The Advocate 05-03-2025 by The Advocate

Lawmakerstry againontax revamp

Landry,allies seek to simplify

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Amonth ago, voters soundly rejected acomplicated proposal by Gov.Jeff Landry to revamp the tax section of Louisiana’sconstitution.

The defeathas not deterred Landry and his legislative allies from trying to take another bite of the apple, albeit in smaller bites.

Thegovernor and his allies believe that votersrebuffed Amendment 2onMarch 29 because it was too complexand tried to maketoo many different changes. They notethat thenumerous changes contained in theamendment were spelled out in a115-page bill.

So,afterbreaking out the popular individual pieces,they are now pushing four speciﬁc changes that

overhaul

were part of Amendment 2, which lost at the polls along with three other amendments.

“Voters said they wanted tobe able to vote on simpler forms of those elements,” saidRichard Nelson, the revenue secretaryand intellectual author of Amendment 2. “This is responsive to that.”

Those changes would:

n Eliminate three education trust

La.DEQ chiefleavesafter months of controversy

Then-Gov.-elect Jeff Landry, left, introduces Aurelia Skipwith Giacometto,who he named to head Louisiana’s Department of Environmental Quality, during anewsconference on Nov. 15, 2023, at Russo Park in Lafayette. Giacometto is leaving her post for ajob witha Washington, D.C.,law firm after months of controversy from staffersupset over her management style.

Veteranstaffer to take topjob in department

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer

The embattled secretary of Louisiana’senvironmental agency is leavingfor apost with aWashington,D.C., lawﬁrm after months of controversy from staffers upset over her management style andamid high-proﬁle departures.

Aurelia Skipwith Giacometto, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality,has accepted a position with Earth and Water Law Firm, the Governor’s Ofﬁce said Friday

As the next secretary, Gov Jeff Landry namedCourtney Burdette, aformer10-yearDEQ staffer who leftlastyear early in Giacometto’stenure.

“I want to sincerely thank Aurelia for her dedicated service to our State and the Departmentof Environmental Quality.Aurelia prioritized environmental improvements to ourair,land, and

water,while also keeping afocus on the jobs and businesses that often suffer from red-tape and overregulation,” Landry said in astatement. “Weare grateful for her actions to improve the Department and wish her the best in hernext endeavor ” Landry’s statement didn’taddress Giacometto’srocky tenure at DEQ, nordid Giacometto’sresignation letters to employeesand thegovernor Giacometto, aformer wildlifeand ﬁsheries director in President Donald Trump’sfirst term, came in withLandry’s initial cabinet, promising to streamline DEQ and align it to promote economic development while still protecting the environment. Buther leadershipstyle rubbed employees the wrong way,triggering astate audit of the agency’s workplace culture. In public statements responding to accusations, Giacometto argued thecriticisms werefalse

and partofthe price she was paying from afew disgruntled employees to bring transformational change to the agency

“I was notappointed to take theeasy or popular road.Iaminspired daily by thededication of LDEQ’shardworking employees, andI am notgoing to allow afew to undermine their great work and the success of this agency,” shesaid in aresponse to one scathing letter from aformer agency human resources lawyer andethics attorneyseveral weeks ago. According to Politico Pro, Giacometto had been in therunning in earlyDecember for anew post as adeputyInterior secretarywith theTrumpadministration, but thenomination went to one of her competitors, Kate MacGregor,inJanuary

At thetime, the DEQ workplace audit, made public in late February, was still pending.

In the weeks beforeFriday’s announcement,Giacometto

funds, pay off retirement debt and usemuch of thesavings from that movetosupplement salaries for teachers and support staff.

n Give parish governments the option of ending the property tax on business inventory

n Eliminate the Revenue Stabilization Fund and use the freed-up money to ﬁll up the rainy day fund and cover thecostofphasing out theinventory tax.

n Impose alimit on how much thestate can increasespending each year on education, health

care, prisons and all other governmentprograms.

Each of the various measures, if approvedbythe Legislature, would go before voters individually in 2026and take effect only with voter approval.

“It’smore easily digestible,” said

BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT Politicseditor

Saturday is an election dayinEastBaton Rouge Parish,witha newtax for theDistrict Attorney’sOffice, tax renewals forthe school system,aseat in the stateHouse of Representatives, and runoffs in St. George on the line.

District AttorneyHillar Moore is asking voters to approve anew,4-millproperty tax for20years. Amill is $1 of tax on every$1,000 of assessed property the tax would bring in $24 million annually andcost the average household in the parish an extra $5 per month.

Moore says the tax would increasehis budgetfrom

about $16 million to roughly $26 million, which he says is on par with the district attorneys in Orleans and Jefferson parishes. It would allow his ofﬁce to operate independently of thecityparish andreturn about$8.7 millionannuallytothe parish general fund.

Moore says his ofﬁcehas struggled to manage caseloads and pay adequate salaries to hire and keep prosecutors —there is currently abacklogofabout 11,050 cases, he said. But Moore is seeking the funds at atime when many other taxes and propositionshavefailed at theballot box.

Voters will also choose

La.faces surgeof whooping cough

Stateidentifies 164cases so farthisyear

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Whooping cough cases are surging in Louisiana, a trend that “could result in arecordhigh for2025 morethanhas been seen annually in the state for at least 35 years,” according to anews release Friday from the Louisiana Department of Health.

The Health Department said it has identified 164 cases in just the ﬁrst four months of the year,while there were 153 cases during all of 2024.

“Two deaths have occurred among young infants hospitalized with whooping cough,” the Health Department said. “These were the ﬁrst whooping cough deaths reported in Louisiana since 2018.”

Oneofthose deaths occurred in the latter half of 2024, and one occurred in thefirst twomonthsof 2025, aspokesperson for the Health Department said. Louisiana’sincrease in cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, mirrors national trends, according to the Health Department.The spread of the illness is also leading to an increase in reported hospitalizations and deaths. “Since September 2024, 40 people in Louisiana have been hospitalized withwhooping cough,” the Health Department said. “Seventy percentof those hospitalizations have occurred among babies younger than 1year old.” Whooping cough is arespiratory illness that’svery contagious. It’scausedby bacteria that spreads from persontopersoninthe air through coughing, sneezing and close contact.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Burdette

Trump re-ups threat to Harvard’s tax exemption

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Friday re-upped his threat to strip Harvard University of its tax-exempt status, escalating a showdown with the ﬁrst major college that has deﬁed the administration’s efforts to crack down on campus activism.

He’s underscoring that pledge even as federal law prohibits senior members of the executive branch from asking the Internal Revenue Service to conduct or terminate an audit or an investigation. The White House has said any IRS actions will be conducted independently of the president.

“We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status,” Trump wrote on his social media site Friday morning from Palm Beach, Florida, where he is spending the weekend “It’s what they deserve!”

The president has questioned the fate of Harvard’s tax-exempt status — which a majority of U.S. colleges and universities have — ever since the school refused to comply with the administration’s demands for broad government and leadership changes, revisions to its admissions policy, and audits of how diversity is viewed on the campus That prompted the administration to block more than $2 billion in federal grants to the Cambridge, Massachusetts institution.

Harvard stressed Friday that there is “no legal basis” to revoke its tax-exempt status.

“Such an unprecedented action would endanger our ability to carry out our educational mission,” the school said in a statement. “It would result in diminished ﬁnancial aid for students, abandonment of critical medical research programs, and lost opportunities for innovation. The unlawful use of this instrument more broadly would have grave consequences for the future of higher education in America.”

7 dead after collision near Yellowstone Park

BOISE, Idaho A pickup truck and a tour van collided on a highway leading to Yellowstone National Park, leaving seven people dead and eight others injured, Idaho State Police said The crash happened Thursday near Henry’s Lake State Park in eastern Idaho, police said in a news release. The state park is roughly 16 miles west of Yellowstone National Park. Authorities have not said what led up to the crash.

Both vehicles caught ﬁre, the Idaho State Police said in a news release. The driver of the Dodge Ram pickup and six people inside the Mercedes passenger van died. The van was carrying a tour group of 14 people, and the surviving occupants were taken to hospitals with injuries, police spokesman Aaron Snell said.

Air ambulances and emergency paramedics responded to the collision, which remains under investigation.

Ill. man gets 53 years for killing Muslim boy

JOLIET, Ill. — An Illinois landlord who killed a 6-year-old Muslim boy and severely injured the boy’s mother in a brutal hatecrime attack was sentenced Friday to 53 years in prison. Joseph Czuba, 73, was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder and hate-crime charges in the death of Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of his mother, Hanan Shaheen Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak sentenced Czuba to 30 years in the boy’s death and another 20 years consecutively for the attack on Shaheen. The judge also sentenced him to three years imprisonment for hate crimes.

Czuba did not speak during the sentencing. Czuba’s attorney declined to comment.

Czuba targeted them in October 2023 because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas, prosecutors said during the trial.

The boy’s mother said Czuba attacked her before moving on to her son, insisting they had to leave because they were Muslim Czuba’s wife, Mary, whom he has since divorced, also testiﬁed for the prosecution, saying he had become agitated about the Israel-Hamas war

Army plans military parade in D.C.

June 14 is its 250th anniversary — and also Trump’s birthday

BY LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Army on Friday conﬁrmed there will be a military parade on President Donald Trump’s birthday in June, as part of the celebrations around the service’s 250th birthday Plans for the parade, as ﬁrst detailed by The Associated Press on Thursday, call for about 6,600 soldiers, 150 vehicles and 50 helicopters to follow a route from Arlington, Virginia, to the National Mall.

Until recently the Army’s birthday festival plans did not include a massive parade, which ofﬁcials say will cost tens of millions of dollars.

But Trump has long wanted a military parade, and discussions with the Pentagon about having one in conjunction with the birthday festival began less than two months ago.

The Army’s 250th birthday happens to coincide with Trump’s 79th birthday on June 14. In a statement Friday, Army spokesman Steve Warren said the Army’s birthday

celebration will include “a spectacular fireworks display, a parade, and a daylong festival on the National Mall.”

The pricey parade comes as Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency, run by Elon Musk, have slashed federal government departments, personnel and programs, with thousands of workers losing their jobs, including civilians in the Defense Department

In comments to Fox News Digital, White House officials conﬁrmed a commemorative parade would take place and said it would be one of the ﬁrst events to kick off a yearlong celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary

When asked about the parade Thursday the White House did not respond, and Army officials said no decision had been made. While officials said there has now been a formal decision to proceed with the parade, there is still no specific cost estimate.

Warren said that given the significance of the Army birthday, they

are looking at options “to make the celebration even bigger, with more capability demonstrations, additional displays of equipment, and more engagement with the community.”

Army planning documents, obtained this week by the AP and dated April 29 and 30, said the parade will include soldiers from at least 11 corps and divisions nationwide.

They said it would involve a Stryker battalion with two companies of Stryker vehicles, a tank battalion and two companies of tanks, an infantry battalion with Bradley vehicles, Paladin artillery vehicles, Howitzers and infantry vehicles.

The plans note that while the parade will begin near the Pentagon, the heavy tracked vehicles — which would include the Strykers — would be stationed near the Lincoln Memorial and join the procession there, so they will not go over the bridge from Virginia.

City officials, including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, acknowledged in April that the administra-

Drones strike ship carrying aid to Gaza, organizers say

BY SAM MEDNICK and RENATA BRITO

Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel Drones attacked a vessel carrying aid to Gaza on Friday in international waters off Malta, the group organizing the shipment said, in the latest confrontation over efforts to send assistance to the Palestinian territory devastated by nearly 19 months of war

A nearby tugboat responded to a distress call from the Conscience, which authorities said experienced a ﬁre that was brought under control. The vessel was carrying 12 crew members and four civilians, the Maltese government said, adding that those aboard refused to leave the ship The group was safe and no serious injuries were reported, it said.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition accused Israel of attacking its ship. The group did not provide evidence for that claim or to show that the ﬁre was caused by drones, but in a video it shared an explosion could be heard Another video showed a ﬁre blazing.

The Israeli army did not respond to a request for comment. Israel has cut off Gaza from all imports, including food and medicine, since the beginning of March, leading to what is believed to be the worst humanitarian crisis in the war with Hamas, the Palestinian militant group.

Stranded in international waters

Video taken after the explosions showed two large holes in the ship’s deck, with thick smoke surrounding the vessel. The person recording the footage said the ship had been hit twice and was on ﬁre about 14 miles from Malta. The video was provided by Codepink, a grassroots peace and social justice movement

The ship’s generator was badly damaged and will need to be repaired before continuing, said Charlie Andreasson, who has been involved with the Freedom Flotilla for more than a decade.

It’s unclear where the ship will be able to stop for repairs, said Tighe Barry, a Codepink member who was among a group of activists who took speedboats to the Conscience after the attack. The boats were turned away by Maltese authorities, he said, but one person made it aboard and spoke to the captain.

Barry said the nation of Palau revoked its ﬂag from the Conscience prior to the attack, and authorities in Malta, Greece and Turkey have threatened to conﬁscate the ship if it comes to port. Barry said the ship is loaded with medicine and food supplies

“To get a new ﬂag will take months, so they’re just stuck out there,” Barry said of the crew

Man jailed days after winning Powerball

BY DYLAN LOVAN Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky.

— A Kentucky Powerball winner was arrested and charged with kicking a police ofﬁcer in Florida days after he won a $167 million jackpot

James S. Farthing, who goes by Shannon, found out Sunday that he won the state’s biggest ever jackpot after his mother called him, according to a media release from the Kentucky Lottery

The lottery said Farthing and his mother were splitting the winnings.

But Farthing, 50, was in a Florida jail by midweek, according to media reports.

He has been charged with battery of a police officer and resisting arrest after a Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy was attempting to break up a fight between Farthing and another person in a hotel when Farthing kicked the officer in the face, according to a police report written Tuesday The officer told Farthing to turn around put his hands behind his back, but Farthing attempted to flee, the police report said Farthing was booked into jail early

Wednesday morning and remained in custody Friday, according to the county’s online jail records.

Farthing went to lottery headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, on Monday with his mother, Linda Grizzle, to claim their winnings.

“It’s going to be a good Mother’s Day,” Grizzle told lottery ofﬁcials. “This is going to pay off my debt.” Grizzle said she called her son Sunday saying she thought they had the winning ticket. They rushed to the gas station where he bought the ticket to conﬁrm it, the lottery said.

“I would have never dreamed it. It hasn’t sunken in yet,” she said.

In an interview with WKYT-TV that Sunday, Farthing said the winnings would help his mother

“I’ve caused a lot of stress on her, you know, I’ve made some bad decisions in life and, you know God’s been good because I’ve kept my faith and done right,” he told the news station.

Online court records in Kentucky show Farthing has been arrested several times in recent years on various charges, including assault and domestic violence.

tion reached out to the city about holding a parade on June 14. At the time, she said that tanks rolling through the city’s streets “would not be good.”

“If military tanks were used, they should be accompanied with many millions of dollars to repair the roads,” she said.

The Army birthday festival has been planned for more than a year and is slated to include displays of Army equipment, military demonstrations, musical performances and a fitness competition on the National Mall.

The late afternoon parade would be followed by a parachute jump by the Golden Knights, a concert and the ﬁreworks.

During his first term, Trump proposed having a parade after seeing one in France on Bastille Day in 2017. Trump said that after watching the two-hour procession along the famed Champs-Elysees he wanted an even grander one on Pennsylvania Avenue.

That plan was ultimately dumped due to the huge costs — with one estimate of a $92 million price tag — and other logistical issues.

Administration asks court to let DOGE into Social Security system

BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to clear the way for Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efﬁciency to access Social Security systems containing personal data on millions of Americans. The emergency appeal comes after a judge in Maryland restricted the team’s access under federal privacy laws.

Social Security holds personal records on nearly everyone in the country, including school records, bank details, salary information and medical and mental health records for disability recipients, according to court documents.

The government says the DOGE team needs access to target waste in the federal government, and asked the justices to put the lower court order on hold as the lawsuit over the issue plays out.

Solicitor General John Sauer argued that the judge’s restrictions disrupt DOGE’s urgent work and inappropriately interfere with executive-branch functions. “Left undisturbed, this preliminary injunction will only invite further judicial incursions into internal agency decision-making,” he wrote. Musk insists reducing waste in the program is an important way to cut government spending. An appeals court refused to immediately to lift the block on DOGE access, though it split along ideological lines. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander in Maryland that blocked DOGE from Social Security systems did allow staffers to access data that has been redacted or stripped of anything personally identiﬁable.

CustomerService: HELP@THEADVOCATE.COMor225-388-0200 News Tips /Stories: NEWSTIPS@THEADVOCATE.COM

Obituaries: 225-388-0289• Mon-Fri9-5; Weekends 12-5

Advertising Sales: 225-388-0262 •Mon-Fri8-5 Classiﬁed Advertising: 225-383-0111 •Mon-Fri8-5 Subscribe: theadvocate.com/subscribe E-Edition: theadvocate.com/eedition Archives: theadvocate.newsbank.com

PHOTO PROVIDED By GOVERNMENT OF CyPRUS

This photo taken from the ship AEOLUS shows the Conscience on Friday after a drone struck the vessel carrying aid to Gaza off the coast of Malta.

Trumpbudgetseeks sharpspendingcuts

BY LISA MASCARO and JOSH BOAK Associated Press

WASHINGTON The White House releasedPresident Donald Trump’s2026 budget proposal Friday,hoping to slash, if not zero out, spending on many government programs. It seeks a sweepingrestructuring of the nation’sdomestic priorities reflective of the president’sfirst 100 days in office and sudden firing of federal workers.

Trump’splan aims for steep cuts to child care, disease research, renewable energy and peacekeeping abroad, many already underway through Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efﬁciency,all while pumpingupbillions forthe administration’smass deportations agenda.

The budget drafters echo Trump’spromises to end “woke programs,” including preschool grants to states with diversity programs. And they reﬂect his vow to stop the “weaponization of government” by slashing the Internal Revenue Service, even as critics accuse him of using the levers of power to punish people and institutions he disfavors.

Overall it’sa sizable reduction in domestic accounts

—ofnearly23%,the White House said. At the same time, the WhiteHouse said it is relying on Congress tounleash $375 billioninnew money forthe Homeland Security andDefensedepartmentsas part of Trump’s“big,beautifulbill” of tax cuts and spending reductions.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, welcomed the proposalas“a bold blueprint thatreﬂects

the valuesofhardworking Americans and the commitment to American strength and prosperity.”

Budgets do notbecome law but serve as atouchstonefor the coming ﬁscal year debates. Often considereda statementofvalues, this ﬁrst budget since Trump’sreturn to the White House carries the added weight of defining theRepublican president’ssecondterm pursuits, alongside his

partyinCongress. It comes as Trumphas unilaterally imposed what could be hundreds of billions of dollars in tax increases in theformoftariffs,setting off atrade war that has consumers, CEOs and foreign leaders worried about apossible economic downturn.

Democrats assailed the budgetasadevastating foreshadowing of Trump’s vision for thecountry “President Trumphas

made hispriorities clearas day: he wants to outright defund programsthat help working Americans,” said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. This, she said, “while he shovels massive tax breaks at billionaireslike himself andraisestaxes on middleclassAmericans withhis reckless tariffs.”

The White House Ofﬁce of Management and Budget, headed by Russell Vought, achiefarchitect of Project 2025fromthe conservative Heritage Foundation, provided contours of aso-called skinny version of topline numbers only

It covers only the federal government’s discretionary spending, now about $1.83 trillionayear on defense and nondefense accounts. Trump’steam drops that spending by $163 billion, to $1.69 trillion, aportion of thenation’s nearly $7 trillion budget that includes far more programs and services.

Among some of the White House’s proposedhighlights: The State Department and international programs would lose 84% of their money andreceive $9.6 billion, reﬂecting deep cuts already underway,including to the U.S. Agency forInternational Development.

The Health andHuman Services Department would be cutby$33.3 billionand the Education Department’s spending would be reduced by $12 billion. The Centers forDisease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health would all face steep reductions.

The Defense Department would get an additional $113.3 billion and Homeland Security would receive $42.3 billion more. Much of that is contingent on Congress approving Trump’sbig bill. Congress is already deep intothe slogofdrafting of Trump’sbig bill of tax breaks, spending cuts and bolstered funds for the administration’s massdeportation effort —apackage that, unlike the budget plan, would carry theforce of law.

Federal budgets have been climbing steadily,ashave annualdeﬁcitsthatare fast approaching $2 trillionwith annual interest payments on the debt almost $1 trillion.That’sthanks mostly to the spike in emergency COVID-19pandemic spending, changes in the tax code that reduced revenues and theclimbingcosts of Medicare, Medicaidand other programs. The nation’sdebt load, at $36 trillion, is ballooning.

Budget slashesNASAfunds,kills Artemisproject aftermoonlanding

BY RICHARD TRIBOU Orlando Sentinel (TNS)

President Donald Trump’sproposed budget looks to end the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft and Gateway space station centraltoNASA’s existing Artemis program —but onlyafter asuccessful moon landingasthe nation remains in arace with China

Apreliminary overview ofthe White House’splanned 2026 discretionary budget released Friday dubbed SLS and Orion as “grossly expensive and delayed,” citing that

each launch costs the government $4 billion and theprogram overall is 140% over budget

It’s amongbillionsincuts for the overall $18.8 billion proposed budget for NASA, which forthe current ﬁscal year is nearly $25 billion. Ultimately,Congresswill pass abudget and it often counters presidential proposals

The Trump administration looks to drop funds toward Artemis’ future launches by $879 million with agoal of endingthem after the Artemis III ﬂight “The budget funds aprogram to

replace SLS andOrion ﬂights to themoon with more cost-effective commercial systemsthat would supportmore ambitious subsequent lunar missions,” the White Houseproposalstated. “The budgetalso proposestoterminate the Gateway,a small lunar space station in development withinternational partners, which would have been used to supportfutureSLS and Orion missions.”

NASA flew thesuccessfuluncrewed Artemis Imissionthat orbitedthe moon in 2022 andhas its ﬁrst crewed mission, ArtemisII,

gearing up to ﬂy around the moon no later than April. Artemis III, still on NASA’s calendar forsummer 2027, would return humans to thelunar surface forthe ﬁrst time since Apollo 17 in 1972.

TheTrump budget proposal looks to keep the humanexplorationbudget the highest line item withmore than $7 billion —including$1billion in new investments to pursue Mars-focusedprograms That’s the only program with a proposed increase.

Thebiggest loserinthe proposed budget is space science with cuts

of more than $2.2 billionfollowed by morethan $1.1 billion in cuts to Earth science, mission support and more than $500 millionfrom space technology

“Inlinewiththe administration’s objectives of returning to the moon before China and putting aman on Mars, thebudgetwould reduce lower priority research and terminate unaffordable missions such as the Mars Sample Return mission that is grossly overbudget and whose goals would be achieved by human missions to Mars,” the proposal stated.

BY STEPHENBATTAGLIO

Los Angeles Times (TNS)

President Donald Trump issued alatenight executive order Thursday calling for an end to government dollars for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the taxpayer-backed entity that provides funding to public media outletsthe president described as “left wing propaganda.” But Trump’songoing effort tocut federal funding of public media outletssuchasPBS and NPR already is facingstiff opposition.

The CPB immediately ﬁred back Friday, with astatement asserting that thepresident does not have the power to cut offits funding. “Congressdirectly authorizedand funded CPB to be aprivate nonproﬁt corporation wholly independent ofthe federal government,” the CPB said ina statement

The White House isexpected to go to Congress with aformal request to claw back the $1.1 billion currently allocated for theCPB over the next two years

But the president’sexecutive order will not help if the White Houseistaken to court

over theissue, which appears likely

PBSPresident Paula Kerger said in a statement that the service is “exploringall options.”

“Thepresident’s blatantly unlawful Executive Order, issuedinthe middle of the night, threatens ourabilitytoservethe American public witheducational programming, as we have for the past 50-plus years,” Kerger said.

NPR Chief Executive KatherineMaher called Trump’sorder “an affront to the First Amendment rightsofNPR andlocally owned and operated stations throughout Americatoproduce and air programming that meetsthe needs of their communities.”

Thepresident’sannouncement of the executive order —titled “President Trump Finally Ends the Madness of NPR, PBS”— camewith alitanyofstories described as “examples of the trashthat has passed for ‘news.’”

Theexamples included an NPR story on eatinghuman placentas, apractice thathas beenaround for decades, and a2017 documentary about atransgender teen on PBS.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, speaks as President Donald Trump,right, listens Thursdayduring aNational DayofPrayerevent at the White House in Washington.

Ruth Buzzi, sketch player on ‘Laugh-In,’dies

BY BETH HARRIS Associated Press

LOS ANGELES Ruth Buzzi, who rose to fame as the frumpy and bitter Gladys Ormphby on the groundbreaking sketchcomedy series “Rowan &Martin’sLaughIn” and made over 200television appearances during a45-year career,died Thursday.She was 88.

Buzzi died at her home in Texas, her agent Mike Eisenstadt said. She had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’sand was in hospice care. Shortlybeforeher death, herhusband Kent Perkins,had posted a statement on Buzzi’sFacebook page, thanking her many fans and telling them: “She wants you to know she probably had morefun doing those shows than you had watching them.”

Buzzi won aGolden Globe and

wasa two-time Emmy nomineefor theNBC show that ranfrom1968 to 1973. She wasthe onlyregularto appear inall six seasons, including thepilot.

“RuthBuzzi was acomedic genius,” Nancy Sinatra postedonX

“Working alongside her on LaughIn was the most fun Ieverhad working.I treasured herfriendship and Iamheartbroken to wake up to the news thatshe is gone.I love you,Ruthie.”

Buzzi was first spottedby “Laugh-In” creator andproducer George Schlatter playing various characters on “The Steve Allen ComedyHour.”

Schlatter was holding auditions for “Laugh-In” when he received apicture in the mailofBuzzi in herOrmphby costume, sittingina wire mesh trash barrel. The character was clad in drab brown with

my passion forGladys Ormphby,” he wroteinhis 2023 memoir“Still Laughing ALife in Comedy.”“I must admit that the hairnet and therolled-down stockings did light my ﬁre.

BornRuth Ann Buzzi on July 24, 1936, in Westerly,Rhode Island, she was the daughter of Angelo Buzzi, anationally known stone sculptor Buzzi gother national television break on “The Garry Moore Show” in 1964. She played Shakundala the Silent,abumbling magician’sassistant to DomDeLuise’scharacter Dominic the Great.

her bun covered by ahairnet knotted in themiddle of her forehead.

“I think Ihired her becauseof

She was asemi-regular on “That Girl” as Marlo Thomas’ friend. Buzzi appeared in music videos with“WeirdAl” Yankovic,the B-52’sand thePresidents of the United States of America.

She did hundreds of guest voices in cartoon series including “Pound Puppies,” “Berenstain Bears,” “The Smurfs” and“TheAngry Beavers.” She wasEmmy nominated forher six-year run as shopkeeper Ruthie on “Sesame Street.” Her movie credits included “FreakyFriday,”“Chu Chu andthe Philly Flash,” “The North Avenue Irregulars” and “The Apple Dumpling GangRides Again.” Buzzi was active on social media andhad thousands of followers whom she rewarded with such oneliners as “I have never faked asarcasm” and“Scientists saythe universe is made up entirelyofneurons, protons and electrons. They seem to have missed morons.” Buzzi retired from acting in 2021 and suffered aseries of strokesthe following year.Her husbandtold The Dallas Morning News in 2023 that she had dementia.

Ill. governor whohaltedexecutions, went to prison dies

BY CHRISTOPHER WILLS and JOHN O’CONNOR Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD,Ill. Former Illinois

Gov. George Ryan, disgraced by a corruption scandal that landed him in prison yet heralded by some for clearing the state’sdeath row, has died. He was 91. Kankakee County Coroner Robert Gessner,afamily friend, said Ryan died Friday afternoon at his home in Kankakee. Ryan started out asmall-town pharmacist but wound up running one of the country’slargest states. Along the way,the tough-on-crime Republican experiencedaconver-

sion on the death penalty and won international praise by halting executions as governor and, eventually,emptyingdeath row

He served only one term as governor,from 1999 to 2003, that ended amid accusations he used governmentofﬁces to reward friends, win electionsand hide corruption that played arole in the ﬁery deathsofsix children. Eventually, Ryan wasconvicted of corruption charges andsentenced to 61/2 years in federal prison.

During hismore than ﬁve years behind bars,Ryanworkedasa carpenter and befriended fellow inmates, many of whom addressed him as “governor.” He was re-

leased in January 2013, weeksbefore his 79thbirthday

He’d been defiant heading to prison. The night beforehewent in,Ryaninsisted he was innocent andwould prove it. But when Ryan asked President GeorgeW.Bush to grant him clemency in 2008, he saidheaccepted the verdict against him andfelt“deep shame.”

Ryan was still serving his sentence when his wife, Lura Lynn, died in June 2011. Born in Iowa and raisedin Kankakee, Ryan married his high school sweetheart, followed his fatherinbecoming apharmacist and had six children. In 1968, Ryan was appointedto

ﬁll an unexpired term on the county board, beginning aquick rise in politics. Eventually,heserved as speaker of theIllinois House, lieutenant governor,secretary of state and, ﬁnally,governor Aglad-handing politician from the old school, Ryan emphasized pragmatism over ideology.His willingnesstoset aside partyorthodoxysometimes put himat odds with more conservative Republicans.

In 2000, after signing off on the execution of one killer,hedecided not to carry outany more. In virtuallyhis last actasgovernor,he emptied death row with pardons and commutations in 2003.

“Because the Illinois death penalty system is arbitrary and capricious —and therefore immoral —I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death,” Ryan said. Before year’s end, he would be charged withtaking payoffs,gifts and vacations in return for steering government contracts and leases to cronies, as well as lying to investigators and cheating on his taxes.

Much of the illegal activity took place duringRyan’stwo termsas Illinois secretaryofstate, including the 1994 deaths of six children. Theyburned to death after their minivanstruck apart that had fallen off atruck whosedrivergot his license illegally from Ryan’sofﬁce.

Singer-songwriterJillSobule, knownfor ‘I Kissed aGirl,’diesinfire

BY HALLIE GOLDEN Associated Press

Jill Sobule, the awardwinning singer-songwriter whosewitty andpoignant writing first attracted widespread attention with the gay-themed song “I Kissed aGirl,” died in ahouse fire Thursday.She was 66. Her deathwas confirmed by her publicist, David Elkin, in an email Thursday afternoon.Itwas not immediately clear how the fire in Woodbury,Minnesota, started.

“Jill Sobule was aforce of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture,”John Porter,her manager,said in astatement. “I hope her music, memory,& legacy con-

BY MIKE STOBBE Associated Press

tinue to live on and inspire others.”

During her more than three decades of recording, Sobule released 12 albumsthat addressed such complex topics as the death penalty,anorexia nervosa, reproductionand LGBTQ+ issues. Her first alb um, “T hi ng s Here Are Different,”was released in 1990.Fiveyears later, she received widespread attention for her hitsingles, “Supermodel,” fromthe movie “Clueless,” and“IKissedA Girl,”which, despite being banned on several Southern

NEW YORK MoreU.S. children have died this ﬂu season than at any time since the swine ﬂu pandemic 15 years ago, according to afederalreport released Friday

The 216 pediatric deaths reported by the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention eclipse the 207 reported last year.It’sthe most since the 2009-10 H1N1 global ﬂu pandemic.

It’sastartlingly high number, giventhat the flu season is still going on. The finalpediatric death tally for the2023-24 flu season wasn’t counted until autumn

“This number that we have now is almost

radiostations, made it into theBillboard Top20. She also starred in an autobiographical off-Broadway musical thatinitially premiered at theWild Project in New York in 2022 and includes songsand stories about her life.

Sobule was known for taking control of hercareer by fundraising so she could makeher next album.

In 2008, after twomajor record companiesdumped her and two indielabels went bankrupt beneath her, Sobule raised tensofthousands of dollars from fans so shecould make anew album.

“The old kind of paradigm, where you’ve alwayswaited for other people to do things, you’d have your manager

and your agent,” she said at thetime. “You’d wait for the big record company to give youmoney to do things and theytell you what to do. This is so great. Iwanttodoeverything like this.”

Born in Denver,Colorado,onJan.16, 1959, Sobule describedherself as ashy child who preferred observing over participating.

Sobule wasknownfor playing dozens of shows a year and described herlive performances as vulnerable experiences. She said she oftendoesn’t have aset list andwings it.She also sang asongasherself on an episode of “The Simpsons” in 2019.

“In agood way, Ifeel like I’mstill arookie,” shetold The Associated Press in 2023. “There’ssomuch more to do and Ihaven’tdone my best yet.” She is survivedbyher brother andsister-in-law, James andMary EllenSobule,along withher nephews and cousins.

certainly an undercount, and one that— when the season is declared over,and they compile all the data —it’salmost certain to go up,” said Dr.Sean O’Leary, of the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics.

There are likely severalcontributors to this season’sseverity,but abig one is that fewerchildrenare getting ﬂu shots, added O’Leary,a University of Colorado pediatric infectious diseases specialist.

The ﬂu vaccination rate for U.S.children hasplummeted from about 64% ﬁve years agoto49% this season.

The CDC reportdid notsay howmanyof the children who died were vaccinated. The agency didnot make an expert available to talk aboutthe ﬂu season.

Sobule

AP FILEPHOTO By NICKUT

‘Rowan &Martin’sLaugh-In’ cast members, from left, HenryGibson, Ruth Buzzi and Gary Owenspose for the mediain2002 in Hollywood

Head of StateBar of California to step down

AI used to create exam questions

BY JENNY JARVIE

Los Angeles Times (TNS)

LOS ANGELES TheState

Bar of California announced Friday that its beleaguered leader,who has faced growing pressure to resign over the botched February rollout of anew bar exam, will step down July 7.

Leah T. Wilson, the agency’sexecutive director,informed the Board of Trustees she will not seek another term in the position she has held on and off since 2017 She also apologized for her roleinthe February bar exam chaos.

“Accountability is abedrock principle for any leader,” Wilson said in astatement.

“Atthe end of the day, Iam responsiblefor everything that occurs within the or-

ganization. Despite ourbest intentions, theexperiences of applicants for the February BarExam simply were unacceptable, and Ifully recognize the frustration and stress this experience caused. While thereare no words to assuagethose emotions,Idosincerely apologize.”

Many February test takers urged Wilson to resign after the exam, which critics say was rolledout hastily in a bid to savemoney andultimately plagued by technical glitches and irregularities. Last week, furthercontroversy erupted when it became clear that the State Barhad notbeentransparent aboutthe use of artiﬁcial intelligence to develop multiple-choice questions.

The news of Wilson‘s departure came on theday thatthousands of February test takerswere scheduled to get their exam results. But theresults appear to

have been delayedafter the State Bar was late filing a petitionwiththe California Supreme Court on scoring adjustmentsfor the exam that also responded to the court’squestions abouthow andwhy it utilized AI to develop multiple-choice questions.

TheState Barﬁledapetitiontothe Supreme Court on Tuesday —and test takers remain in limbo, unsure when theywill learn if they passed or failed.

Since the debacle, DemocraticSen.Tom Umberg chair of the state Senate Judiciary Committee, and many legal experts have called on theState Barto ditch the newquestions and revert to thetraditional test format in July —atleast until new questions and methods are adequately tested.

On April 25, deans at more thanadozen California’s American BarAssociationaccredited lawschools

Judgetemporarily blocks administration from dismantlinglibrary services agency

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Afederal judge agreed to temporarily block the Trump administration from taking any more steps to dismantle an agency that funds and promoteslibraries across the U.S.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled Thursday that plaintiffs who sued to preserve the Institute of Museum and Library Services are likely to show that the Republican administration doesn’thave the legal authority to unilaterally shutter the agency,which Congress created.

The American LibraryAssociation and the American FederationofState,County and Municipal Employees ﬁled alawsuit lastmonthto stop the administration from gutting the instituteafter President Donald Trump

BY JIM MORRIS Associated Press

VANCOUVER, British Columbia

ACanadian judgeon Friday ordered aman accused of ramminghis sportutility vehicle through aFilipino heritage festival crowd, killing 11 people andinjuring dozens, to receive amental health assessment to determine if he’s ﬁt to stand trial. Apublicity ban prevents the publication of why Judge Reginal Harris made the decision.

Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, appearedinprovincial court via video link. He wore an orangeshort-sleeved jumpsuit and sat on ablue couch He is expected to return to court on May 30. Lo faces eight counts of second-degree murder after allegedly driving an SUV through acrowd of people

signedaMarch 14 executiveorder that refers to it and several other federal agencies as “unnecessary.”

Keith Sonderling, the agency’snewly appointed acting director,subsequently placedmany agency staff members on administrative leave, sent termination notices to most of them, began cancelinggrants and contracts and ﬁred all members of theNational Museum and LibraryServices Board “These harmsare neither speculative nor remediable,” Leon wrote.

Thejudge saidhewas issuing a“narrow” temporary restraining order that preserves the status quo at the agency without granting all of thereliefthatplaintiffs attorneyswereseeking. It bars the administration fromtaking any moresteps to dissolvethe agencyorits operations, ﬁre any staffers

or cancel contracts while the lawsuit is pending.

The institutehas roughly 75 employees and issued more than $266 million in grantslast year Government lawyerssaid Trump’sexecutive order requires theinstitutetoreduce its work to only thatwhich is required by statute. They also arguedthatthe district court doesn’thave jurisdiction over plaintiffs’ claims.

Cindy Hohl, president of theAmerican Library Association, saidthe cut in fundingisalreadyimpacting libraries across the country,including in rural areas wherelibraries are setting up their summer reading programs. “Many libraries thatalready have contracts with performers and educators, they’re having to ﬁnd other ways to be able to pay for their assistance with programs,” she said.

CANADIAN PRESS PHOTO By RICH LAM APhilippines flag waves in the windMondayata memorial site for the victims of an incident whereacar drove throughacrowd killing multiple people in Vancouver, British Columbia.

at the Filipino community’s Lapu Lapu DayStreet festivalonSaturdayinVancouver,British Columbia Attending Friday’shearing was Marco Harder,vice consul for the Consulate General of the Philippines.

Lo had previously been scheduledtoappear in court May 26, after making his ﬁrst appearance by video on Sunday,the day after the attack.

Damienne Darbywith the British Columbia Prosecution Service said that Lo’s lawyer had requested the next appearance be moved ahead.

The B.C. provincial governmenthad declared Friday aprovincial day of mourning for thevictims.

In astatement, Premier David Eby extendedhis “deepest and most heartfelt condolences” to anyone who had lost aloved one. He also wished aspeedyrecovery for those injured.

MayorKen Sim also released astatementsaying thetragedy hastouched people of all backgrounds.

“Weare devastated,” the statement said.

wrote to Patricia Guerrero, chiefjusticeofthe CaliforniaSupreme Court, expressing“serious concernsabout the exam’sfairness and validity.” The deansurged the courttoreleaseall 200 multiple-choicequestions that were on the February exam and return tousing theNCBE’sMultistateBar Examination for themultiple-choiceportionofthe next exam Wilson, however,signaled Friday thatCalifornia should ultimately push aheadwith its own bar exam

“As the fourth largest economy in the world, it is only rightthatCalifornia develops itsown barexam, andthatultimatelythat exam reﬂect the innovation, excellence, equity,and accessibility principlesthat are central to who we are as Californians,”she said in a statement. “Wewill notget

there by turning backward.”

Wilson first took on the role of executive director in 2017,but exited briefly to work for aconsulting business beforereturning in 2021. She faced additional scrutiny for her income— she earned an annual 2023 salary of $362,067, plus $59,968 in bonuses—at a timewhen the State Bar is struggling financially “Stagnating revenue and increasing personnel costs,” California’s stateauditor said in arecent report, “have led its general fund to adeficit in four of the last five years.”

Still, Wilson said she was proud of her timeatthe helm of the State Bar,citing hereffortstomakethe organizationan“exceptional workplace” that resulted in “strong staffengagement, positive union relationships and historically low turn-

over.”

“I am particularly proud of our efforts to elevate and offer real solutions to theaccess-to-justice crisis in our state, makereal our commitments to increasing equity and inclusion in the profession, and stabilizing the State Bar financially,” Wilson said in astatement. Brandon Stallings, chair of the State Bar’sBoard of Trustees,praisedWilson’s leadership, notingshe had played akey role in advancing many of the organization’scritical initiatives.

“The Board recognizes the signiﬁcant contributions thatLeah Wilsonmadeduring her tenure, particularly in the concerted effort to recognize andaddress racial disparities in the discipline system,” Stallings said. “We understand and respect her decision, and we are gratefulfor her service.”

state Rep. JulieEmerson,RCarencro, who sponsored the bill that became Amendment 2. “Many,many people calledme(after the March 29 vote) and said they liked the concepts, but it was too much.” No major oppositionhas emerged yet to the four proposals as they begin to work their way through the Legislature.

Landry and Nelson believed that Amendment2 contained so many good provisionsthat voters would overlook the parts they didn’tlike. The strategy failed, and now Landry and hislegislative allies are pushingonly the individual changes that they think voterswould accept.

Dead and buried is acontroversial part of Amendment 2that wouldhave made it somewhat easier to remove property tax exemptions by taking them out of the constitution and giving the Legislature that decision. Religious-minded conservatives contributed to the defeat of Amendment 2by campaigning against it becauseofthat provision.

Anotherelementof Amendment 2that is not being revived: aprovision to enshrine alower individual income tax rate in theconstitution.The current rate allowedis4.75%, but the Legislature lastyear imposed alower 3% rate.

Without alower constitutionallimit,the Legislature in theory could raise therate to 4.75%.

Emerson, whoauthored thebill that became Amendment 2, is back withtwo of thebite-sized pieces. Her House Bill 473 would liquidate three education trust funds and use the$2 billion in thoseaccounts to retire achunk of the debt owed by the Teachers Retirement SystemofLouisiana. Paying off that debt in turnwouldfreeup$320 millionin payments that the state and local school boards have beenmaking every year.

Of thatmoney,Emerson, Landry and legislative leadershavesaidthey would use $200 million to allowlocal schooldistrictstoturn a $2,000 one-year payment to teachers —and a$1,000 payment to supportstaff— into an annual pay raise

The $2 billion in the trust funds has beengenerating $50 million ayear to provide earlychildhoodeducation forabout 2,000 kids and cover other annual education costs. Lawmakershavesaid they would have plentyof money to pay for those programs becausepaying the teachers and support staff more would take only $200 millionofthe $325 million in annual savings from no longer making thedebt payments.

“This is really about trying to make smarter ﬁnancialdecisionsand payour teachers as well,”Emerson told colleagues.

Washington after her time at DEQ.

Rep. DarylDeshotel,RHessmer,issponsoring

House Bill 366 to give parishes the right to decide whether to abolishthe propertytax on businessinventory.Eliminating that tax hasbeen a longtime goal of business interests but one that parishes have resisted becauseofthe taxrevenue they would lose.

The Landry administration believesthat about 40 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes wouldget rid of the inventory tax

Deshotel’sbill includes a sweetener to make parishes want to opt out —they would receive up to $15 million, based on their collections,to make up for thelost property taxrevenue.

The money for theparishes would come from the money that would be freed up by folding the Revenue Stabilization Fund into therainy day fund.

That’swhat Emerson is proposing to do through House Bill 678.

Emerson toldmembersof theWays andMeans Committee on Monday that the Revenue Stabilization Fund has so much money in it ($2.7 billion) that lawmakers can put it to better use. Under current law,all corporate tax revenue collected above $600 million each year ﬂows into thatfund, so theamount in it has grown rapidly in recent years.

Under Emerson’sbill, about $2 billion of the $3 billion wouldbeusedtoﬁll up therainy day fund, which currently has$1.1 billion in it. Another $265 millionorso from repealing the Revenue

Stabilization Fund wouldgo to the 40 or so parishes that opt out of the inventory tax. Eliminating the Revenue Stabilization Fund would not only create money for these one-time spending proposals. It would also allow corporate tax revenue over $600 millionper year that has been ﬂowing into thatfund to be available for spending on popular government programs. Corporate tax revenue in 2025 is projected to be $1.2 billion, so eliminating theRevenue Stabilization Fund is expected togenerate hundreds of millions of dollars for the general spending fund.

As part of Emerson’s

HB678, if voters approve eliminating the Revenue Stabilization Fund, Louisiana’sincome tax would drop from 3% to 2.75% and the standard deduction for people over 65 would double In the samevein, under Emerson’sHouse Bill 578, Louisiana’ssales tax, which is thecountry’s highest, would drop from an average 10.12% to 9.87%, still the highest.

Rep.Phillip Tarver, RLake Charles, is sponsoring House Bill 295, which would attempt to rein in the growth of governmentspendingon an ongoing basis. Acomplex formula would establishthe limit, butitwouldnot affect spending on one-timepro-

grams. “The basic idea is we don’t want government spendingtogrow at arate faster than inflation or the state’s population,” Tarver said. “Ifwekeep losing people, it shouldn’ttake more money to serve fewer people.” Underhis bill,the Legislature could spend above the growth limit with atwothirds vote. Hisamendment would notaffect aseparate restrictionongovernment spending knownasthe expenditure limit. Thatlimit affectsbothannualand onetime spending.

Email TylerBridges at tbridges@theadvocate. com.

continued to make public appearances, recently testifying before alegislative panel this month on streamlining permits for nuclear reactorsinthe state.

In an email sent to employees on Friday,Giacometto said it was“bittersweet news to tell them she was leaving for her new jobin

“Over the past 17 months, I have beenprivileged tolead this agency through transformative initiativesthat have made asigniﬁcant impact on our environment and communities.I am proud of what we have accomplished together and gratefulfor the support and collaboration I have experiencedfromeach of you,” she wrote. Giacometto also detailed her accomplishments: mod-

ernizing the department’s internal infrastructure, including apermit dashboard; cutting the agency’sbudget by 2.5%,or$5million, for the La. DOGE process; and creating teams to address long-standing environmental problems, including the dusty red mudponds in Burnside.

In astatementFriday, Roger Ward,now theformer humanresources lawyerwho sent acritical letter about Giacometto to media

outlets earlier this month when he resigned, called her departure “long overdue but fantastic news for DEQ and its employees” afterthe “nightmare” of her tenure.

“The damageshe has done to the agency is immense and it is ashamethat it took so many complaints anddepartures to finally get the governor to address her egregious and narcissistic behavior,” Ward wrote.

He addedthatemployees

arethrilledwiththe appointment of Burdette, praisingher forher smarts and “temperament to lead the agency.” Before Burdette’s time at DEQ, she was previously an attorney with theLouisiana Board of Ethics and an assistant attorney general with the Louisiana Department of Justice handling civil cases. “Courtney has played a pivotal role at LDEQfor a decade, and it is exciting to bring her leadership and ex-

perience back to the Department,” Landry saidinhis statement. “I am confident that Courtney will continue to movethe department in adirection that protects our environment while also fighting for Louisiana businesses over bureaucracy.” Burdetteearneda bachelor’sdegree in English from Howard Universityand her lawdegreefromLSU,the Governor’sOffice said. She is married and has two children.

STAFF FILE PHOTOByHILARy SCHEINUK

Scientiﬁc societies to step up after Trump blasts climate report

BY SETH BORENSTEIN

AP science writer

WASHINGTON Two major sci-

entiﬁc societies on Friday said they will try to ﬁll the void from the Trump administration’s dismissal of scientists writing a cornerstone federal report on what climate change is doing to the United States.

The American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union said they will work together to produce peerreviewed research documents assessing the current and future national impacts of climate change because a science-based report required by law is suddenly in question under President Donald Trump.

Earlier this week, Trump’s Republican administration told about 400 scientists working on the National Climate Assessment that they were no longer needed and that the report was being reevaluated.

That report, coming once every four to ﬁve years, is required by a 1990 federal law and was due out around 2027. Preliminary budget documents show slashing funding or eliminating ofﬁces involved in coordinating that report, scientists and activists said.

“We are ﬁlling in a gap in the scientiﬁc process,” AGU President Brandon Jones said. “It’s more about ensuring that science continues.”

Meteorological society past president Anjuli Bamzi, a retired federal atmospheric scientist who has worked on previous National Climate Assessments, said one of the most important parts of the federal report is that it projects 25 and 100 years into the future. With the assessment “we’re better equipped to deal with the future,” Bamzi said. “We can’t be

SURGE

Continued from page 1A

Early symptoms may look like the common cold and include a runny or stuffy nose, low-grade fever and mild cough, according to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A week or two after symptoms begin, coughing ﬁts can start. Coughing ﬁts can last as little as one week and as long as 10 weeks

In babies, early symptoms may include life-threatening pauses in breathing, and whooping cough may appear like the common cold for the entire illness, according to the CDC.

Pertussis can spread from person to person once symptoms start and “for at least 2 weeks after coughing begins,” according to the CDC.

“Infants under the age of 1 year are most affected by whooping cough, showing the highest reported rates of infection and the greatest likelihood of severe complications and death,” according to the Louisiana Department of Health. “The bacteria that cause whooping cough are often unknowingly spread to infants by close family or caregivers.”

an ostrich and put our head in the sand and let it go.”

Texas Tech University climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, also chief scientist at The Nature Conservancy, said the two organizations joining to do this report “is a testament to how important it is that the latest science be summarized and available.”

Hayhoe, who was a lead author of reports in 2009, 2018 and 2023, said “people are not aware of how climate change is impacting the decisions that they are making today, whether it’s the size of the storm sewer pipes they’re installing, whether it is the expansion of the ﬂood zone where people are building, whether it is the increases in extreme heat.”

They need that knowledge to ﬁgure out how to adapt to harms in the future and even the present Hayhoe said.

The national assessment, unlike global United Nations documents, highlights what’s happening to weather not just in the nation but at regional and local levels.

Jones said he hopes the societies’ work can be done in just one year

The last climate assessment report, released in 2023, said that climate change is ”harming physical mental, spiritual, and community health and wellbeing through the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme events, increasing cases of infectious and vector-borne diseases, and declines in food and water quality and security.”

In 2018, during Trump’s first term, the assessment was just as blunt, saying: “Climate change creates new risks and exacerbates existing vulnerabilities in communities across the United States, presenting growing challenges to human health and safety, quality of life, and the rate of economic growth.”

The Health Department has offered some tips on how to handle whooping cough:

n Vaccination is the best way to prevent serious complications from illness, but protection from the vaccine fades over time. The DTaP vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis — is for children younger than 7. The Tdap vaccine is for older children, teens, and adults, and is a booster dose protecting against the same diseases.

n Infants can’t receive a pertussis-containing vaccine until they are 2 months old. That can leave young babies at high risk for severe disease.

n “The best way to protect newborns from whooping cough is for pregnant women to receive a Tdap vaccine during each pregnancy,” according to Health Department guidance. “Pregnant women should also get the Tdap vaccine during the third trimester of any pregnancy Evidence shows that infants are less likely to develop pertussis early in life if their mother received the Tdap vaccine during pregnancy

n Review your and your children’s immunization history Contact your health care provider about any questions related to the DTaP and Tdap vaccines.

On election day, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, go to geauxvote.com Ballot propositions and runoff races for ﬁve of the Baton Rouge-area parishes are listed below.

D = Democrat R = Republican I = Independent

ASCENSION PARISH

BELLE MAISON SUBDIVISION

PROPERTY TAX (15 MILLS)

To levy a property tax of 15 mills, estimated to generate $26,325 a year, to maintain all public infrastructure, including streets, drainage, bridges and culverts, within the district.

BELLE SAVANNE SUBDIVISION

PROPERTY TAX (15 MILLS)

To levy a 15-mill property tax, estimated to generate $99,225 a year, in Phases 1, 2A & 2B to maintain all public infrastructure, including streets, drainage, bridges and culverts, within the district.

EAST BATON

ROUGE PARISH

STATE REPRESENTATIVE,

DISTRICT 67

Terry Landry Jr., D

“Sonny” Marchbanks, D Malcolm Myer, D ST. GEORGE CITY COUNCIL

MEMBER AT LARGE

“Jim” Talbot, R Shaunn Wyche, D

DISRICT 4

Patricia “Patty” Cook, R David Madaffari, I

DISTRICT ATTORNEY TAX

PROPOSITION (4 MILLS)

To levy a 4-mill property tax, estimated to generate $24.4 million a year, for 20 years from 2025 to 2044, to fund the District Attorney’s Ofﬁce.

EBR SCHOOL DISTRICT

PROPERTY TAX RENEWALS

PROPOSITION 1

(0.72 MILL FOR I CARE)

To continue to levy the 0.72-mill property tax, generating $3.89 million a year, for 10 years from 2027 to 2036 for the school-based Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Program commonly referred to as the “I CARE” program.

PROPOSITION 2 (1.04 MILL FOR OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE)

To continue to levy the 1.04-mill property tax, generating $5.6 million a year, for 10 years from 2027 to 2036 for operating and maintaining the public school system.

PROPOSITION 3 (5.99 MILLS FOR SALARIES, BENEFITS)

To continue to levy the 5.99-mill property tax, generating $32.3 million a year, for 10 years from 2027 to 2036 to improve salaries and other beneﬁts for public school employees. PROPOSITION 4 (4.09 MILLS FOR OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE)

To continue to levy the 4.98-mill property tax, generating $26.9 million a year, for 10 years from 2028 to 2037 to replace reduced state and local receipts for operations and maintenance.

PROPOSITION 5 (7.14 MILLS FOR SALARIES, BENEFITS)

ELECTION

Continued from page 1A

whether to renew five property taxes that fund the public school system. The taxes pay for staff salaries and beneﬁts, maintenance and health and wellness programs.

Voters will also pick a new state representative for the 67th District, which covers Gardere and Riverbend in the south, the LSU campus and Old South Baton Rouge, as well as Mid City and North Baton Rouge. Larry Selders vacated that seat to become a state senator; he replaced Cleo Fields, who was elected to Congress.

Terry Landry Jr., Sonny Marchbanks and Malcom Myer, all Democrats, are running for the seat.

Landry is Louisiana policy director for the Southern Poverty Law Center and has worked at the State Capitol on behalf of the Department of Children and Family

To continue to levy the 7.14-mill property tax, generating $38.5 million a year, for 10 years from 2029 to 2038 for improving and maintaining salaries and beneﬁts of public school employees.

CENTRAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL BOARD TAX (SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION DEBT)

To incur $35 million in bonded debt for 20 years, to be repaid with property taxes, to build, acquire or improve schools and other schoolrelated facilities, together with equipment and furnishings, as set forth in the Capital Improvement Plan approved by the School Board on Jan. 13. The property tax rate in the ﬁrst year will be no higher than the 23.65 mills currently levied to pay the district’s general obligation bonds.

CITY OF ZACHARY

CHARTER AMENDMENTS

The proposed amendments to the city’s Home Rule Charter include clearer information on council member residency requirements; having the mayor pro tempore rather than the mayor conduct council meetings; sets up a plan for who takes over if the mayor is unavailable or disabled; clariﬁes how pay for elected ofﬁcials is to be adjusted; department heads don’t have to live in Zachary; allows the police chief to appoint a deputy city marshal; if the city council doesn’t approve the budget in 45 days, 90% of the previous year’s budget becomes the default; requires majority council approval to issue bonds and take on debt. The proposed amendments can be reviewed at https:// www.cityofzachary.org or may be obtained from the Clerk of the City Council.

IBERVILLE PARISH LIBRARY PROPERTY TAX RENEWAL (4 MILLS)

To continue to levy the 4-mill property tax, currently generating $4.9 million a year, for 15 years from 2026 to 2040 for maintenance, operation and capital expenditures to operate the Iberville Parish Public Library and its branches, with tax proceeds to be administered by the Iberville Parish Library Board of Control.

LIVINGSTON PARISH

DISTRICT JUDGE, 21ST JUDICIAL DISTRICT (Livingston, St. Helena, Tangipahoa parishes) Jenny Richardson Fore, R Jessica C. Ledet, R KILLIAN ALDERMAN Trevor Clardy, R Bryce Felps, R PARISHWIDE SCHOOL BOARD PROPERTY TAX RENEWAL (7 MILLS)

To continue to levy the 7-mill property tax, currently generating $4.98 million a year, for 10 years beginning in 2026 for maintenance of public schools, including providing equipment.

ST. JAMES PARISH

PARISHWIDE HOSPITAL TAX RENEWAL (4.75 MILLS)

To continue to levy the 4.75-mill

Services and the Department of Health.

Marchbanks worked for John Delgado’s 2016 campaign for mayor-president and for eight years in Delgado’s law ofﬁce, and is now a construction project manager at SNA Contracting.

Myer has held a wide range of jobs in state government, including the then-Department of Social Services, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the Attorney General’s Office,

tax, currently generating $290,000 a year, for 10 years from 2027 to 2036 to maintain and operate recreational facilities in the district.

GRAMERCY RECREATION DISTRICT TAX RENEWAL (4.61 MILLS) To renew the 4.61-mill property tax, currently generating $374,000 a year, for 10 years from 2029 to 2038 to build, operate and maintain recreational facilities in the district.

and as deputy secretary for the Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Meanwhile, voters in the new city of St George will ﬁll the last two seats on the ﬁrst elected city council.

One race is for an at-large seat, meaning any resident in the city limits can vote. Jim Talbot, a Republican, is running against Shaunn Wyche, a Democrat. Another race involves only voters in District 4. Patty Cook, a Republican, is running against David Madaffari, an independent candidate.

Talbot and Cook have long been involved in the St. George movement and are endorsed by Mayor Dustin Yates. Wyche and Madaffari have raised concerns about current St. George leadership’s transparency and salaries that were approved for city leaders.

Email Matthew Albright at malbright@theadvocate.com.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS Louisiana goes to the polls Saturday.

Baton Rouge Weather

When you’re comparingplans ...

Many Americansare fortunate to havedental coverage fortheir entire working life, through employer-provided benefits.Whenthose benefits end with retirement, paying dental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock, leading people to putoff or even go without care. Simply put —without dentalinsurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcare coverage.

 Look forcoveragethat helps pay formajor services. Some plans may limitthe numberof procedures —orpay forpreventive care only.

 Look forcoverage with no deductibles. Some plans mayrequire you to payhundredsout of pocket before benefits are paid.

 Shop forcoveragewithnoannual maximum on cash benefits. Some planshaveannual maximums of $1,000.

it was never meanttocover everything. That means if you wantprotection, you need to purchase individual insurance. Earlydetection canprevent small problems from becoming expensive ones. The best way to preventlarge dental bills is preventive care. The American Dental Association recommends checkups twice ayear.

you shouldn’ttakeyourdental health forgranted.Infact, yourodds of having adentalproblem only go up as you age.2

Treatment is expensive— especially theservicespeople over 50 oftenneed.

Consider these national average costs of treatment. $222 fora checkup .$190 for afilling. $1,213 fora crown.3 Unexpected bills likethis can be arealburden especially if you’re on afixed income.

BR man indicted in fatal shooting

18-year-old accused in 2024 death

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

A Baton Rouge man accused of fatally shooting another teenager as they rode in a car was indicted Thursday on a count of seconddegree murder

Jeremiah Howze, 18, was indicted by a grand jury in the Dec. 23, 2024, death of Kyle Earthly He also faces counts of obstruction of justice and unlawful handling of a ﬁrearm, according to court records.

Deputies with the East Baton

Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce were called to the Exxon gas station in the 15000 block of Old Hammond Highway around 3:30 p.m They found Earthly unresponsive and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

Earthly was pronounced dead at the scene. Bullets, shells and a ﬁrearm were found inside the vehicle.

Earthly had picked up Howze earlier that day at his residence, and the pair were seen on surveillance video entering and exiting another store ﬁve minutes before the shooting. Witnesses at the store identiﬁed Earthly’s passenger as “Jeremiah.”

Earthly was pulling his car into the Exxon immediately when the shots were fired. The car was still in drive and coasted across the median and through four lanes of traffic before coming to a rest. Surveillance video shows Howze exiting the passenger seat of the car and fleeing on foot. Footage from Howze’s residence shows him entering the home 22

A person naps along the steps of the Mississippi River levee Tuesday as the rising river laps against the structure below in downtown Baton Rouge.

A man who was found dead with a gunshot wound on Sunday has been identiﬁed by the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Ofﬁce. Diamante Washington, 20, was found shot dead in the backyard of a residence in the 5800 block of Kilona Drive. East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies received

‘American

at the wreck Firefighters with the St George Fire Protection District responded to a call about a car in a pond at the intersection of Highland Road and Pecue Lane at about 7:30 a.m Friday a spokesperson for the district said. The bystander who made the call did not see the original

ELLYN COUVILLION

‘American Idol’ hopeful got his start at dive bars

concert at his hometown bar

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

Side Porch Daiquiris, a beloved local bar off La. 1 in Addis, was quiet Wednesday morning except for the chatter of the radio and the whirring of the daiquiri machines. But just weeks ago, the atmosphere at the dive was electric when Louisiana native and now Top 10

“American Idol” contestant John Foster played his ﬁnal

“I always had a feeling he’d be too big for us one day,” said Side Porch manager Brady Creighton, who started booking then-high school student Foster right after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Westside bar, restaurant and festival circuit served as a training ground for the 18-yearold country musician, who continues to advance in season 23 of the singing competition airing on ABC. His stage presence and sound seemed developed even at the beginning of his career, locals said.

“That’s the same voice he’s had

WBR locals say they knew he’d make it big one day ä See HOPEFUL, page 2B

Email Ellyn Couvillion at ecouvillion@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

PROVIDED PHOTO

Idol’ John Foster plays a show at Side Porch Daiquiris in Addis.

Johnson-Lain

Officials: Manshot, killed by NOPD officers

Anotherperson wasalsohit by car fleeing scene

BY MARCOCARTOLANO and POET WOLFE Staff writer

New Orleans police shot and killed aman Friday at the Walmart Supercenter in the Lower Garden District after he ran over afemale officer andanother person withhis car,officials said. At about 10:50 a.m., the New Orleans Police Department responded to acall of an officer in-

jured at 1901 Tchoupitoulas St., according to Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick.The ofﬁcer was workinga detailatthe Walmart andwas ﬂagged downbyabystander who said aman appeared to be overdosing in avehicle.

The ofﬁcer administered Narcan to the man, and when he awoke, he began acting “erratically,” Kirkpatrick said.Heproceeded to speed offwhile theofﬁcerwas partially in the car,dragging her with him.

“Here our ofﬁcer was trying to give aid to someone to trytohelp them andsave them anditturned on adime,” Kirkpatrick said. The driver then hit abystander

and atruck parked on the side of thestreet. The officer,who landed underneath the truck, fired at least one gunshot at the man, striking him on the side of the chest. Kirkpatrick said the officer was in a “life and deathsituation.”

Despite being shot, theman continued driving down thestreet until he crashed.

After the crash,alieutenant cut the air bags inside the car so the mancould receivemedical assistance. Another responding ofﬁcer administered ﬁrst aid.

Kirkpatrick said the injured ofﬁcer was stable and alert and the bystander,thoughinjured, was alive. Theirconditions arecur-

rently unknown

According to the department, the ofﬁcer has been placed on administrative reassignment per standard protocol pending the outcome of theinvestigation.

At the Walmart,customershad to pause their shopping while dozensofpolice ofﬁcers investigated thescene,ropingoff theareasurrounding the big box store.

One shopper,HarryGilbert of New Orleans, said he was there with aneighbor when hiscar was damaged by the man’s vehicle before theofﬁcer arrived.

Gilbert saw twopolice ofﬁcers head to the scenetocheck on the driver. He then saw the manre-

Grad studentsuesTulaneUniversity, officer

Suit allegesprotest arrestmisrepresented

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

ATulane University graduate student sued the school and aformermemberofits police force, allegingthat the police officer misrepresented the student’sactions when he was arrested following apro-Palestinian protest at the school last year,according to court records.

Khalif Birden, a26-year-old graduate anthropology student, was arrested several days after protesters set up an encampment on Tulane’scampus on April 29, 2024. According to the lawsuit, during the protest, Tulane police ofﬁcer Nathaniel Wolf wasstanding on atentthatBirdenattempted to pull away,and Wolf fell to the ground. The lawsuit alleges that Wolf was uninjured and acknowl-

edged he fell on his own,but then latersworeout an afﬁdavit againstBirden that didn’t reﬂect what happened.

Birden was booked with resistinga police officerwithforce, which is afelony,and “remaining in placesorlandafter being forbidden,” amisdemeanor

ANew Orleans judge later found Birdennot guilty on all counts. He has notbeen allowed back on campus, however,because the school found he had violated itsconduct standards,and he hasnot been able to complete his doctoral studies. His attorney said his conduct hearings with the school are ongoing.

In his lawsuit, Birden alleges that Wolf,who no longer works for the university,made “material misrepresentation” of theincident that led toBirden’sarrest.

The lawsuit argues that Tulane, which trains university police officers accordingtoLouisiana standards, should also be held liable.

Birden is seeking compensa-

tion for “general andspecial damages,” but did not specify an amount, along with attorney fees and other legal costs.

Mike Strecker,aspokesperson for the university,declinedto comment on the case but said in astatement that although Tulane “fundamentally respects the right to protest and regularly supports lawfuldemonstrationsoncampus” it does not “tolerate behavior that violates university conduct policies and/or the law.”

Strecker confirmedthatWolf is no longer employedbythe university.Attempts to reach Wolf on Friday were unsuccessful.

Students across thecountrywho participated in pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses over the past year continue to face consequences,ranging from discipline by their schoolsto, in some cases, detainment by federal agents.At Tulane, seven studentswho took part in apeaceful protest this Marchare under investigation by the university and some could face suspensionorexpulsion.

In New Orleans, dozens of students and local activists staged protests on Tulane’s campus last year before pitching tents on a campus lawn alongSt. Charles Avenue. The encampment stayed in place for abouta dayuntillaw enforcement officers, including Louisiana State Police troopers, dismantled it and arrested 14 people, including ﬁve Tulane students andtwo Loyola University students.

All have since been acquitted of the charges, which were misdemeanor countsofremaining in aplace that they were orderedto leave.

Matt McLaren, aNew Orleans attorney representing Birden in the criminal caseand the lawsuit, declined to comment on the specifics of the case, but said that while theconsequences that Birden andother studentprotesters have faced raise similarfreespeech issues, “webelieve Mr Birden’scase is signiﬁcantly different thanjustaninfringement on his First Amendment rights.”

Times-Picayune |The Advocate wins ‘Newspaper of theYear’

Louisiana Press Associationawards announced Thursday

BY ANDREA GALLO Staff writer

The Times-Picayune |The Advocate was named “Newspaper of the Year” and won the FreedomofInformation Award at the Louisiana Press Association’sannualBetter Newspaper Contest.

The awards, which were announced Thursday evening,included honors for news, sports, feature and opinion writing as well as photography,headlinewriting and more. The newspaperwon the Freedom of Information Award for its coverage of an attempt in the Louisiana Legislature to repeal the state’spublic records laws, which ultimately failed.

“Wepublished many storiesdetailing the law’spotentialimpact, and we highlighted how public records helped to expose major

cover ups in Louisiana history,” the newspaper wrote itscontest entry letter

Thenewspaper also swept the investigativereporting category in its division. Judges honoredreporters Joseph Cranneyand Jeff Adelson for their ”Broken City” series on infrastructure failures in New Orleans; reporter Andrea Gallo for her stories on child welfare failures across Louisiana; andreporter SamKarlin for his ”Breaking Point”series on the property insurance crisis along the coast.

Other awardwinnersfrom The Times-Picayune |The Advocate include:

n First placefor bestfront page, staff

n Firstplace for best headline, AndreaDaniel n First placefor best breaking newsstory,CharlesLussier

n First place for best feature story,Jan Risher

n First placefor best news story, TylerBridges n First place for best regular column (SamHanna Award),Stepha-

nie Grace

n First place for best investigative reporting (Gibbs Adams Award),Joseph Cranney and Jeff Adelson

n First place for best sports story,Wilson Alexander

n First place for best sports column, ScottRabalais

n First place for bestnews photo, Javier Gallegos

n First place for best feature photo, Michael Johnson

n First place for bestnews video, Chelsea Shannon, Ian McNulty and Chris Granger The Acadiana Advocate and St.Tammany Farmer,which are judged in differentdivisions, also wonvariety of awards. They include:

n First place for bestheadline, Chris Martin

n First place for best breaking news story,Claire Taylorand Stephen Marcantel

n First place for bestnews story, Alena Maschke

n First place forbest single editorial, Arnessa Garrett

n First place, bestlayout and de-

Jazz Festersrecoveringafter beinghit by car

Longtime visitors ‘grateful’ to be alive

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

Susan Leboff remembers hearing something new to her every day last weekend at the New Orleans Jazz &Heritage Festival, from Eric Gales’ funk-infused guitar licks at the BluesTent to Kacey Musgraves‘ solo acoustic country balladsfrom the Festival Stage.

She remembers crossing Gentilly Boulevard and Lapeyrouse Street at 10:24 a.m. Thursday near the festival gates with her husband and their friend.

“Wealways do the same thing: Park in frontofthe Joan Mitchell Foundation and walk inwhen it opens. Iremember. thinking we could definitely clear” the crosswalk,said Leboff, 70, of Virginia.

“That’sthe last thing Iremember,” she said. The next thing she remembered was an ambulance ride to the hospital. Leboff, her husband andtheir friend had all been hit by avehicle as they crossed the street, about ablockfromthe Gentilly Boulevard pedestrian entrance. The friend’sinjuries were mi-

nor. Leboff suffered aﬁve-stitch gash on her forehead, lip and mouthinjuriesand aconcussion.

Her husband, Bruce Weiner, 73, remained hospitalized Friday afternoon with six brokenribs and abrain bleed

“He is in alot of pain,” Leboff said. “He is lucid. Neither of us is traumatized Ithink we mostly just feel grateful that we weren’t more badly hurt.”

Leboff says she is “neutral” about the NOPD’sdecision on Thursday to classify the crash as an auto accidentwithinjury, with no arrests. Apolicespokesperson said thedriver remained on thescene.

“I don’tthink it wasintentional,” Leboff said. “If they want to charge him, they could charge him. Iknowhewasn’t aterrorist.”

Following the Jan. 1terrorist attack that killed 14 Bourbon Street revelers and injured at least 57, ofﬁcials ramped up Jazz Fest security measures, placing concreteand plastic security barriers along Fortin Street and Gentilly Boulevard and deploying 211 additional New Orleans PoliceDepartment officers to thearea.The barrier setupdidn’t include theintersectionofGentillyBoulevardand Lapeyrouse Street Recent Virginia transplants by

way of New York City, Leboff is aretired estate and gift tax examiner for the IRS. Weiner,her husband, is abankruptcylawyer They have attended JazzFest nearlyevery yearsince 2008 and became regular visitors to New Orleans after their daughter earned ascholarship to Tulane University The WWOZ members bookendedtheir festing with volunteering, doing projects forJewish Helping Hands, anonproﬁt group that helped Hurricane Katrina victims return to their homes. As of Friday,Leboffwas caringfor herhusband, recoveringfromher own injuriesand arranging extended housing in New Orleans. Their trip will likely stretch beyond their planned Mondaydeparture. She was grateful to Jazz Fest organizers for fully refunding theirweekend passes and “bummed” that sheand her husbandcouldn’t attend this weekend. Despite the pain of the crash, Leboff says it won’tstop them from festing in the future “(The crash) hadnothing to do with Jazz Fest. It could have happened anywhere, to anybody,” Leboff said. “It isn’tour plan to go next year,but we do planto go in thefuture We’re avery resilient family.”

verse his car and quickly pull out, dragging the ofﬁcer as she held on to the door

Gilbert did not see the shooting after the car leftthe Walmart lot, but he heard twoshots and saidpolice swarmed onto the scene.

“It was like an Al Pacino movie withaction allmorning,”Gilbert said. “They started shooting, people were screaming, alady washit in the leg by the car.” Gilbert said his car’sbumper and right fender cameoff as aresult of the crash.

“There’salot of work for me to do to pick up the car,get it ﬁxed,” Gilbert said. “But,I’llmakeit through.”

BLOTTER

Continued from page1B

crash, only that acar was overturnedand ﬂooded in the shallow pond.

Awater rescue squad was sent to the scene, but no evidence that adriverwas in the car at the time of the crashwas found. No body was found in the pond either, which is fed by asmall creek but otherwise has no other outlet for a body to have washedaway. It is unclear if anyone was inside the car when it went into the pond, the spokesperson said, adding thatthe road near the pond is aproblem area, having had two previous crashesinthe past year She saidthatreﬂectorsorsignage would make thearea safer and theSt. George Fire hopes they are eventually added “when the city hasmoremoney.”

The Sheriff’s Ofﬁce wasscheduledtoremove the vehicleand will look for the owner.

One booked on suspicion of DWIinEBR Parish

One personwas booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison between noon andmidnight Thursdayonsuspicion of driving while intoxicated.

sign (GaryHebert Award), staff

n First place, best front page, St. Tammany Farmer staff

n First place, best breaking news story, St. Tammany Farmer staff

n Firstplace, best featurestory, Kim Chatelain

n First place, best newsstory JessicaSaggio

n First place, regularcolumn (SamHanna Award), Jessica Saggio

n First place, best investigative reporting (Gibbs Adams Award), AlexLubben

n First place, best sportsstory, Joseph Halm

n First place, best sports column, Joseph Halm

n First place, best news photo, Grant Therkildsen

n First place, best feature photo, Grant Therkildsen

n First place, best news video, Joseph Halm

n First place,general excellence, St. TammanyFarmer Thenewspaper’sadvertising department wonﬁrst-place awards for staff-generated ads, ad campaigns and in-paper promotions.

INDICTED

Continuedfrom page1B

minutes after the shooting and leaving in adifferent set of clothes.

Detectives secured asearch warrant for Howze’sresidence that day, where the clothes he was seen wearing on surveillance video were found hidden in theback of acloset.

Witnesseswho hadspoken with Howzeafter the shooting allege that he told them he had “done something bad and couldnot return home,” according to aprobable cause statement. They also say Howze hadturned off the location on his phoneand had stopped answering calls.

Howze was arrestedonDec. 31,2024. He posted abailof $150,000 on Jan 9.

Amotion to revoke Howze’s bail wasﬁled on April 14. Court records allege that on multiple occasionsHowze let his ankle monitor die and was outside of his residence after his 7p.m. curfew.Howze was thenrestricted to house arrest, according to court documents. His arraignment is scheduled for May 12.

EmailQuinn Coffman at quinn.coffman@theadvocate. com.

n James Young, 64, of Sarasota, Florida,was booked on acount each of ﬁrst-offense operation of avehicle while intoxicated, possession of alcohol in vehicle and carelessoperationofavehicle

HOPEFUL

Continued from page1B

sincehewas 16, 17,” Creighton said. Regulars at Charlie’sLounge, another bar played by Foster,all had storiestoshare about the young singer.Local GaryTullier said he only gotbetterashewatched him playoverthe years.

WhenFoster was starting out, he played Feast on the Levee, afestivalinBruslywhere Tulliersaw him perform.

“Whenhegot off thestage, Isaid, ‘Man,you did excellent.You need to go on ‘American Idol, Tulliersaid. Sitting around the bar, residents also praised Foster for being an old soul, in both his music and how he interacts withothers.

“He’sanhonest, genuine,probably themostrespectfulpersonhis age I’ve ever met in my life,” Ryan Comeaux said. “I mean, Igotta tell him to quit calling me sir.” Before he traveled to Hollywood for“American Idol,”Foster already had several gigs scheduled for this year in various West Baton Rouge venues. Locals weren’tsure whether he could keep those commitments, but they said they wouldn’t blame him forbreakingthem.

For now,the act “John Foster” stays on the music lineup board at Charlie’s.

LOTTERY THURSDAY,MAY 1, 2025

PICK 3: 0-6-2

PICK 4: 2-7-5-5

PICK 5: 4-4-2-1-3 Unofficial notification, keep your tickets

Craig, Candice Winnfield FuneralHome, 7221 Plank Road,Baton Rouge, Louisianaat2pm

Daggs,Barbara Greater Israel BaptistChurchat

11am

Fruge', Patricia SaintGerardCatholic Church,3808 Saint Gerard Avenue,Baton Rouge,LA at 10am. Green Sr.,Allen Williams &Southall FuneralHomeat 11am Hall-Njepu, Crystal Mount Gideon BaptistChurch Maringouin, Louisianaat11am.

Harris, Patricia

Mt.Calvery BaptistChurch,St. James, LAat 11 am

Henderson, Travis 14105 Hwy.77., Rosedale at 11:00am.

Jones, Ted

ResthavenGardens of Memory & FuneralHome, 11817 JeffersonHwy BatonRouge,LAat11am.

Joseph, Ernestine

Mt.Triumph BaptistChurch,206 W. Tenth Street,Donaldsonville at 11:00am.

King, Ray

F.T. Missionary BaptistChurch,4712 Highway 10,Jacksonat10:00am Landry, JoAnn

St.Patrick Catholic Church,12424 Brogdon Lane,Baton Rouge,Louisiana at 11am

Lusted,Barry

Broadmoor UnitedMethodist Church at 11 a.m.

Maracalin,Tyrone

Mount Zion InnerCity,24400 Eleanor Dr Plaquemine, LAat 11am

McKnight Sr., Frank Greater NewHope B.C.,Zacharyat 11:00am.

Morel, Bertha OursoFuneralHome, 13533 Airline Hwy Gonzales at 2:00pm

Njepu,Annah Mount Gideon BaptistChurch Maringouin, Louisianaat11am.

Pierre,Mavis

St.James BaptistChurch, 266 Voorhies Lane,Moreauville at 11:00am. Pinsonat, Barbara Greenoaks FuneralHome, 9595 FloridaBoulevard, at 2p.m

Price, Dorothy MosesBaptistChurch at 10am

Stiltner,Natalie FirstUnitedMethodist Church at 11:30a.m West,Leona Winnfield FuneralHomeat11am.

Williams Sr., Otis

HopefulTriumph BaptistChurch 39067 LA-22, Darrow at 11:00am. Obituaries

Barnett, JamesKeith 'Jim'

James“Jim” KeithBar‐nett, born December 9, 1956, passedawayon Thursday,May 1, 2025, at the ageof68, at theBaton Rouge GeneralHospitalon Bluebonnet. He wasa na‐tiveand lifelong resident of PortAllen. Jimwas atour guide at theCapital.Visita‐tionwillbeatHolyFamily Catholic Church in Port Allen on Monday,May 5th, from9:30a.m.until Mass ofChristian Burial at 11:30 a.m., celebrated by Rev. Jerry Martin.Cremation will follow anda private

entombment of asheswill beheldata laterdatein St. John theBaptist Catholic Church Cemetery Mausoleum in Brusly.Jim issurvivedbyhis father, StanfordD.Barnett; sib‐lings,Richard Barnettand wifeKathy,Michael An‐drewBarnett, Colette Neelyand husband Wyatt; niecesand nephews, April Gremillionand husband Justinand ChesicaRebelle; great-niecesand greatnephews,LandenGremil‐lionand LaylaJoRebelle Jim wasprecededindeath bymother, HelenGuidry Barnett;brother,Brandon Barnett;two sisters, Baby Barnett andLesli Barnett. Jim wasa former student atSt. Ben’sSeminary. He was aformercantorat HolyFamilyCatholic Church formanyyears and attendedretreat at Man‐resafor years. Please share memories at www wilbertservice.com.

Daniel,Letha A.

LethaA.Danielentered intoeternal rest at Zachary Manor on Monday,April 28 2025. Shewas an 80-year old native of Ethel, Louisiana.Visitationwillbe atMiller &DaughterFu‐neral Home,5905 LA Hwy 19, ZacharyLA70701, Sun‐day from 4pmuntil 6pm. Celebration of Life Service willbeheldatSt. Paul Free Baptist Church,Baker, Louisiana on Monday,May 5,2025 at 11:00amcon‐ductedbyRev.Parnell Williams;interment at Mt HopeCemetery. Survivors include herchildren, Dorothy Straughter-Parker and Elijah C. Daniel;sister, EssieJohnson;seven grandchildren andnumer‐ous great-grandchildren; other relativesand friends; precededindeath by her husband;parents;a son and adaughter; andsix siblings. Arrangements en‐trusted to Miller &Daugh‐ter Mortuary

MaudryAlbarado

Dupuy,a residentof LaPlace and anative of Belle Rose, passed on Tuesday,April 29, 2025 in the comfortsofher home, listening to the daily CatholicMass, at the age of 93. As ayoung woman, she worked as aswitchboard operatorbefore meeting herhusband John. Together,they embarked on alifeofadventure,travelingthe world forJohn's Air Force career and creating alegacy of love. Theylived in Scotland,Greece, and on the Isle of Crete, givingtheir children the opportunity to experience different ways of life. They lived in Houston briefly after John'sretirement before choosing to return to Louisiana.Aftersettling their familyin LaPlace, Maudryworked forTG&Y and Walmart. She took pride in her work, no matterthe department,

and earnedthe respect of those around herfor her dedicationand commitment.But aboveall, Maudry was most proud of her role as amother, grandmother,and greatgrandmother.She cherishedher family and found her greatest joy in spending time with her loved ones. She is survivedby her twodaughters,Marlene Dupuy Meades (Flavious) and PatriciaDupuy; twogranddaughters, NatalieMeades Keating (Anthony) and Chelsea Dupuy Billiot (Devin); twogreatgrandchildren, Charlotte and Sebastian Keating; and her sisterClara Albarado Capello.She is preceded in death by her husband, John PrestonDupuy; her parents, WalterAlbarado Sr.and Palmire Raffray Albarado; eight sisters Mildred Michellie, Hazel Allen, Gracie Blanchard, MargieCotton, Audrey Mabile,Evelyn Cotton, Alta Romero, and Palmire Constant; sixbrothers, LinwoodAlbarado, Murry Albarado,Eddie Albarado, Fellan Albarado,Warren Albarado, and WalterAlbarado,Jr.;two infant brothers, NorrisAlbarado and HubbieAlbarado;and agreat-granddaughter, Samantha Keating.

Avisitationwillbeheld on Sunday, May 4th, 2025, from 5:00PM-8:00PMat Ourso FuneralHome, 13533 Airline Highway, Gonzales, Louisiana,70737. Services willbeheldthe following dayfrom 11:00AM-1:00PM at St.John theEvangelist CatholicChurch. Mass will beginat1:00PMand interment will follow at Prairieville Cemetery.

Mrs. Mary ElizabethMcCallister-Thomas, affectionatelyknown as "PUTT," passed away peacefully on April21, 2025, at theage of 88. BornonMarch 25, 1937, in Felixville,She leaves to cherish her precious memoriesher belovedchildren: her daughterBeulah Winfieldand her husband Rodrick Sr., of Clinton, La; her sons Larry Chapman(Idella), of Ethel, La, Donald R. McCallister, of Baton Rouge, La, and Jessie Chapman and his wife Angela, of Baker, La. She was adevoted mother-in-law to Edna Chapman of Ethel, La, and acherished bonus mother to Beulah Johnson and her husband Henderson, of Clinton, La. PUTT was theloving stepdaughterofJosephine Smith McCallister of Baker, La. She was acaring sister to BerthaM.Howardof Baker, La, Viola M. Breaux of Baton Rouge, La, and OlaMae Matthews of Clinton, La. Her brothers, Richard McCallister and Herbert Green, both of BatonRouge,La. Her legacyextendsto her grandchildren, including Patrick "PJ" Spears Jr., whomshe reared with all theloveand guidance a grandmother couldgive. With 16 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren, Interment:Smith Memorial Park

JerryJeanTheriot, 91, a nativeofPierre Part,LA, andresident of Paincourtville, LA, passed away on Thursday, May 1, 2025, with hisfamily by his side. Jerrywas aloving husband, father, grandfather,great grandfather, father-in-law, uncle, cousin and friend. His most cherishedmemories were spent with his family and telling jokes. Jerrywas an extremely kindhearted personwho always putthe needs of others before his own. He enjoyed gardening,carpentry,fishing and cutting grasssomuch, he even cut his neighbor's yards. Jerrywas aparishionerofSt. Elizabeth CatholicChurch where he served as an usherand was part of thecemetery committee.Hewas also a proud US Army Veteran of theKoreanConflict, memberofAmerican Legion Post 328 Pierre Part, ILA Local 3033 and the PaincourtvilleVolunteer Fire Department.He leavesbehind to cherish hismemory his loving wife of sixtysix years, Audrey Rivere Theriot; four children, Nadine T. Boudreaux (Rodney); Deborah "Debbie" T. Blanchard,Gerard Theriot (Paula) and Hollie T. Rodrigue(Mark); ten grandchildren, EllenB Dupeire (Chris), Maria B. Gonzales (Josh), Myra Boudreaux, Evy B. Rodrigue (Freddie), KayliBlanchard (Michael), Alex B. Templet (Allen), Dre' Blanchard (Kate), Claire T. Barbier (Greg), Nicholas Theriot (Juli), Jacob Theriotand McKenzieRodrigue (Bryan); fourteengreat grandchildren; four siblings, AmyT.Morales (Ernest), Ella M. Metrejean (Hubert), Norman Mabile (AnnaMae)and Thomas Mabile(Carrie); one brother-in-law, Enaux "EJ" Rivere Jr.(Mazie) and numerous nieces, nephews and extended family members.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Nicholas and Evy CrochetTheriot; parents who raised him, Honore and AmeliaTheriot Mabile; eight siblings, Algier Theriot,Stephen Theriot, PercyTheriot,Earnest Theriot,Sidney Mabile (Marilyn), Josephine Theriot,Hilda Mabileand Mary Lee Cavalier (Carol); inlaws, Enaux and Irene C. Rivere andone sister-inlaw, Itzy Blanchard (Robert). The family wouldliketo thank St.Joseph Hospice and HomeInstead fortheir care and support.A visitation willbeheldatOurso Funeral Home in Pierre Part,LA, on Sunday, May 4, 2025, from5pm until 11pm and willresume at St.Elizabeth CatholicChurch in Paincourtville, LA,from 8:30am until Mass of Christian Burialat11am. Interment to follow in the church mausoleum. Pallbearerswillbe: Nicholas Theriot,Jacob Theriot, Dre' Blanchard,Chris Dupeire, AllenTemplet, Bryan White, Greg Barbier and KeithBlanchard

Judy Louise Boudreaux Trahan,passed away peacefully at home on March20, 2025, at theage of 78. Born March4,1947, Judy wasa true "peopleperson" whothrived on being with otherpeople whom she truly loved. She workedinnursing homes whereshe improvedthe lives of theresidents. She wasa volunteerfor differentorganizations. Her home was arefuge for stray animals(some she adopted) andshe donated regularly to rescue organizations. Sheloved live theater. In addition to attendingperformanceswhenever andwhereverpossible, she wasonthe Board of Directorsatthe Baker Little Theatre, whereshe also workedbackstage and performed.She was amaster gardenerand an avid reader, particularly fond of JamesLee Burkeand John Grishum

Shewas preceded in death by herparents Alvey andRuby Boudreauxand is survived by herhusband, Donald Trahan,cousins andher many friends who were also herfamily.

Amemorial will be held on May31st from 1:30-3:30 at The ResidenceInn,Marriott. 7061 CommerceCircle, Baton Rouge,La70809.

from 10 am to 11 am May 3, 2025 with afuneral service at 11:00 am at HopefulTriumphBaptist Church, 39067 LA-22, Darrow, Louisiana Arrangements entrusted to Lawson-RollinsPurple Shield, Gonzales, LA

Wilton,MaryLee Agosta

Mary LeeAgosta Wilton, aretired schoolteacher, wife, mother,sister and friend, passedawayon April 23rd at OurLady of theLake Medical Center Alifelongresident of Baton Rouge andgraduate of St.Joseph's Academy and LSU, Mary enjoyeda rewarding career,first as a PreK teacher, andlater teachingmiddle school history. An avidcollector and loverofthe beach,she delightedinnature, finding sea glass and shells during hermanybeachtrips. She enjoyed reading,collecting, spending time with her family, anddoting on her twograndchildren, whoaffectionately know heras "Honey". Sheissurvivedbyher husband of 51 years, N. Joseph WiltonIII "Joe"; daughterand son-in-law Saraand Ben Klein, son Seth Taylor Wilton, grandchildrenJohnBarrow Klein andAndrewJ.Klein and siblings Lucien Agosta and husband Bud, FeliceAgosta, andDamian Agosta. Shewas preceded in death by herbrother Andrew Agosta andparents Anthony andLouise Landes Agosta. Burial servicesat ResthavenCemetery will occurata later date. In lieu of flowers memorial donationsmay be made to Costal Conservation Association of Louisiana, or St Jude

Theriot, JerryJean

Trahan, Judith Boudreaux 'Judy'

McCallister-Thomas, MaryElizabeth PUTT

Williams Sr., Otis

Belovedhusband, father,grandfatherand brotherdeparted this life at theage of 86 on April 28, 2025. Viewingwill be held

Dupuy, Maudry

BRIEFS FROM STAFFAND WIRE REPORTS

Wall Street extends its gains, reclaiming losses

Wall Street extended its gains to aninth straight dayFriday, marking the stock market’slongest winning streaksince 2004 andreclaiming the ground it haslost since President Donald Trump escalated his trade war in early April.

The rally was spurredbya better-than-expected report on the U.S. job market and resurgent hope for aratcheting down in the U.S. trade showdown with China.

The S&P 500, DowJones Industrial Average andthe Nasdaq composite all climbed. The gains were broad. Roughly 90% of stocks and every sector in the S&P 500 advanced. Technology stocks were among the companiesdoing the heaviest lifting. Microsoft rose 2.3% and Nvidia rose 2.5%. Apple, however,fell 3.7% after the iPhone maker estimated that tariffs will cost it $900 million.

Banks andother financial companies also made solid gains. JPMorgan Chase rose 2.3% and Visa closed 1.5% higher

Profits at Exxon Mobil and Chevron fall Exxon Mobil’sfirstquarter proﬁt slumped to the lowest level in years, stung by weaker crude prices and higher costs

The oil and gas giant earned $7.71 billion, or $1.76 per share, for the three months ended March 31. It earned $8.22 billion, or $2.06 per share, in the yearago period.

The results topped Wall Street expectations, but Exxondoes not adjust its reported resultsbased on one-time events such as asset sales. Analysts polled by Zacks Investment Research expected earnings of $1.74 per share. Chevron also reported its lowest ﬁrst-quarter proﬁts in years, with per-share adjusted profit falling to $2.18 per shareonrevenue of $47.61 billion.Similar to Exxon, Chevrondoesnot adjust its reported results based on onetime events such as assetsales Analysts predicted earningsof $2.15 pershare on revenue of $48.66 billion.

The last time first-quarter profits were this low for Exxon was in 2022 and for Chevron, in 2021. This week, abarrel of U.S. benchmark crudefellbelow $60, alevel at which many producers can no longer turn aprofit. U.S. benchmark crude is down 18% this year and Brent, the international benchmark,isright about there as well. This week, BP and Shell also reported falling first quarter profits.

Microsoft hikes Xbox prices worldwide

Amid abackdrop of ongoing tariff uncertainty,moreand more gamers are facing price hikes.

Microsoft raised recommended retailer pricing for its Xbox consolesand controllersaround the world this week. Its Xbox Series S, for example, now starts at $379.99 in the U.S. —up$80 fromthe $299.99 price tag that debuted in 2020.And itsmore powerful Xbox Series Xwill be $599.99 going forward, a$100 jump from its previous $499.99 listing.

“Weunderstand that these changes are challenging,” Microsoft wrote in aThursday Xbox support update andsubsequent statement sent to The Associated Press. The tech giant didn’tpoint to tariffs specifically,but cited wider “market conditions and the rising cost of development.” The price hikes arrive during aturbulentand uncertain time for the gaming industry,largely due to new tariffs implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump —and respondingretaliation fromtargeted countries,notably China. And Xbox players aren’tthe first gamers to feel impacts amid these ongoing trade wars. Preorders for Nintendo’shighly-anticipated Switch 2were also delayed in April as retailersassessed the potential impact of tariffs. Nintendo later confirmed that some Switch 2accessorieswould see price adjustments.

AirProductsdelaysAscension plant

Companylooking to find buyerfor carbon capture, ammonia portion

BY TIMOTHYBOONE Business editor

Air Products said it is delaying the startup of its $8 billion blue hydrogen manufacturing complex in Ascension Parish and won’tmove forwardwiththe projectuntil it sells offthe facility’s carbon capture and ammonia portions

Theearliest the facility will begin productionwon’t be until 2028 or 2029, Air Products CEO Eduardo

MenezessaidThursdayduringa quarterly earnings call with analysts.

“Tobeclear,Air Productsisan industrial gases company anddoes not intend to be aretail marketer of ammonia,” Menezes said. Menezes, who took over as CEO in February, said thecompany hadmoved away from itscore businesses in search of growth.

Air Products halted spending on the blue hydrogen manufacturing plant,Menezes said. He said the companyhas hadongoing negotiations withother companies about handling thecarboncapture and ammonia divestiture.

Air Products announced plans for the clean energy facility in October 2021 and said the facilitynear Burn-

side wouldopen by 2026. The company plans to produce “blue hydrogen” at the plant, which is created by extracting methane from natural gas. Customers would useblue hydrogen to generate electricity andpower vehicles.At thetime of the announcement, Air Products ofﬁcialssaid the facility would produce more than750 million standard cubic feet per day of blue hydrogen —enough to power 3million cars. The carbon dioxide from that production process would be captured,transported down a37mile pipeline to Lake Maurepas and injected deep underground. But theproject has raised the ire of nearbyresidents, whoare concerned about emissions andthe proximity of the plant to Sorrento

Primary School,and environmental groups, who say the plant will have little climatebeneﬁts andcost taxpayers billionsbecause of thefederal tax credits for carbon capture andstorage.

Community groups and environmentalists said they were pleased with the decision to delay the plant.

“This is great news forall the groups and community members who have been fighting this illconceived project from thestart,” Corinne VanDalen, senior attorney for Earthjustice, said in astatement.

Air Products has promoted the economic benefits of the plant, whichwould create 170 permanent jobs, and said it will help reduce carbon emissionsbymakinghydrogen andammonia.

U.S. employment showsresilience

Employersadd surprising 177,000 jobs

BY PAUL WISEMAN AP economics writer

WASHINGTON— American employers added asurprising 177,000 jobs in April as the job market showed resilienceinthe face of President Donald Trump’s trade wars.

Hiring fell slightly from arevised 185,000 in March, but that is above economist projections of 135,000 jobs. The unemployment rate remained at alow 4.2%, the Labor Department reportedFriday.

Trump’saggressive and unpredictablepolicies —includingmassive import taxes—have clouded the outlook for the economy andthe jobmarket and raised fears thatthe American economy is headedtowardrecession Friday’sreport showed employment, oneof the strongestaspectsofthe U.S. economy,remains solid,yet many economists anticipate that anegative impact from trade wars will

materialize this year forAmerican workers and potentially,Trump

“Politicians can count theirlucky stars that companies areholding on to their workers despite the storm clouds forming thatcould slow the economyfurtherinthe second half of the year,” said Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at fwdbonds, aﬁnancial markets research ﬁrm.

Transportation and warehousing companies added 29,000 jobs lastmonth, suggesting companies have built up inventory before imported goods are hitwith newtariffs. Health care companies addednearly51,000jobs and bars, restaurants almost 17,000 and construction ﬁrms11,000. Factories lost 1,000jobs. Labor Departmentrevisionsshaved 58,000 jobs from February and March payrolls.

Average hourly earnings ticked up 0.2% from March and 3.8% from ayear ago, nearingthe 3.5%thateconomistsview as consistent with the 2% inﬂation theFederalReserve wants to see.

Trump’smassive taxes on importstothe U.S. are likely to raise costs for Americans

and American businesses thatdependon supplies from overseas. They also threaten to slow economic growth.His immigration crackdown threatens to makeitmore difficultfor hotels, restaurants and construction firms to filljob openings.Bypurging federal workers and canceling federal contracts, Elon Musk’sDepartment of Government Efficiency risks wiping out jobs inside thegovernment and out.

Still, Bill Adams, chief economist at Comerica Bank, called the jobs report “reassuringly normal.The fearsofasofter labor market due to tariffuncertainty went unrealized last month …There are signs that businesses are reininginplansfor hiringand capital spending and that consumers are turning more cautious toward discretionary spending.” Americanworkers have at least onething going forthem. Despite the uncertainty about falloutfromTrump’s policies,manyemployers don’twant to risk letting employees go notafter struggling to bring people back from themassive but short-livedlayoffs from the pandemic.

Homeownershipgetting furtherout of reachfor many

Rising prices,high mortgagerates widen affordability gap

BY ALEX VEIGA AP business writer

LOSANGELES Homeownership is receding further out of reach formost Americans as elevated mortgage rates and rising prices stretch thelimits of what buyers canafford Ahomebuyer now needs to earn at least $114,000 ayear to afford a $431,250 home —the national median listing price in April, accordingtodatareleased Thursdayby Realtor.com. The analysis assumes that a

homebuyer will make a20% down payment, financethe rest of the purchase witha30-year fixed-rate mortgage, andthatthe buyer’s housing costswon’texceed 30% of their gross monthly income —an often-used barometer of housing affordability Based off the latest U.S.median homelisting price, homebuyers need to earn $47,000 more ayear to afford ahome than they would have just six years ago. Back then, themedian U.S. home listing price was $314,950, and the average rate on a30-year mortgagehovered around 4.1%.Thisweek,the rate averaged 6.76%. The annual incomerequired to afforda median-pricedU.S. home first crossed intothe six figures in May2022 andhasn’tdropped be-

lowthatlevel since. Medianhousehold income was about $80,600 annually in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In several metro areas, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, NewYork andBoston, theannual income needed to afforda medianpriced home tops $200,000. In San Jose, it’smore than $370,000. Rock-bottom mortgage rates turbocharged the housing marketduring the pandemic, fueling bidding warsfor homes that pushed up sale prices sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars above aseller’sinitial asking price. U.S.home prices soared more than 50%between 2019 and 2024. TheU.S. housing market has been in asales slump since2022, when mortgage rates began to

climb from their pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homesfelllast year to their lowest level in nearly 30 years. In March, they postedtheir largest monthly drop since November 2022. It’s not all bad newsfor prospective homebuyers.

Home prices are rising much more slowly than during the pandemic housing market frenzy.The national median sales priceofa previously occupiedU.S. home rose 2.7% in Marchfromayear earlierto$403,700, an all-time high forMarch, but the smallest annual increase since August.

In April, the

ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO By CAROLyN KASTER Vehicle assembly technician KevinZepernick works on a2025 Ford Expeditionduring amedia tour to launchthe 2025 Ford Expeditionat theFordMotor Company Kentucky Truck Plant on Wednesday in Louisville, Ky

OPINION

Watching thepapacy in transition

The papacy is onceagain big news. The coming conclave to pick Pope Francis’ successorisstirring interest worldwide and in Louisiana,astate with deep roots in Catholicism.

The popeheadsa church with1.4 billionfollowers, holding aposition of global leadership. Leo XIII, for example, stood upfor labor and improved working conditions after decades of industrialization; John PaulIIplayed amajor role in defeating Soviet communism.

The ﬁrst pope was Peter,picked by Christ. He was the “rock”uponwhich thechurch was built. Of all 266 popes, 83 have been canonized as saints, including the ﬁrst 35 (most of whomwere martyred). Three modern popes —John XXIII, Paul VI andJohn Paul II —have been canonized.

Though allmen, popes come withavariety of other traits. Twowere believed to be teenagers. Onewas thought to be over100, butmodern research has cast doubt on that fact. Boniface VI, installedat90, is often considered to have been theoldest pope when elected.

Italy has produced the most popes (216); 16 were from France and sixfrom Germany.The Borgia family supplied three popes, the Contis fourand the Medicis four.Six popes were marriedatsome point in theirlives, but only one, Adrian II, wasprobably married while pope.

One pope (Urban VI) served only 13 days. Peter served the longest, about 34years. In 1276, therewere four popes at different times. In 1409, three popes served at the same time (twowere “antipopes”). Benedict IX, the youngestpope,served three nonconsecutive stretches between 1032 and 1048

While papal history goes back 2,000 years, information on earlypopes is scattered andoftenunreliable. To best understand the modern papacy,let’sfocus a moment on the 20 most recent popes whoserved between1740and 2025

The average length of service of these20popes was 14 years. Their average age at election was64, and their average age at theend of their tenureswas 78. To compare,Francis waselected at 76, he served for 12 years and his pontiﬁcate endedwhenhewas 88

LeoXIIIdiedinofﬁce at 93,makinghim theoldest sitting pope of the recent 20.The threeoldest popes at the time of theirelections were BenedictXVI at 78, John XXIII at 76 and Francis at 76. In 2013, Benedict became the sixth pope toofﬁcially resign. He died in 2022 at 95. The longest-serving recent pope was Pius IX, 31 years;the shortest tenure wasJohn Paul I’s32days. Current papal prospects mentioned in themedia range in age from60to80.

Sometimes popesare selected to makea change, but sometimes they’re elected speciﬁcally notto make changes. Italians have asaying:“Aftera fat pope,athinone.” After Francis, what? Ayounger pope? An Asian or African pope? AFrenchorAmerican pope? Amore conservativepope?

The longest papal election took nearly threeyears, 1268-1271, leaving the church without apope for that long. Let’shope this never happensagain

To put papal events into an American historical context —Pius VI was in ofﬁce whenthe Declaration of Independence was signed, Pius IX waspope during the Civil War, Benedict XV during World War I, Pius XI during the Great Depression andPius XII during World WarII.

Popes are sometimes remembered forwhatthey did: Peter for guiding Christianity through atime of danger and uncertainty;Gregory Ifor helping the poor; Urban II for launching theFirst Crusade; Innocent XIIfor stampingout nepotism; andJohn XXIII for launching Vatican II.Somepopes,particularly during the MiddleAges, are remembered for lessthanhonorable pursuits, from torturingopposition cardinals and immoralbehaviortoproﬂigate spending and the selling of indulgences.Some, more recently,have been criticized for what they didn’tdo, especiallyrelated to the Holocaust andthe sexabuse scandals.

Being pope is difﬁcult.The next one will have his hands full steering the church into the future.Let’s wait for the white smoke

Ron Faucheux isanonpartisanpoliticalanalyst, writer and pollster from Louisiana.

‘One

Door’initiativewill modernizeLa. workforce

Asa U.S. senator representing the great stateofLouisiana, I’m proud to support theimportantwork of Reps. Stephanie Berault and Kim Carver to advance Gov.Jeff Landry’s“One Door” initiative. This is acommonsense, forward-thinking approach to modernize Louisiana’sworkforce.

The OneDoor model, already proven successful in Utah, creates a coordinated, streamlined path that connects support services with job training and employment. It makes it easier for all Louisianans to access theresources they need to ﬁnd highpaying jobs, support their families and contribute to our state’seconomy This has been apriorityfor Landry, and Iappreciatehis leadership.

Louisianaranks near thetop nationally in poverty rates, while only 58% of adults are working. At thesame time, we have opportunities in health care, energy and manufacturing that are going unﬁlled. The status quo is not working. We need to reform our workforce system so people have the resources they need to succeed in their careers and achieve the American dream. That’swhat One Door seeks toaccomplish.

Ourgovernor and state Legislature are taking important steps to ﬁx our

state’sworkforce system.Tobuild on this,Congress needs to reverse bureaucratic hurdles in the federal government that are making it difﬁcult to implement these kinds of reforms. Under current law,states are not allowed to use federal workforce grants to implement ﬂexible models to address workers’ individual needs.

That is why,aschairman of the U.S. Senate’scommittee overseeing labor, Iamchampioning the One Door to Work Act as Congress works to reauthorize theWorkforce Innovation and OpportunityAct. This would unlock resources and better empower states like Louisianatoimplement and build on their OneDoor programs.

Ilook forward to working with President Donald Trump and my colleagues in Congress to advance these policies. Icommend Landry alongside Berault and Carver fortheir leadership in improving Louisiana’sworkforce system.I’m looking forward to the stateLegislature advancing these bills and am committed to assisting their efforts in the U.S. Congress. Working together,wecan increase opportunity and make the American dream areality for all Louisianans.

SEN. BILL CASSIDY serving La. in the Senate since2015

We must have couragetostopassault on ourrights

And then they came for therest of us.

n Rümeysa Öztürk, aTufts University student snatched off aBoston street March 25, by masked men, was taken without due process to afederal facility in Louisiana for the crime of speaking out.

n KilmarAbrego Garcia, aMaryland man with protected legalstatus, a U.S.citizenwifeand a5-year-old child was “mistakenly” deported to anotoriousconcentration camp in El Salvador, alongwith 238 migrants, many with no U.S.criminal records, according to CBS News andBloomberg.com. n Mahmoud Kahlil, an expectant father,college student, legal U.S resident married to aU.S.citizen,was illegally kidnappedbyICE,and held in the federal immigration facility in Jena. His “crime?” Speakingout against the brutalwar in Gaza. We have the right to free speech and should allbeshouting outrageatthe humanrights abusesofU.S.leaders. Don’t think you’re safe from having your rights strippedfrom you. If

youthink they only comefor Brown people —think again. First, they came for immigrants. Thenfor transpeople. Then they came for pregnant women. Then, the oldand the disabled. Whentheycomefor you, no one will be left to save you because you were afraidtospeak out. We should all be afraid of our governmentofbillionaires. But out of fear comes courage. Witness the April 5Hands Offrallies, massive crowds morally opposed to the abuses of this administration. Together we’ll stop their assault on ourconstitutional rights. But we can’t waittospeak up. Call legislators, tell them their weak cowering is wrong. Jointhe growing number of Americansinthe streets exercising our right to free speech. Millions of people are acting —you aren’t alone. But you are running out of time. Have courage. Speak out now before they comefor you.

SHERRI WILDER NewOrleans

Ijust received my Tulane reunion reminder.Asagraduate of Tulane (‘05) and the law school (‘10), Louisiana native and NewOrleans local, Iwas excited to participate in the reunion activities. However,I recently read the coverage of Tulane’squiet acquiescence to President Donald Trump’sthreats. Ioppose Tulane’sdismantling of the gender and multicultural affairs ofﬁce and any efforts to roll back DEI. It is simple: The opposite of DEIispatriarchy and White supremacy It is willfully being ignorant and taking a“colorblind” view of the world. It fails to uphold historical contributions by those whoare not White, hetero, able-bodied males. Tulane’sPRspin is meaningless and its silence is deafening. It’s clear that Tulane is folding and along with it goes a vibrant, dynamic exchange of ideas and teachings and critical thinking. If this liberal arts institution that has historically prided itself in diversity is so easily capitulating to illegal and racist threats of this administration, Iwill no longer take part in celebrating it. Tulane should stand boldly and ﬁght these racist threats and protect its students. If it will not, that’s shameful, and I’ll take no part in it.

MEGAN SNIDER NewOrleans

Golfisnot my thing, but Ifollowed Scott Rabalais’ reporting on the attempted Saudi takeover of the PGA, an American institution. He is to be commended forfair and balanced reporting.

CATHY HIGHTOWER Metairie

Ron Faucheux

AMUDDER’S

Rain forecast couldmuckupracefor horses,festive attendees

BY BETH HARRIS AP racing writer

LOUISVILLE, Ky

—The Kentucky Derby is tough to win, with ahuge field of stampedinghorses and150,000 screaming fans in the stands. Toss in arainy forecast that could turn the Churchill Downsdirt strip into something resembling peanut butter anditgets trickier.

Aﬁeld of 19 3-year-oldsisset to run11/4 miles for a$3.1 million prize and the garland of redroses on Saturday. Mucking things up is aforecast of 65 degrees (18 degrees Celsius)with a90% chance of rain

The soggy weather isn’tjust abummer for those wanting the fairest of track conditions. The Derby is also a

big party and fashion show,and rain meanspulling out ponchos— no umbrellasallowed— to protect the huge hatsand ﬂoral dresses.

Thirteen of theDerby contenders —including early 3-1 favorite Journalism —have never raced on awet track. Clods of ﬂying mud hitting theirfaces could be aturnoff. “I may go through three pairs of goggles,”saidBrian Hernandez Jr ,who will be aboard BurnhamSquare. Six longshots have experienceinthe muck, withfour winning. Coal Battle is 2for 2, while Japan-based Luxor Cafe is 3for 4. The others are Neoequos and American Promise, trained by 89-year-old D. Wayne Lukas.

ä See DERBY, page 2C

Inside wild Saints-Carr shoulder injury saga timeline

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Derek Carrand theNew Orleans Saints are in agreement: The 34-year-old has a shoulder injury

But so much else has been leftunanswered, even with theparties recently addressing the situation.

Carr saidata LasVegas church sermon that he hasanMRI to provethe injury, ripping critics whoexpressed skepticism over the injury.Saintsgeneral manager Mickey Loomis said New Orleans was awaiting clarityonthe situation, stillunsure whether Carr can playnextseason.And the developmentscome amidthe backdrop of the Saints’ drafting the quarterback’spotential successor: Louisville’sTyler Shough. Is everything ﬁne between the Saints and Carr? Did he want atrade? Does he want out? The drama seems to get more bizarre by the day.And withsomany updates, it can be hard to keep track of.

Hereisanexhaustivetimelineofeverything that has happened from the moment that Carr suffered his season-ending broken hand last season —when this wild saga truly began. Dec. 8, 2024: Carr exits after injuring his left, non-throwing hand and suffers aconcussion when attempting to leap forthe ﬁrst downwith four minutes leftinawin over the NewYork Giants. He’slater diagnosed with abroken hand.

Dec. 9: Despite areport from the NFL Network that Carr suffered a“signiﬁcant fracture” that was “almost certainly”

Reesedeliversfamiliarperformance in return to PMAC

Former LSUstar rightathomeinWNBA exhibition game

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

But the contest —an89-62 win for the Sky

—carried more signiﬁcance for Reese, the former LSU star wholooked right at home playing underneath the national champion-

For AngelReese,itall felt familiar. The rebounds. The passes. Theput-back layups, the celebrations and thetrash talk. The Pete Maravich Assembly Center staged it allplenty of times beforeitdid so again on Friday, when it hosted agame that didn’t mattermuch It was just an exhibition. AWNBA preseason game, with Reese’s Chicago Sky team on one side and the Brazilian National team on the other

ship banner she helped hang twoyears ago. “I was able to build my legacy here,” Reese said. “Obviously Iwas somebodythat was somebody before Icame here,” Reese said, “but Iwas just able to build abrand off thecourt. Ithink that’sreally important.”

WhenReese first arrived at LSU,she wasn’t theplayer— northe ﬁgure— sheis today.Not anational champion or acelebrity.The second-year forward curated that imageacross thetwo seasons she spent with theTigers.

On Friday,Reese scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in aperformance reminiscentofthe many she playedatLSU. Early in the second quarter,she pulled down aboard, started atransition chance herself, looked up court and slung aone-handed pass over three defenders and downtoSky guard RachelBanham,whobankedinanopenlayup. Reese tossed lots of those passes as aTiger

ä See REESE, page 3C

Hollis O’Neal,MD

Medical Director of Research, Our Ladyofthe LakeHealth AssociateProfessor of Medicine, LSUHealth

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLIE RIEDEL

Horseswork outatChurchill Downs ahead of therunning of the 151st Kentucky Derby on FridayinLouisville, Ky

ä See CARR, page 5C

Ochsner offering free school physicals on Saturday

The Ochsner Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute will offer free sports physicals for Baton Rouge-area student-athletes on Saturday The event will be from 8 a.m. to noon and is open to student-athletes from all area schools who are entering grades 6 to 12 in the fall and will be held at the Elite Training Complex located at 5444 Burbank Dr Students are required to complete the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s pre-participation medical evaluation. A link to the evaluation form is available on the event registration website, and students under the age of 18 must have the form signed by a parent or guardian.

All physicals are valid for 13 months and include: height/weight check, blood pressure/pulse check, ﬂexibility screening and more.

Coal Battle is an underdog’s favorite

72-year-old Louisiana trainer running colt in first Kentucky Derby

BY JOHN CLAY Lexington Herald-Leader (TNS)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Lonnie Briley had been a thoroughbred trainer for over three decades before he ﬁnally entered a horse in a graded stakes race.

Three months later the 72-yearold Louisianan is in his ﬁrst Kentucky Derby

“There’s a lot of people from Louisiana that’s calling and leaving text messages and things of that nature. They’re pretty excited,” said Briley, who added he never expected to be in the Kentucky Derby

And yet here he is with Coal Battle, one of the Kentucky Derby 151’s best underdog stories, the colt having won three consecutive Kentucky Derby prep races, including the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn on Feb. 23 — Briley’s first graded stakes before the son of Coal Front ﬁnished third in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on March 29 at Oaklawn.

“My rider kind of pulled the trigger a little too soon at the half-mile pole instead of waiting,” Briley said of the Arkansas Derby “He got a little heavy and ran third, he still ran good We were real proud of him.”

With good reason. Co-bred by Hume Wornall of Paris and Jay Adcock of Coushatta, Louisiana, Coal Battle sold for $70,000 at the 2023 Texas Thoroughbred Association Yearling Sales to Briley on behalf of owner Robbie Norman.

“He was always a pretty genuine foal, and he always just kind

of stood out,” said Wornall, whose Beech Spring Farm in Bourbon County is where Coal Battle was born and raised. “He would just always come to you, and if the others took off, he would cut a rug and catch up and be on top right before you knew it.”

“I probably looked at about 20 horses,” Briley said of the Texas sale. “I kept looking him over and then I just kept going back to Coal Battle and I ﬁgured he was the one I wanted. He’s a nice colt, a good looking colt, a pretty head on him and a good eye, good long neck, good hip, shoulder a good walk on him All the tools to be a racehorse.”

Briley knows a thing or two about the anatomy of a horse. He started out working in the Louisiana oil ﬁelds, working with horses on the side, until Eclipse Awardwinning owner John Franks hired Briley to be his farm manager Briley began training full time in 1991.

Only once (2021) had Briley’s horses earned over $600,000 until Coal Battle ($1.18 million in earnings) came along. The colt won his debut at Evangeline Downs last July before Briley took him to Kentucky Downs last September to run on the turf. A fourthplace ﬁnish there was followed by a seventh-place finish in an allowance race at Keeneland in October It wasn’t until Briley took the colt to Louisiana that Coal Battle found his form. He won the Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs on Nov 28. Next came a victory in the Remington Springboard Mile Stakes at Remington Park in Oklahoma on Dec 13 for his first Derby qualifying points. Coal Battle won the Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan 4 at Oaklawn, followed by the Rebel Stakes victory at 12-1 in which he bested fellow Kentucky Derby entrants Sandman (third), Publisher (fourth) and Tiztastic (ﬁfth).

Sandman turned the tables in the Arkansas Derby with Publisher running second. “He was a little fresh that day,” Briley said of Coal Battle. Briley isn’t expecting any problems at Churchill Downs on Saturday

“The weather’s real nice and he’s taken to the track real nice and been training hard,” said Briley, whose jockey, Juan Vargas, will be riding in his first Derby “He’s never been a big work horse, but his works have improved every time he’s worked over here. And it seems like he’s matured a lot more since the Arkansas Derby.”

Meanwhile, back in Paris, the town is thrilled with Coal Battle’s success, Beech Spring Farm having been in the Wornall family for six generations.

“It’s a very humbling experience, I can assure you that,” said Wornall, who will be at Churchill Downs on Saturday “Everybody said, ‘Are you going to go?’ and I said the dam of Coal Battle (Wolfblade) is due to foal and I’m not going unless she has foaled. Well, she foaled Tuesday night. So I’m good to go.”

If Coal Battle ﬁnishes ﬁrst on Saturday Briley would tie Frank Childs (72 with Tomy Lee in 1958) as the third-oldest trainer to win the race, behind Art Sherman (77 with California Chrome in 2024) and Charlie Whittingham (76 with Sunday Silence in 1989).

But can a $70,000 yearling, sold in Texas, with a ﬁrst-time trainer and jockey, win the Kentucky Derby?

“Today, the way horses are bred, I think anybody can come up with a runner,” Briley said.

But not anybody can come up with a runner in the Kentucky Derby

Derby ﬁeld reduced to 19 with scratch of Grande

BY BETH HARRIS AP racing writer

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Grande has been scratched from the Kentucky Derby, reducing the ﬁeld for Saturday’s 151st edition to 19 horses

He joins Rodriguez on the sidelines after that colt was scratched on Thursday

“Unfortunately, the vets have decided to scratch Grande,” owner Mike Repole posted Friday on X. “He has been battling a slight cracked heel this week which has been improving.” Repole said various diagnostic

DERBY

Continued from page 1C

The last Derby run on a sloppy track was in 2019, when Country House won via a disqualiﬁcation that had nothing to do with the weather The last muddy track was in 1989, when Sunday Silence won.

Trainer Bob Baffert goes for a record-setting seventh victory in his return from a three-year suspension He’ll saddle Citizen Bull, last year’s 2-year-old champion. The colt breaks from the dreaded No 1 post leaving him little choice but to get to the front before the rest of the ﬁeld comes over, potentially cutting him off.

“We’re going to tell him to get out of there like he just robbed a bank,” Baffert said.

tests on Grande came back clean, including a PET scan requested by Kentucky state veterinarians.

He said the 3-year-old colt had been “training and looking great” on the track all week.

“We were very confused with all the clean diagnostics and improvement all week, why they rushed to judgment to scratch today,” Repole wrote.

“We are also shocked and confused why this decision was made now. We were given no real explanation why Grande was scratched 36 hours before the race.”

Repole has had this happen

No horse has won from the No. 1 post since Ferdinand in 1986.

Baffert’s other horse, Rodriguez, was scratched Thursday with a bruised foot, moving Baeza into the ﬁeld. Trainer Todd Pletcher’s only entry, Grande, was scratched Friday for the same reason.

Hall of Fame

trainer Steve Asmussen tries to snap an 0 for 26 Derby losing streak with a pair of 20-1 shots: Publisher and Tiztastic. Both are next to each other in the starting gate.

Sovereignty, the early 5-1 second choice, won at Churchill Downs last fall. He’ll try to snap an 0 for 13 Derby skid for Godolphin, the racing stable of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

“I know he loves this track,” jockeyJuniorAlvaradosaid,“soI’msitting on a good run with him now.” Sandman, the early 6-1 third

twice before. In 2011, Uncle Mo was scratched the day before the race because of a gastrointestinal infection.

In 2023, Forte was scratched the morning of the race due to a bruised right front foot. The selfmade billionaire from New York is 0-for-8 in the Derby

“We all love these horses and our number one concern is the safety and welfare of these amazing Thoroughbreds. That is, and should always be the priority,” Repole wrote.

“With all the diagnostics we have taken, the great vets we

choice, is the most expensive horse in the ﬁeld at $1.2 million. Conversely, 30-1 shot Chunk of Gold was bought for $2,500.

“There’s been a lot of expensive horses not pan out and there’s been a lot of cheap ones that have panned out,” Chunk of Gold trainer Ethan West said.

“It’s not like he’s a big, robust, grand-looking animal He’s very good-looking, but he doesn’t look like Journalism, that’s for sure.” Journalism looked the part of the Derby favorite while training during a mostly rain-free week on the track and breaks from the No. 8 post. The Southern California-based colt’s mother’s name is Mopotism and wanting a name ending in “ism,” co-owner Aron Wellman took inspiration from his old gig as sports editor of the Beverly Hills High School newspaper

use, and the experience of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, we are bafﬂed and confused by what criteria vets are using to determine who scratches, who doesn’t and when…especially when every diagnostic tells us the horse is safe and sound.”

Rodriguez’s scratch moved Baeza into the ﬁeld.

He was the only horse on the also-eligible list, so there will be no replacement for Grande Grande was the lone runner for two-time Derby-winning trainer Pletcher and was to be ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez.

Iisalo hired as coach after interim appointment

Tuomas Iisalo, who was appointed interim coach of the Memphis Grizzlies in the waning days of the regular season, was given the fulltime job on Friday and becomes the ﬁrst Finnish-born coach in the NBA.

The team announced the hiring on Friday but terms of Iisalo’s contract were not released. He joined the Grizzlies as the lead assistant this past season.

Iisalo took over the team on March 28 after the Grizzlies returned home from an 0-5 road trip, the last loss coming at Oklahoma City The road trip led to the ﬁring of Taylor Jenkins the winningest coach in Grizzlies franchise history Iisalo, a native of Finland, was 4-5 in the ﬁnal nine games of the regular season.

Ruud beats Cerundolo to reach final against Draper With the help of painkillers, Casper Ruud overcame a rib ailment to defeat Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets and reach the Madrid Open final on Friday Ruud will face Jack Draper, who beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the other semifinal to make his third final of the year Ruud said he felt something in his rib during the warmup, just before going out on the court He said he “felt it in nearly every shot, especially the serve.”

Ruud received treatment on his rib three games into the match and went on to win 6-4, 7-5 on the Caja Magica center court. The 15th-ranked Norwegian saved 15 of the 18 break points he faced against the 21st-ranked Argentine.

Formula 1 signs 10-year extension with Miami GP

Formula 1 announced a 10-year extension with the Miami Grand Prix on Friday that will ensure the event remains on the calendar through 2041.

The race debuted in 2022 as the second F1 race in the United States on the schedule.

Sunday’s running will be the fourth in what was originally a 10-year contract between Miami promoters and F1.

There are now three F1 races in the U.S. every year Las Vegas was added to the schedule in 2023 and F1 also makes a stop at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

F1 president Stefano Domenicali stressed how vital Miami is to the series’ portfolio as it continues to grow dramatically in the U.S.

Verstappen delighted at birth of his first child

Four-time reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen arrived at the Miami Grand Prix on Friday as a first-time father after announcing he and partner Kelly Piquet had welcomed a daughter Verstappen had skipped Thursday activities at this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix to be with Piquet, the daughter of three-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet. The couple released no details about the birth, including when his daughter was born. Verstappen and Piquet went public in 2021, and Piquet has a daughter Penelope, with driver Daniil Kvyat that Verstappen is very close with but this is the ﬁrst child for Verstappen. Verstappen joins Nico Hülkenberg as the only active drivers this season with children.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLIE RIEDEL

Kentucky Derby entrant Coal Battle works out at Churchill Downs on Monday in Louisville, Ky

Popovich retires after 29 seasons

The NBA’s all-time wins leader steps down as coach for the San Antonio Spurs

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

Gregg Popovich stepped down as coach of the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, ending a three-decade run that saw him lead the team to ﬁve NBA championships, become the league’s all-time wins leader and earn induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

“While my love and passion for the game remain, I’ve decided it’s time to step away as head coach,” Popovich said.

He will remain as team president. Mitch Johnson, a Spurs assistant who ﬁlled in for Popovich for the season’s final 77 games, becomes the team’s head coach Popovich, 76, missed all but ﬁve games this season after having a stroke at the team’s arena on Nov 2. He has not spoken publicly since, though had addressed his team at least once and released a statement in late March saying that he hoped to return to coaching.

That won’t be happening

“I’m forever grateful to the wonderful players, coaches, staff and fans who allowed me to serve them as the Spurs head coach and am excited for the opportunity to continue to support the organization, community and city that are so meaningful to me,” Popovich said.

Popovich’s career ends with a record of 1,422-869, which does include the 77 games — 32 wins and 45 losses — that were coached by Johnson this season. He also won 170 playoff games with the Spurs, the most by any coach with any one team and the third-most overall behind only Phil Jackson’s 229 and Pat Riley’s 171.

“The best there ever was,” Spurs great Manu Ginobili said last year of Popovich.

An NBA and Olympic champion Popovich was a three-time coach of the year, led the U.S to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and coached six Hall of Famers in San Antonio Ginobili, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Dominique Wilkins and Pau Gasol. He went up against 170 different coaches during his time in the NBA and there have been 303 coaching changes made in the league, including interim moves, during the Popovich era

“I’ve got a video on my phone that’s, like, priceless,” said Chris Paul, who played for the Spurs this past season — going there, in large part, because of the lure of

United States players put a gold medal on coach Gregg Popovich during the 2020 Summer Olympics on Aug. 7, 2021, in Tokyo.

playing for Popovich. “It was us in Oklahoma City, before shootaround, and Pop is doing ballhandling stuff. All these years I’ve always seen Pop coaching in a suit, but I didn’t know how hard of a worker he was when it comes to training.”

That work ethic, Paul said, carried over into this year after the stroke and Popovich’s commitment to his rehabilitation process. He took over in 1996

Popovich, in his role as general manager of the Spurs, made the move to ﬁre coach Bob Hill and promote himself into that job on Dec. 10, 1996. The timing seemed, at best, awkward. The Spurs were 3-15 at that point having played all 18 of those games without Robinson, who was just about to come back from injury Popovich took over on the day that Robinson returned to the lineup.

“A change in direction was necessary,” Popovich said that day

The Spurs hadn’t changed direction again since.

“Coach Pop’s extraordinary impact on our family, San Antonio, the Spurs and the game of basketball is profound,” Spurs managing partner Peter J. Holt said. “His accolades and awards don’t do justice to the impact he has had on so many people. He is truly one-ofone as a person leader and coach.

Our entire family, alongside fans from across the globe, are grateful for his remarkable 29-year run as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs.”

The fortunes changed — Duncan was picked No. 1 overall in the 1997 draft – but the direction under Popovich always stayed the same.

The first championship came in 1999; others followed in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. In his ﬁrst 22 seasons as head coach, the Spurs had 22 winning records, the ﬁrst 20 of those seasons winning at least 60% of the time.

His decision to step away now comes with the Spurs having just completed the second year of a rebuild around French star Victor Wembanyama, who arrived touted as the next San Antonio great and has done nothing to suggest he won’t live up to that billing.

“Gregg Popovich’s sustained success as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs is incomparable. There are few people in the basketball community as beloved and revered as Coach Pop,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said.

How he started Popovich played at the U.S. Air Force Academy, famously wasn’t picked in a bid to make the 1972 U.S. Olympic team — some still say he merited a spot on that

team — and wound up becom-

ing a coach who might have been perfectly content to run PomonaPitzer, a Division III program in California, for the entirety of his professional life. That school had lost 88 consecutive conference games when he arrived; it didn’t take long for Popovich to deliver a conference championship.

Eventually, the NBA called. In time, Popovich would be paired with Robinson, then the patriarch of a dynasty fueled by Duncan, Parker and Ginobili. And out of that, Popovich put together a career like none other

“Everyone knows the amazing job he’s done and all the accomplishments,” longtime coach Larry Brown said in 2021. “I wish more people really could know the type of person that he is.”

He was famously grumpy, liked to clash with reporters, rarely offered any details of his basketball or private life other than what was necessary It was simultaneously real and an act; Popovich has a much softer side as well — he quietly championed causes like the San Antonio Food Bank for years and wasn’t afraid to make his political views known. And those lucky enough to know him find him hilarious.

A loss in the 2013 NBA Finals crushed Popovich, whose Spurs were in position to close out the Miami Heat in six games, lost Game 6 in overtime after Ray Allen’s 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds remaining in regulation kept the Heat alive, then fell in Game 7.

But in the moments after the ﬁnal horn, as Miami coach Erik Spoelstra embraced his staff, Popovich joined the hug with a wide smile.

Spoelstra, who became head coach of the Heat in 2008, now becomes the league’s longest-tenured in his current position.

“He’s always just been an incredible example of class, dignity,” Spoelstra said of Popovich “To be able to do that after wins or losses, I just think it’s a great example that you can still have class regardless of how the outcome comes during a game.”

When the Spurs beat the Heat for the title in a ﬁnals rematch in 2014, it was Spoelstra who felt the sting of losing.

And once again, it was Popovich who sent congratulations on a job well done.

“There is no one out there like Pop,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said.

Scheffler leads at 18 under through 36 after delay

BY SCHUYLER DIXON AP sportswriter

McKINNEY Texas Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth share a strong desire to win their hometown event, the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

The top-ranked player has a great chance to do it ﬁrst.

Playing with his good friend who is also a fellow Dallas resident and Texas alum, Schefﬂer padded his lead on Friday, shooting an 8-under 63 to reach 18 under through 36 holes as one of the early ﬁnishers in a weatherdelayed second round.

About half the ﬁeld didn’t get to complete the round after a sixhour delay, the last of the players not teeing off until about 15 minutes before sunset at soggy TPC

REESE

Continued from page 1C

Now, the Sky may ask her to throw more in the WNBA. Reese said Friday that she’s “washing her hands” of her rookie year She made the All-Star team and rebounded at a historically elite clip, but the Sky finished the year 13-27, missed the playoffs and fired first-year coach Teresa Weatherspoon, a Louisiana Tech great who drafted both Reese and 6-foot-7 Kamilla Cardoso with plans of controlling the paint like her Lady Techster teams did Now the franchise has new leadership — and a different direction. Coach Tyler Marsh, a former Las Vegas Aces assistant, said he wants the Sky to play with pace and space. Reese, he said, has a skillset his team can use to unlock the best version of that

and

Craig Ranch in a Dallas suburb.

They all ﬁgure to be chasing

Schefﬂer on the weekend, with Spieth probably too far back to be among the contenders.

Play was suspended for darkness with Schefﬂer leading Sam Stevens by six shots. Stevens shot 65 on Friday

“This tournament definitely means a lot to me,” said Schefﬂer who made his PGA Tour debut at the Byron Nelson in 2014 — four years after Spieth made himself an instant hometown favorite by contending on Sunday as a 16-year-old high school junior. “It’s going to be a lot of fun to play here and have a chance to win.”

TPC Craig Ranch, which yields low scores even without pillowsoft conditions, was no match for

Schefﬂer

He opened with a 61 on Thursday, and his total of 124 beat the previous 36-hole best at the Nelson by two shots. The two-time Masters champion missed Justin Thomas’ 36hole PGA Tour record from 2017 by one stroke.

Spieth couldn’t keep up, although he figures to be safely inside the cut line following a 67 that put him at 6 under Jhonattan Vegas, a Venezuelan who also played for the Longhorns, finished his 69 and was eight shots behind Schefﬂer after starting the day two back. Ricky Castillo was 10 under in the 18th fairway when play was suspended.

Schefﬂer, bogey-free through two rounds, started on the back

AP PHOTO By JULIO CORTEZ

Dallas Wings’ Paige Bueckers, selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft, speaks during an introductory news conference on April 23 in Dallas.

Wings lose to Aces in South Bend

WNBA rookie Bueckers has bumpy preseason debut

BY CURT RALLO Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers drove into the teeth of the Las Vegas Aces defense during the first quarter of her WNBA preseason debut. Launching from the left side, Bueckers connected on a lefthanded floater from 5 feet, and then fell hard to the baseline. It was a welcome-to-the-league moment that might leave a bruise. Bueckers, the No. 1 overall selection in the WNBA draft after leading UConn to a national title a month ago, scored 10 points in 23 minutes on Notre Dame’s home ﬂoor as the rebuilding Wings lost 112-78 to the perennially title-contending Aces. Jackie Young scored 28 points for Las Vegas. She was one of three former Notre Dame players in the game, joined by teammate Jewell Loyd and Dallas’ Arike Ogunbowale.

Bueckers is hoping to turn around a franchise that went 9-31 in 2024. The playmaking guard averaged 24.8 points in the women’s NCAA Tournament for UConn, ﬁnally delivering the title that she’d been chasing since her sensational freshman season.

Now she’s trying to reset after grinding her way through a 40game college season that ended a month ago.

nine and parred his first eight holes before an eagle at the par5 18th just before play was suspended.

Lightning started the delay, and several hours of rain followed for the second time in three days. When the players returned, water sprayed from most of the shots in the fairway

None of it bothered Schefﬂer, who hit 12 of 14 fairways and had six birdies over his ﬁnal nine holes.

“There were some fairways that were pretty wet, but other than that, I think the golf course held up pretty well,” Schefﬂer said.

Defending champion Taylor Pendrith shot 71 and was 4 under, possibly in danger of missing the cut.

“I think she’s an underrated passer I think that she’s someone that we can get the ball into spots in the pocket to be able to make the reads at the rim to where she can kick out to open shooters, and now we’ve been able to add even more shooting to our units, so there should be more space to operate.”

“It’s super surreal in terms of the turnaround from where I was two weeks ago to where I am today,” Bueckers said. “I’m just soaking it up and enjoying every moment, getting used to new routines, traditions, new teammates, new organization. I’m just excited to be playing basketball again.”

Bueckers said the pace of the game and the level of talent in the WNBA are much different from anything she’s experienced. She noted the Aces had five former Olympians in their lineup.

The physicality of the league appeared to get to Bueckers at times. She questioned a no-call when she was trying to ignite a fast break and ran into Young, who made a steal and turned it into a pair of free throws for the Aces. She looked unhappy with the three fouls called on her Fighting her way through screens was an issue. The Wings hope to help Bueckers have a smooth transition into the pro game.

Vandersloot,

just dependent on scoring in the paint,” Marsh said, “but we want her to be able to facilitate, to push, to rebound, to score.”

Reese did all those things on Friday in a familiar setting.

Now both she and the Sky hope the experience springboards her into a successful second season in the WNBA, a year in which she can showcase all the skills she developed on the court she returned to on Friday

“Even just coming into training camp,” Reese said, “I’m not nervous, I’m built for it, and I’m ready for it, so I’m really excited for this year.”

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese dribbles past Brazil National Team guard Bella Nascimento in the ﬁrst quarter of their game on Friday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

TyLER MARSH, Chicago Sky coach, on Angel Reese

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO CHARLIE NEIBERGALL

THE VARSITYZONE

Catholic’s Henriquez envisionsclutchhit

Bearsdefeat

John Curtis in eightinnings

BY WILLIAM WEATHERS

Contributing writer

Before his at-bat with thebases loaded in atied game in thetop of the eighth inning, Catholic High second baseman Edward Henriquez said he already saw such an instance materializing “(Catholic) Coach (Brad) Bass is big on visualizing yourmoment,” Henriquez said. “All week I’ve been thinking about coming up bigina gameand it came to fruition.”

Top-seeded Catholic loaded the bases with one out against John Curtis reliever Juan Washington when Henriquez lined ahit that hit the foul line in left-field and went into the corneronthat side of the field. His first hit of the game cleared the bases and helped send the Bears to a7-5 victory Friday and close out their Division Iselect quarterfinal against No. 9John Curtis at Grizzly Field

“I hit it, and Iwentblank,”said Henriquez, who has signed with Alvin (Texas) Community College.“Isaw itand just started running.”

Catholic High (33-5),the nation’s No.40ranked team by MaxPreps, shut out John Curtis 4-0 on Thursday and ended thePatriots’season for the fourthstraightseason. The Bears will host the winner of the Jesuit-St. Thomas More series in next week’ssemiﬁnal round.

There were four lead changes andatie in the extra-inning game that lasted three hours.

John Curtis (24-14), the designated hometeam,tied the game at 4-all in theseventh on an sacriﬁce ﬂy from pinch-hitter Sean Goodrum. Catcher Jeffrey Curtis was 2for 3with ateam-high three RBIs.

“This hasbeen amicrocosm of ourseason,”Curtis coach Jeff Curtis.“Nothing’sbeen easy for us, anditcertainly wasn’teasy tonight.Wepushed and pushed and gave ourselves achance. That’s all you can do.”

Curtis starter Bryce Hebert (56) pitched into theeighth, reaching 112 pitches whenhewalked Andrew Clapinski and allowed a doubletoHarrison Kidder.Heallowed ﬁve hits, walked four and

PREP REPORT

hit four battersbeforegiving way to Washington. Followinga strikeout and intentional walk to Lucas Lawrence, who homered and drove in four runs, Henriquez delivered with thego-ahead hit on a1-0 pitch.

Curtis scored arun in the bottom of the eighth on an infield single anderror when Catholic senior BennettSmith (3-0) stranded the potential tying runs with a pair of ﬂy balls to theoutﬁeld. He worked three innings in relief of fellow reliever Hayes Segar,allowing two runs on three hitsand awalk.

“He’sa senior that’s waited and worked for the opportunityhe gottonight,”BasssaidofSmith. “Give themcredit,there were threeloud outstoend thatgame. Bennettdid agood job to come in andkeepitwhere it wasand got thewin.”

Lawrence, whothrew afour-hit shutout in Thursday’s4-0 opener, had atwo-run homer in thesecond —his ﬁrst of the season —and his two-run single in thesixth gave theBears a4-3 lead.

“They showed heart, we showed heart,” Henriquez said. “Weboth did everything we could. We were able to get thekey hits in the key moments.”

Doylepowerspast topseededKaplan

Parkview falls1-0 to top-ranked CalvaryBaptist

BY ROBIN FAMBROUGH Staff writer

SULPHUR Most people know what adance party looks like. But ahit party?

Fifth-seeded Doyle provided the perfectexample by poundingout 13 hits in a13-3 ﬁve-inning victory over top-seeded Kaplan to open the LHSAAsoftballtournament on FridayatNorth Frasch Park.

“Wecallthata hit party and thatwas our goal,” Doyle catcher Kylee Savant said. “Wefelt great about that game. We were fully prepared and executed.”

Savant,aHouston signee, finished2 for4 with agrand slamin theﬁfth inning as the Tigers (25-7) advanced to the DivisionIII nonselect title game for the second straight year

Meanwhile, Parkview Baptist kept fans on the edge of their seats beforelosing to nationally ranked topseed Calvary Baptist 1-0 in a Division IIIselectsemiﬁnal played on anearby ﬁeld.

Carlie Guile ledoff thegame with ahome run forthe Cavaliers (36-1), providing the lone run. Jalayah Slaughter allowed only two hitstolead the fourth-seeded Eagles.

“Wehad agame plan in place all week andwestuck to it,” Parkview coach Ashlee Ducote said. “I could notask those girls to do anything morefor us than they did today.”

CALVARY 1, PARKVIEW0: It was the ﬁrsttourney berth for Parkview (22-13) in six seasons.

Slaughter,aneighth grader, struck out four while her counter-

part, Kynzee Anderson, struck out 12 and gave up three hits.

The young Parkview team did have scoring chances.The Eagles got arunner to third base three times, including the topofthe fourth inning, when they loaded the bases.

“I just told them,‘Look at you. Look whatyou did against one of the best teamsinnot just the state, but the nation.’ The sky is the limit,” Ducote said

TwoParkview threats ended with an Andersonstrikeout. Both of Calvary’shits came in the ﬁrst inning.

“Wehad chances and in agame like this that is all you can ask for, Ducote said. “It wasa great game against agreat opponent. But Iam very proud of this group.”

DOYLE 13, KAPLAN 3: The Tigers led 3-1 after three innings. But the floodgatesopenedafterthatwith Doyle scoring four runs in the fourth and five in the fifth.

The Tigers advance to play thirdseeded Jena(27-7) in the weatherdelayed title that is now scheduled fornoon Sunday Bella Collins scattered ﬁve hits and struck out ﬁve in the circle for Doyle.Leadoff batter Shelby Taylorset the tone by reaching on a bunt to start the game.

Taylorfinished3 for4for the winners. The win also avenges a 2023 semiﬁnal loss to Kaplan.

“I cannot take anything away from Kaplan …theyare afantastic team,” Doyle coach Jerry Wieck said. “I would say today exceeded my expectations.

“In our preparation we knew theirpitcher was goingtobethe key forus. We felt if we could prepare forher properly we hada good opportunity to win this game. It came out better than planned.” Email RobinFambrough at rfambrough@theadvocate.com

St.Angelosettles in at pitchertospark

BY CHARLES SALZER Contributingwriter

Brusly didn’tget the start it hopedfor,but the ﬁnish was everything it wanted Friday night in its Division II non select playoff game against North Vermilion.

After falling behind by tworuns in theﬁrst inning, the top-seeded Panthers clamped downonthe No. 16-seeded Patriots as they rallied for a7-2 winatBrusly

Thewin clinchedthe bestof-three quarterfinal series for Brusly (33-5), which defeated NorthVermilion 3-2inGame 1on Thursday. Brusly will host thewinner between No. 5Iowaand No. 4 West Ouachita in the semifinals next week.

Brusly got sixinnings from starter AubreySt. Angelo, who madehis return fromanearlyseason injury last weekinthe regionals.After giving up four hits and two runs in the top of the ﬁrst, St.Angelo held the Patriots scoreless for ﬁve innings.

of thethird inning. The Panthers scored four runs on three hits and werehelped by twowalks and ahit batsman. CoyPurpera hada tworun single while Jeremiah Hogan’s two-out hit drove in another run. Purpera and Josiah Hogan had RBIsinatwo-runfifth before Brusly manufactured itslastrun in the sixth without the beneﬁt of ahit.

“(North Vermilion) barreled up a lot of balls early,but that’sateam that’splayed in three of the last four state championships,” Lemoine said. “They play in atough district, so they’ve probably seen pitchers like (St. Angelo)all season.”

All totaled, St. Angelo gave up six hits, struck out three and walked two in six innings. He left after allowing alead off single in the seventh andgave way to Cade Rills, who picked up the final threeouts.

vs.No. 3Assumption (29-5), noon,Saturday, Field 14 Division III

■ No. 5Doyle 13,No. 1Kaplan 3

■ No. 3Jena 3,No. 2Pine Prairie 2 Division IV

■ No. 1LaSalle (32-3) vs.No. 4Oak Grove (17-8), 2:30 p.m. Field 17 ■ No. 3Logansport(22-9) vs.No. 7Mangham (17-11), 2:30p.m. Field 18 SELECT Division I

■ No. 4JohnCurtis (24-7) vs.No. 9Chapelle (17-10), 3p.m Saturday,Field13

■ No. 2St. Thomas More(24-7) vs.No. 6Mt. Carmel (16-13),3p.m Saturday, Field 14

Division II

■ No. 1Vandebilt (31-2) vs.No. 4Buckeye (22-12), 2:30p.m.Field 15

■ No. 2E.D.White (23-9) vs.No. 6St. Charles (25-7), noon,Saturday, Field 16

■ No. 1Calvary Baptist 1, No. 4Parkview Baptist0

No. 2D’Arbonne Woods 13, vs.No. 3Notre Dame 11 DivisionIV ■ No. 1Catholic-PC

“Our guy on the mound hadbattledsome injuries, andhewas able to comeback last week for theﬁrst time in two months,” Brusly coach Jason Lemoine said. “Wehad him on alittle bit of apitch count, but we felt like we were good with him on the mound. He settled down, and in the fourth, ﬁfth andsixth innings he wasreally pitching.”

Bruslygot to North Vermilion starter Isaac Russell in thetop

NorthVermilion (20-16), which lost 4-0 to Lutcher in last season’s championship game, got singles from three of its ﬁrst four batters in the bottomofthe ﬁrst. One of those wasAlex Landry’sRBI single. He would later score on Kevin Marix’ two-out single.

“(North Vermilion) is used to facing high-velocity pitchers like me, so Iwasn’ttoo upset,” St. Angelo said. “Theystuck thebat out on a couple of them, and Ijust told myself,‘They’re not going to getany more.’ “

STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK

Catholic second baseman Edward Henriquez is tripped up by John Curtis’ Juan Washington during aplayat second base in Game 2ofaDivision Iselectquarterfinal best-of-three series on FridayatCatholic High.

STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK John Curtis shortstop Connor Micheu applies the tag to Catholic High center fielder Noah Lewis during Game 2oftheir DivisionIselect quarterfinal best-of-three series on Friday at Catholic High.

LSUaddsshootingguard Carter from transfer portal

Former Memphisguard made nearly 40%ofhis 3-pointattempts

BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer

LSU men’sbasketball gained the commitment of Memphis guard PJ Carter from the transfer portal.

The 6-foot-4, 175-pound fifthyear player is the seventhportal addition and the 12th scholarship player on the 2025-26 roster

For Memphis, which ended the season at No. 25 team in AP poll, he played 14.4 minutes per game, averaged 5.4 points and made 39.3% of his 117 3-pointers.

“Weare happy to welcomePJ Carter to the LSU program,” coach Matt McMahon said in arelease.

“He is aperfect ﬁt with our point guards and forwards because of his ability to shoot the ball at ahigh level.”

Carter’sbest game last sea-

CARR

Continued from page1C

season-ending, interim coach Darren Rizzi leaves the door open for the quarterback to return. The “reports out there were alittle bit false,”Rizzi says.

Dec. 13-14: Carr enters the ﬁnal step of the concussion protocol but is later listed as doubtful and then subsequently ruledout for New Orleans’ Dec. 15 showdownagainst the Washington Commanders.

Dec. 18-21: The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport doubles down on his original report, reporting it is “very unlikely” Carrreturns, as he’sstill weeks away from being able to withstand contact. Aday later,Rizzi again disputes the report and said Carr is “frustrated” over the reporting. He said Carr is “working his tail off” toreturn from his hand injury.Heisthen ruled out prior to New Orleans’ Monday Night Football game against the Green Bay Packers.

Dec. 27-29: AfterRizzi says Carr’s grip strength was gradually improving, the Saints still rule out the quarterback ahead of that weekend’sgame against the Las Vegas Raiders, Carr’sformer team. The quarterback was spotted without acast that Sunday Dec. 30-Jan.3: Rizzi reveals that Carr had participated in a“simulated game” in the week prior to test his grip strength andfunctionality,withthe goal for Carr to do so again before returning to practice sometime that week But Carr never returns and is ruled out for the Week 18 season ﬁnale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Jan. 6: Carrsays he’s“fully conﬁdent” he’ll be back with theSaints next season, telling reporters he’s“absolutely” happy in New Orleans. “I love it here,” hesaid. Carr tells reporters he still needs to get healthy but expects to be cleared in thenext few weeks. In an interview with ESPN, Carr is adamant he would not take a paycut —“especiallywithwhat I put on tape,” he says. Carr says he would be open to arestructure but wouldn’t“take anything less” than the $40 million he is set to earn Feb. 13: At his introductory news conference, new coach Kellen Moore gives several noncommittal answers aboutwhether Carr would be back with the team next season. He says he is excited to go through “this process” but demurs when asked if Carr would be the starter

Feb. 26: The Saints’ brassconfirms they plan to stick withCarr in 2025, though they acknowledge they will address his contract in some way.“Ifeel like we’vegot aguy we can win with,” Loomis says. Moore says the Saints feels “fortunate” to have Carr,calling him a“big-time quarterback.” March 8: The Saints do asimple restructure of Carr’scontract —a move that does not require the quarterback’spermission.The team converts all but the league minimum of Carr’s$30 million base salary,aswell as his $10 million roster bonus,toclear up more than $30 million in salary cap space. ESPN reports that before the transaction, Carr was open to testing the market, “possibly filling avoid withaquarterbackneedy team before free agency.” March 10: Daysafter the Saints restructured Carr’scontract, Moore says he anticipated the quarterback being the team’s starter when he took the job.“We felt really comfortable withhim,” Moore says, adding they have confidence about the “environment” they can create for Carr April 1:Atthe NFL owners’ meetings, Moore is asked whether Carr is bought in amid previous

son was a19-point performance against Rice on Feb. 2, making 5of 7from beyond thearc.

TheAtlanta native startedhis collegiatecareer at Campbell, where he played 16 gamesintwo years.

He spenthis thirdcollege season at GeorgiaHighlands College,a junior college.Hethenplayedat theTexas-San Antonioduringthe 2023-24seasonbeforehis most recentcampaignatMemphis.

Carter’sbest season in Division Iwas at UTSAwhere he averaged 9.5 points and2.4 rebounds and made 40.3% of his129 3-pointers.

“PJ made 98 triples over the last two seasons at 40%, so we love his abilitytospace the ﬂoor,” McMahon said. “With his6-4 frame, PJ was also astrong perimeter defender on Memphis’ NCAA Tournament team last season. We are

excited to add his experience and shot-making.”

The 23-year-old is the second transferadded since LSUhired Ronald Dupree as the program’s general manager on April 17.

The other portal additions for McMahon were UNLVpoint guard Dedan Thomas, UC Davis forward Pablo Tamba, Northeastern guard Rashad King, Mississippi State center Michael Nwoko, Portland guard MaxMackinnon andOmaha forward Marquel Sutton.

The rest of the roster comprises of returning big men in Jalen Reed andRobert Millerand incoming freshmenMattGilhool (center), Jalen Reece (point guard) and Mazi Mosley (guard)

The Tigers ended last season 1418 overall and3-15inthe Southeastern Conference.

N.J.Followingthe injury, Carr didn’t returntoplayfor the remainder of theseason.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRISGRANGER Saints general manager Mickey Loomis speaks during a2024 season wrap-up news conference on Jan. 13 at the team’straining facility.Loomis would later confirm theSaintswould plan to stick with Carrin 2025.

rumors that he was open to a trade. “Yeah, we’re excited to team up,” Moore says. The coach, who makes nomention of an injury,tells reportersthat he expects to see Carr forthe start of New Orleans’ offseason program on April 14.

April 11: News of Carr’spotentially season-ending shoulder injury breaks, three days before the startofthe Saints’ offseason program. Asource with knowledge of the situation tells the Times-Picayune that Carr’sinjury stemmed fromanold shoulder injury and did notoccur against the NewYork Giants, something Carr’sbrotherDavid would later refute.

April 14: Carrdoes not attend the beginning of the voluntary portion of the Saints’ offseason program. Thequarterback is among ahandful of players to not show up. But thatsame day,Carr is featuredinavideo with his brother David on their YouTube channel in which they review a $500,000 Rolls-Royce Spectre. Also that day,The Athletic’s DiannaRussini says on apodcast that peoplearound the league are viewingCarr’sinjury with skepticism and wonder if it is beingusedas“an excuse” after he wasn’ttraded.

April 16: Sports Illustrated’sAlbert Breer reports other teams were under the impression Carr wanted out from New Orleans and that Carr’scamp has told peoplethatthe injury stems from the2023 season,when he suffered an AC sprain in Week 3against theGreen Bay Packers.

April 23: Loomis acknowledges Carrhas ashoulder injury but refusestoelaborate on any other details about the situation.Hesays the Saints werehoping to get clar-

fifth-year senior,isLSU’sseventh transfer portal addition.

LSUbaseballusing iPadstohelpshape itspitchingplans

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Jamie Tutko wishes he had accesstoitwhen Ty Floyd was around.

Floyd’sleading characteristic on the mound while at LSU wasa carry fastball he threw at the top of the zone, getting opposing hitterstochase it up.

But, as TrackMan—a balltracking radarsystemthattraces every movement of abaseball in ﬂight —would show afterwards, the pitch would look great in some moments and notasgreat during others.

“There were timeswith Ty (where) his numbers on the fastball were not as good as other days,”Tutko, LSU’spitching director of development said.

and Yeskie to make in-game adjustments fortheir pitchers more easily.The technology is something Tutko wishes he had when Floyd wasstill pitching forthe Tigers.

“After the first inning or so, when we’ve seen anumberof pitches, (we would have been) abletosay,‘OK,(the fastball) is really,really good today.Let’s exploitthatand let’scontinueto throw the fastball,’ ”Tutko said, “or it’s‘Hey, it’snot all that good today, so let’stry to go with other areas when it comes to ourpitch usage.’ ”

ity on Carr “in the near future.”

April 24: David Carr,Derek’s brother and former quarterback, says on the NFL Network that theSaints starter believes he suffered theshoulder injury on the December play against the New York Giants—not in 2023. He says theSaints were aware of the injury from the “momentithappened” and conﬁrmsthe quarterback is weighing whether to get surgery.“He’strying to ﬁndthe answers,” David Carr says.

“After theadrenaline wears off, you don’treally throw,” David says. “You don’treally throw a ball at game-level tempo after that, because he was trying to get back from that injury.So, by the time they were able to go throw theball again, it was still there, theshoulder was still bothering him,soyou start to go through, ‘What do we have to do to get it right?’

Earlier that day,Breer had reported that Carr also sought a raise from theSaints earlier in theoffseason and then atrade beforethe team restructured his contract.

April 26: After drafting Shough with the 40th overall pick,Loomis says he expects theSaints to have aquarterback competition next season —but only if Carr is unavailable.“Derek’s the starter if he’s healthy,”the general manager says, adding there was no update on Carr’sstatus.

April 28: Videocirculates of Carrspeaking publicly aboutthe injury for theﬁrst time. During aLas Vegaschurchservice, the quarterback accuses “people lyingabout me”and having to deal with “nonsense” over apparent skepticism of his shoulderinjury.“Younever knowwhatsomeone is going through,” Carrsays. “So why do we continually try to attack people?And Iwould say, maybe trying to attack people who Iwould sayare doing things the right way.” Carrsayshehas an MRItoprove his shoulder injury,adding he andthe Saints are “ﬁguring it out.”

Carralsorevealsthatoverthe lastfew months, his wife had been having health problems that includeda miscarriage. Carrsaid he andhis wife didn’t knowshe was pregnant but had to rush hertothe emergency room one day.

“I say all that to say: Let’s be apeople that doesn’t judge, pointout andthink the worst when youdon’t really know what people are going through,” Carr says.

Tutko was able to seeFloyd’s TrackMan data when he threw hisbullpens. Theproblemwas that he didn’thave access to the numbers during Floyd’sstartsin real games.

Now,that is no longer the case.

Starting this season, the Southeastern Conference has provided Tutko, LSU and the rest of the conference iPads that allow them to access TrackMan data during games.

“I’m monitoring (theiPad)and relaying back to (pitching coach Nate Yeskie), like,‘Hey, this pitch is really working for this guy.This pitch doesn’thavethe greatest shape today,’ “Tutko said. “And it’sall stuff that we can see withour eyes anyways, but justgetting the numbers to objectify it just makes it alot easier forus.”

The iPadshaveallowedTutko

Every school hasﬁve iPadsthat can only be utilized during conferencegames.The tablets are also cut off from the internet and only grants access to anotes app and TrackMan. Junior left-hander Conner Ware has noticed how the new technology has helped him better understandthe shapesofhis pitches during an outing.

“Maybe your stuff’s notthe same and (Tutko) can comeup and tell you ‘Hey,this is what’s happening with your pitches,’ and (tells you) things that you need to change,” Ware said.

LSUcoach JayJohnson believes that the implementation of the iPads hasn’t dramatically changed the way LSU has coachedwithin games. He believesthatthe extra information TrackMan’sdata has provided is agood thing, but relaying the info to players in amannerthat digestible for the players is just as crucial.

“I think it’sabalance,” Johnson said.“Like information is good, but youhavetoﬁlter it in away

LSU and Texas A&M did not play on Fridaybecause of inclement weather in the area.The teams will instead playa doubleheader on Saturday. The first game Saturdaywill begin at 2p.m. and the second game will startanhour after the first one concludes. Bothgames are slated to last nine innings and will be available to stream on SEC Network+.

Friday’sgameisLSU’s fifth SoutheasternConference game where the starttime has been

affected by weather. Last Friday, the Tigers sat througha threehour and 25 minute weatherdelay before their showdown withTennessee. LSUisexpectedtoturnto sophomore left-hander Kade Anderson on the mound and will be slatedtoface Texas A&M left-hander Ryan Prager Anderson gave up just twoearned runs in 71/3 innings last week against Tennessee. Prager surrendered only one earned runin52/3 innings last FridayatTexas.

Koki Riley

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ADAM HUNGER Saints quarterback Derek Carrfalls down on his armasheistackled by theNew york Giants during the fourth quarter of their game on Dec. 8in East Rutherford,

ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO By ASHLEy LANDIS Memphis guard PJ Carter shoots against Rice on Feb.2 in Houston. Carter,a

STAFF FILE PHOTOByHILARy SCHEINUK LSU starting pitcher Conner Ware lookstothrowapitch against North Dakota State on March4atAlex Box Stadium.

Slow down, gather more information andsuspend judgement

As ayoung therapist,my mentor,Dan Jurek —alicensed professional counselor and licensed marriage and family therapist —was always reminding me: “Serve no intervention before it’stime.”

“At its core,” Jurek said,“the principle emphasizes both discernment and timing.”

Toooften in both therapy and in life, we think we fullyunderstand aperson, problemora situation, when we don’t

As ayoung therapist, Iwanted to be helpful,and Iwanted to help people quickly

One of the many times I’ve learned this lesson was when Iwas an intern working witha teen and his parents. The teen was very fond of gaming and could spend hours on endgaming.After the ﬁrst session, I recommended limiting gaming to weekends only

Youmay think that’sa great, reasonable “intervention”or recommendation. But it was a disaster

What Ihadn’ttaken thetime to learn was that “gaming”was more about connecting with hisfriendsthan it was playing the game. Within aweek of the parents implementing my suggestion, the teen was isolated and depressed.

I’d failed to fully understand the problem. Ihadn’tgottento know the teen, his parents or their family dynamics. Irushed to offer asolution, which was making me feel better,but it wasn’thelpful to this family

This happens in all our lives in various ways.

I’ve seen countlesstimes friends who meet someone and are infatuatedand make relational commitments without really getting to knowthe other person.(It’sworth noting that it takes at least ayearto really know someone. People change with the seasons, and usually in ayear,you get to see how the other person responds to various life events).

MEALS& MEMORIES

Do youremember Piccadilly in its heyday?Wewantto hear from you.

Did yougrowupeating at Piccadilly? Do youhavecherished memories of favorite foods at the restaurant? Maybe youstill eat thereonthe regular.Wewant to hear about your connection to the Baton Rouge-based cafeteria-style institution.

Send us your stories about Piccadilly in its heyday. Do you remember watching the restaurant grow from ahometown success to achain across the South? Please email us your storytoSerena. Puang@theadvocate.com. Include your name and town, and (not for publication) adaytime phone number

JOHN FOSTER, 8LA. SINGERS EXCELLED ON ‘AMERICANIDOL,’ INCLUDING ONEWINNER

ICONIC MEMORIES

BY JUDYBERGERON| Staff writer

Louisiana and “American Idol”sharealengthy history, starting with the singing competition series’ third season and continuing to its current23rd go-round.

Addisteen John Foster has reached “Idol’s”top 10. Fans are hoping Foster,18, will be Louisiana’snext “Idol” winner.In2019, Livingston’sLaine Hardy became the state’sﬁrst contestant to bringhome the title. BEFORE

Here’saglimpse at past “American Idol” finalists hailing from Louisiana: Season 3(2004): GeorgeHuffJr.,ofNew Orleans, finished in fifthplace. Coincidentally,the final song he performed in the competition was fellowNew Orleanian Louis Armstrong’s “What aWonderful World.” Huff, now agospel and rhythm and blues singer-songwriter,has sung background vocalsfor fellow“Idol” alum Jennifer Hudson. Season 4(2005): Lindsey Cardinale, of Ponchatoula, was the 12th-place finisher, while now-“Idol” judge Carrie Under-

wood won the title.Cardinale returned to the showlastweek for abrief spot featuring someofthe contestants from her season. Awife andmotheroftwo sons, she continues to perform, and some of her TikTok videos singing alongside one of her sons have gone viral. Season 11 (2012): Westlake’sJoshua Ledet was thethird-place winner.The soulful singercontinues to record and perform, including at theWhite House in 2013. He’s also headlinedthe Java Jazz

ä See ‘IDOL’, page 2D

‘AMERICAN IDOL’

TIME: 7p.m. Sunday and MondayonABC

SUNDAY: “Ladies’ Night,”performances celebrating iconic women of music; mentor,Miranda Lambert.

MONDAY: “Judges’ Song Contest,”the top 8performing songs secretly selectedbyLuke Bryan, LionelRichie or Carrie Underwood.

INFO: americanidol.com

St.Georgeisplanningits ﬁrst ever arts market

BYJOY HOLDEN Staff writer

See MARKET, page 2D

Roy Petitfils

Lognion

ä See PETITFILS, page 2D

GEORGE HUFF

LINDSEY CARDINALE

JOSHUALEDET

BURNELL TAYLOR

QUENTIN ALEXANDER

LAINE HARDY

JOVIN WEBB

MACKENZIEBOURG

By The Associated Press

Today is Saturday,May 3, the 123rd day of 2025. There are242 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On May 3, 1999, the Bridge Creek–Moore tornado struck the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, causing 41 deathsand nearly 600 injuries; the tornado’s top wind speed of 321 miles per hour was the highest ever recorded on earth.

On this date:

In 1802, Washington, D.C., was incorporated as acity

In 1937, MargaretMitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel, “Gone with the Wind.”

In 1948, the SupremeCourt, in Shelley v. Kraemer,ruled that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to Blacks or members of other racialgroups were legally unenforceable.

In 1979, the Conservative Party ousted the incumbent Labour government in British parliamentary elections; Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher would become the ﬁrst female U.K. Prime Minister the following day In 1986, aboard the longshot horse Ferdinand, Bill Shoemaker became the oldest jockey to win the Kentucky Derby at age 54. In 2003, the “Old Man of the Mountain,” a40-foot-tallgranite

outcroppinginFranconia, N.H. that bore theresemblance of a human face in proﬁle, collapsed despite decades of preservation efforts.

In 2015, two gunmen were killed by aSWATteam in Garland, Texas, after theyopened ﬁre outsidea purposely provocativecontest for cartoon depictions of theProphet Muhammad.

In 2016, in astunningtriumph for apolitical outsider,Donald Trump allbut clinched theRepublican presidential nomination with aresoundingvictory in the Indiana primary election that knocked rival TedCruz out of therace.

In 2018, afederal grand jury in Detroit indicted former VolkswagenCEO Martin Winterkorn on charges stemming from the company’s diesel emissions cheatingscandal. (Under Germany’s constitution,hecould not be extradited to the U.S. to face charges.)

Today’sbirthdays: Singer Frankie Valli is 91. Sen. Jim Risch, RIdaho, is 82. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is 76. Singer Christopher Cross is 74. Actor Amy Ryan is 57. Actor BobbyCannavale is 55. Music executive-entrepreneur Damon Dash is 54. Actor ChristinaHendricksis50. Actor Dule Hill is 50. Country musician Eric Churchis48. Golfer Brooks Koepkais35. Actor Rachel Zegler is 24.

MARKET

Continued from page1D

the land is an ideal spot for acommunity festival because there is awooded area behind the church that provides shade, alargeopen lot in front of the church and plenty of spacefor parking. The church’slocation alsoserves as a bridge between Baton Rougeand St.George, sinceitisnearthe boundary line.

Lognion, who lives in Spanish Town and works primarily downtown, has enjoyed getting to know people and artists out in the St. George area.

“It’sabeautiful network,”he said. “I found one thing thatI absolutely love about the Baton Rouge area is people want other people to succeed. They want to see something happen. If you want to make adifference in this area, you will have an army behindyou helping you along the way.”

Although Mayor Dustin Yates supports the St. George Culture Scene, the city is not sponsoring or directly benefiting from the monthly market.

L’Auberge Casino Hotel, Guaranty Media and Oak Point Market are sponsors of the event Organizers plan for the event to be acelebration of both Baton Rouge and St. George coming together to have agood time. The

‘IDOL’

Continuedfrom page1D

Festival in Indonesia, where he has astrong following.

Season 12 (2013): Burnell Taylor,another New Orleans native, sung hisway into seventh place. He worksas an independent singer-songwriter and was honored by theEssence Festivalasone of themost impactful people in New Orleans. In 2013, Nicki Minaj brought Taylor on stage during atourstop in his hometown. Season 14 (2015): Quentin Alexander,also of New Orleans, reached sixth place in the competition. A rhythm-and-blues/soul recording artist, his four-song EP “SiGH”

PETITFILS

Continuedfrom page1D

market invites residentsand visitors to experience the creative energy of agrowing community in acasual,family-friendly setting.

“Wewant this festival to be a place where people can come and have agoodtime, to celebratea newcity,” said Dillon. “One of the prayers Ilove to say is,‘Lord, we prayfor thingswhich have never happened before,’and Ibelieve thatthis is something that has never happened before. We wanttobe partofbringing peopletogether rather thandividing people.”

Email Joy Holden at joy holden@theadvocate.com.

We can have differing motivationswhen we “rush” intosituations, giving advice or judgments. Rushing is always about what’s going on inside of us, not the other person. Sometimes we rush because we’ve been hurt.Werush to judgment because we’re aching for anew friend or relationship and aren’tsure how much longer we can wait.

Other times, too quickly judging helps us manageour anxiety about the potential unknowns in another person.

There’sa part in all of us that wants to box people in —not for them, but because it helps us manageour anxietyabout who that person might be, may become and how they may change.

was released in January Season 15 (2016): MacKenzie Bourg, of Lafayette, finished the show in fourth place. He continuesworking in the music field, releasing singlesincluding “Little Moon,” “Roses,” “Heartbeat” andmore recently,“Heavy.” He performs often andhas an often-humorous presence on Instagram Season 17 (2019): It wasthe year Louisiana’s Laine Hardy putLivingston on the map,bringing homethe “Idol” title. Sincethen, the country artist has toured the nation, performed for the troops overseas, been Louisiana’stourism ambassador,performed at theWhiteHouse for PBS’ “A Capitol Fourth” and released albums,EPs andsingles— thelatest being “Back of My Mind” in January.He’salso engagedand

This can be an especially strong impulse when we’ve been too trusting, or too naive, and have been hurt.

It can be away of protecting ourselves.

In my case, working with the teen and his parents, Irushed because helpingthem quickly made my egofeel good.

The instances where I’ve prematurely judged someone, both positively andnegatively,are too numerous to list. I’ve prematurely judged people without understanding them, what they’ve been through or are going through.

Agood friendsays, “It’svery hard for me to judge someone or even not like them,when I’ve heard their story and understand what they’ve been through.”

Somequestionswecan ask ourselves when considering new situations, opportunities and relationships are:

recently becameafather with the arrival of son Hollis James Hardy in February Season 18 (2020): Jovin Webb,Gonzales, reached thetop 12 before beingeliminated in abatch of four finalists. Webb’stime on “Idol” wasunique in that the entire season wasﬁlmed remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Now based in Baton Rouge, Webb signed to Blind Pig Records, which released his debut album, “Drifter,”inOctober 2024. The album highlights his powerful blues, rock, gospel and old-fashionedrock ‘n’rollsounds, and reached No. 2onthe iTunes charts. He still doesliveshows in the Baton Rouge area regularly Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.

n How well do Ireally know this person?

n Do Ihave all or enough information needed to makethis decision?

n Is this the best timetodothis or recommendthis?

n What would it cost me to discern, wait abit longer?

n How much time do Ihave to makethis decision?

n Is there any other viewpoint or perspective that would add to a fuller picture? If so, from whom?

n Who do Itrust to help me discern this?

There’saline from the Peace Prayer that says, “Let me seek ﬁrst to understand, then be understood.” This line can be ahelpful mantra or prayer,reminding us to slow down, gather moreinformation, suspend judgment and move moreconscientiously into new relationships, experiences and opportunities.

PROVIDED PHOTOByERIC McCANDLESS/DISNEy

Louisiana ‘Idol’ contestant John Foster performs hisinterpretation of Elvis’ ‘Jailhouse Rock’ for the show’sRock and Roll Hall of Fame episode.

PROVIDED PHOTO By MARK HUNTER

The sign out along Perkins Road welcomes membersand visitors alike to St. Margaret’sEpiscopalChurch,

Nightmareguest shouldn’tbeinvited back

Dear Miss Manners: Afriend, who professes to love me, behaved irrationally on atwo-day visit to my house. He says he is always in alot of pain due to ﬁbromyalgia, neuropathy and atendon missing in his shoulder.

Ihave two disintegrating discs pressing on nerves in my lower back, which is very painful. During his visit, Iwaited on him hand and foot whilehelollygagged on asofa. He went to take ashower in my guest bath, and apparently the shower did not work well. He screamed and yelled at the topof his lungs, slammed the bathroom door and then slammed thedoor

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

to theguest bedroom. He did not comeout till thenextmorning, when he told me the toilet in the guest bathwas plugged up and ordered me to take care of it. Iwas livid and told him to take care of it himself. Ifelt completely disrespected andfelt he treated my homelike ahotel. He could have used the shower in my bathroom but didn’tbother asking. He also complained because there were notissues in the bath, but I have extra boxes and could have fetched one. Iwould be interested in your thoughts. Gentle reader: This is avery volatile relationship.

If it survives this visit and you are willing to tryagain, Miss Manners suggestsyou sit your friend down and explain that while you know he is in pain, his behavior at your house was unacceptable. If he wants to stay with you, you would be happy to give him atour of where everything is and how it works, but that you will not tolerate screaming and slammingifthings go awry

Miss Manners further advises that this conversation will go better if you resist theurge to competeover your respective pain and injuries.

Dear Miss Manners: Afriend of minehas been keeping in touch with me by sending textmessages that contain one sentence only:

“How are you, Jen?” He never shares anything about himself, nor does he show any interest in my life beyond asking that one question. In frustration, Itexted him that Iamdelighted and eager to hear from him any time he has somethingmeaningful to share, but that going forward, Iwill no longer respond to one-sentence textmessages. He was angry at this and Ihave not heard from him since.

What do you think of this behavior? Iamstill abit mystiﬁed by it and would like your opinion.

Gentlereader: In aworld where long, rambling text messages and lack of interest in others prevails, it seemstoMiss Manners that

Bridesmaid doesn’tshowfor wedding

Dear Harriette: Irecently got married, and while most of the day went beautifully there’sone thing that’sreally been bothering me: One of my bridesmaids, whom Iconsidered aclose friend, didn’tshow up to the wedding. She never told me why.Wehad been in touch leading up to the big day,and as far as Iknew, everything was ﬁne. She had her dress, she was at the wedding rehearsal and she seemed excited for me. When the day came, though, she was just …gone. No text, no call, no explanation. She didn’treach out the day of, and she hasn’treached out since. It’sbeen weeks. I’ve gone back and forth between being hurt, confused and angry.Part of me wants to call her and ask what happened, but another part of me feels like the silence speaks for itself. I’m trying not to let this overshadow

your friend’stexts were both succinct and empathetic. Unless you are not providing her with the whole scenario.

Once you tell him how you are and ask him how he is, does he then go silent? If it really is just the one sentence and then crickets, Miss Manners will justify— and share —your mystiﬁcation. But it still does not warrant the tirade you unleashed upon him

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.

RELIGION BRIEFS FROM STAFFREPORTS

such an important time in my life, butitreally stings —especially since shewas someone Ithoughtwould be standingbesidemefor such abig milestone. Should I reach outor let the friendship go? —MissingBridesmaid Dear MissingBridesmaid: Reach out to her.You didn’t say if anyone else has given you areport abouther.Ifyou have not heard anything, youshouldbe worried that somethingbad happened to her It is odd for abridesmaid to go AWOL for awedding. Something signiﬁcantmust have happened to stop her from showingup. Shemay be embarrassed that she ghosted you.Who knows? There is one way to ﬁnd out. Reach out to her and ask her what happened From there, you will know whether you should be concerned for her well-being. Youcan also ask whether

she needs help. Trynot to let this affect your friendship unless she clearly indicates that it should.

Dear Harriette: Throughout my childhood, my parents were not exactly kind. They were often pitting their children against each other,using religion to justify harsh punishment and ridicule and being verbally abusive. When Iwas 17, they kicked me out, andI went to live elsewhere. It’salmost adecade later and things are strained at best.Myextended family encourages me to stay in touch with my parents, and while Idotry,Ifeel tired.Every talk with them is ﬁlled with criticism and hate, and Ifeel anxious about picking up thephone or going to their house. My mother threw a ﬁt before my wedding day, causing me to feel nervous theentire day,hoping she wouldn’texplode. To be honest,Idid not want them there.

Iamstruggling to be a good daughter and keep my sanity. Idon’twant them in my life. Do Isay somethingtothem,ordoIjust fade into thebackground? Pointingout their behavior resultsinscreaming, crying and them insisting that they’re doing their best. I can’thandle any more from them, and Iamsearching for agood therapist to help me come to terms with everything. —Desperate Daughter Dear Desperate Daughter: Live your life. Stop reaching out to them. Youdonot have to put yourself in an abusive environment, even if it is with your parents. They threw you out long ago. Stay out.You should deﬁnitely engage atherapist to help you heal your heart

Send questions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.

Corralling children’s toys whileinthe car

Dear Heloise: We travel with two young children who get bored if they don’thave a few toys to play with. However,our car looks so messywith toys scattered everywhere. Help! —Sherri, in Michigan Sherri, hang ashoe storage bag over the passenger seat and, in the compartments for shoes, put toys they can play with. At the end of the day,put them away again in the compartments. —Heloise Asureseal

Congregation to host Holocaust program

TheUniﬁedJewishCongregation Baton Rouge, 3354 Kleinert Ave., will observe YomHaShoah 2025 (the 80thanniversary of liberation) at 2p.m.Sunday The Holocaust remembrance program will include aconversation with Bill Kongable, veteran of the 89th Infantry Division.

TheU.S.troopsliberated Ohrdurf,the ﬁrst Nazi concentration camp, on April 4, 1945.

Among those being recognizedisthe late Lee Berg, fatherofLee Michael Berg andpartofthe 102ndInfantry Division which liberated Dachauconcentrationcamp.

To register forthe event, go to https://ujcbr.shulcloud.com/. Gloryland Baptist holds summer event

Gloryland Baptist Church, 6745 Greenwell Springs Road,Baton Rouge, will host itssummerenrichment program from 8a.m. to 3p.m. Monday-Friday,J 3-July 25.

program includesreading, math, music, cultural and social activities, library visits, exercise, robotics and swim lessons. For more information, call the church office at (225) 928-0436.

Church holds Mother’sDay service

Nat ha nie lB ap ti st Church, 5032 Highway 33S, Centreville, Mississippi, will host aMother’s Day worship service at 11 a.m Sunday,May 11. Guest pastor will be John Thompson of St. Francisville. All are invited.

Nazarene Baptist celebratesmilestone Na zarene Baptist Church, 2322Chamberlain Ave., Baker,will celebrate itssecond church anniversary at 2p.m. Sunday,June 22. The celebrationwill be ledbythe Rev.Roy Miller, pastor All familiesand friends are invited.

Hints from Heloise

Cheapermeds

Dear Heloise: Getting prescriptions ﬁlled at the veterinarian’sofﬁce may not be the best or most cost-effective choice. Did you know that the pharmacy at the grocery store may carry your pet’smeds, and they may be cheaper, too?

Oneproblem I’ve run into, though: The grocery store pharmacy maynot have

Dear Heloise: If I’m out and about and notice that Ihave abutton coming undone, I have aﬁx: Idab some clear nail polish on the button, andthis holds it in place until Ican get home and reattach it properly By the way,I’m the woman in my group of friendswith the bigbag.Anything you need,Iprobably haveit! —H.D in Louisiana

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Takeonwhatever you encounter and turn anegative interaction into apositiveone. Your gratitude will inspire others and encouragethemtotake advantageof their attributes and good fortune.

GEMInI (May 21-June20) Whatyou learn andthe skills youmaster will help guide youinapositive direction that offerslong-term benefits. Group events will offer unique andunexpected prospects

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Uncover new possibilities. Focus on what interests and concerns you most, and you'll discover how to counter what you don't like and enhance whatyou cherish

LEO(July 23-Aug. 22) Put pressure where needed to ensure you get what you want when you want it. Use positive tactics that motivate rather than deplete peopleyou'recounting on for support.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-sept. 22) An open mind will help yougather and retaininformation. Learning and flexibility will bring about positive change. Invest in yourself, and you'll gain stability.

LIBRA(sept. 23-Oct. 23) Build momentum and becomethe drivingforce. Don'tsit back waiting forsomeoneelse to make the first move. Showeveryone how efficientand hardworking you can be.

scORPIO (Oct. 24-nov. 22) Problems will surface if you are stubborn, possessive or take aggressive action. Turn your

attention inward andcritique yourself rather than condemning others.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Get to know someone whointerests you. Communication, sharing knowledge andintentions,and making proposals will leaveyou in acushy position that offers security andstability.

cAPRIcORn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Put ahalt on plans if you don'thave everything in place. Putyourtime andeffort into preparation andlocatingthe best help youcan receive. Listen, ask questions andverifyfacts beforeyou proceed

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Payattention to where your money goes. Work with abudget you can live with and make aplan that addresses your essential needs.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March20) Refusetolet your cravings take charge; theywill leadonly to indulgent behavior or expenses youcannot afford. Stick close to friends andfamily whosupport and look outfor you.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Revyour engine and startanadventure. Whether you travel, socialize or challenge yourself mentally, physically or otherwise, fill your daywith excitementand joy.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Cipher cryptograms arecreated fromquotations by famous people,

present. Each letter in the cipher stands foranother

FAMILYCIrCUS

pastand

For better or For WorSe

SALLYForth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

bIG

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER

Jack Benny, when talking about comedy,said, “It’snot so much knowing when to speak,aswhentopause.” That is so true —timing is everything. And it applies to many bridge deals, not just for declarer but also forthe defenders. In today’s deal, who should come out ahead in fourhearts afterWest leads his fourth-highest club?

Southopened with atextbook weak two-bid:asix-card suit containing two of the topthree or three of the top five honors, and6 to 10 high-cardpoints Northjumped to game, hoping hisside would not immediately lose four blacksuittricks.

Note West’s lead. Fourth-highest applies notonly in no-trump but also in atrump contract when you have at least onehonor in that suit.

Southhas four potential losers: one spade, oneheart andtwo clubs. If either major-suit finesse wins, he is safe. Or if he can drawtrumps, he might be able to discardhislowspadeondummy’sfourth diamond.

East,though, should wonder where the defenders can get four tricks. He should hope for two clubwinners. He can see a trumptrick. So his side musttake one spade. Westwill nothave the ace and king, because then he would have led thespade ace, notthe low club. If West hasthe spade ace, there will be no problems.But if he has the king, thereisn’t amoment to lose. East mustwin with hisclubace andshift to the spadeeight (high denying an honor in the suit). Then the contract must fail. No other defense works. Leading back partner’s suit is usually right in no-trump, but much less often in atrump contract.

Each Wuzzle is awordriddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. Forexample: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIOns: 1. Words must be of four or moreletters.2.Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” suchas“bats” or “dies,”are not allowed.

“you are worthy, OLord, to receive glory andhonor and power: foryou have created all things, andfor your pleasure they are andwere created.” Revelation4:11

wuzzles

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

Anyone knowingofthe whereaboutsofUnknown Heirsof

HenryC.Chrisentery

a/k/aHenry C. Chrisentery, a/k/aHenry Chrisenteryand hisheirs,assignsor

legatees,pleasecontact Barrington R. Neil, Attorney at Law, 328 Government St., BatonRouge,LA, 70802, Ph:(225) 344-1704. 139602-May3-5,3t $145

Neysay’s Catering LLC, d/b/aEat

newcon‐structionofa multifamily elderlyhousing develop‐ment namedCapstoneat NorthPoint Theproposeddevelop‐ment will be locatedat the5800 BlockAirline Highway, BatonRouge, LA 70807 (EastBaton RougeParish).Capstone at NorthPoint will con‐sist of 80 one-bedroom units designed to serve elderlyhouseholds. Supportive services in accordance with HUD regulationswillbepro‐videdand mayinclude butare notlimited to ﬁ‐nancialand health semi‐nars,aswellasconnec‐tionstosupportivemed‐ical andsocialservices within thecommunity This will be a100% Tax Credit development, with units targeted to house‐holdsearning at or below 60% of theAreaMedian Income (AMI). Thetotal developmentcostisesti‐matedtobeapproxi‐mately $22,500,000. Fund‐ingsources areantici‐patedtoinclude investor equity,conventional ﬁ‐nancing, andadditional soft fundingsources such as deferred devel‐oper fees or ownercon‐tributions. Formoreinformation please contactR.B.(Rob) Coats, III at rcoats@tbfinc.orgor205-623-6003. 139134-may1-3-3t $483.60

PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice is hereby givenby Rumors Salonthe Movie, LLC. Principalphotography of themovie Rumors Salonhas wrapped production in BatonRouge,LA, as of December 11, 2023. Anyvendors or employees that have outstanding claims forthisproductionare asked to send theirclaimsnolater than May31, 2025,toGreenApple Pictures,5550 Glades Rd Suite500 #1122, Boca Raton, FL 33431. 137227 April19, 26,May 3, 3t $205.00

We areapplying to Commission on ALcoholic Beverage Controlofthe StateofLouisiana fora permit to sell/servebeverages of HIGH and LOWalcoholic contentatretailin theParishofEastBaton Rougeat thefollowing address: BISAN48, INC D/b/aBOB'S SMOKESHOP& MARKET 990 WLEE DRIVE, STEC BATONROUGE,LA70820 139142-May3,1t $106.38

AREA 8 Community Garage Sale.Livingston TraceSubd, enteronCaddo Dr Dnhm Sprgs. SAT5/3 Only.Baby items, furniture, clothes& misc

PUBLIC NOTICE

Project: Wooddale Tower ProjectOwner:Woodale TowerLLC ProjectAddress: 1885 Wooddale Blvd Baton Rouge, LA 70806 TotalUnits:88Units (11 Efﬁciency,66One-Bed‐room,11Two Bedrooms) ProjectContact:Michael Tubre PhoneNumber: 504-373-5107 Theproject owneris making an application forthe competitive9% Low-Income TaxCredits (LIHTC)withthe LouisianaHousing Cor‐poration.Wooddale

NOTICE TheCityofCentral Board of Adjustment will hold a public hearingonThurs‐day, May22, 2025, at 5:00 pm at theCentral Com‐munity School System School BoardOfﬁce at 11576 Sullivan Road,Cen‐tral,LA70818, to consider thefollowing: V25-04: Variance forRoof Pitch. This 0.55-acre property is locatedat 7162 ShadyParkDr, Lot LC-1 of theR.W.Wolfeser Property.The applicant requests avarianceto Sec. 3.3.E. of theCompre‐hensiveZoningCodeto allowa roof pitchless than 6:12 in theR-2 (Sin‐gle-Family Residence) zoning district.(Appli‐cant:Melissa Martin) V25-05: Variance to re‐duce side setbackfor an AccessoryStructure This 4.12-acre property is lo‐catedat16325 Bree Drive, LotC-1-A-1-A,of theRounsaville Property Theapplicantrequests a variance to theCompre‐hensiveZoningCode: 12.3.b.2from25to10 feet.The requestisinthe R/A(Rural/Agricultural) zoning district.(Appli‐cant/Owner:Harris Reams) V25-06: Variance to allow carportinfront yard and an accessorystructure in side yard This 0.33-acre property is locatedat 15045 E. Beaver Drive, Lot 277, of theCrystal Place Subdivision. Theappli‐cant requests avariance to theComprehensive Zoning Code:2.2.b & 2.2.c. Therequest is in theR-1 (Single-Family Residence) zoning dis‐trict. (Applicant/Owner:

2025, from 5:00-8:00p.m.atthe CentralSchool BoardOf‐ﬁce,11576 Sullivan Road Central, LA 70818. 139686-may3-1t $4.77

licsewer connection within 500 feet.The prop‐erty is in theR/A (Rural/Agricultural) zon‐ingdistrict. (Applicant: LouisEdwin Miremont) 139405 May3,7,13, 3t $117.13

andLocal CoastalResources Man‐agementAct of 1978, as amended, (La. R.S. 49:214.21-214.41),and the rulesand regulationsof theCoastal Resources Program.Applications forthe proposed work maybeinspected at 617 North3rd Street,Room

Writ‐tencomments, including suggestionsfor modiﬁ‐cationsorobjectionsto theproposedworkand statingthe reasons thereof, arebeing so‐licitedfromthe public Commentsmustbere‐ceived within 25 days of thedateofpublication of this notice.Comments should be uploaded to ourelectronicrecord, but maybemailedor emailedtothe desig‐d i ll PUBLIC NOTICE TheCityofCentral Plan‐ning &ZoningCommis‐sionswillholdpublic hearings on Thursday May22, 2025, at 6:00 pm at theCentral Commu‐nity School System School BoardOfﬁce at 11576 Sullivan Road,Cen‐tral,LA70818, to consider thefollowing: Planning Commission E25-03: Exchange of Property between Lots A2-Dformerlyofthe West‐brook Property &3-B of beinga portionofthe American Lung Assoc. Property These4.65-acre properties arelocated at 23838 &23828 Greenwell SpringsRoadinthe R/A (Rural/Agricultural) zon‐ingdistrict. (Applicant: Ronald Cappo)

51.39W;Section 31, T10SR07E;approx.5 miles northofReserve.De‐scription: Emergency (EUA 25-007) anomalyre‐pair on theNorco to Sor‐rentoUGS Propylene (LID ) i li g nated OCMReviewer.All commentsmustcontain theappropriateapplica‐tion numberand the commenter's full name andcontact information. Anypersonmay request, in writing, within the comment period speci‐ﬁed in this notice,that a StateorFederal public hearingbeheldtocon‐siderthisapplication. Re‐quests forpublichear‐ings shallstate,withpar‐ticularity,the reasonsfor holdinga public hearing andmustcontain the name andcontact infor‐mation of therequester. Beloware thereferenced application(s): *****OCM;P.O.Box 44487, BatonRouge, LA h ( )