lunch special at Benoit’s Meat Block in Addis is m mashed potatoes andgra beans and dessertfor $1 these days,every plate comes with aheapingside Foster pride.
Located, as thecrow flies, ahalf mile from the Mississippi River, Benoit’s Countr Block’sroots aredeep country.The store is owned ”American Idol” sensati Foster’sfamily,whose grandpar ents hail from ChurchP Lawtell.
When Foster showed up “American Idol” audition ville, he brought care pac boudin, Benoit’sseasoni beef jerky from his family’ ness in Addis, where they full range of Cajun delica head cheese, tasso, hot three types of gumbo, grillade alligator and 78 other items.
“John Foster loves the jerky,” his grandmother
Voters reject DA’s property tax
BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER |Staff writer
Voters in East Baton Rouge Parish shot down
District Attorney Hillar Moore’spleas forincreased funding Saturdaynight,rejecting his proposal for anew property tax.
The measure failed by amargin of 60% to 40%.
The tax would have raised $24 million ayear and cost the averagehousehold in the parish roughly $5 amonth. It would have boostedthe district attorney’sbudget from about $16 million to roughly $24 million.
“We’re disappointed, but we respect voters just like we respect the juries when they don’t comeback in our favor,” Moore said. “I think the city,the residents, the entire parish, are weary of elections, weary of taxes Ithink some parts, maybe more than others,feelthattheyare alreadypayingenoughtaxes that should support the offices.”
Moore argued that his district, which covers the most populous parish in Louisiana, was underfunded compared to the next two largest parishes, Jefferson and Orleans. District attorneys there operate on budgets of $24 million and $22 million, allowing them to employ20-30 moreprosecutors.
With themeasurefailing, Moore said he hasnoother option but to continue asking for more money from city-parish government, which contributed about $8.7 million to the district attorney for 2025.
Despiteasking fora budget increase going into the year, Moore’soffice gotlessthantheyasked for largely because of sweeping budget cuts due to lost sales tax revenue after the incorporation of St. George.
HospitalsinLouisiana fear potentialcut to Medicaid
impact on Louisiana, whichhas one of the highest rates of residents on the program.
BY MARK BALLARD |Staff writer
WASHINGTON —AsRepublicans in
Congress debate potential cuts or changes to Medicaid, one proposal could have aparticularly large
Conservativelawmakerssay provider taxes are artificially inflatinghow much the federal government pays and should be halted. But Louisiana health care leadersfear stopping thetaxes couldleave many people,particularly in rural areas, without good health care coverage.
Agroup of 20 conservatives, including Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette, demanded in aletter Thursday that Congress “address th e money laundering.” They arereferring to provider taxes, which states impose on hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and other facilities.
Thefederal government pays most of the costs of Medicaid, withthe states kicking in part. Whenstates use provider fees to increasehow much they pay for Medicaid, that meansthe federal share of funding increases. The statethenpaysthe providers who aretaxed to administer Medicaid services.
Initially approved by Congress in 1991, providertaxes have become aconservative cause célèbre.Restricting providertaxes could save the federal government $600 billionoverthe next decade, according to the Paragon Health Institute, aconservative think tank, citing estimates from several organizations.
Moore
ä See FOSTER,
BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS
1 killed in small plane crash in California
SIMI VALLEY Calif. A small plane crashed into a neighborhood in Simi Valley on Saturday afternoon, killing a person aboard the aircraft and damaging two homes, authorities said.
Fire crews responded to the scene, and police officers cordoned off the streets warning people to stay clear of the area Smoke could be seen billowing from the roof of one home in the Wood Ranch section of Simi Valley, a community nearly 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
Wreckage could be seen between the two homes. The Ventura County Fire Department confirmed that residents were inside both homes at the time but evacuated and reported no injuries. Both homes sustained structural damage and were impacted by the fire, authorities said. About 40 firefighters were on scene. With the flames out, they began working on overhaul and salvage operations Authorities did not release any information about the pilot of the single-engine, fixed-wing plane, nor did they say what might have caused the plane to crash.
Man accused of smuggling parakeets
SAN DIEGO A 54-year-old man was arrested and charged in San Diego federal court this week on allegations that he attempted to smuggle exotic parakeets across the U.S.-Mexico border by hiding the birds inside his cowboy boots. The alleged smuggler a Mexican citizen, was arrested on suspicion of hiding the birds in nylon stockings concealed inside his boots. He was charged with illegal importation and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, federal prosecutors said.
The arrest occurred shortly after the man crossed the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in a Jeep Grand Cherokee on Tuesday, according to the criminal complaint filed against him. After identifying himself as a Mexican citizen with a Global Entry card, the man told the border inspection officer that he had nothing to declare and that he was heading to San Diego, prosecutors said.
A computer-generated alert told the officer to send the man to a secondary inspection station, court documents read. While there, an officer noticed a bulge around the man’s ankles.
During a pat down, the officer discovered six orange fronted parakeets hidden inside the man’s boots, prosecutors said.
A photo from the arrest shows the birds tightly wrapped in pantyhose that are sticking out the backside of the man’s boot above his right ankle.
Warren Buffett to retire at end of year
Investing giant shocks meeting with announcement
BY JOSH FUNK Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb Billionaire Warren Buffett shocked an arena full of shareholders Saturday by announcing that he will retire at the end of the year, bringing the curtain down on a six-decade run leading Berkshire Hathaway that made him the most influential investor in the world.
Buffett said he will recommend to Berkshire Hathaway’s board on Sunday that Vice Chair Greg Abel should replace him.
“I think the time has arrived where Greg should become the chief executive officer of the company at year end,” Buffett said.
Abel has been Buffett’s designated successor for years, and he already manages all of Berkshire’s noninsurance businesses. But it was always assumed that he would not take over until after Buffett’s death.
Previously the 94-year-old Buffett always said he had no plans to retire.
Buffett announced the news at the end of a five-hour question and answer period without taking any questions about it. He said the only board members who knew this was coming were his two children, Howard and Susie Buffett. Abel, who was sitting next to Buffett on stage, had no warning.
Abel returned an hour later without Buffett to conduct the company’s formal business meeting, and he responded to the news.
“I just want to say I couldn’t be more humbled and honored to be part of Berkshire as we go forward,” Abel said.
Many investors have said they believe Abel will do a good job running Berkshire, but it remains to be seen how good he will be at investing Berkshire’s cash. Buffett endorsed him Saturday by pledging to keep his fortune invested in the company
“I have no intention zero of selling one share of Berkshire Hathaway I will give it away eventually,” Buffett said. “The decision to keep every share is an economic decision because I think the prospects of Berkshire will be better under Greg’s management than mine.”
Thousands of investors in the Omaha arena gave Buffett a prolonged standing ovation after his announcement in recognition of his 60 years leading the company
During that period Berkshire nearly doubled the returns of the S&P 500, with a 19.9% compounded annual growth rate compared with the index’s 10.4% gain.
Buffett had such a devoted following among investors that markets would move when his investments were disclosed because so many people copied him.
CFRA research analyst Cathy Seifert said it had to be hard for Buffett to decide to step down.
“This was probably a very tough decision for him, but better to leave on your own terms,” Seifert said. “I think there will be an effort at maintaining a ‘business as usual’ environment at Berkshire. That is still to be determined.”
In many respects, Abel has already been running much of the company for years. But he hasn’t been managing Berkshire’s in-
surance operations or deciding where to invest all of its cash. He will now take those tasks on, but Vice Chair Ajit Jain will remain to help oversee the insurance companies.
Investment manager Omar Malik of Hosking Partners in London said before Buffett’s announcement that he wasn’t worried about Berkshire’s future under Abel.
“Not really (worried). He’s had such a long time alongside Warren and a chance to know the businesses,” Malik said about Abel. “The question is will he allocate capital as dynamically as Warren? And the answer is no. But I think he’ll do a fine job with the support of the others.” Cole Smead of Smead Capital Management said he wasn’t surprised Buffett is stepping down after watching him Saturday because the 94-year-old wasn’t as sharp as in past years. At one point, he made a basic math mistake in one of his answers. At other points, he got off track while telling stories about Berkshire and his investing without answering the question he was asked.
Abel is well regarded by Berkshire’s managers and Buffett has praised his business acumen for years. But he will have a hard time matching Buffett’s legendary performance, and since he doesn’t control 30% of Berkshire’s stock like Buffett does, he won’t have as much leeway “I think the challenge he’s going to have is if anyone is going to give him Buffett or (former Vice Chair Charlie) Munger’s pass card? Not a chance in God’s name,” Smead said. Buffett always enjoyed a devoted following among shareholders.
Pakistan test fires missile amid tensions with India
BY MUNIR AHMED Associated Press
ISLAMABAD Pakistan test fired a ballistic missile Saturday as tensions with India spiked over last month’s deadly attack on tourists in the disputed Kashmir region.
The surface-to-surface missile has a range of about 280 miles, the Pakistani military said. There was no immediate comment about the launch from India, which blames Pakistan for the April 22 gun massacre in the resort town of Pahalgam, a charge Pakistan denies.
Pakistan’s military said the launch of the Abdali Weapon System was aimed at ensuring the “operational readiness of troops and validating key technical parameters,” including the missile’s advanced navigation system and enhanced maneuverability features.
had threatened to suspend a crucial water-sharing treaty
India’s navy said on April 27 that its vessels had successfully undertaken antiship firings to “revalidate and demonstrate readiness of platforms, systems and crew for long-range precision offensive strike.”
Ashok Malik, a former policy adviser in India’s Foreign Ministry, said there was anger across the country following the gun attack. The 26 victims came from 13 different states.
pressure and diplomatic space for a sharp, targeted, and limited response.”
The ongoing “muscle flexing” by both countries’ troops was reflective of the tense mood and also apparent in the “unremitting hostilities” on the Line of Control, the de facto border dividing Kashmir he said. Kashmir is split between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety
Australian PM wins second 3-year term
BY ROD MCGUIRK and TRISTAN LAVELETTE Associated Press
MELBOURNE, Australia — Anthony Albanese claimed victory as the first Australian prime minister to clinch a second consecutive term in 21 years on Saturday and suggested his government had increased its majority by not modeling itself on President Donald Trump’s administration.
“Australians have chosen to face global challenges the Australian way, looking after each other while building for the future,” Albanese told supporters in a victory speech in Sydney
“We do not need to beg or borrow or copy from anywhere else. We do not seek our inspiration overseas.
We find it right here in our values and in our people,” he added.
His center-left Labor Party had branded Albanese’s rival Peter Dutton, the op-
position leader, “DOGE-y Dutton” and accused his conservative Liberal Party of mimicking Trump and his Department of Government
Efficiency
Dutton had earlier conceded his alliance of conservative parties had been defeated at the election and that he had lost his own parliamentary seat that he had held for 24 years. Dutton’s plight parallels that of Canada’s opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre, who lost his seat after Trump declared economic war on the U.S. neighbor to the north. Poilievre had previously been regarded as a shoo-in to become Canada’s next prime minister and shepherd his Conservative Party back into power for the first time in a decade.
Analysts argue that mirroring Trump switched from a political positive for Australian conservatives to a negative after Trump imposed global tariffs.
Missiles are not fired toward the border area with India; they are normally fired into the Arabian Sea or the deserts of southwest Balochistan province.
Islamabad-based security analyst Syed Muhammad Ali said Saturday’s
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated those behind the successful test
missile was named after a prominent Muslim conqueror of India, underlining its symbolic significance.
“The timing of this launch is critical in the current geopolitical context,” Ali told The Associated Press. He said the test was intended as a strategic signal to India after it
“Internationally, there is enormous sympathy for India and little patience with Pakistan,” said Malik. “I don’t believe anybody in India wants a full-fledged war Even so, there is domestic
They have fought two of their three wars over the stunning Himalayan region and their ties have been shaped by conflict, aggressive diplomacy and mutual suspicion, mostly due to their competing claims over Kashmir
Albanese
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By NATI HARNIK
Berkshire Hathaway Chair and CEO Warren Buffett announced Saturday that he plans to retire at the end of the year
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By K.M. CHAUDARy Pakistan’s Rangers soldiers, in black, and Indian Border Security Forces soldiers lower their flags Saturday during a daily closing ceremony at the Wagah, a joint post on the Pakistan and India border near Lahore, Pakistan.
Man charged in death of deputy in Cincinnati
BY JOHN SEEWER Associated Press
A man who struck and killed a county deputy with his car on Friday is the father of a teenager who was shot and killed by a Cincinnati police officer a day earlier, police said. Authorities said the crash appeared to be intentional.
The driver of the car, 38-year-old Rodney Hinton Jr., was charged with aggravated murder in the deputy’s death, police said.
Hinton appeared in court Saturday, with a wall of deputies standing at the back of the room. A prosecutor said evidence and witnesses will show that Hinton drove directly at the deputy in an attempt to kill him. A judge ordered that Hinton be held until another hearing on Tuesday
An attorney representing Hilton said in court that he has no prior felonies and understands it’s a serious charge, WLWT-TV reported.
Ohio Gov Mike DeWine said in a statement that he was “sickened by what appears to be an intentional act of violence.” Just a few hours before
the crash, Hinton and other family members met at the police chief’s office Friday morning and watched a police body camera video showing an officer shoot the teen, said Michael Wright, an attorney hired by the family Hinton could not make it through the entire video and did not say a word, said Wright, who is not representing Hinton on the crash charges.
“He was distraught, he was upset,” Wright said Saturday “I can’t tell you whether he was angry He was just kind of upset, despondent, really upset by what he saw.”
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said the Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputy who died was directing traffic near the University of Cincinnati on graduation day when he was hit by a car that drove into an intersection. Authorities did not identify the deputy, who retired from the department a few months ago but was continuing to work off-duty assignments, said Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey
“He was so well-liked and so well-known,” McGuffey said. “What a tremendous loss we have all suffered.”
Authorities said the circumstances of the crash were still under investigation.
“If the facts show this act was intentional, as the charge suggests, I will throw the full force of the law at the perpetrator,” Hamilton County prosecutor Connie Pillich said in a statement Friday
Hinton’s son, 18-yearold Ryan Hinton, was shot twice and killed by police on Thursday during a chase after officers responded to a call about a stolen car, police said.
The officer who fired told investigators that the suspect pointed a gun at him during the chase, said Cincinnati’s police chief. During a news conference Friday, police showed photos of a semi-automatic handgun that they said he was carrying and another gun that was found in the car
Body camera video of the shooting released by police Friday showed one officer could be heard saying “he’s got a gun, he’s got a gun” be-
TAX
Continued from page 1A
Mayor-President Sid Edwards and some staffers, including Chief Administrative Officer Charlie Davis and Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Jeff LeDuff, attended Moore’s election night event to show support.
After the numbers got worse for the proposal, the three huddled with Moore to talk about what’s next. The district attorney’s proposal carried significant weight for the city-parish’s budget; had it passed, the city-parish would have received about $8.7 million it currently pays annually for prosecutors.
The tax’s failure could lead to new scrutiny on how a parish that has fragmented into five cities pays for parishwide services. Moore said Central, Zachary, Baker and St. George currently don’t do enough to fund his office.
“Our truth of the matter is that not everyone in the parish is paying taxes that support our constitutional offices, which is not only the district attorney, but the public defender and the coroner, and I think we really need to take a look at how that taxation is done,” Moore said.
Email Patrick SloanTurner at patrick.sloanturner@theadvocate.com.
fore several shots were fired as Ryan Hinton was running behind an apartment complex. The video did not clearly show Hinton pointing a gun. The police chief said that
the images were blurred because both Hinton and the officer were running and the camera was jostling.
The officer told investigators that Hinton “had the firearm in front of him, he
was in like a bladed position, and it was pointed at the officer and he felt threatened for his life,” Theetge said. There was no indication that he fired at police before he was shot, she said.
Onarecentafternoon,sistersAshiaAbrahamand KaylaLabbegiggleastheyfeedAshia’s10-montholddaughterinherhighchair.Thebabyisenjoying macaroni andcheese, although just as much of it ends up on herfaceasinher mouth. It’s amomentofnormalcythatseemedfar out of reach last summer afterAbraham suffered severe andunexpectedcomplications that ledto herfightingforherlifeandreceivingstate-of-thearttreatmentatOur Lady of theLakeRegional MedicalCenterinBaton Rouge. Abraham’spregnancywasprogressingnormally untilshe reached the30-week mark,whenshe awokeone morningwithunexplained swelling Whenitdidn’tsubsideafterseveralhours,Labbe broughther to thenearest hospital –Our Lady of LourdesWomen’s &Children’sHospitalin Lafayette.NumeroustestsrevealedthatAbraham hadgestationaldiabetes,pre-eclampsiaandhigh bloodpressure.Herconditiondeterioratedrapidly, andAbrahamwassoonexperiencingseverepain anddifficultybreathing.
Doctors at OurLadyofLourdes Women’s& Children’s inducedlabor,and thebabygirlwas healthybut smallbecause shewas born prematurely.Itwas adifferent storyfor Abraham. By that point, herlungs hadfilledwithfluid andshe wasnot respondingwelltobreathing treatments andventilation.After several attempts to stabilizeher condition, doctors suggestedAbraham maybeacandidate forthe extracorporealmembraneoxygenation (ECMO) programatOur Lady of theLake.
“ECMOisfor patients whohaveafailing heart,failing lungsorboth,”saidDr. Owen Stell, ECMOMedical Director at OurLady of theLake. “The machines do nothealthe patientbut allowtheir body time to rest while othertherapies help them to getbetter. This is an option when othertreatments have failed andthe patientcontinues to worsen andisnot gettingenoughoxygenorblood flow.
TheECMOprogram started at OurLady of theLakelastsummer, becoming thefirst programofits kind in theBaton Rougeregion. Theprogram canaccommodateuptothree patients at atime, said Ryan Landry,DNP,vice president, ClinicalOperationsfor Cardiovascular, Rehabilitative/PhysicalMedicineand ClinicalResearchService Lines.
“The complexityofour cardiovascular programs hasprogressedovertime,”Landry noted. “Wekeptgetting anumberofpatients that we felt couldbenefit from advanced life supportatthe bedside.Ittookalot of time to make sure we hadthe equipmentand training in place, butonceDr. Stelljoinedus, we knew we were on theright track. Youalwaysneed aphysician to ownanECMOprogram and coordinate allofthe care.Oncewehad that,as well as acoregroup of clinicians andanelite nursingunit, we knew we were readytooffer ourprogram to patients.”
Abrahamwas initiallyconnected to ECMO devices at OurLadyofLourdes Regional MedicalCenterinLafayette,thentransported via ambulancetoOur Lady of theLakeRegional MedicalCenter. Labbe said shewas somewhat skepticalofECMOatfirst, sinceshe hadonly heardofitbrieflyonsocialmedia,and only when it wasunsuccessful.Yet,seeingher sister in
distress with limitedoptions prompted Labbe to agreetothe treatment
“Ithad beenatleast aweekwhentheycalledto tell me they were turningthe ECMOoff,” Labbe recalled.“At that point, IfeltI couldstart to be more hopeful. Iknewthatifshe knew shehad herbaby, shewas goingtofight. That call felt like aturning point.
Landry said thosekinds of improvements aredue both to theadvancedtechnologyused in ECMOaswellasthe oversightfromhighly trainedpersonnel,including Dr.Stell,aninterventionist,aregisterednurse andanECMO specialist,aswellasinput from respiratory therapists,heart surgeons,socialworkers and case managers
“The ECMOunitislocated wherewehave some of thesickest patients in thehospital, and this team is used to workingcollaboratively and having honest discussionsabout thetreatment,” Landry said.“We also go outofour waytomake sure we form arelationshipwiththe patient andhis or herfamilyupfront.It’simportant to us to maintain aconnectionwithpeoplewho love this person.”
Like many patients whoreceiveECMO, Abrahamhas no memory of theordeal. When she awoke, shewas surprisedtolearn that almost twoweeks hadpassed, insteadofasingleday
“I hadnosense of time,” shesaid. “Myjaw almost dropped on thefloorwhenIfound out howlongithad been. It really scared me.I was reallyhappy Iwas stillalive,but it wasabittersweetmomentbecauseI realized Ihad missed almost awhole monthwithmybaby. But, it was worthitinthe end, andIameternally grateful.” AbrahamhascomealongwaysinceherECMO treatment. Shegavebirth to hersecondchild ason,inMarch.Her recovery is goingwell, although shedoesstill struggle with memory issues.Labbe remainsthere for allofthem, filledwithgratitude andstill emotionalwhen shethinks abouthow differentlythings could have turned out.
“Mysister hasalwaysbeenmybestfriend, even though I’m10years olderthanher,” Labbe said.“Ourmom passed away threeyears ago, andour bond hasonlygottenstrongersince then.Ican’t imaginedoing my life withouther.”
Although theECMOprogram at OurLady of theLakeisstill relativelynew,itisshowing strong results. Landry said 13 patients have been treatedwithinthe past year,and theprogram’s mortalityrates aresignificantlylower than the national average.Somepatients aretransferred to theprogram afterbeing admitted to Our Lady of theLakefor othertreatment, while others,likeAbraham,are broughtthere from otherhospitals
“Our Lady of theLakeiswell-positioned to provideelite services in thecardiovascular space,”Landrysaid.
“Wehavethe talent,skills andservicesheretocontinuetodevelop this programand othertypes of advanced services We allhave bigideas abouthow we want to continue helpingpeople. We’vemadesomuch progress over thepastyear, andI’m excitedto seewhatwecan do in thefuture.
Visitololrmc.com/heart to learnmoreabout OurLadyofthe Lake andthe incredible cardiovascular care provided in BatonRouge
PROVIDED PHOTO
Police investigate the scene where a county deputy was struck and killed by a vehicle in Cincinnati on Friday.
By Amanda McElfresh| amcelfresh@theadvocate.com
This articleisbrought to youbyOur Lady of theLake.
ELIMINATE Back Pa andSciatica WITHOU theScars and Expenseof SURGER
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ain UT RY
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Benoit, said “And somebody at ‘American Idol’ loves the seasoning because they ordered a bunch that I delivered the last time we were out there That’s what Luke Bryan was licking off his fingers because he said it was so good.”
At 75, Benoit says she never anticipated “all of this” and admits that the foofaraw around her grandson is at times, overwhelming Even so, she’s ready for the show, in every sense.
“Every week, it’s better and better,” she said. “I didn’t know he had more talent to show us, but he does.”
She has her suitcase ready and a rosary in her purse.
She is heading back to Hollywood, along with 31 family members, to watch John Foster Sunday night in the “Top Ten” show of the ABC singing competition.
They will all be in the audience cheering him on, but his grandmother will also be praying.
“I pray for him — not necessarily for him to win,” she said, “but for God to be with him.”
Benoit says she’s not worried that all of the fame will go to her grandson’s head.
She saw the spark early in him and recognized when he was 4 years old that he had bright lights and a big future ahead.
He’s continuing his second semester at LSU studying biology, doing classes online.
He’s still got dreams of becoming a doctor one day His grandmother says he wants
They both give some of the credit to his uncle, Gaylen Martin, who is a local musician, for introducing John Foster to performing.
Regina DeBenedetto has only worked at Benoit’s for two years, but she’s all-in for Foster on “American Idol.” She voted for him 30 times Monday night by texting the number 13 to 21523. She said she encourages everyone else to do the same. “He’s a great person. I’ve seen, since I’ve watched the show, that he listens to what they say,” DeBenedetto said. “The coaches will tell him to do something, and he listens to it, and then he brings it on stage.”
to be an oncologist
“He has such a good head on his shoulders that I don’t think that he could ever stray from anything good,” she said. “He’s just that kid.”
Yes, he’s smart, she said — co-valedictorian of his graduating class last year Yes, he’s talented — top 10 on “American Idol.” But what his grandmother is most proud of is that “he’s a good Christian boy.”
She had thoughts regarding one of his middle school teachers who said she always thought Foster would become governor of Louisiana one day
“We always told him to be president,” his grandmother said.
Behind the meat counter
Back in Addis, the folks behind the meat counter have their own stories to tell.
Rick Bourgoyne has worked at Benoit’s Country Meat Block since 1988, and he has a message for people: John Foster is a stage name. His full name is John Foster Benoit.
“I was telling his daddy I said, ‘I hope people don’t think that’s his last name because he is a Benoit, and this (the store) is Benoit’s,’”
Enjoyataste of laid-back luxury on your next trip to BatonRouge
After making itsway down from thelakes of Minnesota, theMississippi Riverwinds itspath throughthe capitalcityofBaton Rouge—acity saturatedwithhistory andculture.Baton Rouge pulses to therhythmofthe riverand invites travelers to slow down andenjoy thesouthern charms thecityhas to offer.Whether youare lookingfor anight outonthe town with friendsor afun-filled family weekend, avisit to Louisiana’s CapitalCitywillleave youinspiredand refreshed. BatonRouge is knownfor itsdiverse culinary scenewhich drawsfoodieinterestday or night. Checkout thePerkins Overpass District foracool andcomfortable vibe forlunch.The area under theoverpasshas beencreativelybuilt up to host an arrayoffun,eclecticrestaurants rangingfrom quintessential LouisianajointslikeParrain’s SeafoodtoAsian fusion eateries like Chow Yum, whichservesupwhimsicalreimaginings of classicdishes.
If you’re lookingtoswapout your winterstyle with some summertime flair,Baton Rougehas plenty of shopping optionstocompleteyour wardrobe wish list.Withup-to-datewalkable shopping plazas such as TowneCenteratCedar Lodgeand world-classmalls like theMallof Louisiana, in BatonRouge youcan findgreat deals whileenjoyingthe leisure of having everything you need in onelocation.And it’s notall sundresses andflip-flops. BatonRouge hasnotable menswear boutiqueslikeCarriages Fine Clothier.Ifyou are lookingfor athleisure apparel,Massey’s andThe Backpacker have excellentcollections to help you make themostofyourtimeadventuring in the summer sun. TheFrenchtownConservationAreaand the Bluebonnet SwampNaturecenterare twoplaces whereyou canencounter themagnificence of southernLouisiana wildlifewithout having to travel far. Thereare well-kepthikingtrails, boardwalks,and facilities at both parks. Foroutdoor sports lovers,there areample golf anddiscgolfcourses around theBaton Rougearea With twolocalcollegiate teamstorootfor—LSU and Southern University—sports areapart of thedaily lifeblood of BatonRouge.Thereare sporting events available nearly year-round,withboth tailgating andattending the
eventleaving youwithmemoriesfor yearstocome. FestivalscomingupinMay 2025,include the Soul Food Festival,Hot ArtCoolNights, andNight Market BTR, whichcelebratesAsian American and Pacific Islander Heritage,alsobring people from allwalks of life together to celebratethe art, food andmusic of thearea. Learning aboutthe historyofBaton Rouge andsoutheast Louisianaisanother great wayto connectwiththe city as youtravelbackintime. The CapitolParkMuseumwillhaveyou in aweasyou traverse itsgrandiose displays that commemorate thediverse people whohave made Louisianathe culturally rich tapestry that it is today. Forthe little ones,the KnockKnock Children’s Museum offers enticing andinteractive exhibits that willmake forgreatmemories—andpictures!
Both capitolbuildings areopenfor toursand arefreetothe public.The currentLouisiana State Capitolbuilding, thetallest in thecountry,isopen 7daysa week,and theobservation deck on the27th floor provides amust-seeviewofthe city.The Old StateCapitol building,which is styled as amedieval castle,isalsorevered as aBaton Rougelandmark andisoperational 5daysa week as amuseum. As asimple“ISpy”challenge,keepaneye outfor the quatrefoil design whichishighlyfeaturedinthe gothic construction of this iconic building
Thequatrefoilisa reoccurringmotif in much of thecity’sarchitecture, interior design elements andisfeaturedinthe jewelryand accessories made by localartisanslikeMimosaHandCraftedJewelry.The symbol perfectlyencapsulates thesophisticated,yet approachable nature of BatonRouge,and reminds visitors andlocalsthat thepastand presentare forever intertwinedinthis captivatingcity.
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Bourgoyne said about Foster “His middle name is Foster, just like his daddy and his grandfather’s. He’s the third.”
Blake Sarradet has worked at the store for 17 years.
The two have watched
Foster grow up.
“He works here some during the Christmas holidays,” Sarradet said. “But we’ve also watched him perform locally We knew he was good, but he keeps getting better.”
Whether he ends up a superstar or a doctor, the folks at Benoit’s know one thing for sure: John Foster Benoit will remain one of their own. They’ve always known he’s got the right ingredients — talent, humility and a dash of Cajun seasoning.
Email Jan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.
Thereisnodoubt that Danika Mills, BSN, RN,isanursing leader amongher peersand colleagues at OurLadyofthe Lake Regional MedicalCenter. As NurseDirectorofa35-bed post-surgicalunit, shehas ledworkthathas decreasedhospital-acquired pressure injuries,created an electronic device usepolicy forreviewbyexecutive leaders, strengthened unit stabilitywiththe hiring andretention of 20 positions, andcreated arecognitionprogram to promotea cultureofteamwork, prideand compassionatecare.
“God really pushed me to go into this role becauseI didnot always want to go into leadership,” Millssaid. “Mypassion for nursingwas originally in adifferentplace.But Godtoldme that Ineededtopourintopeople. IrealizedI wanted to lead by example. I’ve been in every possiblescenariothroughmynursingexperience, both as anurse andasapatient.Thathas led me to thepoint whereI canrelatetoanybody.I wanted to usethatexperience to promotemore compassion andspiritualityinour day-to-day nursingpractice.
Millswas initiallyinspiredtobecomea nurse afterseeinghow her motherformedrelationshipswithher ownpatients, taking time out of herday to trulyhaveconversations with them abouttheir care.Then, when Millswas a teen undergoing treatmentfor epilepsy,a“bad experience”withanurse made herrethink her intended career path
“I actually started to refuse treatment becauseofthat. It turned me away from doctors andmedicine,”Mills said.“At some point, the switch flipped,and IrealizedIwantedtobea nursesoI coulddothingsdifferently. IknewI neverwanteda patienttofeelthe wayI hadfelt, andthe wayfor me to do that wastobecomea nursemyself.”
Alongthe way, Mills’ motherhas remained an inspiration, onewho hasgiven herdaughter toughlovewhenshe feelsitisneededbut is also herbiggest champion
“There wasa time when Iwantedtoapply for asupervisorposition. Shewas really honest in tellingme, ‘I don’tthink you’re ready. Ithinkyou canbebetter.’Thatreallypushedmetowork even harder.Iknowmymom is my cheerleader andisalwaysinmycorner, so when shetells me somethinglikethat, Iknowshe is saying it becauseshe knowsmydreamsand knows
what Iamcapable of.”
Millsalsocredits aformercolleague,Belinda Beavers,withserving as amentor. In themonths before Millsentered herfirstsupervisory role Beavers helped herprepare forthe next steps in subtle butimportant ways,fromaspects of patientcaretorecord-keeping andmanaging others.
“Sheistheonewhoreallytaughtmeleadership etiquette,”Mills said.“My mombrought me to nursing. Belindatookmeintoleadership.”
Under Mills’ leadership,her surgical unit has seennotableimprovementsinpatientsatisfaction, qualityoutcomesandteamengagement.Shealso collaborates with finance andseniorleadership to meet andmaintainfiscal responsibility and serves on numerous hospital committees as a waytoelevate clinicalcompetencyand give herfellownursesavoice in importantmatters Whileher responsibilities have grown, what hasnot changedisher dedication to quality patientcareatOur Lady of theLake.
“WhenI’m hiring,Ilookfor somebody who hasthe heartfor this work andthe abilityto grow.Idon’t look foraperfect person.I look for people whoare always goingtoput thepatient first andrelatetothem, whetherintheir medical care or in theirother life experiences,” shesaid. “Wehavetorememberthatthisisacalling,and that we should treat each andevery person as if they arealoved one. OurLadyofthe Lake is proudtocelebrate Nurses Week,May 5-11.Ready to make ameaningful impact?Joinour compassionateteam andadvanceyournursing career.Learn more at ololrmc.com/careers.
PROVIDED PHOTO By ERIC McCANDLESS
Addis teen John Foster sings ‘I Told you So,’ performed by Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis on ‘American Idol’ in 2009. It was ‘Iconic Idol Moments’ on the ABC show on Monday.
STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER
Rick Bourgoyne and Blake Sarradet have worked at Benoit’s Country Meat Block in Addis for decades These days they are cheering and voting for John Foster on ‘American Idol.’ Foster’s family owns the meat market.
By Stevie Cavalier Licciardi| Stevie Cavalier Licciardi
This articleisbrought to youbyVisit BatonRouge
By Amanda McElfresh| amcelfresh@theadvocate.com
This articleisbrought to youbyOur Lady of theLake.
Singapore’s long-ruling party wins another landslide election
BY EILEEN NG Associated Press
SINGAPORE Singapore’s longruling People’s Action Party won another landslide in Saturday’s general elections, extending its 66year unbroken rule in a huge boost for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who took power a year ago. The Election Department announced the PAP won 82 Parliamentary seats after vote counting ended. The party had earlier won five seats uncontested, giving it 87 out of a total 97 seats. The opposi-
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“The basic takeaway: The federal government permits states to engage in money laundering tactics leading to massive increases in federal funding flowing into the states, much of which goes to higher Medicaid payments to providers,” Brian Blasé, Paragon’s president, said in a statement. “This laundering undermines Medicaid’s purpose, inflates commercial health care costs, and increases the burden on federal taxpayers.” House Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie, R-Kentucky, acknowledged to reporters last week that provider taxes are being discussed.
Many in Louisiana’s health care industry oppose the idea. If the taxes are eliminated, state government would have to pick up the tab — and, since lawmakers are already grappling with a tight budget, that could lead to the loss of Medicaid benefits for many
“Any major cut to federal Medicaid funding would harm Louisiana patients and severely restrict state budget options. With Louisiana’s low median income, taxpayers cannot replace lost federal funds, risking deep cuts to health care and other services,” said Paul Salles, president and CEO of the Louisiana Hospital Association.
Medicaid provides health insurance to 83 million lowincome Americans. In Louisiana, 1.6 million people, or about a third of the state’s population, are on the program.
Cutting provider taxes
The LHA commissioned a poll of 600 Republican voters in Louisiana in early April that found 78% of the voters who backed Trump last fall also support Medicaid. About half of those surveyed said they would be more likely to support preserving Medicaid funding if hospitals pay provider taxes to help.
“Louisiana voters are concerned about losing health care access, which could result in higher insurance premiums and the loss of skilled health care jobs,” Salles said. About 39 states, according to the Government Accountability Office, use some provider taxes to shore
tion Workers Party maintained its 10 seats. The PAP’s popular vote rose to 65.6%, up from a near-record low of 61% in 2020 polls. Jubilant supporters of the PAP, which had ruled Singapore since 1959, gathered in stadiums, waved flags and cheered in celebration.
A U.S.-trained economist who is also finance minister, Wong’s appeal for a resounding mandate to steer trade-reliant Singapore through economic troubles following President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes has hit home. The gov-
up hospitals, particularly those in rural and innercity areas that have a higher-than-usual number of Medicaid patients Medicaid pays far less than private insurance pays, and some of the provider taxes are used to help cash-poor inner-city and rural hospitals.
“Cutting provider taxes is cutting Medicaid,” said Ryan Cross, vice president of government affairs at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, which operates Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge and nine other hospitals in Louisiana and Mississippi.
For instance, 45% of the patients seen at Our Lady of the Angels Hospital in Bogalusa are on Medicaid, Cross said. The hospital pays about $2 million a year in provider taxes but receives about $11 million from the provider tax payments Still, the hospital comes up about $4 million short
ernment has lowered its growth forecast and warned of a possible recession.
Wong, 52, said he was humbled and grateful for the solid mandate for the PAP. He acknowledged voters’ desire to have more alternative voices in government, but said a strong PAP team was needed to tackle challenges ahead.
“The results will put Singapore in a better position to face this turbulent world,” he said.
Eugene Tan, a law professor at the Singapore Management University, said the opposition’s fail-
of working people in Louisiana,” Cross added. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans and a member of the House committee that oversees Medicaid, points out that changing the provider taxes and many of the other ideas being floated basically would require states to pay more.
“Louisiana can’t afford to pay more,” Carter said, leaving state lawmakers with no other option than to reduce who can receive Medicaid coverage.
Congress looking for cuts
“Ending provider taxes shifts the burden to the state, which means higher state and local taxes,” Cross said.
He said that, if patients are knocked off Medicaid rolls, the hospitals still have to provide emergency services even though they won’t get paid.
“People across Louisiana agree that providers should put skin in the game rather than putting it on the backs
Potential changes to Medicaid are on the table because Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is trying to pass a massive budget bill that would extend the tax cuts from President Donald Trump’s first term, turn into law many of Trump’s executive orders and reduce spending by at least $1.5 trillion.
After meeting Trump on Thursday, Johnson acknowledged a hiccup in advancing that push. The original plan was for the House Energy and Commerce committee, which oversees Medicaid, to release its measure on Monday, but that deadline was pushed back.
Johnson insists the House can still hold a floor vote on the “one, big beautiful bill” by Memorial Day Johnson has only a threevote margin to pass the bill.
Notice is hereby givenpursuant to Article 7, Section23(C) of the LouisianaConstitution andR.S. 47:1705(B) thatapublic hearingofLivingstonParishFireDistrict 4inLivingstonParishwill be held at its regularmeeting placelocated at 9760 FloridaBlvd, Walker,LA70785, June 16, 2025 at 6:00p.m. thatthe tax recipient bodyintends to consider levyingadditional or increasedmillage rateswithout furthervoter approval or adopting the adjusted millage ratesafter reassessment androlling forwardtorates nottoexceed the prioryear’smaximum. Theestimated amount of tax revenues to be collectedin the nextyearfromthe increasedmillage is $6,362,898.32, andthe amount of increase in taxes attributable to the millage increase is $1,060,483.06.
ure to make further inroads after 2020 was a surprise. “Singapore voters played their cards close to their chest. Today, they indicated that their trust is with a party that has delivered over the years,” he said.
Wong succeeded Lee Hsien Loong to become the city-state’s fourth leader Lee stepped down in May 2024 after two decades at the helm but remained in the Cabinet as a senior minister His retirement as premier ended a family dynasty started by his father, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s
That means both moderate Republicans, who want to protect Medicaid benefits, and conservatives, who want deeper cuts, each have enough supporters to scuttle the legislation.
The committee is reviewing several options upon which most Republicans can agree.
first leader who built the former colonial backwater into one of the world’s richest nations during 31 years in office.
The PAP is seen as a beacon of stability and prosperity but tight government control and the rising cost of living in one of the world’s most expensive cities also has led to growing unhappiness, especially among younger voters. Widening income disparity, increasingly unaffordable housing, overcrowding and restrictions on free speech have loosened the PAP’s grip on power
Proposals being floated, according the Republican and Democratic representatives on the committee, include requiring able-bodied Medicaid recipients to get a job; ensuring illegal immigrants are not allowed to receive Medicaid; and comparing rolls between the states to ensure nobody is receiving benefits in more than one state. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office is still calculating just how much these programs would save. But initial estimates indicate they would not save enough to meet the GOP’s current target, lawmakers on the committee say
TRUNKSHOW
TRUNK SHOW
SundayMother’sDay,May11th
Johnson
Carter
Russia andUkraine clashoverceasefire proposals
Fighting continues to rage
BY HANNA ARHIROVA and ELISE MORTON Associated Press
KYIV,Ukraine Ukraine and Russia are at odds over competing ceasefire proposals, as Moscow accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of threateningthe safety of dignitariesattending Victory Day celebrations after he dismissed Russia’s unilateral 72-hour ceasefire. Zelenskyy instead renewedcalls for amore substantial 30-day pausein hostilities, as the U.S. had initially proposed. He said the proposed ceasefire could start anytime as ameaningful step toward ending the three-year war.“Let’s be honest—you can’tagree on anything seriousinthree, five, or seven days,” he said Zelenskyy said thatMoscow’sannouncement of a
72-hourceasefire nextweek in Ukraine to markVictory Day in World WarIIis merely an attempt tocreate a“soft atmosphere” ahead of Russia’sannual celebrations. “It looks unserious,” he said, “so that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s guests on Red Square feel comfortable andsafe.”
He saidthatUkraine cannot provide security assur-
Trumpdraws imageofhim
BY NICOLE WINFIELD and JILL COLVIN Associated Press
NEW YORK President Donald Trump posted an artificial intelligence-generated imageofhimself dressed as pope as the mourningof Pope Franciscontinues and just days before the conclavetoelect hissuccessor is set to begin. Trump’saction drew rebukes from agroup representing Catholic bishops in New York and among Italians.
The image, shared Friday night on Trump’sTruth Social site and later reposted by the White House on itsofficial Xaccount, raised eyebrows on social media and at the Vatican, which is still in the period of nine days of official mourning following Francis’ deathonApril 21 Catholic cardinals havebeen celebrating daily Massesin his memory and are dueto open the conclave to elect his successor on Wednesday. The death of apope and
Judgeblockso
BY ERIC TUCKER Associated Press
WASHINGTON Afederal judge on Friday permanently blocked aWhite House executive order targeting an elite law firm,dealing a setback to President Donald Trump’scampaign of retribution against the legal profession.
U.S. District Beryl Howell said the executive order against the firm of Perkins Coie amounted to “unconstitutional retaliation” as she ordered thatitbenullified and that the Trump administration halt any enforcement of it.
“No American President,”
planning to visit Russia around May 9, warning that Moscow could stage provocations and later attemptto blameUkraine.
Zelenskyy saidthat some governments hadapproached Kyiv seeking safety reassurance while their delegations are in Russia.
“Our positionisverysimple: we cannot take responsibilityfor what happens on
Federation,” he said. “They are theonesproviding your security,and we will not be offering any guarantees.”
Zelenskyy said he had instructedUkraine’sForeign Ministry to adviseagainst visiting Russia during this period. “Wemust tell those who approach us: we do not recommend visiting the Russian Federation from a securitystandpoint.And if youchoose to do so,don’t ask us —it’syourpersonal decision.”
The Ukrainian leader reiterated that Kyiv’smilitary actions will remain “mirrorlike,” responding to Russia’s moves. He acknowledged that implementing acompletefront-line ceasefire without robust international monitoring remains nearly impossible, but emphasized that the30-day window offers acredible start
He confirmedongoing efforts to convene the next
round of negotiations with the U.S. He also expressed hope that it could happen in Ukraine, saying it was a “positive sign” that such a gathering is under discussion despite recent personnel changes in Washington. In response to Zelenskyy’s comments, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that he had“unequivocally threatened the world leaders who areplanningtoarrivein Moscow on May 9.”
Dmitry Medvedev,deputy chairman of Russia’sSecurity Council,saidSaturday that nobody could guarantee Kyiv’ssafetyifUkraine attacked Moscow celebrations on May 9.
“In the eventofareal provocation on Victory Day, no onewill guarantee that May 10 will comeinKyiv,” he wrote on Telegram Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that
Russia expects Kyiv to take steps to de-escalate before Victory Day “Wewill, of course, expect (from)Kyiv not ambiguous, but final statements, and mostimportantly,actions aimed at de-escalating the conflict during the holidays,” Peskov told journalists. Russia’s ceasefire proposals, he said, weremeant to “test Kyiv’sreadiness to find ways for long-term sustainable peace between Russia and Ukraine.”
ARussian dronestrike on Kharkiv,Ukraine’s secondlargestcity, wounded47 people,officials said, and prompted another appeal from Zelenskyy for more decisive support from the country’sallies. Kharkiv MayorIhorTerekhov said drones hit 12 locationsacrossthe citylate Friday, hitting residential buildings, civilian infrastructure and vehicles.
Randi Arceneaux,BSN,RN,CPEN
Patricia “Pat”Plana,RN,CCRN
Montrelle Victorian,CNA Friend of Nursing (non-nursing)
Memo: Justice Department to switch focus on voting
Agency to prioritize Trump’s elections order
BY NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press
The Justice Department unit that ensures compliance with voting rights laws will switch its focus to investigating voter fraud and ensuring elections are not marred by “suspicion,” according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press.
The new mission statement for the voting section makes a passing reference to the historic Voting Rights Act, but no mention of typical enforcement of the provision through protecting people’s right to cast ballots or ensuring that lines for legislative maps do not divide voters by race. Instead, it redefines the unit’s mission around conspiracy theories pushed by Republican President Donald Trump to explain away his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Trump’s attorney general at the time, William Barr, said there was no evidence of widespread fraud in that election. Repeated recounts and audits in the battleground states where Trump contested his loss, including some led by Republicans, affirmed Biden’s win and found the election was run properly Trump and his supporters also lost dozens of court cases trying to overturn the election results.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By
The Justice Department unit that ensures compliance with voting rights laws will switch its focus to investigating voter fraud and ensuring elections are not marred by ‘suspicion,’ according to an internal memo.
But in Trump’s second term, the attorney general is Pam Bondi, who backed his effort to reverse his 2020 loss The president picked Harmeet Dhillon, a Republican Party lawyer and long time ally who also has echoed some of Trump’s false claims about voting, to run the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, where the voting section is housed.
“The Civil Rights Division has always worked to make sure Americans have access to the polls and that their votes matter,” said Stacey Young, an 18-year Department of Justice veteran who left that division days after Trump’s inauguration in January and founded Justice Connection, an organization supporting the agency’s employees. “The division’s job is not to promote the politically expedient fiction that voting fraud is widespread.”
The department did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump has already demonstrated his interest in using the Justice Department to pursue those who stood up for the 2020 election by directing the department to investigate one of his former appointees who publicly vouched for the safety and accuracy of the 2020 vote count.
“The mission of the Voting Rights Section of the DOJ Civil Rights Division is to ensure free, fair, and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors, or suspicion,” the mission statement declares.
It adds that the unit will “vigorously enforce” Trump’s executive order seeking to reshape how elections are run. Parts of that order have been put on hold by a judge.
The executive order
EPA announces broad reorganization
BY MICHAEL PHILLIS Associated Press
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday announced a broad reorganization as part of the Trump administration’s drive to cut costs that some activists worry will harm the agency’s independent scientific research.
Administrator Lee Zeldin announced changes that included creating a new unit within his office “to align research and put science at the forefront of the agency’s rulemakings.” He said the overall reorganization would boost efficiency and save at least $300 million annually, though he didn’t detail how the money would be saved.
Though Zeldin didn’t mention it by name, some scientists and activists saw it as an attack on EPA’s Office of Research and Development, which has long provided the scientific underpinnings for EPA’s mission to protect the environment and human health. The agency said it would shift “its scientific expertise and research efforts to program offices” that focus on major issues like air and water Separately on Friday, President Donald Trump unveiled a proposed budget to cut that office’s funding by $235 million.
Trump’s budget said the cut would put “an end to unrestrained research grants,
SUNDAY NEWS SHOWS
ABC’s “This Week”: ABC reporters and contributors discuss President Donald Trump’s first 100 days back in office and other events.
NBC’s“Meet the Press”: Trump. CNN’s“State of the Union”: Sens Mark Warner D-Va., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis.; Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.
CBS’ “Face the Nation”: Sen. Tammy Duckworth, DIll.; Rep. Mike Turner ROhio; Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States; Katherine Maher, CEO of NPR, and Paula Kerger, CEO of PBS; H.R. McMaster, a former national security adviser
“Fox News Sunday”: Reps. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, Jason Smith, R-Mo., and Jim Himes, D-Conn.; Ken Martin, Democratic National Committee chair
The Associated Press
radical environmental justice work, woke climate research, and skewed, overly-precautionary modeling that influences regulations none of which are authorized by law.” Agency researchers have improved air pollution monitoring, found high levels of PFAS in drinking water sources, provided flood prevention resources and made more information available on chemical safety EPA’s possible plans to lay off as many as 1,155 staffers in the office — as much as three-fourths of its workers — became public in March. Those cuts are part of a broader push by Zeldin to cut EPA’s budget by about two-thirds.
The Office of Research and Development has 10 facilities across the country It was designed to be insulated from politics so it can produce essential science.
Camden Weber, climate and energy policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity, said, “is a textbook move from the authoritarian playbook.”
“By gutting key institutions and driving away experts, this attack will endanger public health, clean air, and environmental progress, while undermining independent scientific research in America,” Weber said.
“This is a reorganization, not a reduction in force,” EPA spokesperson Molly Vaseliou said.
Zeldin’s announcement also included the creation of the Office of State Air Partnerships to work “with, not against” states and other agencies to handle plans for pollution reduction by states. The EPA has long had authority to impose its own plan if states were seen as not doing enough to cut pollution.
signed late last month calls for people to provide documented proof of U.S. citizenship each time they register to vote; would require all mail ballots to be received by Election Day, which is counter to the law in 18 states; and directs an independent federal agency, the Election Assistance Commission, to amend its guidelines for voting machines.
Several legal analysts say much of the order is unconstitutional because only states and, for federal contests, Congress, can set election procedures. The Constitution provides no provision for the president to set the rules for elections.
The new mission statement for the Civil Rights Division also says the voting unit will focus on ensuring that “only American citizens vote in U.S. federal elections.” It’s already illegal for noncitizens to vote. People have to attest they are U.S. citizens when they register and attempts to vote by noncitizens can lead to felony charges and deportation.
Repeated investigations have turned up just a tiny number of noncitizens casting ballots, often doing so accidentally, out of the hundreds of millions of votes over recent contests. A proof-of-citizenship requirement in Kansas a little over a decade ago blocked 31,000 eligible U.S. citizens from registering to vote before it was overturned by the courts.
But Republicans, including Trump, have continued
to insist there must be far more noncitizens casting votes and are pushing to tighten election laws to screen them out.
Notably the roughly 200word statement on the voting rights section mentions fighting “fraud” twice, as well as investigating “other forms of malfeasance.”
The Department of Justice already investigates and prosecutes voting fraud, but in a separate division on the criminal side. The voting section is a civil unit that does not investigate potential crimes.
Now, however, it will “protect the right of American citizens to have their votes properly counted and tabulated,” according to the statement It was unclear what that refers to. There have been no widespread cases of votes being improperly tabulated.
Justin Levitt, who served as President Joe Biden’s senior policy adviser for democracy and voting rights, noted that because the voting rights section does not pursue prosecutions, its power is sharply limited by the specifics of civil rights laws and what judges will approve. “For the civil section of the Civil Rights Division, courts need to be buying what they’re selling,” he said.
Notice is hereby givenpursuanttoArticle 7, Section23(C) of the LouisianaConstitution andR.S.47:1705(B) thata public hearingofLivingstonParishFireDistrict 4inLivingstonParishwill be held at its regularmeeting placelocated at 9760 FloridaBlvd, Walker,LA70785, June 16, 2025 at 6:00p.m. thatthe tax recipient bodyintends to considerlevying additional or increasedmillage rateswithout furthervoter approval or adoptingthe adjusted millage ratesafter reassessment androllingforward to ratesnot to exceed the prioryear’smaximum. Theestimated amount of tax revenues to be collectedin the next year from the increasedmillage is $4,250,416.07, andthe amount of increase in taxes attributable to the millage increase is $432,677.08.
As thenext-door neighbor to theworld classcity of NewOrleans,JeffersonParishdoesnot dare to show up to theparty empty-handed.Whether it be shopping, dining, or an adrenalinerushyou areseeking,JeffersonParish’sofferings keep the good timesrolling Forajam-packedweekend of adventure, head to theWestbank! Just a15-minute driveand you canimmerse yourself in theelectricgreen of thecypress groves as youzoomthrough Bayou Segnette on oneofthe many airboattourofferings in theparish. If soakinginthe curiositiesofthe swamps at aleisurely pace is more your speed, checkout aswamp boat tour or theBarataria Preserve nature trails.Thiscolorfultapestryof wetlands is sure to give yougoosebumpsasyou spot an abundanceofalligators, Spanishmoss, and blue herons,along theway.For alistofairboat and swamptours availableinthe area,check out: www visitjeffersonparish.com/things-to-do/swampand-plantation-tour/ Bookingacabin in BayouSegnetteState Park is anothergreatway to breakout of theeveryday routineofcitylifeand relaxinthe naturalbeauty of theestuaries.Spend theday fishing, hiking, or canoeing with lovedones, andinthe eveningwatch thesunsetfromthe dock.Asduskrolls in,enjoy the nightlyperformanceoffireflies accompaniedbya chorus of frogsand cicadas. Formoreinformation or to make reservations,visit:www.lastateparks. com/parks-preserves/bayou-segnette-state-park. Whileyou’reonthe Westbank,takethe meaning of friendlycompetition to thenextlevel at NOLA MotorsportsPark. Kick up some dust by racing through30-acresofgokarttrack at 45 MPHor challengefriends to around of mini golf at NOLA Motorsports’ latest offering—Throttle &Swing This all-in-one social experience includes abar andcoffee bar, craftpizza options, andarcade games, alongwithan18-hole mini golf course Forinformation on pricingand hours, checkout: https://nolamotor.com/. If tameradventuresare callingyourname, a trip down thepicturesque Metairie Road will have youentertained allday.Catch themorning gloryofLongueVue House &Gardens andenjoy brunch at theiconicRubySlipper or Blue Line Sandwich Co.Grabalatte from MoxieCoffee & Espresso beforecheckingout theassortmentof
trendy boutique clothing andaccessoriesshops
At theend of theday,treatyourselftoa feastfor dinner.Italian,Greek,Indian, freshLouisiana seafood—Metairie Road hasitall andmore. Ourfashion forwardfriends will also want to stop by Lakeside Shopping Center,located 12 minutesfromdowntownNew Orleans. As thelargest andmostfrequentedmallinthe metropolitan area,Lakesideand thesurrounding streetshave much to offer visitors. Scoopupsome sweetdeals andtop it off with an iced boba tea from Kung Fu Teaora sugar-free indulgence from Todd’s Frozen Yogurt.You’llleave lookingand feelingglamourous!
Nothingcan quitecompare to thesunsets onecan witnessoverLakePontchartrain,and JeffersonParishhas milesofwell-kept lakeside trackfor walkersand cyclists.For agreat view visitBucktownHarborParkwhich features a new1,000-footboardwalk.Kenner’sLaketown is another excellentsunsetspot, andright next door youcan hitthe sandsofCoconut Beachto play afew rounds of volleyball with friends. To rent acourt,see:https://coconutbeachla.com/ Whetheryou’vebookedastayina
ANDRES LEIGHTON
-Brenton F.
LOUISIANA POLITICS
Grants canceled, operations to close with AmeriCorps cuts
Programs serve nearly 50K in Louisiana
BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
WASHINGTON — The Baton Rougebased Louisiana Delta Service Corps is joining a growing resistance to President Donald Trump’s decision to dismantle AmeriCorps, which helps fund the communitybased projects of local nonprofits across the state
Following the advice of his Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, Trump, on the night of April 2,5 eliminated $396.5 million in grants out of the $557 million Congress directed AmeriCorps to assign to state and local programs.
The White House on Tuesday said more than $40 million AmeriCorps payments had paperwork snafus, such as miscoded expenses, and therefore were improper
The Trump administration’s move affects 1,031 organizations and 32,465 AmeriCorps members and senior volunteers. In Louisiana, AmeriCorps supports 3,107 members and volunteers who help roughly 50,000 people at 441 locations across the state with a $23 6 million budget.
The “members” are usually students, the recently graduated, and seniors, who are embedded in nonprofit and faith-based groups that help schools, food banks, homeless shelters, health clinics, youth centers and veterans’ facilities.
“The grant cancellation essentially forces us to fire 37 members and cease operations,” Maggie Conarro, program director of Serve Louisiana, said Wednesday
Part of Louisiana Delta Service Corps, Serve Louisiana oversees young adults who agree to work 11 months for pay enough to cover living expenses at 18 nonprofits. Much of the grant helps the members repay student loans or further fund their educations.
Embedded in nonprofits, the members do jobs such as gathering oyster shells from restaurants and recycling them to shore up coastal reefs from which oysters
Key hearings on Medicaid delayed until May 12
CAPITOL BUZZ staff reports
House Republican leadership has again pushed back closelywatched hearings that will determine whether and how Medicaid could be cut or altered, Politico reported The House Energy and Commerce Committee has been tasked with finding $880 billion in budget cuts as part of negotiations over “reconciliation,” a process aimed at creating a federal budget while also passing many of President Donald Trump’s top priorities. Health care industry leaders and state budget officials fear that could mean cuts to Medicaid, the federal-state partnership that
In Louisiana, AmeriCorps supports 3,107 members and volunteers who help roughly 50,000 people at 441 locations across
$23.6 million budget.
can be farmed, Conarro said Other Serve Louisiana members help coordinate volunteers who install costly wheelchair ramps that become immediately necessary when someone becomes disabled.
Others work supporting programs that treat sexual assault victims, distribute food and provide housing for the homeless.
The 37 people will be let go with three months left in their terms, Conarro said She and the other full-time staffer will lose their jobs.
“For every dollar invested in AmeriCorps, there is an estimated $34 return in community value,” Conarro said. “These funds don’t get lost in bureaucracy — they go directly to local organizations solving real problems.”
Mary’s Hand Network in Baton Rouge is one of the agencies with Louisiana Serve members. The group provides guidance and support free of charge to pregnant women in a state where nearly two-thirds of the births are paid for by Medicaid, the state-federal health care program for those with low incomes.
provides health insurance to lowincome Americans.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Majority Leader
Steve Scalise, both Republicans from Louisiana, have insisted that Medicaid benefits won’t be cut, though they have said they are taking aim at “waste, fraud and abuse” in the program.
Louisiana has one of the highest percentages of residents on Medicaid, so cuts to the program could either reduce access to health care or cause serious problems for the state budget.
The committee was scheduled for budget markup this week, but leadership rescheduled it for the week of May 12. U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, sits on the committee.
Johnson is trying to resolve tensions between fiscal hawks in his party, who want steep reductions in government spending, and more moderate members who don’t want to see steep cuts to Medicaid or similar problems. Republicans have a very narrow
with
“The service of AmeriCorps members, Breea and Marisa, has been nothing short of transformative,” said Madeline LeBlanc, Mary Hand’s executive director “Our capacity more than doubled — supporting 87 mothers. Their absence is not just a staffing change it’s a direct hit to families who depend on us.”
Thirteen active programs in Louisiana were impacted by the elimination of $2.6 million in state and local AmeriCorps grants about 60% of the state’s grant portfolio.
The programs include the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s community service program, which lost $110,436 and 30 members, mostly students, who were placed in the Habitat for Humanity at Moncus Park, with the Pugh Family Foundation Accelerating Campus Excellence program at two local elementary schools, as well as other programs.
UL-Lafayette, like many of the impacted programs in Louisiana, avoided publicly commenting. How AmeriCorps works Congress created AmeriCorps in
majority they can afford to lose only three votes if Democrats stay united in opposition and every representative votes. Cassidy looks to increase affordable housing
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy and a group of colleagues introduced a bipartisan bill this week aiming to increase affordable housing by expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, a decadesold federal program that awards tax credits to developers who agree to reserve a fraction of units for lower-income households.
The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act would increase the number of housing tax credits available to states, adjust how workforce housing projects are funded and update the housing
the 1990s to update and coordinate federal programs spread through the government that provided the services independently The agency has a budget of $975.5 million, congressionally appropriated in 2024, which are mostly grants distributed to state and local community organizations.
The AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps sent young adults, aged 18 to 26 years, to help with construction, often after hurricanes, and to participate in other community projects. But those teams were discharged two weeks ago.
The regional office covering Louisiana’s NCCC teams, based in Vicksburg, Mississippi, forwarded requests for comment to the main office in Washington, which did not respond.
About 85% of the AmeriCorps’ 500 full-time national workforce was placed on administrative leave in April.
Trump then terminated nearly half of the grants to state and local nonprofits, the largest single expenditure in AmeriCorps’ annual budget.
Like many of the agencies across the nation, Serve Louisiana, the Louisiana Delta Service Corps agency, received an email after work hours last Friday night informing the two staff members that the grants would no longer be honored.
Cuts face pushback
Louisiana Delta Service Corps asked Baton Rouge’s federal court Thursday to immediately suspend the order The group argued, among other issues, that the Trump administration did not follow established protocols.
A growing number of similarly situated local agencies around the country are also filing legal challenges.
The largest lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Baltimore’s federal district court by the attorneys general in two dozen states, though not Louisiana. They contend, among other arguments, that the Trump administration has little authority to halt spending or-
credit program to better serve people who are veterans, live in rural areas, Native Americans, victims of domestic violence or formerly homeless students.
The bill would also help build nearly 1.6 million homes over the next decade, Cassidy said in his announcement.
“Doing something to help someone buy a home is consistent with President Trump’s goal of helping working families,” Cassidy said in a statement. “No one should be priced out of a roof over their heads.”
U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, spearheaded the legislation with Cassidy, saying that it would further leverage private sector investment to increase housing availability for families.
Cassidy and Young were joined by U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell, DWashington; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee; and Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, in introducing the legislation. The ACTION Campaign and the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition also endorsed it.
dered by Congress.
“We are suing to stop this illegal dismantling of AmeriCorps and preserve the spirit of community service in our state and nation,” said Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser in a statement to The Associated Press.
The two Democrats in Louisiana’s eight-member congressional delegation spoke up and wrote a letter Tuesday to Trump asking him to reconsider.
“These cuts will devastate the very fabric of support that helps lift underserved communities in New Orleans, across Louisiana, and throughout our nation,” said U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans.
Carter and U.S Rep. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, wrote Trump that “these programs serve over 49,765 Louisianans annually, including children, seniors, veterans, and low-income families. Without them, these services will simply vanish.”
“The communities of Louisiana and indeed the nation rely on AmeriCorps to strengthen civic engagement, reduce poverty, and respond to disasters. Now more than ever, we cannot afford to abandon this mission or the thousands of members who have pledged to serve,” Fields said.
Some Republicans also raised questions.
Louisiana Lt. Gov Billy Nungesser told Politico, a publication focusing on national politics, “I’m hoping that the president can look at it again. If they need to make cuts, let us decide what programs are worthy It’s hard for them to see from Washington what impact these programs have.”
Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, of Baton Rouge, wrote April 25 on social media: “I support improving efficiency and eliminating waste, but I would have to object to cutting AmeriCorps grants like those that support Louisiana’s veterans and organizations that provide crucial support after hurricanes and natural disasters.” Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.
More specifically, the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act would:
n Increase the number of credits available to states by 50% for the next two years and make the temporary 12.5% increase secured in 2018 permanent, which has already helped build more than 59,000 additional affordable housing units nationwide.
n Stabilize financing for workforce housing projects built using private activity bonds by decreasing the amount of private activity bonds needed to secure Housing Credit funding. As a result, projects would have to carry less debt, and more projects would be eligible to receive funding.
n Improve the housing credit program to better serve veterans, victims of domestic violence, formerly homeless students, Native American communities, and rural Americans.
The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act was recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Patty” Cook, R ... 53%
I. 47%
To levy a 4-mill property tax, estimated to generate $24.4 million a year, for 20 years from 2025
To
to replace reduced state and local receipts for operations and maintenance.
PROPOSITION 5 (7.14 MILLS FOR SALARIES, BENEFITS)
To continue to levy the 7.14mill 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. YES 52% NO 48%
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 school-related 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.
YES 42% NO 58%
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.
YES 40% NO 60%
IBERVILLE PARISH LIBRARY PROPERTY TAX
RENEWAL (4 MILLS)
To
to
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.
YES 75% NO 25%
LIVINGSTON PARISH
DISTRICT JUDGE, 21ST JUDI-
CIAL DISTRICT (Livingston, St. Helena, Tangipahoa parishes) Jenny R. Fore, R 63%
Jessica C. Ledet, R 37%
KILLIAN ALDERMAN
Trevor Clardy, R 51%
Bryce Felps, R 49%
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.
YES 62% NO 38%
ST. JAMES PARISH
PARISHWIDE HOSPITAL
MILLAGE RENEWAL
Renew 4.75 mills for 10 years beginning 2027, generating $3.6 million per year for constructing, improving, maintaining and operating public hospital buildings.
YES ....................................... 81% NO 19%
PARISHWIDE BOND PROPO-
SITION
Issue up to $25 million in bonds for up to 20 years at interest rates no higher than 6% per year for construction and improvement of parish roads and drainage projects paid for by a millage rate to be levied in the first year of issuance of .50 mills.
YES 66% NO 34%
PARISHWIDE FIRE PROTEC-
TION MILLAGE RENEWAL
Renew 3.91 mills for 10 years beginning 2027, generating $2.7 million per year, with 60% for expenses and capital expenditures for the fire department accredited by the St. James Parish Council (previously operating as six volunteer fire departments); 25% for emergency medical services; 12% into a trust account to provide for parishwide heavy fire equipment, additional water lines and fire hydrants, to improve communications and provide other related firefighting equipment; and 3% for providing for administrative costs.
YES ....................................... 82% NO 18%
PARISHWIDE LIBRARY
MILLAGE RENEWAL
Renew 2.48 mills for 10 years
beginning 2027, generating $1.7 million for maintaining and operating the parish’s public libraries.
YES 78% NO 22%
PARISHWIDE PUBLIC BUILD-
INGS MILLAGE RENEWAL
Renew 4.93 mills for 10 years
beginning 2028, generating $3.4 million for maintenance and operation of the parish’s public buildings, not including hospitals.
YES 76% NO 24%
PARISHWIDE ROADS
MILLAGE RENEWAL
Renew 4.93 mills for 10 years beginning 2028, generating $3.4 million for repair and maintenance of parish roads. YES 79% NO 21%
PARISHWIDE 911 MILLAGE RENEWAL
Renew 1.25 mills for 10 years beginning 2027, generating $854,347 for construction, operation and maintenance of an enhanced 911 phone system, including the payment of necessary dispatch personnel.
YES 80% NO 20%
CONSOLIDATED ROAD
LIGHTING DISTRICT NO. 3A
MILLAGE RENEWAL
Renew 1 mill for 10 years beginning 2026, generating $589,854 for providing, maintaining and operating electric lights on the streets, roads, highways, alleys and public places in the district. YES 77% NO 23%
RECREATION DISTRICT 5
BY MORIAH BALINGIT
AP education writer
HOUSTON Since her birth 10 years ago, Mackenzie Holmes has rarely called one place home for long. There was the house in Houston owned by her grandmother, Crystal Holmes. Then, after Holmes lost her Southwest Airlines job and the house, there was the trio of apartments in the suburbs and three evictions. Then another rental, and another eviction. Then motels and her uncle’s one-bedroom apartment, where Mackenzie and her grandmother slept on an inflatable mattress. Finally, Crystal Holmes secured a spot in a women’s shelter, so the two would no longer have to sleep on the floor
With nearly every move came a new school, a new set of classmates, and new lessons to catch up on. Mackenzie only has one friend she’s known longer than a year, and she didn’t receive testing or a diagnosis for dyslexia until this year
She would often miss long stretches of class in between schools.
Schoolchildren threatened with eviction are more likely to end up in another district or transfer to another school, often one with less funding, more poverty and lower test scores. They’re more likely to miss school, and those who end up transferring are suspended more often. That’s according to an analysis from the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, published in Sociology of Education, a peer-reviewed journal, and shared exclusively with The Associated Press’ Education Reporting Network.
Pairing court filings and student records from the Houston Independent School District, where
EDUCATION
SCHOOL ISSUES
Mackenzie started kindergarten researchers identified more than 18,000 times between 2002 and 2016 when students lived in homes threatened with eviction filings
They found students facing eviction were absent more often. Even when they didn’t have to change schools, students threatened with eviction missed four more days in the following school year than their peers.
In all, researchers counted 13,197 children between 2002 and 2016 whose parents faced an eviction filing. A quarter of those children faced repeated evictions.
Falling behind on rent
Neveah Barahona, a 17-year-old big sister to seven siblings, started kindergarten in Houston, but has moved schools half a dozen times.
Her mother, Roxanne Abarca, knew moving can be disruptive.
So whenever she fell behind on rent and the family was forced to move, she tried to let them finish the school year — even if it meant driving them great distances.
Neveah, a strong student who hopes to join the military said the
moves took a toll.
“It is kind of draining, meeting new people, meeting new teachers, getting on track with what they want to teach you and what you used to know,” Neveah said. Then there’s finding her way with new classmates. A spate of bullying this year left her despondent until she got counseling. Households with children are about twice as likely to face eviction than those without children, Eviction Lab research has shown. That’s 1.5 million children getting evicted every year — and one in 20 children under 5 living in a rental home. Still, much of the discourse focuses on adults the landlords and grown-up tenants — rather than the kids caught in the middle, said Peter Hepburn, the study’s lead author “It’s worth reminding people that 40% of the people at risk of losing their homes through the eviction process are kids,” said Hepburn, a sociology professor at Rutgers University-Newark and associate director at the Eviction Lab. Households often become more
vulnerable to eviction because they fall behind when they have children. Only 5% of low-wage earners, who are especially vulnerable to housing instability have access to paid parental leave.
Under a federal law that protects homeless students, districts are supposed to try to keep children in the same school if they lose their housing midyear, providing daily transportation But children who are evicted don’t always qualify for those services. Even those who do often fall through the cracks, because schools don’t know why children are leaving or where they’re headed.
Navigating school boundaries
In the sprawl of Houston, it can be especially challenging for transient students to stay on track. The metropolis bleeds seamlessly from the city limits to unincorporated parts of Harris County, which is divided into 24 other districts. It’s easy to leave Houston’s school district without realizing it. And despite the best efforts of parents and caretakers, kids can miss a lot of school in transition.
That’s what happened in January, when Mackenzie’s grandmother, then staying in her son’s one-bedroom apartment with her granddaughter, got desperate. Fearful her son would get evicted for having family stay with him, Crystal Holmes — who had no home, no car and no cellphone service walked miles to a women’s shelter
The shelter, where she and Mackenzie now share a room, is in another district’s enrollment zone. She worried about Mackenzie being forced to move schools again — the fifth grader had already missed the first three weeks of the school year Thankfully, the federal law kicked in, and Mackenzie’s school, Thornwood Elementary, now sends a car to fetch her and other students from the shelter
WE’RE ASKING EXPERTS ACROSS THE STATE HOW TO TACKLE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING LOUISIANA SCHOOLS. HAVE AN
Houston Independent School District did not respond to interview requests.
Millicent Brown lives in a public housing project in Houston alongside an elevated highway so noisy she had to buy a louder doorbell. She and her daughter, Nova, 5, were forced to move last year when Nova’s father threatened to hurt Brown.
Nova had attended a charter school. But when she moved, the school said it could only bus Nova from her new home if she waited on a street that Brown said was too dangerous. Instead, Nova missed a month of school before enrolling in a nearby public school.
Brown grew up bouncing between schools and wants better for Nova. But she may have to move again: The state has plans to widen the highway It would wipe out her housing project — and Nova’s new school.
Nearly three years ago, Neveah and her family settled into a ranchstyle home down a country road in Aldine. It’s brightly lit, with four bedrooms and a renovated kitchen. Neaveah adopted a neighborhood cat she named Bella. Then, last year, her mother once again began to fall behind on rent. Ultimately Abarca received an eviction notice.
The mother was lucky.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ASHLEy LANDIS
Millicent Brown, right, and her daughter, Nova, 5, live in a public housing complex in Houston. Brown said she grew up bouncing between schools and wants better for Nova
VaticaninstallsSistine Chapel stovefor conclave
BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
VATICAN CITY Vatican workers installed the simple stove in theSistine Chapel where ballots will be burned during the conclave to elect anew pope and began taking measures to block any electronic interference with theirdeliberations, as jockeying continued Saturday outside over whoamongthe cardinalswas in the running.
The Holy Seereleaseda video Saturday of the preparationsfor Wednesday’s conclave, which included installing the stove and afalse floor in the frescoed Sistine Chapel to make it even. The footage also showed workers lining up simple wooden tables where the cardinals will sit and cast their votes starting Wednesday,and a ramp leading to the main seating area for any cardinal in awheelchair
The engineer overseeing the works, Silvio Screpanti, said workers were also deactivating all the electronic sensors that have been installed in the Sistine Chapel in recent years to help protect its precious frescoes. Such work is part of the technological blackout that accompanies aconclave to prevent bugging of the secret deliberations and ensure the cardinals have no contact with the outside world. In the coming days,all the windows of the Apostolic Palace facing the Sistine Chapel will be darkened.On the eve of the first vote itself, some80seals will be erected around the perimeter of the space where the cardinals will live— between theirresidence and the Sistine Chapel —tokeep outsiders away,he said in comments posted on the site of the Vatican City state. On Friday,fire crews were seen on thechapelroofattaching the chimney from which smoke signals will indicate whether apope has been elected.
The preparations are all leading up to the solemn pageantry of the start of the conclave to elect asuccessor to Pope Francis, history’sfirst Latin American pope, who died April 21 at age 88.
Atemporarystove is installed Fridayinsidethe Sistine Chapel at the Vaticanthat will release smokesignals blackorwhite—during the upcomingconclave,which starts Wednesday, indicating whether anew pope has been elected.
Vaticanspokesman Matteo Bruni issued anet denial of reports that oneofthe leading candidates, Cardinal Pietro Parolin,had suffered health problems earlier in the week that required medical attention. Thereports, which spoke ofablood pressure issue, were carried by some Italianmediaand picked up by some conservative U.S. sites, including Catholicvote.org, theU.S. site headed by BrianBurch, the Trump administration’s choice to be ambassador to the Holy See.
Speculation about apapal candidate’shealth is amainstay of conclave politics and maneuvering, as variousfactions try to torpedo or boost certain cardinals. Francis experienced thedynamic firsthand: When the votes were going his way in the 2013 conclave, one breathless cardinal asked him if it was truethathe hadonly one lung, as rumors had it. (Francislater recounted that he told the cardinal he had had the upper lobeofone lung removedasa young man.) He was elected ashort time later Bruni also confirmed the namesoftwo cardinal elec-
tors whowill not be participating for healthreasons, bringing the numberdown to 133: Cardinal Antonio CañizaresLlovera,the retired archbishopofValencia, Spain, andthe retired archbishop of Nairobi, Kenya, CardinalJohn Njue. Two more cardinals haveyet to arrive in Rome
The Vatican said Saturdaythatall cardinals will be askedtoarrive at the main Vatican residence, DomusSanta Martahotel, or an adjacent residence between Tuesday evening andWednesday morning to begin their sequester.They must be in place before Mass on Wednesday morninginSt. Peter’s Basilica celebrated by the dean of theCollege of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.Inthe afternoonafter lunch, they will process into the Sistine Chapel,hear a meditation and take their oathsbefore castingtheir first ballots. If no candidate reaches thenecessarytwo-thirds majority,or89votes, on the first ballot,the paperswill be burned and black smoke will indicate to the world that no pope was elected.
BY SAM MEDNICKand SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
TEL AVIV,Israel Armed groups and othershavelootedwarehousesofsuppliesin northern Gaza as desperation spikesafter more than two months of Israel’sblockade of the territory, locals and aid workers said Saturday as Israel’s latest airstrikeskilled morethanadozen people.
Unidentifiedpeople,both armed and unarmed, havebeen looting U.N. and aid groups’ warehouses, as well as bakeries andshops sinceWednesday,according to witnesses, organizations in Gazaand messages that were circulated among security officials for aid groups andwere seen by The Associated Press.
Israel has blocked humanitarian aid from entering Gazasince Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu ended the latest ceasefire with Hamas in March, throwing the territory of over 2million people into whatisbelievedtobethe worsthumanitarian crisis in nearly 19 months of war
Israel has said theblockade and its renewed military campaignare intendedto pressure Hamastoreleasethe remaining 59
hostages it still holds, most of them thought to be dead, and to disarm thePalestinian militant group. The U.N.high commissionerfor human rights previously warned that starving civilians as amilitary tactic is awar crime.
Aidgroups have saidGaza’scivilianpopulation is facing starvation, and there is concern that the desperation could lead to a breakdown of lawand order.Althoughthere have been incidents of looting by armed gangs throughout thewar,aid workers say this week’slooting marks an escalation,asit was less organized and reached urban areas. The ransacking in Gaza City began Wednesday eveningafter reports that aid trucks had entered the north from the south, said one aid worker whospoke on conditionofanonymity because theywere not authorized to address themedia. Asecurity report circulated amongaid agencies that night saying agroup of armed people had broken into abakery,driven by rumors that it held food supplies. The storage was emptyand the group then looted asoup kitchen affiliated with an aidgroup in the al-Shaticamp,the report said.
PHOTO PROVIDED By VATICANMEDIA
THE GULF COAST
Iconic Pensacola sign undergoes divisive change
BY POET WOLFE Staff writer
For 65 years, an iconic midcen-
tury modern sign in Gulf Breeze, Florida, welcomed drivers to veer east along the Gulf of Mexico for a scenic drive to Pensacola Beach
Featuring a cartoon sailfish and encircled by palm trees, the sign has been restored multiple times since it was erected in 1960, mostly due to hurricane damage.
Though its message to take a picturesque route leading to the “world’s whitest beaches,” along with motels and restaurants, remained unchanged, until last week, when a single word was replaced.
The sign now invites travelers to “drive east along Gulf of America,” reflecting a January executive order issued by President Donald Trump to change the name, at least in the U.S., of what was known for centuries without much controversy as the Gulf of Mexico
Three months later, the renaming of the basin — which Trump said was part of his pledge to honor “American greatness” — continues to be a contentious subject across the nation. Polls collected by Harvard CAPS and Harris Poll in January found that 72% of registered voters oppose the executive order, while 28% back it
Along the Gulf Coast, Republican lawmakers are pushing to embrace it, especially in Florida — the first state to formally recognize the new name after Gov Ron DeSantis signed two bills into law. Days before Trump took any executive action to rename the Gulf, DeSantis referred to it as the Gulf of America while declaring a state of emergency in January.
Modifying the sign
The name changes issued by
Trump and DeSantis were ultimately what drove Mike Kohler, the chairman of Escambia County Commission, who also worked for Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign, to lead efforts in modifying the Pensacola Beach sign. Kohler discovered the change would cost the county $2,600. Re-
furbishing the sign has cost significantly more in previous years, such as in 2019, when $263,000 was put into replacing it with a modernized version.
“I said go ahead and move forward with it,” Kohler recalled, “To be in alliance with the executive orders both from the president and
governor.” Kohler added that before the modification, the commission was periodically hearing concerns from residents of Escambia County where nearly 47% of registered voters are Republican and about 30% are Democratic, according to the Florida Department
of State — about the sign remaining the same. Since its completion, Kohler said the commission has received mainly positive feedback.
Aside from residents, other commissioners of the county supported the change, including Ashlee Hoffberger, who Kohler said devised filling the word “America” with the patriotic colors of red, white and blue.
Hoffberger could not be reached for comment on Monday
A divisive name
The percentage of the Florida population who support the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico is unclear
A public opinion survey from the University of North Florida found that out of 871 registered voters, 58% opposed the renaming, while 31% supported it.
On social media, public opinion appears divided.
Sean Mullins, a photographer who runs a popular social media platform named Pensacola Vibes, posted an image on Facebook earlier this month that went viral for featuring “Gulf of Mexico” carved in the sand of Pensacola Beach.
In the comments section, the responses were divided some praising the name changing, others disapproving and many who resorted to referring to the body of water as the Gulf.
Political turmoil appeared again in the comments section when Mullins posted a photo of the modified Pensacola Beach sign.
“It’s just ‘the gulf’ to me,” one commenter wrote, “But I’ll call it Gulf
PROVIDED PHOTO
iconic sign that greeted tourists as they reached the turnoff to Pensacola Beach in Florida has been changed to say Gulf of America.
Feds halt studyonvaccine trustinBlack community
BY LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press
WASHINGTON Some Denver parents got textsduring this winter’sbrutal flu season with videos sharing why people in their neighborhoods chose flu shots for theirkids, an unusualstudy about trust and vaccines in ahistoricallyBlack community
But no one will know how it worked out: The Trump administrationcanceled the project before the data could be analyzed —and researchers aren’tthe only ones upset.
“For someone like me, from the Black community who income-wise is on the lower end, we don’toften have avoice,” said Denver mom Chantyl Busby,one of the study’scommunity advisers.“Having this funding taken away from this project sends ahorrible, horrible message.It’salmostlike telling us all overagain that our opinions don’tmatter. How to talk about vaccines with parents —oranyone— is taking on new urgency: At least 216 U.S. childrendied of flu this season, the worst pediatric toll in 15 years,according to the Centers for DiseaseControland Prevention. Unvaccinated children are fueling one of the country’slargest measles outbreaks in decades, and another vaccine-preventable disease —whooping cough —issoaring, too.
At the same time Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.questions vaccines long proven to be safe and effective. Movesbythe Trump administration are making it increasingly uncertain that COVID-19 vaccines will be available this fall. And the administration has slashed funding for public health and medical research, including abruptly stopping studies of vaccine hesitancy
“Weneed to understand what it is that is creating this challenge to vaccines
Dr.Joshua Williams, apediatrician whose federalfunding for avaccine awareness program wascut,examines 12-yearold patient Tiovian Darden on March 18 in Denver.
and why,”said Michael Osterholm, who directs the University of Minnesota’s Center for InfectiousDiseaseResearchand Policy and worries the country is entering “scientific dark ages.”
At Denver Health, Dr Joshua Williams is apediatrician who every day hasvaccine conversations with confused or worried parents. Some even ask if they’ll get kicked out of his practice for refusingimmunizations.
Nope, Williamssays: Buildingtrust takes time
“The most satisfying vaccine-related encounters I have are theones in families who had significantconcerns for along time,came to trust me over theyears as Icared for broken arms and ear infections —and ultimately vaccinated their child,” hesaid But in theTikTokage, Williams wonderedifdigital storytelling —seeing and hearing what led other families to choose vaccination might help those decisions. He chose flu shots as the test case —just under half of U.S.childrengot one this season. And Black children areamong thosemostatrisk of getting seriously ill from
influenza.
With agrant from the National Institutes of Health, Williams partneredwith Denver’s nonprofit Center for African American Health to host workshops bringing volunteers together to discuss how influenza andthe flu vaccine hadimpacted their lives. Professionals helpedthose who wanted to go theextra step turn them into 2- to 3-minute polished videos.
After two years of community engagement, five of those videos were part of the pilot study sending text messagesto200 families whoget care at two Denver Healthclinics.
In onevideo, amother described getting her first flu vaccination along withher young daughter,making her own health decisionsafter leavinga controlling relationship.
In another,agrandmother explained how she’ll never again missavaccine appointment after her grandsonspent hisfourthbirthday hospitalized with the flu.
Seeing “people thatthey look like, thatthey sound like,who have experiences they’vebeen through that can go,‘Hey, Ifelt likeyou felt but this changed my
life,’”ispowerful, said Busby,who OK’d herkids’ flu vaccinations after questioningWilliams during multiple family checkups.
Thestudy’ssuddencancellation meansWilliamscan’t assess if thetexted videos influenced families’vaccine decisions —lost data from more than two yearsofwork and already-spentNIH dollars. It alsojeopardizesthe researchers’ careers. While considering next steps, Wil-
liams has asked permission of community members to use someofthe videos in his ownpractice as he discusses vaccination.
Williams gets personal, too, telling families that his kids are vaccinated and how his95-year-old grandmother reminisces aboutthe terrorofpolio during her own childhood before those vaccinations were developed.
“We’ve lost the collective memoryabout whatit’slike
Sting Dest o They They They
to have these diseases in our community,” Williams said, ruefully noting the ongoing measles outbreak. “I think it’sgoing to take acollective voice from the community saying this is important, to remind those in powerthat we need to be allocating resources to infection prevention and vaccine hesitancy research.” AP video journalist Thomas Peipertcontributed to this report.
In honorofNationalTraveland Tourism Week, threeLouisiana tourismleaders joined together foraconversationabout theimpact that this industry hasthroughoutthe state andregion. Violet Peters,presidentand CEO of VisitJeffersonParish; Kelly Schulz,senior vice presidentofcommunicationsand public relationsfor NewOrleans &Co.;and Cody Gray,president andCEO of Louisiana’sCajun Bayou, were joined by host KimHolden. Their full discussion canbeviewedonlineatwww nola.com andwww.theadvocate.com
Gray said visitors from around theworld are drawntoLafourche Parish forthe chance to have an authenticSouth Louisianaexperience, whethertheyare learningnew dances at a festival,ridinginanairboat during aswamp tour or eating thefreshestseafood around in alocally-owned restaurant
“Weare blessedtohavesomanynatural assets andthe unspoiledbeautyofthe bayou. Thebestway to experience that is to visit thepeoplewho live thereand connectwith generationsthathavebuilt theirlives there. Thoseauthentic andmeaningful experiences arewhattravelers arelooking fornow,” Gray said.“We’reveryfortunate to have so many institutions actively workingtopreserveour culture. Thebestsouvenir avisitor cantake back home is amemory.
Schulz said thestaff at many NewOrleans attractionshavebecomemoreintentional aboutexplainingtotouriststhe deeper meaningbehindexhibitsoractivities. Forexample visitors seeing MardiGrasIndiandisplays arelearningabout theirculturalsignificance, andtouristsatmusic-based locationshavea chance to delvedeeperintothe historyand legacies of performers.
“Manypeoplehaveanimage of NewOrle-
ansasa partytown, butwereallyworkhard to explainthe cultureand whyitissosacred andwhy passingthose traditions on from one generation to thenextissoimportant,” she said.“Thevisitorsare fascinated by that.”
Thosevisitorsalsopower economic development andjob creation acrossLouisiana Schulz notedthatalmost100,000 people in NewOrleans have tourism-relatedjobs. In LafourcheParish, Gray said astrongtourism economysaves localresidents about$300per year in taxesand is responsible formorethan 1,200jobs.
“InJeffersonParish, tourismisa$2billion industry,” Peters said.“Notonlydoes that mean jobs,but that investment from thevisitor into oureconomy is so vital. That helpsour smallbusinesses.
Forexample, Peters said that recent additions to attractionssuchasBucktownHarborPark, theAlarioCenter, Parc desFamilles, Gator Town,NOLAMotorsportsParkand Treasure ChestCasinoweremadepossibleinlarge part duetovisitor interest andtourism revenue. “We’re blessedinJefferson Parish that officialsvalue tourismand understandwhatit brings to theeconomy,” shesaid. “The visitors arelifting some of thefinancialburden off of ourresidents andhelping to create places that visitors andlocalscan enjoy.
National Travel andTourism Week is a campaign from theU.S.TravelAssociation to raiseawareness abouttourism trends and encouragemorepeopletotravelthrough therest of theyear. Thetravelindustryisa cornerstone of thenationaleconomy,witha$2.9trillion economic footprintthatsupports15million American jobs. Visitwww.explorelouisiana. comtolearn more abouttourism in Louisiana andplanyourtriptoday
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By THOMAS PEIPERT
BY CATERINAMORBIATO
Associated Press
MEXICO CITY It’s4 p.m. on arecent Sunday afternoon, and apavilion of towering windows in aMexico City urban park is nearly packed.
The public is diverse, but everyone here wantsthe same thing: to dance freely, at no cost, without harassment or prejudice.
Twenty-somethings, children with their mothers, teenagers and elderly couples gather around the disc jockey’sconsole.
Amurmur fillsthe airas roughly 300 people await the start. The first notes then pierce the air and a shiver runs through the crowd.
“This is an open invitation for everyone to move as they wish in asafe space!” said Axel Martínez, one of the collective’sfounders, as he grabs amicrophone and cheers the revelers on. At their own pace, each person is carried away by the music —and no one seems surprised by the movesof others.
From experimental jazz pieces and smooth Egyptian hip-hop to the more familiar pulse of cumbias grooved with an electronic touch, people dance to it all.
The party was organized by the Nueva Red de Bailadores or NRB (New Network of Dancers), a collective that aims to create spaces where people can gathertodancefreely There’snocover charge,no booze, and no pressure to do the “right” moves.
The collective began nine years ago as asimple gathering of friendsdancing freely in an apartment.
As word spread, their numbers swelled from 20 to 50, then more than 100 —so they had to move to apark.
“The New Network of Dancers is (a community) of philosophy and action,” said Martínez. “Dancing alone is very fulfilling, but
dancing with alot of people is also very enriching.”
As theirnumbers grew, the NRB approached the authorities and established a relationship with the agency responsible for preserving Mexico City’shistoric center and with museum directors,who agreedto provide sound equipment and other resources for the events.
Building on its network of contacts, it has organized some 300 dancing sessions in ever more striking and unexpected spaces, such as oldfactories and gardens.
ThelatestNRB partyfeaturedtwo dancefloors— oneinside and one outside thepavilion— both areas filled with joy and lightness.
As organizers pointed out, their parties forgo police and security,fostering asense of collective care where attendees look out for one another
“Being able to cometoa space where you feel happiness and respect it gives youpeace of mind,” said AnaCeliaAgustín, 29,a regular at NRBdances.
Akey to the collective’s success comes from having
becomea real social network, and what NRBmember Elías Herrera describes as a“virtuouscircle” between online and in-person interaction thatthe collective has unleashed.
While social media videos and posts haveplayed a roleinpromoting thedance parties, word-of-mouthhas been key to makethem so popular
“I knewalot aboutdancing and my body always mixeditwith alcohol,” said Mateo Cruz,27.
“Here Ifound anew place. It’sbeen an eye-opening experience for me to discover that Ihave all this stuff inside me that Ican let go of. I can completely free myself from what others think, from what Ithink myself.”
The Mexican capital is a citythat dances, especially in its most popular neighborhoods, wherepublic space is often turnedinto a dancefloorfor market anniversaries, patron saint celebrations or simply thejoy of weekend cumbias.
Generally,however,these parties feature amore homogenous crowd and musical selection.
Awoman dances at the Chapultepec
Scenic Garden during acost-free, harassment-free, judgment-free event by the NewNetwork of Dancers collective or NRB,inMexico City The collectivebegan nine years agoasa simple gathering of friends dancingfreely in an apartment.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS
dience and invites
Isabel Miraflores, a 73-year-old retiredhigh school assistant principal, came with her husband and said she enjoyed both the dancing and the presence of people of different ages. “I think it’swonderful because it’sa free event,”she said.
“Weget togetherwith people from allparts of societyand we have fun withoutany trouble.”
The sun has set, it’salmost 7p.m., and there is just over onehourleftbefore the dance ends, but dozens are stillwaiting in line to enter thepavilioninthe famed Bosque de Chapultepec, an urban park that stretches across more than 2,000 acres in the heart of Mexico City
“Inacapitalist reality like ours, it’s very difficult to findanalternative, especially onethatisfree,” said Martínez. “Accessibilityis everything forus.”
In contrast, theNRB dances have opened the dance floor to amore diverse au-
everyone on ashape-shifting musical journey.
Woodpecker taking over Massachusettsneighborhood
Residents aretakingattack in stride
BY HOLLYRAMER and RODRIQUE NGOWI Associated Press
ROCKPORT,Mass. Rockport residents have ahistoryof fighting off invaders, but not this time.
During the Warof1812, townsfolk in the tiny fishing village hurled rocksat British soldiers using their stockings as slings. Now, they’reslinging trash bags and towels over the side mirrors of their cars to protect them from adestructive and determined pileatedwoodpecker.
Over the last few weeks, the bird has broken more thantwo dozen mirrors and at least one vehicle’sside window.But residents are taking the violence in stride.
“Everybody’shavinga good laugh about it,” said Ben Favaloro. “Nobody wants harm to the bird. He’s always welcome back.”
Favaloro, who has lived in the neighborhood for nearly four decades,said he’sseen the occasional woodpecker on the side of houses in years past and he removed several trees last summer that were damaged beyond recovery. Butthe attacking of glassis anew phenomenon.
“Initially,wejust noticed that allthe mirrors had been adjusted. It looked like maybe there’sachild in the neighborhood that was goingaroundpushingthe mirrors down,” he said. But then his sister-in-law spotted the roughly 21-inch-tall woodpecker on Favaloro’struck, pecking at the side mirror
Giventheir enormous size, piliated woodpeckers are plenty strong enough to break mirrors, but such behavior is “definitely weird,”
PHOTO By JANELLEFAVALORO
Awoodpecker rests on acamper,looking at its reflection in awindow, outside ahome during in Rockport, Mass.
Over the last fewweeks, the bird has brokenmore than two dozen mirrors and at least one vehicle’sside window.
said Pamela Hunt, senior biologist for avian conservation atthe NewHampshire Audubon.
“Lotsofbirdswillbeaggressive against reflections in mirrors, but Idon’tusually hear about woodpeckers,” she said. “They don’tusually peckattheir opponents,they kind ofchase them around.”
She said the woodpecker might be “a little stupid” and is trying to defend its territory andscare away what it sees as competition. The damage coincides withthe matingseason for pileated woodpeckers andresident Barbara Smith said she’d be finewith “lots of little wood-
peckers” around, though she hopes they won’tbeas destructive.
“Woodpeckers have to do what woodpeckers do,” she said. “Good luck, woodpecker.”
Favalro said the woodpecker and themedia attentionithas attracted has been afun distraction from everything elsegoing on in theworld.
“This small town of Rockportthat Ilive in is one of the safest communities around,” he said. “I think this is probably oneofthe biggest crimes in years.It’s kind of funny,but it’s nice as well.”
Newcarnivorous caterpillar dressesinremains of itsprey
BY ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN AP science writer
NEW YORK Anew carnivorous caterpillar that wears theremains of its prey has been dubbed the“bone collector.”
The oddinsect is only found on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. It creeps alongspiderwebs, feeding on trappedinsects anddecorating itssilkcase with their body parts.
There are other meateating caterpillars that “do lots of crazy things, but this takes the cake,” said study author Dan Rubinoff with the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Scientists think the case might act as camouflage allowing the caterpillar to feast on thespider’s en-
PHOTO By DANIELRUBINOFF
Anew species of carnivorous caterpillar, left,uses aprotective case made with insectparts, near aspider in Oahu, Hawaii.
snared meals without getting caught.
Ahostofcaterpillars
native to Hawaii use silk glands to spin protective cases studdedwith lichen, sand andothermaterials.
This oneisthe first to use ant heads and fly wings.
“It really is an astonishing
type of case,” saidSteven Montgomery,anentomology consultant in Hawaii who wasnot involvedwith the new study
Findings were published Thursday in the journal Science. Scientistsfound just 62 of the carnivorous caterpillars in over 20 years of observing. Predatory caterpillars are extremely rare and the bone collectors found in Hawaii will even eat each other,researchers said. The bone collector’sorigins date back at least 6 million years, making the caterpillars moreancient than theHawaiianislands themselves. Today, they dwell on an isolated patchofmountain forest alongside invasive species.
THEADVOCATE.COM
Republicanssweep St.Georgerunoffs
Fore wins juvenile judgeseat
BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer
Republicans JimTalbot andPatty
Cook won runoff elections for St. George City Councilseats on Saturday Talbot won the City Council’satlarge seat over Democrat Shaunn Wyche. Talbotfinishedwith59% of thevote, 7,287 of the 12,338 ballots cast, in unofficial results. Wyche collected 5,051votes.
In District 4, voters chose Cook to keep her interim job, as she finished with 53% (1,598) of the ballotscast. Cook’sopponent, Independent can-
Landry Jr.wins BR-area House seat
Staff report
Terry Landry Jr., aDemocrat, will represent part of BatonRouge as amember of the Louisiana House after winning outright in aspecial election primary race for the House District 67 seat. Landrydefeated two other Democrats, Malcom Myer and Sonny Marchbanks, securing 52% of the vote. Myer and Marchbanks secured 42% and 6% of the vote, respectively
The House District 67 seat came open earlier this year after Larry Selders, D-Baton Rouge, won election to the state Senate in aFebruary special election, which was held after fellow DemocratCleo Fields won his congressional race in November Landry will join 104 other members in the Louisiana House and represent an area that covers Gardere and Riverbend in the south, the LSU campus and Old South Baton Rouge, as well as Mid City and North Baton Rouge.
Landry,44, has abachelor’sdegree from LSU, alaw degree fromSouthern UniversityLaw Center and a master’sdegree in public administrationfromSouthernUniversity. His father,TerryC.Landry Sr., was Louisiana State Police superintendent for four years and served as a member of the Louisiana House for two terms. For the past several years, Landry Jr.has been Louisiana policy directorfor theSouthern PovertyLaw Center,work that has focused on ensuring civil rights and social justice. Before that, he worked as alegislative liaison for the Department of Children andFamily Services, a program director at the Louisiana Department of Health and alegislative liaison and associate general counsel for Acadian Ambulance.
All of those roles involved work at the State Capitol, Landry said. And now after16years, “the time isnow to have our voice heard from the inside,” Landry said in April during the lead-up to Saturday’selection.
Introducing legislation to “fully fund childhood education” is the first thing Landry wants to focus on.
“It’sabipartisan issue, and Idon’t think anyone in this state is against having better schools and better education for our children.”
Improving public safety is also important, Landry said. But efforts to reduce crime rates should be based on “data-driven results” that have beensuccessful in other places.
Landry’sopponents, Myer,58, and Marchbanks, 47, ran on similar platforms prioritizing education, crime reduction and the economy,though with slight variations in each of their main focus.
didate David Madaffari, tallied 1,444 votes.
Both Talbotand Cook were endorsed by St. George Mayor Dustin Yates, TransitionChair and council member-elect Andrew Murrell and several other established leaders in St. George.
The all-Republican council will be sworn in July,representing aconservative group of leaders, nearly all of whom had some part in the early St. Georgeincorporation movement thatstartedmore than adecade ago.
Here is how the seven-person council willlook when they take their seats later this summer:
District1: RichieEdmonds (R)
District2: Steve Monachello (R)
District3: Max Himmel (R)
District4: Patty Cook (R)
District5: Andrew Murrell (R)
At-large: DavidDellucci (R) and Jim Talbot (R)
AlsoSaturday, in arunoffelection for the juvenile judge seat in the 21st Judicial District, Jenny Richardson Fore defeated fellowRepublican Jessica C. Ledet. The post serves Livingston, Tangipahoa and St. Helena parishes.
Fore received 63%(13,323) of the ballotscast in the election, while Ledet had 7,728 votes (37%) in unofficial results. Turnout was about 12% of registered voters. Fore will replace Judge Blair D.
Edwards, whowas recently elected unopposed to thestate First Circuit Court of Appeals. Fore, of Livingston Parish, is an assistant public defenderinthe 21st Judicial District andwas once alaw clerk forEdwards in thejuvenile court. Fore has said shewants to prioritize rehabilitationand educationfor children in order to avoid repeat offenses. Ledet, of St.HelenaParish,isthe town of Independenceprosecutor
She also is aparent attorney in the Juvenile Court for Child in Need of
BIGGER DREAMS
Care for the 21st JudicialDistrict Public Defender’sOffice. Ledethad spokenofgetting churches and the community more involved with the juvenile population for better schools and families. In theprimary,Foreearned 42% of the vote andLedet collected 31% to gain spots in therunoff. Athird candidate, Rebecca Davis-Lee, finished with 27%.
LEFT: Monster trucks Sudden Impact, left,and USA-1 catch air time in araceduring the Monster TruckNitro Tour at the Baton RougeRaceway on Saturday BELOW: Samuel Berthelot, 3, playswithatoy monster truck before seeing the real deal
Ammoniaplant hearingdraws residents
BY CHRISTOPHERCARTWRIGHT Staff writer
Advocacy groups warning of environmentaland health risks and industry lobbyistspromoting
jobgrowth descended upon Donaldsonville on Thursday evening to play theirrespective roles in apermit hearing for aproposed ammonia facilitynorth of the city. Louisiana DepartmentofEnvironmental Quality hearings follow aspecific structure. The company presents an overview, followed by comments from residents and officials,thenanyone whosupports the permit andfinally,anyone who opposes it. At Thursday’s hearing forClean Hydrogen Works, which proposes a$7.5billionammonia facility between Donaldsonvilleand the unincorporatedcommunity of Modeste, some later comments came from New Orleansadvocacy groups and Baton Rouge business lobbyists. Roughly a quarterofthe audience left after supporters of the permit finished speaking.
Yetamongthese various interest groups sat thelocals, whoboth worried about potential environmentalimpacts and expressed hopes forjobs. For the small community,people with close connections sometimes took opposing views.
Mayor Leroy Sullivan, who
See HEARING, page 2B
BYDAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer
andother health impacts for tens of millions of Americans. Ozone andparticulatescan comefrom the combustion of fossil fuelsand from chemical petroleum and electrical power plants,aswellasother industrial processes and fires. Heat and sunlight play acritical role in the formation of ozone. Particulates can also include dust from othersources thatdon’t involve burning something. In the annual report, the Lung Associationsaidfailing gradesfor ozone werearough indicator that parishes with those grades were no longer “in attainment” forEPA standards, though it acknowledgedunderits grading method that some could still be in attainmentwith an “F.” The Baton Rouge area has struggled to meet the federal ozone standard over the past 25 years but wasdeemed to be in attainment forseveral yearsafter Report
Air quality worsenedinBaton Rouge, New Orleans, Lafayette and LakeCharles over arecent three-year period affected by global external factors like Saharan duststorms, Canadian wildfires and rising temperatures, the American Lung Association says in anew annual report. No metro areas in Louisiana ranked in thetop 25 nationally forthe worstair quality, butthe Baton Rouge metro area was the worst in the southeast for ozone pollution, according to the nonprofit advocacy group. The report on thenation’sair from the association, whichadvocates forlunghealthand clean air, looked at government mea-
surements of ground-level ozone, or smog,and two kinds of fine particulate measures frommonitorslocated in about athird of the state’sparishes
The association gave athreeyear letter grade for daily ozone andparticulate measures buta “pass” or “fail”gradefor annual particulate measures over the same three-year period.
The association found thatthe New Orleansarea saw higher levels of ozone and fine particulate pollution after 10 consecutive years of being among the cleanest in thenation for that pollutant. Jefferson,St. Bernardand St.John were the only parishes in that metro area with a“C” grade.
And Lake Charles saw its air quality worsenonall threemeasuresthe association considered, though thedrops werefrompositionsoftop airquality grades from theprevious year’sreport. However,neither of those metro areas compared with therankings for theBaton Rouge area, which
hadEastBaton Rouge, Iberville and West BatonRouge parishes withfailing grades and several others with a“C” forone pollutant or the other West Baton Rouge Parish was the only parish in the state to receive two failing grades, one each for two different pollution measures. In theassociation’s2024 report, only Iberville Parish had received afailing grade for ozone in the Baton Rouge metro area. In contrast to the failing grades in Baton Rouge, the worst rating for LakeCharles’Calcasieu Parish was a“C” fordaily ozone levels, downfrom a“B” between 2020 and 2022.
Ozoneand fineparticulatesare twoofseveral so-called“criteria pollutants” that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencymust monitor andregulate underthe U.S.Clean AirAct.The category of pollutants is widely shared across the nation and is known to cause respiratory,cardiovascular,
Landry
Talbot
Cook Fore
STAFF PHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS
HEARING
Continued from page 1B
worked for CF Industries for many years and was severely injured in an accident there, said he supported the permit because of the plant’s economic potential. But he acknowledged the divide within the community
“There are people here that are on the opposite side of the way that I feel about industry There’s people that I love, there’s people that I respect,” he said. “That love and respect will always be there.”
At its peak output, the plant will produce an esti-
mated 7.2 million tons of ammonia per year, according to the company. The CF Industries facility in Donaldsonville is the world’s largest ammonia production facility, and that company wants to build another facility near the proposed Clean Hydrogen Works site.
Modeste residents such as Sherry White raised that as a concern
“The worst-case scenario is an ammonia plume, like the school evacuation at Donaldsonville,” she said. In late 2022 an ammonia leak at the CF Industries plant caused the Donaldsonville Primary School, which teaches about 460 children, to temporarily evacuate. Of-
ficials reported no injuries from the incident.
The company argues it will safely produce ammonia and has been working with the community to listen to concerns.
“We believe in direct, open communication with community stakeholders,”
Senior Vice President of Project Development Vee Godley said in his opening remarks
Godley, industry leaders and local officials said the facility will bring jobs to Donaldsonville and surrounding areas According to recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a poverty rate near 50%.
Tamiko Francis Garrison
a justice of the peace in Donaldsonville with family connections in Modeste, supported the permit.
“Donaldsonville has been a community, in the words of my late father, held together by duct tape and wood,” she said.
“I’m excited to see the engagement of industry in our community, which would assist with lowering our poverty level, decreasing (the) unemployment rate, the potential to hire our children and grandchildren so they don’t have to leave the city parish and state of Louisiana as I did in the 1990s, and it will foster employment for generations to come,” she added.
EPA in February to declare that West Baton Rouge Parish remains “in attainment” for particulates and not face heightened regulation.
The company’s website states the project will generate roughly 350 new permanent jobs with an average annual wage of $116,375 plus benefits.
This isn’t new history for the parish. Decades ago, Geismar residents had similar discussions as industries established large petrochemical plants there.
Malaika Favorite, a Geismar resident and Louisiana Environmental Action Network board member, previously told The Advocate residents felt excited by job prospects at the time.
“Everybody was excited because it meant jobs, you know, this was like a real job desert around here,” she said. While the plants did bring jobs, she felt it didn’t significantly improve the quality of life for residents. Amos Favorite, her father and a prominent community activist, was significantly involved in working with employees during the BASF lockout in the 1980s and campaigning to incorporate Geismar, so the area could obtain tax revenue from the industries. The movement faltered after 11 chemical companies successfully blocked it in court.
She also acknowledged the likelihood of changes under new EPA Administrator Zeldin.
Email Christopher Cartwright at christopher cartwright@theadvocate. com.
top 10 worst cities in the nation for ozone were in California, which often takes a nation-leading role in environmental regulation.
a series of measures to cut emissions.
The Lung Association also didn’t look at toxic air emissions, a different category of pollutant that is a particular concern for Louisiana’s industrial zones between Baton Rouge and New Orleans and in the Lake Charles area.
In the analysis, the group also applied a new annual fine particulate standard adopted in the last year of the Biden administration. The current EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, has said it will get another look and possible revision as part of a broad deregulatory push announced in mid-March.
‘A true picture?’
Eric Weinzettle, Louisiana director of advocacy for the Lung Association, explained that global events and extreme heat affected air quality measurements nationally in the latest three-year period. In Louisiana, they also exacerbated “tough local conditions” created by a myriad existing sources, including the state’s large industrial base He argued that the findings suggest “a mindset shift” needed to occur over the role climate change could be playing in these “exceptional events” and, as a result how the state regulates industry and other emissions sources that could be helping to make them a “little less exceptional and a little more normal unfortunately.”
“We can’t blame these industries for things they don’t have control over,
but it’s taking actionable steps where we can that is something we do have control over and not letting them off the hook whenever we’re talking about the idea that our climate is becoming worse and we are seeing these exceptional events more frequently,” he said. In light of the data, Weinzettle added, the EPA and other regulators don’t need to reduce air and other pollution standards The group contends the existing EPA ozone standard and particulate standards are insufficient.
In a standard practice predating the current federal and state administrations, DEQ officials petitioned the EPA last year to exclude the effect that Saharan dust storms in 2022 and Canadian wildfires in 2023 — what are called “exceptional events” had on particulate pollution.
They blamed the two events on high particulate measurements in 2022 and 2023 that exceeded the federal standard at a Port Allen air monitor In light of that, former DEQ Secretary Aurelia Giacometto asked the
Giacometto left her role with the DEQ on Friday, and Courtney Burdette, a former 10-year staffer at the agency was named secretary
Weinzettle said the association’s analysis doesn’t exclude those events because the association wants to give the public “a true picture of the air they’re breathing.”
In addition to including those events, the association also applies a different calculation method than the EPA and DEQ do in examining poor air quality and argues its methods provide a better picture.
With ozone, for example, the EPA looks at the fourth worst day in each of three years. The Lung Association looked at the total number of bad air days for ozone or particulates annually for three years, weighted them based on how severe the ozone was on a given “bad” day and came up with a final figure that correlated to a letter grade.
The association argued the weighted average provides a clearer picture of the severity of bad air days.
‘Take a deep breath’
Through several administrations, DEQ officials have pointed out their efforts to broadly and gradually reduce ozone, toxic emissions and other pollution.
In a statement, Giacometto, the DEQ secretary at the time the report was published, said the agency strictly adheres to EPA rules and uses its air monitoring network to take action when thresholds are exceeded.
In March, Giacometto announced she would be asking the EPA to reconsider the Biden EPA’s annual particulate rule used in the association’s analysis, as costly to businesses with little health benefit.
“As the EPA finalizes implementation of its revised standards, LDEQ will make any necessary adjustments in our Air Planning & Assessment and Enforcement programs to remain in full compliance,” she said.
Giacometto also faulted how the Lung Association made its grading calculations for not following the EPA methods and for the association’s failure to exclude exceptional events.
A representative of Louisiana Makes, an industry advocacy group, read the Lung Association report as a positive statement about the state’s air quality because no metro area was in the 25 worst for the nation, a trend that has been in place for several years.
“The states and cities listed for the most polluted places have the strictest ‘clean’ air standards and the least amount of industry
This tells me that Louisiana’s standards and Louisiana’s industry are on the right track increasing productivity while decreasing emissions and greenhouse gases. Louisiana is still winning, so everyone take a deep breath and celebrate,” said Desiree Lemoine, campaign manager for Louisiana Makes.
Lemoine didn’t identify any state or city she might have been referencing. Perhaps to her point, five of the
The nation’s worst ozone was in Los Angeles, a spreadout desert city known for its driving culture, perennially sunny skies and smogtrapping coastal mountains. Houston, Texas, a hub of heavy industry, was also in the top 10 for the worst ozone.
The only other parish in the state with a failing grade was Caddo Parish for annual particulate pollution, but the Shreveport-area monitor that collected those measurements through 2023 was moved this fall due to data concerns, according to a state letter to the EPA. The state Department of Environmental Quality told the EPA in 2014 and again in 2023 that the monitor was likely having its measurements skewed. The air monitor was next to a gravel parking lot for an industrial operation with heavy truck traffic. Uncut vegetation also caused concerns for measurement accuracy, DEQ said.
David J. Mitchell can be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.
BY KEITHSPERA Staff writer
It doesn’train on Pearl Jam at Jazz Fest.
Earlier in the week, forecasts warned of possible thunderstorms right around the time the band was slated to headline the main Festival StageonSaturday
But save abrief downpour just before noon, the festival stayed dry.
If the Fair Grounds were a seesaw, it would have tilted sharply toward the Festival Stage, where Pearl Jam’ssea of humanity dwarfed thecrowd at the Gentilly Stage at the opposite end.
The Pearl Jam throng felt even bigger than Lil Wayne’s last Saturday.Itfeltbiggerthan the cappedcrowd of 40,000 that watched the Rolling Stones last year For that big crowd, Pearl Jam delivered big-time.
Toughchoices
To watch all of Pearl Jam required missing alot of good music. Ledisi, singing Nina Simone songs. Tems. Laufey.Kenny Wayne Shepherd teaming up with BobbyRush for acrossgenerational Louisiana blues summit.
Earlier on Saturday,Margo Price paid sweet tribute to mentors John Prine, Rodney Crowell and, especially,Willie Nelsonat the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage in the Grandstand.
Sheshared with interviewer Scott Jordan that Nelson called her recently to wish her ahappy birthday Downstairs at the paddock area’sLagniappe Stage, Sally Baby’sSilver Dollars putafresh, street-smart spin on early jazz traditionvia theconvivial songs of frontman Sal Geloso and his bandmates’ musical dexterity
With Geloso’svoice and guitar, plus drums, upright bass, sax, trumpet and keys, they taught an exceptionally listenable history lesson about famed Storyville madamLulu White with “The Rise and Fall of theDiamond Queen.”
The band’s“IGot No More Tears Left to Cry” has carried them to thefinalsofNational Public Radio’sTiny Desk Contest, and with goodreason:With itsbordello tenorsax, it references classic New Orleans rhythm & blues while standing on its own
as aSilver Dollarsspecial.
At the GentillyStage, New Orleans transplant Rickie Lee Joneswas utterly comfortable in her own skin.She noted that “love and gentleness go along way,”beforeadding, “I know because Iwas screaming at some addicts in theparkyesterday.”
Backed by aband that included guitaristShane Theriot —his many creditsinclude producing Dr.John’sfinal album and servingasHall &Oates’longtime musical director —and percussionist Mike Dillon, Jones leisurely hopped around her history Beforeafaithful “Chuck E’sin Love,” she kicked off her shoes. “I love wearing‘em,” she deadpanned, “but I’mgonna breakmy neck.”
In the run up to Pearl Jam
Samantha Fish concluded her setbypowering throughalong Gibson guitar workout on “Black Wind Howlin’” that Neil Young and CrazyHorsemighthave appreciated.
Themembersof Pearl Jam probably would haveaswell.
Heavyonthe hits
Thethen-unknown PearlJam plugged in in NewOrleans for thefirst time in 1991, then made itsJazz &HeritageFestival debut in 2010. The bandreturned to the Fair Grounds in 2016. They haven’tplayed aproper arena show in New Orleans since 2003. For 20 years,JazzFest has been the only place to see the band in thecity.
This latestvisit was the best.
Lead guitarist Mike McCready’s extended solointhe opening “Corduroy” served noticethat he waslockedinand ampedup. He was throughout the entire 20-song set, especially for his behind-the-head solo in “Even Flow.”
At theoutset, singer EddieVedder wore aT-shirt with “EV60” —heisnow 60 years old. He didn’tact it, evenifhis flying scissor-kick leaps don’tcatch quite as much air as they once did. More crucially,his voice was wholly there, and he was wholly engaged. He understandsthe assignment of being arock frontman. He built rapport with theaudience. He “life-guarded,” making sure everyone was allright. He made it clear he knew exactly wherehewas
“When we think of New Orleans, we think of zydeco,” he announced at the outset. “Wethink of Dr.John. We think of Preservation Hall. We thinkofpositive juju. We think of perseverance. We think of community.Wethink of Jazz Fest.” Later he mentioned playing at Tipitina’s.
After“Tremor Christ,” Vedder reminisced about recording the song at Daniel Lanois’ old Kingsway StudioonEsplanade Avenue. He later gave an extended shout-out to local hero and former New Orleans Saints star Steve Gleason,who was watchingfrom hiswheelchairdown front;Vedder evenplugged Glea-
Working as aspecial eventscoordinator in Lafayette andmanagingher sparetimeasa full-time mother, Rachel Steennever imaginedthatvisiting her dentist would change her life forever Steen was diagnosed in July 2022 with adenoidcysticcarcinoma,a rare andaggressive cancer
Afterexperiencing oral discomfort, she scheduled adentistappointment, which led to the diagnosis of her cancer.Her condition required extensive surgeries that removed significant portions of her palate and partofher nose, severely impairing her speech. While lifesaving, her surgery left Steen unable to work and altered her social life.
son’sautobiography
The singer windmilled hisguitarand swung hismicrophone. He gotupclose with folksalong the barricades. He tossedtambourines, autographing at least one. Without naming names or issues, he encouraged people to be active and engagedand join together.“If something makes you crazy, don’tjust react —respond!”
That introduced “React, Respond,”the firstoftwo songs from last year’s“Dark Matter” album that made Saturday’s setlist. The other wasthe wellbuilt “Wreckage.”
That was it for the newstuff. They tossed in acoupleoftwists, like recruiting famed rock photographer Danny Clinchtoadd harmonica to “Red Mosquito.”
But Vedder and company know that, especially in afestival setting, hits are most effective. At JazzFest, thatincluded sixsongs fromPearlJam’ssmash debut, “Ten,” plus otherfavorites: “ElderlyWoman Behind the Counter In aSmallTown.” “Daughter.”“Even Flow.” “Black.”“Jeremy.”“StateofLoveand Trust.” “BetterMan. Alive.” “Yellow Ledbetter.”
The setlist forevery Pearl Jamshowisdifferent. Usually they end with either TheWho’s “Baba O’Reilly” or Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.” Jazz Fest got both back-toback, as agreat American rock band delivered at agreat American festival.
“It has affected me severely.I used to be so outgoing and involved in everything, but now Iturn intomyself,and rather be alone if it’snot my kid becauseofmy physical appearance, feeling insecure,” Steen said.
Twoyearsafter the surgerythat stopped the progression of the cancer,she has been authorized to get reconstructive surgery that will restore some of her facial structure andaddressnerve damage.The reconstructivesurgeryshe needs to regain her speech and functionalitywill cost about $19,000, but it is not covered by her health insurance becauseit’sclassified as “cosmetic.”
“My insurance said it’s cosmetic, but if youlookatmeorhearmespeak,you can obviously see this is something major,and it’sbecauseofacancer,” Steen said.
The community has rallied around Steen to support her during herhardship. One local business, Pelican Roofing Co.,has committed to helping Steen by organizing afundraising initiative to cover the costs of her surgery.
“Wecall on the community to join us in this heartfelt effort. Your supportcan help restorenot just Rachel’sspeech butalso her ability to lead amore normal life,” Pelican Roofing said in astatement. Pelican Roofing’smascot,“Roofus,” ran a 5K everyday for 30 days to spread awareness and raise funds through aGoFundMe to supportSteen.
Thefund hadalreadyreached $13,000 of its $19,000 goal as of Friday
“It seemed that things were only getting more difficult,but Iamsograteful to be uplifted by the community and the aid that Pelican Roofing has been for me,” Steen said.
She added that she is hopeful this surgerywill give her independence back.
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
4B
■ Sunday, May4,2025 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate
Badeaux, Judy SealeFuneralHome, Denham Springs at 2:00pm Obituaries
Funerals Today misseda LSUfootballand baseballgamein62years Special thanks to Hospice ofBaton Rougefor allthe careand love showntoour familyinour time of need In lieu of flowers, please makememorialdonations toOur Lady of Perpetual HelpCatholicChurch.Pall‐bearers will be Al Prewitt, Will Blanchard, JamieGuil‐lory, JamesWilliams, Paul Blanchard,Ivy Miller,Benji Felker, KenJenkins,Heath Allen,and BillyNickens Honorarypallbearers are his brothers in theKnights ofColumbus.
Badeaux, Judy Thibodeaux
In loving memory of Judy Badeaux November 12,1942- May 1, 2025. Judy Badeaux, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother passed awayonMay 1st after avery courageous battle with cancer. She was82years old. Born on November 12, 1942 in New Iberia Judy eventually moved to Denham Springs where she built alife of love, joy, andcountless cherished memories. She was the devoted wife of Elias (EJ) for 65 years and proud mother of her daughter MikelynMarcomb (herhusband Roger) who she considered her son. Judy adored her two grandchildren Blake Marcomb and Alaina Reed(her husband Brennen). Her family was her source of inspiration and happiness. She is survived by her brothers Richard(Lillian) Thibodeaux, Morris Thibodeaux, Ronald (Stephanie) Segura, Bobby(Maggie) Wilson, Levy(Lori) Wilson and her sisters Linda Wilson and Verdis (Bob) Whitesel and her sister-in-lawVernice Sierra as well as many cherishedand loved nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents Grady and Nora Thibodeaux and Orby and Marjorie Wilson and her sister Janice Moreaux and her baby brother Michael Thibodeaux. Judy was always the life of the party and kept everyone laughing. She was known for her pranks, senseofhumor, and unforgettable Judy Specials. She will be truly missed by her friends and family, but the memories of all the fun times will forever live in our hearts. Serviceswill be held at Seale Funeral Home in Denham Springs on Sunday,May 4, 2025 with visitation from 10:00 AM -2:00 PM and service beginning at 2:00 PM Burial will follow in the mausoleum at Evergreen Memorial Park. Pallbearers will be Blake Marcomb, Brennen Reed, Rod Thibodeaux, John Bourque, Bruce Watson, JJ Bourque.
Blanchard, Gerald Paul
Gerald Paul Blanchard, 80, aresidentofLakeRose‐mound,wenttobewithhis Lordand Savior on Thurs‐day,May 1, 2025athis homesurroundedbyhis lovingfamily. He wasborn January 27, 1945. He retired fromEthyl Corp,Reynolds Metals, AlcoaCorpand Great Lakes. Visitation will beonMonday, May5,2025 atOur Lady of Perpetual HelpCatholicChurch,3147 ChurchStreet,Jackson,La 70748 from 9:00 am until Rosaryat10:30 am and massat11:00 am con‐ductedbyFr. Brad Doyle. BurialwillfollowinHill‐crest Cemetery,Norwood Geraldissurvivedbyhis wifeof47years,Diane Hadskey Blanchard, chil‐dren, Rhonda Miller (Ivy), Leigh Anne Blanchard (William) andGeraldPaul Blanchard II (Julee),grand‐children, Al Prewitt (Nicole), Hannah Prewitt, JordynManchester, Victo‐ria Hadden, WilliamJoseph Blanchard andAmelia Marie Blanchardand 6 great grandchildren. Heis precededindeath by his parents,Cottonand Inez Blanchard,brothers, Glynn and Donald Blanchardand sister, BarbaraAnneBlan‐chard.Geraldgraduated in the firstclass of Jackson HighSchoolin1963 andat‐tendedLSU.Heproudly servedinthe US AirForce duringVietnam.Hewas a 4th Degree Archbishop An‐toine BlancAssembly 2047 Knights of Columbus of Lakeland, LA and3rd De‐greeCouncil #7856 Knights of Columbus of St Francisville. He waspast Grand Knight andFaithful Navigator.Heloved fishing, hunting,volunteeringand cooking. He wasa season ticket holder andnever
Brown, Michael David
Mr.Michael David Brown, 64, of Gainesville, passedawayFebruary 19, 2025. AMeet& Greet, Mass, Blessing of the Ashes &Inurnment will be held Tuesday, May6 at 9:00 AM atOur LadyofMercy Catholic Church,445 Marquette Ave,Baton Rouge, followedbyinurnment at Green Oaks MemorialPark, 9595 FloridaBlvd. Born November 8, 1960, in Baton Rouge to Ruth Elswirth Brown &the late Orland Morgan Brown, "MIKE"workedasanengineer, #1 estimator with ACT &onhis family. PrecededindeathbyOrland "PawPaw" Brown; sister CatherineBrown; "Uncle D" Darrell Normand &Puppy Girl. Survived by wifeLaDonna; daughter Kalan; son David, motherRuth; sister Sandy Clark of Zachary; brother MarkBrown & Stephen BrintofAspen; nieces Melissa &Vince Walker, Christin &Andrew Bayer, Katie &Patrick Haynes;greats Catherine Walker, MichaelBayer, Ruth Bayer, Mary Morgan Bayer,Henry& Anna Haynes; the Braud, Toups &Normand families;Angele Zack; Kevin Raysom, JamesWilton; LillianLejeune &phenomenal prayer centered people enabling our perseverance.
de Weishaupt, Sylvia Marizuya
Mrs. SylviaMarizuya de Weishaupt, age87, passed awayonApril 30, 2025. She was borninQuetzaltenango, Guatemalaand resided in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Sylvia was retired from the Louisiana Department of Transportationand Development. Over thecourse of her life,she also worked as ateacher and as aflight attendant forPan American Airlines. Shewas adevout Catholic.She helped found aday carecenterfor thechildren of impoverishedsingle mothers in her hometownofQuetzaltenango. Shealsohelped withthe Hispanic Apostolate of The Diocese of Baton Rouge and Club Hispano.Sylvia is survived by her sons,Thomas and Pablo.She was preceded in deathbyher husband, Tom; her father, Alfonso; her mother,Carmen and hersister,Aída.Sylviadid not want avisitation or a service. There willbea Mass given in her nameat St. George CatholicChurch in Baton Rouge on Saturday, May17th at 6:00 PM.
Dottery-Albert, Peggy Dianne White
BatonRouge, LA
rounded by love on April 25,2025, at theage of 74. Visitation and religious services on Monday May 5,2025, at Promised Land Baptist Church, 7234 Plank Rd,Baton Rouge, LA 70811 from 8:30am until religious services at 10:30am. Interment willfollow to Louisiana National Cemetery,303 WMtPleasant Zachary Rd,Zachary, LA 70791. Arrangements by Charles Mackey Funeral Home,1576 Robin St,Baton Rouge, LA 70807. For more informationortosignthe guest book, please visit their website at www.charl esmackeyfuneralhome.co m
Hogan,Mary Nell Bello
She was adevoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmotherand homemaker. BornOct, 26, 1935 in PointeCoupee Parish. Native of Oscar, La, and resident of Lakeland, La. She was agraduateof RougonHighSchool and attended Draughon's Business CollegeinBaton Rouge, La. Whenshe was youngshe enjoyed,horseback riding, bike riding, rollerskating, fishing & checkers, and travel.She was amember of ImmaculateConception Church in Lakeland,La
Survived by onedaughterJackie Bergeron, deceasedhusband Albert BergeronofNew Roads, La. One son, Danny Hogan, Jr. and wife Sheila, of Baton Rouge, La. five grandchildren;Ashley BergeronBayoumi and husband, Aiman of NewRoads, La. Ross Bergeron& wife, Shannon of Covington, La. Huey BergeronofBaton Rouge, La., Adam Hogan and wife, Jennifer of Zachary, La. AaronHogan and wife, Jency of Baton Rouge, La. Six great-grandchildren; Liam &Eli Bayoumi, Joshua, Isaac &SophiaHogan, XavierJamesBergeron, and numerous nieces & nephews. Preceded in death by husband, Daniel X. Hogan, Sr., Parents: Lawrence &Gertrude ChustzBello,Two brothers: HarrisBello &wife Elise LeBlanc, AlvinBello andwifeJuanitaLalonde, One sister: Florence Langloisand husband James. She lovedand enjoyed her family so very much. She also,enjoyed going on tripswith husband,Dan. The family would like to thank her wonderful sitters, Linda Gautreau, Ella Young, and AngelaAucoin. The family willreceive relatives and friends at Immaculate Conception CatholicChurch Lakeland on Monday, May 5, 2025, at 9:00 AM, followedbyMass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM. Followedbyinterment at False RiverMemorial Park. Services entrusted to Rabenhorst Funeral Home &Crematory.
"Who can find avirtuous woman? Forher price is far aboverubies. Favour is deceitfuland beautyis vain. But awoman that feareth theLord, she shall be praised.Giveher of the fruitofher hand and let her own works praise her in the gates." Proverbs 31:10: 30-31 It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our sweetMother, AudreyDiane Knoll West. She entered God's HeavenlyGates peacefully from herhome in Baton Rouge, Louisiana surrounded by her family on April21, 2025 at theage of 83. She wasborninAlexandria, Louisiana on October 18,1941 to thelate Dr. James Lyle Knoll, II and Frances ElizabethJohnston Knoll. Diane was raised in Bunkie, Louisianaalong with her brother and sister. She was aladyofgrace and thebeloved mother of threechildren, who all survive her: Dr. James David West(Billy) of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Michael Knoll West(Jill)of Deatsville,Alabama, and Rebecca Frances West Schultz (Mack) of Wetumpka, Alabama. Shewas a cherished Memawtosix grandchildren: Aaron Michael West(Brandi), Noah David West, Sydney Brinson West, Tiffany Diane Schultz,Brooke KimberlySchultz Watts (Jon), and Ashley Marie Schultz Galloway (Brady) and threegreat grandchildren: Easton Blake Watts, Holland Noah West, and Rowan Michael West. Diane is also survivedbyher brother, Dr. James Lyle Knoll, III(Ingrid)ofPagosa Springs, Colorado; sister, Martha Frances Knoll of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and four nephews and her niece. Diane was preceded in death by thelove of her
life and husband of 53 years, LawnerWilson "Sonny" West, Jr., her parents, as wellasher father and mother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. LawnerWilsonWest, Sr. she was also preceded in death by numerous fur babies and othercreatures of God she nurturedand cared for during her entire life.Our Mom truly embracedand cared about all. Diane attended St.Anthony's Catholic School as achildand graduated from BunkieHighSchool in 1959. After graduating she moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to attend Louisiana StateUniversity. She earneda Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry in 1963. After graduating fromLSU,she pursued and obtainedher Certified Medical Technology Degree at Baton RougeGeneral HospitalSchool of Medical Technologyin 1963. Diane and Sonny, her childhood sweetheart, eloped to Woodville, Mississippi on June 30th1962 and began alifetime of commitment to each other and to thebeautiful and loving family they would buildtogether.In1964, Diane and her husband moved to Montgomery, Alabamaand she beganher professional career at Baptist Medical Center as a Medical Technologistin theChemistry Department. Her careerspanned over 30 plus years. In pursuitof moreknowledge and expertise, she acquired her Registered ASCP Specialty recognition in Chemistry in 1970. She served as Supervisorover theBiochemistry DepartmentatBaptist Medical Center from 19641980. She also served concurrentlyasthe Education Coordinator of theBaptist Medical Center School of Medical Technology from 1968-1973. Diane ascended to become theAdministrative Director of the Baptist Medical Center Laboratory Departmentsand served in that positionfrom1980 until her retirement in 2003. Throughout her career she remained involvedintoo many to name, local churches, and professional organizations. Many of which she served as president or chairman. She was exceptionally well respected by her family as well as colleagues and hospital administratorsthroughout thestate of Alabama for her knowledge and leadershiptalents. Diane celebrated her retirementin 2003 at age 62 to spend even moretime with her family and grandchildren. Her retirement was culminated by avisit forher and Sonny to NewOrleans, Louisiana and astayatthe HotelMonteleonealong with attendance to theLSU vs Oklahoma football BCS National Championship game gifted by her children.She proudly reminds us that her alma mater won. Diane was adevout Christianand continuedto pray bedside each night with her rosary until she transitionedtoheaven She was amember of many churches, including St.Anthony's Catholicin Bunkie, LA,Normandale Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL,and Westminster Presbyterian Church in Montgomery,AL. She lovedbeing averyactive member of theMillbrook First Methodist Church for many years after she and Sonny moved to Millbrook to relax and enjoy theirretirement. In August of 2021, Diane moved back to her nativeLouisianaafter living and raising her family for57years in Alabama. She,withher sister, moved back to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to relax on the pond next doortoher son She tookpartinTiger gamesand tailgates, music and art festivals, Mardi Gras parades, and the Louisiana cuisine and culturenaturally and joyously like she had never left home. Diane enjoyed all sports and was always a loyal and enthusiasticLSU and Saints fan. She enjoyed adorning her purple and gold swag and jewelry.. .and saying "Geaux Tigers".Her hobbies included anything involved with her children and grandchildren. She and Sonny rarely missed thechildren's and grandchildren's sportingendeavors and otheractivities. They bothwere alwaysinvolved. Diane was endlessly planning the next birthdayparty or next holiday family gathering. Mom also lovedtaking care of herpetsand hummingbirds,and planting flowers in thegarden. Some of herfavoritethings were vacationing and traveling with her family,especially the beach, Lake Martin, Disney, Cabo, and visiting Alaska and Germany to name afew. Diane was especiallysentimental about her and Sonny's 50thanniversary celebration cruise in 2012 withall the family.Someofher fondest memories included
playing in thebayou behind herchildhood home in Bunkie, Christmas mornings at hergrandparent's home amongst the azaleas, pecan andplum trees, and the birth of all herchildren. Diane wasa virtuousand intelligent lady with akindand caring heart. She shared these valuableGod given and personably obtained attributeswith herfamily andall whowereblessed to cross herlife'spath. She showered us andothers with unconditional love, support, generosity and joyand it shows through herchildrenand grandchildren.She wasmost proud of helpingtoeducate all herchildrenand grandchildren andsettinga beautifulexample of herand Dad's commitmenttomarriage. It wasa true blessingthatall herchildren andtheir spouses, grandchildren, great-grandchildren,cherishedfriend Betsy Dakin,special cousin Vallery were abletovisit with heroverthe past few weeks and hear hersing "You AreMySunshine" in hersweet Louisiana accent.After she finishedher goodbyes, she wasready to join herbeloved Sonny. Togethertheyalways encouraged their children andgrandchildren to "just do therightthing"and "love eachother andthe family". Momisnow oneof God's many angelsand cardinals looking over us As Psalm34tells us,"The Lordisclose to the broken hearted anddeliversus from ourtroublesand sorrows". Momasks that we notgrieve butcelebrate herlife. As she said toward the end, "Son,I hada good life"
Amemorial gathering will be held on Friday, May 9th, 2025 at Millbrook First Methodist Church, 3350 Edgewood Road,Millbrook, Alabama, 36054. Visitation at 10:00am untilMom's Celebration of Life beginning at 11 am. Diane willbe interred next to herhusband, Sonny,atBrookside Cemetery,Millbrook, Alabama, in aprivate family ceremony. We,the family, would like to thankher personal caregivers, Earnestine Eubanks, SharonWilliams, Patricia Lundy, andTalaina Robinson.Also, TheBaton Rouge Clinic, especially Dr JewelCrockett, Cardinal Hospice,especially our nurse Mark Sanders, Baton Rouge General Hospital SkilledNursing Unit Doc-
torsand Staff,and her kind neighbor,Mary Jo Gordon, for all the love, compassion and support given to ourmom. In lieu of flowers, Momwould appreciate adonation to Millbrook First Methodist Church or oneofher favorite charities includingFriends of theAnimals,Baton Rouge LA, Wounded Warriors, St Jude Children'sHospital,or anylocal Animal Alliance or HumaneSociety for the pets. Youcan also planta live Oak Tree or putout Hummingbirdfeeders for her. Please visit www.greeno aksfunerals.com to expressyourlove andmemories for ourmother. We wouldlove to hear how she touched yourlife. For those that wouldliketoattend but cannot,the Memorial service canbe viewed.Itwillbestreamed live at the followinglink: https://www.youtube.com / re su lt s? se arc hquery=millbrook+first+united+Methodist+church
It is with great sorrow that we announcethe passing of Susan Haik Marino, 76. Susan passed away peacefullyather home in Baton Rouge,La. surrounded by lovedones on April 27, 2025. Susan wasbornonDecember8 1948 to Sabaand Edith Haik in Bogalusa,La., later moving to NewOrleans andthenBaton Rouge.Susan wasa kind, patient andthoughtfulperson who made aprofoundimpression on everyoneshe met. Herfamilywas themost importantthing in herlife andshe always worked hard to make everyspecial occasion extra special Sheloved thecolor blue, traveling, funnymovies, andeverytype of seafood. Susan was adevout Catholic and member of St Jean Vianney Catholic Church.She hada strong devotion to Divine Mercy, making herpassing on the Feast of Divine Mercy Sunday special. Susan is sur-
Marino,Susan Haik
KnollWest, Audrey Diane
-Peggy White Dottery Albert, anativeand lifelongresident of Baton Rouge, LA, passed awaypeacefully at her daughter's home sur-
vived by her husband of 51 years, Anthony; daughters Marisa Marino Beard and Christy Marino; son-in-law Brooks Beard; sister Freda Quinn (Terry "Foots"); numerous nieces and nephews; her rescue dog Toby; three grand-dogs; and two grand-kitties. She is preceded in death by her parents, Saba and Edith Haik; brother, Thomas "Tommy" Haik; rescue dogs Tex, Bailey, and Cassie; and her first granddog, Henry. The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the doctors, nurses,and staff of the Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center in New Orleans and Our Lady of the Lake in Baton Rouge; Caregivers with Home Instead; and Susan's niece, Sally Marino Degreenia, with Hospice of Baton Rouge. Avisitation for Susan will be held Tuesday, May 6, 2025 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70815. Avisitation will occur Wednesday, May 7, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church,445 Marquette Ave, Baton Rouge, LA 70806. Afuneral mass will occur Wednesday, May 7, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Our Lady of Mercy CatholicChurch, 445 Marquette Ave, Baton Rouge, LA 70806. Agraveside service will occur Wednesday, May 7, 2025 from 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM at Greenoaks Funeral Home &MemorialPark, 9595 Florida Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70815. Memorial donations can be made to St. Jean Vianney Catholic Church in Baton Rouge.
Charles Alon Strickland passed away on April 2, 2025 as aresult of amotor vehicle accident in Key West, Florida, where he resided. He was anativeof Amite, Louisiana, and was born on April 15, 1955 Charles was the beloved only son of the late Troy M. Strickland and Lillian Dees
Strickland of Kentwood.He is survivedbyhis sisters Marsha S. Brown (Donald) of Mandeville,GayeS Stanly (David)ofBaton Rouge and WandaS Braswell (Jerry) of Covington. Healso is survived by aniece and several nephews andgreatniecesand great-nephews. Charleswillalsobemissed verymuch by his cousin Jimmie Ray Strickland of Kentwood, and his best friends Joe Carter and Vince Walton of Key West. In his youngeryears, Charles was atop tier jewelry salesman forLee Michael Jewelers when it was first opened. He then becamea watchmaker and certified Rolexrepairman as well as askilledjewelry craftsmanand repairman. He was aformer Trainer/ Master Craftsman/ Salesman at Downey Designs International Before settling in Key West, Charles traveled extensively forbusiness to the countries of Ireland, Scotland, Wales,Germany and Spain.Heworked throughout the United States, as well as In Tokyo, Japan where he lived for18 months, and traveledto allprefectures opening accounts. Thisresulted in him moving to England for 12 months where he workedafter opening accounts with two major Japanese jewelrysuppliers. Afterhis relocation to KeyWest, he was employed as General Manager at Jeff's Gems, then as Director of Business Development at H&KServices, Inc. Charles was veryproudofthe fact that he also worked as a Goldsmith at Mel Fisher's Treasures where he designed andfabricated many unique and beautiful goldframesfor antique coins that were retrieved from ships such as the Atocha,a famous Spanish shipwreck.Hewas the ownerofThe Jeweler's Bench, which he operated until his death. Charlesloved the lifehe led in KeyWest. He was a free spirit living hisdream inthe islands. Charles' family echoes afinal tribute writtenbyJoe Carter: "Fair windsand following seas, Sailor!See youonthe otherside!"Followinga private service,Charles was buried nexttohis parents in the Spring Creek, Louisiana,cemetery as per his wishes. He will be greatly missed by family and friends.
Jerry Jean Theriot,91, a native of Pierre Part, LA, and resident of Paincourtville, LA, passed away on Thursday, May1 2025, with hisfamily by his side. Jerry wasaloving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, father-in-law, uncle, cousin and friend. Hismostcherished memories were spent with hisfamily and tellingjokes. Jerry wasan extremely kindhearted personwho always put the needs of others before his own. He enjoyedgardening, carpentry, fishing and cuttinggrass so much, he even cut hisneighbor's yards. Jerry wasa parishioner of St.Elizabeth Catholic Church where he served as an usher and waspart of thecemetery committee. He wasalso a proud US Army Veteran of theKorean Conflict, member of American Legion Post 328 Pierre Part, ILA Local 3033 andthe Paincourtville Volunteer Fire Department.He leaves behind to cherish hismemoryhis lovingwife of sixty six years, Audrey Rivere Theriot; four children,NadineT.Boudreaux (Rodney); Deborah "Debbie" T. Blanchard,Gerard Theriot(Paula)and Hollie T. Rodrigue (Mark); ten grandchildren,Ellen B. 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), NicholasTheriot (Juli),JacobTheriot and McKenzieRodrigue (Bryan); fourteen great grandchildren;four siblings,Amy T. Morales (Ernest), Ella M. Metrejean (Hubert), Norman Mabile (Anna Mae) 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 hisparents, Nicholas
and Evy Crochet Theriot; parents whoraised him, Honoreand Amelia Theriot Mabile; eight siblings, Algier Theriot,Stephen Theriot,Percy Theriot, Earnest Theriot,Sidney Mabile (Marilyn), Josephine Theriot,Hilda Mabile and Mary LeeCavalier (Carol); inlaws,Enaux and Irene C. Rivere and one sister-inlaw, Itzy Blanchard (Robert). Thefamily would liketo thank St. Joseph Hospice and HomeInstead for their care and support. Avisitationwill be heldatOurso Funeral HomeinPierre Part, LA, on Sunday, May4 2025, from 5pmuntil 11pm and will resume at St.ElizabethCatholic Church in Paincourtville, LA, from 8:30amuntilMass of ChristianBurial at 11am.Interment to followinthe church mausoleum.Pallbearers will be: Nicholas Theriot,JacobTheriot,Dre Blanchard,ChrisDupeire, Allen Templet,Bryan White, Greg Barbier and KeithBlanchard
In Loving Memory of Robert Michael Toups, MD. February 1, 1942 -April 22, 2025 Robert ("Bob") Michael Toups, MD, adevoted husband, father, grandfather, physician, veteran, and friend, passed away on April22, 2025 in Edina, Minnesota,atthe age of 83. BorninNew Orleans and raised in BatonRouge, Louisiana, he was theson of Dr. JamesEugene Toups and Nina Holt Redditt Toupsand one of four brothers: Jimmy (deceased), Joe, and Billy. Afterearning hisundergraduatedegree from Tulane University and hismedical degree from Louisiana StateUniversity School of Medicine,Bob volunteered and was commissionedas aLieutenantwiththe U.S. Naval Reserve. In 1967, Bob was called to active duty. After his militaryservice and medical training were complete, Bob made Beau-
mont, TX his home and served thecommunity as a caringand well-respected Anesthesiologist with AnesthesiaAssociatesfor over 50 years. He was known for his skill, calm demeanor, and compassion. AdevoutCatholic, Bob wasa longtime memberofSt. AnthonyCathedral Basilica.Bob hada love of adventure;asa boy, he engagedinmany shenanigans with his brothers and friends and wasanavidwater skier andasanadult, he enjoyed downhill skiing and scuba diving. As everyone knows, Bob wasa diehard LSUTigersfan, neverwantingtomiss agame. He is survived by hisbeloved wife, Betty; his children, Robert Michael Toups, Jr (Sharla), Susan Elizabeth Murphy (Brian), and Brian Barker Free; hisgrandchildren,Nina(20), Ann Marie (17), Megan (13), and Lauren(10); his brothers, Joe andBilly; andmany nieces andnephews. Bob willbe buriedwithmilitaryhonors at Ft. SnellingNational Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN on May8,2025. Memorial donations in Bob's honor may be made to St AnthonyCathedral Basilica (700 JeffersonSt, Beaumont, TX 77701). AMemorial Mass and reception honoringBob's life willtake place at St.Anthony Cathedral Basilica in Beaumont, TX on Saturday, August 2, 2025 at 11am. www.washburnmcreavy.com.
Judith
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. Howto place an Obituary Notice
Theriot, Jerry Jean
Toups MD,Robert Michael
Trahan,
Boudreaux 'Judy'
Strickland, Charles Alon
OPINION
OUR VIEWS
Medicaid is vital to La., andcuts should bemade carefully
In the coming weeks, Republicans in Congress, led by Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, willtake up sweeping budget measures that, theyhope, will highlight conservative priorities suchastightenedborder security,tax cuts and defensewhile reducing spending in other areas.
But it’sthe latter categorythathas us worried.Yes, improving government efficiencyisa laudable goal, but to get to their spending target, more than $1.5 trillion in cuts are targeted. That includes up to $880 billionoverten yearsfrom the committeethatoversees Medicaid and energyprograms.
Louisiana, which is astate with one of the highestproportions of Medicaidrecipients— approximately1.6 million stateresidents rely upon it —could be especially hardhit. The cuts are needed, proponents argue, becausethere is too much waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid. Andtobefair, Medicaid fraud is a problem, just as it is in any programthatadministers hundreds of billions of dollars.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, highlighted this when he argued last month that Medicaid scammers have taken benefits fromthose who are “duly owed.”
“Wehave to eliminate, for example, on Medicaid people who are not eligible to be there,” he added.
But studies from government watchdog agencies have shown the biggestsources of Medicaid fraud are not those whostealmonthlypayments from the system, but rather employees at medical clinics, nursing homes, pharmaciesand doctors whoinflate the amount or types of treatment provided. Even morecomes from poorly, improperly or inaccurately filled-out documentation. Regardless of the nature of the fraud discussed or the amounts in question, we are certain that Louisiana legislators are anxiously watching the developments in Washington. Medicaid is a program where federal and state sources share costs.InLouisiana, for instance, of about $21 billion in Medicaid funding, the state provided about $3.2 billion.
One of the proposals being discussedistoask states topick up more of the tab. If thatisthe route chosen,itwould create anotheryawning budget gap state lawmakers would have to address. Therewould likely be dire consequences, especially for the state’spoorer and ruralresidents. Many rural medical centers rely on Medicaid funding to remain open
We are fortunate that Louisiana will have three powerful advocates in Congress as theyundertake this debate. In additiontoJohnson,Jefferson’sSteve Scalise, the second highest ranking Republican in the House, and New Orleans’ Troy Carter,aDemocratwho sits on the committee that oversees Medicaid,will be key to theprogram’sfuture.
We certainly recognize the desire and the need to make government as efficient as possible Androoting out scammersand cheats is always aworthy aim. But we urge our leaders,asthey undertake this important debate,toconsider modernizing and investing in Medicaid to make it more efficient without cutting benefits.Wealso hope they will weigh whetherthe political benefit of being seen as budget-cutters outstrips thepotential that fellow Louisianans, through no fault of their own, will lose thisimportant service
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE
WELCOME. HERE AREOUR
GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence
TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.
TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE
TrumptoAmerica:Get busy begatting
”Befruitful and multiply and fill the Earth.” (Genesis 1:28)
President Donald Trump is going God one better.God told Adamand Eve to start having children. The president is considering adding an incentive —paying couples $5,000 to begat. The fertility rateinthe U.S. has been declining for thelast decade. In 2023 it dropped to 1.6 births per woman, the lowest in acentury. There are many reasons.The mostobvious is abortion.The Pew Research Center cites figures from the CDC: “The last year for which the CDC reported ayearly national totalfor abortions is 2021. It found there were625,978 abortions in the DistrictofColumbia and the 46 states withavailable data that year,upfrom 597,355 in thosestates andD.C. in 2020. The corresponding figure for 2019 was 607,720.” Stopping or severely restricting abortions would go along way towardsolving the birth dearth. Absent thatpossibilityweare down to the reasons people can’t, or won’t, have children. Can’tisusually biologi-
cal. Won’tismorelikely psychological. Perhaps the most frequent reason given by won’tcouplesincludes the expense of having children, the supposed restrictions on parents’ travel, general freedom, thedisappointments and pain thatcan come when kids rebel againsttheir parents, or the consequencesshould parents divorce.
Ihave suffered from rebellious children, even the death of an adult child. None of it cancels the joyofholding ababy in my arms thatIhelped produce, hearing thatchild later tell me he or she lovesme, and seeing even the spiritually truant come back to faith and settheir lives aright.
Deciding not to have children, for some, creates the pain of regret. Never will they have descendants with their DNA,their values and aset of accomplishments that will make them proud. Never will theyknow what their children might have become, or contributedtothe world. Their family tree will lack branches. Having apet is not the same.
Parenting is morethan biological. It’s not like Elon Musk, who has at least 14
children by four different women. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Musk has warned: “’civilization is going to crumble’ if people don’tstart having more children, aview popularized as pronatalism in right-wing circles. The pronatalism movement is composed of people concerned about the birthrate and eager to implement policy and cultural solutions to the problem.”
Musk wants to populate this planet and possibly Mars with children of high intelligence. If this sounds vaguely familiar,it should. Musk is not the first to think this way.Itisanoutgrowth of aworldview that is materialistic and places humans in the place of God. President Trump’ssuggestion that $5,000 payments would help produce more children reduces the value of a child to materialistic levels. An appeal made on the level of more important things (see above) might work better, producing not only more babies, but even good parents and ahealthier society
Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@ tribpub.com
Tips from public aidour journalism
All news organizations appreciate when the public provides tips on stories thatmay need investigating. Sometimes these tips come in letterstothe editor,but we do have adedicated email address, newstips@theadvocate. com, just to receive suchinformation.
While we cannot print allegations of wrongdoing without doing our own reporting, Ido forward your news tips to the appropriateeditor for further investigation if necessary.Newsrooms have limited eyes and ears, so it’sgreat when the public sees itself as part of our journalism. Some of the best stories I’ve worked on in my career started as tips from the public. When sending news tips to us, it’s important to be specific. Adding names, dates and places —oreven video and audio evidence —help us quickly verify thatyour tip is credible. Also,ifyou have any supporting documentation you have gathered or can point us to,that will help our reporters.
TOWN SQUARE
Arnessa Garrett
Sometimes knowing what documents to request and what questions to ask of whom is half thebattle forjournalists. Vague allegations can be harder to follow up on. And secondhand knowledge of wrongdoing is less likely to get our attention. It’s always good for tipsters to have deep knowledge of the problem they want us to investigate Of course,many tipsters want to remain anonymous. And we understand that. Lives and livelihoods could be on the line. We always protect our sources. We appreciatehow harditisfor some to comeforwardwhen they may face retaliation. So we will do everything to make sure the information that is shared anonymously remains so Going to our letters inbox, Ican give you an account of the first half of April.
From April 3-10, we received 66 letters. Of those,nationalpolitics wasstill the hottest topic, with 12 letters on the subject.Next, we received seven let-
ters on the Hands Off! protest, with all wanting to see more coverage of the opposition to President Donald Trump. Lastly,tariffs are increasingly drawing interest, and we received five letters on that subject.
For the weekofApril 10-17, we received 63 letters. Outside of national politics (10 letters), immigration was the hot topic, with five of you writing to us about issues surrounding recent detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The next most popular topic wasinsurance reform, currently being debated in the Legislature. Four of you wrote to us about that. And then we also had four letters with questions about our news coverage of recent events. For questions about coverage decisions, we do forward your concerns to the appropriate editor.Your feedback is valued, so keep sending it in along with those tips.
Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | OpinionPageEditor.Emailher at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com.
Foranupcoming feature, we asked youtoconsider matters of religious faith. We want to know: How important is your faith to your daily life, and what role, if any, should it playinpublic life? Send responses to letters@theadvocate.com.We will publisha selectionofthe best responses in afuture edition.
Cal Thomas
COMMENTARY
Legislatorsshouldlistentodemandfor scholarships
The huge demand for thenew LA GATOR ScholarshipProgram should teach lawmakers two things. First, they should come as close as possibletofullyfunding the program. Second,parents want, and deserve, the largest say in their children’seducation and in their children’supbringing in general. Families submitted more than 39,000 applications for LA GATOR between March 1and April 15, with all but about 5,000 of them deemed eligible. If each one of the eligible applicants actually were awarded scholarships —animpossibility due to budget constraints —thenit would more than sextuple the current Louisiana Scholarship Program.
pies, textbooks andcurricula, dual enrollmentcourses, and uniforms.” Priority is given to families with lower incomes.
Gov.Jeff Landry wants legislators to appropriate $93 million for some 12,000 recipients, but legislative leadersare balkingat anything above $50 million The program provides what the Louisiana Department of Education describes as “state-funded accounts for school tuition and fees, tutoring, educational thera-
Let’s notget into the weeds of thestate budget orhow many schools will open scholarship spots. The larger point here isn’t to parse thedetails, but to see the bigpicture. The level of parental interest in LA GATOR is phenomenal. This interest in nonpublic-school scholarships comes even as Louisianapublic schools are significantly improving —acredit to the current leadership’s“back to basics” approach —and even as about 150 public charter schools also operate in Louisiana, with many of them thriving. What matters to individual parents, therefore, isn’t so much the aggregate statistics as it is the perception of what is best for the individual needs oftheir children. Except at the margins or in extremecases, this primary authority regarding children absolutely should be the parents’ prerogative. Even if you think “it takes a village to raise achild,” what that saying should mean is that thriv-
ing communities provide backup assistance and webs of extended family,churches and other “intermediary institutions” to provide safetyand opportunity for children. It should not mean that the village supersedes theparents, shoves them aside or dictates their choices.
This doesn’tmean public money should be exempt from public accountability,but it does mean public money that carefully boostsparental choice is desirable. The school choice movement writ large is aresponse to what had becomeastultifying system in which children were assigned to public schools regardless of individual needs.
And, it must be said, anumber of public school boards across the country essentially told parentsto shut up and buttout when parents objected to curricula or other policies. The election of Republican Glenn Youngkin as governor of otherwise Democratic-leaning Virginia in 2021 owed much to a parental backlash against heavyhanded school boards there while Democratic former governor Terry McAuliffe, trying for a
comeback, was pilloried by Republicans forrepeatedly saying “I don’tthink parents should be tellingschools what they should teach.”
In asserting maternal and paternal prerogatives (in general, not just withregard to school choice), parentsare acting in concert with along common-law history incorporated into original understandings of theU.S. Constitution. That’swhy in the 1923 case of Meyer v. Nebraska the Supreme Court recognized “the right of parentstocontrol the upbringing of their child as they see fit,” and why the high court followed in the1925 case of Pierce v. Society of Sisters by ruling that parents have anatural right to direct their children’seducation.
Of course, nobody yet knows if LA GATOR will turn out to be agood choice forthousands of Louisiana parents. Parents, though, deserve the option of seeking better discipline via one school, or better foreign-language instruction via another school, or agreater focus on the arts via a third—orwhatever
Nationwide, the success of both public-school andprivate-school
choice, including of voucher-like programs, depends on awide variety of factors including program design and local customs. Louisiana parents, however,can look at the success stories and see hope.
On April 22, forexample, researchers at the Urban Institute —far from aconservative enclave —reported that students whoused Ohio’svoucher scholarship program were“substantially morelikely to enroll in college” and “earn four-year degrees.”
Moreover,the beneficial effects “were strongest formale students, Black students, students with below-median test scores before leaving public school, and students from the lowest-income families.”
Louisiana legislators should embrace the hope that nearly 40,000 Bayou State families are expressing by applying forLAGATOR. Nobody is suggesting that the state lacks important, competing priorities. Among all the options, though, LA GATOR should be near the top of the list.
Quin Hillyer canbereached at quin.hillyer@theadvocate.com.
MAGA mightlikeanAfrican pope more than BlackCatholics do
One of the world’smost important elections is taking place next month, and no Louisianans will vote. With the death of Pope Francis, out of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, only 135 cardinals are eligible to weighinwith asecret ballot.
There are no Louisiana cardinals Hundredsof thousands bidthe pope goodbye afew days ago. He was buried at St. Mary Major Basilica Alifelong Catholic, Kathleen Bellow wasn’tinattendance as the pope lay in state or as he was buried. Still, her grief is real. She was saddened by the April 21 death of the man who led her church for 12 years. Though she disagreed with him on anumber of things, she appreciatedand respected him for his humane, inclusive approachtopastoring and leading. “I’m still grieving,” shetold me. Bellow has been active with Xavier University of Louisiana’s Institute for Black Catholic Studies since she was aXavier student decades ago. Today,she leadsthe institute. She is adie-hard Catholic, but Bellow told me, “Men in the churchrun the other way when they see me coming.” Sheremembers the days when Catholic women had to wear hairpieces and couldn’t participateinministries. She refusesto go back According to Pew research, about half of all United States
Catholics are Republicans or they lean Republican and 44% are Democrats or they lean Democrat. Catholics in our country are more liberal than Catholics elsewhere, though younger Catholics have been more conservative in recent years.
In 14 months, the number of Republicans identifying themselves as MAGA has gone from 40% to 71%, accordingtoaMarch NBC News Poll.
Black Catholics like Bellow are about4%ofthe American Catholic population. They are among 200 million Catholics who are of African descent across the globe.
More than 170 million of them are African As American diocese and parish populations shrink, thenumber of Catholics is booming in Africa, Asia and South America. Some Catholics say if ever there were a time for an African pope, thetime is now Black Catholics might like that melanin connection, but most might not like theMake America Great Again philosophies.
Generally,African cardinals are conservative. As agroup, they oppose abortion and same-sex marriages and they opposemass immigration. There’snowiggle
room for IVForincest abortions for some. Though Francis didn’t endorse same-sex marriage or same-sex unions, he madeitOK to bless the people in the couple.
“Who am Itojudge?” he said once. Some African cardinals hated that. Somesupport keeping immigrants out, even urging them to stay home.
It seems conservative cardinals have some papal candidate favorites, including African Cardinal Robert Sarah from Guinea in West Africa.
Other African cardinals on someunofficial lists are Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson of Ghana.
Bellow met Cardinal Turkson when he visited Xavier to deliver abusiness school symposium speech. Shelikes him.She thinks he would be agood spiritual leader
There is hope among conservativeCatholics that one of their own can return the church to traditional values. There is hope among others that the next pope will build on the small progressive steps PopeFrancis made. Bellow understands the conservative connection to masssaid in Latin,novenas and other oldschool Catholictraditions. But she doesn’t wanttogoback.
“I don’tthink the church is ready togoback to an ultraconservative, Euro-centric ways,” she said.
She’snot alone.
“Pope Francis did morefor LGBTQ Catholics than all of his predecessors combined,” Jesuit
Fr.James Martin, apriest and author of Building aBridge,abook about the church and its connections with LGBTQ Catholics, told the National Catholic Reporter recently.“Doctrinally nothing has changed, but pastorally agreat deal has.”
After Pope Emeritus Benedict XVIdied in December 2022, Ralph E. Moore Jr., acolumnist forthe Afro American whowrites foranumber of publications, shared somehistory and his thoughts with the Black Catholic Messenger only days later
Though there are debates about whether Africans from northern Africa were Black, church records show that Pope Victor Iled the church from 189-199, Pope Miltiades was pope 311-314 and Pope Gelasius Ihad his papal tenure 492-496. Somecall them Black. Somesay they werelikely Black.
“As we mourn the pope emeritus, let us also say this: long live Pope Francis, and may he be followed one day by the fourth African pope —whomever that may be,” Moore wrote.
MAGACatholics might like the political philosophies of some conservative African cardinals morethan progressive Black Catholics do. Somesoften their approaches. Pope Francis had a social justice focus, pulling all closer
Maybe when the white smoke waftsfrom the Sistine Chapel, indicating there’sanew pope, word will come that he is Black.
Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.
Ihave been deep in conversation with ChatGPT,askingall kinds of questions. Are there direct flights between the U.S. and Queretaro, Mexico? Will Apple give me credit for a2014 iMac? What color goes with teal? What was France’sGDP in 1998? My fascination with ChatGPT has become a household joke. “All right, Froma,” we imagine Chatsaying. “What do you want now? Do you think you’re the only one around here?” But the real question is where our relationship started cooling. Chatdutifully listed what goes well with the blue-green color and then asked, “Are you thinking about clothes, decor,design or something else?” Chat was getting nosy,asking for information rather than just
giving it out. And so Ilied and said “decor.”Chatcame back with someroom coloroptions. One, that teal with mustard yellow is “vibrant and eclectic, like acoolboutique hotel,” soundedlike my old friend Kate. ButChat isn’tKate. It’snot even human. It is an AI chatbot powered byproprietarygenerativepretrained transformers. It’sasupercomputer, onesourceexplains, “equipped with 285,000 processorcores 10,000 GPUs,and 400 gigabitsper second of connectivityfor each graphicscard server.”
Iwas having alifelike conversationwith acomputer in West Des Moines,Iowa,not the guy next door. Other AI chatbots are Google’sGemini, Microsoft’sCopilotand DeepSeekinChina. DevelopedbyOpenAI and backedbyMicrosoft,the super-
computer runs hotand so must consume massive amounts of water.The site was chosen for its proximity to the watershedofthe Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers. That’swhy Microsoft choseIowa for this project ratherthan Arizona,where it has data centers.
It’s astounding how well ChatGPT can answer detailed questions, though all AI tools have glitches One is “hallucinations,” that is, theyproduce nonsensical answers due to problematic training data. ChatGPT has been well-trained to sound buddy-buddy to users. Also to flatterthem.
Irecently asked ChatGPT to provide antonyms for the word“dollop.” “Great word choice!”Chat exclaimed beforelisting words thatmean the opposite of “dollop.” For about 10 insane seconds, I congratulated myself for sounding smart. Then Ipulled myself together
Iwas not about to be emotionally manipulatedbya machine. People arebad enough. When asked what Broadway musical hadthe song “Hernando’s Hideaway,” Chat’sanswer was professorial: “Ah, Isee! ‘Hernando’sHideaway’ is asong from the 1954 musical ‘The PajamaGame.”’
Ifinally asked ChatGPT what ChatGPT was, and it bragged about being “a really smart assistant that can help with awide range of tasks, including ” Afriend was curious about getting aketamine treatment for depression. To help out, Iasked ChatGPT for the side effects. Afterlisting them, Chat asked, “Are you experiencing fatigue after a session?” Iignored the impertinent question. Icared notthat Chat might infer my affectionfor the color teal but began to fret about other personal info Ihad shared. For example, I
asked it to interpret aradiologist’s report on an X-rayofmycervical spine.
Achatbot is aginormous language model that analyzes patterns across human-written text. And so, whatyou tell it about you gets thrown into the pot. Among things we should not reveal are our Social Security number,date of birth and driver’slicense information. Some chatbots are more sensitive to privacy issues than others.
ChatGPT is indeed ahelpful assistant able to instantly inform on piping plover habitats, the meaning of dreams and the value of Greenland’snatural resources. Like me,you two mayspend a lot of timetogether.Just don’tconfuse an AI chatbot with afriend. Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com
Quin Hillyer
Will Sutton
Froma Harrop
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
Clergytaketheir seats ahead of the funeral of Pope FrancisinSt. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on April 26
Inside how LSUfootball landed No.1 transfer class
Roster-buildingapproach beganwithmoney talks
BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer
Last December,inthe middle of acrucial fundraising pushfor the LSU roster, coach Brian Kelly and general manager Austin Thomas went to the corporate headquarters of MMR Group, anational constructionfirm based in Baton Rouge They met with Pepper Rutland, thefounder and president. Aformer LSU linebacker and teamcaptain,RutlandhasgivenmoneytoLSU for years. He already knew Kelly,but this was the first time the coachvisited his office.
“I’ll bet you never thought you would be doing this when you came to LSU,” Rutland told Kelly
“You’re correct,” he remembered Kelly saying. But it was necessary LSUhad to persuade donorstoinvest more than ever in the football team’s name, image and likeness collective afterfinancially trailing other majorprograms forthe past three years. In order to build the 2025 roster and potentially reach the College Football Playoff for the first time in Kelly’s tenure,LSU understood it neededtoraise more NIL money
“Wehad to go around the community, Kelly said. “Wehad to go see donors and have meetings and show them our game plan and our business planfor what we were gonna do and how we were gonna do it.”
The goal was to raise $13 million for the collective, BayouTraditions, withthe intention of front-loading NIL deals before LSU begins paying playersasaresult ofthe House settlement. The previous threeyears combined, the general counsel of LSU’scollective said it spent roughly $11 millionon the roster,including $5.5 million last season. Planning beganinAugust, andLSU needed to increase its fundraising efforts before the transfer portal opened.Ina two-week stretch beginning in lateNovember,Kelly and LSU administratorsvisited several high-level boosters, showing them an approach to roster managementthat hasbeen
SovereigntyoutduelsJournalisminmuddy
BY BETHHARRIS AP racingwriter
LOUISVILLE, Ky.— Sovereignty gave trainer Bill Mott asecondKentucky Derby victory.This time there was no doubt about it and no asterisk.
The3-year-old coltoutdueled3-1 favorite Journalism down the stretch to win the 151stDerby in the slopon Saturday,snapping an 0-for-13 skid by owner Godolphin.
Mott won his first Derbyin2019, also run on asloppy track, when Country House was elevated to first after Maximum Security crossed thefinish line first but was disqualified during a 22-minutedelay It took afew minutes for Saturday’s results to be madeofficial while the
stewards sortedout aphoto forsecond and reviewed atraffic-choked start.
Mott knew all the while whoearned the garland of red roses.
“This onegot there the right way,” theHallofFame trainersaid. “I mean, he’s done well, he’s agreat horse, he comes from agreat organization, and Ican’tsay enough about the horse and the organization that started him out and madethis happen.”
Godolphinisthe racing stable of Dubairuler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
It was quite aweekend for the sheikh. His filly,Good Cheer,won the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and earlier Saturday,Ruling Court —ason of Jockey Junior Alvaradocelebrates after riding Sovereignty to victoryin the Kentucky Derby on Saturday ä See DERBY, page 2C
RHPEyanson stopsAggiesintheir tracks
LSUjuniorgoes distance in road victory
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
COLLEGE STATION, Texas
Gettingdeep into ballgames hasn’tbeen astrength forAnthony Eyanson. The LSU junior right-handed pitcher had pitchedpast thesixth inning just once before his start Saturday night against Texas A&M.The lone outing was aseveninning, 15-strikeout performance against North Alabama on March 8.
But as the seventh inning approached at Blue Bell Park,Eyanson was stillinthe game.A hitter reachedona droppedthird strike in theinning, but he retired the other three batters before needing just six pitches toend the eighth. Suddenly,itwas theninth inning and Eyanson had thrownonly 94 pitches. Even as his outing ventured further into the night, his fastball velocity remained in the mid-90s “Adrenaline, youknow? This is agreat environment, ahostile environment,and
(he’s) acompetitor,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “I mean, to me,helooked like Michael B. Jordan in the movie ‘Creed’ going into the ring to face Drago’skid.” Eyanson allowed asingle in the ninth but recorded three more strikeouts to close out the 2-1 victory forLSU,handing the Tigersa victoryinGame2 of Saturday’sdoubleheader to even the series at agame apiece. The Aggieswon the first gameSaturday 3-1.
“That’sthe performanceofthe year on the mound,” Johnson said. “I’m just proudofhim. Onerecruit (can) tipyour
ä See RHP, page 7C
TRANSFORMING TRAUMA RECOVERY
Guillaume Spielmann,PhD Lead TraumaResearcher, Our Lady of theLakeHealth AssociateProfessor of Kinesiology, LSUHealth
Alvarado, left, crosses the
PRESS PHOTO By
STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
LSU head coach Brian Kelly squintsashe squats in front of LSU general managerfor football Austin Thomas in the second half between the Tigers and the Gators during the 2024 football season.
ä See LSU, page 3C
On TV
AUTO RACING
11 a.m. Formula E: Monaco E-Prix CBS
12:30 p.m. IndyCar:Alabama IndyGPFox
2p.m. Formula 1: Miami GPABC
2:30 p.m. NASCAR Cup: Wurth400 FS1 BOXING
9p.m. Main card: Inoue vs. CardenasESPN COLLEGE BASEBALL
9:30 a.m. TyR: Pro Swim Series* CNBC 1:30 p.m.TyR: Pro Swim Series* CNBC TENNIS
8:30 a.m. WTA: Madrid-doubles final Tennis
11:30 a.m. ATP: Madrid singles final Tennis TRACK AND FIELD
2p.m.Grand Slam Track: Day3 CW UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE
11 a.m. D.C. at Michigan ESPN2
3p.m.San AntonioatBirmingham Fox WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
8p.m.Columbus at VegasCBSSN WNBA PRESEASON
3p.m.Brazil at IndianaESPN2
*taped
VanLith finds comfortatpoint guard
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
Had Hailey VanLith not stepped outside of her comfortzonetwo years ago, she’d only be learningnow what she discovered when she left Louisville —that she needed more time and experiencetodevelop into aWNBA point guard. VanLith didn’tfitthatmold at LSU. The rookie acknowledged that reality on Friday before she returned to the Pete Maravich AssemblyCenter and notched seven points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals in 13 minutesof run in the Chicago Sky’s89-62 preseason win over the Brazilian National Team. The exhibition game was scheduled in January as ahomecoming for Angel Reese Then the SkydraftedVan Lith in April, makingits trip to Baton Rouge areunion for hertoo and affordingher achance to reflecton the lone season she spentatLSU.
“I think that Ihad to find away to mesh,” VanLith said, “when there wasn’tanatural meshing going on.” Last year,Van Lith decided not to enter the draft. She could’ve returned to LSU for her fifth and final season of eligibility,but she chose instead to enter the transferportal. Shesettledon TCU, a program that assigned her the ballhandling responsibilities she needed to show WNBA scouts she could play point guard and gave her the space sherequired to showcase her bread-and-butter offensive skillofattacking,down-
ChicagoSky guard
Skydefeated
hill drives. VanLith wound up setting career-highs in two key statistical categories: field-goal percentage (45%) and assists (5.4). She also won the Big12Player of theYear award, guidedthe Horned Frogs pastthe first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in their history and opened upabout someofthe mental-health strugglesshe’s battled throughout her career That success restored VanLith’s draft stock, which led her to the Sky at pickNo. 11 and afull-circle trip to LSU, the place where she began her two-year journey of self-discovery She was there to learnhow to play point guard, she said, be-
Thorpedo Anna to visitclinic afterpoorfinish
By The Associated Press
LOUISVILLE,Ky. Thorpedo Anna is headed for acheckup at aveterinary clinic after the reigning Horse of the Year finished asurprising seventh in her return to Churchill Downs. She was jostled in betweenhorses in arace to the first turn and began to fade bythe top of the stretch in Friday’s $1 million La Troienne for fillies and mares. She was coming off avictory in the Apple Blossom Handicap on April12 in Arkansas
DERBY
Continued from page 1C
cause sheaspired to play in the WNBA. Given her size, she’d most likely have no choice but to work as alead ballhandler whenever she transitioned to the league.
“I have to be able to play the one,” VanLith said, “and so Ithink it might have been alittle bit of a hard transition for me to learn the one while I’m arookie in the league.Sonow thatI have alittle bit of afoundation of how to play and be apoint guard, Ithink that definitely is going to help me.”
First-year Sky coach Tyler Marsh agreed, saying that Van Lith boosted her draftstock by transferring twice andplayingfor three different teams
“I think it worked to heradvantage,” Marsh said, “and we had
2018 Triple Crown winner Justify —won the 2,000 Guineas in Britain
“I’ve had quitealong relationship withthe Godolphin team andthe man behind the Godolphinoperation, Sheikh Mohammed,” Mott said. “I’m just honored.”
Sovereignty,also bredbythe sheikh, splashed through 11/4 miles in 2:02.31 and paid $17.96 to win at 7-1 odds.The victory was worth $3.1million from the $5 million purse.
“It’sgreat,” Mottsaid. “I thinkitwill take a little while to sink in.”
talked about thatright after we had drafted her,just the preparation and being at three different places under three completely different styles of play and how she was abletoadapt. Ithink that that’ssomething that’shuge for her transition and development into the(WNBA).”
This season, VanLith won’tstart games for theSky.She’sset to rotate in behind veteranssuch as Courtney Vandersloot,Kia Nurse and Ariel Atkins.OnFriday, she didn’tenter the gameuntil halfwaythrough the third quarter, when the PMAC crowd greeted herwith aloud ovation.
VanLith made themost of her minutes. When she wasonthe court, theSky outscored Brazil by 11 points. Her shots, passes anddrives were quickand decisive —asign that she was playing with more comfortthanshe did thelast time she set foot on the PMAC floor
“Her confidence hasgone through theroof,” Reese said. So, too, have VanLith’schances at succeeding in the WNBA, thanks to the decisions she made across the last two years to prepare herself forthe transition.
“Itisalot,” VanLith said. “It’s alot to learn the system,and it’s alot to establish yourself as that leader on the court as the one, but I’m grateful for the opportunityto be able togothrough this transition
“It’shard,but I’dtake it over anything else, and I’m going to just keep trying to get better at one thing every day and get more comfortable.”
AP PHOTO By ABBIE PARR
Sovereignty,ridden by Junior Alvarado, crosses the finish line to win the 151strunning of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on SaturdayinLouisville, Ky 2C
“The first turn incident mayhave thrown her off her game, or maybe the three-week turnaround wasn’t my best choice,” trainer Ken McPeek posted SaturdayonX.“She showed no signsshe couldn’thandlethat. I’m more critical of myself than anyone. Regardless, she won’tberushed back soon.” McPeek said Thorpedo Anna waswalking well on Saturday.She will have X-raysonher knees and ankles and then be sent toRood &Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington for further examination.
Raging Sea won the La Troienne by threequarters of alength in her first start since finishing second to Thorpedo Anna in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff last year Thorpedo Anna won last year’sKentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs and finishedthe year with six wins in seven starts.
Journalismdidn’thave the cleanest of trips in the 19-horse field but rallied to stay in the fight. He found trouble early before jockey Umberto Rispoli swung him outside toget him in the clear.They made amove at the leaders withSovereignty and jockey Junior Alvaradoright behind them.
“Hewas saying to me, ‘Listen,I’m ready,’so from thereI started picking up,” Alvarado said.
The two coltshooked up for asixteenth of amile for athrilling battleagainstthe backdropof147,406 roaring and rain-soaked fans before Sovereigntysurged ahead inside the eighth pole and drew clear
“I saw the blue silks (of Godolphin) coming at us,and Iknew that was theone we were going to have to be concerned about,” saidMichael McCarthy, Journalism’strainer.“The winner ran abetter race.”
Alvarado won his first Derby in six tries. He and Sovereigntywerereunited after Alvarado hadmissed thecolt’slaststart in the Florida Derby because he was injured.
“It’smorethan adream cometrue,” the
38-year-old Venezuelan said. “I thought Ihad a great chance. Iwas confident the whole week.”
Fast-closing Baeza —who got into the race on Thursday after another horse was scratched —was aneck back in third.Final Gambit was fourth andOwen Almighty finished fifth Citizen Bull, thelone entry forsix-time Derby-winningtrainer BobBaffert,set the pace. Baffert was back on the first Saturday in May having serving athree-year suspension by Churchill Downs after his Medina Spirit crossed thefinish line first in 2021 and failed apostrace drug test.
D. Wayne Lukas, the89-year-old, four-time Derby winner,saw his colt American Promisefinish right behind Baffert in 15th.
LSU adds Israeli guard Zipper from pro league Ron Zipper,22, committed to LSU after playing professionally in Israel, according to asource within the program
The 6-foot-4 guard is the Tigers’ 13th scholarship player,the eighth new addition not from high school and the only player added to the team notfrom thetransferportal this offseason.
He will also be the first overseas pro whodidn’tplay in college that coach Matt McMahon, entering his fourth season, will have at LSU. In 24 games in the IsraeliWinnerLeague,Zipperaveraged 11.1 points in 19.7 minutesper game. He shot 41.9% from the field and 38.2% from 3-point range. He played in the sameleague as former NBAguardsPatrick Beverly andAntonio Blakeney,aformer LSU player
LSU softball shut out in regular-season finale
The No. 10 LSU softball team capped off its regular season with a6-0 loss to No.8Arkansas on Saturday in Fayetteville, Arkansas, leaving the Tigers at 40-13 overall and 12-12 in league play Arkansas (38-11, 14-10) starting pitcher Payton Burnham held LSUtojust four hits. McKenzie Redoutey collected two singles forLSU,while Jalia Lassister and Sierra Daniel each managed a double.
Arkansas scored single runs off of LSU starter Tatum Clopton in both thefirst and thirdinnings Cloptonwas relievedbySydney Berzon withtwo outs in thethird. TheRazorbacksaddeda run in the fourth andthreeruns in the fifth off of Berzon, although all four of the runs wereunearned.
Man who fell from wall at Pirates game is awake
PITTSBURGH The manwho fell from the top of a21-foot-high wall onto the warning track at PNC Park duringagamebetween the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs on Wednesdaynight is awake and alert.
Theorganizer of aGoFundMe page forKavan Markwood,the 20-year-old who slippedoff arailing and onto the field during the seventh inning of Pittsburgh’s4-3 win over the Cubs, shared an update SaturdaythatMarkwood is improving.
According to Jennifer Phillips, who is organizing the fundraiser, Markwood hasmadesignificant progresssince beingadmittedto the trauma center at Allegheny General Hospital on Wednesday in critical condition.
NBC’sTiricoleaves Derby coveragewith nut allergy
LOUISVILLE, Ky.— NBC Sports host MikeTiricosaid on social media he hates being a“late scratch” from Saturday’s151st Kentucky Derbybecause of a“significant” nut allergy reaction during coverage of the marqueerace at Churchill Downs Ahmed Fareed took over coverage for the veteran broadcaster, whowas scheduled to host coverage of the first jewel of horse racing’sTriple Crown for the ninth time.
Tiricoleftthe storied track in the late afternoon and returned to his hotel,anNBC Sports spokesman said.
Tirico referred to the allergy on his official account on Xand added that, “If youhaveone youknow how it can knock you down.”
MADRID No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka beat No. 4Coco Gauff in straight sets to win her recordtyingthird Madrid Open and20th career title on Saturday Sabalenkapowered through the first set and edged the American in atiebreaker for a6-3,7-6 (3) win on the Caja Mágica clay court. Sabalenkaadded to titles in Madrid in 2021 and2023 and equaled Petra Kvitova’stournament record. It wasalso Sabalenka’stourleading thirdtitle of the year after Brisbane and Miami. She also pulledlevel withGauffonhead-tohead with five wins apiece. Gauff could have risen to No. 2 with avictory.The 2023 U.S. Open champion lost only one set this weekuntil thefinal. Gauff’s great recordinfinals slippedtonine wins in 11.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
HaileyVan Lith walks to the locker room after the
the Brazil National Team on Friday in the PMAC.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JEFF ROBERSON
Jockey BrianHernandez rides Thorpedo Anna after winning the Kentucky Oaks on May3 2024, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.On Friday, Thorpedo Anna finished seventhinthe $1 million La Troienne in Louisville.
‘A
damn good quarterback’
NFLanalyst believes Saints rookie QB Shough will ‘surprise’ league
Louis Riddick understands where Saints fans are coming from.
He knows you might be skeptical about Tyler Shough, thequarterback the Saints pickedinthe second round of the NFL draft, and that you might be dubious about his age (25) and extensive injury history
His advice: Free your mind and the rest will follow
“Tyler has been put into alot of boxes,” Riddick said. “Saints fans need to give him achance. Once they learn alittle bit about him, they’re going to be super,super impressed. This kid’sadamn good quarterback with some serious, serious skills.”
XFL’s Orlando Rage in 2001. Riddick believes Brohm and his brother,Brian, the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator, are among the best quarterback evaluators and developersinthe game. He trustedtheir opinions. And what he heard from theBrohms and others at practice and during production meetings about Shough leading up tothe game opened his eyes.
ed higher than everyone expected.
“Remember the name,”Riddick said repeatedly,asESPNproducersplayed amashup of his on-air toutsabout Shough’sprospects.
Ask Riddick what he likes about Shough, and he launches into an impassioned soliloquy about his prototypical size (6-foot-5, 219 pounds), athleticism and passing skills.
general manager positions. His opinion is an informed one.
Riddick touted C.J. Stroud and Jayden Daniels in the 2023 and 2024 NFL drafts, and he was one of the few analysts high on Bo Nix as afirst-rounder ayear ago.
off his NFLcareer at 25?”
If anything, Riddick believes Shough’sexperience will be an advantage forhim and the Saints.
Riddick understands the skeptics because he was one, too.
The veteran ESPN analyst didn’tknow much about Shough beforethe 2024 college football season. Shough wasn’tahousehold name and had spent six years in college after transferring from previous stops at Oregon and Texas Tech. Riddick’s expectations were understandablylow when he wasassigned a fewLouisvillegames as an ESPN color analyst last season.
Riddick and Cardinalshead coach Jeff Brohm had aconnection as former teammates with the
LSU
Continued from page1C
inspired by the NFL. Theirpresentationresonated Donors, some motivated by fivestar quarterback BryceUnderwood’sflip to Michigan, provided the money to retain keyplayers, add atop-10 recruitingclass and sign the No. 1transferportal class in the country,according to 247Sports.
Kelly has since described the roster as the best in his four years at LSU.
“Wehave afootball team that now is poised to play with anybody in the SEC,” Kelly said. “Wedidn’t before.”
During one of LSU’sopen dates in the fall, Thomas and athletic director Scott Woodward visited the Seattle Seahawks. They wanted to understand how an NFL team navigates the salary cap, so they comparedideasand asked questions, trying to make sure LSU took the right approach to roster management in the revenue-sharing era.
Woodward called the trip “an affirmation that we were in the right direction and doing the right things.” Thomas also used connections with the Houston Texans to refine his system as LSU prepared to begin paying players July 1asaresult of the settlement, which still requires finalapproval.
If the settlement takes effect, schools will be able to distribute up to $20.5 million in the 2025-26 academic year,creating asalary cap that will increase annually based on rising revenue. Similar to other major programs, LSU plans to allocate $13.5 million to football, dividing the money between the 2025 and 2026 teams.
The settlement is designed to curb spending by collectives. Though questions remain about the effectiveness of new enforcement measuresfor improper NIL deals, LSU wanted to use the money in Bayou Traditions before it would need to pass through aclearinghouse. It has planned to spend $10 million in the first half of 2025. Thomas uses adatabase to manageall of this. Usingthe NFLas aguide, LSU created afinancial starting point for every position on the roster.IfThomas inputs anew value at one spot, the other positional values change to stay under the cap. It letshim quickly input and interpret information,helping him make formulaic decisions.
“Knowing when to walk away is just as importantasitistoknow when to invest,” Thomas said. “And so for us, having the discipline to do that andstay within our model was what wasreally important.There are factors that drive that compensation model up and down. But at the endofthe day,it’sreally about disciplineand decision-making.”
Thomas first used the technology, whichwas created by Next-
“Everyone Italked to aboutTyler —coaches, teammates, people in the football department— it was just A-pluses across the board,” Riddick said.
Then Riddick saw Shough play in ACC showdowns against SMU, Miami andClemson.
“He was lights-out every time,”
Riddick said Ditto Shough’sworkoutsatthe SeniorBowl and the NFL scouting combine, where he tested off the charts with a4.6 time in the40yard dash, andimpressed teams with his maturity and football acumen ininterviews.
“It was just one thing after another that really stacked up for me,” Riddick said.
By the time the NFL draft rolled around,Riddickwas captaining the Shough bandwagon. He told anyone whowould listen that Shough was the biggest sleeper in thedraft, that he would be select-
Gen Prospect,asOle Miss’ chief of staff in 2022. It started as basic spreadsheets, but the system became more interactive over time. Able to blend advanced scouting with recruitingboards andfinancialmodeling, it streamlined the work when someone entered the transfer portal.
NextGen Prospect co-founder Marc Vittacore said LSUhad used the company’sservices sinceearly 2022, primarily for advanced scoutingofopponents. Butwhen Thomas was still at OleMiss, he askedabout improvingthe system’sability to trackspending. After he began histhird stint at LSU last January,Thomas constructed the database he has now “I knew this thing (revenue sharing) was developing, andIknew we needed to get atop manager in here to doit who understood it and who had done it well,” Woodward said. “Austin is one of the best in thebusiness.”
At Ole Miss,Thomas worked for aprogram that has signed at least 20 transfers in each of the past four years.Kelly has adifferent philosophy at LSU, which Thomas supports.
They have specific target percentages for how many freshmen, returningplayersand transfers they wanttohave on theteam. AlthoughThomasdeclinedtoshare those numbers, LSU wants the highest percentage to come from returningplayers.
“More times than not,wereally wanttofocusonretention and high school recruiting because we thinkthat’sgoingtobethe sustainable model,” Thomas said. “But as we’ve shown, we’re not afraid to go acquire pieces as needed.”
In August, the LSU player personnel staff began rating and calculatingthe potentialvalueof every player in college football so it could act quickly when the transfer portal opened. The staff created anational board of potential targetsbased on aseries of metrics, includingtheir background, experience andcompetition level.
“A lotofitisworkthatnever comes to fruition, if thatmakes sense,”Thomas said. “But you know,on theguys that do, you pull allthosepieces togetherand nowit creates an opportunity to be really streamlined and efficientinwhat we’re doing.” At the same time, LSU began to raise money,knowing it needed more.
The nightofNov.21, Carlos Spaht sat in abank board meeting, listening to apresentation as hisphone began to buzz. Spaht,the general counsel and former manager of LSU’s collective,got so many calls andtextmessages that he thought something had happened to amember of his family Underwood,the No. 1overall recruit in thecountry,had flipped to Michigan. LSU’soffer would have made Underwood the highest-paid playeronthe team last year, but he reportedlyreceived alucrative NIL deal funded bythe co-founder of Oracle, amultinational computer technologycompany
“What’snot to like?”hesaid. “He hasbig hands —almost 10-inch hands —a32-inch vertical jump and ran4.6 at the combine. He has good vision down thefield and in thepocket. He understands prostyle concepts and has theintellect and football intelligence to run a lot of different offenses. Jeff gave him aton of responsibilityonthe football field (to makechecks and get in and out of plays at the line of scrimmage).Heproduced all of the things Jeff expects him to executeinthat offense.”
Riddick didn’tstop there. He was just getting started.
“Throw for throw,hemight be themost talented passer in the draft,” Riddick said. “Hecan throw from different arm slots, throw with touch and throw with horsepower.Hecan layer the ball down the field and throw it deep. Andhe’smobile. He has theability to moveoutside the pocket and cantake off and run with it.”
It’simportanttonote Riddick’s credentials. He played in the NFL for six years and was ascout and personnel director withthe Philadelphia Eagles. He is so highly regarded that multiple NFL teams have interviewed him for their
In many ways, Riddick believes Shough is fighting some of the same criticisms Nix did ayear ago as an older prospect. The Broncos’ first-rounder led Denver to its first playoff appearance in seven years and finishedthird in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
“There are alot of stereotypes attached to this guy (Shough),” Riddick said. “He’sbeing unfairly judged by somepeople who, quite frankly,are using surface-level, amateur evaluation metrics.”
Riddick went downthe list: Shough’sinjury history,which includes two broken collarbones and afractured fibula in his leg.
“His injuries were freak-type injuries, the kind that could happen to any quarterback,” Riddick said. “Thisisnot somebrittle, injury-prone quarterback that is going to crumble to dust the first time he gets hit, and you have a wasted draft pick.”
Likewise, Riddick believes Shough’sage (25) has been overblown.
“He’solder,” Riddick said. “Who cares? It doesn’tmatter.Quarterbacks play into their 30s. He’sgoing to be atwo-contract quarterback in the NFL. If this kid plays adecade in NewOrleans, and they’re successful, does anybody give a(expletive) that he started
“Everybody who has given more than$100,000 over the last three years called me within a12-minutespan is what it felt like,” Spaht said.
howtheyconstruct theroster, their needs in the transfer portal and, most importantly,how much theteam would cost.
“He has ablueprint fordealing with adversity,” Riddick said. “This kid has been knocked down. What he’sbeen through would have broken alot of people. For him,itdidn’t. It hardened and calloused him.The Saints know they’ve got aguy whoisgoing to respond the right way when adversity hits. They already know what he’smade of.”
While Riddick is as bullish on Shough as any quarterback he’s evaluated, he cautions that he doesn’tknow how he will fare as a rookie. The transition to the NFL is difficult forall draftprospects, but it’sespecially steep forquarterbacks. Riddick was convinced Trey Lance and Dwayne Haskins would be good NFLquarterbacks, and neither panned out.
In that regard, Riddick thinks Shough’smaturity will suit him well when the inevitable adversity hits during his rookie NFL season. He also sees him as aperfect match forKellen Moore, the cerebral first-year head coach for the Saints and aformer quarterback whose fingerprints, Riddick said, “are all over this pick.”
“I’m really pulling forthe guy and interested to see how it plays out,” Riddick said. “I know the kid is super,super determined to prove right the people that supported and believed in him.I think he’sgoing to surprise the entire NFL.”
out and work and show that you’re the better man.”
Last year,LSU signed the No. 43 transfer class in the country,according to 247Sports, and missed out on the top defensive tackles after offering less than their asking prices. Kelly said it was acalculated decision because LSU was “still ayear away in terms of the development of our program.” Instead, he thought young players needed to gain experience.
LSUalso hadlostatleastthree games forthe third straight year, andwhenthe transferportal opened, it looked forexperienced playerswho couldimmediately contribute. The Tigers intentionally did the majority of their work in theDecember portal window Theyhavenow signed17players, including seven rankedinthe top 100 by 247Sports. LSU could land onemoretransferinHoustonsafety AJ Haulcy,who visits Sunday “This couldn’tbewe’re taking a flier on aguy from Cornell,” Kelly said. “They had to be frontline starters with experience because then what you did last year doesn’t matter.The lumps that you took last year,they don’thelp you with the depth that you need in your program.”
From Spaht’spoint of view, the effect of Underwood’sdecision on the LSUdonors “cannot be overstated.” He said boosters who previously did not believe howmuch money it took to fund ateaminthe NIL erastarted to reach out for the first time, asking forexplanations andmoreinformation.The LSU collective thenreceived seven-figure donationsfrom some high-levelboosters who had not contributed toNIL before.
“I thinkwewould have been fine, ultimately,”Spaht said, “but that sort of turned on afaucet that was pretty amazing.”
We
have a football team that nowis poised to play with anybody in the SEC.We didn’tbefore.”
“It was an aha moment for alot of donors,” Woodward said. Oneofthem,Rutland, had given smaller amounts to the LSUcollective before.Evaluating the situation, he thought aboutwhatcould happen if LSU fell behind as the sport transforms. Though he doesn’tlike the current set-up, he feared how long it could take to climb back fromirrelevancy Rutland lived through losing eras of LSU football. He gave aseven-figure donation, not wanting to return to them
BRIANKELLy, LSU coach, on this season’sroster
Thomas acknowledged losing Underwood resonatedwithdonors,but he said it did not change LSU’sapproach.
“Internally,that was not thetrigger,” Thomas said. “Wehad plans long beforethat. That just shed, in my opinion, some light on the situationwith the general public and our donors and fan base, you know? We knew leading into the portal season, we were already going to have to be very buttoned up in what we did and how we did it.”
In thefollowing weeks, LSU fundraisingintensified. Kellysaid LSU“had to raise millionsofdollarsinaveryshort period of time to be able to influencethe roster.” Thomas estimated they met with 20-25 donors, giving apresentation that included the database,
“You just have to make the decision,” Rutland said. “Are youwilling to help participate in asystem that you don’t agree with,that you think is flawed terribly butkeeps youinthe mix of awinning programwhile this allgets sorted out?Thatwas it.I just thought coming back would be way too hard. It maytake years and years and years.”
As LSUlanded transfers, including three experienced edge rushers, sophomoredefensive end Gabriel Reliford wonderedwhat their arrivals meantfor him
“Dang,” Reliford said, “are they trying to replace me?” Relifordasked the LSU coaches, who told him the additions created competition that would make him better “They only replace you if you let them,” Reliford said, “so just go
As LSUsignedits class, Kelly referred to the donors who had contributed significant money as “shareholders” in the process. He said they were allowed access that he had never given in three decades of being ahead coach.
“I’d field calls,‘Hey,what’sgoing on? We got ashot? How’s it going?’ ”Kelly said. “That’sthe only way youcould do it in the manner that we needed to do it. Ihad never done it that waybefore, but that’s what we needed to do to getthe kind of impact in our program that we needed.”
Moving forward, LSU likely will not sign thismany transfers. Although needs can shift from yearto-year,affecting the numbers, Thomas said going heavy into the portal will not be the “norm” for the program.Itwants to supplement holeswiththe transfer portal while building through the high school ranks, and LSU has the No 4recruiting class in 2026.
“Itwas aunique situation this year,” Thomassaid. “The assessment of where we were and what we could accomplishinbringing this groupofplayers together both in retention, portal and high school —gave us the best opportunity to winachampionship.”
That is the expectation now, or at least to reach the playoff. With everything LSU hasdonetothe team, Kelly has confidence.
“Regardless of how we played the game before,wewould have needed help,” Kelly said. “Something favorably would have had to happen. We don’tneed that. We need to play the game, play the game the right way,beprepared, do therightthings in allareas.If we do that, we’ve got ateam that can winthe SEC.”
For more LSUsports updates, signupfor ournewsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter
STAFF FILEPHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
LSU coach Brian Kelly works withhis players on the field before kickoff against Missouri on Oct. 7, 2023, at Faurot Field in Columbia,Mo.
Jeff Duncan
THEVARSITYZONE
Dunhamcenter fielder August Scott raiseshis arms incelebration after making the final outagainst ParkviewBaptist in Game3oftheir DivisionIII selectquarterfinal series on SaturdayatParkview. TheTigers wonthe game 4-1 and the series 2-1.
tied its best-of-three quarterfinal series with Dunham on Friday,there was afeelingthat theEagleswould live up to their billing as the No. 1seed in Division III nonselect and close out the series withawin.
Dunham made sure that didn’thappen Saturday afternoon.
Sparked by apair of unearned runs in the first inning,ninth-seeded Dunham stunned the homestanding Eagles 4-1 to advance into next week’ssemifinal round
“(Parkview Baptist)isa great program and agreat team, and that’sgot to be the best pitching staff in the state,” Dunham coach Hayden Jennings said. “This is everything you want. When you go into the playoffs, this is why you play the games. It’s for these moments.”
Dunham (20-19)took advantage of aParkview throwing errortoscore two unearned runs in the top of thefirst inning. It was an early indicator the Tigers had forgotten about a13-2 loss in Game 2.
“After every game, we say that doesn’tmatter,” said Dunham’sJosh Lim, who led off with asingle before coming around to score the game’sfirst run. “Westart over again 0-0. We justplay the game and give it our best.” Parkview(34-8) had a chance to cut into Dunham’s
ParkviewBaptist shortstop Kelan Guidryforcesout aDunham playerasheturns adouble playtoend thetop of the first.
lead in thefourth. The Eaglesput runnersatsecond and third with one out prompting aDunham pitching change. Limrelieved starter Gavin Blanton, and retiredthe first two batters he facedtoend the inning. In thetop of thefifth, Hopelond Eldridge delivered atwo-out, two-run singletoright as Dunham extended its lead to 4-0. Parkview coach Phillip Hawke noted the change in strategy as aresultofthe extra runs.
“The difference betweena two-runleadand afour-run lead changes the way you run your offense,” he said.
“It was abig hitbytheir guy to get thecushion.
“Wehad ouropportunities, but the balls weren’tfalling our way.Itwas like that for
twoofthe threegames in the series, butwefought and fought all the way to the end.”
In the first, Limgot Dunham startedwith an infield single. August Scott then laid down asacrifice bunt that left runners at second and third following athrowing error by Parkview catcher Micah Landry
Lim scored on awild pitchand Scott came home on GabeGreene’s two-out single.
Parkview put two runners on to start the bottom of the seventh. Duham brought in reliever ReidBaron, who issued awalk and uncorked arun-scoring wild pitch before settling down. Baron only needed four pitches to retire thefinal three Parkview batters.
Dutchtownsqueezesout semifinal winineighth
BY ROBIN FAMBROUGH Staff writer
SULPHUR Dutchtown and Walker high schools
squeezed every ounce of emotion into seven-plus innings at the LHSAA softball tournament on Saturday.
That made Anna White’s squeeze bunt that scored Jenna Blanchard in the bottomofthe eighth inning afitting ending to the Division Inonselectsemifinal played at North Frasch Park.
Dutchtown edgedWalker 3-2 to advance to itsfirst LHSAA finalsince2015.
“As soon as (White) got it down, Itook off,” Blanchard said. “I knew Iwas going to score …no doubt.
The game ended notlong after athird District 5-5A team, three-time reigning champion St. Amant, lost the other semifinaltotopseeded Sam Houston 5-3 on agame-winning home run.
Twoarea DivisionIV select teams,top-seeded Catholic High of Pointe Coupeeand No.8 St. John lost in the semifinals.
Third-seeded Dutchtown faces Sam Houston (29-2) in the Division Inonselect final set for 3p.m. Sunday Fifth-seeded Doyle (25-7), aFridaysemifinalwinner, plays third-seeded Jena in
the Division III nonselect title game setfor noon.
DUTCHTOWN3,WALKER 2: The 5-5A rivals split regularseason games. On Saturday, Dutchtown took a1-0 lead in the first inning.
MyahColar’stwo-run home run to center gave No. 7Walker (21-9) a2-1 lead in the fourth.
Walker held thelead until thebottomofthe sixth when Blanchard doubled, took third on apassed ball and scored on asingle by pitcher Abby Froelich. Blachardfinished 3for 4at the plate.
“When they took the lead, the focus was, ‘Hey,we’ve still gotsomanyat-bats left to do this,’ ”Dutchtown coach Nancy Ensminger said. “Wehave such agood district and we knew it could go either way
“Walker made great plays. Abby hasbeen in tough situations before andshe came through. We had the right players in the right situation at the end.”
“I had to getthe bunt far enough away fromthe catcher,” Whitesaid. “When Idid, Iknew (Blanchard) would score.”
SAM HOUSTON 5, ST.AMANT 3: Brooke Rabalais’ threerunhomer in the top of the sixthbroke open ascoreless game to gvethe Gators a3-0 lead. Rabalais finished
3for 4tolead fourth-seeded St. Amant (23-9).
Atwo-run homer by the Sam Houston’sKailyn Mire tied it in the bottom of theseventh, setting the stage forKallie England’s game-winning homer in the eighth.
“Weworked hard this week with aplan,” St. Amantcoach AmyPitre said.
“They wanted to win this game. Braylee (Decoteau) pitched agreat game. Iam just so proud of them.” Division IV select MENARD 4, CATHOLIC-POINTE
COUPEE3: The 11-inning game ended with Menard’s Emma Davis scoring after stealing second and third base. An errant throw down the third-base line brought Davis in to score. Davis had four hits for Menard, while Lilli St. Germain had fourhits, including ahome runfor topseeded CHSPC (25-11).
OPELOUSAS CATHOLIC 1, ST
JOHN 0: Ashley Little tossed ano-hitter and struck out 17 to put reigining champion Opelousas Catholic back in the title game. Emma Ludea doubled to lead offthe fifth inning and later scored the lone run.
Email Robin Fambrough at rfambrough@
Home runs hurt Brusly, Lutcherinsemifinallosses
BY ROBIN FAMBROUGH Staff writer
SULPHUR— Home runs were acommon thread in semifinal games for Brusly andLutcherhigh schools
Neither Division II nonselect team found away to sewupavictory at thestate softball tournament. Athree-run home by Livie Thibodeauxhelpedpower third-seeded Assumption to a4-1 victory over No. 2Bruslyinone semifinal Top-seeded NorthDeSoto hit three homers in the first inning of a9-2 victory over No. 5Lutcher North DeSoto and Assumption will meet in the Division II nonselect final at 3p.m. SundayatNorth FraschPark to help close out the three-day LHSAA tournament.
“I always say you have to play good in allthree phases —hitting, pitching and defense —towin games like this, ”Brusly coach Beau Bouvier said. “Wehad one hit and our defense did not makeplays We made er-
rors on plays we normally make.
“Their winningway is to getabig home run. That’s how they won twoplayoff games already.And the pitcher was tough on the mound. Give (Assumption) credit; they got it done.”
The Mustangs’ Lilia Alleman,who held the Panthers hitless forsix innings, finished with eight strikeouts and did not walk abatter
The lone hit for the Panthers (29-4) wasadouble by Emma Loup in the bottom of the seventh.
Thibodeauxfinished 2for 3. Herthree-run home run to center field in the third inning gave the Napoleonville team more than enough to netthe win.
Loup, who drew awalk in the first, was the lone baserunnerfor Brusly
“This is not agreat feeling, but I’ll take it any year because it means we were (at thestate tournament) with achance to winand we were prepared today,” Bouvier said. “You don’talways winthat last one.”
SCORES,SCHEDULE
NORTH DESOTO 9, LUTCHER 2: The rematch of last year’s title gametooka decisive turn in the bottom of the first inning. Raegen Henderson’soneouthomerun staked the Griffins (30-3) to quick lead By thetime theinning ended,Maddy Stringerand Payton Miller added home runs andNorthDeSotoled 4-0. Miller was 3for 4and was Stringer2 for3 with two homersfor thewinners, who lost to theBulldogs (24-8) in the2024 titlegame. Kelsey Rileyand Danielle Louque both finished 2for 3 to lead Lutcher It looked like Lutcher had cut the lead North DeSoto’s lead to 5-4whenAvery St Pierre launched the ball over thefence in the third inning. Butthe umpires rulesthat arunnermissed touching third base, nullifying the grand slam. The Bulldogs loaded the bases again in thefourthand didnot score.
Email RobinFambrough at rfambrough@
STAFF PHOTOSByMICHAEL JOHNSON
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON ParkviewBaptist shortstop Kelan Guidry, front, is comforted by teammate Seth DeGeorgefollowinga 4-1loss to Dunham on Saturday.
BY ARNIE STAPLETON
AP sports writer
DENVER Nikola Jokic got plenty of help from his teammates and the Denver Nuggets weren’t about to let up when they built a big lead and raced past the Los Angeles Clippers in a 120-101 Game 7 laugher Saturday night. The No. 4 seed Nuggets who led by as many as 35 points, advanced to take on the No 1 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, which swept Memphis in the first round and has had a week off The teams split their season series 2-2, with both teams winning one on the road
by the first buzzer-beating dunk in NBA playoff history, courtesy of Gordon — the Nuggets and Ball Arena crowd only grew more energized instead of anxious as the lead kept growing and the Clippers kept missing.
The Nuggets blew this one open with a 17-0 run in the third quarter after Leonard started the second half with a 3-pointer to cut L.A.’s deficit to 58-50. Los Angeles led 26-21 after one quarter but the Clippers were outscored 72-40 during the second and third quarters to trail 93-66 heading into the fourth quarter
After picking up his third, fourth and fifth fouls over a 48-second span late in the third, Jokic went to the bench and watched his team continue to roll. He sat the entire fourth quarter
with 5:23 left. But the Clippers went on a 7-0 run and Adelman sent his starters back in at the 4-minute mark. The Clippers ended up cutting a 35-point deficit into the teens but Denver’s lead, for a change, was too big to overcome. Their 19-point win was their biggest in a Game 7 in the franchise’s playoff history Courtesy of team owner Steve Ballmer, more than 100 Clippers fans were flown to Denver and assembled behind one of the baskets to provide extra noise. It’s an extension of “The Wall,” a section for the group of superfans that packs the Intuit Dome also behind a basket — for Clippers games in Los Angeles.
Hanging over the Nuggets all season was their Game 7
The Clippers’ season came to a screeching halt after they’d entered the playoffs as the hottest team in the league, having won 18 of 21. Jokic had 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Aaron Gordon led Denver with 22 points, Christian Braun had 21, Jamal Murray and Russell Westbrook chipped in 16 each and Michael Porter Jr scored 15. Kawhi Leonard led Los Angeles with 22 points but James Harden only scored 7 points on 2-of-8 shooting and Ivica Zubac had his quietest game of the series with 10 points.
fiasco in Round 2 last year when they blew a 20-point second-half lead to the Minnesota Timberwolves just when it looked like they were primed to defend the
franchise’s first NBA championship. And after frittering away a 22-point fourth-quarter advantage in Game 4 of this series — only to be saved
The Nuggets began celebrating early in the fourth quarter when Westbrook willingly took a technical for hanging on the rim and swinging back and forth after his steal and dunk put Denver up 107-76. And Denver interim coach David Adelman emptied his bench with a 111-81 lead
Cavaliers, Pacers prepare for track meet in 2nd round
BY JOE REEDY AP sports writer
CLEVELAND Kenny Atkinson has one simple message for his Cleveland Cavaliers going into their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Indiana Pacers.
Put your track shoes on.
The top-seeded Cavaliers had the NBA’s top offense in the regular season, averaging 121.9 points The fourthseeded Pacers averaged 117.4 points (seventh-best), but have one of the quickest teams in the league and like to go full throttle.
“We have the athleticism and speed, it’s just the initial shock of them doing it so consistently,” Atkinson said. “I give (coach) Rick Carlisle and their group so much credit because it plays into their personnel. The message to our guys is how resilient we can be with our running. We do it three times, they’re going to do it four Can we do it for longer?”
The matchup everyone will be watching when the series starts Sunday night at Rock-
et Arena will be between Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton and Cleveland guard
Donovan Mitchell
Haliburton — who averaged 17.6 points against Milwaukee — is averaging a playoff-best 11.6 assists per game running the Pacers’ five out offense He also was the first Indiana player in 11 years to begin a playoff series with four straight double-doubles.
“He’s a talented player Since the All-Star break, he’s been averaging like 20 points and 11 assists,” Mitchell said. “I have a lot of respect for him and what he brings over there. We understand how important he is to that group. He’s a threat and we got to make sure we try to find ways to neutralize one of the biggest threats on their team.”
Mitchell averaged 23.8 points against the Miami Heat in the opening round.
If the All-Star guard puts up 30 points on Sunday, it will be his eighth straight game with at least 30 points in a series opener, which would surpass
For players like
BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer
It was Dec. 4, 2021. The game was over San Antonio knocked off Golden State 112-107. And when the final buzzer sounded, Draymond Green didn’t seem bothered whatsoever by the loss. He just wanted to talk to Pop. Friday’s announcement by the San Antonio Spurs that Gregg Popovich — the NBA’s all-time wins leader — is stepping down as coach after 29 seasons deeply resonated throughout the league And it clearly hit Green hard, the longtime Golden State forward saying he can’t fathom what it’ll be like to not see Popovich on the sideline anymore.
“Coach Pop is incredible,” Green said Friday night after Golden State lost a playoff game to Houston. “And none of us knew when that day would come that he’d hang them up. But it sucks to see him go. You know, you love running down the court, seeing him on the sideline. I
they avoided another physical battle on the road.
“It’s definitely a big advantage, us not having to go to Milwaukee and play Game 6,” he said. “We’re better when we’re rested.”
Michael Jordan.
“They’re the best team in the East for a reason,” Haliburton said “They’ve got a lot of depth. They shoot the ball well, defend at a high level, they got rim protection, they’ve got everything. We’re excited to compete against those guys, and there’s not a ton of film of them having all their guys and us having all our guys.”
Both teams have had time to prepare for what is expected to be a long series. Cleveland closed out Miami in four games on Monday night while Indiana’s series against Milwaukee wrapped up on Tuesday Starting guard Andrew Nembhard, one of the top defenders for the Pacers, believes the extra time will benefit the Pacers because
Cleveland gaurd Darius Garland will be a game-time decision as he continues to deal with a nagging big toe injury The All-Star — who missed the final two games of the regular season and then Games 3 and 4 of the Miami series after aggravating the injury — did not practice on Saturday, but he had a heavy workload and went through a full-contact session Friday Atkinson said Garland is likely going to have to deal with the injury for the rest of the playoffs.
“The toe’s a tough one,” Atkinson said. “There’s pain and all that. But the good thing when we watch him shooting right now he’s moving well.”
The Pacers are playing their second straight playoff series against a division foe, but it could be very different from the
chippy Milwaukee series. While the Pacers and Bucks sparred 20 times over the past two seasons — including back-to-back firstround series, both won by the Pacers — these teams haven’t met in the postseason since back-to-back firstround matchups in 2017 and 2018, when LeBron James was Cleveland’s star player In fact, they’ve not even really squared off this season with either team at full strength. The result: Indiana has resorted to some different ways to prepare. “I would bet that’s not happened a lot in NBA history,” Haliburton said. “I missed two games, a game and a half, so I mean the film is weird. But I think you take the bits and pieces as much as you can and figure out how to insert. I think you have to use your imagination at some point, watching the last series and seeing how Tyler (Herro), how he’s attacking these guys offensively It’s very interesting, but it poses a little bit of a different threat and an opportunity.”
Green, Olympic ties are the bond with Popovich
had the ultimate honor of playing for him and winning a gold medal.”
Green is one of eight players who went against a Popovich-coached team more than 50 times in an NBA game. But it’s the time he spent playing for Popovich in USA Basketball’s run to an Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021 — that stands out to Green
It wasn’t uncommon for Popovich to chat with or embrace opposing players before, during or after games during his career Those who played for him on that Olympic team, without fail, always found the time to engage with their coach in Tokyo.
“You’ve got that bond,” Miami center and twotime gold medalist Bam Adebayo said after one of the Heat-Spurs games in the years that followed the Tokyo Olympics. “You’re going to have that bond forever after what we did, after what Pop led us to.”
Everyone on that U.S team knew what the Olympic vic-
tory meant to Popovich, who studied at the U.S. Air Force Academy and unsuccessfully tried out to play for the 1972 U.S. Olympic team. He said it was his childhood dream to play in the Olympics; a half-century or so later, he got to lead his country to gold instead.
Popovich officially had Golden State coach Steve Kerr (who succeeded him as USA Basketball’s head coach for the 2024 Paris Games) on his Olympic staff as an assistant, along with the Indiana Pacers’ Lloyd Pierce and Villanova’s Jay Wright. Unofficially, he had a who’s who of the coaching community as part of his think tank that summer — a list that included, among many others, Miami’s Erik Spoelstra, longtime NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy and Ime Udoka, who had both played and coached for Popovich in San Antonio. Udoka is now the coach in Houston. He’s in the Popovich circle of trust, one of the people who weeks ago knew the news that came out Fri-
day Popovich had told some people well ahead of time that he wasn’t coming back.
“Obviously, he’s one of the best do it or the best to do it,” Udoka said. “I’m glad I got a chance to work with him, learn from him and call him a friend.”
Green walked off the court arm in arm with Popovich on that December 2021 night, smiling and chatting, the loss
on the scoreboard almost completely forgotten That was the first game between the Spurs and the Warriors after those Olympics.
Green gave Popovich the shoes he wore in the 2021 gold-medal win over France as a gift; Popovich, he said, had them on for that first Spurs-Warriors game following the Olympics.
“It sucked playing against the Spurs this year to look over and not see him there,” Green said. “And to know that I’ll never get that opportunity again, I just wish I had one last time to go hug him on the sideline before a game. He’s meant so much to this league, and he means so much to me. Job well done, well-deserved retirement. I hope he enjoys the hell out of it.”
forward Nikola Jovic during the first half in Game 4 of a
rst-round playoff series on Monday in Miami.
Centralcoast shrimp season opensThursday
BY JOE MACALUSO
Contributing writer
It happens every spring
While that’smost often said about baseball,springisequallyas important to Louisiana shrimpers who await Wildlife and Fisheries biologists to arrive at something called a“crossover” day
It’sthe day the ShrimpStudy staff advises the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission about the best date to open the spring inshore shrimp seasons in our state’smajor coastal basins.
So, during Thursday’s commission meeting, the seven-member panellearned the best daytoopen the inside waters from theMississippiRivers’South Pass west to Freshwater Bayou Canal is 6a.m. Thursday
The “crossover” dateiscalculated after weeks of studying the brown shrimp in the major coastal estuaries and arriving at atime when at least 50% of the brown shrimp will grow to asize of (or larger) than 100 count —that’s100 shrimp to the pound.
The two other major inside-waters areas have different opening dates:
n 6a.m., Monday,May 19 from the Louisiana/Mississippi line west to South Pass;
n 6a.m., Thursday,May 22 from the FreshwaterBayou Canal west to the Louisiana/Texas line. These dates areimportant to recreational anglersand other commercial fishing interests because there will be more activity on the water and all boaters need to be aware of trawl boats.
The spring season primarily takes brown shrimp, which move into inshore watersometimes as early as late January.Thisspecies’ growth rate is determined by water temperature, salinity levelsand wind direction. Toomany
THURSDAY
GULF COUNCIL SHRIMP/STATISTICAL
COMMITTEES MEETING: 7:30 a.m.-
4:30 p.m., Council office,4107 West Spruce Street, Suite 200,Tampa, Florida. Website: gulfcouncil.org
LA. ALLIGATORADVISORYCOUNCIL
MEETING: 1p.m., LSU AgCenter, 1105 West Port Street, Abbeville.
JUNIOR SOUTHWEST BASSMASTERS
MEETING: 7p.m., Seminar Room, Bass Pro Shops, Denham Springs. Boys &girls age-group bass tournaments for ages 7-10, 11-14 &15-18 anglers. Call Jim Breaux (225) 7723026.
THURSDAY-SUNDAY
BASSMASTER ELITE SERIES: Lake Fork, Yantis,Texas. Website:bassmaster.com
FRIDAY GULF COUNCIL ECOTECHCOMMIT-
TEE MEETING: 7:30a.m.-3:30 p.m.. (CDT), via webinar. Website: gulfcouncil.org
SATURDAY FLYFISHING 101/PANFISH: 9-11 a. m.,
Jr. SW Bassmasters
AMELIA Age-group results from the Junior Southwest Bassmasters-Denham Springs Maytournament held from the Amelia Public Landingwith anglers, their hometowns, number of bass weighed in parentheses (5-bass limit), total weight in pounds and big-bass winners: 15-18-year-old age group: 1, Aiden Alvarez, Addis (3) 5.04 pounds. Big Bass: Alvarez, 3.29. 11-14 age group: 1, Reid Leonard, Walker (4) 4.19. 2, LaneLeRay, Brusly (1)2.04. 3, Landin Sholty,Denham Springs (2)1.71 Big Bass: LeRay, 2.04. 7-10 age group: 1, Charles Leonard, Lakeland (3) 5.56. 2, BlakeHarper, Livingston (4) 5.36. 3, Nathanel Watts, Livingston (3)4.83. Big Bass: Leonard, 4.05. Adult Division: 1, Cody Morgan, Lakeland(5) 12.05. 2, JeremyHarper, Livingston (5) 8.91. 3, Matthew Watts, Livingston (5)8.25. Big Bass: Morgan, 2.66.
cold fronts, north winds, rains and major river levels tend to hinder brown shrimpgrowth to marketable sizes.
The Shrimp Study staff continue to studyshrimp movement and will advise closing thespring season when white shrimp numbers increase in inside waters.
Huntingseasons
The commission also approved Thursday the 2025-26 hunting seasons on private lakes and state/federal lands complete with amendments offered and passed since the season dates andregulations were proposed in early January
Nextupisa review by the State House ofRepresentativesand Senate Natural Resources committees and, if approved,willbeposted in the State Registry Thefinal notice canbefound on the agency’swebsite:wlf.louisiana.gov/resources/category/commission-action-items
Alligatorbids
Anyone interested in taking alligators from 12 wildlife manage-
Orvis Shop, Bluebonnet Boulevard Baton Rouge. No free. Basics of casting, rigging, fly selection. Equipment furnished. All ages, adults to accompanychildren15and younger Preregistration required. Call Shop (225) 757-7286.Website: orvis.com/ batonrouge
HUNTING SEASONS
TURKEY: Area A: through May4; Areas B&Cclosed. SQUIRRELS: Statewide, through May 25, private lands only &through May11onselected wildlife managementareas
AROUND THECORNER
MAY12—RED STICKFLY FISHERS
MEETING: 7p.m., Regional Branch Library,9200 Bluebonnet Boulevard, Baton Rouge. Open to the public. Email BrianRoberts: roberts. brian84@gmail.comWebsite: rsff.org
MAY14— BUGS &BEERS: 6:30 p.m., Skeeta Hawk Brewing, 455 N. Dorgenois Street, New Orleans. Fly tying. Open to thepublic. Email A.J. Rosenbohm: ajrosenbohm@gmail.com. Website: neworleansflyfishers.com
Bassmaster Elite ANDERSON, S.C. Final top 5fromthe fourdayWhatagurger Bassmaster Elite held on LakeHartwell with anglers, theirhometowns,number of bass weighed in parentheses (5-bassdaily limit), total weight in pounds and ounces and prizewinnings.Also listed areLouisiana anglers, the big-bass winners &contingency winners.Only the top 50 in the 104-angler fieldmoved to the thirdround, and onlythe top 10 advanced to the final round: Top5: 1, Paul Marks, Cumming, Georgia (20) 68 pounds,8 ounces,$100,000. 2, Tucker Smith, Birmingham, Alabama (20) 67-10, $20,000. 3, LukePalmer,Coalgate, Oklahoma (20) 66-10, $15,000. 4, Drew Cook, Cairo, Georgia (20) 65-7,$12,500. 5, JayPrzekurat, Plover, Wisconsin(20) 64-7,$12,000. Louisiana anglers: 62, Tyler Rivet, Raceland (10) 27-4. 69, Caleb Sumrall, New Iberia(10) 26-2. 74, Logan Latuso, Gonzales (10) 25-7 75, Greg Hackney,Gonzales (10) 25-0 Phoenix Boats BigBass: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Alabama, 7-15,$3,000. Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag: Howell, 21-11, $2,000.
mentareas, awetland conservationarea, twoCorps of Engineers properties and two state wildlife refuges have untilMay 20 to submitbids for the 2025-27 alligator harvest seasons.
Wildlife andFisheries’ Fur and Refuge Division announced there will be 50 hunting “opportunities” ranging form 10 to 250 tagsper property.
Theseareas andthe bid sheet are outlined on the Wildlife and Fisheries’ website: wlf.louisiana. gov/page/alligator-hunting, or requested by writing: Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Attn: Kelly Stanford, 2025-27 WMA Alligator Harvest Bids,200 Dulles Drive, Lafayette, LA 70506.
LagniappeDay
The statewide 14th annual Boating Education Lagniappe Day certified123 boaters at nine locations after theycompleted eight hoursof instruction and passed atest.
Asafe boating certificate is required for anyone born after Jan 1, 1984, and operatinga boat with an outboard engine exceeding 10 horsepower
MAY14-16 —MLF TOYOTA BASS SERIES/CENTRAL DIVISION: Lake Guntersville, Scottsboro, Alabama. Website: MajorLeagueFishing.com
MAY15—ACADIANA FLYRODDERS PROGRAM: 6p.m Pack & Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette. Open to public. Email Darin Lee: cbrsandcdc@gmail.com. Website: acadianaflyrodders.org
MAY15-18 —BASSMASTER ELITE SERIES: Sabine River, Orange, Texas. Website: bassmaster.com
FISHING WEEKEND: Crooked Creek, White& Buffalo rivers, Arkansas. Call Cole Miller (225) 921-9192.
MAY17—FLY FISHING 101: 9-11 a.
m.,OrvisShop, Bluebonnet Boulevard,Baton Rouge. No free. Basics of casting, rigging, fly selection. Equipment furnished. All ages, adults to accompanychildren 15 and younger.
Leonard shows his top twobass fromthe top stringer in last weekend’sJunior Southwest Bassmasters tournament. He wonthe 7-10-year-old agegroup with athree-bass catch weighing 5.56 pounds and had the day’sheaviest bass, a4.05-pounder,left.
Safe Boating courses are offered throughout the year.Toenroll in this course go to: wlf.louisiana.gov/ page/boater-education, then click on “Find ACourse Near You” pulldown.
Oyster closures
Wildlife and Fisheries closed three major oyster grounds along with theLittleLakepublic oyster seed grounds effective April 30. Thethreeinclude waters east of Mississippi River and north of MRGO;the Hackberry Bay oyster seed reservation; and, west cove and the east side of Calcasieu Lake.
Topman Jason Adriance,the marine biolo-
gist who has spearheaded notable Wildlife and Fisheries’ moves for speckled trout and redfish regulations forthe past nine years, was named the Louisiana Wildlife Federation’sConservation Professional of the Year at last weekend’sLWF annualConservation Achievement Awards banquet. Newman Jimmie Martin Sr wasinstalled to the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission during Thursday’smeeting to replace Baton Rouge’s Brandon DeCuir,whose at-large term expired in April. Martin comes to LWFC with six decades experience in commercial shrimping.
PREREGISTRATION REQUIRED.CALL
SHOP (225) 757-7286.WEBSITE: orvis com/batonrouge
MAY17-22 —MLF BASS PRO TOUR: Heavy Hitters,SmithMountain Lake, Franklin County,Virginia. Website: MajorLeagueFishing.com
FISHING/SHRIMPING
SHRIMP: Inshoreseasonclosed except in Breton/Chandeleur sounds &all outside watersopen. Zone 2, inshoreseason, opens Thursday.
OPEN RECREATIONAL SEASONS: Red snapper, gray triggerfish, flounder; lane,blackfin, queen andsilk snappers &wenchmen amongother snapper species; allgroupersexcept closed forgoliath &Nassau groupers in state/federalwaters.
COLLEGESTATION, Texas When Zac Cowan enters the game, LSUfans typically can exhale.
It was the bottom of the seventh inning and the Tigers were tied 1-1withTexas A&M. This wasa bigsituation for thejunior righthander, but it was one he wasused to facing. Cowan entered Saturday’s contest with a1.07 ERA and five savesin251/3 innings in Southeastern Conferenceplay,but hesurrendered aleadofftriple to second baseman Ben Royo beforea pinch-hit, run-scoring single to HaydenSchott that gave Texas A&M a2-1 lead.
Schott’ssingle proved to be the difference in Texas A&M’s3-1 win over LSU in the first game of Saturday’sdoubleheader at Blue Bell Park. The victory handed the Aggies a1-0 lead in the three-game series.
“I thought we played areally good game,” LSU sophomore lefthanded starter Kade Anderson said, “(it’s) just when we had to come up with those hits, it didn’t happen.”
Cowan gave up another single in the seventh before exiting with one outand runnersonthe corners for freshman left-hander Cooper Williams.
The former Texas A&M (26-19, 9-13 SEC) commitmentforced a fly ball to center field,but junior
centerfielder ChrisStanfield dropped theballfor an error to allow arun to score. An earned run still was charged to Cowan since acatch by Stanfieldwould have resulted in asacrifice fly
Freshman right-hander Mavrick Rizy replaced Williams with two runners in scoring position andkept LSU’sdeficit at 3-1 by striking out the nexttwo hitters.
Saturday was arguably Rizy’s mostimpressive outing as aTiger.
He struck out four batters in 12/3 innings,and hisfastball was up to 99 mph
“He was commanding the ball today, andwhen youthrow 98 at (6-foot-8), it’shardtohit,” Andersonsaid. “So he’sgot such abright future. And Ithink that’sthe start that everyone was waiting for.”
LSU(37-10, 14-8)had opportunities before andafter theseventh inning to scorwe runs but couldn’t cash in. The Tigers had two runners on base with one out in the ninth and failedtodrive in arun. Theyalso loaded the bases with twoouts in the eighth, but junior pinch-hitter Ethan Frey flewout to rightfieldtoend thethreat
Before theAggies’ big inning, LSU tried to take thelead in the top of the seventh when third base coach Josh Jordan sent sophomore Steven Milam home fromfirst base on atwo-out double by Stanfield. Milam was easily thrown out at theplate to endthe inning and keep the score tiedat1-1.
The Tigers finished the game2 for14with runners on base and0 for5 with runnersinscoringposition
“Weput ourselvesinasituation to win,and thehitters didn’texecute,” Anderson said. “But they’ve held their own and helped us out a lot oftimes this year. So you don’t putany blame(on them).”
The only run that separated the twosides through five innings came in the second. With two outs and arunner at first,Royo hit a fly ball to shallow center field that was misread by Stanfield. Stanfield nearlyrecovered from hismistake, diving after the ball in shallow center after he inititally believed that it was going over his head,but he couldn’tcome up with thecatch andthe runner from first scored. The run was charged to Andersonsince thehit was ruled adouble. Otherwise, he was lights out through six innings and 113 pitches.Hesurrendered just three hits and had 12 strikeouts.
“I thought that it was an iffy outing,” Anderson said. “I thought that Iwalkeda coupleofguys butkind of hung in there and put ourteamina situationwhere we could have won the game.”
LSU was ice cold at the plate through thefirst five innings. TheTigershad only twohits—a first-inning double from senior Josh Pearson anda single from Milaminthe fifth —and had trouble squaringupTexas A&M left-handed starter Ryan Prager’s high fastball.
LSUkept getting under Prager’s pitches, flying outninetimes against him.
“You give credit to their pitcher,and he’s aveteran,” Anderson said. “He’spitched for four years here,and Ithink that he did agood jobofkeeping the hitters off balance.”
No Tiger could squareupapitch until thesixth inning when junior Jared Jones blastedhis 16th home runofthe year.The solo shot to left field tied the gameatone and was the 58thhomer of his LSU career,tying Dylan Crews for fourthall-time at LSU.
win overTexas A&M.
Continued from page1C
team one way or the other in this league, you know that. And he was the guythis summer we felt like we had to have.
“And everybody saw why tonight. He’s one of the best pitchers in the country.”
Eyanson allowed just three hits and struck out 14 on 112 pitches, three shy of his season-high Johnson admitted afterward there wasnoway he wastaking Eyanson out in the ninth
“There’ssomuch to be motivated about,” Eyanson said.“Iplay for my family.They sacrifice so much for me to be in aposition that I’m in. How couldyou not be grateful and excited to play witha team like this, in an environment like this? It’severything thatI’ve ever wanted.” After tossing the final out, he turned toward the TexasA&M fans sitting in the seconddeck on the first-base line andcupped his hand around his ear.Theyhad been relentlessly jeering him and histeammates since the first pitch of the night.
“They were loud all game. Nothing personal, but they let me hear it when the home runwas hit, so I let them hear it when the game wasover.”
ANTHONy EyANSON, LSU pitcher
Eyanson cruisedthrough the first four innings,striking out five andnot allowinghis first hit until the fifth. He ran intosome trouble in the frame, letting two runners reach base with one out, but he recorded apair of strikeoutsto escapethe inning. He didn’t allowa run until second baseman Ben Royoblasted a solo homerinthe sixth that cut LSU’slead to 2-1. Like inGame 1, LSU’sbats were silent early on.The Tigers (38-10, 15-8 SEC) had just two hits and put onlyone runnerinscoring position through theopening five innings
Cindricisready forTexas after
last week’s drama
He qualified 3rd forSunday’srace
BY STEPHEN HAWKINS AP sportswriter
FORT WORTH, Texas Austin Cindric will start on the second row for the NASCARCup race at Texas after a week of celebrating awin at Talladega and alot of attention paid to an expletive-ladenradio rant directed toward him by his own teammate during Team Penske’sfirst win of theseason.
ä NASCAR Cup: Wurth400, 2:30 P.MSUNDAy,FS1
ports Chevrolet. The 22-year-old Hocevar is the youngest pole winner ever at Texas Motor Speedway,which will host its 45th Cup race. His 56th career Cup race will start on the front row with Cup points leader William Byron (191.564 mph), also in aChevy Cindric ran aqualifying lapof 191.523 mph. Logano will start 27th, twospots ahead of reigning race champion Chase Elliott.
NASCAR
There also was the conversation with Joey Logano, who was furious midway through the race when he didn’t get the help he needed in his Ford from Cindric, which allowed rival Toyota driverBubba Wallace to win the second stage and earnvaluable bonus points.
“Definitelyneeded, right?I mean, Ithink you’ve gottotalk about that. You’ve got to talk about what happened on track. Ithink that’salot more of the substance of theconversation,” Cindric said Saturday
“I feel like I’ve got pretty thick skin, and Ialso feel like Iknow Joey fairly well, so I’mnot overly concerned or have too manyemotions at all about what was said,” he said.
“But Ithink for us, sorting out whereweboth stood on track and what we can do in the future to be better there and capitalize on those opportunities.”
They are back on the track SundayatTexas, the 11/2-mile track whereCindric qualified third for the 11thCup race this season.
“Allgoodfor me,man,” Cindric said when asked if theteammates weregood.
Carson Hocevar earned his first Cup pole with aqualifying lap of 191.659 mph in the Spire Motors-
Loganosaidthis week that he probably“spouted off” more than he should have against his teammate during the Talladega race, and that it cameinthe heat of the moment. Among the reactions this week was Baseball Hall of Famer ChipperJones criticizing reigning NASCAR champion Logano in aseries of social media posts. Jones congratulated Cindric,calledLogano selfish and celebrated Logano being disqualified for failing postrace inspection. Cindric said he knows who the former Atlanta Braves sluggeriseventhoughhedoesn’t follow much baseball.
“But to have something like that with eyes on our sport, aHall of Famer is really cool,” Cindric said. “The rest of it’sa lot of noise. But it’scool to have someone like that behind me.”
As for thatBraves cap Cindric keeps in histruck, that isn’tabout being afan of theMajor League Baseballteam, andhedidn’twear it at all this week.
“Well, the funny thing is, that’s like my neutral hat because Idon’twant to walk around like advertising, ‘Hey, I’m aNASCAR driver’ if Ican help it,” he said. “So it’susually either that or my Colts(cap)thatI snaginmy truck.”
Email Koki RileyatKoki Riley@theadvocate.com RHP
kin out of the game after asacrifice bunt from freshman Derek Curiel. The next batter,junior Daniel Dickinson, worked awalk before senior Josh Pearson laid down apush bunt that drove in Frey from thirdbase and doubled LSU’sadvantage.
Junior Chris Stanfield nearly handed theTigers afive-run lead with athree-run home run, but the ball landed justa few feet foul of the left-field pole. Stanfield eventually struckout to end the inning.
“That ball clearly went behind the foul pole. Ithink it’skind of bogus,” Freysaid. “But, Imean, we’vegot therest of thegame to play and worry about.”
LSUfinished with sixhits and went 1for 10 withtwo outs. It was abig night for Frey whohad three of LSU’sfirst four hits.
“(I was) just trying to get my pitch. Seeinga lotofpitches helpedmealot, seeing what the kidonthe mound had,” Frey said.“Just waiting to getmine, andkindofjustgoingwhenI did getmine.”
By The Associated Press
BOSTON BostonRed Soxfirst
baseman Triston Casassuffered aruptured tendon in his left knee and is out forthe remainder of the season.
Theteamsaid on Saturday that the 25-year-old Casas ruptured his patellar tendon running to first on aslow roller up the line and fell awkwardlyinBoston’s victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.
Afterlayingonhis back in pain and not moving the knee, he was carted off on astretcher and taken to aBoston hospital.
Casas washitting .182 with three homers and 11 RBIs.
DODGERS CALL UP VERSATILE SOUTH
KOREAN ALL-STAR: In Atlanta, theLos Angeles Dodgers recalledSouth Korean All-Star Hyeseong Kimon Saturday andplaced secondbasemanTommy Edman on the injured list.
jured list. Edman’sinjury creates an opportunity for Kim to makehis major league debut. Roberts said Kim’sversatility as amiddle infielder,outfielder and pinch-runner wasa factor in theteam’sdecision, basedonrosterdepth forwhat Roberts said is “potentially ashort stint” in the majors.
Kim, 26, has played eight seasons in South Korea, including the last six with the Seoul-basedKiwoomHeroes. In 28 games with OklahomaCity, Kimhit .252 with fivehomeruns, 19 RBIsand 13 stolen bases.
“They were loud all game,” Eyanson said. “Nothing personal, but they let me hear it when the home run was hit, so Ilet them hear it when the game was over.”
They didn’t breakthrough until the sixth when junior Jared Jones andjunior EthanFrey hitbackto-back doubles off Aggieslefthanded starter Justin Lamkin to give LSUa 1-0 lead. The Tigers eventually got Lam-
LSU and TexasA&M (26-20, 9-14)concludetheir three-game series on Sunday.Firstpitch from Blue Bell Park is setfor 1p.m. andthe game will be available to stream on SEC Network+.
Kim agreed to a$12.5 million, three-year contract withthe Dodgers on Jan. 3and opened the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City Edmanwas placed on theinjured list, retroactive to Wednesday,after missingtwo games with asore right ankle. Edmanranks second on the team with eight home runs and 24 RBIs.
Dodgers manager DaveRoberts said he expects Edman to spend the minimum 10 days on thein-
STRAINED OBLIQUE TO SIDELINE CHISHOLM 4-6 WEEKS: In NewYork, Jazz Chisholm went into the MRI room expecting to be cleared to keep playing secondbase forthe New York Yankees. Onehourlater,hewas toldhe would be sidelined for four to six weeks because of astrainedright oblique.
He says “it’ssuperfrustrating” andadds “I didn’tthink that was going to happen.”
Acquired from Miami on July 27, Chisholmishitting .181 withseven homers and 17 RBIs in 30 games. He was sidelined between Aug. 12 and 23 last year because of a sprained left elbow suffered on a headfirst slide.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU pitcher Anthony Eyanson delivers apitch in the firstinning of agameagainst Tennessee on April26at AlexBox Stadium. Eyanson allowedjust three hits and struck out 14 on 112 pitches in Saturday’s2-1
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByBUTCH DILL Austin Cindric celebrates after winning aNASCAR Cup Series race at TalladegaSuperspeedwayonApril 27 in Talladega,Ala
Awards to four high school students.
her grandson,
Members of the Baton Rouge Chapter of the DAR
4 students recognized for good character
Four Livingston Parish high school students have been recognized for their good character and for being role models in their schools.
The Albany Masonic Lodge No. 466 presented its 2025 Honesty and Integrity Awards on April 17 to Jonah Grob and Abigail McAlister, Albany High School; and Logan Milton and Oliva Arnie, Springfield High School. All four students are juniors. Livingston Parish Assessor Jeff Taylor was a guest speaker at the event, which was attended by the students’ parents and friends, and members of the lodge.
A meal was served before the ceremony
Harness Club
The Harness Club honored new members at its Spring Fling on April 24 at the Baton Rouge Country Club Gathered are, from left, President Cheryl Kirchhoff, new members Shawn Leake, Rachel Garrett, Stephanie Cargill, Ann Miller, party chairwomen Jeanne James, Mary Karam and Secretary Bettsie Miller
PROVIDED PHOTO
DAR Chapter celebrates importance of bees
The Baton Rouge Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution gathered April 21 at the Bluebonnet Branch Library
Chapter
Recording Secretary Nedra Hains introduced guest speaker Kevin Langley a renowned beekeeper bee enthusiast, and leader in the Capital Area Beekeepers Association. Langley addressed the group about the importance of bees to the economy and food supply He shared that the common bees regularly used for pollination were brought to America by settlers in the early 16th century largely for their wax, which was used for candles in religious settings. He also noted that domestic honey
production and consumption in the colonies was a form of protest against the British crown since the domestically-produced honey was not taxed as imported sweetening sources were taxed. Langley cited several stories about how bees helped America win the Revolutionary War with swarming bees overtaking British troops in at least one critical battle.
Chapter members also enjoyed a large display of awards distributed at the Louisiana Society Daughters of the American Revolution State Conference in March. The most notable awards centered on the efforts of members regarding commemorative events, membership growth, support of veterans and active-duty military men and women, conservation, historical preservation and education.
COMMUNITY GUIDELINES
The
organizations, as well as
Submissions
GFWC LA District 6
Members of the General Federation of Womens Clubs LA District 6 attended the organization’s annual convention on March 19. Shown are, from left, Gynne Klimavicz, Lana Merliss, Sylvia Schwarzenbach, Trish Sedlin, Cathie Ryan, Sue Neyrey, Jeannie Luckett and Montez Love
PROVIDED PHOTO
April 21 at the Bluebonnet Branch Library to celebrate the importance of bees. Gathered are, from left, Corresponding Secretary Nedra Hains, First Vice Regent Alice Wynn Welch Fresina, Kevin Langley and Regent Ina Gremillion Navarre.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Albany Masonic Lodge
Members of the Albany Masonic Lodge recently presented 2025 Honesty and Integrity
Shown are, from left, Byron Wild, Jeremy Dickerson, Iris Stilley (accepting award for
Jonah Grob), Abigail McAlister Logan Milton, Olivia Arne, Coty Harty, Ronald Stilley and guest speaker Livingston Parish Assessor Jeff Taylor
PROVIDED PHOTO Baton Rouge DAR
met
PROVIDED PHOTO
West Side Women Club
Members of the West Side Women Club met April 17 at the Port Allen Community Center Shown are, from left, Dorene Mayeux, Mary Bennett, Beckey LeBlanc, Linda Mouch and Robin Fontaine. Not pictured are Debra Bennett and Philipa Blair.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Plaquemine Garden Club
The home of L. J and Mary Gayle Gilbert on Randolph Drive was selected as the Plaquemine Garden Club April Garden of the Month.
TRAVEL
Make waveson adolphin cruise at Panama City Beach
BY HUNTER BOYCE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)
The weather has warmed up. The wildlife are waking up. Travelers, it’stime for an awesome outdoor adventure.
Sailing through the seas off Florida’sPanama Beach, Island Time Sailing has earned afivestar rating on Tripadvisor with cruises dedicated to showing off wild dolphins, snorkeling for seashells and classic “fun in the sun” relaxation. It might be oneofthe best ways to break into summer this year
What is Island Time Sailing?
Found at the Lagoon Pontoons Marina in PanamaCity Beach, Florida,Island Time Sailing is acatamaran cruise company Catamarans are different from ordinary sail boats in afew ways. They feature two hulls, making them more spacious and are more stable on the water. The company uses two catamarans to conduct its cruises: the Island Time and the Island Time II. The Island Time is a50-footlong vessel, while the Island Time II is three feet longer.Each boat takes amaximum of 65 passengers each trip and bothhave two bathrooms below deck. Whichever boat passengers find themselves on, the cruises’ focus will be the same: dolphins.
What is theretodo?
Island Time Sailing has two packages on offer: Shell Island Snorkel &Sail andthe Dolphin
TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER
By ChristopherElliott
Sunset Cruise.
TheShell Island Snorkel &Sail package is athree-hour cruise with classic “fun in thesun” on offer
Visitors will sail on the“Island Time” catamaran across St.Andrews Bay for dolphin watching along Panama CityBeach. The boat will then drop anchor at Shell Island so patronscan snorkel, hunt for seashells and relax for about an hour
“Snorkeling on Island Time is an unforgettable experience,” according to the company’swebsite. “The calm, warmwaters of thegulf areperfect for bothbeginnersand experienced snorkelers. Take an adventure searching through thevibrant marine life near Shell Island
“Around Shell Island you may find starfish,seashells, and all different fish. Our knowledgeable crew will guide you through
thefun and interesting sights while answering anyquestions you may have.”
The boat will then set sail for theGulf of Mexicofor some more dolphin watching. Thenit’s back to Panama City Beach for some of Island Time Sailing’sfamous rumpunch.
“Wealwayshopethe conditions will line up just right andit’s pretty rare nottosee dolphins, but theitinerary is basedonthe
weather andconditions foryour safety andenjoyment,” the website notes. “The cruise back to the dock is afun sailing party at Panama City Beach with upbeat music, gamesand dancing.”
The Dolphin Sunset Cruise is shorter, relaxing andmore family-friendly.The two-hour cruise takesvisitors by St. Andrews State Park andthenonward to the Gulf of Mexicoand back alltosee Panama City Beach’s famous flippered friends.
“The dolphins areusually plentiful during oursunset dolphin tours, andwesometimes catch aglimpse of themleaping out of water or seeababyswimming alongside mom,” according to the website. “Even our locallybasedcrewgetsexcited for those special occasions! If the Gulf is a little rough, ourdolphin watching sailing cruise headsthrough St. Andrews Bay, plentiful with dolphins andbrilliant sunsets over the water.”
Howmuchdoesitcost?
The Shell Island Snorkel &Sail package, which includessnorkel gear,costs $49 for people 13 and older, $35 for children3to12and $10 for infants up to 2yearsold. The Dolphin Sunset Cruise costs $49 for people 13 and older and $35 for youngerchildren.
Two-dollarsnacksand nonalcoholic drinks will be available through eitherpackage, as well as stocked bars for alcoholic drinks. To book,visit islandtimesailing.com/catamaran-sailingtrip-rates/
to Cleveland on American Airlines that wassupposed to getinaround 5p.m.The airline first changedthe arrival time to 5:20p.m., which Iwas fine with. But then they changed it again to 9:22 p.m. My husband only discovered this changeaweekbefore my trip. Inever got an email notifyingmeof the change. This late arrival time completely threwoff my plans, so Ihad to book anew flight on United Airlines that cost me an extra$900. When Icalled American Airlines, anagent made it seem likegetting arefund would be no problem, so Isubmitted arequest through their online form.To my dismay, American Airlines rejected my refund re-
quest and onlyofferedmea flight credit that expires in ayear Given that Ihad to buy awholenew ticket because of their unannounced schedule change, is there anyway Ican getafull refund fromAmerican Airlines? —Erica Remer,Beachwood, Ohio
Youshouldhavereceived clear andtimely notification about your flight change. According to American Airlines’ conditions of carriage, thelegal agreement between you and theairline, you’re entitled to afullrefund if the carrier reschedules your flight by more than four hours. The airline should have notified you ofthe schedulechange well in advance of yourdeparture. While they notified you of the
BY JASON BRACELIN Las VegasReview-Journal
(TNS)
LAS VEGAS From the blood-red, blood-thirsty’58 PlymouthFuryin
“Christine” to Ash Williams’ dented ’73 Oldsmobile Delta 88 in “The Evil Dead” series to the Ghostbusters’ iconic hearse/ambulancehybrid, cars and horror flicksgotogether like rubber and asphalt.
Isn’titabout time, then, for something that caters to fans of both?
Answering in the affirmative is
NightmareinVegas, which will debut atthe SilvertononOct.4-5 as a novelcombination of ahorror conventionand classic car show.
Though Vegas already hosts the popular “Days of the Dead” horror conatthe Plaza in January,this will be the city’sfirstoutdoor gatheringofits kind. It all began last year, when friendsand Nightmare in Vegas foundersDarlene Seguin and Amy Acevedo began kicking around the idea of developing anew event predicated upon theirshared
first,minor change, the lack of communication about the second, moredrastic change, is unacceptable.
When you contacted American Airlines to address theissue, the agent should have sent you awritten confirmation of your refund eligibility.Instead, you received a verbal assurance —followed by a written denial.
While nonrefundable airline tickets generally don’tqualify for cash refunds, significant schedule changes, especially those involving international flights, often warrant exceptions.
The Department of Transportation mandates airlines to issue refunds for “significant”delays.
Under its new consumer protec-
love of horror “Wewere like, ‘That’d be so great if we had ahorror con in Vegas,’because we attenda lot of horror conventions in the L.A. area, in California,and we love haunts,” Seguin said. “So we said, ‘Let’sdo something different.We’re in Vegas;Vegas is the city of entertainment,and we love classiccars.’ Classic cars andhorror just kind of go together.” TheideaistomakeaNightmare in Vegasafull-on festivaloffrights.
tionsadopted last year,that’sdefined as anychange exceeding six hours from the original departure or arrival times.
Butthis doesn’tapply to canceled flights, and alook at your itinerary suggests American canceled your flight and rebooked you on adifferent one. For acanceled flight, you always have the option of afull refund.
Bottom line: American can’t keep your money and offer you an expiring flight credit. Abrief, politeemailtoone of the American Airlines executives Ilist on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org, may have helped you get what you deserved. As Ireview your correspondence, it looks like you were stuck talking to an AI bot.
Icontacted American Airlines on your behalf.The airline reviewed your case and issued afull refund of your original flight to your credit card, which is what you requested. Toobad it took my team’s intervention to achieve this outcome. If you’re ever in this situation again, remember to cite the airline’scontract of carriage and DOTrules to get what you deserve.
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.
“We’ll have food trucks, different vendors, celebrity guest signings from, like, old slasher movies, like ‘Friday the 13th’ or maybe some of the castfrom ‘Halloween,’”Seguin said. “We’restill lining up alot of people. We’re going to have astage with bands, and it’sgoing to be a varietyofrock music,metal, some rap.” Seguin sees NightmareinVegas becoming an annualevent.Vegas already boasts asolid andgrowing horror-related infrastructure
from local shops like Cemetery Pulp andBlaspheme Boutique, a bevy of immersive attractions like “ExperienceIt” and“EscapeBlair Witch” andthe forthcoming UniversalHorror Unleashed coming to Area15 late this year “Wejustwanttopromote small businessesand really put Vegas on the mapwhen it comes to the horror community,” Seguin said.. “Vegas— youknowwhat? —one day we’re gonna be the horror entertainment capital world.”
The homemade dolmas that live on and on
BY YVONNE BAHRY CABALLERO Contributing writer
Having traveled from the hills of Lebanon to the United States in the late 1800s, my grandparents, John and Rose Bahry, and other Lebanese families established a mercantile community in Donaldsonville.
Human Condition
My grandmother (Sietie) and grandfather (Jedo) had five surviving children. My father Ede, was the oldest son, his brother Ellis the youngest It was my Uncle Ellis who started planting grapevines, first in the backyard of the family business and then in the yard of his nephews and nieces. Where he got the first plant is unknown. There was not a vine at the Chetimaches Street house, the first home of my grandparents nor at the homes of the other Lebanese families. And,
there was no plant nursery nearby Maybe that first plant was acquired on one
‘STAR WARS’
Continued from page 1D
A 7-year-old Kaufman saw himself, as many that summer did, as the hero of the story with a fascination for science, astronomy and Western films.
“That remote part of the galaxy shattered my perception of what the world is and what the world is to be,” Kaufman said. “It was one of the most profound things to happen to me as a kid.” He then turned to his parish library and devoured every science fiction novel he could find.
Now, Kaufman has children, nieces, nephews, family and friends with whom he can enjoy his fandom.
In 2015, when “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” came out, Kaufman rented out a Lafayette theater for his friends and family to watch with him.
“All of a sudden,” Kaufman said. “I was worried I wouldn’t have enough tickets. Every single seat in that theater was filled.” Although Kaufman is a traditionalist and loves the first three films, he enjoys having new experiences with his children, who are now young adults, and seeing the universe expand — especially with his favorite character, Han Solo.
“‘Star Wars’ is just silly, easy fun,” he said. “I’m a big, giant ‘Star Wars’ nerd. I accept. I acknowledge, and I am proud of it.” Taking the force global Scott Jarreau, 29, is a prequel baby His love for “Star Wars” came about in 1999 when the second iteration of films hit the theaters. Jarreau’s love for the universe never stopped.
“I have vivid memories of seeing the pod race scene and ‘The Phantom Menace’ and the Darth Maul fight at the end,” Jarreau said “I could almost recall the whole movie as an adult.” In April 2025, the Star Wars Celebration conference in Japan hosted nearly 100,000 “Star Wars” fanatics to meet actors, listen in on talks about the franchise and get the latest on the universe’s new lore. Jarreau has been to many of these celebrations, but
this year, he was chosen to give a presentation on midichlorians at the conference in Japan. Midi-chlorians are the microscopic, sentient lifeforms that connect living beings to the Force in the “Star Wars” universe.
His extensive knowledge and research that he presents on his YouTube channel and podcast, “Bombadcast,” made him the perfect presenter to fans from around the world The channel’s most viral video featured Jarreau in tears after watching the trailer for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” with over 6 million views.
“Our podcast is a little bit more niche in the sense that we look at the obscure and weird things in ‘Star Wars,’” Jarreau said. “The things that most people, most very common fans, don’t acknowledge or recognize.”
His 176-slide, dissertation-level, one-hour presentation was titled “Midichlorians: An Alliance of Science, Mythology and Magic.”
“I analyzed the topic of midi-chlorians from a philosophical, a metaphorical, a biological and a lower point of view as well. I really broke down the subject in terms of what George Lucas intended for it to be,” Jarreau said The panel room in Japan was packed with just under 200 people. Jarreau even provided translations for the Japanese fans in attendance. At the conference, where Jarreau was joined with his wife, he launched a self-published book about the topic as well.
“It was quite an experience for me,” Jarreau said. “Something that I had worked on in private and put a lot of work into and debuted there, which is a perfect place to debut a book among all ‘Star Wars’ fans.”
For the last six years, the Baton Rouge native has taught at St. Theresa Middle School, instructing a film studies class where he focuses on cinema and the history of special effects.
“I’m showing them why I love it,” Jarreau said. “In the technicality of how these things get made.”
Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com
of his motorcycle jaunts to other states.
As a teenager, I remember riding down the La. 308 side of Bayou Lafourche until Sietie spotted a wild vine growing in the trees. My Aunt Mary John would stop the car, we’d get out and pull the vine down and take the “gold” home. Leaves from that wild grape vine would be used the next day for dolmas, stuffed grape leaves. Fast forward to the early 1950s. Uncle Ellis has purchased a first grapevine plant and positioned it in the backyard of the structure that housed the family business on the first floor and living quarters on the second floor The vine grows under his loving care. A year later, his mother has a supply of grape leaves from the vine in her backyard and no longer has to go “on a hunt” for grape leaves.
CURIOUS
Continued from page 1D
credited with the invention of the Bowie knife and Alamo heroics in fighting for Texas’ independence from Mexico alongside Davy Crockett and William Travis.
If Wells’ name sounds familiar, it was his family who bred the racehorse Lecomte in Smith’s Landing, which would be renamed the champion equine in 1854.
More men in the fight
“But there were more men in that fight,” Whipp said. “Who were they and what is the real story of how the fight started?”
Central Louisiana historian Michael Wynne has spent the last two years searching for this answer His interest was piqued several years ago after purchasing a pamphlet about the brawl in a Natchez antiques store.
“I’d read reviews on the back of the pamphlet that said it was the best account of the fight ever written, but it left so much unanswered,” the Alexandria resident said.
So, he started his own search, first finding the names of all the men in that Sept. 19, 1827, fight, then hunting down their personal stories from that day Stories matched up
Wynne discovered that their stories actually matched up. In fact, he gathered so much information that he was able to piece together the entire story into a book, “’What’s Murder Among Friends ‘: The True Story of the Great Sand Bar Duel of 1827, And Jim Bowie too!”
What started it all? Politics. It’s as simple as that.
“Politics hasn’t changed,” Wynne said, laughing. “Neither has people’s reactions to it.”
Seventeen men brawled that day
“Problems were solved back then by duel, not by arguments, lawsuits or mediation,” Wynne said.
“The first place named for the duel was Burr’s Ferry on the Sabine River in what was long known as the neutral strip. It was changed to the sandbar because of fear of roaming bandits on the Sabine River.”
Dueling was outlawed in both Louisiana and Mississippi, but the sandbar supposedly belonged to neither state, with its location in the river
“The river has shifted since then, and the location of the sandbar is no longer
AT RANDOM
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sidewalk unfolds as a promenade of bicycles, baby strollers and locals stretching their legs.
Then, Uncle Ellis begins to root plants from cuttings of that original vine. As the cuttings establish roots and grow into starter vines, he travels to the home of a niece or nephew, selects a sunny spot in their backyard and plants it. This “sharing of plants” from the original vine continued into the next generation.
My daughter Adrien has one of Uncle Ellis’ vines that has traveled to at least three different locations as she and her family moved from one home to another over the years. She has rooted plants from cuttings of her vine and shared with her siblings. Adrien’s vine continues to flourish and is the source of leaves for making dolmas for her family
My daughter Alicia left a vine growing on the fence at a previous residence that continues to thrive. She vis-
its, with permission of the present residents, at that location to pick grape leaves for the next pot of dolmas for her family And, there is a vine, also a cutting from the original vine, in Pierre Part at the home of my son Kyle. By the way, one of my uncle’s original plantings survives in the yard of my sister Peggy in Donaldsonville and also at my brother’s home in Plaquemine.
My Uncle Ellis would be proud to see that his vines live on.
— Caballero lives in Baton Rouge.
Human Condition submissions of 600 words or fewer may be emailed to features@theadvocate. com. Stories will be kept on file and publication is not guaranteed. There is no payment for Human Condition.
there,” Wynne said.
What caused the ruckus?
Now comes the big question: What caused the ruckus?
“Newcomers to Central Louisiana in the 1820s vigorously attacked the power base of the old established planters,” Wynne said. “Politics, banking, money, land and honor were all hotly contested. These two factions, newcomers versus longestablished families, each sided with the prominent political parties of the day.”
The newcomers sided with the Jacksonian Democrats led by presidential candidate Gen. Andrew Jackson, hero of the Battle of New Orleans. The old liners were on the side of Whig Party whose presidential candidate was John Quincy Adams.
“The two factions had grown so bitter toward each other that they would not even frequent the same Alexandria beer taverns,” Wynne said. “To make matters worse, the presidential election of 1824 remained in doubt for some time. Congress had to finally resolve the issue.” Adams was ultimately sworn into office. Jackson eventually would beat Adams in 1828, but tempers re-
It’s a kind of theater that thrives in Louisiana until summer drives us inside to air conditioning, Netflix, and a cool corner with a good book while we keep a vigil for fall. I know that weeks are coming when I’ll mostly spot my neighbors as we wearily wave to each other from behind lawnmowers, leaf blowers or the nozzles of garden hoses on days with little rain. Our small
mained hot until that time.
Add to that local politics, a late Whig Party sheriff was replaced through the sketchy political appointment of Democrat Norris Wright. Wright was also the director of the bank in Alexandria and used this power to refuse loan applications submitted by opposing political party members, including Bowie, who was a friend of the previous sheriff.
It’s complicated
“The sandbar free-forall was not just two political factions squaring off against each other,” Wynne said. “The causes of the sandbar duel and the subsequent bloody fight were complicated and highly emotional in nature. Each person that traveled to Natchez from Alexandria had a personal ax to grind or grudge to settle with at least one member of the opposition group.”
On the list of brawlers with Bowie were Samuel Levi Wells III, who would be elected Rapides Parish sheriff in 1840, then to the Louisiana House of Representatives; Concordia Parish District Judge George McWhorter, later Louisiana State Treasurer and Baton Rouge newspaper publisher; medical doctors Richard
part of the world will also grow quieter as families go on vacation, the neighborhood gripped in its deep spell of sleep until school bells stir everyone awake.
Cuny, Thomas Maddox, James Denny William Cox and William Provan; Louisiana Militia Adjutant Gen. Samuel Cuny; plantation owner and horse breeder Thomas Wells, who bred Lecomte; plantation owners Robert Crain, William Barnard and Carey Blanchard; Alfred Blanchard, who assisted in running Cary Blanchard’s plantation; Mississippi State Rep. John Nevitt; Sheriff Norris Wright; and failed grocery store owner David Wood. Maddox and Samuel Wells were the initial duelists, each firing four bullets and missing. Just when it seemed differences were settled, Bowie, Cuny and Thomas Wells jumped into the fray to settle their own disagreements. Then the free-for-all began.
Bowie suffers injuries
“Bowie was stabbed and shot a total of five times,” Wynne said. “He wasn’t expected to survive, but he recuperated in Natchez. Wright and Cuny died from their wounds.” Even though dueling was against the law, no one was prosecuted for these deaths.
“The sandbar duel is considered the second most noteworthy duel in the nation,” Wynne said. “The best known was Aaron Burr’s 1804 duel with Alexander Hamilton, who died.” Unlike Hamilton, there are no musicals dedicated to the sandbar fight.
“But it would make a great movie,” Wynne said.
Do you have a question about something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.
With any luck, we won’t have any hurricanes this summer to test our neighborhood’s resolve. It’s good to know, though, that I live among neighbors I also count as friends. The country is frayed in many places and repairing what’s broken will be hard. Maybe we should start by connecting with the folks next door
Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman. com.
PROVIDED IMAGE By MICHAEL D. WyNNE
Michael Wynne found this newspaper illustration in his research showing the aftermath of the duel which turned into a brawl on a sandbar between Vidalia and Natchez, Miss. The incident became known as the Sandbar Fight and involved 15 prominent men, with Alamo hero Jim Bowie among them
PROVIDED PHOTO By HISTORICAL MARKER DATABASE
The City of Vidalia’s marker commemorating the Sandbar Fight is located on Front Street near the U.S Post Office.
PROVIDED PHOTO By HENRy KAUFMAN
Friends and family of Henry Kaufman dressed up as Star Wars characters for their friends and family premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015.
ON THE ARTS AND CULTURE SCENE
‘Pagliacci’ tickets
Tickets are on sale for Opera Louisiane’s production of “Pagliacci” on May 16 and May 18 in the Manship Theatre in the Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St., Baton Rouge. Tickets are $25-$100. Visit operalouisiane.com.
May the 4th
The Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S River Road, Baton Rouge, will celebrate Star Wars Day and Astronomy Day from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. May 4 with Star Wars Day at LASM: May the Fourth Be With You.
Admission to this familyfriendly event is free as part of the Free First Sunday program. The day will be filled with fun activities for all ages, including hands-on “Star Wars”-themed crafts and activities, astronomy shows at the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium for a reduced price of $5 and demonstrations from the Baton Rouge Astronomical Society Guests are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite “Star Wars” characters. A major highlight of the event is the 2 p.m. showing of “Star Wars: The Worlds Within” in the planetarium. Visit lasm.org.
Shakespeare Festival
The Louisiana Shakespeare Company’s inaugural Louisiana Shakespeare Festival will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 10, at the Capitol Park Museum, 660 N Fourth St., Baton Rouge. The festival will include interactive performances, live showcases of stage combat techniques, enactments of iconic scenes from Shakespeare’s plays performed in an open-air setting, a hands-on activity where participants can create and use gall ink and displays featuring period costumes that bring the fashion of Shakespeare’s time to life.
Admission is free. For more information, visit lashakes.org.
At Elizabethan Gallery Elizabethan Gallery, 680 Jefferson Highway, Baton Rouge, will host its Spring Art Opening and Reception from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 9. This reception and opening will be held in conjunction with the Mid City Merchants’ annual Spring art festival, “Hot Art Cool Nights,” which happens annually and is always the Friday of Mother’s Day weekend. The art hop starts at the inter-
section of Jefferson Highway and Goodwood Boulevard and continues down Government Street to the intersection of Government and 14th streets. It includes art, live music, food vendors and shopping.
The Elizabethan Gallery’s show will include work by Carol Hallock, Keith Douglas, Krista Roche, Kay Lusk, Carol Creel, Dana Mosby, Janice Evans, Andrea Phillips, Kathy Daigle, Diego Larguia, Cheri Fry, Ellene Jo Whiley and Cathy Smart.
Admission is free. Call (225) 924-6437 or visit elizabethangallery.com.
‘CATS’ tickets
Tickets are on sale for Christian Youth Theatre’s production of the musical “CATS,” opening May 22 in the Shaver Theatre in the LSU Music and Dramatic Arts Building, Dalrymple Drive. Tickets are $16-$22. Visit cytbatonrouge.org/shows/CATSyoung-actors-edition/29.
At Cité des Arts
Registration is open for the Cité des Arts’ two-week filmmaking workshop, “Movie Magic 101,” for students in the sixth through 12th grades. The workshop runs from 1 to 3 p.m. June 30-July 11 at the theater. Cost is $330 for the course. Payment plans are available. Visit citedesarts.org
‘Thrift Style’
Louisiana’s Old State Capitol, 100 North Blvd., Baton Rouge, is showing the traveling exhibit, “Thrift Style: An Exhibition on Feed Sack Upcycling,” through May 10.
Admission is free. For more information, visit louisianaoldstatecapitol.org.
Old Governor’s Mansion
The Old Governor’s Mansion, 502 North Blvd., Baton Rouge, will host a free chamber music concert titled “Music at the Mansion” at 4 p.m. May 4 as part of Baton Rouge’s First Free Sunday initiative. The Old Mansion will join other museums across the city and open its doors to the public, free of charge, on the first Sunday of every month from noon to 4 p.m.
The program will feature local musicians from the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, along with faculty members from LSU and the University of Louisiana Lafayette For more information, call (225) 342-9778 or visit laogm.org.
LSU School of Art seeks entries for ‘FELT’
The LSU School of Art and LSU College of Art + Design invites contemporary local and regional artists to submit work to this year’s summer show: an open call, juried exhibition entitled FELT, which will be on view in Glassell Gallery located downtown at the Shaw Center for the Arts. Contemporary visual artists and culture bearers who live, work, study in or are connected to Louisiana are eligible to apply, as well as local and college/university student-artists.
The call for entries is open from April 22 through June 10. Entries are accepted via artcall.org Each entry is $10, and artists must be 18 years and older Those interested are asked to review the full submission guidelines and important dates. The exhibition will be on view from July 12 through Aug. 23. Full details and guidelines can be found at felt-summercontemporary. artcall.org.
Cultural Districts Program begins application cycle
The application cycle for the Louisiana Cultural Districts Program is open until July 1. Communities across the state can apply to be of-
ficially recognized as a Cultural District by submitting a letter of interest, the initial part of the program’s two-stage application process
Approved districts receive access to: state historic tax credits for eligible rehabilitation expenses on revenue-generating historic buildings, technical assistance from cultural development professionals and official designation as a Louisiana Cultural District.
Following the submission of letters of interest, selected applicants will be invited to submit full applications beginning May 31. The deadline for submitting applications is July 1. For more information and guidelines, visit crt.state.la.us/ cultural-development/arts/culturaldistricts/forms-applications/index.
Conservation funding applications open
The Louisiana Outdoors Forever Project Selection Board pre-application window for its second round of conservation funding is open now
tration and donation information is available at louisiana.hdsa.org/ events/2025-team-hope-walk-batonrouge-la
LSU Coffee and Lagniappe will be May 10
Darlyne Nemeth, author and neuropsychologist at the Neuropsychology Center of Louisiana, will speak on COVID-19 and its impact on the community 2 p.m. on May 10 at the Bluebonnet Library, 9200 Bluebonnet Blvd.
In her lecture, Nemeth will discuss the results of her research into the type of personality adaptations that emerged during COVID-19.
through June 23.
In the first round, LOF awarded $10 million to 13 projects, helping bring $28 million more into Louisiana for conservation Project priorities are to expand conservation, restore habitat, manage lands and enhance public access.
For more information, visit wlf. louisiana.gov/page/louisiana-outdoors-forever
Hear music in the Botanic Gardens on Thursday
The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden will host Music in the Gardens with three performances from musicians from around Louisiana. Several local food trucks will be at the event. The concert will be from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. May 8 in the Steele Burden Memorial Orangerie garden at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden, 4560 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge.
Tickets will be $20 for adults and $5 for children, available for purchase at fobgburden.com/. Friends of LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens members will receive 20% off for up to four tickets.
HDSA Team Hope Walk is Saturday
The Louisiana Affiliate of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America will host the 2025 HDSA Team Hope Walk at 8 a.m. May 10 at BREC Highland Road Grand Pavilion, 14024 Highland Road, Baton Rouge. Registration starts at 7 a.m. All proceeds support HDSA’s mission to improve the lives of people affected by Huntington’s disease and their families. For more information about the event, contact Beth LaCour at beth_lacour@att.net. Online regis-
Love Impact to hold free clinic on May 31
Love Impact Coalition will host the first Baton Rouge Free Clinic of 2025, presented by ExxonMobil. The clinic will be held 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 31 at the Raising Canes River Center, 275 S. River Road, Baton Rouge.
The one-day health initiative provides free dental, vision and medical services no insurance, ID or appointment is required. Services include: eye exams and prescription glasses, dental cleanings, dental extractions, dental fillings, STI/HIV screenings, physical exams, colon cancer screenings, maternal-health education and more. To volunteer, donate, or learn more, visit loveimpactcoalition.org.
Diocese launches retail rescue food program
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge has launched its retail rescue food program, in partnership with the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, and the program needs volunteers.
With funding from the Walmart Foundation and Feeding America, the program aims to reduce food waste and address food insecurity. Catholic Charities picks up food that would normally be discarded by retail
about how you can get involved and support the program, visit ccdiobr.org.
‘Two-Headed Doctor’
Book explores Dr. John’s persona and New Orleans musical influence
BY RIEN FERTEL Contributing writer
“Two-Headed Doctor: Listening for Ghosts in Dr John’s Gris-Gris” by David Toop, Strange Attractor Press, 264 pages
It’s an age-old question: Can we, and furthermore, should we, separate the art from the artist?
What do we do about great art by problematic people? Or troublesome art by saintly souls?
Take Dr John, who is not the first artist that comes to mind when considering the art-versusartist dilemma. But in his scholarly and spirited “Two-Headed Doctor,” David Toop, a wide-ranging, contemplative English writer and musician with over a dozen books and two dozen albums to his name, begs to differ Dr John’s debut album “Gris-Gris,” he claims, is one problematic piece of work. The album transformed a teenage Toop.
“Not long after my first hearing,” Toop writes, “I began to think of it as both puzzle and infinitely problematic hoax.”
Clocking in at just 33 minutes and 19 seconds, the album’s seven songs became “one of the significant markers of a life spent investigating music, sound and listening,” he continues. “The record has haunted me ever since.”
Dr John’s haunting hoax of a concept album, Toop argues, is rife with “problems of authenticity and appropriation.” Like many White artists of his era — or any era, for that matter the man born as Mac Rebennack generously pilfered from Black culture, in the case of “Gris-Gris,” voodoo, hoodoo and other arcane matters of spiritualist dimensions. Much of Dr John’s knowledge of such matters, it appears, was inspired from literary sources of highly dubious scholarly merit written by first-rate mythologizers of
New Orleans history like George Cable, Robert Tallant and Herbert Asbury For Toop, the Dr John persona was a delicately crafted bit of musical and theatrical ventriloquism an imaginary leap of two-headedness by a New Orleans rock and roller-turned-Los Angeles session musician. An act so perfectly stylized that he came with his own subtitle: “the Night Tripper,” a wholly New Orleans character that only could have
been invented in Hollywood. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has listened to a Dr John album, especially those first records, the output of a hipster, in the Norman Mailer sense, ne plus ultra. No matter how much you or I might love Dr John’s early work, it always sounds like he’s trying a bit too hard — that gravelly voice garbling its way across often hilarious, absurdist wordplay and unintelligible lyrics.
Those hoots, howls and growls that evidently are meant to sound as if they’re emanating from the darkest, wettest recesses of Louisiana’s swamplands were made in a Los Angeles studio. The druggy references, mesmerizing cover art, and, most of all, his mystifying costumes: feathers, turbans and animal-print everything! Released in January of 1968, “Gris-Gris” confounded listeners. Atlantic Records bigwig Ahmet Ertegun reportedly remarked, “How can we market this boogaloo crap?” The label settled on a half-page ad in “Rolling Stone” magazine that cluelessly proclaimed “The Sound of CajunRock!” had arrived.
“No ancient black from the bayous,” a critic in the “New York Times” wrote, “Dr John is, in fact, the imaginary creation of a young, white studio musician currently working in California with lily-white pop singers, like Sonny & Cher.”
The genius visionary behind “Gris-Gris,” Toop makes the case, was Harold Battiste, the musical polymath who put Sonny & Cher on the map, as well as Sam Cooke and fellow New Orleanians like Ellis Marsalis and Lee Dorsey Battiste traced Dr John’s sound back to a series of recordings he made with his stable of R&B singers earlier in the decade.
“The arrangement was an African/New Orleans/Congo Square type of spiritual thing that you can only find here,” Battiste said in an interview “Mac eventually made that sound commercial.”
Like Dr John, Toop obviously also loves a good tale, no matter how far the narrative nuggets he unearths diverge from his main story Zora Neale Hurston and Ishmael Reed pop up to inform his reading of voodoo. Sun Ra appears again and again as a foil of sorts, a genuine weirdo to Dr John’s cosmic hamminess.
L.A.’s Gold Star Studios, where Dr John and company put “GrisGris” to tape, also saw the recording of most of Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” sessions, as well as records by Charles Manson and Alvin & the Chipmunks. The key to the studio’s echo chamber sound might have been the lead-based paint that dripped from its walls.
There, Battiste’s “Gris-Gris” backup band included a bevy of New Orleans musical standouts, including Shirley Goodman, Tami Lynn and the one-hit wonder vocalist and percussionist Jessie Hill, who is listed in the album’s liner notes as “Dr Poo Pah Doo of Destine Tambourine.” Fellow percussionist Richard “Didymus” Washington receives some of the book’s best lines.
“A dope fiend, like the rest of us,” according to Dr John. Washington died not soon after the recording of “Gris-Gris” from a cabbage juice diet meant to heal his stomach ulcers.
Battiste produced Dr John’s follow-up, 1969’s “Babylon,” before their partnership ended. David Toop admits to losing interest in Dr John’s output soon thereafter
“A constructed identity is almost impossible to sustain over a lifetime,” he writes. But Mac Rebennack mostly enjoyed a long and triumphant career wearing the Dr John mask until his death in 2019 at the age of 77.
“Two-Headed Doctor” is, like Dr John, more than a little bewildering, a touch overwrought, and sure to incite plenty of debate. But Toop has crafted a tremendously readable Mac Rebennack guidebook, a fitting tribute that proves that criticism is its own love language, a book that will have you revisiting Dr John’s classic albums with new ears.
Rien Fertel is the author of four books, including, most recently, “Brown Pelican.”
‘The Memoir’ offers detailed, introspective look at Cher’s life
BY DEANNA B NARVESON Staff writer
When I was a little kid Cher’s 1998 “Believe” album — the one that popularized the stylistic use of AutoTune technology — was playing in stores everywhere, but it wasn’t until I saw her on tour in 2019 that I understood why she’d been a part of pop culture for decades.
I became enamored.
Celebrity memoirs are intriguing because they offer a glimpse behind the curtain into the minds and lives of those we see on screens and hear on speakers Cher’s autobiography, “The Memoir: Part One,” is no exception. Published in November 2024, the book begins before Cher’s birth and spans her life up to her Las Vegas residency in the late 1970s. She tells her story in a casual voice, often interjecting humorous asides, but she doesn’t gloss over difficult subjects such as abortion, addiction and domestic violence. While the writing is solid, and Cher’s introspection about her life is captivating, the book is very detailed and longer for its genre, which might bog down or deter some readers. Each chapter title is the name of a song Cher likes that relates to the part of her life she’s describing, such as “I Will Always Love You” about her marriage to Sonny Bono. In the audiobook version, Cher reads the first part of
each chapter before stage actor Stephanie J. Block takes over for the rest. At the start of the audiobook Cher notes that her dyslexia makes reading out loud difficult, so Block’s role was a compromise.
Born Cherilyn Sarkisian
In “The Memoir: Part One,” Cher chronicles how she went from a Los Angeles-area teenager to an international star while touching on the impact of trauma and addiction, how she found her own independence, and how she’s lived with lasting fears and anxieties that stemmed from her tumultuous childhood. She describes complicated, often fraught, relationships with her family members and partners, extending grace to them as she recounts painful events, even when they’ve wronged her Born Cherilyn Sarkisian in 1946, Cher’s childhood was a bumpy road. Her father, an Armenian American with a heroin addiction, was not around much, while her mother Georgia Holt, chased dreams of stardom. They moved around a lot, with Cher and her sister attending several schools across the Los Angeles area. Her mother married multiple times. At one point, Holt was forced to place Cher in a Catholic children’s home while she worked night shifts to make ends meet. Cher describes how she was inspired to write the 2000 single, “Sisters of Mercy,” by pulling from her mother’s experience with the Catholic church as Holt tried to
regain custody of her daughter She also writes about the heat of spotlight and stage fright, even though she’d known from the first time she saw Elvis Presley at age 10 that she wanted to perform. Cher moved out when she was a teenager and her iconic partnership with Bono began when she was just 16. Initially, their relationship was platonic, but they fell for each other Bono’s job in music production led to Cher’s first recordings, and then to the two of them becoming “Sonny & Cher.” Their success took off, with songs like “I Got You Babe” and a popular television variety show Cher writes that the “Babe” in “I Got You Babe” came from her mother, who used the word to
refer to others so often that Cher and Bono had picked it up.
In 1965, when Cher was 19 years old, she and Bono performed in New Orleans at the Municipal Auditorium. The couple returned in 1969 and played The Blue Room at The Roosevelt Hotel. Later, Bono told The Times-Picayune that The Blue Room was special to them.
“We broke in our nightclub act here at the Blue Room the first time we tried humor, kidding each other around,” he said. “We consider this our lucky town.”
Behind the scenes, Bono and Cher’s marriage was fraught with control issues and emotional turmoil. Cher delves into her personal challenges, including her contemplation of suicide during her divorce from Sonny which is something she has spoken about before.
Bono and Cher divorced in 1975, and she did her first solo tour in 1979.
In 1999 for the “Believe” tour and in 2002 for her “farewell” tour called “Living Proof,” Cher played the New Orleans Arena (now the Smoothie King Center) — both times with Cyndi Lauper as an opening act.
‘I’m a little tardy’
There were several moments described in her book that shed light on things I love about Cher She says her signature strut originated from an injury sustained while jumping off a swing set, describes how she met renowned designer Bob Mackie and devel-
oped her sense of style and recounts her meetings with numerous celebrities. Did you know that Cher loves to draw?
Woven into the narrative are also dozens of references to 20thcentury American history Her grandparents’ and mother’s survival of the Great Depression, the impact of McCarthyism on Hollywood, the British Invasion, the Civil Rights Movement, multiple U.S. presidencies and more are all touched on throughout the book.
Cher notes how these touchstones impacted the people she knew and her own life, and it was sometimes reminiscent of “Forrest Gump,” in which we see history through the eyes of the main character
The book ends with a chance meeting after a Las Vegas show that marked a career shift after she’d been trying to break into acting for years. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, and it’s unknown if Cher will write a part two.
In January, she appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” where she told Kimmel that she “hadn’t even started” part two, adding that she was late with part one.
“I finished it when they had to publish it,” she told Kimmel.
On Amazon, the release date for the second installment of her autobiography is scheduled for Nov 18, 2025. On the late-night show, Kimmel asked if the book would be ready by then.
“I’m a little tardy,” Cher said, “but I think I’ll be better this time.”
Unsolicitedgreetinginterruptschewing
Dear Miss Manners: From thefiles of “good manners run amok,” is it ever impolite to be friendly?
Iwork in abustling environment where my sole 30-minute break is in a sharedbreak room, where Iliketoread or just eatquietly and enjoythe peacefulness. One colleague comes in daily to usethe microwaveand always announces her entrance with avery loud and cheerful, “Hello, everybody!”
that she is, in fact, the one committing theerror in etiquette?
Gentle reader: Oh,please. Greeting colleagues is rude because it interferes with chewing?
Miss Mannersisafraid that whatever time you spent working remotely has warped your idea of collegial behavior
mirror What would be theproper way to respond?
Gentlereader: “Really?” in atone of extreme surprise, and with ahand up to your hair.Miss Manners would probably add, “Do you have amirror Icould borrow?”
By The Associated Press
Today is Sunday,May 4, the 124th day of 2025. There are 241 days leftinthe year
Todayinhistory
On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on student demonstrators during an anti-war protest at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine others.
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
Twominutes later,having made no other conversation, she leaves withan equally boisterous, “Have agood afternoon,everybody!”
When she makes these announcements, most people choose to interrupt their conversations, their chewing or their quiet activities to respond in kind …twice. It feels rudenot to. I, however,ignore her well-meaning but general and, in my opinion, disruptive salutations and remain silent. But it has become adailyannoyance to me, as Ican’tshake the feeling that Iamobligated to reply
Is it impolite to ignore such untargeted greetings, or am Icorrect in thinking
It is true that having to treat co-workersasdear friends was afarce that may now be recognized as such.
Youneedn’tengage in conversations unrelated to work or socialize with them after hours.
Butyou dohave to observe the decency of recognizing their presence. Even if it means sacrificing thereading time it takes you to say hello.
Dear Miss Manners: Iaminmylate 20s but have been goinggray since preschool. My hairisnow about 95% gray.Ilike it, andget many compliments aboutit, to which Ialwayssay thank you and answer anyquestions.
What confuses me is that at leastonce amonth,I getaskedbyastranger if I knowthat Ihave gray hair.Not if it’s natural,orwhat age Iwent gray,but “Do youknow youhave gray hair?”
This boggles my mind—yes, Iam aware of my own hair color.Ihave mirrors. It’salso long enough that Ican see it comingdownmyshoulders without a
Butfor those wanting less drama, perhaps “Thank you for lettingmeknow.” Or just “Thank you,” with the presumption that it must be meantasa compliment.
Dear Miss Manners: My husband andI are invited to our neighbor’shigh school graduation next month.The neighbor’s last name starts with aCand my husband suggested that we depart theceremony after our neighbor crosses the stage. Ifind this rude, but Ialso understand these ceremonies are lengthy and this is asenior class of 450. What’syour opinion on this?
Gentlereader: That you should leave either after Zorbefore A. By the latter solution, Miss Manners meansdeclining theinvitation, with warm congratulationstothe neighbors.
Send questions to Miss Mannersather website, www.missmanners.com or to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail. com.
On this date: In 1886, at Haymarket Square in Chicago, alabor demonstration foran8-hour workday turned into adeadly riot when abomb exploded, killing seven police officers and at least four civilians.
In 1904, the United States took over construction of the Panama Canal from France. In 1942, the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval clash fought entirely with carrier aircrafts, began in the Pacific during World War II. (The outcome wasconsidered atactical victory forJapan, but ultimately astrategic victory forthe Allies.)
In 1961, the first group of “Freedom Riders” leftWashington, D.C., to challenge racial segregation on interstate buses and in bus terminals.
In 1998, Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski wasgiven four lifesentences plus 30 years by afederal judge in Sacramento, California, under aplea agreement that spared him the death penalty In 2006, afederal judge sentenced Zacarias Moussaoui to lifeinprison forhis role in the 9/11 attacks, telling the convicted terrorist, “You will die with awhimper.”
Dear Heloise: Robert L.B., inVermont, wrote about aceramicwax cleaner that was newer and awesome, buthedidn’t give the name of theproduct. Iwould liketoknow what it is. Thankyou! —T.K., in Nebraska T.K., the author of the letter did not mention the name. However,you can type in “ceramic wax”online and see if there is one that you can order.Oryou can ask an antique dealerorastore that sells ceramicswhat they recommend Heloise
Thelaststraw
Dear Heloise: Regarding theperson reusing straws, do you think if you put them in the dishwasher to clean them thatthe inside of the straw is goingtobewashed and clean? All kinds of germs will stay insidethe straw.Plus, most dishwashers will melt the straw in the drying cycle. Bestre-
gards! —D.M., in Texas D.M., they now makemetal straws, and I’vebought heavy-duty straws made from thick plastic. Youmight be able tofind them in agrocery store or online. To clean them, just soak them in an oblong dish of warm, soapy water,then run warm water througheach straw Shouldyou sterilize the straws? No. However,they will be clean this way
Heloise
Acoupleofhints
Dear Heloise: Iwanted to add acouple additional thoughtsoncracked/dry hands and straws: My manicurist says rubbing olive oil into your hands, especially at bedtime, is the best thing to use. Isave used straws for flower beds and potstostake up plants. Iespecially like the green ones from my favorite coffee shop. Speaking of coffee, I’m still waiting to see additional uses for used coffee
grounds. My coffee shop alsooffers their used grounds and nicely packages them. —Susi E., in Oklahoma Susi, areader wrote in recently about his uses for coffee grounds. Here it is: Coffee ground uses
Dear Heloise: Every year,Ihad problems with ticks and fleas until aneighbor gave me asimple trick that actually worked. He told me to sprinkle coffee grounds all over my yard. It can be fresh or used grounds.I saved used coffee grounds in aplastic bag until Iasked theowner of a local coffee shop to let me have his used grounds.He’d dump them in aplastic grocery bag, which Iwould pick up a couple of times aweek.
I’ve found that my ticks and fleas vanished once Istarted doing this early on every spring. Iusually do it every other month now,and Istill don’thave those disease-carrying little pests. —JasonF., in Houston Send ahinttoheloise@heloise.com.
In 2011, President Barack Obamasaid he had decided not to release death photos of Osama bin Laden because their graphic nature could incite violence and create national security risks. Officials told The Associated Press that the NavySEALs whostormed bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan shot and killed him after they saw him appear to reach foraweapon. In 2023, former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and three other members of the farright extremist group wereconvicted of aplot to attack the U.S. Capitol in adesperate bid to keep Donald Trumpinpower after the Republican lost the 2020 presidential election. (Tarrio waslater sentenced to 22 years in prison, but waspardoned by TrumponJan. 20, 2025, the first day of Trump’ssecond term in office.) Today’sbirthdays: Jazz musician Ron Carter is 88. Pulitzer Prize-winning political commentator George Will is 84. Actor Richard Jenkins is 78. Country singer Randy Travis is 66. Comedian Ana Gasteyer is 58. Actor Will Arnett is 55. Basketball Hall of Famer Dawn Staley is 55. Rock musician Mike Dirnt (Green Day) is 53. Designer and TV personality Kimora Lee Simmonsis50. Sportscaster/TV host Erin Andrewsis47. Singer Lance Bass (NSYNC) is 46. Actor Ruth Negga is 44. Golfer Rory McIlroy is 36.
even go without care Simply put— without dentalinsurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcare coverage.
you’recomparingplans ...
BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer
The averagelife spanofa family-owned business is about 24 years,according to industry studies.
BY TIMOTHY BOONE Business editor
The recent sale of aportionofBon Carré Technology Parkfor $9.4 million is the latest step in the evolution of the 800,000-square-footbusiness center, which was built on the site of the first indoor shopping mall in Baton Rouge. DartPoints, aDallas-based data center operator,boughtanearly 90,000-squarefoot portionofthe propertythatincludes the two datacenters it operates for $9.4 million. The seller,EdgePWR, paid $8 million when it bought the entire building less than five years ago. The deal underscores the growing demand for data centers, which have been around for acouple of decadesbut are increasingly important to companies whose massive stores of datacontinue
to multiply.U.S.global data center capacity isprojected to grow by nearly 55% between 2024 and 2027, according to real estate investmentfirm JLL, and even that isn’texpected to keep up with thedemand. DartPoints hasbeeninthe localmarketsince 2023, when it acquiredVenyu, aBaton Rouge-based data center operatorand cloud service provider.Venyu’s twodata centers in Bon Carré take up about 55,000 square feet on the ground floorofthe massive building. Andre van Zijl, chiefrevenue officer forDartPoints, said 20 people workat theBaton Rouge data center,whose clientsinclude health care providers, insurancecompanies andlegal firms Most of the customers are basedwithin
See LUMBER, page 2E
TheRobinsonLumberCo., a south Louisiana stalwart, has that number beat by more than a century The132-year-old New Orleansbasedwood manufacturer and wholesaler predates several venerable institutions in itshometown, including LoyolaUniversity and theSaengerTheatre. Despite its advanced age, the global venture is reporting its highest-ever annual revenues —roughly $100 million —boosted by apost-pandemic spike Over 100years andthrough multiple generations, afamily-owned Louisianalumberbusinesstransformed into a$100M global powerhouse
STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
Garner Robinson is chair and CEO of Robinson Lumber Co., founded in 1893 by Charles WesleyRobinson to sell Americanlongleaf pine. The nowglobal venture is reporting its highest-everannual revenues —roughly $100 million— boosted by apost-pandemic spikeinlumber pricesand strategic movesfrom the fifth generation of the family,which is promoting the sustainability of its company’sproduct line.
Toto and Wesley Robinson pose witha framed portrait of C.W Robinson, founder of their 132-year-old family company
STAFFPHOTO By RICH COLLINS
Baton Rouge
Brandon B. Brown has joined McGlinchey Stafford as a partner affiliated with its Baton Rouge office. He will lead the firm’s government and internal investigations team and will advise businesses and individuals in government investigations and white collar matters.
Brown was U.S. attorney for the Western District of Louisiana during the Biden administration. Before that, he spent nearly nine years as an assistant U.S attorney in the office. Brown was an assistant district attorney in Ouachita Parish from 2002 to 2012. He earned a bachelor’s and a master’s in business administration, both from Louisiana Tech University and a law degree from Southern University Law Center. In 2022, Brown received a distinguished alumni award from the law center
Ronnie Foshee has joined the Baton Rouge commercial lending team of JD Bank as vice president commercial lender
Foshee has nearly 40 years of experience in the financial services industry
He earned a bachelor’s in accounting and a master’s in business administration, both from Delta State University He is a graduate of the LSU Graduate School of Banking.
Jordan Howard is the new project director of Geaux Far Louisiana Geaux Far Louisiana is an initiative from the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children that focuses on unifying the early childhood system to ensure families have access to seamless, high-quality early child development, health and educational services
She earned a bachelor’s in social work from Southern University and a master’s in social work from LSU.
New Orleans
Kristen Hartley has joined Breaux Law Firm
Hartley spent 17 years as an in-house senior staff counsel for Allstate Insurance. She had a sixyear tenure as an attorney member on the Louisiana Disciplinary
Board. She earned a bachelor’s in political science from LSU and a law degree from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
RestorixHealth has new leadership.
Ben Dunford is CEO and Melinda Estep is chief financial officer Dunford has a range of experience as health care executive, including serving as chief financial officer of Texas Regional Medical Center, chief operating officer of NorthStar Anesthesia, president of Rural Physicians Group and most recently, CEO of Diversified Radiology
He earned a bachelor’s in management information systems from Brigham Young University and a master’s in business administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Estep has more than 25 years of experience in finance, health care operations and business development. She held executive officer roles with multiple health
care companies, including Denver
Health Medical Center Health Management Associates and, most recently, chief financial officer of John Muir Health.
She earned a bachelor’s in finance and a master’s in health care administration, both from the University of Colorado.
Mark Romig has joined The Ehrhardt Group as a senior adviser Romig recently stepped down as chief marketing officer at New Orleans & Co. after decades promoting the city He continues to serve as a senior adviser to the destination marketing and sales organization.
Romig has received some of the highest honors in tourism and public service, including the French government’s Ordre national du Mérite, Spain’s Orden del Mérito Civil, the New Orleans Ad Club’s Silver Medal, University of New Orleans’ Alumnus of the Year the Ella Brennan Lifetime Achievement in Hospitality Award and, most recently, the Will Mangham Leadership in Tourism Lifetime Achievement Award from the Louisiana Travel Association.
LUMBER
Continued from page 1E
in lumber prices and strategic moves from the fifth generation of the family, which is promoting the sustainability of its company’s product line.
“Wood is good,” Wes Robinson, the company’s hardwood lumber manager, said during a group interview last week in his office, where the walls are covered in Honduras pitch pine. “A sustainably managed forest provides wood products to meet global demand, while also sequestering carbon for hundreds of years.” Today, Robinson Lumber has customers in 70 countries and 75 employees worldwide. About half of them work out of an office building on a tree-lined lot off Tchoupitoulas Street, just upriver from Barracuda Taco Stand and a few yards away from colorful shipping containers stacked high at the Port of New Orleans.
Robinson family members attribute the company’s longevity to its ability to evolve and pivot over the years, as changing economic conditions warranted They also credit a strategy that has helped them avoid common challenges many family-owned businesses encounter
“We’re really proud that the company has never been inherited,” said Garner Robinson, the company’s 42-year-old CEO. “It’s always been sold from one working generation to another There are a lot of family businesses that don’t have a succession plan in place, and that creates a lot of uncertainty for customers, suppliers, employees and banks.” 19th-century roots
Indiana railroad builder and banker Charles Wesley Robinson founded his namesake company in 1893 to sell American longleaf pine to customers in the U.S. Four years later, he exported his first shipment to the Caribbean, which remains a strong market for the company to this day
DATA CENTER
Continued from page 1E
100 miles of Baton Rouge, but there are some clients in Atlanta and Cincinnati.
“There’s a demand and need for AI at the enterprise level to grow and manage larger workloads,” he said.
Good intentions, failed efforts
Bon Carré was repurposed from Bon Marché, a shopping center that opened at the corner of Florida and Lobdell boulevards in 1960. The center was expanded and enclosed in 1974 in an attempt to get ahead of Cortana Mall, which had started construction about two miles east on Florida.
But that didn’t work. Cortana slowly strangled Bon Marché, as customers flocked to the newer, larger mall. Complicating matters was a pattern of disinvestment along the Florida Boulevard corridor By 1993, Bon Marché was less than 50% occupied.
In 1999, a California developer announced an ambitious $40 million plan to convert Bon Marché into Bon Carré, a mixed-use center with retail, residential and commercial space. There was even talk of putting an ice skating rink that the Baton Rouge Kingfish, the local minor league hockey team, could use as a practice facility
One of the early tenants in Bon Carré was a commercial data center for Houston-based Solid Systems Inc. Bon Carré also became home to the Louisiana Technology Park, a business incubator The state agreed to spend $37.2 million to underwrite the development of the data center portion.
But work on Bon Carré began slowing in the fall of 2001 and came to a halt later that year after one of the investors in the project pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a Ponzi scheme. Though the wrongdoing did not involve Bon Carré, the remaining owners said the scandal wrecked their chances of getting a second round of financing for the business park.
Brought back to life?
In 2003, Commercial Properties Realty Trust, the for-profit, real estate arm of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, purchased the 43-acre site in an effort to revitalize the Florida Boulevard corridor and stimulate economic development in the area.
Over the years, it invested heavily in the property as it tried to reposition the development as a hub for research and tech activity in Baton Rouge’s budding entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Robinson Lumber Co. Chair and CEO Garner Robinson holds biochar, a carbon-rich material made from lumber industry byproducts that can be used for soil amendment, wastewater treatment and air filtration.
In the late 1930s, after longleaf pine had become scarce from overexploitation, Robinson’s son
Robert Gibson Robinson opened the company’s first international pine manufacturing facility in Nicaragua, which helped supply wood to construct Higgins boats used in World War II and then met demand in a rebuilding Europe.
The third and fourth generations of the family continued to scale up, selling more types of wood in more places.
Toto Robinson, a member of the fourth generation and still a company executive, was a key player in the European expansion over the last four decades.
Court Robinson, a company vice president and cousin of Garner and Wes, said the legwork of his predecessors continues to pay off.
“A lot of our customers are still the same 70 years later,” he said.
Leaner operation
At one point, Robinson Lumber owned and operated facilities in Brazil, Honduras and other countries. In 2009, it employed more than 400 employees globally It even owned several ships to transport cargo. But no more.
“There was a time for Americans to do that, but now we’re just not as necessary,” Garner Robinson said. “The world economy is more sophisticated.”
The volatility and shock of the 2008 housing crisis, which caused a slowdown in home building, was one factor that led to a
leaner strategy Ultimately, over the last 15 years, the company chose to focus on manufacturing and wholesaling and to get out of distribution, which required keeping expensive inventory in multiple locations. The company ceased operations at a facility in Chalmette in 2012.
“We prefer to have significant foreign partners, but we don’t own factories overseas,” Garner Robinson said. “In many cases, we might have just as much capital at risk; it’s just a different kind of risk.”
Robinson said the company has strived to replace fixed costs with variable costs.
“I’d rather you own the warehouse, and I’ll pay you $500 every time we ship something in and out — even if that’s going to cost me more than owning the warehouse myself,” he said. “Because when our volumes go down by 50%, I want to be able to just pay 50% less.”
From Indiana to the world
Today, about a third of the Robinson Lumber’s revenue comes from manufacturing American hardwoods like white oak, which is used for flooring, furniture and millwork.
At the company’s 8-acre facility in New Albany, Indiana, workers dry, sort and process about 6 million feet of lumber from about two dozen regional sawmills for buyers worldwide
The other two-thirds of Robinson’s business is wholesale, which requires buying, selling and shipping lumber from hubs overseas.
“We have many niche customers,” Garner Robinson said “It could be a Danish flooring factory an Italian window factory or scores of Vietnamese furniture factories.”
An important part of the business model, dating back to the company’s origin, is financing the time it takes for lumber to dry and be ready for use — and taking on the risk of price changes in the process. “If you’re running a business and you have to keep six months
of raw material sitting out under the sun, that’s a lot of financing,” Garner Robinson said. “We can pay you right now We’ll put it in our yard, and we have the global customer base.”
Over the years, the company has had to adjust its strategy based on changes in market conditions, whether it was the 2008 housing crisis or the 2018 trade war
In 2015, it opened a lumber yard in Winchester, Virginia, with the intention of selling hardwoods to a growing Chinese market, but demand plummeted after tariffs enacted by the first Trump administration in 2018. U.S lumber industry volume dropped significantly, and there were no exemptions or subsidies
“It was like accelerating into a brick wall,” Garner Robinson said. “After a few months, once the industry was destroyed, the Chinese happily came back in and bought. They paid the 25% tariff, still pocketing a 25% discount off the old price.”
‘Wood is good
Robinson Lumber’s leaders think their industry needs to do a better job educating consumers that wood is a sustainable product, especially compared with competing options — like composite decking or vinyl flooring, both of which contain plastic.
In a new sustainability initiative, the company has been developing a plan to create and sell wood carbon, a material made from lumber industry byproducts that can be used for soil amendment, wastewater treatment and air filtration.
The company has a production site under contract in Kentucky which may be operational later this year
“Wood carbon has been around for a while, but it’s never really taken off because no one in the States has done it at industrial scale,” Garner Robinson said. “We think we’ll be the first ones.”
Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.
But in 2018, the firm reached an agreement to transfer the property back to its lender, after defaulting on a 2007 loan that, at the time, amounted to $39 million. Charles Landry, the attorney who represented Commercial Properties, said at the time that several factors led to the default, including the departure of some tenants and the expiration of a lucrative 10-year tax break, which caused Bon Carré’s property taxes to skyrocket from $80,000 to $796,000 a year In December 2020, EdgePWR of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, bought Bon Carré from the bank with fresh plans to remake the star-crossed development. The company specializes in data centers in second- and third-tier markets such as Charleston, South Carolina, and Omaha, Nebraska. At the time of the sale, Jim La Marche, a principal with EdgePWR, said the company’s goal was to make Bon Carré “a focal point of the city again.”
The company spent $10 million to upgrade Bon Carré, painting the property, replacing the roof and adding landscaping.
Open to ideas
Over the past two years, leasing agents have had fresh success attracting new tenants, including the Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services, The Volunteers of America and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness. Occupancy rates are up 15%, according to Scott Macdonald, of Stirling, who handles leasing for the center along with Ben Graham.
Though the occupancy rate in Bon Carré is still below 50%, EdgePWR is “very pleased where things are right now,” Macdonald said. He said the DartPoints sale will hopefully lead to more traction on the leasing side.
“We’re open to a wide variety of tenants,” Macdonald said. “Not just retail or professional office uses.”
One idea that has been discussed is putting a pickleball facility inside Bon Carré After all, the courts are a trendy feature.
“We’re open to being creative,” Macdonald said.
Email Timothy Boone at tboone@theadvocate.com.
Brown
Romig
Foshee
Howard
Estep
Dunford
STAFF PHOTOS By BRETT DUKE
About half of Robinson Lumber Co.’s worldwide team works out of an office building on a tree-lined lot off Tchoupitoulas Street in New Orleans The company operates in 70 countries.
TALKING BUSINESS WITH KATHARINE KAy
CapitalOne market presidenteyeslending trends
BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
By her own admission, Katharine Kay,Capital One’snew market president forNew Orleans, comes from modest means.
Her family moved to New Orleans from Puerto Rico in the late 1970s, when she was 10, settling in aNew Orleans East neighborhood where she attended apublic elementary school. Neither of her parents had acollege degree. Hers camefrom the Universityof New Orleans.
Kay began her career as a credit analyst in the mid-1990s at Hibernia National Bank, which was NewOrleans’ largest bank at the time and was later acquired by Capital One. She worked her way up thecorporate ladder and last month was tapped to succeed Karen DeBlieux, who retired after more than 30 years as local market president.
Kay’sappointmentcomes at achallenging timefor lenders, who are clamping down on credit amidrisinginterest rates, economic uncertainty and market volatility.But Kay is optimistic about the local market and whatshe believes are Capital One’sopportunities to make adifference in New Orleans, where it is the largest bank, with nearly aquarter of all deposits —about 25% ahead of Hancock Whitney and JPMorgan Chase Bank.
In this week’sTalking Business, Kay discusses herpriorities in her new role and the bank’srecent investments in affordable housing and other programs designed to address economic disparities.
Interview has been editedfor length and clarity
When you beganyour banking career,Hibernia wasone of three regional banks based in New Orleans.That has all changed, as businessesand corporate headquarters have left and local banks have been acquired by big national play-
PROVIDED PHOTO
Katharine Kay, whobegan hercareer as acreditanalyst in the mid-1990satHiberniaNational Bank, which wasNew Orleans’ largest bank at the time and was later acquired by Capital One, worked her wayupthe corporate ladder and last month was namedCapital One’s newmarket president for New Orleans.
erslikeCapitalOne. Whatdoes this mean to local lending decisions and to thefuture of the local economy?
The longstanding history we have here is really important, andwecontinue to have ameaningfulpresencehere.
The headofour middlemarket corporate banksits in New Orleans. Oneofour chief credit officers sits in NewOrleans So,Iwill tellyou thatwecontinue to make decisions about this market here locally But certainly,the NewOrleans markethas changed alot since you gotinto
banking Yes, but Ithink that the business landscape and environment ofthe Greater New Orleans area is generally very strong.The middlemarket companies that we have had the benefit of working with, in some cases for decades, are a diverse and resilient group,
including manufacturing and distribution, health care, energy, highered. What would you sayare the greatest challenges they are facing?
Afew yearsago,there were supply chain issues and staffingissues, which seem to have evened out abit. Today,there are challenges around how best to expand. WhenI visit with CFOs and CEOs, they wantto talk about howtheycan grow They want to makesure that we’re going to be theretocontinuetosupport themthrough the cycles. So while it’strue that some M&Aactivityhas slowed, we’re still seeingsome of it. When Italk to CEOs and developers, Ihear about thechallenges of getting credit, commercial real estate loans in particular.Havey’alltightened the reins? Based on thelongevity of the
bors areliving in poverty,and there is ashortageofaffordable housing units —55,000 fewer units than we need. When Ithink about the fact that there arepeople who have livedhere along timewho may not be able to stay because of the affordability challenge, that is a real problem. During thelunch, we announced $1 millioninCDFIs, specifically thoseworking in the New Orleansmarket. So thatismoney thatisgoing to stayinNew Orleans.
No disrespect, but howmuch can you do with$1million,especially spread out among variousinstitutions?
We are continuing to gather ideas and really get abetter understanding of what the needs are. We’regoing to be working withthose partner institutions on howthatmoney is going to be rolledout
But it’spart of amuch larger investment we have made across the country.Just in the last couple of years, we’ve invested over $200 million in Low IncomeHousing TaxCredit dealsacrossthe country
What are some of the local projects Capital One is proud of?
clients we have, they’re strong. We have neverstopped lending. We continue to support our clients in every way
Youmentiondevelopers, and one of the things we are really excited about is the work we are doing to create more affordable housingthrough public-private partnerships, anddevelopers areahuge part of that. They are the ones who are coming to theCommunity DevelopmentFinancingInstitutions, or CDFIs (banks, credit unionsand otherinstitutions that provide financialproducts andservicestolow-income communities). We are one of the top community development lendersinthe country
On that topic, CapitalOne recently heldaluncheon meeting withcommunity leaders to talk about affordable housing.What wasthe goal? Twenty percent of ourneigh-
In late April, we were part of the ribbon-cutting at St. Bernard Circle Apartments by the Circle Food Mart at the corner of St. Bernard (Avenue) in the 7thWard. This wasablank lot, and, with Capital One’sfinancing and other partners involved, there is now a51-unit apartment building, 40 units of which are low-income, and they are going to be lowincome for 99 years. Most LIHTEC programs are good for 15 or 30 years. This is a99-year commitment,whichishuge Tivoli Place, a163-unit historic building on St. Charles Avenue, and Celeste Landing, in the Lower Garden District, aretwo otherrecentprojects thatwehelpedmakepossible
Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@ theadvocate.com.
Fool Take: Realty Income for dividends
Realty Income (NYSE: O) is oneofthe largest real estate investment trusts. It owns about15,600 propertiesinthe U.S. and Europe, most of which are occupied by retailersthat operate recessionresistant (but not recession-proof) businesses. Toptenants include Dollar General, Walgreens, Wynn Resorts, FedEx,BJ’s Wholesale Club, TractorSupply, Home Depot and Walmart. Convenience stores, grocery stores and drugstores areamong the top tenant types. Tenants signlong-term leases that require them to pay taxes, insurance and most maintenance expenses for the properties. Over thepast 15 years,Realty Income’sstock has generated an average annual return of about 7.4%. It has also raised its dividendfor 110 consecutive quarters, illustratingthe power of its steady and predictably growing rental income stream. Realty Income’sdividend yield was recently ahefty 5.5% —and it pays out its dividends monthly, unlike most companies, which pay quarterly Realty Income was recently down by about 10% fromits 52-week high and about 27% from its all-time high.However, this isn’tbecause of anything wrong with the business itself —this steady compounderis
Another cohort of high school students will head off to college in afew months.
Iwonder what they and their parents have learned from the cautionary talesofthosewho came before, now shackled by student debt and dreamsdeferred?
Are they listening to thewarningcries of the millions who will soon have to squeeze monthly student loan paymentsback into their monthly budgets?
After afive-year pandemicrelated payment freeze, the Education Department announced it will resume collections on defaulted federal student loans on Monday
Here are some sobering facts:
More than 5million borrowers have not made amonthly payment in over ayear,withmany in default for more than seven years. An additional 4million are seriously delinquent by three to sixmonths.
The government has significant debt collection power.Thiswill result in some borrowers seeing areduction in their SocialSecurity payments, wage garnishments, or adecline in their credit scores.
“There could be almost 10 million borrowers in default in a few months,” the department statement said. “When thishappens, almost 25% of the federal student loan portfolio will be in default.”
If this were ahorror movie trailer,that would be the line to getfolks to rush to see the financialcarnage.
But every single kid and parent
verysensitivetointerest rates. That means it could also benefit if ratesfall over thenextfew years. Nowcouldbeagreat time forlong-term investors to buy shares.(The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Realty Income.)
Fool’sSchool: You’llneed awithdrawal strategy
If you approach and enter retirement withoutagood withdrawalstrategy,you might drain your nest egg tooquicklyortake money out toocautiously, enjoying retirement less. There’s no singlebest withdrawalstrategyfor everyone. For many years, acommon guideline wasthe “4% rule.” It suggestedtaking out 4% of your nest egg in your first year of retirement and then adjusting each subsequent year’swithdrawal for inflation. So with a $500,000 nest egg, you’d take out $20,000 in year one, andifinflationwas 3% thatyear,you’d take out$20,600 in year two.And so on. But the 4% rule is imperfect Forstarters, much depends on when you startretirement. For example, if youretire right beforea big market crash,your4% withdrawal will endupbeing a biggerchunk ofyour newly 4% shrunken portfolio.And the 4% rule and otherwithdrawal guidelinesare arrived at by lookingat pastreturns. In the next 30 or 50 years, stocksand/or bonds may perform differentlythanthey did in the past. The 4% rule (and some others)
alsoaim to make anest egglast for 30 years. But what if you’re retiring at 58 andyourfamily tends to live into their 90s? Your retirement might last40 years.Or, if you’re in poor health andretiring at 70, youmight notneed your money to last30 years Whatshouldyou do?Well, read up on safewithdrawal rates, and don’tbeafraidtoconsult afinancial adviser. Youcan find feeonly advisers near youatnapfa. org andgarrettplanningnetwork. com. Meanwhile, prepare to be flexibleinmakingwithdrawals throughout your retirement. You might look to variousstudies for guidance, but don’trigidly follow onerule. For example, when theeconomy is booming, youmight withdrawmore; when it’sdown or struggling, you’d withdrawless. This approach is especially important in the early years of your retirement, when youmight spend more on hobbiesand travel.
Ask the Fool:Money market differences
What aremoney market accountsand money market funds? —C.W., Baton Rouge
Amoney marketaccount is abankaccount that’stypically insuredbythe Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. or theNational Credit Union Administration. Suchaccounts have features of both savings andcheckingaccounts, often permitting afew checksper billingperiod while paying more in interest than a
who will sign apromissory note fortuitionand/orroom and board this summer needstounderstand howserious thisis. And it’s not just families that will be affected —the entireeconomy could get hitbythe “looming tsunamiof student loandelinquencies and defaults,” warned arecent report from the Bipartisan Policy Center, citing the expected drop in consumer spending and savings. Howdid we gethere?
There is, of course, the costof attendance —tuition, ever-rising fees, books, room and board. Without adequate funds from savings, scholarships or grants, parents and students have felt they had no choice but to take out loans.
According to the New York Federal Reserve, the total outstanding student debt in the United States was $1.62 trillion at the end of 2024.
So,before you or your child accepts adebt sentence, read ablog series recently released by the New York Fed. One asks: Is College Still Worth It?
The other blog is titled: When College Might NotBeWorth It. Let’sstart with the debate about acollege degree.
The median college graduate with just abachelor’sdegree earned about $80,000 annually, compared with $47,000 for the median worker with only ahigh school diploma, according to the New York Fed.
If you looked at the return of college as an investment, it would be an annual 12.5%, “a rate well above the threshold fora sound investment,” the New York Fed concluded. Given such awage premium, “it is easy to see why the return to college remains so substantial,” the report said. “Over an entire working life of more than 40 years, such apremium adds up to abenefit well in excess of the costs.”
OK,soyou may be thinking that proves the debt is worththe struggle. But wait. Let’slook at the conclusion from the second report. It seemssoobvious, yetmany studentsand their parentsfail to comprehend it.
The economic value of acollege degree isn’talways aguaranteed return. Factorssuchasthe cost of tuition, the time to graduate, the field of study and the earning potential after graduation significantly impact whether college is worth the accumulation of debt that could take decades to pay off.
“As many as aquarter of college graduates appear to end up in relatively low-paying jobs, and for them, acollege degree may notbeworth it, at least in terms of the economic payoff,” the Fed researchers said.
standard savings account. Beforeopening amoney market account, verify theinsuranceand the amount protected (it’soften $250,000).
Amoney market fund is amutual fund thatinvests primarily in short-term U.S. Treasury securities, municipalbonds or corporate bonds and bank debt securities. Suchfunds are consideredextra-safe places to parkyour dollars, but theygenerally offer lower returns than more risky investments. Unlike money market accounts, they’re not FDIC- or NCUA-insured. You’renot likely to getrich— or poor —with money market accounts or funds. But they’re a great place to park your shortterm money,and some money market funds were recently yielding more than4%.
It’saneconomicsystem in which individuals and private organizations ownbusinesses that are operated for profit, with prices setbysupply and demand (that is, what people are willing to pay). The thinking is that these businesses will compete with each other,often leading to betterprices for consumers.
Capitalism is sometimes referred to as afree-market economy or free enterprise. It’sasystem where there are incentives forinnovation and efficiency,and where some people and businesses can amassa lot of wealth. Income inequality is common, though, and there can be boom andbust cycles
My Smartest Investment: Did well, post-divorce
My smartest investment? After divorcing my husband at age40, Idecidedthat as asingle woman in chargeofmy finances, I’dbetter startsaving formyretirement big-time! Icontributed heavilyto401(k) accounts, alwaysgetting apercentageas an employermatch, and sometimes Igot profit-sharing money,too.WhenIstarted working foraninvestmentcompany11 years before Iretired, Irolled everything into asingle IRA. Most importantly,I never took adistributionuntil 10 years after retiring.Good investment advice and working part-time in retirement have enabled that money to continue to grow.— M.C., online
Congratulations! Divorce or no divorce, anyone whose workplace offers a401(k) or other tax-advantaged retirement account would be wise to participate. It’s especially heartening that you’ve done so wellasasingle woman,because women tend to be worse-prepared forretirement; they have generally earned less than men and have often been out of the workforce forafew or manyyears, caring forfamily members. Youwere smart to save enough in your 401(k)s to collect available “matching” dollars as that’s free money.Working alittle in retirement is agood idea, too, as it can provide extra incomeand can give your saved dollars more timetogrow foryou.
Do you have asmart or regrettable investmentmove to share withus? Email it to tmfshare@fool.com.
Before you sign on that dotted line, let’sdosomething Ilike to call the “Stop, Drop and Roll” of student loans.
Stop!Just. Stop
Don’tsign asingle loan document until you calculate how much debt it will take to completethe degree —and how much in earnings will be needed to service the debt.
Don’taccept that afour-year universityisthe only choice. Community college can be aviable way to cut costs, and many are recruiting top students from high school by providing generous scholarships and aclear pathwaytoafour-year university —aneconomical way to take basic courses at adiscount.
Transferring credits from a community college to afour-year school is still not seamless, but it is getting easier,sodosomeresearch to determine what credits transfer and to which schools.
In many states, community college students who obtain an associate’sdegree and/or maintain a certain grade-point average after acertain number of credit hours are automatically accepted to a stateschool.
Drop thesnobbery!
Drop this whole elitist attitude that abrand-name college defines people’sworth to all employers.
Yes, some companies want to recruit only from certain elite colleges, but more often employers are looking for students who have gained job experience while in college.
Seriously,folks, the student makes the difference, not just the college name on the diploma. Or as the researchers in the New York Fed report put it:
“Some of what we estimate as the benefit to college maynot be aconsequence of the knowledge and skills acquired while in school but rather could reflect innate abilities possessed by those who complete college.”
Roll your eyes
Every timesomeone says a student loan is good debt, Iroll my eyes.
I’ve spoken to individuals, many approaching or already in retirement, who are still burdened by student loans long after earning adegree. They were once told this debt was a“good” investment —asteppingstone to alucrative career.Infact, at the end of 2024, 2.8 millionborrowers were 62 or older and were carrying student loan debt totaling $121.5 billion, according to the Education Department. Framing these loans in such optimistic terms overlooks an unfortunate truth: When the debt becomes too large, it can derail a person’sfinancial future.
If you don’tbelieve me,ask any of the millions of borrowers facing default and significant damage to their credit histories. Many of them are having buyer’s remorse. The debt isn’tlooking so good right about now EmailMichelle Singletary at michelle.singletary@washpost. com.
Tulane fundraisingveteran to lead LSUHealthFoundation
BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer
TheLSU Health Foundation has plucked atop executivefromits competitor across town, Tulane University,tolead its fundraising efforts as it seekstosecure aprestigious National Cancer Institute designation. Katie Acuff, Tulane’sassociate vice president for advancement,will take over as president and CEOofthe LSU Health Foundation on May19. The organization is the primary fundraiser for the LSU HealthSciences Center New Orleans,which encompasses six schools —including medical, nursing and dental programs —that educate nearly 3,000 students annually and provide care for more than 1million patients.
The organization’sboard of directors said she was selectedfrom apool of more than 200 applicants
During her 15-year fundraising career at Tulane, Acuff is credited with raising more than$100 million in philanthropicsupport for the school. She also led the creation of the Tulane Innovation Institute, which launched in 2022 to help innovators buildbusinesses and raise funds.
“Having astrong foundation for the state’sflagship institution in this city is important,” Acuffsaid in aphone interview Wednesday “I think I’ve got the skillset and ability to lead the organization, which plays avery important role in education and health care in this state.”
Acuff’s appointment comesas LSU and its health care and education partners are seeking NCI designation, the highest federal rating acancer center can receive. It’sa yearslong process that could create more access to federal funding and opportunities to participate in clinical trials. She will support the efforts of SteveNelson, who last year was named permanent chancellor of LSU Health last year
The LSU HealthFoundation is the primary fundraiser for the LSU Health Sciences Center NewOrleans, which encompasses six schools —including medical, nursing and dental programs —that educate nearly 3,000 students annually and provide care formorethan1 millionpatients
after servingonaninterimbasis since 2021.
“The No. 1priority is NCI designation, whichrequiresa certain level of funding for research annually and thresholdsofphilanthropic support,” Acuffsaid.
Thefoundation also raises funds for LSU Health’sCenter for Advanced Learning and Simulation, which opened in 2023 in downtown New Orleans to provide high-tech training for medical and nursing students. The foundation also supportsresearch, professorships, scholarships and other institutional needs.
Acuff, aSouthCarolina native, said shegot pulled intoprofessional fundraisingwhile she was still an undergraduateatthe Catholic University ofAmerica in Washington, D.C. She continuedtowork in the school’sdevelopment office while earning her lawdegreevia night classes.
In 2010, she accepted ajob offer from Tulane,where then-Executive Vice PresidentYvette Jones wasleading acapital campaign that’sraised nearly $2 billion over thepast 15 years.
Acuff said her success at Tulane was theresult of teamwork.
“It’srareinany situationindevelopment that it’sone persondoing this work,” she said. “There’sa writing team helping to put together agreat proposal, adonor relations team making sure the gifts arespent properly and updating the donoronresults of giving. It’sa multifaceted, complex approach.”
She said she didn’twant to leave herworkplaceofthe past 15 years, but she couldn’tturn down theopportunity to lead at an impactful organization.
She’ll be moving from aprivate universitywith a$2billion endowment to apublic institution with aboutone-tenth of the assets. Tulane has about 40 full-time fundraisers on staff. The foundation’s total staff is about 20 people.
Acuff has thoughts about how to grow it
“Thisshouldbeadonor-centric organization,” she said.“If we are working with ourdonors well, serving them well, helping them achieve theirphilanthropicgoals and meeting the needs of the institution at same time, we’re doing thejob.”
Health, hasjoinedthe South Rampart Pharma board of directors. November’s appointment coincides with a strategic investment by OchsnerHealth in South Rampart’s Series Afinancing round.
South Rampart Pharmaisa New Orleans biotechnology companydevelopinga breakthrough nonopioid painkiller
Judy PerryMartinez,ofcounselat Simon, Peragine,Smith &Redfearn, has been selected to receive the 2025 American Inns of Court James E. Coleman Jr Award forProfessionalism in theFifth Circuit.
She willreceive the award at a conference this month. Martinez servedaspresident of theAmerican BarAssociation from 2019 to 2020. In 2011, she chaired the association’sStanding Committee on the Federal Judiciary,which evaluates all nominees to the federal bench.
She founded theNew Orleans Pro Bono Project in 1986. Martinez serves as thevicepresident of the World JusticeProject, an international group that works to advance the rule of law around the world.
She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of New Orleans and alaw degree, cum laude, from Tulane UniversityLaw School.
FutureUse of Energyin
Louisiana hasawarded nearly $900,000 in fundingto13programsadvancing energy talent development.
FUEL’s ScaleFund is providing seven existing workforce programs with $100,000 each to expand their reach and impact.
Fundingwill go to:
n Louisiana Tech —toadd and update coursesinthe electrical engineeringcurriculum to help students gain experience with emerging energy technology
n East Baton RougeParish School System —toadd 40 spots in the EBR Learnand Earn Energy Transition Internship Program.
n Greater Baton RougeIndustrial Al-
liance —toexpand their Educator Externship Program, which provides apath to career opportunities in the energy industry
n Southeastern Louisiana University to bolster theSoutheastern STEM Scholars Energy Academy,which is aimed at high school students.
n ExxonMobil —toexpandthe STEM Energy Professional Development program with SOWELA Technical Community College and Allen Parish School Board.
n River Parishes Community College —to enhance the instrumentation and electrical technology program, with industry-relevant certifications, usage of virtual and augmented reality technologies, dedicated energy training activities/ coursesand professional developmentopportunities forthe faculty
FUEL’s Seed Fund is providing sixnew workforce initiativesand projects with $20,000 each
Funding will go to:
n The St.MaryParish School System to establish adistrictwide FIRST Robotics team
n Pro FabEducation —tohelpK-12 teachers deliver high-quality STEM education.
n GNO STEM —toprovide aprofessionaldevelopment opportunity forSTEM teachers.
n TRCXREDU —tocreate avirtual reality module that introduces secondary andcollege students to jobopportunities and key skills required.
n LouisianaArt&Science Museum/Irene W. PenningtonPlanetarium —tooffer a Kids’ Energy Dayand ateacher workshop focused on energy-related training.
n University of Louisiana at Lafayette to collaborate with industrial partners to boost awareness of sustainable manufacturing.
Anchored in advocacy:BlaineBraddock champions menhaden industry while balancing family,careerand community
Amanda McElfresh
By
amcelfresh@theadvocate.com
Thisarticle is brought to youby the Louisiana CommercialFishing Coalition LLC Blaine Braddock fulfills severalroles on adaily basis.The Belle Chaseresidentand professional financialadvisoratNielsen Investments is alsoamother to twoyoung girls and the wifeofJames Braddock, acaptain on oneofthe dozens of menhaden fishing vessels thatwork in the Gulf formonths at a time each year After adecade-long career in Nuclear Medicine, Blainejoined her father at Nielsen Investments in 2022.She focuses her businessonfaith-based investing and hasa reputation as atrusted financial advisorin her community. Community involvement has always been apriority, which is whyyou will find her serving on manylocal boardsand panels within Plaquemines Parish Inspired by the dedication of her own husband as well as other captains,Braddock is alsoavocal advocate forthe menhaden industry in Louisiana.She has testified before both the Houseand Senate NaturalResources Committeeonbehalf of Westbank Fishing She has firsthand knowledgeofwhatthe menhaden industry means to employees families and the communityatlarge
“I feel thatadvocating forthis industry is really importanttoensurethatwehavea seat at thetable, especially when anylegislative action is being discussed,”Braddocksaid.“It empowers other community memberstotake prideinour work andpreservethis unique heritagefor futuregenerations.”
Here, Braddock shares moreabout what the menhadenindustry means to the region and local families likeher own. Whatinspiredyou to become a strong advocate for this fishery?
My husband and Ihavebeen married for 15 yearsthis year.Going through lifetogether means sharing ambitions and goals, as well as overcoming challenges.Myhusband always wanted to be amenhaden captain and he loves his jobsomuch.It’simportanttometostep up to protect not only our familyand his job, but other captains and their families as well. Ispent11yearsworking in nuclear medicine, then changed careerstofinancial advising. I discoveredthatgavememorefreedom and opportunities to be aprofessional on my ownwhile also speaking up forthe menhaden industry
In your experience,whatimpactdoes the menhaden industry have on the local economy?
Ithink it is acornerstone forthe economy in all of South Louisiana,not just Plaquemines Parish. There aresomanylocal businesses thatrelyonthe industry.One greatexample is alocal grocery storeinPort Sulphur that handlesthe food supply formanyofthe boats as well as the docks. Other small stores and gasstations serveusaswell. It createsaripple effectthrough the entireeconomy. Whatare some of themostcommon misconceptions aboutthe industry?
One is thatthe industry is not environmentally-friendly, or thatthe way the fishing is done has anegativeimpact on other fish species and theLouisiana coastline. Thoseperceptions arevery much false. The
captains and companies go to greatlengths to implementnew tactics and technologies every year to protect Louisiana and help us remain the Sportsman’sParadise
Another misconception is that menhaden companies arenot involved in the communities.Theyare actually giving back to localschools and nonprofits all year long. We’recontinuing to work hardtoraise awarenessabout this work and foster a greaterappreciation forthese companies’ contributions to their communities Whatislife likeasthe wife of amenhadencaptain?
It is definitely not forthe faintofheart. Women aretruly aglueinthis industry.Our husbandsare on fishing vessels six months out of the year.Theyare usually home on weekends,but that is not aguarantee every week. Most of us women areworking mothers who areinthe office during the day, then running households and helping our kids with their extracurricular activities in the evenings. At the same time, Ihavealot of gratitude becausemyhusband’scareeristhe biggest reason we areabletoraise our children in the waywefeel is best.Myoldest daughter goes to aprivateschool thatfits her needs. My youngest is in competitivecheer anddance. We cangivethemthose opportunities because of the sacrifices my husband makes andthe work he does in themenhaden industry
As the wifeofa menhaden captain, what have youlearned about howhardtheywork?
It is adangerous job, and beingacaptain is even morestressful.Theyare responsible for 15 other men on the boatand their families My husband takes it very much to heart.He
really focuses on giving men an opportunity to provide fortheir ownfamilies andmaking decisions to protect their livelihoods. That’s alsotrueofall the other captains Iknow. Theyare always thinking about others, not just themselves Howdothe families of menhaden fishermen support each other, especially during the season?
One of the thingsI pride myself one is thatwenow have aclub forthe wives of the captains in the companysowecan be a support systemfor one another.Noone else really understands whatwegothrough on a dailybasis duringthe season. Thereisalso an overall family environment. My husband’s brother andboth of my daughters’godfathers arecaptains. It’sraretofind someone who doesn’thaveatleast one family member in the industry.Everyone supports one another and offersadvice or help andsteps in if we seea family needsus. Whatdoyou hope is the future of the menhaden industry?
Every time we have the blessingofthe fleet to start the season, yousee little kids on the dockslookinguptotheir grandfathers, fathersand uncles with admiration. Ihope that inspires them to preserve this industry I’dalwayslovetosee morepeople in the younger generations with an interest in menhaden fishing, but it is greattosee alot of kids getting afirsthand viewand hopefully wanting to do it themselves one day. I’dalso liketosee us have opportunities to work with the local school systems morefrequently to talk to kids about whatacareer in fishing could look likefor them.
FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL DEMOCKER
Acuff
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• Whya Succession maybenecessary when youdie?
• Howtoavoid the Succession processcompletely?
• Federal estate taxthat may be duewhenyou pass away?
• Community property -who gets this when youdie without aWill?
• What happens when youleave your spousethe usufructof your assets?
• Whogetsthe assetsatthe termination of theusufruct?
• Theusufructuary’srights?
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUDIE WITHOUTAWILL,AND WHYYOU
DO NOTWANTTOBENAMED THE ADMINISTRATOROREXECUTOR
When aLouisianaresidentpassesaway, the title to alloftheir assets is frozen. This includesall bank accounts,investmentaccounts, and real estate in their name.None of it canbesolduntil ajudge orders thetransferofthe assetstothe surviving heirs.
HOWWILL MYASSETSGET TRANSFERRED TO MY HEIRS:
•Assetsneedtobe sold or managed priortothe completionofthe succession?
•Thereisadisagreementamong the heirs?
•The deceased has billsthat need to be paid promptly?
•Itwill take alongtime to determine the assetsand debts of thedeceased
•Thereare manycomplicating factors?
WHAT IS USUFRUCT?
Ausufructis aright that apersonhas fora certain period of time on the property of another person. Thefeatures of the right of ausufruct vary with thenatureofthe thingssubjecttoit. Usufructs areoften established when some-one dies. Forexample,a marriedpersonmay,in hisWill, leave his surviving spouseusufructofeverything he owns whenhedies, butthere arecertain restrictions and limitations when establishing ausufruct. Theusufructuary may have numerousobligations,such as an obligation to provide security,the responsibility to providerepairs,the paymentofnecessary expenses,taxes,debts,and othercharges. consequences.Typically,noone paysincome taxonagift regardless of thevalueofthe gift Asizeablegift will haveestateand gift taxconsequences
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LIVING WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES
Monitoring, diligence, lifestyle changes help people as cases rise
was
with Type 1 diabetes.
BY MARGARET DELANEY and JAN RISHER Staff writers
At age 8, Elizabeth Bennett was sick for two weeks. She lost weight. She couldn’t get off the sofa by herself She missed school.
Her family in Houma couldn’t tell what was wrong with her The family doctor sent her to New Orleans for further tests.
“My blood sugar was so high that they couldn’t get a reading,” Bennett said.
In November 1969, Bennett was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
After her diagnosis, she stayed in the hospital for a week.
“They were trying the strangest things,” Bennett said. “If my blood sugar would go down, they gave me a full glass of sugarcoated grape juice.”
Doctors at the hospital placed an orange at her bedside and told Bennett she couldn’t go home until she learned how to inject herself with insulin — practicing on the orange. Once she left the hospital, Bennett gave herself an injection once a day until high school.
Bennett is not alone in her experience.
In 2017, 7-month-old Alia Riojas was sick No one could figure out what was wrong. For one thing, her oxygen level was low and dropping.
Her mother Nikki Kinsey Riojas remembers being in an emergency room in Corpus Christi, Texas. Seven doctors were hovering over her infant daughter who “was turning greener and greener.” The doctors were preparing to do
Engineers develop tiny pacemaker
BY LISA SCHENCKER Chicago Tribune (TNS)
CHICAGO A new, tiny pacemaker — smaller than a grain of rice developed at Northwestern University could play a sizable role in the future of medicine, according to the engineers who developed it.
Researchers unveiled the device, which they say is the smallest pacemaker in the world, in a study published in the peerreviewed journal Nature.
Though the device is still years away from being used in humans, it could eventually be useful for infants with congenital heart defects and also for adults, the researchers say “I think it’s really exciting technology that will change how electrical stimulation is done,” said Igor Efimov, a Northwestern experimental cardiologist who co-led the study The device can be inserted with a catheter or syringe. After it is placed in or on the heart, it’s paired with another small, patch-like device worn on the patient’s chest. When the device on the chest detects irregular heartbeats, it emits pulses of light into the chest that activate the pacemaker, delivering electrical stimulation to the heart.
The device is designed for patients who need a pacemaker only temporarily It dissolves into the patient’s body once it’s no longer needed.
Engineers were initially inspired to create the device for infants with congenital heart defects. About 40,000 babies in the U.S. are born with heart defects each year, and about a fourth of those “generally need surgery or other procedures in their first year of life,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After surgery, the infants typically need a pacemaker for about a week while their hearts heal.
Some adults also need temporary pacemakers, such as after an aortic valve replacement or bypass surgery Efimov said. In such cases, surgeons now must often sew a wire onto the heart that’s attached
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITy/TNS
By JOHN A.
Northwestern engineers unveiled what they say is the smallest pacemaker in the world. Though the device is still years away from being used in humans, it could eventually be useful for infants with congenital heart defects, as well as adults, the researchers say. The pacemaker can be inserted with a catheter or syringe.
Elizabeth Bennett takes her morning walk. In 1969 at age 8, Bennett
diagnosed
PROVIDED PHOTOS
Toddler Alia Riojas wears her continuous glucose monitor Alia was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 7 months old.
PHOTO
ROGERS
HEALTH MAKER
La. leader in N.O. wants nurses to have a voice
BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer
Tiffany Murdock is from Sims, Alabama, a small town outside Mobile.
Both of her parents were in the health care space growing up, so Murdock wanted to follow in their footsteps. She worked as a licensed practical nurse in a liver transplant unit and spinal cord injuries in Jacksonville, Florida, while getting her master’s in nursing at Jacksonville University and master’s in business for health care administration.
Murdock moved to Sonoma, California, for her first administrative role in nursing and has never looked back. After a few years on the West Coast (including a stint in Oregon, the birth of two children and a doctorate from the University of San Francisco), Murdock and her husband moved their family closer to relatives in Gulfport, Mississippi In 2023, Murdock moved to New Orleans to become the chief nursing officer for the Ochsner Health System overseeing over 10,000 nurses around the world What inspired you to become a nurse?
DIABETES
Continued from page 1X
an invasive surgery to try to determine what was wrong. Things were not looking good Her husband Andrew Riojas remembers a doctor they had never seen before walking in the room and saying, “Did you check her glucose levels?”
Someone said, “No.”
As the doctor, whose name they don’t know and whom they never saw again, was walking out of the room, he said, “You might want to check that.”
They did — and discovered that, at 7 months old, little Alia was one of the youngest Type 1 diabetes patients ever Sometimes the Riojas family wonders if that doctor was an angel. They had just moved from Scott to Texas. For the next few years, figuring out their infant’s care plan was a challenge. Alia turned 8 in March. Now, she wears a continuous glucose monitor on the back of her arm. She, along with her parents, on a near constant basis, monitor her carb intake and blood sugar
”Even since she was diagnosed, technology has advanced substantially,” Nikki Riojas said from her home in Lubbock, Texas. “We were lucky we could get her on an insulin pump when she turned one.”
At that time the young parents would go to her insulin pump and plug in the information to determine how much insulin she needed.
”We thought it was amazing that we could give her insulin through that. Now
PACEMAKER
Continued from page 1X
to an external box that delivers a current to control the heart’s rhythm. When the pacemaker is no longer needed, surgeons must remove the wire from the heart, which can introduce complications such as bleeding, damage to the heart muscle and infection. Such a complication contributed to the death of astronaut Neil Armstrong in 2012, when he started bleeding internally as wires of a temporary pacemaker were being removed, The New
I thought I wanted to go into med school, so I got a soccer scholarship and a biomedical scholarship. I ended up going on a medical mission trip to Guatemala with a group of nurses that changed my life in multiple ways. The nurses there were incredible the amount of time that they spent with human nature and the humanity of taking care of people who have nothing. It was really beautiful. When I came back, my mom was diagnosed — she was 40 years old — with
it’s attached to our phones, and we can see her blood sugar numbers at any time,” Nikki Riojas said. “Alia has a master phone that needs to be within 15 feet of her at any given time. It feeds us the readings every five minutes.”
In second grade, Alia is into cheer and many other things her classmates and friends do, but she also calculates how many carbs she eats.
At school, she visits the nurse and uses her phone to administer her own insulin.
“That gives her a lot of ownership,” Nikki Riojas said. “She’s been checking her numbers since she was 4 years old Now, she can essentially take care of herself though we stay very involved.
In 2022, when the Riojas family went to see the Pixar movie, “Turning Red,” little Alia was thrilled to see two of the characters wearing monitors on their arms like she does.
”The movie never addressed it,” Nikki Riojas said, “but Alia noticed them right away and said, ‘Oh, they’re wearing it like me.’”
On the rise
According to the American Diabetes Association, an estimated 18,000 children and adolescents under the age of 20 are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes each year in the United States.
The number of new cases of Type 1 diabetes diagnosed in a given year rose from 19.5 per 100,000 people under the age of 20 in 2002 to 2003, to 22.2 per 100,000 in 2017 to 2018 — an increase of more than 2% each year, according to research published in 2023 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
York Times reported. “Even though it’s exceedingly rare, it could be lethal,” Efimov said of complications of removing traditional, temporary pacemakers. “We wanted to create a pacemaker which would be, first of all, much, much smaller compared to what it is now, fully implantable so there’s nothing external, so there’s no risk of infections, but more importantly, it’s transient. It serves a purpose for whatever number of days or weeks it’s required, and after that it will dissolve.”
The study showed how researchers have used the small, implantable device so
Stage 4 colon cancer It had metastasized everywhere. She had to go in for a procedure, and she never made it out. I was able to experience her care team and to work with the nurses in Guatemala. I felt that the health care workers at the bedside needed advocacy to take care of patients. That perspective changed my life. I knew from that moment on I was going to be able to sit at tables and have conversations and to ensure that no one would ever have to walk out of a hospital again
Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition. In this condition, the pancreas makes little or no insulin, which is a hormone the body uses to allow sugar, or glucose, to enter cells to produce energy, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Different factors, such as genetics and some viruses, may cause Type 1 diabetes Although Type 1 diabetes usually appears during childhood or adolescence, it can develop in adults.
Even after years of research, Type 1 diabetes has no cure — though glimpses of potential promise are out there Treatment is directed toward managing the amount of sugar in the blood using insulin, diet and lifestyle to prevent complications.
The first signs of Type 1 diabetes typically present itself in early childhood, like Bennett’s case, with common symptoms like:
n Feeling more thirsty than usual
n Urinating a lot
n Bed-wetting in children who have never wet the bed during the night
far in mice, rats, a dog and in hearts from deceased humans and pigs. Eventually, the team hopes to get approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin clinical trials in humans. Efimov and Northwestern bioelectrics expert John Rogers, who coauthored the study and led development of the device, co-founded a company at Northwestern called NuSera Biosystems that will work to further develop the device and eventually bring it to market.
Dr Gaurav Upadhyay, an electrophysiologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of
feeling the way my dad and I did.
My motto and purpose is that health care providers can leave a legacy on people’s life at the most important times, the hardest points of their lives. My goal is to make sure that the nurses in my life have the tools they need to make sure it’s only a positive legacy
How did your previous experience as a nurse impact your leadership in the administration side of nursing?
I always feel like I’m a nurse first That’s been my motto: nurse first, patient first.
Not that administrators with no clinical background don’t put patients first, but nurses have a slightly different brain.
Since you’re leading a staff that is 90% clinicians, it’s also great to have perspective in the health space. Some people have a nervous breakdown about spreadsheets and meetings. My perspective is that the people here are saving people’s lives every day It’s our job to stay calm and do the best we can to support them.
The people we are serving, they are the real game
PROVIDED PHOTOS
When Alia Riojas was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 7 months old, her parents went on an all-out carb count, marking each box of baby food with the number of carbs to help monitor their young daughter’s blood sugar and insulin requirements.
n Feeling very hungry
n Breathing rapidly
n Feeling nauseous
n Losing weight without trying
n Feeling irritable or having other mood changes
n Feeling tired and weak
n Having blurry vision.
Type 1 diabetes can appear at any age, but it seems to peak in two noticeable age groups — the first in children between 4 and 7 years old and the second between 10 and 14 years old.
Chicago, called the study “exciting.” Upadhyay was not involved in the device’s development or the study The new pacemaker is
Sara Duncan, a certified diabetes care and education specialist in Louisiana, was diagnosed at 9.
“Twenty years ago, I think the medical community only thought that autoimmune Type 1 diabetes was diagnosed in children,” Duncan said. “But more recently, we find that you can be diagnosed with autoimmune diabetes at any point in life.”
Duncan has seen diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes in
“impressively smaller than anything else we have available,” Upadhyay said. “If this can be confirmed in clinical trials, I think that there
changers. It’s important to remember that sometimes. What drew you to Louisiana? What are your visions for the nursing community here?
The vision that our CEO and COO had for nursing clinicians really intrigued me about Louisiana. After working in Mississippi for eight years as the CEO of the Singing River Health Center in Gulfport, my husband and I decided to take the leap and move to Louisiana. I told my husband, “If we’re going to do this, and we’re going to move to Louisiana, we’re going to go all in. We’re going to the middle of New Orleans, and the kids are going to love it.” It’s been amazing so far — probably one of the best decisions of my life. Here in New Orleans, we’re looking to get back to quality in general. Getting back to make sure all voices are at the table,
patients as old as 70 years old to those as young as 13 months old.
A different life
Diet and exercise, as well as insulin management, play a large role in Type 1 diabetes management. Bennett, once she reached high school, discovered that exercise helped her feel great, even after increasing her dosage from one insulin injection a day to six. She would bike for miles and miles after school with her friend in Houma. Since discovering her love for exercise, Bennett has walked at least a mile a day since she was 15. Duncan encourages her patients to keep a consistent routine.
The majority of diet management is related to how much insulin is required to keep the pancreas working after eating food. Type 1 diabetes patients have a different blood sugar rise and fall when eating either whole grains or pure sugar, like candies.
According to the Mayo Clinic, in order to delay or prevent complications, the goal for a person with Type 1 diabetes is to keep the blood sugar level as close to normal as possible — generally striving to keep daytime blood sugar levels before meals between 80 and 130 and two hours after-meal numbers no higher than 180. However, there are risks with such stringent blood sugar goals.
“There is a higher prevalence of eating disorders in people who have Type 1 diabetes,” Duncan said. “We are aware of that when we are coaching people through managing their diabetes. We don’t want to be strict.”
are incredible applications for short-term pacing requirements, which will have the potential to be used in a variety of clinical settings.”
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
The Louisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and reexamining tried and true methods on ways to live well.
Health editions will also profile people who are advancing health for the state of Louisiana. Do you have a health story? We want to hear from you.
Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Tiffany Murdock, front right in orange, poses with Ochsner nurses representing multiple departments at Ochsner’s 2025 Nurse Leadership Retreat.
Elizabeth Bennett has lunch in Fairhope, Ala., in 2024.
Nearly half of all Louisiana adults reported having high blood pressure, according to 2023 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released in 2025.
In the United States, an average of 34% of adults reported having high blood pressure, according to America’sHealth Rankings. Louisiana hadthe fourth highest rate of high blood pressure, with 43.3% of adults reporting thecondition diagnoses by ahealth professional, the CDC-based data says. High blood pressure (or hypertension) is amajor risk factor forheartdisease and stroke, which are the leading and fifth-leading causes of death in the United States.
In 2022, nearly 690,000 deaths in the U.S. were caused by complications of
hypertension, according to the CDC. Although the number of people in America with high blood pressure is high, around 1in4adults —27million people— have their highblood pressure under control.
These states had the lowest ratesof highblood pressure:
n Colorado with 27.3% n Utah with 27.3% n California with 30.6% n Washington with 30.6% n Massachusetts with 31%.
These states, all located in the South, hadthe highestrates of highblood pressure: n Mississippi with 46% n West Virginia with 45.1% n Alabama with 44.7%
DULUTH, Minn. When a Jeep cut me off and then slowed to several notches below thespeed limit, Ifirst gaspedand then gestured wildly,swearing. These thingsIremember
But asensor Iwas wearingtocapturemyheart rate and electrical changes in my skin, along withavehicle “black box,”revealed more:aggressive braking and accelerating and arapidly beating heart. It didn’t help thatitwas in the middle of the workday,when I am almost always stressed.
“This one was clear that when you werea little more flustered, the driving was definitely bad,”said Turuna Seecharan,anassistant professor in the engineering department of the UniversityofMinnesota Duluth. Ishould find ways tocalm myself before driving to news conferences and interviews, Seecharan said, so that stress doesn’tinfluence my choices on the road.
She and graduatestudent Md Sakibul Hasan Nahid are researching the role emotions like stress play in driving. Is thereacorrelation?
Iworea sensorfor several days to better understand the research. My data showed Iwas less stressed when Iwasn’tinthe middle of aworkday,even if something unexpected happened on the roadway
The study could be useful for driver training programs, or lead to technology that warns drivers of stress levels before they getbehind thewheel, Seecharan andNahidsaid, becausestress, fatigue and anger can all cloud decision-making while driving
“Just like youshouldn’t get into acar if you’re too tired or you shouldn’tget into acar if you’re drunk, it’s thesame thing,”Seecharan said. “Pay attention to your emotional state.”
The researchers have recorded more than 100 driving sessions for 25 drivers aged 18-30 so far.
The National Highway TrafficSafety Administration says drivers aged 15 to 20 are involved in more fatal crashes than anyother group. In 2020, motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of unintentional death for drivers between 15 and 24, according to the administration.
The data collection method the UMD researchers usedissimilartowhat car insurance companies use to determine how safely someone drives, but it also factors in emotional state by starting with baseline physiological data. Braking and accelerating behavior is gauged, anddrivers submit mood data before, dur-
ing andafter each driving trip. The researchers found that electrodermal activity (changes in skin from sweating) can be helpful in predicting emotional states and aggressive driving. The moreyou sweat, the higher the electrodermal activity More physiological measureswould improve research,Nahid said, with mathematical models so farshowing 60% to 70% accuracy in predicting how emotional arousal affects a driving score. Ultimately,driving schools could educate young drivers on how stress andother strongemotions can affect their driving, he said, andteach them techniques to calm themselves “sotheyhaveaclear head before driving.”
UMD recently earned aCarnegie classification as aresearch college and university,based on its annual expenses. More than $25 millionwas spent on research in fiscal year 2023.
BROUGH TT OY OU BY
Molly Kimball RD,CSSD
Acting early
Addressing risk factors during teen yearscan prevent heart-relatedissuesinadulthood
By American HeartAssociation News (TNS)
Toooften, young people in the U.S. just on the threshold of adulthood face cardiovascular challenges.
By the time they’re 18, many teenagers will have heart disease risk factors such as obesity,high cholesterol, high blood pressure or Type 2diabetes. Somewill already haveheart problems.
Use of tobacco products remains aconcern. So isa lack of healthinsurance
Anew scientific statement from the AmericanHeart Association outlinessuch health challenges, highlights some underlying causes and explores ways to help this population, still young in years, remainphysically young at heart. The report was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
“Emerging adults”— a term for people age 18 through their mid- to late 20s —face ahost of life changes as they begin to experience greater independence, develop their careers, forge new personal bonds and chart their life course, Dr Jewel Scott, chair of the report’swriting group,said in anews release
“This pivotal phase is also an ideal time to establish health practices that support lifelong heart health,” said Scott, an assistant professor of biobehavioral health and nursing science in the College of Nursing at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.
Young adults’ growing responsibilities in education, work and family can disrupt healthy eating, make getting sufficient sleep difficult and displace beneficial
activities such as athletics, according to the statement. Increasesinsedentarybehavior andweight are common in this age group. Also, research shows that from 2002 through2018, thepercentage of peopleages 18 through23who started usingtobacco, primarily e-cigarettes, more than doubled. Andwhen young people leave pediatric health care behind, standard medical “checkpoints” —such as appointmentsfor vaccines or sports physicals —fade into the past.Soopportunitiesdwindle for health care professionals to measure bloodpressure, blood sugar andcholesterol,and to help headoff anythreats to heart health
“Young adults may not reengagewith care until after they’ve developed aheart disease riskfactor,” Scott said.
Pregnancy poses its own challengestocardiovascular health. Heart-conscious care before and between pregnanciescan helpprotect the patient’sfuture cardiovascular health andprevent pregnancycomplications such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia and preterm birth, accordingtothe statement
Various social circumstances can also influence cardiovascularhealth in young adulthood and beyond, the report said. For example, higher education is linked to better heart health, while other factors are linked to poorer hearthealth. These include:
n Neighborhoods that are segregated, have fewer resources,lack safe spaces for physical activity and have less access to cleanair and water; n Aperson’slack of positive social connection and
support; and n Economic instability, whichcan reduce access to health care and nutritious foods. To address these socialfactors, thereport’sauthorssuggest incorporating the essentialsofheart health in early education through college or vocational school; working to reduce isolation among young adults; and promoting public policiesthataddress socialand economic inequities, improveaccess to safe recreational areas, and fill health insuranceaccess gaps acrossthe life span.
Emerging adults make up thelargest share of the 27 million uninsured adults in the U.S., the report said. Many lose coverage from their parents’ healthinsurance when theyturn 26. AndMedicaid eligibility for young adults withlow incomescan depend on whether the state they live in has expanded Medicaid access. Even if they’re insured, young adultsmight avoid health care because they’re unfamiliarwith services, have had negative experiences withhealthcare or are put offbyother issues
such as long wait times, the authors wrote. Harnessing social media andother digital toolsmay help connect young adults with needed care, the statementsaid. Theauthors also urgedresearchers, health care professionals and public health experts to think creatively aboutlife settings where they might reach young adults —atcommunity colleges or universities, in the military or through veteransservices,orinplaces they commonly work, such as in the hospitality field. Scott called on health care
professionals to makeheart health apriority for young adultsduringany office visit.
“Wemay see theirblood pressure is alittle high, but we don’taddress it because they came in with an ear infection or sprained ankle or something else that needs immediate attention,” she said.
“Wemay missthe opportunity to let them know that they are in the elevated blood pressure range and ways theycan take action. We need to have these conversations.”
Anew scientificstatement from the American HeartAssociation outlines suchhealth challenges, highlights someunderlying causes and explores ways to help this population, still young in years, remainphysically young at heart.
Ochsner Healthtransforms the nursingexperience through innovation, supportand collaboration
By Amanda McElfresh amcelfresh@theadvocate.com
Thisstory is brought to you by OchsnerHealth.
Asaleading healthcareprovider in Louisiana, Ochsner Health has morethan 10,000 nurses caring forpatients at its 46 hospitalsand more than 370health and urgent care centers acrossthe Gulf South. Ochsner nursesare involved in every aspect of the health system. Theyparticipate in executiveleadership,deliver babies, assist in complexsurgeries,contributeideas and build innovations thateasedemands on administrators
“Nursing has changed significantly throughthe years. We arenot waiting for direction. Nurses have aseatatthe table, driving healthcareand promoting change,” said Ruth Sagastume, chief nursing officer of Ochsner Medical Center –New Orleans.“We areempoweredtomakedecisions that impact the futureofboth patients and nurses.”
Ochsner nurseshelped care formorethan 1 million patients from every state in the nation and 63 countries last year alone. Ochsner invested heavily in its electronic medical records platforms,embedding technological safeguards thatalsohelp nursesstreamline their work.
comprehensiveinstructions with patients and their families via video call, allowing uninterrupted time to answerquestions and create asmooth transition from the hospital to their home. Meanwhile, nursesatthe patient’s bedside canfocus on direct patientcare. Pairing bedside and virtual discharge nursesisalready decreasing readmissions and is receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from patients and staff
“The virtual nurse is able to spend one-on-one time with the patienttoeducate them about the medications theyneed, assistwith upcoming appointments and makesurethe patient canget home safely,” said Dianne Teal, chief nursing officer at Ochsner Medical Center –BatonRouge.“By having theseconversations with patients and their families,wecan help prevent issues thatmightlead to a return to the hospital after theygohome. We seethis as having significantbenefits forour nurses, patients and families.”
“Technologyhas really evolvedduring my career,” said Renee Delahoussaye,chief nursing officer of Ochsner LafayetteGeneral “Today, nurseselectronically document patientassessments andcommunicatewith one another and physicians electronically We have tools thatallowustodocument information at apatient’sbedside, rather than on paper at the nurses’ desk. It has definitelyenhanced the workflow fornurses, helping them to be moreefficientand has createda saferenvironmenttoensure patientsreceive the care theydeserve.”
Ochsner is alsoexpanding its virtual nursing program, particularly to assist patients beingdischarged. In the program, experienced, off-sitenursesreview
balance is truly importantinhealthcare.
Creating opportunities fornursestofocus on self-care and their ownmental well-being is alsoatop priority at Ochsner.Teal said thathas become an even stronger focus since the COVID-19pandemic.
In addition, some Ochsner locations nowhaveorare piloting self-scheduling software for nurses, allowing them to choosethe times and days when theywanttobeonduty.
“We’ve made it aprioritytogivenurses the schedule of their choice because we’veseen howimportantitistothem, Sagastume said. “Self-scheduling takes place through an electronic platform. Nurses have an opportunitytoselect their preferred shifts,and the nursing leaders then balance the full schedule to makesure all shifts arecovered. It’sahugemilestone forusand something we consider areal win forour nursing teams We feel thatself-scheduling supports whatisimportant to our nurses. Theywantwork-lifebalance thatmeets notjust the needs of the nurse and their families,but alsofulfills emotional requirements thatmakeour work so special and rewarding. This ownership of work-life
“Wenow have an online wellnessportal with access to group therapy, one-on-one therapy, self-careactivities and other resources,” Teal said. “Our career centerhelps Ochsner employees identifythe rightcareer path and nowhas asocial worker and communityhealth worker to assist in overcoming barrierstheymay have in their personal lives.Werecognizethatnurseshavealife outsideofthesebuildings,andthepressuresthat communities arefacing arealsohappening to ourstaff.It’simportanttousfor them to have the rightsupport to navigate through that.” Delahoussaye said the emphasis on nurses’ well-being starts from their first months on the joband continues throughout their career with accesstomanyemployeesupport programs,counselorsand more. However, one of the most importantresources has proven to be creating opportunities fornursesto connect with one another and other clinicians to sharetheir emotions around challenging experiences
“When youare working a12-hour shift,you don’talwayshavealot of downtime to talk with your coworkers,”Delahoussaye said. “Wemakesuretheyhave time setaside to talk about what’sbeen happening in their world. It’sall about creating the space forthem to do that.
Through all theseevolutions,Sagastume said she is most proud of the fact thatnursesatOchsner are encouraged to takeonleadership roles as newchanges arediscussedand implemented.
“Our physician partnersand healthcareleaderstruly respect nurses. It’samagnificentrelationship with alot of collaboration,”she said. “Theyare always inviting us to shareour input becausetheyrecognizehow valuable our opinion is and howcloseweare to the patients.We respect thatclinical teams have greatideas,and they understand thatwhen it comes to putting alot of this work into action, nurseswill be the driving forceand takeittothe next level. We makethingshappen!”
When Zachary High’sagriculture students learned they’d be studying bees firsthand, they weren’t so sure about it. They worked with chickens and goats, raised vegetables and flowers and tended fruit trees, butbees?
“The studentswere alittle scared,” said MelissaBrumbaugh, who with her husband, Bubba Brumbaugh, teaches the ZacharyHigh ag classes. “Nowthey say,‘Can we please go to the bees?’”
The study of bees took flight at the high school in 2023, after it applied for andreceived a$10,000 grantfrom the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry that provided bees,hives, beekeeping suits, hoods, gloves and classroom books The25juniorsand seniors who take the classes, either asarequiredscience or an elective, have becomeexperienced beekeeperssince then. Every month they check on thesix beehives that are kept on the nearby campus of Port HudsonAcademy andcollect honey twice ayear for the studentsto bottle and hand out at school district events.
The name of the honey is “Z-Hive
JanRisher LONG STORy SHORT
Everyday bids for connection
Whenmyhusband asked if I’d watched the video he sent, Isaid no —I’d seen it, meant to and thenforgot.
“You should watch it,” he said. So,Idid.
He hadsenta video on how basketball defense has evolved since the 1960s It turns out, these small moments —evena videoabout the history of basketball defense —may matter more than we realize
Background: He hassat with me through enough basketball gamestohear me go on and on abouthow Idon’t understand howplayers getaway with what theydo. Like abroken record, I keep saying, “That should be a foul,” as players without the ball push andshove eachother Perhaps he wasgently trying to getmetoconsider that Ican’t watch 2025 basketball with 1985 eyes —whateverhis motive, he knewIwould be interested.
Learning aboutthe Gottman Institute research on “bids for connection” really resonated with me. “Bids for connection” aredefinedasgesturesfrom one partnertoanotherseeking attention, affection or engagement. The research explains that the “bids” can be small —like a simple questionorlarger,like an outright request forhelp.
With decades of research as evidence, many believe that the way apartnerresponds to these bids determinesthe tenor of arelationship. When someone consistently turns toward the bid andacknowledgesitproperly, the relationship typically grows in apositive direction.
Zacharystudents addbeekeeping, honeycollection to their high school experience
Honey,”aname voted on by the Zacharycommunity “Wetalked about selling it,but we don’twanttocompetewithlocal beekeepers,” said Joseph Bassett Jr., a student in the programand ajunior at Zachary High. “Wegive it out at every-
thing we go to.” This year,asecond, $10,000 grant awarded to the school from the Louisiana DepartmentofEducation will boost the numberofhives to 11, allow-
See BEES, page 2Y
Forexample,ifone partner says to another, “Check out thatview,”a partner“moving toward” the bid for connection would look at the view and respond alongthe linesof, “Wow, that’samazing!” Apartnerwho “turns away” from the bid doesn’tlook up and responds with something along the linesof“mm-hmm.”
And apartnerwho “turns against” the bid responds with, “Really,you hadmelook up for that?”
Overtime,the responses add up. Not to paint toorosy apicture —myhusband andIdrive each othercrazy sometimes —but scrolling through his messages, Irealizedthese little nuggets he oftensharesare apartofthe way he seeksconnection.
Forexample,hesent aphoto of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile spottedoutside BLDG 5, a callback to the Route 66 road trip he andItook in September 2020, when we were on the same path as the Wienermobile for four straight days —atCadillac Ranchoutside Amarillo,standing on acornerinWinslow,Arizona, at the WigwamHotel in Holbrook,Arizona andmore. We found ourselves at the same hotels andlandmarks over and over again. We came to be on a first name basis with the drivers. The Wienermobile was areminder of howsharedexperiences, no matterhow quirky,continue to bind us. We laughedabout it then, andwestill laugh about it now.
Individual tiny threads of relationships bind together to make a stronger fabric.
Thenthere is the video he sent of the president of Mexico getting “la limpia,” atype of cleansing with plants and smoke considered atraditional healing ritualthataims to cleanse the body andsoulofnegative energy,
PROVIDED PHOTO
ZacharyHigh students, from left, Savannah Franklin and Melissa Nolan, check the frames in abeehive. The beekeepingprogram at the school started in 2023 with astate grant.
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
The queen bee of the hiveismarked with awhite dot, middle right, made by apaint pen to easily be able to spot it at Janway FarmsonMarch 12.
The bonsai tree creates connections in New Orleans
Hundreds of years and counting in Japanese practice
BY LAUREN CHERAMIE Staff writer
Carl Gilbert, president of the Greater New Orleans Bonsai Society, found his love for bonsai trees while he was in Japan serving in the U.S. Navy He joined the society to learn from other bonsai enthusiasts in the area
Gilbert takes pride and joy in caring for his trees, and he has worked with some of the best bonsai artists in the country The bonsai society boasts visiting artists, lectures and demonstrations, workshops, study groups, and its annual bonsai auction and sale.
How did the Bonsai Society get its start?
In 1972, Vaughn Banting, Johnny Martinez and Randy Bennett chose to start the Greater New Orleans Bonsai Society, and it’s been going ever since.
Does the society host events and programs for its members?
We’re trying to have a guest artist come in every couple of months to do a demonstration on Fridays and a lecture on Saturday Then we would do a workshop where we put that demonstration and lecture into practice, making a new tree species we don’t normally work with, so people get to hone their skills.
What is the fascination with bonsai trees that would prompt a society in their name?
The bonsai tree has been around for hundreds of years.
The original idea was to bring nature into the home once larger cities started to develop. Today, a lot of those standards are kept
BEES
Continued from page 1y
ing sophomores to take part in the program too, Melissa Brumbaugh said.
“We’ll start getting those students involved now, so the subject isn’t brand-new next school year,” she said.
Melissa Brumbaugh will teach about bees in the classroom, but the experienced beekeeper juniors and seniors will help teach the sophomores in the field how to check the hives for unwelcome insects and make sure the queen bees and hives look healthy
“I truly think kids learn better from each other,” she said. Even the students are excited about passing the torch.
“For me, being a senior and leaving, it’s great to know there are people coming in behind me,” said Kaylea Marionneaux, a student in the beekeeping program who will graduate from Zachary High in May
This year’s grant funds will also provide participating schools with an extractor, a piece of equipment that spins a hive’s removable frames, where bees build their honeycombs, to extract the honey Meanwhile, Zachary High has been able to borrow an extractor from a student’s grandfather
“Beekeeping is an expensive hobby, but it’s so beneficial for our planet and the environment,” Melissa Brumbaugh said “The students have become advocates for bees.”
Mike Strain, commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, said the grants are funded by federal monies that first became available to Louisiana high schools in 2019, with the aim of enhancing the competitiveness of specialty crops and encouraging the longterm growth of the beekeeping industry
in practice in Japan and, really around the world.
Here, we try to practice some of the traditional skills, but also some of the newer skills that have been applied over the last couple of hundred years to keep some of the traditions alive.
When you say skills, what do you mean by that?
There’s different techniques we use for bending branches or wiring a tree to get the branches where we want them to go. The other would be the horticulture of keeping a tree alive in a small tray
It’s not just as simple as throw it in a tray and it’ll take care of itself forever
They have to be repotted every couple of years, and the roots have to be trimmed. So, there is a decent amount of maintenance work that goes into the trees.
What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned about bonsai trees from being in this society?
I’m a veteran who struggled with PTSD for a long time For me, working on a tree brings me in the moment, keeps me present in what I’m doing. I hear that from a lot of other members. It brings you focus It teaches you patience and a new skill.
How has the group fostered a sense of community within New Orleans?
We do the City Park Garden Show twice a year, in spring and fall. We also do the Destrehan Spring Garden Show We put trees on display for people who want to come see them. Anyone is welcome to come, check it out and get insight on what you can create by learning a skill.
Sometimes, our club goes to other garden clubs around town to do a lecture and display trees for them. We do that a couple of times a year For me, personally, it has taught me that there’s a diverse group of people who are interested in hobbies like this. Our oldest
for
members are around 80-88 years old, and our youngest member is 19, so everybody in between that brings a different personality to the group. It’s not just working on trees, it’s meeting new people and figuring out what this person likes compared to what another person likes how one person does things compared to someone else. It’s fun meeting new people and giving them the information.
Some people say, “Oh, I saw trees in ‘The Karate Kid.’” These don’t look anything like that.
How can people join the New Orleans Bonsai Society? We have a website, gnobs.org.
School on Feb 13.
Like the students at Zachary High, the schools were “reluctant at first because it was bees,” said Strain, who is a beekeeper himself
Covington High School was the first school to break the ice and apply for the 2019 grant, Strain said. Since then, students at nine other Louisiana high schools, including Zachary’s, have become bee experts, he said
“They’re learning about bees from A to Z,” Strain said. Zachary High has another bonus for its bee program: The ex-
past the
pertise of volunteers Vaughn and Sienna Benoit, who have worked with bees for many years.
Melissa Brumbaugh reached out to the Benoits, the grandparents of Zachary High graduate Claire Chandler — who’s now studying animal science in college — and asked if they might be available to help coach the students on-site at the hives.
“Sure,” said the Benoits, now called Pop and Mimi by the students.
The Benoits meet the students at the hives every month at the Port Hudson Academy campus,
where the hives have plenty of room, undisturbed, on a big field where there’s a water source and wildflowers growing.
“The students are very attentive,” Sienna Benoit said. “It’s amazing what they can do.” Vaugn Benoit noted that the students are learning a valuable skill. They are able to take what they learn and make a product out of it.
“We need future beekeepers,” Sienna Benoit said. “If we get just one beekeeper out of this group, it’s one more than there would have been.”
HOW YOU CAN HELP: VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
We meet on the second Tuesday of the month at the American Legion Hall at 1225 Hickory Ave., in Harahan. Our next meeting is May 18, and we’re doing a lecture on deciduous trees. On Aug. 9, we have our annual bonsai auction. We have bargain tables with items from 50 cents or $1, and then there are proper bonsai trees that are auctioned off. They can go anywhere from $50 to $1,000. It’s quite a wide selection of trees.
Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie@theadvocate. com.
RISHER
Continued from page 1y
illness and bad vibrations. When we were in Mexico City in January, I got one too. He also sent a story about the trunk of a dead 110-yearold cottonwood tree in Idaho that was transformed into a Little Free Library He knows I adore Little Free Libraries and became friends with Todd Bol who started them in 2009. I wrote a piece about them shortly thereafter, and Bol made a trip to Louisiana and ended up coming to our house for dinner
I’m not sure how my husband finds some of the things he sends me, but they help keep the conversation going 31 years into marriage Most of the time, I naturally “turn toward” the bid for connection, but sometimes I’m busy or have a lot on my plate or I just forget — and I don’t give those efforts the attention they deserve
But when I do, I realize that he knows me well, and it makes my heart flutter just a tiny bit. Each bid, whether a quirky photo, an intriguing article or a shared memory, is a way of him saying, “I see you.” Those moments are also a reminder that bids for connection can go both ways. Sending the note or tidbit to a friend or cousin or husband because I know it strikes a chord that they will appreciate it — is probably a good idea
The ways that we respond to the people we care about add up. In my relationship with my husband, these little messages, as opposed to the grand gestures, help us keep liking each other
These are the ways we turn toward each another, again and again.
Louisiana Inspired highlights volunteer opportunities across south Louisiana If your organization has specific volunteer opportunities, please email us at lainspired @theadvocate.com with details on the volunteer opportunity, organization and the contact/registration information volunteers would need.
Acadiana
The Lafayette Community Health Care Clinic, 1317 Jefferson St., Lafayette, is a nonprofit organization that provides quality outpatient health care for the eligible working uninsured and develops and provides programs to address community health care needs through collaborative partnerships. For volunteer opportunities, visit cajunaaa.org
Baton Rouge
The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, 10600 Choctaw Drive, Baton Rouge, has a mission to feed the hungry in Baton Rouge and the surrounding parishes by providing food and educational outreach through faith-based and other community partners With community support, the agency has served the hungry in its 11-parish service area for more than 35 years. Volunteers are needed for sorting and packaging Visit brfoodbank.org
New Orleans
Senior Medicare Patrol — AdviseWell, Inc., 201 St Charles Ave., New Orleans, helps Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries prevent, detect and report health care fraud. In doing so, the agency not only protects older persons but also helps preserve the integrity of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. For volunteer opportunities, visit stopmedicarefraud.org
PROVIDED PHOTO
Carl Gilbert, president of the Greater New Orleans Bonsai Society, found his love for bonsai trees while he was in Japan serving in the U.S. Navy He joined the society to learn from other bonsai enthusiasts in the area.
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
Randy Bennett trims a bald cypress bonsai tree
a cypress forest in the works.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
Teacher Melissa Brumbaugh walks
gardens during a tour of the ag department at Zachary High
DuobehindBRaddiction recovery housekeeps it free
Executivedirector returnsthe
BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer
When she was 19 years old, Emily Tilley started going to O’Brien House, aBaton Rouge residential treatment center, to visit hermother.Her mother,Shirley Cormier George, was arecovering addict who had finished 42 days in rehab and then moved into the O’Brien House for a90-day recoveryin residence.
Because O’Brien House does not require client fees, an alcoholic or addict can walk in without money and find aplace to stay and receive treatment. The center relies on Medicaid, grants and donations to pay for all the needs.
Once Georgegraduated from the program, she continued to volunteer and support the residential treatmentcenteruntil shepassed away in 2015. For Tilley,who now has amaster’sinsocial work, a master’sinpublic administration and adoctorate in social work, O’Brien House was the placethat gave her her mother back. Now,asthe executive director, it’sthe place that Tilley calls her family
“I remember comingonthe weekendstovisit her,and Ifelt love,” Tilley said. “It’salways just been afamily place.The mission is really what it is,savinglives and families.”
Afamily atmosphere
O’Brien House has served the community for 53 years, and Tilley said it’sthe family atmosphere that brings people back to volunteer even when they leave or graduate.
Founded in 1971 by John Camp, the center is named after PaulS.“Pat” O’Brien, who spent 53 years of his life working with recovering alcoholics and educating the public about alcoholism.
The goal of O’Brien Houseisto help recovering alcoholics and drug addicts develop and/or restore strength, hope and stability to their lives, so that they become healthy,productive citizens.
O’Brien House, a501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, offers athreemonth comprehensive residential program that includes:a structured environment withindividual and group counseling by qualified professionals, housingfacilities for men and women, nutritionally balanced meals, involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous andother 12-Step programsand alifeskills programwhichincludes career counseling, job readiness training and job placement assistance.
The facility has acapacity for 53 residents, butitcurrently has 36. Tilley says O’Brien House is on astrict budget becausethey only get $85 per resident per day from Medicaid, but it takes us at least $175 perpersonper dayfor staffing, residence costs, cooked meals, toiletries and laundry
“Wecover allthose things,” Tilley said. “So it takes alot to run this.Wehave sixbuildings on this campus that we havetopay for the lights, thewater,the internet and everything.”
To cover theremaining costs, O’Brien Househostsanannual fundraiser breakfast in the fall, receives United Wayfunds,utilizes donations and operates on agrant from the previousmayor’soffice.
In addition to the residential program, O’Brien House alsooffers intensive outpatient therapy, an adult substance education program and aveterans support group. Once clients have graduated but do not yet have aplace to live,O’BrienHouse has singleresidence occupancy apartments for clients to get on their feet in a safe, supportive environment.
Astaff that cares
Tilly became acounselor at O’Brien House 12 years ago,and after afew years, she became clinical director.In2022, she was namedthe executivedirector.She also teaches online social work classesatLSU and Southern to help develop futureleaders in thefield.
As executive director,Tilley oversees the operations of the organization, writesgrants and contracts, deals with insurance andmanages the finances and budget. Because she has theclinical expertise, she consults with
the clinical director,Karla Alexander,about theprogram.
Even though Tilley’sposition requiresfull focus, she still makes time to do orientationwithnew residents, visitswiththem during meal times and takes time to get to knowthem when she hasthe opportunity.
“I want them to know everybody cares,” Tilley said. “We’re notthe TajMahal, but we’re also not the Alamo. Theymay notget the best sheets and all that, but they knowthatthe people here love them.” Alexander started as an addiction counselor at O’Brien House in 2019 and became clinical directorin2022. Originally fromNew Iberia like Tilley, O’Brien House has been Alexander’sonly job since she moved to BatonRouge. She overseesthe treatment
team to make sure that the clientsare receiving quality care, that allthe services arewithin the O’BrienHouse standard,and that staff is credentialed andtrained.
“As clinical director,Iprobably do more groups than Ishould,” said Alexander,“but Iwas acounselor formany years, so helping out the clients is within me.”
She says O’Brien House’sclientsmake abig commitment and sacrifice to be there, away from their families and away from jobs, but it’sworth it. She wants each person to feel loved, cared forand worthwhile
“Their sobrietyistheirs,” she said. “Their recoveryistheirs. We aresimplyassisting them on their journey if they allow us to. Thestaff heregenuinely cares aboutthem. Everybody goes aboutita differentway in show-
ing thatcare andconcern,but we all have their best interest at heart.”
Tilley andAlexanderwork hand-in-hand to make sure each personatO’Brien Househas what they need. All of the staff memberscollaborate on leading the way to recovery for every person whowalks through the door
“We’re blessed,” said Tilley “Wedon’t have everything we want, but we have everything that we need. The lights have never gone off. The staff hasgotten paid by the skin of ourteeth. But you know,the people who work here, we do the best that we can with what we have.”
For more information, visit obrienhouse.org.
Email Joy Holdenatjoy.holden@ theadvocate.com.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Executivedirector of O’Brien House Emily Tilley, left, stands with the clinicaldirector, KarlaAlexander
Truax Jr.,
FAITH & VALUES
Baptists provide home-repair lifeline after Helene
Many in North Carolina lost their livelihoods to the hurricane
BY YONAT SHIMRON
Contributing writer
A kerosene heater still sits in the middle of Mack and Lucille Thomason’s living room, a testament to the trauma they and others in their rural Yancey County North Carolina community experienced when Hurricane Helene unleashed its raging waters last fall.
The Thomasons, retired in their 70s, saw 4 feet of water slosh up to the door of their doublewide trailer destroying the floor, furnace, back porch and most of their kitchen appliances. The hurricane also damaged their well, leaving them without water For weeks, Mack Thomason had to walk to the creek behind the house to collect water in 5-gallon buckets so he and wife could flush the toilet.
They were nearly despondent and living in a borrowed camper when their daughter told them she found someone who could help with repairs. That someone was Keith Ashe, the site coordinator for Baptists on Mission in Burnsville, a town about 7 miles north of Pensacola, where the Thomasons live.
“He said he’d be back, so I looked for him and, true to his word, they’ve been here,” Thomason, 77, said Hurricane Helene caused unprecedented damage in the mountain region of Western North Carolina, where hurricane-level rainfall is rare and only 4% of residents have flood insurance. The September storm destroyed about 4,400 homes and damaged 185,000.
Gov Josh Stein estimated the damage at $60 billion, with about $15 billion needed for housing On April 14, the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied North Carolina’s request to continue matching 100% of the state’s spending on Hurricane Helene recovery
Six months later, that recovery has just begun Securing funding and contractors for home repairs has been a huge challenge for many homeowners, especially those with limited means The Thomasons — he worked third shift at a textile factory, and she was a housekeeper at a nursing home were lucky Baptists on Mission, an auxiliary of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina came to their rescue on Jan 21.
Volunteers installed two ductless heating and cooling systems, called mini-splits, rebuilt the back deck, hung two new doors and surrounded the raised trailer home with new vinyl skirting Best of all, one volunteer, a well drilling specialist from Texas, was able to repair the well.
Samaritan’s Purse, another Christian humanitarian relief organization, provided the couple with a new refrigerator, dishwasher and freezer to replace the ones the flood rusted
The two Christian groups are among a slew of faith-based organizations that rushed to help in the wake of the storm. About half a dozen are still there, but Baptists on Mission and Samaritan’s Purse — both based in North Carolina — have made a long-term commitment to remain. The two organizations plan to help homeowners there, costfree, for as long as it takes likely another five years.
Samaritan’s Purse is the bigger of the two organizations and has provided 111 campers for people whose homes were uninhabitable, 179 new vehicles, numerous appliances and other household goods, said Luther Harrison, the organization’s vice president of North American ministries.
Based in Boone, it also plans to build new homes from scratch: 36 have been approved and 10 are under construction. The organization has budgeted $523 million — all from private donations — to help with Hurricane Helene recovery Of that it has already spent $61 million. “This hit our backyard, this hit
people that we work with, people that we know, and it has really opened the eyes of the community to what Samaritan’s Purse is able to do in these communities and just show them that God loves them,” Harrison said.
But when it comes to home repairs, many have turned to Baptists on Mission. To date, the organization has completed repairs on 203 homes damaged by the hurricane.
It’s working on an additional 230 and has 500 more homes on a waiting list.
In Helene’s aftermath, it perfected its rapid repair method, which aims to make a home livable quickly, even if cabinets have yet to be installed or the trim around the doors isn’t complete. The idea is to get people back into homes and then return later to complete the finishing touches.
Baptists on Mission has six rebuild centers in Western North Carolina, where its thousands of volunteers can sleep for a week or a weekend while they work on homes The organization feeds them three meals a day and provides the tools and materials to work on homes.
Many volunteers are skilled at construction trades; others work alongside a team leader who guides them. The volunteers, young and old, come from Baptist churches, not only in North Carolina but across the country
“People ask me all the time, why am I a Southern Baptist?” said Stan Jenkins, a pastor from Henderson, North Carolina, about 260 miles away who brought half a dozen church members to volunteer in Burnsville last month. “Here’s the reason I always give: I don’t know any other denomination that does mission work like we do. I mean, we take mission work seriously.”
Baptists on Mission has proved itself during past disasters. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it rebuilt 720 homes in Gulfport, Mississippi.
After hurricanes Matthew in 2016 and Florence in 2018, the North Carolina legislature took notice of their work. In 2023, the North Caro-
lina General Assembly awarded it $5 million for future disasters in the state. This January, the governor announced he was giving the group another $3 million for Hurricane Helene assistance.
And last month, North Carolina’s leaders approved an additional $524 million for Helene recovery Baptists on Mission might get a small slice of that, too.
The organization is mainly funded by Baptist churches across the state.
This year’s budget from church donations is $1.6 million. Government funding pays for construction materials that will help put people back in homes faster
“We didn’t use any state funds or federal funds to set up and manage our rebuild centers or to pay to coordinate our leadership,” said Richard Brunson, its executive director “We’re just using federal funds and state funds for building materials.”
To avoid endangering volunteers, Baptists on Mission typically doesn’t repair roofs. Homeowners who receive money from FEMA must use those funds before Baptists on Mission will help. Typically, money from FEMA is not enough to cover all the necessary repairs, Ashe said. The type of fixes Baptists on Mission undertakes are typically no more than $40,000.
Ashe, the Burnsville site coordinator, had been volunteering for Baptists on Mission for some 15 years. He is a pastor at Coweeta Baptist Church, about 110 miles south of Burnsville near the Georgia state line, and taught vocational trades at a community college for 10 years before moving on to ministry full time.
But when he came up to survey the damage from Helene on Oct. 3, 2024, he decided to join the staff. He now trades off weeks in Burnsville and back home tending to his church.
“Just seeing the people, how humble people were — every one of them would say ‘Go check on my neighbor, he’s worse off than I am’
— and then to see their faces turned from hopelessness to hope after we offered them assistance, that’s just worth it all,” he said.
Last month, Ashe visited several sites where volunteers were working. At one of the homes, volunteers were laying new vinyl flooring to replace hardwood floors damaged when the hurricane caused a mudslide, shattering windows and causing an electrical surge that killed all their appliances.
Christy Fox, who owns the home with her husband, Jeff, recalled how Baptists on Mission came over one bitterly cold day this past winter Her husband showed them the house while she stayed in the car
“My husband came out and he was like, ‘Well, they can’t help with the roof, but they can help with ’ — and he started naming off all these things that we were trying to do ourselves. And I said, ‘Really?’” Christy Fox said. “’When are they gonna start?’ Because so many places have long waiting lists. And he said, ‘Monday.’ And I said, ‘Are you serious?’”
Jeff Howell, who retired last month as Yancey County emergency management coordinator, said he had a good relationship with Baptists on Mission and was impressed with their operation.
“There were a lot of shady people that came in and some really weird stuff that started happening” after the hurricane, Howell said. “It was not good, but it was very comforting to know that we always had Samaritan’s Purse and Baptists on Mission right there.”
And he added, for homeowners, there’s an extra level of comfort: “Having local people that talk like we do, it just kind of puts people at ease,” Howell said. For the Fox family as for the Thomasons, the assistance has been a blessing.
“Just seeing progress in your home, that helps a lot,” Christy Fox said. “They’ve made it a whole lot easier.”
Wisconsin landowners learn to live with beavers
Opting for coexistence
BY BENNET GOLDSTEIN
Solutions Journalism Network
Editor’s note: This story, created by Bennet Goldstein for the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk is part of the Solutions Journalism Network. Louisiana Inspired features solutions journalism stories that provide tangible evidence that positive change is happening in other places and in our own communities solutions that can be adopted around the world.
Katie McCullough moved to Wisconsin in 2021 Her COVID pandemic purchase of 36 acres near the village of Rio in the southcentral part of the state was exactly what she was looking for She had purchased the property, sight unseen.
“I don’t regret it at all,” McCullough, 56, said with a laugh. She soon met the neighbors — about 10 furry lodge dwellers. McCullough realized she had a beaver problem that made several acres of her property inaccessible. They live atop a small muddy island and constructed a dam roughly a decade ago. Cattails grow across its 20-foot breadth. The dam left a once-lovely creek bone dry
Backed-up water enlarged the surrounding marsh and pond, where sandhill cranes, geese and ducks meander Rooted in sodden ground, tall oaks — some more than 100 years old withered and toppled. Friends, family and locals recommended trapping the rodents and blowing the dam sky-high with Tannerite.
The solution seemed dramatic and destructive.
“We’re all here for a purpose, right? To think that beavers are just born a nuisance,” McCullough said. “It’s tough because some populations do have to be controlled if there aren’t natural predators But I’m not good at being a natural predator.” Surely, other options besides trapping or bystanding existed.
Damming behavior
Beavers once numbered between
60 million and 400 million across North America, but development and unregulated hunting nearly
decimated them. Twentieth-century conservation efforts helped beavers recover somewhat — to a fraction of their historical population.
Conflicts with humans ensued as beavers returned to their former ranges: chewing trees, plugging culverts, flooding roads and farm fields.
Few studies quantify the costs of beaver damage, and the limited data are decades old. One pinned annual timber losses in Mississippi at $621 million, adjusted for inflation.
Traditional responses involve trapping and dam breaching, but generally, these interventions require regular enforcement because new beavers move in.
And an expanding body of research showcasing beavers’ ecosystem and economic benefits is drawing attention to the drawbacks of removal.
When beavers remain on the landscape, they create wetlands, which mitigate climate change impacts like drought, wildfires and flooding — problems increasingly seen in the Midwest Other wildlife also depends on the habitat.
Advocates and ecological consultants are popularizing flow control devices, a solution to beaver flooding problems. They limit beavers’ damming behavior and reduce impacts on human infrastructure.
Hand-constructed with flexible plastic pipes and wire fencing, several types exist: pond levelers, culvert fences and decoy dams. Some bear trademarks like Beaver Deceiver and Castor Master They aim to reduce the desirability of potential dam sites, redirect beavers’ attention or “sneak” pond water away unnoticed. McCullough opted for coexistence.
State wildlife agencies generally regulate a trapping season to manage beaver populations and minimize property damage. Wisconsin’s forestry and fisheries divisions, dozens of municipalities, railroad companies and some tribal governments also contract with the U.S Department of Agriculture to remove beavers and dams from designated lands and waters. The state imposes few restrictions for handling nuisance beavers on private property
People may hunt or trap beavers and remove their dams on their property without obtaining a license. If a beaver dam causes damage to
a neighboring property, the injured party may legally enter the property where the dam lies and remove it. There also are risks to ignoring one’s beavers.
People who own or lease beaveroccupied land and don’t allow their neighbors to remove them are liable for damages.
Ditching dynamite
But Wisconsin wildlife managers recommend people consider alternatives before killing the animals, including flow devices like pond levelers.
They date to at least the 1920s when USDA Chief Field Naturalist Vernon Bailey proposed using an “entirely successful” drainage pipe constructed with logs and threaded through the dam.
Subsequent testing indicated that early levelers sometimes failed, but the concept has evolved.
Modern devices control water height using a flexible plastic tube resting on a pond’s bottom. A cage surrounds the intake and prevents beavers from swimming close enough to detect flowing water, which researchers believe triggers their building itch. The other end of the tube passes through the dam, forming a permanent leak.
Installers say levelers, which cost $2,000 to $4,000, function for about 10 years and require little maintenance. They can modify setups to accommodate fish passage, narrow and shallow streams, large ponds and downstream beaver dams. “The best solutions obviously are
going to be ones that work for the beavers and that work for us,” said Massachusetts-based Beaver Solutions owner Mike Callahan, who has installed more than 2,000 flow devices and trains consultants.
States throughout the Mississippi River basin, including Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota and Missouri, recommend flow devices, but with varying awareness of best practices.
Pond levelers uncommon
Wisconsin residents have constructed beaver pond levelers, as have the Department of Natural Resources and USDA. But state natural resources staff say they rarely receive inquiries.
Despite their simple design, obtaining state authorization to install a flow device often takes longer than other activities like smallscale dredging and riprap installation because Wisconsin lacks a standard pond leveler permit.
Projects can vary across designs, siting and placement, with potentially significant impacts to where and how pond water flows, said Crystal vonHoldt, department waterways policy coordinator
The law requires employees to evaluate impacts to water quality, navigation, wildlife, scenic beauty and public access to boating and fishing.
A department staff member told McCullough’s contractor and restoration ecologist Clay Frazer — who has overseen multiple beaver-related projects in Wisconsin like mock
beaver dams that many landowners opt not to install them after learning of the challenges.
Hiring a consultant to navigate the process can be cost-prohibitive. McCullough’s bill exceeded $10,000, but a grant offset it.
Proponents say the requirements usher landowners toward a lethal resolution, which Wisconsin’s beaver trapping rules seemingly favor Community levels with beavers Billerica, Massachusetts, had a flooding problem.
The town’s troubles followed a 1996 statewide voter referendum that banned foothold traps Conflicts increased as the beavers expanded into the community, home to more than 42,000 residents along with wetlands, streams and two rivers. Prime habitat.
Things came to a head in 2000, and the town contracted with Callahan to address the problem nonlethally At 43 locations where the town traditionally utilized trapping, he installed flow devices.
“They’re kind of instrumental in preventing certain culverts and major roads here in town from getting flooded,” said Isabel Tourkantonis, the town’s director of environmental affairs.
Trapping continued at another 12 sites because the devices either failed or the landscape made their use untenable.
Non-lethal management saved Billerica taxpayers $7,740 annually in avoided trapping and dam removal costs, according to a town analysis. The number of beavers killed dropped more than fivefold.
Maintaining 380 acres of beavercreated wetlands provided an estimated $2 million of free services each year, including water filtration, flood reduction and plant and wildlife habitat.
“If there’s a way to coexist with an important animal population, that’s, I would think, the goal,” Tourkantonis said.
Massachusetts landowners navigate a different permitting process for flow devices.
They only need to obtain approval from a local health board or conservation commission generally at little cost. It takes a few days.
Tourkantonis said such procedures cut “through the red tape and make it a little bit easier for folks to address an immediate public safety hazard.”
PROVIDED PHOTO By CLAy FRAZER
Dan Fuhs, co-owner of Native Range Ecological, installs a pond leveler in October 2023, near the village of Rio.
SUNDAY, MAY 4, 2025
CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley
SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr
GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley
HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne
MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters
ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson
ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis
scrabble grams wonderword
directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.
word game
instructions: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.
todAY's Word — MisLAYinG: mis-LAYing: Putting in an unremembered place; losing.
Average mark 34 words Time limit 60 minutes Can you find 55 or more words in MISLAYING?
ken ken
instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner
instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday
directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally
Patryk Patreuha, from Poland. South won the opening spade lead with dummy’s ace and led the king of clubs. West won with the ace and led another spade to dummy’s king. South cashed the queen of diamonds, feeling pretty good about things, and was sick when West showed out. South did not give up. He cashed the queen of clubs, discarding a heart from his hand, and ruffed a club. He cashed his queen of spades, shedding a low heart from dummy, then cashed the ace of hearts and ruffed a heart. This was the position, with the lead in dummy:
South led a club from dummy and over-ruffed East’s nine of diamonds with the ace. He ruffed his heart with dummy’s jack of trumps and led another club. He picked up East’s last two trumps with a trump coup. Beautifully done!
the lead will only worsen matters Stick close to home or go to a safe place to release tension.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Press forward enthusiastically, and your actions will encourage others. Turn your home into your preferred comfort zone using restorative components
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Plan to do something that brings you joy and makes you feel good. Today is about purpose, kindness and grati-
tude for what you have. When you are at peace with yourself, you exude happiness and hope. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Lock into a group offering insight into something you want to pursue. Learn and reach out to experts for answers to questions that can help you reach your objective.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Take time to get your finances in order and map out an investment plan that helps you budget for something that enhances your life Changing your environment will offer insight into new possibilities and potential moves.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Take whatever you want to achieve to the next level. Your energy vision and connections will collectively give you the edge necessary to get things done.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) When in doubt, observe. Stepping away from uncertainty will give you a different perspective regarding what’s possible and the best way to get things done to your liking.
Take this Super Quiz to a Ph.D. Score 1 point for each correct answer on the Freshman Level, 2 points on the graduate Level and 3 points on the Ph.D. Level.
SUBJECT: PRO Each answer is a sevenletter word that starts with “pro.” (e.g., To supply or make available. Answer: Provide.)
FRESHMAN LEVEL 1. Muhammad, for example.
Answer________
2. “All that glitters is not gold,” for example.
Answer________
3. “She,” “they” and “you,” for example.
Answer________
To succeed, especially in one’s finances. Answer________
To make a strong objection.
Answer________ 10. Showing a lack of respect for God or religion.
Answer________
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Make domestic changes that offer peace of mind and comfort for you and your loved ones. A move, renovation or upgrade that reduces utility costs will pay off.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Refuse to let anyone box you into a corner Call the shots, make the decisions and stick to a game plan that suits your objective. Feeling your best will help you go the distance.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Trust your instincts, speak on your own behalf and refuse to let anyone undermine or belittle you. Take hold of your investments, protect your assets and build opportunities that help you secure your position.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Don’t underestimate your talent, insight or ability to bring about positive change. Distance yourself from negative people and suggestions. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Set your mind free. Use your creative imagination, and you’ll discover ways to make your life more meaningful through thought-provoking activities, friendships and events.
SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?
Saturday's Cryptoquote: If people think youare this amazing, ownit. —David Chang
jeFF mACnelly’sshoe/ by Gary Brookins &Susie MacNelly
