86. 3, Destinee Derouen, Brusly,16.10. 4x200 relay: 1, West Feliciana 1:41.80. 2, Brusly 1:43 58.3,Comeaux 1:46.54. 1,600 meters: 1, Abigail Leger, Teurlings, 5;19.56. 2, Camryn Haik,STM, 5:19.64. 3, Sya Bolden, Comeaux, 5:21.59. 4x100 relay: 1, Brusly 48 87. 2, David Thibodaux 49 21. 3, Comeaux 49.52. 400: 1, Abbigail Landry,Teurlings, 58.51. 2, Giselle Saputil, Beau Chene, 1:00.65. 3, Meagan Davis,Brusly,1:00.75. 300 hurdles: 1, Taylor Hankton, Broadmoor, 46.12. 2, Naliyah Jiles, Broadmoor, 46.47. 3, KayeiBrown. Beau Chene, 47.08. 800: 1, Aaryam Saleh, Teurlings, 2:21.03. 2, Abigail Leger,Teurlings, 2:21.95. 3, Sya Bolden, Comeaux, 2:23.13. 200: 1, Tristen Harris, WFHS,24.25. 2, Taylor Hankton, Broadmoor, 24;96. 3, Taylor Gougisha, Brusly,25.60. 3,200: 1, Camryn Haik, STM, 12:03.25. 2, Abby Kate Mendoza,12:08.14. 3, Abigail Leger, Teurlings,12:46.15. 4x400 relay: 1, Teurlings 4:03.48. 2, Brusly 4:03.57. 3,North Vermilion 4:15.03. Class 2A, RegionIII meet at Covington HighSchool Boys Team scores: 1. Episcopal, 118. 2. Newman, 84. 3. Slaughter Community Charter, 81. 4. Country Day, 69.5.NorthlakeChristian,44. 6. East Feliciana, 37. 7. Independence, 36. 8. St. Helena, 33 Track results 100-meter dash: Ryan Toefield, Independence, 11 07.2.Kordell Hines, Independence, 11.21. 3. BricePerrier, Sarah T. Reed, 11.43. 200: 1. Ty’KimionFord, Slaughter Community Charter, 22 48.2.Christian Rogers, East Feliciana, 22.89.3.Brannigan Givens, Slaughter Community Charter, 23.11. 400: 1. Grant Forrest, St. ThomasAquinas, 50.36. 2. Xander Slinkard, Northlake Christian, 50.87. 3. ThomasCarter, Slaughter Community Charter, 50.97. 800: 1. William Foster Lambert, Episcopal 1:59.09. 2. FrancisLelong, Newman, 1:59.26. 3. Daniel Piazza, Episcopal, 2:02.85. 1,600: 1. LoganDeGruy,Newman, 4:31.65. 2. Christian Myers, Country Day, 4:34.50. 3. Adam Merkle, Pope John Paul II, 4:36.13. 3,200: 1. LoganDeGruy,Newman, 10:04.54. 2. Maslen L’Esperance, Newman, 10:05.41. 3. Christian Myers, Country Day, 10:07.83. 110 hurdles: 1. Makeal Dotson, Northeast, 15.18. 2. Sabryn Bartholomew,South Plaquemines, 15.39. 3. Wynn Turner, Episcopal, 15.47. 300 hurdles: 1. Wynn Turner, Episcopal, 40.65. 2. Max Gray,NorthlakeChristian, 40.73. 3. Sabryn Bartholomew,41.31. 4x100 relay: 1. Independence, 44.07. 2. St. Helena,44.16. 3. Slaughter Community Charter, 44.19. 4x200: 1. St. Helena, 1:30.46. 2. Episcopal, 1:31.40. 3. Slaughter Community Charter, 1:32.07. 4x400: 1. Episcopal, 3:31.18. 2. Northlake Christian, 3:33.63. 3. Newman, 3:36.52. 4x800: 1. Episcopal, 8:42.16. 2. Newman, 8:52.87. 3. Country Day, 8:55.67. Field results High jump: 1. Thomas Carter, Slaughter Charter, 6-04. 2. Ke’Shaun Toney,East Feliciana, 6-04. 3. Ty’Kimion Ford,Slaughter Community Charter, 6-02 Long jump: 1. JeremyMitchell, Episcopal, 21-00.5. 2. Thomas Carter, Slaughter Community Charter, 21-00. 3. Ke’Shaun Toney East Feliciana, 20-11. Triplejump: 1. J’NoahMorgan, St. Helena, 40-11. 2. Ty Walker, L.W. Cohen, 40-05.5. 3. JeremyMitchell,Episcopal, 40-03.25. Pole vault: 1. WillRibes, Episcopal, 11-06. 2. Joel Smith, Country Day, 11-00. 3. Louis Barnett, Newman, 10-06. Discus: 1. Dylan Kolenovsky,Newman, 14310. 2. Isaac Herzenberg, Country Day, 138-09. 3. Robert Washington, East Feliciana, 131-01.
Javelin: 1. Isaac Herzenberg, Country Day, 170-05. 2. Tate Soileau, St. Thomas Aquinas, 156-00. 3. Dylan Kolenovsky,Newman, 154-05. Shot put: 1. Dylan Kolenovsky,Newman, 48-04. 2. TrevontaeWilliams, South Plaquemines, 48-00. 3. BrodyCummings, Country Day, 45-05
Girls
Team scores: 1. Episcopal, 155. 2. Newman, 105. 3. NorthlakeChristian, 102. 4. Country Day, 58. 5. St. Thomas Aquinas, 52. 6. Slaughter Community Charter, 46. 7. EastFeliciana, 35. 8. Dunham, 12. Trackresults 100: 1. Princess Caitlyn Lang, Northlake Christian, 12.61. 2. Tiffany Foxworth, Episcopal, 12.89. 3. Da’NiyaFranklin, Northeast, 13.34. 200: 1. Princess Caitlyn Lang, Northlake Christian, 26.26. 2. ClaireCharpentier, Newman, 26.29. 3. Kariah Dunn, EastFeliciana, 26.82. 400: 1. Princess Caitlyn Lang, Northlake Christian, 58.16. 2. Madison Easley,Slaughter Community Charter, 59.17. 3. Eloise Puckett, Newman, 1:02.36. 800: 1. Lorraine Goldenberg, Country Day, 2:26.96. 2. SaraBeth Cagley, Episcopal, 2:29.42. 3. Lauren Bradford,Episcopal 2:31.13. 1,600: 1. Constance Goldenberg, Country Day, 5:16.73. 2. Lorraine Goldenberg,Country Day, 5:18.96. 3. AdaMere, Episcopal, 5:21.26. 3,200: 1. NevaLambert, Episcopal,11:43.61. 2. AdaMere, Episcopal,11:53.60. 3. Constance Goldenberg, Country Day, 11:58.37. 100 hurdles: 1. Mackenzie Hayes, Northlake Christian, 15.42. 2. Remi Cousin, Newman, 15.76. 3. Sophie Arnold, Episcopal,16.31. 300 hurdles: 1. Mackenzie Hayes, Northlake Christian, 46.45. 2. Remi Cousin, Newman, 47.95. 3. Sophie Arnold, Episcopal,50.38. 4x100: 1. Episcopal,51.53. 2. Newman, 52.99. 3. Slaughter Community Charter, 54.28. 4x200: 1. Newman, 1:46.92. 2. Episcopal, 1:49.07. 3. East Feliciana, 1:49.66. 4x400: 1. Episcopal,4:14.72. 2. Newman, 4:16.06. 3. Country Day, 4:20.27. 4x800: 1. Episcopal,10:19.66. 2. St. Thomas Aquinas, 10:26.46. 3. Newman, 10:28.83. Field results High jump: 1. Kariah Dunn, EastFeliciana, 5-04. 2. Mackenzie Hayes, NorthlakeChristian, 5-02. 3. Makyla Hiles,Episcopal,5-00. Long jump: 1. Mackenzie Hayes, Northlake Christian, 17-03.75. 2. Remi Cousin, Newman, 17-02.75. 3. ClaireCharpentier, Newman, 17-01.75. Triple jump: 1. Jade Recasner, Newman, 3506.5. 2. Makyla Hiles, Episcopal, 35-01. 3. Zadi Huggins, Dunham, 34-09. Pole vault: 1. Emma Romano, Northlake Christian, 10-00. 2. Madeline Greene, Episcopal, 9-06. 3. Alice Goldenberg, Country Day, 9-06. Discus: 1. Alayni Clarkston, SlaughterCharter, 91-07. 2. Jordyn Correjolles, St. Thomas Aquinas, 86-05. 3. Lauren Huggins, East Feliciana, 81-07. Javelin: 1. Rilan Delauneville,French Settlement, 109-01. 2. Kahlyn Davis, Slaughter Community Charter, 105-09. 3. Autumn Spinks, Slaughter Community Charter, 100-04. Shot put: 1. Jordyn Correjolles, St. Thomas Aquinas, 32-02.5. 2. Jade Triste,St. Thomas Aquinas, 31-01.5. 3. Kemani Coleman, East Feliciana, 31-01. Boys golf Division III Region 2 Team results 1. Ascension Episcopal,302; 2. ParkviewBaptist, 314; 3. Episcopal, 318; 4. University,320 Medalists 1. CooperAdams,Houma Christian, 70. 1.
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
Broadmoor’sTaylor Hankton wonthe 100-meter hurdles at the Class 4A,Region II track and fieldmeet WednesdayatBrusly HighSchool.Hankton’swinning time was14.82 seconds.
STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK
Westgate’sDavian Jackson, left, and Brusly’sPatrick Gales compete in the100-meter dash at the Region 2-4Ameet at Brusly.Gales wonina timeof10.83 seconds.
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.
IPotato Crust Quiche with Spinach, Feta and Bacon
BY 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
GRETCHEN McKAY
Post-Gazette (TNS)
Usehairdryerssafely
Dear Heloise: I’mreading the warningsonmyhair dryer
Someofthese 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 intothe tub, toilet or sink. Don’tuse it while bathing or near water at all. If the dryer happens to fall into water,unplug it right away; never reach into the water
Anne, in Texas
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.
Storepolicyoverwhelmsworker
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
Hints from Heloise
P.S. Alwaysread appliance safety manuals to getthe full scoop. —Heloise Cheese please
The filter of the dryer canalso getclogged. 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
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 with Spinach, 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
6-ounce packagecrumbled garlic and herb feta (about 1cup)
6slices cooked bacon, crumbled 8largeeggs, lightlywhipped 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. Combinepotatoes, 2tablespoons salt andenough cold watertocover by 1inch in alarge saucepan. Bring to aboilover 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 evenlywith2 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 up sides of skillet.
5. Use aspoon or small offset
QUICHE
Continued from page1D
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!
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 and center is lightly golden, 3540 minutes.
7. Whilecrust bakes,heatremaining 1tablespoon oil in a separatemediumskillet over medium.Add onions andcook, stirring frequently untilvery soft andtender,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 mixturefollowed by remaining half of feta.
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 page1D
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
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
Shrimp and Asparagus Orzo with Lemonand Parmesan
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.
*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 skillet, turn the heat to medium and add the cut asparagus. Stir the asparagus in the panfor about2minutes, then addthe tomatoes to the pan. Stir thevegetablestogether over medium-high heat.Thenadd shrimp andaccumulated
PHOTO By LIZ FAUL
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
PHOTO By LIZ FAUL
Buy fresh shrimp, crabs and fish right from the dock at the WestwegoShrimp Lot.
BRIEFS
Wall Street storms back 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’ yourcredit 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
U.S. economyshrinks 0.3% in quarter
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 lookedsolid 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 wayhe’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, which is still trying to cool inflationaftera severe pandemic run-up. The Fed’s favored inflation gauge —the personalconsumption expenditures priceindex—roseatanannual 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%.
Coffee market gettingcrushed
Climatechangesentprices up,and tariffslikelywill, too
CONWAY
MAX
BY
|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 but have remained 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 thehighest 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 TimothyBooneat tboone@theadvocate.com.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByMAX CONWAy
Renee Colon, left, co-owner of FuegoCoffee Roasters in Rochester,N.y., withemployeeClaire Terrelli, said she worries about the cost of coffee amid climate changes and tariffs.
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.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
THe wiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
BY PHILLIP ALDER
In “Peanuts,” Peppermint Patty struggledgreatlyatschool.Inonecartoon,she cries, “I know the answer!The answer lies within the heart of allmankind!” There is apause as the reader moves to the next panel.
“The answeris12? Ithink I’m in the wrong building.”
Ifyougodowninacontract,especially one for 12 tricks that you should have made,you will probably wish you had chosen to visit adifferent building
Let’s see if you made agood choice to cometothisbridgegamewhenyoureach six spades in this deal. After West leads the diamond king, what should you do?
North’sbiddingwasoptimistic,despite theknown nine-card-or-better spade fit.
You have at least one spade loser and apotential loser in hearts. You must get luckyinspades, anditlooks as though youalso need theheartfinesse to win. However,a quick peekatthe diagram showsthatitislosing.Thereisasolution, whichishardtospotifyouhavenotseen the themebefore.
The best play is to ruff adiamond in your hand at tricktwo. Then cash the spade ace, play aclub to the queen,ruff another diamond, return to dummy with
aclub,trumpthe last diamond, and cash theclubace.Withtheminorseliminated, exit with atrump.
Here, East winsand must playa heart awayfromthequeen.ButifEasthadthe last club, you wouldruff andstill have the heart finesse available.
Bids shallbesubmitted electronicallyvia www centralbidding.comoron the solicitation bidforms furnished by theCityof Baton Rougeand Parish ofEastBaton Rougeprior tothe biddingdeadline. Electronic bids forthe solicitationwillbedown‐loadedbythe City of Baton Rougeand Parish ofEastBaton Rouge, Pur‐chasing Division.Begin‐ningassoon as feasible after thebid closingtime all electronic bids will be downloadedand publicly readaloud alongwithall paper bids received,if any,inRoom 806 immedi‐ately after the11:00 a.m. bid closing. Biddersor their authorized repre‐sentativesare invitedto bepresent Note:The City-Parishhas elected to useLaPAC,the state's online electronic bid postingand notifica‐tionsystem, in addition toits standard meansof advertising this require‐ment. This Invitation to Bid is availableinelec‐tronicformatthe LaPAC website https:// wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana gov/osp/lapac/dspBid cfm?search=departm ent&term=102. Bids,amendmentsto
Inquirieswillbereceived
upon request fromthe aboveaddress orbytelephoning Sheneka Sylvan at (225) 389-3259, Ext.3263, or via email ssylvan@brla.gov
Toll (Chicago) +1-312-535-8110 United States Toll (Dallas) +1-469-210-7159 United States Toll (Denver) +1-720-650-7664 United States Toll (Jacksonville) +1-904-900-2303 United States Toll (Los Angeles) +1-213-306-3065 This link will provideyou withliveaudio access to thisbid opening. Thelink willbeliveatthe noted bid openingtimefor the dateofbid opening. All other terms& conditions remainunchanged 138910 May1,8,2t $113.30
PUBLIC NOTICE
VOUCHER# A25-0818 INSPECTION & MAINTENANCEOF CONVEYOR BELT SYTEM AT BRMA BIDS TO BE OPENED: 05/28/2025 NOTICE TO BIDDERS Electronic or sealed bids willbereceivedbythe CityofBaton Rougeand ParishofEastBaton Rouge,PurchasingDivi‐sion, City Hall Building Room 826, 222 SaintLouis Street,8th Floor,Baton Rouge,La. until 11:00 A.M. May28, 2025 forthe following: A25-0818 INSPECTION & MAINTENANCEOF CONVEYOR BELT SYTEM AT BRMA
Official biddocuments are availableatCentral Bidding (https://www centralauctionhouse. com/rfpc10656-city-ofbaton-rouge.html) or by request from theCityof Baton Rougeatssylvan@ brla.gov.
Bids shallbesubmitted electronicallyvia www centralbidding.comoron the solicitation bidforms furnished by theCityof Baton Rougeand Parish ofEastBaton Rougeprior tothe biddingdeadline. Electronic bids forthe solicitationwillbedown‐loadedbythe City of Baton Rougeand Parish ofEastBaton Rouge, Pur‐chasing Division.Begin‐ningassoon as feasible after thebid closingtime all electronic bids will be downloadedand publicly readaloud alongwithall paper bids received,if any,inRoom 806 immedi‐ately after the11:00 a.m. bid closing. Biddersor their authorized repre‐sentativesare invitedto bepresent Note:The City-Parishhas elected to useLaPAC,the state's online electronic bid postingand notifica‐tionsystem, in addition toits standard meansof advertising this require‐ment.ThisInvitationto
Bidisavailable in elec‐tronicformatthe LaPAC website https:// wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana. gov/osp/lapac/dspBid cfm?search=departm ent&term=102. Bids,amendmentsto bidsorrequest forwith‐drawalofbidsreceived after time specified for bid openings shallnot be consideredfor anycause whatsoever.
Inquirieswillbereceived upuntil 5pmonMay 15 2025. Full informationmay be obtaineduponrequest fromthe aboveaddress orbytelephoning Sheneka Sylvan at (225) 389-3259, Ext.3263, or via email ssylvan@brla.gov
Anyvendorwho would liketolistentothe open‐ing of this bidcan access the followinglink, at the dateand time of this bid opening:
Joinbyphone +1-408-418-9388 United StatesToll Access code:263 373 080 (followed by the# but‐ton) Alternatenumbers to call ifnumberabove is not available,which may occurdue to network traffic(usethe same Ac‐cessCode, followed by the #button):
United States Toll (Boston)
+1-617-315-0704 United States Toll (Chicago)
+1-312-535-8110
United States Toll (Dallas)
+1-469-210-7159 United States Toll (Denver)
+1-720-650-7664 United States Toll (Jacksonville)
+1-904-900-2303
United States Toll (Los Angeles)
+1-213-306-3065
This link will provideyou withliveaudio access to thisbid opening. Thelink willbeliveatthe noted bid openingtimefor the dateofbid opening. All other terms& conditions remainunchanged 138912 May1,8,2t $113.98
A workingdraft of the draft permit waspro‐vided to Georgia-Pacific, LLC andthe remarkssub‐mittedonbehalfofGeor‐gia-Pacific, LLCand the Department'sresponses hereto, areincludedin the permit record that is available forpublicre‐view. Commentsand requests for apublichearing or notification of the final decisioncan be submit‐ted online on thepublic noticewebpage (http:// www.deq.louisiana.gov/ public-notices), viaper‐sonal delivery,U.S.mail, oremail Commentsand requests forpublichear‐ings must be received by 4:30 pm CDT, Monday June 16, 2025. Delivery may be made to the drop-boxat602 N. 5thSt. Baton Rouge, LA 70802 U.S.Mailmay be sent to LDEQ, Public Participa‐tionGroup,P.O.Box 4313 Baton Rouge, LA 708214313, andemailsmay be submitted to DEQ.PUB LICNOTICES@LA.GOV Personswishing to re‐ceive notice of the final permitactionmustin‐clude acompletemailing address whensubmitting comments. Please seeadditional in‐structionsfor comment submission, hand deliv‐ery andinformation re‐garding electronic sub‐mission at http://www deq.louisiana.gov/page/ the-public-participationgrouporcall(225) 2193276. If LDEQ findsa signifi‐cantdegreeofpublicin‐terest, apublichearing willbeheld. LDEQ will sendnotification of the finalpermitdecisionto the applicantand to eachpersonwho has submitted writtencom‐ments or awritten re‐quest fornotification of the finaldecision.
Permit public noticesin‐cluding electronic access tothe draft permit and associatedinformation can be viewed on the LDEQ permitspublic webpageathttp://www deq.louisiana.gov/publicnoticesand
Anyvendorwho would liketolistentothe open‐ing of this bidcan access the followinglink, at the dateand time of this bid opening: Joinbyphone +1-408-418-9388 United StatesToll Access code:263 373 080 (followed by the# but‐ton) Alternatenumbers to call ifnumberabove is not available, which may d k y occur due
LLCPLAQUEMINE PLANT DRAFTHAZARDOUS WASTEPOST-CLOSURE PERMIT RENEWAL The LDEQ,Office of Envi‐ronmental Services,is acceptingwrittencom‐ments on Draft Haz‐ardousWaste Post-Clo‐surePermitRenewal for Georgia-Pacific, LLC, 133 Peachtree St.NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30303-1847 for the Plaquemine Plant. Thefacilityislocated at 26100-BHighway 405, Plaquemine,Iberville Parish Georgia-Pacific, LLCpro‐poses to renewits Haz‐ardousWaste Post-Clo‐surePermitfor its Plaquemineplant.This renewal applicationalso includesa Class3 Permit Modification to incorpo‐ratethe finalremedyfor groundwatercorrective action.
Thedraft Hazardous Waste Post-Closure Per‐mit forGeorgia-Pacific LLC is availablefor re‐viewatthe LDEQ,Public Records Center,602 North 5thStreet,Baton Rouge,LA. Viewinghours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m Monday through Friday(except holidays). Theavailable informa‐tion canalsobeac‐cessedelectronicallyon theElectronicDocument Management System (EDMS) on theDEQ public websiteatwww.deq louisiana.gov. Additionalcopiesmay be reviewedatthe Iberville ParishLibrary -Head‐quarters, 24605 J. Gerald BerretBlvd.,Plaquemine, Louisiana 70764. Previous noticeshave been publishedinThe Advocateand The PlaqueminePostSouth onJune27, 2024. Inquiriesorrequestsfor additionalinformation regarding this permit ac‐tionshouldbedirected toAmber Fowler,LDEQ, Waste PermitsDivision, P.O.Box 4313, Baton Rouge,LA70821-4313 phone (225) 219-3068. Personswishing to be in‐cludedonthe LDEQ per‐mit public notice mailing list, wishingtoreceive the permit public notices via emailbysubscribing tothe LDEQ permitspub‐lic notice List Server,or for otherpublicpartici‐pationrelated questions shouldcontact thePublic Participation Groupin writing at LDEQ,P.O.Box 4313, BatonRouge,LA 70821-4313, by emailat DEQ.PUBLICNOTICES@LA GOV or by phoneat(225) 219-3035.
the units targetingseniors at or below30% of thearea median income.Inaddi‐tion,seventeen (17) of theunits will be accessi‐blefor themobilityand hearingimpaired. Thedevelopment will pursue theIBHSFortified Roof certification.The certification will require strict resiliency criteria in theplanning, con‐struction, andopera‐tional phases CypressatWard’sCreek Senior apartments will have amodernamenity packagewithnumerous on-siteamenities which includeon-site manage‐ment,community room laundryfacility, com‐putercenter, and fitness center.Located just east of downtown,the loca‐tion allows forconve‐nientaccesstoservices included within theMid City neighborhood in‐cludingEBR Councilon Aging, CapitalAreaSer‐vicesDistrict, Baton RougeGeneral Hospital andLouisiana Depart‐ment of VeteranAffairs. CATS also provides ac‐cess to othercommer‐cial,healthand support‐iveneedsthroughoutthe immediateareasuchas: Albertson’s, CVS, Wal‐greens, variousretailand restaurants, andservice resources. Totalestimated develop‐ment cost forthe project is approximately $18,400,000. Permanent fundingsources arean‐ticipatedtoinclude tax credit equity (approxi‐mately $10,700,000) and permanentand soft fi‐nancing(approximately $7,700,000) If you have any i l
PUBLIC NOTICE OF VACANCY Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East Bank BoardofCommissioners
Pursuant to La. R.S. 38:330.1 et seq., notice is hereby given that applications arebeing acceptedfrompersons interested in serving on the BoardofCommissioners for the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority- East Bank (SLFPA-E)
Nine members serve on the BoardofCommissioners. ANominating Committee comprised of representatives of civic, professional and academic organizations reviews applications and recommends individuals for appointment by the Governor and confirmation by the Senate. The Nominating Committee is comprised of representatives from the following organizations: Public AffairsResearchCouncil of Louisiana, Council for aBetter Louisiana, Louisiana Geological Survey,Association of State Floodplain Managers, National Society of Black Engineers, UNO College of Engineering, Tulane UniversitySchoolofScience& Engineering, SouthernUniversity College of Engineering, LSU College of Engineering, Louisiana Engineering Society,and American Society of Civil Engineers.
CURRENT VACANCY
The Nominating Committee is accepting applications for 4positions on the SLFPA-E BoardofCommissioners:
Anon-resident whoresides outside of Jefferson, Orleans, or St. BernardParish to complete theremainder of atermthatstarted on July2,2021 and ends on July 1, 2025 and asecond term appointed by the Governor that starts on July 2, 2025 and ends on July 1, 2029.
Aresident of Orleans Parish on the east bank of the Mississippi River to complete the remainderofaterm that started on October 21,2022and ends on July 1, 2026.
Anon-resident who resides outside of Jefferson, Orleans, or St. BernardParish to complete theremainderofaterm that startedon July 2, 2024 and ends on July 1, 2028.
Aresident of Orleans Parish on the east bank of the Mississippi River to complete the remainder of atermthatstarted on October 21,2022 and ends on July 1, 2026.
RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS
Three members shall reside in Orleans Parish on the east side of the Mississippi River within thejurisdiction of SLFPA-E.Two membersshall reside in Jefferson Parish on the east side of the Mississippi River.One membershall reside in St. BernardParish. Three members shall reside outside of Jefferson, St. Bernard, or Orleans Parishes.
QUALIFICATIONS
Engineering/Related Field Professional
Five members shall be either an engineer or aprofessional in arelated fi eld such as geotechnical, hydrological,orenvironmental science. At least one of the three members shall be acivil engineer
Non-Engineering Professional
Twomembers shall be professionals in disciplines other than engineering, geotechnical, hydrological, or environmental sciencewith at least ten years of professional experience in that discipline.
At-Large Twomembers shall be at-large and can serve with or without technical or professional qualifications.
Once thenew member is appointed, the composition of the Boardmust meet the residency and occupational qualifications defined above.
HOW TO APPLY:
Youmay obtain an application by going online to www floodauthority.org or contacting: Chris Humphreys Interim Regional Director,Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East 6920 Franklin Ave., New Orleans, LA 70122 (504) 286-3100 chumphreys@floodauthority.org
Thedeadline for receiving applications is May 16, 2025
CITY OF ST.GEORGE BY COUNCIL MEMBER EDMONDS:
ORDINANCE NO. 2025-018
TO ENACT TITLE 12, CHAPTER 9RELATIVE TO KEEPINGAND LETTINGADISORDERLY PLACE AND TO PROVIDE FORRELATED MATTERS
WHEREAS, R.S. 33:361 vests municipalities governed by the Lawrason Act “with all powers, rights, privileges, immunities, authorities, and duties possessed in accordance with all constitutional and statutory provisions” and authorizes them “to exercise any power and perform any function necessary, requisite, or proper for the management of itsaffairs not denied by law”; and WHEREAS, the keeping or letting of adisorderly place negatively impacts thepublic health, safety and welfareofthe area residents and negatively impacts area businesses; NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by theSt. George City Council, State of Louisiana that Chapter 9ofTitle 12isherebyenacted to reach as follows: Section1.Enactment
Sec. 12:901. Definitions
a. Disorderly place means aresidential, commercial or vacantbuilding or premise used habitually for any illegal purpose. Abuilding or premise shall be presumed to be adisorderly place when law enforcement officers have on morethan one occasion in the preceding 12-monthperiod, cited orarrested any individual for or executed any search warrant for any crime involving alcohol consumption, controlled substances, excessive noise, human trafficking,illegal discharge of a firearm, possession or storing of contraband or stolen things, prostitution or violence.
b. Keeping adisorderly place is knowingly engaging in, encouraging. or failing to implement measures to deter or prevent activities at abuilding or premise involving alcohol consumption, controlled substances, excessive noise, human trafficking, illegal dischargeofa firearm, possession or storing of contraband or stolen things, prostitution or violence.
c. Letting adisorderly place is leasing or authorizing another to use any residential, commercial or vacantbuilding or premise knowing the individual or entity intends to or is likely to be keeping adisorderly place or continuingtolease or authorize another to use any building or premise after obtaining knowledge the individual or entity intends to or is keeping adisorderly place.
Sec. 12:903. Responsibilitiesofproperty owners
a. Property owners areresponsible for maintaining order within the buildings andupon the premises, whether occupied or vacant.After notice of thekeeping or letting adisorderly place, property owners shall take such action necessary to prohibit, deter and prevent any activity from occurring which poses athreattothe public health, safetyand welfare of area residents, interferes with the security or peaceful enjoyment of neighboringproperties or requires intervention of law enforcement.
b. Keeping or letting adisorderly place is declared anuisance requiring property owners to take all necessary actions to abate the nuisance.
Sec. 12:905. Abatement
a. Upon determination by the Code Enforcement Officer that abuilding or premise is adisorderly place constituting anuisance, the Cityshall notify each owner of the disorderly place at their mailing address on the last property tax assessment and shall notify the occupant of the property,if any, at the property address or by placing anotice at the property
b.Ifviolations arenot abated, the City shall be authorized to take action to abate the violation including issuing an order to close and vacatethe property for aperiod of up to one year.The close and vacateorder shall be posted conspicuously at the disorderly place. Aclose and abate or shall not constitute an act of possession, ownership or control by the City.Aclose and vacate order shall be rescinded uponsufficient proof of appropriate abatement measures.
c.Ifthe property owner fails tocomply with the order to close and vacate, theCode Enforcement Officer may revoke the certificate of occupancy and seek any other relief afforded by law
Sec. 12:905. Civil penalties Noncompliance with any provision of this Chapter may be enforced pursuant to the administrative procedures set forth in Title 4ofthe Code of Ordinances Noncompliance with any provision of this Chapter shall be subject to a fine of up to $500 per occurrence. Each day on noncompliance shall constitute aseparate occurrence.
Section 2. Conflicts. This Ordinance shall supersede any ordinanceorparts of ordinances in conflict with this Ordinance.
Section 3. Severability If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or provision of this Ordinance is declared by acourt of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such declarationofinvalidity shall not affect the validity of the Ordinance as awhole, or parts thereof, other than the part declared invalid. The remainder of the Ordinance shall not be affected by the declaration of invalidity and shall remain in forceand effect.
Section 4. Effective Date. This Ordinance affecting the public health, safety and welfareshall be effective upon approval of the mayor or upon expiration of the delay for this Ordinance to be vetoed, if not vetoed.
This Ordinance having been submitted to avote on April 22, 2025, the vote thereon was as follows: Ayes: Cook, Edmonds, Himmel, Monachello; Nays: None; Absent: Heck
Introduced to the City Council on April 8, 2025.
Lorraine Beaman, City Clerk
Delivered to Mayor on April 25, 2025.
Lorraine Beaman, City Clerk
Approved:
Dustin Yates, Mayor
Received from Mayor on ____________, 2025.
Lorraine Beaman, City Clerk
Ordinance published in The Advocate on the day of 2025.
CITY OF ST.GEORGE BY COUNCILMEMBER HECK:
ORDINANCE NO. 2025-015
TO AMEND 2024-2025 FISCAL YEAR GENERAL FUND BUDGET AND TO PROVIDE FOR RELATED MATTERS
BE IT ORDAINED by the St.George Council, State of Louisiana, that the 2024-2025 budget is amended as follows:
Section 1: 2024-025 Fiscal Year General Fund
Section 2: The Council hereby amends the2024-2025Fiscal Year General Fund Budget for the City of St. George, as amended throughOrdinance 2024-032, to change the revenues and expendituresasshown on Exhibit A.
Section 3: The Mayor is hereby authorized to execute any and all documents necessary to carry out the purposes of this Ordinance.
Section 4: Conflicts. All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict with this Ordinance arehereby repealed.
Section 5: Severability If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or provision of this Ordinance is declared by acourt of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such declarationofinvalidity shall not affect the
Section 6. Effective Date. This Ordinance shall be effective upon publication. This Ordinance having been submitted to avote on April 22, 2025, the vote thereon was as follows: Ayes: Cook, Edmonds, Himmel, Monachello; Nays: None; Absent: Heck Introduced to the City Council on April 8, 2025.
Lorraine Beaman, City Clerk
Delivered to Mayor on April 25, 2025.
Lorraine Beaman, City Clerk
Approved:
Dustin Yates, Mayor
Received from Mayor on 2025.
Lorraine Beaman, City Clerk Ordinance published in The Advocate on the day of 2025.
CITY OF ST.GEORGE BY COUNCIL MEMBER EDMONDS: ORDINANCE NO. 2025-016
TO AMEND TITLE 7OFTHE ST.GEORGE CODE OF ORDINANCES, THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE RELATIVE TOTHE DEFINITION, CONSTRUCTIONAND OPERATION OF GROUP HOMES AND TO PROVIDE FORRELATED MATTERSE
WHEREAS, the St. George City Council enacted Ordinance No. 2024002 adopting the EBR Unified Development Code (with some amendments) as the City’sInterim Unified Development Code (“UDC”) which has been designated at Title 7; WHEREAS, the Ordinance 2025-005 amended the Interim UDC and designated it as Title 7ofthe Code of Ordinances;
WHEREAS, the St. GeorgeCity Council desires to enact and amend certain definitions and clarify requirements forapproval of certain residential facilities; WHEREAS, the regulation of certain residential facilities must comply with, the federal Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3601, et seq.; and WHEREAS, after apublic hearing was held on the proposed amendments designated as Case Number T-25-03 beforethe City of St. George Zoning Commission on April 7, 2025, the Zoning Commission members present voted unanimously to recommend approval of the amendment to the Council.
NOWTHEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the St. George City Council, State of Louisiana that Chapters 9and 19 of the Interim Unified Development Code designated as Title 7ishereby amended as follows:
Title 7, UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE
Chapter 9. USE REGULATIONS
Section 1. Amendments.
Section 9.3.8 Group Homes
** *
A. Prior to issuance of abuilding permit, zoning certificate or certificate of occupancy for aproposed operator shall provide the Planning Director withconstruction (if any) and detailed operational plans including the number of proposed residents, staffing, and the services and programs to be provided.
B. The Planning Director shall not authorize the issuance of abuilding permit, zoning certificate or certificate of occupancy for agroup home unless:
1. The proposed facility meets and is consistent with the definition of a group home.
2. The structureand facilities arephysically adequate for the number of proposed residents and their particular disability(ies) and meet all applicable building, fire and safety codes and provisions of the Interim UDC.
3. The proposed facility will be designed, constructed, operated, and maintained as to be harmonious and appropriate in appearance with the existing or intended character of the residential neighborhood.
4. Theproposed facility is not within 1000 feet of another group home.
5. Any reasonable accommodation requested by the operator,including awaiver of any restriction herein, may only be granted by the Mayor after consultation with the City Attorney
C. Prior to issuance of acertificate of occupancy,the proposed group home operator shall provide evidence of license, certification, or registration with the appropriate state or federal agency,ifrequired.
D. No signage, graphics,display,orother visual means shall be installed to display any identification viewable from apublic street, except the address.
Chapter 19. DEFINITIONS
Section 19.2 Defined Terms
***
Assisted Living Center: aresidential facility forthree or moreindividuals who areelderly or disabled who not related to the operator,who can live somewhat, but not fully,independently,are provided assistance withsome tasks of tasks of daily living such as meal preparation, bathing, dressing, household chores, or supervision of self-administered medication. An Assisted Living Center may have combination of housing, board, personalized supportive services and health careona24hour basis, designed to meet the individual needs of persons who need assistance with the activities of daily living, but do not need the skilled medical careprovided in anursing home. Generally,the facility has a central or private kitchen, dining, recreational, and other facilities, with separate bedrooms or living quarters.
** *
Congregate CareFacility: aresidential facility providing full or parttimecare, either permanently or temporarily,topeople unable to live fully independently,due to age or physical, developmental, or medical disability.Congregate carefacilities include assisted living centers, inpatient rehabilitation centers, hospice facilities, in-patient rehabilitation centers, Agroup home is not acongregate carefacility
***
Group Homes: aresidential building housing not morethan ten servicedependent or developmentally disabled people living with professional staff. The group home constitutes asingle housekeeping unit in which residents sharehousehold responsibilities (such as cooking, cleaning, laundry), meals and recreation in afamily setting. Group homes str not congregate carefacilities or halfway houses or transitional housing. facility that provides room and boardand may include habilitation services and supervision in afamily setting for people with adisability (as “disability” is defined by the Federal Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act). Such uses arepermitted uses in all residential zones wherethey arenot permitted as of right, notwithstanding any zoning requirements inconsistent therewith, in all cases wheregranting permission for such use would be areasonable accommodation under the federal Fair Housing Act. The City-Parish’sdecision to grant a reasonable accommodation will waive any provisions of the Unified Development Code that would otherwise prohibit such use.
Halfway House or Transitional Housing: temporary housing for exoffenders or individuals recovering from substance abuse wherein supervision, rehabilitation, and counseling areprovided to mainstream residents back into society to enable residents live independently *** Nursing Home: aresidential facility licensed by the State, housing three (3) five or moreaged, infirm, or chronically or incurably ill persons people not related to the operator,offering nursing care, rehabilitation, and afull range of other therapies, treatments, and programs. Nursing Homes do not include hospitals, clinics, or similar institutions devoted primarily to the diagnosis and treatment of the sick or injured.
Section 2. Conflicts. This Ordinance shall supersede any ordinance or parts of ordinances in conflict with this Ordinance.
Section 3. Severability If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or provision of this Ordinance is declared by acourt of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such declaration of invalidity shall not affect the validity of the Ordinance as awhole, or parts thereof,other than the part declared invalid. The remainder of the Ordinance shall not be affected by the declaration of invalidity and shall remain in force and effect.
Section 4. EffectiveDate. This Ordinance affecting the public health, safety and welfareshall be effectiveupon approval of the mayor or upon expiration of the delay for this Ordinance to be vetoed, if not vetoed.
This Ordinance having been submitted to avote on April 22, 2025, the vote thereon was as follows: Ayes: Cook, Edmonds, Himmel, Monachello; Nays: None; Absent: Heck
Introduced to the City Council on April 8, 2025.
Lorraine Beaman, City Clerk
Delivered to Mayor on April 25, 2025.
Lorraine Beaman, City Clerk
Approved:
Dustin Yates, Mayor Received from Mayor on 2025.
Lorraine Beaman, City Clerk
Ordinance published in The Advocate on the day of 2025. CITY OF ST.GEORGE BY COUNCIL MEMBER MONACHELLO: ORDINANCE NO. 2025-017 TO ENACT TITLE 12, CHAPTER 6RELATIVE TO REMOVAL OF
