The Times-Picayune 05-05-2025

SUNDAY @ JAZZ FEST

SHOW STOPPER

LennyKravitz,TromboneShorty tradesit-ins on Jazz Fest’s finalday

The 2025 Jazz Fest closed on asunsplashedSunday withflawless festival weather.Inayear when theweather was good overall, MotherNature saved the absolute best forlast Thus, asolid, comfortably-sized crowd was on handtosee southwest Louisiana singersongwriter Zachary Richard lead listeners at theSheraton Fais Do-Do in amass imitation of crawfish claws.

KeithSpera MORE @ JAZZ FEST INSIDE

ä See more photos.

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Thebig crowd awaitinga Frankie Beverly tribute and Patti LaBelle at the CongoSquare Stage first traveled south to Mexico with Banda MS de SergioLizárraga. The dozen horn players and theother musicians andsingers wore matching black pants, shirts and jackets with sparkling shoulders. Their tuba carried “Tragos de Amargo Licor,” with an accordiondancing over a waltz-time rhythm in between surges of big band horns andpleading vocals. When Jazz Fest’s scheduling cubes were first released, Galactic’sclosing dayshow on the main Festival Stage did not include Irma Thomas, even

ä See JAZZ FEST, page 3A

Lisa and David Wurtzel danceto the music of Bette Landry& the Jukes at the Sheraton NewOrleans Fais Do-Do Stageon Sunday.

Hospitals in La.fear potential cutto

BY MARK BALLARD |Staff writer

Well spewingoil in marsh will be difficultto cap CoastGuard federalizedresponse late last week

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL |Staff writer

An 82-year-old oil well drilled before the Allies turned the tide of World WarIIwas spewing an undefined amountofoil, gas and water skyward and into the coastal marshes of southern PlaqueminesParish for more than aweek. First reported by the operator

as a“blowout”onthe afternoon of April 26 near Garden Island Bay, the incident the U.S. Coast Guard described for days as an “uncontrolled discharge” was comingfrom an oil well that had been put in inactive status nearly adecade ago by apreviousowner,federal emergency reports say But, in hopes of future production, Well 59was never permanently plugged by that or successive owners, according to state oil and gas records.

ä See OIL, page 5A

PHOTO PROVIDED By U.S. COAST GUARD

Some of the nearly 3miles of containment boom corral oily water in coastal marshes in the Bird’sFoot Delta of the Mississippi River as skimmers and other vessels work to clean up the product on Thursday. Absorbent bales canbe seen around marsh islands and shores. Amix of oil, gasand water wasspewingfrom oil well near Garden Island Bayin southernPlaquemines Parish.

WASHINGTON— As Republicans in Congress debate potential cuts or changes to Medicaid, one proposal could have aparticularly large impact on Louisiana, which hasone of the highest rates of residents on the program Conservative lawmakers say provider taxes are artificially inflating how much thefederal government pays and should be halted.But Louisiana health care leaders fear stopping the taxes could leavemanypeople,particularly in rural areas, without good health care coverage.

Higgins

Agroup of 20 conservatives, including Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette,demanded in aletter Thursday that Congress “address the money laundering.” They are referring to provider taxes, whichstates impose on hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and other facilities.

The federalgovernment pays most of the costs of Medicaid, with the states kicking in part. When states use provider fees to increase how much they pay forMedicaid, that means thefederal shareoffunding increases. The state then pays the providerswho aretaxed to administerMedicaid services.

Initially approved by Congress in 1991, provider taxes have become aconservative cause célèbre.Restricting providertaxes couldsave thefederal government $600 billion over the next decade, according to the

Legislationwould give commissionerright to reject rate increases

BY TYLER BRIDGES |Staff writer

The biggest vote of the3-week-old legislative session came Wednesday when the House had to decide whether to side with Gov. Jeff Landry or Insurance Commissioner TimTemple andpowerful business interests on abill that would affect car insurance rates. Political insiders beforehand said the vote on House Bill 148 could go either way. The bill sought by Landry would give Temple theright to reject excessive rate increases without backing up his decisionwith hard data —an authority he doesn’tnow have and doesn’twant. Landry saidthe insurance commissionerneeds more tools to hold down rates, adding it would be the commissioner’sfault if that didn’thappen after getting those powers.

ä See BILL, page 4A

Landry Temple

LennyKravitz and his band performonthe Festival Stageduring the last day of the NewOrleans Jazz &HeritageFestival.

STAFF PHOTOSByDAVID GRUNFELD

Trombone Shorty &Orleans Avenue close the last dayofthe NewOrleans Jazz&HeritageFestival at theFair Grounds in NewOrleans on Sunday

U.K. arrests Iranian men over alleged attack plot

LONDON British counterterrorism officers arrested four Iranian men over an alleged plot to attack an unspecified target and three others over a national security threat, police said Sunday. The government called them the biggest “counter state threat and counterterrorism” operations for years.

The Metropolitan Police force said five men aged between 29 and 46 were detained Saturday in various parts of England under the Terrorism Act on suspicion of preparing “a terrorist act.”

Four are Iranian citizens and the nationality of the fifth was still being established.

Police said the attack plot targeted a single location that was not being named “for operational reasons.” It said the premises was being given “advice and support.”

All the suspects were being questioned at police stations and have not been charged Police said they are searching several properties in London, the Manchester area of northwest England and Swindon in western England. Forensic officers in blue overalls were photographed at a house in Rochdale Greater Manchester, where one of the men was detained. Three of the counterterror arrests took place in the Greater Manchester area, one in London and one in Swindon.

2 accused in Lady Gaga concert attack plot

RIO DE JANEIRO Police in Brazil said on Sunday that two people have been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to detonate explosives at a free Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro.

The Rio event on Saturday was the biggest show of the pop star’s career that attracted an estimated 2.5 million fans to Copacabana Beach and had crowds screaming and dancing.

Felipe Cury, secretary of the Rio police, said authorities believed the suspects sought to target Brazil’s LGBTQ community

“They were clearly saying that they were planning an attack at Lady Gaga’s concert motivated by sexual orientation,” Cury told a news conference on Sunday Rio Police Chief Luiz Lima said the group disseminated hate speech and violent content online “aimed at gaining notoriety in order to attract more viewers, more participants most of them teenagers, many of them children.”

Trump says he wants to reopen Alcatraz prison NEW YORK — President Donald Trump says he is directing his government to reopen and expand Alcatraz, the notorious former prison on a hard-to-reach California island that has been closed for more than 60 years. In a post on his Truth Social site Sunday evening, Trump wrote that, “For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering. When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

“That is why, today, I am directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders,” he wrote, adding: “The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law Order and JUSTICE.”

The prison — infamously inescapable due to the strong ocean currents and cold Pacific waters that surround it — was known as the “The Rock” and housed some of the nation’s most notorious criminals, including gangster Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly Alcatraz Island is now a major tourist site that is operate by the National Park Service and is a designated National Historic Landmark.

The closure of the federal prison in 1963 was attributed to crumbling infrastructure and the high costs of repairing and supplying the island facility

Trump says he doesn’t know if he backs due process

President gives interview on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’

BY AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President

Donald Trump is circumspect about his duties to uphold due process rights laid out in the Constitution, saying in a new interview that he does not know whether U.S. citizens and noncitizens alike deserve that guarantee.

He also said he does not think military force will be needed to make Canada the “51st state” and played down the possibility he would look to run for a third term in the White House.

The comments in a wide-ranging, and at moments combative, interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” came as the Republican president’s efforts to quickly enact his agenda face sharper headwinds with Americans just as his second administration crossed the 100-day mark, according to a recent poll by The Associated PressNORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Trump, however, made clear that he is not backing away from a to-do list that he insists the American electorate broadly supported when they elected him in November.

Here are some of the highlights from the interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker that was taped Friday at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and aired Sunday

Due process

Critics on the left have tried to make the case that Trump is chipping away at due process in the United States Most notably they cite the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man who was living in Maryland when he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador and imprisoned without communication.

Trump says Abrego Garcia is part of a violent transnational gang. The Republican president has sought to turn deportation into a test case for his campaign against illegal immigration despite a Supreme Court order saying the administration must work to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. Asked in the interview whether U.S. citizens and noncitizens both deserve due process as laid out in the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, Trump was noncommittal.

“I don’t know I’m not, I’m not a lawyer I don’t know,” Trump said when pressed by Welker

The Fifth Amendment provides “due process of law,” meaning a person has certain rights when it comes to being prosecuted for a crime. Also, the 14th Amendment says no state can “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Trump said he has “brilliant lawyers and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said.”

He said he was pushing to deport “some of the worst, most dangerous people on Earth,” but that courts are getting in his way

“I was elected to get them the hell out of here, and the courts are holding me from doing it,” Trump said.

Canada

The president has repeatedly threatened that he intends to make Canada the “51st state.”

Before his White House meeting on Tuesday with newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney Trump is not backing away from the rhetoric that has angered Canadians.

Trump, however, told NBC that it was “highly unlikely” that the U.S. would need to use military force to make Canada the 51st state.

He offered less certainty about whether his repeated calls for the U.S. to take over Greenland from NATO-ally Denmark can be achieved without military action.

“Something could happen with Greenland,” Trump said. “I’ll be honest, we need that for national and international security. I don’t see it with Canada. I just don’t see it, I have to be honest with you.”

Recession forecasts

Trump said the U.S. economy

Missile from Yemen halts flights in Israel

BY OHAD ZWIGENBERG and TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press

BEN-GURION INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Israel A missile launched by Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen briefly halted flights and commuter traffic at Israel’s main international airport on Sunday after its impact near an access road caused panic among passengers

The attack on Ben-Gurion International Airport came hours before Israeli Cabinet ministers were set to vote on whether to intensify military operations in Gaza. The army was calling up tens of thousands of reserves, Israel’s chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said.

Israel’s army said it was the first time a missile struck the airport grounds since the war in Gaza began. The military said initial findings indicated the likely cause was a technical issue with the interceptor.

The Houthis have targeted Israel throughout the war in solidarity with Palestinians Israel’s paramedic service Magen David Adom said four people were lightly wounded. Multiple international airlines canceled or postponed flights. The war with Hamas in Gaza and then Hezbollah in Lebanon had led a wave of airlines to suspend flights to Israel. Many had resumed in recent months.

Houthi military spokesman Brig Gen. Yahya Saree said in a video statement that the group fired a hypersonic ballistic missile at the airport.

is in a “transition period” but he expects it to do “fantastically” despite the economic turmoil sparked by his tariffs.

He offered sharp pushback when Welker noted that some Wall Street analysts now say the chances of a recession are increasing.

“Well, you know, you say, some people on Wall Street say,” Trump said. “Well, I tell you something else. Some people on Wall Street say that we’re going to have the greatest economy in history.”

He also deflected blame for the 0.3% decline in the U.S. economy in the first quarter He said he was not responsible for it.

“I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy because he’s done a terrible job,” referring to his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden.

Trump doubled down on his recent comments at a Cabinet meeting that children might have to have two dolls instead of 30, denying that is an acknowledgment his tariffs will lead to supply shortages.

“I’m just saying they don’t need to have 30 dolls. They can have three. They don’t need to have 250 pencils. They can have five.”

Third term

The president has repeatedly suggested he could seek a third term in the White House even though the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution says that “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”

Trump told NBC there is considerable support for him to run for a third term.

“But this is not something I’m looking to do,” Trump said “I’m looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican, a great Republican to carry it forward.”

Israeli security forces inspect the site Sunday where Israeli officials said a missile fired by yemen’s Houthi rebels landed near Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel.

Houthi rebels have fired at Israel since the war with Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023.

The missiles have mostly been intercepted, although some have penetrated Israel’s missile defense systems, causing damage.

Israel has struck back against the rebels in Yemen, and the U.S., Israel’s top ally, launched a campaign of strikes in March against them.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the U.S was supporting Israeli operations against the Houthis. “It’s not bang, bang and we’re done, but there will be bangs,” he said. In a later statement, he added Israel would respond to the Houthis “AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters.”

Netanyahu said the security Cabinet was meeting Sunday evening to vote on plans to expand the fighting in Gaza

“We will operate in additional areas and we will destroy all of the infrastructure above and below ground,” Zamir said.

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir told Israeli Army Radio he wanted to see a “powerful” expansion of the war, and demanded that Israel bomb “the food and electricity supplies” in Gaza.

Putin says he hopes there won’t be need to use nukes in Ukraine

By The Associated Press

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine had not arisen and that he hopes it will not.

In comments aired Sunday in a film by Russian state television about his quarter of a century in power Putin said Russia has the strength and the means to bring the conflict in Ukraine to a “logical conclusion.”

Responding to a question about Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, Putin said: “There has been no need to use those (nuclear) weapons and I hope they will not be required.”

“We have enough strength and means to bring what was started in 2022 to a logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires,” he said. Putin signed a revamped version of Russia’s nuclear doctrine in November 2024, spelling out the circumstances that allow him to use Moscow’s atomic arsenal, the world’s largest. That version lowered the bar, giving him that option in response to even a conventional attack backed by a nuclear power

In the film, Putin also said Russia did not launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine — what he called a “special military operation” — in 2014, when it illegally annexed Crimea, because it was “practically unrealistic.”

“The country was not ready for such a frontal confrontation with the entire collective West,” he said. He claimed also that Russia “sincerely sought to solve the problem of Donbas by peaceful means.” Putin said that reconciliation with Ukraine was “inevitable.” Russia and Ukraine, however, remain at odds over competing ceasefire proposals.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a ceasefire is possible “even from today” if Moscow is serious about ending the war Speaking Sunday at a joint news conference with Czech President Petr Pavel, Zelenskyy noted that Russia has ignored a U.S. proposal for a full ceasefire for 54 days and thanked the Czech Republic for backing Ukraine’s call for a 30-day ceasefire.

“Putin is very eager to show off his tanks at the (Victory Day) parade,” Zelenskyy said, “but he should think about ending his war.”

News Tips /Stories: NEWSTIPS@THEADVOCATE.COM

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MANUEL BALCE CENETA

President Donald Trump arrives to give a commencement address Thursday at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

history

though they’d just released an excellent collaborative album, “Audience With the Queen.” But Thomas did join Galactic and the band’s resident featured vocalist, Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, on Sunday …eventually First was ashowcase of contemporary Galactic: fewer instrumentals, more songs with Joseph. In acowboy hat andblack dress split up the sides, Joseph was all strength and sass as she fronted the boys in the band. Auxiliary percussionist Mike Dillon augmented drummer Stanton Moore. Touring trumpeter Eric Gordon teamed with saxophonist Ben Ellman in ahorn section that punched above its weight.

Joseph sang “Lady Liberty,” from “Audience With the Queen,” before the musicians embarked on the instrumental “Baker’sDozen,” tossing around solos like they were playing catch. Joseph returned for another “Audience” track, “People,” then showcased her rapping skills on “Making Cents.” She was justascomfortable rocking Led Zeppelin’s“How Many More Times” as Moore channeling his inner John Bonham. Making N.O. musichistory Galactic nodded to New Orleans music history with Allen Toussaint’s“YesWe Can Can.” But Irma Thomas was finally escorted on stage, Galactic shifted to making New Orleans music

After Thomas got her bearings with her classic “Time Is On MySide,”she took aseat and consulted a “cheat sheet” for “Where IBelong.” Ahighlight of “Audience With the Queen,” it’sasequel to “Time Is On My Side.” Over Ellman’ssax and a smart arrangement, she asserted that she is “still doing my thing, singing my song.”

She asked theaudience to cheer for thethree Jazz Fest-bound pedestrians injured by acar outside the Fair Grounds on Thursday. And she explained how, during her first collaboration with Galactic 15 years ago, the band tried to make her “sound young” with the song “Heart of Steel.”

“Now I’m 84,” she quipped, “and Ireally want to sound young.”

As they dug into the groove of “Heart of Steel, thebacking vocalists repeated “just bounce, everybody,just bounce.” Thomas swayed her shoulders, then stood up, beaming, to dance. She wasn’tjust lookingyoung at that point she was being young.

As the finalday wore down, MartyStuart sported more glitteringrhinestones on hisjacket than the sum total of rhinestones throughout therest of the Fair Grounds. At the Sheraton Fais Do-Do Stage, he and hisFabulous Superlatives —who wore matching powder blue suits —were equal parts bone-rattling honky-tonk and surf-rock rumble as they tossed “Silver Tomahawk” andmore. With her crowd overflow-

ing the Congo Square field, LaBelle andher band hit on “Somebody Loves You Baby” and similar fare.

At theGentilly Stage, My Morning Jacket opened with Fats Domino’s“Walking To New Orleans.”

Kravitzand Shorty

In 1994, Lenny Kravitz came to Jazz Fest to see Aretha Franklin at the Fair Grounds. He ended up buying aFrench Quarter cottage. In 2005, he found himself in need of atrumpet player for aworld tour He asked his former assistantturned trash company magnateSidney Torres for recommendations Torres promptly flew to Miami, where Kravitz was rehearsing, with a 17-year-old Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews. Kravitz hired Shortyonthe spot They’ve remained friends and occasional collaborators.

It was no accident that Jazz Fest scheduled Kravitz and Shorty back to back Sunday on the main stage. Who would sit in withwho?

Kravitz remains theliteral manifestation of cool. He is that rare rock star who, at 60, can bare his midriff and get away with it. He backloaded his set with faithful renditions of the hits: “It Ain’t Over TilIts Over,” “American Woman,” “Fly Away,” a blazing “Are YouGonna Go My Way?” That seemed like it. But after acouple minutes, Kravitz returned, spoke about love’spower to conquer all and eased into “Let Love Rule.” He called out his “little brother,”

aka Trombone Shorty,for an epic trombone solo. Kravitz’scool demeanor cracked as he broke into a toothygrin of approval. Kravitz then took along rompalongthe barricades out into the crowd. He finally said farewell at 5:37 p.m. —17minutes past his scheduled stop time, and a mereeight minutes before Shorty’sown show was set to start

Honoring thelegacy Trombone Shorty &Orleans Avenue are the ideal Jazz Fest main stage closer

because they put on abig show that crosses generations and genres of New Orleans music.

The Neville Brothers occupied the closing slot for manyyears before Orleans Avenue. Honoring that history,Shorty brought out Cyril Neville and Ivan Neville to lead “NoMore Okie Doke.”

Fast-forwarding to the heyday of New Orleans’ Cash Money Records, Juvenile and Mannie Fresh led alive-band “Back That Thing/Ass Up,” with Shorty on trombone.

Kravitz contributed rhythm guitar to “Fire & Brimstone” as the Meters’ Leo Nocentelli soloed. As Nocentelli and Kravitz squared off, Orleans Avenue guitarist Pete Murano literally threw up his hands. But he jumped back in as Shorty and Orleans Avenue surged through twosongs, including the instrumental “Hurricane Party,” on their own. It wasafinal exclamation point on Jazz Fest 2025. Email KeithSpera at kspera@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD Galactic’sRobertMercurio, left,and Stanton Moore, right, are greeted by festfounder and director Quint Davisafter theirset on Sunday

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Irma Thomas performswithGalactic on the Festival Stage during the lastday of the NewOrleans Jazz &Heritage Festival.

STAFFPHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD

Music fans are on their feet for the Glen David Andrews Band in the Blues Tent during the NewOrleans Jazz &HeritageFestival on Sunday

STAFF PHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD Kamasi Washington performs at the WWOZ Jazz Tent on Sunday.

STAFF PHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD

Patti LaBelle performs on the CongoSquare Stage during the JazzFest at the Fair Grounds Race Course in NewOrleans on Sunday.

MEDICAID

Continued from page 1A

Paragon Health Institute, a conservative think tank, citing estimates from several organizations.

“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 President Donald 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.

Deep rift

Temple warned that HB148 would give his office the right to rule arbitrarily Business interests and numerous Republican legislators agreed, saying this possibility would discourage insurance companies from investing in Louisiana.

The bill’s opponents would normally form a formidable political coalition In fact, they had passed at least 16 pro-industry measures in the House in the preceding days.

But Landry overpowered his opponents on the commissioner rate-setting bill, as the House passed the bill, 68-34. The vote puts Landry in a commanding position to get the Legislature to approve the limited number of the pro-industry bills he supports then blame Temple if the rates don’t go down.

Landry calls it a “balanced” approach to stop the sharp rise in car insurance rates that are among the highest in the country

But Wednesday’s victory comes at a cost because it has put Landry at odds with a significant number of Republicans in the House for the first time and has prompted strong pushback from some influential conservatives.

Veteran commentator

Rolfe McCollister wrote a column in the Baton Rouge Business Report blasting Landry as being too cozy with trial lawyers, noting that he met with several of them at an exclusive hunting lodge in Texas last month.

Talk radio host Moon Griffon told his listeners that Landry was trying to make Temple “a scapegoat” with the rate-setting bill.

Meanwhile, the vote exposed a deep rift between Landry and Republicans in the House, as they voted 3733 in favor of the bill. It took the unanimous support of Democrats to pass it

Before the vote, Rep. Gabe Firment, R-Pollock, the chair of the Insurance Committee and a strong Landry supporter, asked his colleagues to reject it.

“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 up hospitals, particularly those in rural and inner-city areas that have a higher-thanusual 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.

alusa 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.

“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 of working people in Louisiana,” Cross added.

For instance, 45% of the patients seen at Our Lady of the Angels Hospital in Bog-

Then-Sen. Ryan Gatti, RBossier City, said he analyzed that bill and concluded it wouldn’t reduce rates, despite the claims of industry supporters.

“I think this bill has the potential to completely nullify all the good bills we may pass and the potential to negate all the property reforms we made last year,” Firment said in an interview the next day.

“It will send a chilling effect to the entire market. It could be catastrophic for our insurance market.”

Landry is under fire from Republicans after supporting four amendments to the state constitution that voters overwhelmingly rejected on March 29.

Now that the car insurance bills have passed the House, attention will shift to the Senate, where the pro-industry measures have had less success in the past. That will put a spotlight on the next step in the political process, Judiciary A Committee, and its chair, Sen. Greg Miller, R-Norco.

Miller said he expects his committee to hear the car insurance bills on May 13

The stakes are high for consumers and legislators.

Senators targeted

The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and the Louisiana Committee for a Conservative Majority targeted two senators running for reelection in 2019 with attack ads because they had voted against a proindustry bill that year

“My kids would come home from school with mailers given to them by friends sent to their parents saying I had voted against reducing rates,” Gatti said recently The pro-industry side also attacked then-Sen. John Milkovich, DShreveport.

“The bill did not require or mandate insurance companies to reduce their premiums a single penny,” Milkovich said recently “It cuts rights, not rates.”

Both men, despite being staunch opponents of abortion, were defeated by Republicans.

The trial lawyers also wield considerable political clout on matters known inside the Capitol as tort reform.

“We have had tort reform since 1975, and not once has there been a reduction in rates,” said Brian Katz, a New Orleans trial lawyer who is president this year of the Louisiana Association for Justice. “These measures will not reduce rates either They are selling the citizens of Louisiana a bill of goods.”

Contributions for Temple

Real Reform Louisiana, which describes itself as “a consumer protection group focused on policyholders,” has begun to put political heat on Temple by publicizing an analysis showing that of the campaign money Temple raised during the 15 months after his election in 2023, nearly 75% came from insurance industry sources.

“Commissioner Temple has repeatedly pushed the industry’s agenda at the ex-

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

pense of Louisiana policyholders,” said Ben Riggs, the group’s executive director Temple has said his efforts will create greater incentives for insurance companies to come to Louisiana, which will reduce rates.

More than a dozen Republicans were elected to the House in 2023 after promising voters they would find a solution to rising car insurance rates Many of the Republican freshmen were elected with money spent by the Louisiana Committee for a Conservative Majority and other conservative groups.

Over the past six months, the freshmen developed a series of bills while working with Temple; Firment; Speaker Pro Tem Mike Johnson, R-Pineville; and insurance industry advocates. Those became the measures passed by the House in the past week that supporters say would lead to fewer claims and fewer big payouts while tilting the courts away from trial lawyers and their injured clients.

What Landry is supporting

When the governor appeared on Griffon’s program Tuesday, he endorsed House Bill 450 by Rep. Michael Melerine, R-Shreveport. The bill would reverse a Louisiana Supreme Court judicial precedent which says that if evidence points to a causal connection between a crash and an injury when symptoms appear after an accident, then it’s presumed the accident caused the symptoms.

pay more,” Carter said, leaving state lawmakers with no other option than to reduce who can receive Medicaid coverage.

Congress looking for cuts

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 Trump’s first term, turn into law many of Trump’s executive orders and reduce spending by at least $1.5 trillion.

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.

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. That means both moderate

It would limit how much an injured driver could collect who does not have car insurance, which is mandated under state law

The governor also endorsed the rate-setting bill opposed by Temple.

But Landry, who received big contributions from trial lawyers when he was elected governor in 2023, has said he would support only a few of the pro-industry bills, saying no one could guarantee that passage of the other measures would bring down rates.

“I’ll guarantee you that if the people’s auto insurance rates go up, there’s only one person allowing them to go up,” he told Griffon’s listeners. “It’s not the lawyers. It would be the commissioner.”

Landry was facing a problem with the rate-setting bill. It was sponsored by Rep. Robby Carter, D-Greensburg, and, after it won committee approval, House Republicans voted in their caucus to support only car insurance bills authored by Republicans. Wiley’s role

On Tuesday Rep. Jeff Wiley, R-Maurepas, said he told Glorioso that he could support the Carter House Bill 576. That set in motion a plan to take language in Carter’s bill and drop it into Wiley’s HB148.

Landry also said he is supporting House Bill 519 by Rep. Brian Glorioso, RSlidell. The bill would allow drivers to use their cellphones only hands free. Also getting Landry’s backing is House Bill 434 by Rep. Jason Dewitt, R-Alexandria.

“I’m certain if I talked to 10 people at Walmart about insurance premiums and would they think it’s a good idea to increase the authority of the commissioner on rates, they would say yes,” Wiley said in an interview later, adding that the governor offered him nothing in return for his move.

Glorioso agreed to sponsor the amendment to effectively turn Carter’s bill into

Proposals being floated, according the Republican and Democratic representatives on the committee, include requiring ablebodied 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. Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.

Wiley’s HB148.

Several hours before Wednesday’s vote, first Temple and then Landry separately explained their positions to Republicans meeting in the Capitol basement.

When it came time to vote, the governor won a 2-1 majority But he lost not only Firment but two other committee chairs who would normally vote with him: Rep. Raymond Crews, R-Bossier City, and Rep Brett Geymann, R-Lake Charles. Rep Mark Wright, R-Covington, the party caucus chair, also voted against Landry

In supporting the bill, Glorioso broke ranks with a group of 15 House freshmen who had been working together to pass bills that Temple and the insurance industry supported. Glorioso said afterward that he got Landry to agree to remove a provision from Carter’s bill that would have allowed the insurance commissioner to set rates instead of just disallow them.

“It’s a tough situation,” Glorioso said after the vote. “No one has wanted to be in the middle of a political fight between the commissioner and the governor This bill allows the commissioner to reject rates, and insurance companies can appeal the decision.”

The 31 Democrats could have torpedoed the bill if they had voted against it since only 37 Republicans voted for it, 16 short of what was needed.

“The people of Louisiana really need relief from high and unaffordable car insurance,” Rep Matthew Willard of New Orleans, the Democratic caucus chair said afterward. “We think the commissioner should have that authority to protect rate payers.”

Email Tyler Bridges at tbridges@theadvocate.com.

Johnson

Carter

Firment

Melerine

Owned by Spectrum OpCo LLC since last summer, the well began sending oily product skyward late last month after years of sitting dormant. The Coast Guard said the cause remains under investigation.

Coast Guard officials have been unable so far to say how large the oilyslick is from the well but said crews had collected more than 60,700 gallons of oily product through Friday,enough to fill two and ahalf sizeable, rectangular backyard pools 5feet deep. By Sunday night, they’d collected another 10,000 gallons.

Acomplicated response

The well’slocation in the marsh and shallow waterof the MississippiRiver Bird’s Foot Delta has complicated the response, parish and federal officials said.

Contractor Wild Well Control must carve achannel through shallows that parish emergency officials say are about 3feet deep in spots to bring in alarge barge that holds acrane and heavy equipment to cap the well, Coast Guard officialssaid.

“This has presented some challenges that have required dredgingand jetting operations to create enough depthtosafely operate required sourcecontrol operations and storage equipment.

Wild Well Control has mobilized intervention equipment,” Coast Guard officials said Friday afternoon.

Wild Well Control is planning to use alarge crane and aheavy piece of equipment known as acapping stack to place it on top of the uncontrolledwelland cutoff the flow,Coast Guard officials said.

Oil spill expert Nancy Kinner,aUniversity of New Hampshire professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering, said similar technology was developed to shut the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill 15 years ago, though that happened in far tougher conditions 5,000 feet underwater

Capping stacks have gained wider use and refinement since the Deepwater Horizon spill, she said. Their use in shallow conditions like this one isn’tuncommon, she said, but the crane has to be brought in close to the well.

“When you have all thatoil coming out, you need afairly hefty piece of equipment, and it’snot like that equipment can be carriedinby people. (The capping stack is) heavy.It’sbig, and so you have to have acrane to liftit intoplace,” Kinner said Despite theaccess complications, Coast Guard officials said ensuring Wild Well Control’splan to use the capping stack succeeds will be the most critical element of the response in the coming days.

“Dredging/jetting operations are acritical part of source control operations; however,itisnot the critical path.Cuttingand capping planning is being refined so that it canbedonecorrectly at the first attempt,” officials said.

The Coast Guard announced Sunday nightthat its well intervention team regained control of the well, stopping theflowofdischarge.

CoastGuard stepsin

As theresponse continues and agrowing numbers of oilskimmers and workers —close to 200 —are being directed to the spill, theU.S. Coast Guard has also moved to takefullcontrol of managingthe response by supplanting Spectrum OpCo, the agency said.

The Coast Guard federalizedthe responselatelast week and hired its own primary response contractor Coast Guard officials said they also began accessing federal emergency dollars from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.

“This decision ensured continuity of operations and allowed forthe continued rapid mobilization of resources necessary to secure the source and mitigate environmentalthreats,”they said.

Spectrum, which is the owner/operator and remains the responsible party,had originally been apart of the unified command forthe response with the Coast Guard and state butnolonger was once theCoast Guard took full control on Thursday

It’s not clear what role the company has at thispoint. Company officials have not responded to requestsfor comment.

The spill trust fundisfinanced primarily with a 9-cents-per-barrel taxondomestic andimportedcrude oil. U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency records say that agency can tap thefund when theresponsibleparty isn’tknownorrefusestopay

When asked about Spectrum’sfinancesand the use of the trust fund, Coast Guard officialssaid their decision was “in response to theongoing oildischarge andassociated environmental risks.”

They referredquestions about Spectrum to the Houston company,which has a website with one page only and no contact information on it. The webpage has a handful of seasoned oil and gas executives listed as the leadership with links to their LinkedIn pages.

Keith Hall,anLSU professor who specializes in energy law,said theCoast Guard “cantakeoverthe response if the responsibleparty is not responding or the Coast Guard thinks it is better prepared to respond.”

He added if theCoast Guarduses trust fund dollars, thefederal government can seek to recoup them later from the responsibleparty Astudy in policy flaws?

As daily aerial photos showed some marshes surrounding the well becoming stained with darkening shades of brown andblack despite containmentbooms andabsorbent bales, the oily release and necessity for the Coast Guard to step in hasalready led to criticisms from environmental groups and oneofLouisiana’sDemocratic congressmen.

Theysay theincident is

PHOTO PROVIDEDByU.S.COAST GUARD

Abrownish mix of oil, gasand water sprays from a82-yearold well near Garden Island Bayinthe Bird’s Foot Deltain southernPlaquemines Parish on Thursday. An overflight took the picture. The U.S. Coast Guard has enacted asafety zone in the area and almost 3miles of boom have been placed to contain the released material.

an exampleofatleast two things:Louisiana’sinsufficient measurestoshut thousandsofaged wells permanently and the shortsightedness of Trumpadministration cuts to federal government agencies that protect the public and environment

Congressman Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, said the Trump administration’sDepartmentofGovernment Efficiency cuts have laid off or forced into early retirementmore than 1,000 workerswith the U.S.National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including some from theunitinits EmergencyResponse Division that handlesoil and other spills.

“Asoil shoots 30 to 40 feet into the air from awell that should have beenpermanently sealed years ago, we are left scrambling to contain adisaster with fewer people, fewer resources and fewer answers. This week marks 15 yearssince the Deepwater Horizon tragedy andyet here we stand, once again, dangerously unprepared,” Carter said.

Republican congressmen andTrump officialshave largely celebratedthe cuts by DOGE,led by billionaire Elon Musk, for rooting out a few hundredbillion dollars in waste and fraud. Critics have questioned thesizeof thesavings estimates.

Well 59 was first drilled in thefinalmonthsof1942 to nearly 6,900 feet deep in thesearch for oil. It has had multipleownersthrough the decades andwas significantly reworked in 1989 and1994, state oil andgas records show In the decadesinceWell59 was shut in, it continuedto change hands before an affiliateofSpectrumEnergy with common ownerships bought it and 291 other wells last year for about $3.9million. The previous owner, Whitney Oiland Gas,was in bankruptcy,federal court records show Coast Guard officials said the shut-inwell was being kept closed withvalves. Except for missingsignage, the well passed astate safetyinspection in June 2023, state records show In an interview,Brady Bradshaw, who works for the Center forBiologicalDiversity,alleged oil companies of-

thisone are clearlya recipe fordisaster”and suggested theproblemwas areason to halt expansionofoffshore drilling.

“For the sake of Louisiana’s communities and sensitive coastal environment, government officials should stop letting oil companiesskip out on theirwell-plugging responsibilities,” he addedina statement. Patrick Courreges, spokesperson for the state Department of Energy andNatural Resources, said thedepartment hastaken avariety of stepsoverthe past decade, including increasing financial security requirements andwellinspections, to incentivize owners to do something with their wells.

tenuse the promiseoffuture production to shut-in wells and avoid more costly plugging and abandonment Bradshawcharged that “aging, unpluggedwells like

“Eitherget theminproductionorplug them andclean them up like you should,” he said. “At some point, though, if youpress toohardwith that, (operators) give up, especially the smaller operators who are like, ‘OK,I just don’thave the money to do that.’”

The wells then become “orphans” that are the state’s responsibility.Courreges arguedthe department is riding afine line between pushing operators and unintentionally driving up the number of orphan wells. Louisiana has about4,700 orphaned wells, which the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’sOfficerecently found would cost about $543 million to plug permanently Auditorshavealsorecently found the state wasn’t requiring enough security to cover plugging costs and has underfunded itsplugging program. Auditors have also separately questioned the spending by and oversight of athird-party agency that offers smaller drillers financial security for plugging. Department officials have said they are trying to address the auditors’ findings and have pushed new laws to tighten the rules.

DavidJ.Mitchellcan be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.

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Report dings safety and permit office

Lack of third-party inspection oversight cited

BY JONI HESS Staff writer

New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits cannot verify whether the majority of the city’s building inspections are actually being performed, and the breadth of improper inspection approvals can lead to “catastrophic and deadly situations,” a new report from New Orleans Inspector General’s Office says.

N.O.

to consider sex

worker protection ordinance

Police would be barred from arresting those who report crimes

BY DESIREE STENNETT Staff writer

New Orleans City Council members are weighing a law that would make it easier for sex workers to report crimes without fear of prosecution for prostitution, a move supporters say will promote public safety and public health.

If passed, the rules would make crime victims and witnesses immune from arrest and local prosecution for prostitution and soliciting or loitering related to sex work.

Police would be barred from seizing most property belonging to sex workers, and courts could not issue sanctions when sex workers violate the conditions of a pre-trial release or probation. Police also could not arrest people based on outstanding state warrants related to prostitution which is a local, state and federal crime. Sex workers could still be arrested under federal and out-of-state warrants.

The department routinely approved third-party inspections, the focus of the report released Wednesday, by relying on poor documentation instead of on-site visits and by failing to follow other best practices, the office said.

“As a matter of public safety, we must ensure all permitting inspections are conducted with integrity and efficiency.”

comply with the suggestions.

“This ordinance is about alleviating fear of arrest for sex workers and victims of sex trafficking who report crimes,” said City Council Vice President Helena Moreno at the council’s Joint Governmental Affairs and Community Development Committee meeting on April 28. Moreno, who is running for mayor, co-sponsored the ordinance along with District B council member Lesli Harris after advocates for sex workers proposed the change The committee voted unanimously to send the ordinance to the full council for its consideration. Moreno said the ordinance had support from Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams’ office and the New Orleans Police Department. But it’s unclear whether Republican Gov Jeff Landry’s State Police force focused on New Orleans, Troop NOLA, would play ball with the changes A spokesperson for the governor and for Attorney General Liz Murrill did not immediately return requests for comment Friday

If the move passes, New Orleans would join other cities and states that have made similar changes. In 2023, Maine Gov Janet Mills signed a bill partially decriminalizing prostitution across the state, removing penalties for selling sex while keeping trafficking and paying for sex illegal.

In California, a ban on loitering for the purpose of prostitution was also repealed while prostitution itself remained illegal, CNN reported. The Illinois legislature is debating a bill that would fully legalize prostitution,

“Third-party inspectors perform the majority of inspections in New Orleans, impacting homes and commercial property throughout the City,” Inspector General Ed Michel said in a statement.

In response to the report’s recommendations, which include hiring a new compliance officer standardizing required documentation and barring inspectors with expired licenses from submitting reports, officials with the city’s Safety and Permits department said they have been working to

“We continue to work to address issues brought forward in previous audits as well as moving towards a more effective and efficient system of third party review that allows us to keep the citizens of New Orleans safe and regain public trust and confidence for this process,” Safety and Permits Director Tammie Jackson said in a statement. The report follows years of external reviews and investigations into the beleaguered agency charged with enforcing building

use standards and issuing building, electrical and mechanical permits throughout the city The Hard Rock building collapse in 2019 highlighted the quality of city permits and later, an inspector was hit with federal corruption charges for filing hundreds of fake building inspection reports. Last year the Matrix Consulting Group named the department one

LAST HURRAH

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

Ohm Lounge condemned a performer’s choice to wear a swastika shirt during Friday’s Waka Flocka Flame show and pledged to revise its code of conduct, staff training and performer guidelines.

“This symbol has no place in our venue, our values, or our city,” Ohm Lounge ownership and management wrote in a Saturday night Instagram post. “Notably, Waka Flocka’s manager who is Jewish, was just as shocked and disturbed to learn how the situation unfolded online today.”

Social media posts surfaced alleging a performer wore a shirt featuring a German Nazi swastika emblem during a Friday night show at the night club at 601 Tchoupitoulas Street. “At this time, we do not know the performer’s intent,” read the

Moreno

By DAVID GRUNFELD

SUNDAy’S BIG FINISH

Fight brewing over road link to container terminal

Opponents of planned St. Bernard project say costs have ballooned

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

A battle is brewing between supporters of the Port of New Orleans’ planned container ship terminal in St. Bernard Parish and local leaders opposed to the multibillion-dollar project.

The new skirmish is all about how trucks will get to and from the terminal at Violet.

The port has long argued that the downriver terminal and supporting infrastructure particularly a road link from the port site to the interstate network 10 miles away — is needed in order to stem the region’s bleeding of container ship market share to rival Gulf Coast ports.

In December, Port of New Orleans’ new CEO, Beth Ann Branch, said a new road to connect the port to the interstate will be as important as the terminal itself, which is known as the Louisiana International Terminal. She said they plan to start construction on the terminal later this year and hope the road will start this year, too, so it can be completed in time for the opening of the first phase of the terminal in 2028. Opponents have argued that the terminal would damage the environment in St. Bernard and disrupt their way of life. They’ve pushed for an alternative on the west bank in Plaquemines Parish, and say the terminal would be way too expensive.

Indeed, Lt. Gov Billy Nungesser, who is an opponent of the terminal, wrote to Branch on April 29 demanding to know the current es-

PERMITS

Continued from page 1B

serves a critical function for the city, prompting his office to take the unusual step of embedding an inspector and an investigator on-site for several months to observe department operations related to third-party inspections, which made up 68% of the near 30,000 inspections performed during the 2022 review period

The inspector general knocked the department for failing to hire a compliance officer who would add another layer of oversight, even though the inspector general made that recommendation back in 2022, in an earlier report The officer would perform daily inspection reviews, on-site visits and issue permits.

Safety and Permits told the office that they relied on documentation submitted for approvals, rather than on-site visits But the department’s office issued permits even when inspectors’ reports were missing or in-

timated cost to build the terminal, which he said he now believes is billions more than originally planned.

The terminal’s backers and opponents are now awaiting a long overdue report from the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission, which will set out the options for building the road to handle the port’s truck traffic. Regional planning officials said they just completed the report and will make it available to the public on May 14.

The Regional Planning Commission has narrowed its short list of alternative routes over the past year from several dozen to three, which will be made public when its report is published later this month.

One of the main objections raised by opponents of the new terminal is that it would cause traffic mayhem in the parish, whose two main roads, East Judge Perez Drive and East St. Bernard Highway, already struggle with congestion and would be overwhelmed by the thousands of trucks expected to travel to and from the terminal daily

Christopher Kane, a lawyer for the Port of New Orleans, told the Louisiana House Transportation Committee last month that the most expensive and longest of the three would cost about $800 million, with the shortest expected to cost about half that He said the port plans to find a private sector partner to build the road, which would be funded by tolls paid by the truck companies.

The longest likely alternative is a road that starts at the port terminal in Violet and runs for most of its 9 miles as an elevated expressway over the Central Wetlands Unit, north of Forty Arpent Canal Road, connecting to Paris Road just before the Interstate 510 junction.

The cheaper option likely would be just under 5 miles long and would begin just past Meraux and

complete, Michel’s team noted. Out of 93 inspections reviewed for documentation compliance, all lacked some form of required photos.

Without GPS data verifying third-party inspectors were physically present during the inspection, photos serve as the main source of evidence.

The report also found that Safety and Permits failed to rotate third-party inspectors at random throughout different parts of the city, which raises the likelihood of more inadequate inspections from the same firm. During the review period, at least 20% of inspections were conducted by the same firm

Whether all those inspections were actually conducted is unclear, the report notes, as Safety and Permits said it cannot track them by GPS in the same way it monitors city inspectors.

This could lead to contractors who are more likely to work with third-party inspectors who are “willing to accept kickbacks in exchange for a passed inspec-

connect to Paris Road at the railway overpass, about 5 miles south of the interstate junction That would require trucks to use existing roads for about 8 miles of the journey to the interstate network.

The battle lines on the road, and the broader port project, are now aligning for and against legislation that is up for debate in the Louisiana Legislature.

At the April House committee meeting, state Rep. Mark Wright, R-Covington, introduced House Bill 616 that would allow the port to engage in a public-private partnership for the road project. Wright said the bill is necessary to expedite the process of finding a partner for the toll road, and to avoid repeating what happened six years ago with Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

The airport’s new, $1 billion terminal was completed in November 2019 but the connector road to Interstate 10 wasn’t finished because of dithering and infighting among legislators.

“We had a first-class airport built in New Orleans but we didn’t have a road ready and that was disgusting, quite frankly,” Wright told the committee. “We want to do this the right way with private financing involved so we’re not in that situation again.”

A St. Bernard delegation at the committee meeting, which included Parish President Louis Pomes, all seven members of the Parish Council, District Attorney Perry Nicosia and others, all voiced their opposition to Wright’s bill.

State Rep. Mike Bayham, a Republican who represents St. Bernard, led the delegation opposed to Wright’s bill and argued that it is seeking to push through land acquisitions to facilitate the road.

“They are trying to grab land that is nowhere near the banks of the

tion,” the report said. Auditors also found the department regularly enlisted inspectors with expired licenses, an issue that could leave the city vulnerable to future litigation for improperly performed inspections.

Jackson said the department hired a certified building inspector manager last month who will review building inspections and issue certificates of occupancy They also plan to increase the number of supervisors to perform on-site inspections.

Earlier this year, the department rolled out a uniform inspection report for third-party inspectors and has scheduled four quarterly meetings this year to review policies and procedures with inspectors. To prevent inspectors operating without an active license, the department moved review responsibilities to the city’s trade license division, Jackson said. Email Joni Hess at joni.hess@ theadvocate.com.

river,” Bayham told the committee.

“We are all united in our opposition to this bill and the (container) port in general.”

The committee voted to hold Wright’s bill for further discussion State Rep. Phillip Tarver, R-Lake Charles, said he would like to know where Gov Jeff Landry’s administration stands on the question before he makes up his mind.

Former Gov John Bel Edwards was a supporter of the terminal and it has earned the support of both of Louisiana’s U.S. senators, who’ve helped to secure more than $300 million in federal funds for the project, including $15 million for the road.

The port in its statement said Wright’s bill is needed “to provide a clear mechanism to procure the desired road for the benefit of St. Bernard parish and to support the Louisiana International Terminal.”

Branch said in December that the downriver terminal must be built or the region will not be able to compete in the container shipping market.

Last year, Landry established the Louisiana Port and Waterways Investment Commission with the express mission of curbing bickering among the various port fiefdoms and to work out an overall strategy The commission, chaired by Landry appointee Marc Hebert, hasn’t weighed in on the downriver container terminal issue.

In March, when the Louisiana Gateway Terminal, the new name for the Plaquemines Port, made a proposal for a joint venture with the Port of New Orleans for a west bank terminal, Julia Fisher-Cormier, Landry’s commissioner of the Office of Multimodal Commerce, said the administration is neutral on the rival proposals.

Landry hasn’t responded directly to requests for comment on the ri-

SEX

Continued from page 1B

according to Fox 32 in Chicago. Ne-

vada has long allowed prostitution under certain circumstances.

At the meeting, Moreno said the proposal “in no way legalizes prostitution,” and that limited immunity granted by the ordinance would exclusively be provided to crime victims and witnesses. Moreno added that she hopes state lawmakers will eventually consider similar legislation.

Natalie Rupp, executive director of the Trans Income Project organization, which advocates for transgender people and sex workers told council members that her organization conducted more than 50 interviews with sex workers and Bourbon Street dancers over the summer, and many of them requested the legal change. Several reported that if they were victims of crimes, they would be unlikely to call the police, Rupp said.

Others who spoke publicly at the committee meeting called for per-

val terminals. His close adviser on business matters, Shane Guidry, has expressed support for LIT

Without a commitment either way, local St. Bernard leaders have continued to mount a campaign against the port

The St. Bernard Parish government and the district attorney have three pending lawsuits against the Port of New Orleans, alleging it has overstepped its legal authority and that building the port would cause irreparable environmental damage.

In his letter to Branch, Nungesser argued that costs for the project have gotten out of hand.

“At the previous estimate of $1.8 billion, LIT already would be the most expensive container terminal ever built in the U.S.,” Nungesser wrote in the letter, a copy of which was provided by his office. “It has come to my attention that the newest cost estimate has more than doubled to $3.9 billion.”

The higher cost estimate also has been cited by former U.S Sen David Vitter, who is a lobbyist for the rival Plaquemines Parish port project

Neither Vitter nor Nungesser have indicated where the new estimate came from. The Port of New Orleans declined a public records request to produce its latest LIT cost estimate, citing commercially sensitive negotiations with private sector partners Ports America and Mediterranean Shipping Company

A statement provided by port spokesperson Kimberly Curth said the $3.9 billion figure was “wholly inaccurate.”

In his letter to Branch, Nungesser said he was calling on the Landry administration to withhold any support and funds for LIT until the full project cost estimates are divulged and fully evaluated.

sonal autonomy and said that the focus should be on safety and not moral judgment. No one who spoke or emailed their public comment spoke in opposition.

“This ordinance is about public safety, but it’s also a public health measure. Lots of people who are victims of crimes that are sex workers are afraid to go to the hospital, because they’re afraid that they are going to be reported and arrested,” said Lauren Hall, an attorney who helped write the proposal and who is a policy director for the community organization Below Sea Level Aid.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Zachary Richard performs on the Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do-Do Stage during the last day of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans on Sunday.

Albert,Cynthia

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Albert,Cynthia Elaine

CynthiaElaineAlbert was born on February 16, 1949, to thelovingunion of Harry Albert (deceased) and ClaraFredricks Albert (deceased). Shewas raised inUptown NewOrleans as wellasspendingher for‐mativeyears in the7th Ward. AgraduateofJoseph S.Clark High School,she wentontograduatefrom XavierUniversitywitha degreeinChemistry.Em‐ploymentwithDow Chemi‐cal hadCynthia find anew homeinMidland,Michi‐gan.Where sheput her own stamponlifeand began herown family, with the birthofher son(1980) Through themanychanges oflife, shefound herself backinNew Orleansto carefor herparents as well asraise herson.Only to havetoreturntoMidland MIduringa post Katrina era (2006).Seeingher fam‐ily grow yetagain with the birth of hergrandson (2011),she wasabletore‐locatebacktoNew Orleans (2016),where shespent the remainderofher life surrounded with family, friends,and acommunity thatloved &cherished her. Cynthia wascalledhome tobewiththe Lord on Wednesday,April 23,2025 She is survived by herson Stephen WayneAlbert, grandsonStephen Kenneth Albertand awealthof close cousinsand friends. She is preceded in death byher parentsHarry Albert & ClaraFredrickAlbertand a host of Aunts, Uncles, and severalcousins that havegoneontorestin glory.Relatives andFriends ofthe Family areall invited toattend theFuneral Ser‐viceonTuesday,May 6, 2025, at 10:00am at Christ‐ian UnityBaptist Church 1700 ContiSt. NewOrleans, Louisiana 70112. Visitation willbegin at 9:00am.Burial willbeprivate.Profes‐sionalArrangementsEn‐trusted to Majestic Mortu‐ary Service, Inc. (504)5235872.

Theodore (Ted) Eugene Guyton, 84, left this world to be with God, his Beloved Charlesand Family on Thursday, April24, 2025. Ted passed peacefully aftera shortillness; Close Family and his Loving Care Provider were with Tedas he passed.Ted, born in Dallas, Texas, March 20, 1941;raisedinBig Sandy Texas considered Big Sandy, Houston, Dallas, New York City and his MostLoved Maui hishome. Ted is in the Loving Arms of His Mother, Helen Belo Ponder Guyton, hisFather, Forrest Newton Guyton, Sister: CarolynnReed Guyton:BrothersForest NewtonGuyton Jr.James LouisGuyton and His Soulmate Love of hisLife, Charles Ashe Oldham, they shareda Loving 58 Years together and are now once again Planning tripsto Maui and New York City. Ted is survived by his nephew, JeffryGuyton, Jeff's wifeLisa Karen Guyton; beloved cousins of Oregon, RobertJohnstone, Penny Johnstone,Michael Johnstone,Matt Johnstone; cousins of Monroe,LA, OliverShultz and wifeSylvia; cousin of Houston, Carol Ann Holdam; Pam Dakerand Trent DakerofDallas; Russell Gribbleof Palestine;careprovider, MiguelAcosta who was devoted toTed and most importantly hisfriends Tedmade an immediate impact on everyone's life and willberemembered and missed foryearsto come. Stories and talesof Tedwillbespun formany years.Ted attended North Texas State University (now UNT) as wellas Columbia University. He managed the West Texas Oiland Gas Concerns for his family; aFormer Long Time Sales/Marketing Team Memberofhis Loved BraniffAirlines wherehe met Friends that have remainedlove and close for over 60 Years; Tedwas a Real Estate Investor, with a Vast PortfoliofromNew York City to Texas (Houston, Dallas, Galveston,East Texas and West Texas), Honoluluand Maui as wellasan Entrepreneur; with many Business's that he cherished. Ted and Charles travelled the Worldtogether many times, He Adored Broadway with Charles; Never saw an Estate Sale that he couldpasson; Family and Friends were always first in Ted'sHeart; he was Loved by All,never met astrangerthat didn't become his Friend; aHeart withunlimited capacity for Love and Tenderness, a Long Time Episcopalian, he thankedGod each and everyday for allofhis Blessings.Ted Lived Lifeto its Fullest! he was Never justa Participant. Never forgothis rootsinBig Sandy,Loved Charlesfrom themoment they met; talked endlessly about his Family and is now HOME. Services for Ted were held at Croley FuneralHome in Gilmer, Texas on Saturday, May 3, 2025. He waslaidto rest at Chilton Cemetery.

Neal,Helen Marie

Mrs. HelenMarie Neal was born in Hahira,GAon Monday, May16, 1949, to the late Mr.MarionRoberts and KatieRoberts.Helen was thesixth childofnine children. At an earlyage Helen professedGod as her Lord andSaviorand unitedwithShady Grove MissionaryBaptist Church, Hahira, GA.Helen attended the cook countytraining school in Adel,GAgraduat‐ing in 1967. Aftergraduat‐ing shemoved to Chicago, IL.Helen metand married ClarenceNealand to this union 3childrenwereborn. Helen washardworking and adedicated woman. She worked forPadua Community Services for manyyears.She wasa dedicated member of Greater Providence Baptist church in Algiers, LA.Helen departedthislifeonThurs‐day,April 24th, 2025 at Ochsner Westbank in GretnaLouisiana.Helen was preceded in deathby her parentsMarionand Katie Roberts, herGrand‐parents Grantand Emma Butlerand Isom andAngie Roberts.A granddaughter Ja‘Kiya MonétMcDonald, two brothers Bennie (BW) Whiteand Willie Charles Roberts;two sistersAnnie LoisRobinsonand Lola Grace Roberts. Helen leavestolamenther pass‐ing herhusband Clarence NealSr.;two daughters LaTonya Neal andMiranda NealofHarveyLA. Oneson ClarenceNealJr. of Harvey LA; andfourgrandchildren; J’JuanMcDonald, Ca’Ziyah Neal, Ric’ Kiyahand Ric’ KingJanuary.Foursisters; Mildred Washington of ScherervilleIN, Ruby Free‐man,Maple Heights, Ohio, Wilma“Tony”Laneof Hahira, GA and Doretha“Larry”Burtonof Nashville GA.Two special nephews raised as a brother;Larry Roberts(de‐ceased) andStevie“Jen‐nell” Lane,HahiraGA; Three specialfriends Bar‐baraCola, Gloria Bell and CoraCarmouche;and a hostofniecesand nephews;cousins and friends.Relatives and friends of thefamilyare in‐vited to attend thecelebra‐tionoflifeservice which willbeheldonWednesday, May 7, 2025 at Greater ProvidenceBaptist Church located at 623 Newton Street,New Orleans, La

Thevisitationwillbegin at 11a.m andthe service willbegin at 12 noon.Pas‐tor JavonteJimcoily offici‐ating andinterment will followatWestlawnMemo‐rialParkCemeteryin Gretna, La.Funeralplan‐ningentrusted to Robinson FamilyFuneralHome9611 LA- 23, Belle Chasse,La 70037 (504) 208 -2119. For onlinecondolences please visit www.robinsonfamilyf uneralhome.com.

LeonardTheyard,Jr. earnedhis wingsonSun‐day,April 20, 2025. Born in New OrleansonNovember 30, 1932 to thelate Leonard,Sr. andEthel Cole‐man Theyard, Leonardwas a manofquiet strength, deep faith andunwavering devotiontohis family. After graduating from Cohen High School,He joinedthe US Army,where heproudly served with hu‐milityand generosity.A proud lifetime member of the Zulu Social Aidand PleasureClub, Leonardcel‐ebrated NewOrleans tradi‐tions with passionand pride.Inaddition to his parents,heisalsopre‐cededindeath by hissis‐

ter, ShirleyTheyard Thomasand son, Leonard Theyard,III. ACelebration service honoring thelife and legacy of thelate Leonard Theyard, Jr., will beheldinthe Chapel of CharbonnetLabat Glapion FuneralHome, 1615 St PhilipStreet,New Orleans, LA70116 on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 10 am.Inter‐mentSoutheast Louisiana VeteransCemetery, 34888 GranthamCollege Road, Slidell, LA at 12:30 pm.Visi‐tation9 am in thechapel. Traditional Zulu second lineprocessiontofollow. In lieuof flowers, thefamily suggestshonoring Leonard’s memory through actsofkindnessand com‐munity service. Please sign onlineguestbook at www charbonnetfuneralhome com. Charbonnet Labat Glapion,Directors (504)581 4411, Charbonnet-LabatGlapion FuneralHome1615 St. Philip St NewOrleans LA70116.

Guyton, Theodore 'Ted'

Judges being targeted for just doing theirjobs

We have been experiencing a surge of criticism of the federal district court judges who have granted injunctions temporarily delaying anumber of the president’sexecutive orders. Federal district court judges are the first stop for plaintiffswho may be citizens, businesses, nonprofit organizationsorstate governments. All constitutional matters begin with acase filed in district court, the only judicial forum that hears the facts in acase. Higher courts can only consider how the law has been applied. The judge does not file cases that challenge the constitutionality of apresidential executive order or any other federal government action. Plaintiffs bring cases to the judge. When adistrict court judge grants atemporary injunction to temporarily stopa presidential executive order,the judge has determined that the party filing has enough facts to merit afurther acourt hearing. The judge may rule apause tohalt any damage that could result from the executive order. There canbeatrial on the factsand appeals, which lead to afinalresolution. The judge is areferee,not alitigant. Currently,there seem to be many national injunctions by variouscourts.Itisthe result of the surprisingly large number of executive orders issued recently. Presidential executive orders have been typical in our democracy for decades. If district court judges are barred from granting nationalinjunctions, cases with the same facts would be filedin multiple courts, thus clogging thedockets.

Members of our Congressional delegation now support legislation to stop “nationwide injunctions” and target the judges who have granted them. Congress should draft legislation that meets the needs of its citizens rather than attack the judicial system and take away the citizens’ right to challenge potentially unconstitutional measures. Contact Congress if you agree.

LINDAM.WALKER NewOrleans

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Dean of the CollegeofCardinals Giovanni Battista Re spreads incense around the coffinof Pope

Pope gave Catholics whodrifted away hope

GrowingupaRoman Catholic who has constantly faced an inner battle with faith andtraditional religious beliefs, Pope Francis’ death sits with me. Ihave struggled with theinnerturmoil of my religious beliefs my entire life, and Ihave found myself driftingfurtheraway from my faith due to my differingbeliefs with thechurch, but Pope Francisalways served as alight of sorts. Overall, herepresented something that Itoo closely believe in, love and kindness to all and aservant leader mindset.Pope Francis showed us that the traditions of the Catholic Church arenot the end-all be-all. He showed kindness and love to those who neededit, taking up his name for theimpoverished,helping to move the catholic church toward aplace of acceptance for same-sex marriage, showinglove and acceptance to nonbelievers, and preaching the importance of servingand helping others. Pope Francis

practiced what he preached in manyways.

Idon’tbelieve Ican ever call myself a Catholic in good faith as my viewsrun contrary to thechurch in most ways, but Pope Francis did show that alife of acceptance, love and service are the core tenets we should follow.I’m deeply saddened by his passing. Ibelieve Pope Francis was helping movethe church in the right direction and was building amore loving andaccepting religious environment.

Iworry now his successor will movethe church back to its moretraditional, rigid, conservative ways, pushing morepeople, like myself, away from faithand service. I will continue to help and serve others, lift my communityand love and acceptthose around me, andIhope others, both religious and nonreligious, can do thesame.

ROYRANCANTORE JR. NewOrleans

Catholicswho financiallysupport church have demanded reform afterabuse cases

This is arebuttal to the thoughts expressed in the April 15 letter by Scott“Alex”Peyton of Opelousas.

Iagree with Quin Hillyer that Louisiana’ssales tax is too high. I do not, however,think that this is bad policy in need of rebalancing in favor of property taxes.

Hillyer argues that sales taxes do not provide stable funding in times of economic turbulence and that property taxes provide amore stable source of revenue.

Stable forwho? Government? Government should not be shielded from tough economic times that its citizens must endure. Aperson who loses his job in arecession pays less in incometaxes because he makes less income. He pays less in sales taxes because he consumes less. He has to pay the sameamount (or morefollowing reassessment) in property taxes even when his situation is precarious. How is this fair and equitable? As forsales taxes being regressive and harming the poor more, even renters pay property taxes. The renter might not pay it directly, but rents certainly increase when the owner’scosts go up. The key is keeping all rates —income, sales and property taxes as low as possible.

GARRETT MONTI Luling

Insurancelobbying behind closed doors is more of thesame

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone 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 ALETTER, SCAN HERE

Peyton is correct in saying that the Catholic Church runsonthe financial support of its members, but beyond that, his logic is completely offbase. Churchgoing Catholics do financially support thechurch, but we, as well as thepresent-day clergy,have demanded andreceived real reform from theunfortunatemistakes of the past clergy who have since died or been purged from our church. The Catholic Church was forced to legally try to protect itself from theactions of the attorneyswho represent theunfortunate individuals who have been abused by former clergy. Thechurch has spent just shyof$50 millionofsavings and from divested assets on attorney fees fighting thegreedy attorneys of the abusedwho madeunreal promises to their clients —like they could each be awarded about $1 million. Although Iques-

tion if any amount of financialaward could ever adequately compensate the abused individuals, thelegal cost to the Catholic Church to datewould have amounted to about $100,000 per abused individual.

Well over 80 years ago, when Iwould complain about somethingthat seemed to injure me or be unfair,mymother would repeat to me that in this life, oftentimes the good have to suffer for the bad. Unfortunately, that couldn’tbemore true than in the case of these sexually abused individuals. On the other hand, our church recently celebrated Holy Week, which of course, included Good Friday.AsIwritethis letter,I wonder where theCatholic Church, we churchgoers or even these abused individuals would be if Our LordJesus Christ had filed alawsuit against theJews and Romanstopreventhis passion and horrible death on thecross. LEON TOUPS Metairie

Ithink tenure should be abolished. It’s aridiculous situation where theinstitution loses control of theemployee, and they know it Theemployee can then begin takingadvantageofthe situation. It’sastupid position for employers to put themselves in What we don’tneed in our colleges and universities are professors pushing their own thoughtsonthe way this world should run instead of teaching the subject they are beingpaidtoteach. Agood example is Robert Mann, who is aleft-wing, politically correct liberal who was well known for his actions. Having to listen to his political thoughtsin class cheated his students out of aproper ed-

ucation. Andsince he was tenured, it would have been difficult to get rid of him.Thank goodnesshequit Aguest columninthe paper on April 14 by Suzanne Marchand and Eugene Turner toutingthe benefitsoftenure madeitsound like agreat thing. What really happens is it gives theperson achance to back off from agood job they may have been doing and gives them the opportunity to slow downand possibly insert someoftheir ideas into their classroom teachings. If the management didn’tlike it, they would have ahard time correcting the situation.

TOMLINGONI JR. Marrero

It looks like Gov. Jeff Landry is catering to the trial lawyers just like every other Louisiana governor (and Legislature) fordecades. Sorry,Landry,but we average citizens can’tlobby you forcommonsense, affordable auto insurance at the exclusive private clubs, luxury restaurants and lavish hunting camps. We’re just trying to live from paycheck to paycheck. And you know what’sreally sad? Landry and his minions in the Legislature think the people of Louisiana are stupid. Maybe they are right because we keep electing turkeys.

PAUL FORBES Hammond

Ihave aconservative estimate of my homevalue at $400,000, and my insurance payment is about $2,500 annually.For my automobile, which is 13 years old, my coverage is $3,000 annually.Does that make any sense?!

Francis during his funeral in St. Peter’sSquare at the Vatican on April 26

PATRICIA ‘PATSY’ TIMOTHY Covington

STAFFPHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS Gov. Jeff Landrylistens during a House committee meeting on insuranceatthe State Capitol on April16.

COMMENTARY

POTHOLE LIFEGUARD

There have been endless examples of people decorating the potholes we allnavigate regularly.In2023, some folks in the French Quarteractually took adip in one. Looks like this mom’staken it to ahigher level.What’sshe telling thesekids? youtell me. Be witty,funny, crazy,absurd or snarky —justtry to keep it clean.There’sno limitonthe number of entries.

Thewinningpunchline will be letteredinto the word balloon and runonMonday, May12, in ourprint editions and online. In addition, the winner will receivea signed print of the cartoonalong with acool winner’s T-shirt!Somehonorable mentions will alsobelisted. To enter,emailentries to cartooncontest@theadvocate.com

Allentries mustinclude aname, homeaddress and phone number. Cellnumbers are best.

Thedeadline for all entries is on midnight,Thursday, May8

Have fun, folks! —Walt

Mid-Baratariapermitcontroversy raises existentialquestionfor SouthLa.

Last month’snews thatthe Army Corps of Engineers had pulled the permit for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion was disappointing for many reasons.

Looseningrules on

But it may also be the final push the state needs to face critical coastal questions already fast approaching due to increasing climateimpacts: Is it still possible to have a functionaland habitable large coastal zone, or is it time to turn our effortsto amanagedretreat south of U.S. 90 and reducing risks due to storm surge north of there?

The corps alleges the state“deliberatelywithheld information” during the permitting process.

The “whistle blower” is the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority installed by Gov. Jeff Landry,which went to the corps with documents supporting its claims that thecostswere underestimated by theprevious administration of Gov.John Bel Edwards. Edwards issued astatement calling theclaims misleading and politically motivated by Landry

If proven, the corps’ claim will damage the plan’s scientific credibility Landry and team have been supporters of the project’smain opponents, some in the fishing industry.They oppose the plan because the amount of river water needed to move marshbuilding sediment will drop salinity levels, pushing their brackish water target species southward. They would rather see the marsh rebuilt by just pumping mud from the river,aprocess that would not dramatically change salinities.

They say the more than$300 million setaside to help them make the transition is too little.

That’saself-defeating position.

The dredge-and-fill method will not stop the increase in marsh salinitylevelsthat have been climbing as the Gulf drowns the sinkingmarshes. Louisianaresearch shows thatasbrackish marshes become salty,the production of estuarine shrimp, oysters and fish species such as speckled trout and redfishfalls.

It’swhy the daily limit for speckled trout in Texas and Florida has been

favorofdredge-and-

three for years.

That’salsowhy we’ve spent millions over decades on projects bringing river water into those oyster grounds at the request of the industry. In fact, these opponents still want adiversion —but only large enough to help oyster reefs, not large enough to build and maintain marshes. So, while today’sfisherspushtomake as muchmoney as long as they can, their success likely means theirgrandchildren will havemuch lesstofish for Finally,the project includes funds to buildlevees and raise roadsincommunitiesaround theedge of the Barataria Basin. Thatcould also be lost. Killing the project largely over the economic hit to onestakeholder group would be foolish, especially after almost half of its estimated $3 billion cost has already been spent —and the state might have to pay back $1 billion of that.

Yes, the diversion is an experiment Butit’sone needed to verify what years of research suggestisthe only sustainable way to maintain functional, habitable wetlands— even if they will need to be further north than they are today Which brings us back to that critical question facing the state: Is it already

too latefor most of the landscape south U.S. 90?

That´s becausethe major cause pushing thecoastal zonetoextinction —the fossil fuel emissions driving therecord acceleration of sea levels —still has not been effectively addressed. The average elevation of our coastal wetlands is 2.5 to 3feet. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration saysthe worst-case scenario for our coast in just 25 years is 1.5 to 2feet of rise, not including therate of subsidence. Butwiththe Trump administration declaring war on all climateregulations,that worst-case has become more certain. Is there enough time or sediment and funding to keep ahead of that pace over alarge enough area of the coast to make adifference? Or should we start moving communities south of U.S.90, and begin building higher floodwalls north of there to reduce theriskofstorm surge, and perhaps insurance premiums? Thesequestionsmustbeaddressed. Bob Marshall, aPulitzer Prizewinning Louisiana environmental journalist,can be reached at bmarshallenviro@gmail.com, and followed on X, @BMarshallEnviro

On Feb. 21, Louisiana Attorney General Elizabeth B. Murrill, along with the attorneys general forTexas and Mississippi, sent arequest to President Donald Trump and Secretary of Interior DougBurgum to suspend and revoke recent amended federal regulations on offshore oil and gas production in federal waters. The rules were implemented after several high-profile bankruptcies and their multibillion-dollar fallouts leftthe American government behind other creditors in bankruptcy proceedings to decommission the orphaned platforms, unplugged wells and subsea pipelines leftbehind. Between 2009-2018, there were 22 bankruptcies impacting 490 properties on the outer continental shelf Eligibility to acquire aOCS lease is to have apulse and an American signatory,in no particular order.(It is noteworthy that the eligibility foroffshore wind operators is considerably higher,and it includes financial capability to decommission future offshore wind projects.)

Because essentially any firm can acquire a lease, the American government must determine and reduce risk after the fact. It’s like athemepark that does not establish height limits at its roller coasters, but instead parks ambulances outside each ride.

In the request, Murrill said, “the American taxpayer did not absorb asingle cent of decommissioning liability,” from recent bankruptcies, but just last year the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement spent millions in contracts to plug nine wells off the coast of Texas. Those samewells produced millions of dollars fortheir owners, and now you are paying to clean them up. The rules were the result of amultiyear effort, and above all else, anegotiated compromise to protect the American public from the risk of these defaults. When companies enter an OCS lease contract with the American government, they contractually agree to permanently remove and secure infrastructure and clear the seafloor of all associated obstructions.

Lessees must also acquire abase bond and furnish additional security if the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management determines it is necessary.IfCompany Asells its lease to Company B, Company Aremains “jointly and severally liable” forthose decommissioning obligations in perpetuity In several of the recent bankruptcies, the Government’sauthority to “move up the chain” meantthat the companies that had previously mademoney from these wells were ordered to clean up. The other option wasthe federal treasury But what if there are no other doors to knock on? Enter “sole liability” properties. Asubstantial amount of offshore liability, approximately $14.6 billion, is associated with these types of companies. The new financial assurance rules look at companies’ credit ratings and proved reserves (remaining production on their leases) and require additional security if either metric is found lacking.

Just as abank might require mortgage insurance forarisky borrower,sotoo, did the Department of Interior establish new standards based on the level of risk presented by the firmsthemselves. Again, these rules constituted acompromise.

Murrill claims that the repeal of these regulations would “create and maintain highpaying American blue collar jobs,” but that claim falls short. First, companies extracting oil and gas do not employ as manypeople as they once did, with Louisianans losing 20,000 upstream jobs in the last ten years alone. Second, removing no longer in use infrastructure creates morejobs. A2021 National Ocean Industry Association study estimated over 200 job categories to carry out offshore decommissioning. Whether you call it the Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf of America, the American outer continental shelf is sovereign American territory.Nolaw forces private companies to conduct business in American federal waters. Youhave the freedom to not enter this market. Meanwhile, the American federal government has the authority and obligation to set the termsand conditions of that market to maximize the benefit to the American public.

MeganMillikenBiven is the founder of True Transition, whichadvocates for energy workers.

PHOTO FROM LOUISANA LEGISLATURE VIDEO

Gov. Jeff Landryoutlines his plans to dropthe $3 billionMid-Barataria Sediment Diversionproject in

fill marsh creationprojects at ahearing of the Senate Transportation Committee.

Bob Marshall

Megan Milliken Biven GUEST COLUMNIST

NewOrleans Forecast

Texas

A&M rallies late to take down LSU, earn series win

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

COLLEGE STATION,Texas — Two weak hits and a blast.

That’s all it took for Sunday afternoon’s game to flip on its head for LSU The Tigers were an out away from escaping it, leading 4-2 in the eighth inning of Sunday’s rubber match with Texas A&M.

Ultimately, it was Texas A&M right fielder Caden Sorrell’s three-run home run with two outs in the eighth that gave the Aggies a 6-4 win and was the difference between a series victory and a series defeat for LSU at Blue Bell Park.

“To win in this league, you win when your best players play good,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said, “and that’s what happened for them today.”

To start the eighth inning, LSU redshirt sophomore right-hander Chase Shores got a pair of strikeouts but came out with a runner on third base for junior left-hander Conner Ware. Ware, in the game to face Aggies left-

handed slugger Jace LaViolette, surrendered an infield single that drove in a run, cutting the LSU lead to 4-3 before exiting for junior right-hander Zac Cowan.

Cowan allowed a bloop single that put two runners on base and let Sorrell come to the plate. Sorrell, who has 10 homers in 22 games, worked the count to 2-1 and then blasted a ball over the wall in left field.

After allowing just four earned runs in Southeastern Conference play before this weekend, Cowan surrendered three runs and recorded just two outs in two appearances against the Aggies (27-20, 10-14 SEC)

“Zac’s Trevor Hoffman to me, (he’s) one of the most reliable guys you can have,” Johnson said. “We obviously worked our tail off to get the ball to him in that situation, and he’s been amazing for us all year long.” LSU (38-11, 15-9) had originally taken the lead on a two-run homer in the sixth inning from senior Luis Hernandez, handing them a 4-2 advantage. Hernandez was

Moore saves the day for Tulane

Green Wave salvages finale vs. FAU thanks to reliever’s heroics

BY GUERRY SMITH Contributing writer

Tulane reliever Jacob Moore admitted

Sunday he hoped to break the school record for saves when the year started.

That goal is long gone in a season that has not played out at all like he expected, but he was ecstatic to get his first as the Green Wave salvaged its series finale against Florida Atlantic winning 6-4 at Turchin Stadium. With the Wave facing the possibility of losing a six-run lead for the second consecutive game and getting swept, Moore slammed the door by tossing two scoreless innings after coming in with the tying run on first base in the eighth.

“That felt like a million pounds off my shoulders,” he said. “Just to get that first save of the year feels really good.”

Despite dropping the first two contests while giving up 26 runs, Tulane (28-20, 1110) joined East Carolina at a game away from second place in the American Athletic Conference, trailing Florida Atlantic (31-16, 12-9), South Florida and Charlotte in the bunched-up standings behind dominant frontrunner Texas-San Antonio, which already has clinched the top seed in the AAC tournament.

Moore, a preseason All-AAC pick who had six saves a year ago, made upward movement much more realistic with his strong performance. Control problems forced him

STAFF PHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD Tulane pitcher Jacob Moore throws a pitch against UC-Irvine during a game on Feb 25, 2024, at Turchin Stadium. Moore tossed two scoreless innings after coming in with a tying run on first base in the eighth inning of a game against FAU on Sunday.

With Preakness looming, plans unclear for Derby winner

BY GARY B GRAVES

The immediate futures for horses who finished just behind Sovereignty or skipped the Derby altogether remained muddy, as well.

Two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert returned to Churchill Downs after a four-year suspension with two entries but scratched Wood Memorial winner Rodriguez, pointing

PROVIDED PHOTO By LSU ATHLETICS

LSU pitcher Chase Shores throws a pitch during a game against Texas A&M on Sunday at Blue Bell Park in College Station, Texas.

Baby, what a tournament

Scheffler ties PGA Tour’s 72-hole scoring record by winning Byron Nelson

BY SCHUYLER DIXON AP sportswriter

McKINNEY Texas Scottie Scheffler cradled his year-old son Bennett — the reason he missed his beloved hometown CJ Cup Byron Nelson in 2024 — and struggled to keep his emotions in check for a TV interview, just as he did a few minutes later during the victory speech.

The top-ranked player had time to prepare for the moment because of the giant lead he took into Sunday’s final round, and he even added a little drama by chasing the PGA Tour’s 72-hole scoring record.

Scheffler matched that mark of 253 set by Justin Thomas at the 2017 Sony Open and equaled six years later by Ludvig Aberg at the RSM Classic, closing with a 63 to finish at 31 under par The runaway victory came 11 years after his PGA Tour debut at the Nelson as a high school senior and 22 years after a photo was taken of then-6-year-old Scheffler with the tournament namesake.

Scheffler couldn’t help but think about that day in 2014, when his now-wife, Meredith, was his girlfriend — not yet the mother of their first child and sister Callie, now a mother of two, was his caddie.

“My family was all able to be here, and it was just really, really special memories, and I think at times it all comes crashing down to me at once,” Scheffler said. “We have a lot of great memories as kids coming to watch this tournament. I just dreamed to be able to play in it, and it’s more of a dream to be able to win it.”

Scheffler was in position to break the tour scoring record before a flubbed chip that led to bogey on the par-3 17th hole and a par from a greenside bunker on the par-5 closing hole. His 8-foot putt for birdie and the record slid by the left side of the hole.

Hideki Matsuyama has the lowest score in relation to par this season, 35 under on the par-73 Plantation Course at Kapalua.

Scheffler tied the 54-hole Nelson record with an eight-shot lead, and nobody got closer than six during the final round. Erik van Rooyen of South Africa matched Scheffler’s 8-under 63 to finish at 23 under, three shots ahead of Sam Stevens and four ahead of another hometown favorite, Jordan Spieth.

“We spoke last night, and I told you it was going to be a steep mountain to climb, and it was,” van Rooyen said. “Scottie was practically flawless, which is kind of what you expect from the world No. 1. Really proud with the golf I played.”

Scheffler and Spieth finished with the two lowest rounds of the tournament. Scheffler opened with a 10-under 61 on Thursday at the defenseless par-71 TPC Craig Ranch in a suburban community about 30 miles north of Dallas.

Spieth shot 62 in the final round, knowing his friend and fellow Texas alum was about to become the first of the pair to win the event they both cherish.

Spieth was the first to make his tour debut at the Nelson, four years before Scheffler On top of that, Spieth contended as a 16-year-old in 2010, leading many to believe that surely he would have won it by now

Scheffler stole those bragging rights.

“I think I’ll take it easy on him,” Scheffler said with a chuckle.

Spieth played with Scheffler the first two days and was 12 shots behind him going into the weekend, so he understands how things have changed. They started the tournament with 13 PGA Tour wins apiece. Now Spieth trails for the first time.

“It wasn’t that long ago I was definitely better than him, and now I’m definitely not right now,” said Spieth, a three-time major champion. “I hate admitting that about anybody, but I just watched it those first two rounds, and, like, I’ve got to get better It’s very inspiring.”

It was the first victory this year for Scheffler after he won a to-

Ryu pulls away

tal of 10 times before May in the previous three years combined, including two Masters victories.

Scheffler’s previous best Nelson finish was a tie for fifth in his most recent appearance two years ago. Now he’s the first wire-to-wire Nelson winner since Tom Watson 45 years ago.

“I’m not jealous of him winning this event over any other,” Spieth said “I’m jealous of anyone that wins any week. When Scottie wins, I’m happy It doesn’t matter where it is. If I’m not going to win, I like when he wins.”

Scheffler shattered the previous Nelson scoring record of 259 set by Steven Bowditch in 2015. That tournament was played at the TPC Four Seasons. Normally a par 70, that course had a par-69 layout the final three days when heavy rain forced officials to convert a par 4 into a par 3. Bowditch finished 18 under The margin of victory was the second-largest at the Nelson behind Sam Snead’s 10-shot win in 1957, when it was known as the Dallas Open Invitational.

“This is a golf course where you can kind of make a run, and I knew that I couldn’t just coast to the finish line today,” Scheffler said. “I knew I had to put together a good round.”

Because of heavy rain Wednesday and Friday, players were allowed to lift, clean and replace their golf balls in the fairway for the first three rounds, but not in the final round. Aberg had so-

called preferred lies during the first rounds at the 2023 RSM Classic.

LIV Golf

DeCHAMBEAU HOLDS OFF HOWELL

FOR WIN: In Incheon, South Korea, Bryson DeChambeau held off a big charge from Charles Howell III with birdies on his last two holes for a 6-under 66 on Sunday for a two-shot victory at LIV Golf Korea, his first title since winning the U.S. Open last summer DeChambeau, who played in the final group at the Masters and lost a 36-hole lead at LIV Golf Mexico City last week, started the third and final round at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club with a four-shot lead and was even par for the round through nine holes. Howell, his Crushers teammate, closed with a 63. They were tied until Howell made a bogey on the 16th hole, and DeChambeau rolled in a long birdie putt at the 17th for a two-shot cushion going to the par-5 18th. They both birdied.

DeChambeau finished at 19-under 197 and won $4 million for his first LIV Golf League title since September 2023 and his third overall. Crushers won the team title by nine shots over Smash.

DeChambeau next joins what likely will be 13 other players from LIV Golf in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club on May 15-18. DeChambeau was runner-up to Xander Schauffele in the PGA Championship last year

Celtics’ Holiday expected back for Game 1 vs. Knicks

BOSTON — Celtics guard Jrue Holiday is expected to return from a strained right hamstring when Boston opens its Eastern Conference finals series against the Knicks on Monday night.

No Celtics players were listed on the injury report Sunday, meaning they could be at full strength when Game 1 tips off. It’s the first time Holiday hasn’t been on the injury report since he missed the final three games of Boston’s firstround series win over Orlando in five games.

Coach Joe Mazzulla said Holiday was able to “work on everything he wanted to work on” during Boston’s practice session Saturday Holiday averaged 10 points and 5.5 assists in the opening two games of the Magic series.

Ruud to climb rankings after winning at Madrid

MADRID Casper Ruud has become the first Norwegian to win a Masters 1000 title after beating Jack Draper 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in the Madrid Open final on Sunday The former second-ranked Ruud rallied from 5-3 down in the first set and sealed the victory after capitalizing on his lone break at 2-2 in the third.

The 26-year-old Ruud yelled and thrust both arms into the air after clinching the win on his first match point on the Caja Mágica clay court.

The 15th-ranked Ruud will reach No. 7 in the rankings on Monday The 13-time tour champion is the first Norwegian to lift a Masters 1000 trophy since the series was introduced in 1990, according to the ATP.

Struggling Rangers fire offensive coordinator

ARLINGTON,Texas — The Texas Rangers have fired offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker after the team’s extended struggles scoring runs.

The decision was announced after the Rangers won 8-1 on Sunday in their series finale against AL West-leading Seattle. Even with that outburst, the Rangers were last in the American League with 113 runs.

Before the win over the Mariners, the Rangers had scored just 30 runs during a 2-9 stretch, and half of those runs came when they had a season-high 15 against Oakland on Tuesday They opened the series against Seattle with losses of 13-1 and 2-1.

The 39-year-old Ecker was in his fourth season as the club’s offensive coordinator after being hired on Nov 1, 2021. He helped the Rangers win their only World Series title in 2023.

White Sox’s Benintendi leaves game with injury

CHICAGO — Chicago White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi left Sunday’s win over the Houston Astros because of left calf tightness. Benintendi went 0 for 3, but he reached on an error in the fifth. He scored on Josh Rojas’ bases-loaded walk with two down.

Brooks Baldwin hit for Benintendi in the sixth, then remained in the game as the left fielder Benintendi is day to day He is batting .224 with five homers and 12 RBIs in 24 games.

at

of the year until closing with a 76. This one was closer than the five-shot margin indicated. Ryu was clinging to a one-shot lead over Esther Henseleit of Germany going into the back nine She missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the 10th — her third straight miss from short range for birdie. But then she made a 15-foot

birdie putt at the 11th, and her eagle at the 13th put her ahead by four shots.

“Incredible day,” said Ryu, who now has won at least one tournament the past seven years dating to her first win as an 18-year-old on the Korea LPGA.

Henseleit, who started three shots behind, went out in 31 to get within one shot. She cooled off on the back nine, not making another birdie until the 18th hole for a 66. She tied for second with Ruoning Yin (67) the final challenge to Ryu.

“Started out great on the front

nine and then couldn’t quite keep up on the back,” Henseleit said.

“Haeran played amazing and she really deserved to win it today.” Yin, who got back into the mix with a 62 on Saturday, was four shots behind at the turn. She ran off four straight birdies starting at the 11th, all of them inside 8 feet. The last one got her to within three shots of Ryu. The South Korean responded with an approach within 3 feet on the 15th for a birdie to restore her lead to four shots, and Yin fell back with a double bogey from the bunker on the 16th.

“I play 70 good holes,” Yin said.

“I made a triple on the first day and then a double on 16 today But overall, I think my game is really solid.”

Yan Liu closed with a 65 to finish alone in fourth.

Stephanie Kyriacou of Australia

finished with the shot of the day

a fairway metal on the par-5 18th that rolled in for an albatross, giving her a 67 to tie for sixth.

Ryu is the 10th winner in 10 tournaments on the LPGA Tour this season.

Sunday’s game was cut short by rain in the seventh inning. The White Sox won 5-4 to secure their first series win over Houston since 2021.

Mets OF leaves game after hurting arm on throw

ST LOUIS Mets left fielder Jesse Winker had an MRI after leaving the first game of New York’s doubleheader at St. Louis with right side discomfort. Manager Carlos Mendoza said Winker was injured while making a throw in the third inning of Sunday’s 6-5 loss.

Mendoza acknowledged there’s always concern when the word oblique is mentioned.

The 31-year-old Winker was making his first start in left field this season. He had played just two innings in left this year while serving mainly as a designated hitter

Winker had a walk and a sacrifice fly in his two plate appearances.

He’s

games.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CANDICE WARD

Haeran Ryu hits from the ninth tee during the final round of the LPGA’s Black Desert Championship on Sunday in Ivins, Utah.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LM OTERO

Scottie Scheffler lifts his son Bennett after winning the CJ Cup Byron Nelson golf tournament on Sunday in McKinney, Texas.

Piastriismakinginroads

F1 driver wins at Miamiafter finishingsecond-to-lastthere twoyears ago

BY JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer

MIAMI GARDENS,Fla. The first time OscarPiastri arrived at the Miami Grand Prix as aFormula 1driver he was in the slowest car in the field and only narrowly avoided finishinglast.

Fast-forward twoyears andPiastriand McLaren Racing have come full circle.

Piastri maintained his advantage in the F1 championship fight by winning at Miami on Sunday for his fourth win through six racesthis season. Piastri has won three consecutive F1 races for McLarenRacing, whereheand teammate Lando Norris are trying to dethrone four-time defending champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull.

McLaren has won Miamithe last two years, with Norris on top last season for his first career F1 victory

“It’sjust incredible, the hard work that’s gone in,” Piastrisaid of McLaren. “I remember two years ago here in Miami, we were genuinely the slowest team Ithink we got lapped twiceand to now have won the Grand Prix by over 35 secondstothird is an unbelievable resultofthe hard work of every single person.”

Piastri is the first McLaren driver to win three consecutive F1 races in 28 years; Mika Hakkinen did it with awin in the 1997 season finale and then victories in the first two races of 1998.

He widened his lead over Norris in the driver standings to 16 points, while Verstappen trails Piastri by 32 points.

Norris’ win at Miami last season snapped Verstappen’stwoyear winning streak at the course surrounding HardRock Stadium Norris also won the sprint race on Saturday —Piastri dominated but alate safety car cost him the victory —but Verstappen won the pole in qualifying.

Verstappen, who announced the birth of his firstchild Friday morning, has been determined to disprove themyth thatfatherhood would make him amoreconservative driver. It wasevident as he darted away at the start and then aggressively held off Norris’

challenge forthe lead.

TheRed Bull and McL aren were side-byside and Norris was trying to edge ahead of the Dutchman, but he ran off track and lost four spots. Norris said Verstappen forced him off track and there was nothing he could do but try to avoidrunning into awall —but F1 took no action against Verstappen.

“What can Isay? If Idon’tgo for it, peoplecomplain. If Igofor it, peoplecomplain,” Norris said.

“You can’twin. But it really just how it is with Max —it’scrash or their pass.”

Verstappen was unapologetic after fading to fourth and insisted he raced within the rules

“I mean, Ihad nothing to lose, so Ialso wanted to havea bitoffun out there,” Verstappen said, addingMcLaren’s strong starttothe season is “not frustrating at all.”

“Weare here to winand today we weremiles off that, so it doesn’treallymatter,”Verstappen said. Norris recovered from the early incident and picked his way back toward thefront, but not before Piastritook control away from Verstappen on the14th of 57 laps.McLaren has decided it will allow Piastri and Norris to race each other cleanly without team orders, andNorriswas cleared to challenge his Australian teammate for the victory In thewaning laps, Norris was able to closethe gapbut could nevercatch Piastri andsettled for second in a1-2 finish for McLaren. Thetwo held anearly40-second advantage over George Russell of Mercedes, whofinishedthird.

Alex Albon of Williams was fifth, Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes was sixthand Charles Leclercwas seventh afterFerrari orderedLewis Hamilton togive his teammate the positioninthe closinglaps. Hamilton was eighth. Carlos Sainz Jr.was ninth for

Williams and Yuki Tsunoda was 10th for Red Bull. Jack Doohanran intoanother car on the opening lap and then crashed on the second lap —a showing that won’tquiet chatter therookieisonthe verge of being replaced at Alpine by Franco Colapinto.

Therehave been media reports in Argentina that Colapinto will replace DoohanatF1’snextrace, laterthismonthinItaly. It wasdismissed at the start of the Miami weekendbyAlpine team principal Oliver Oakes, who indicated “as it is today”the Australian would still be in the seat at Imola. “I think it was asponsor from Argentina off-camera giving his view on Franco, when he’sgoing to be in thecar.I’m sure there’sa lotofpeople in Argentina who’d like him in thecar this Sunday, Oakes saidabout the speculation. “We’vebeen pretty open as ateam that that’sjust noise.Jack needsto continue doing agood job. Butit’s natural that there’salways speculation there.

Logano gets 1stwin this season

He gets victoryafter restart anddespite leadingfor 7laps

BY STEPHEN HAWKINS AP sportswriter

FORTWORTH,Texas Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Joey Logano stayed in front on arestart in overtime at Texas on Sunday to gethis first victory this season. Logano led only seven of the 271 laps, four more thanscheduled at the 11/2-mile track. He had started 27th in the 11th race this year It came aweek after Team Penske teammate Austin Cindric’s win at Talladega,where Logano had afifth-place finish that became 39th after apostraceinspection found an issue with the

NASCAR

spoiler on hisNo. 22 Ford.There wasalso Logano’sexpletive-laden rant onthe radiotoward his teammate in themiddleofthatrace that thetwo smoothedout during the week.

On the final restart after the 12th caution, Logano wasonthe inside of his other teammate, Ryan Blaney,but surged ahead going on the backstretch andstayed easily in front the final11/2 laps. Ross Chastain thenpassed Blaneyto finish second ahead of him Loganogot his 37th career victory,gettingthe lead for thefirst timeonlap 264. He went low to complete apass of Michael McDowell, who ona cautionwith47 laps left took onlytwo tiresand moved up 15spotstosecond.

McDowell got loose afew laps after that beingpassed by Logano and crashed to bringout the caution that sent the race to overtime. He finished 26th.

DennyHamlinhad finished on the lead lap in 21 consecutive rac-

PREAKNESS

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Friday.There’salso alarge group of hopefulswho earned Derby points during qualifyingand could try other Triple Crown stops.

The Preakness is the shortest race at 13/16 mile, but its quick twoweek turnaround from the 11/4mile Derby often gives pause for trainers and ownership groups. With the Belmont Stakes set for June 7, fiveweeks after the Derby and separated three weeksfrom the Preakness, that race is viewed by many as apreferred option

That final jewel of theTriple Crown, taking place at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York forasecond consecutive year features the same distance as the Derby because of the shape of thetrack instead of itstraditional 11/2-miles. Redemptionmight be in order for Derby runner-upJournal-

Falcons, Cousins maybe stuckwith oneanother

MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

FLOWERYBRANCH, Ga. Kirk Cousins would rather be playing elsewhere so he has arealistic chance to start at quarterback. The Falcons are open to trading Cousins if they could get some value for their backup. Neither party can get what they want right now —they are stuck togetherunless thetrade market changes.

It doesn’tlook strong after the draft, but keep an eyeonPittsburgh. The Steelersinsist that Aaron Rodgers will sign with them eventually.The truth is that no one can predict what Rodgers, 41, will do. Retirement is apossibility The Steelers can’twait forever on Rodgers. If they move on, then they’ll surely call the Falcons aboutCousins.Hemight still be a viable starterafterhe’stwo years removed from Achilles surgery Cousins certainly is abetter option for the Steelers than Mason RudolphorWill Howard. They would be motivated to makeanofferfor Cousins if they miss out on Rodgers.

The calculation forFalcons general manager Terry Fontenot is the value of what he can getfor Cousins in trade vs. Cousins’ value as abackup to Michael Penix Jr Fontenot could use another draft pick. He only madefive selections in last week’s draft— theFalcons lost one pickbecause of tampering violations related to Cousins —and Fontenot traded away first- and fifth-round picks in 2026 on draft night.

In themeantime, there’s no hurry for the Falcons. The situation would be more difficult if Cousins raiseda ruckus abouthis unmet request fora trade. Cousins hasn’t said adisparaging word about the Falconspublicly.Heshowedupfor voluntary workouts this week. Offensive coordinator Zac Robinsonsaidall is good withthe team’s backup quarterback.

“Kirk hasbeen great in the building, the timeshe’sbeen here,” Robinson said. “You guys know Kirk as aperson. He’s notdivisive.I would anticipate, when he’shere, he’ll be the best teammatefor the guys, be the best forthe coaches. He’ll just try to improve as a player.”

es, but afiery finish on lap 75 ended thatstreak thathad matched theeighth-longestinNASCAR history.Hewas the first car out of therace.

After theNo. 11 Joe Gibbs RacingToyotalostpower,something blew up when Hamlin recycled theengine.There were flames coming out from under thecar anditwas engulfed in smoke by time it rolledtoastop on the inside of thetrack and Hamlin climbed out unharmed.

Carson Hocevar,the 22-year-old driver who is McDowell’steammate with Spire Motorsports, was the youngest to get the pole ever in Texas. He led only the first 22 laps of the race, losing it while pitting during thefirst caution. He finished 24thafter alate accident. Both in-race stages finished undercaution. Cindricwon Stage 1 after Hamlin’sissues and Kyle Larson took the second after a yellow flag came out because of debris on the track after the right

ism, who fell shortasthe 3-1favorite.Trainer Michael McCarthysaid in anews release that “We’ve gotnocomplaints”and praised his colt’seffort to rally into thelead briefly before Sovereignty,the 7-1 thirdchoice,

overtook him in the stretch and won by 11/2 lengths.

“With afield this size in arace like this, it’sall about the trip,” McCarthy said.“It didn’tquitework out the way we hoped, but he ran agood race againstagood horse.”

rear tire on Chris Buescher’scar came apart. Larson gothis 68th overallstage win and his sixth at Texas, with bothmarks being records. He has won astageineach of the last five Cup races at Texas, starting in his 2021 win there.

Odds andends

Chase Elliott left Texas last spring with hisfirst victory after 42 races and 18 months without one. He hasn’twon since, and now has another long winless drought —this one 38 races and nownearly13monthsafter finishing 16th. Acrew member forChristopher Bell crawledin through the passengerside of theNo. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and was fully in the car to reconnect an airhosethe driver’s helmet during acaution in the secondstage. It took two stops during that caution, and twice climbing into the car,toresolve the issue

Baeza finished third but trainer John Shirreffs pointed to the Belmont for his California-based horse.FinalGambit chargedfrom lasttofinish fourth among 19 horses, and trainer Brad Cox said, “This gives us confidence to try a fast dirt surface in the future.” Mottand Godolphin LLC ownership group representative Michael Banahan expressed the same faith in Sovereignty for his next step.

ThenewestDerby champion emerged brieflyonthe shed row for media and onlookers, and his handlers felt good aboutthe horse’s initial condition. Theyplantowatch him the next fewdays before making adecision aboutthe immediate part of his bright future.

“We’re justdoing the right thing for the horse, what he needs to do,” Banahan said. “He has abig year,hopefully to continue down the road here. There’sanawfullot of nice races that you’d like to put on hisresume, as well. So, we’re just doingthe right thing forhim.

Cousinshas incentives to be professionalabout his situation He’sdue $27.5 millionin2025, whether he’sonthe roster or not, but whygive theFalcons areason to try to claw any of it back?

Teams also might be less inclinedtotrade for Cousins if he makes afussabout being the backup. He mayhave to compete forthe starting job if he lands elsewhere.

Fornow,the Falcons areemploying Cousins as the most expensivebackup in NFLhistory His salary is set to count $40 million against the team’s salary cap in 2025.That figure is higher than all but five players in the NFL. All but one of them are good-to-great quarterbacks. DallasQBDak Prescott ($50.5 million cap hit) is the exception. Cincinnati’sJoe Burrow ($46 million) and Baltimore’sLamar Jackson($43.5million) are elite. Rams QB Matthew Stafford’s($47.5 million) performance slippedlast season, but he’sstill solid. Arizona’s Kyler Murray ($43.3 million) had abounce-back year in 2024. AfterFalcons team owner Arthur Blank didn’tpursue Jackson as afree agent, he said he didn’t want to commit 25% of his team’s cap to oneplayer. Well, Baltimore will use 16% of its cap space on Jackson, atwo-time MVP. The Falconswill use14% of theircap space on Cousins, who lasted 14 games as their starter Fontenot’s spin is that theFalcons are using the samecap space on QBs as they’d always planned. The only thing that’schangedis whichone starts. If that’sthe way Fontenotwants to look at it,then he’s committing $47.2 million in cap space to the quarterback position, and his starter is unproven. Noneofthe four teamswho’ve committed morecap space to quarterback is facing that circumstance. Only the Browns are getting less bang for their QB bucks (they saved Blankfrom making a huge mistake with Deshaun Watson).The Falconsare thechampions of wasteful spending at the position.

ASSOCAITEDPRESS PHOTO By CHARLIE RIEDEL

Sovereignty,ridden by Junior Alvarado, right, crosses the finish line to win the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday in Louisville, Ky

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By REBECCA BLACKWELL

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri stands on top of his car after winningthe Formula OneMiami Grand Prix on SundayinMiami Gardens. Fla.

Piastri

THE VARSITYZONE

Curtis pitcher delivers ‘ice-cold’ performance

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

SULPHUR John Curtis sopho-

more Makayla Escude pitched her wayout of troubleover andover again during astate championship softball game Sunday

Repeatedly,St. Thomas More put runners on second and third with achance to take the lead. Every time, Escude got the crucial outs sheneededfor a2-0 victory that secured for Curtis the LHSAA Division Iselect statechampionship at Frasch Park.

When it ended, St. Thomas More had left 14 runners on base, 12 of them in scoring position “Ice cold today,” Curtis coach Jerry Godfreysaid. “She didn’t let one thing bother her.Wewalk to load the bases, we did stuff to get the sure out.”

St. Thomas More twice left the bases loaded and put runnerson second and third in four other innings. The game endedwith a 1-2-3 seventh. Left fielder Miley Percle caught the finalout and spiked the ball into the turf as she rantoward the infield to celebrate with her teammates.

“I knew she was going to getthe out,” said Escude, who walked eight (two intentionally) but allowed only four hits to keep St. Thomas More from driving in a run. The best scoring chance came in thesecondwhenEscude, who was named the game’soutstand-

LSU

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the lone Tiger with multiple hits on Sunday “Iwaslookingfastballbuthegave me aslider down the middle,” Hernandez said regarding his homer.“I gotagood swing and it went out.” Before Hernandez’sblast, LSU’s offense got off to aslow start,not scoring through the first three innings and failing to drive in arunner in scoring position in the first and third. The Tigers wouldn’t break through at the plate until the fourth inning when they took advantage of some poor Texas A&M defense to plate apair of runs. With arunner on and two outs, Hernandez ripped adouble offthe top of the top of the wall in left-center field to drive in seniorMichael Braswell from first base. Braswell would’ve been easilythrown out at the plate, but Texas A&M catcher Bear Harrison dropped theballat home and couldn’tcorral it in time to tag Braswell. Hernandez then scored three pitches later on arun-scoring single from sophomore Steven Milam. He also would’ve been out at theplate by ahealthy margin if it weren’tfor third baseman Wy-

ing player,intentionally walked UL signee Shyanna Irvintoload thebases andgot the next batter to hitintoafielder’schoice.

In the sixth, Curtis(26-7) intentionally walkedcleanup hitter AddisonLafferty to load the bases with two outs and gotthe next batter to hit afoul popup caught by third baseman Tamryn King as she ran into achain link fence that bordered thefield

“You would never knowif(Escude) gave up ahome run or if she hadthrowna no-hitter,” Godfrey saidabout the steelydemeanor displayed by thepitcher.“She doesn’tsmile. Shedoesn’t say much. Shedoes it. And does it day in andday out.”

Thetwo runs for No.4seeded Curtis came on abizarre sixthinning sequence during which Kinsley McInnis got caught in a rundown between third and home

att Henseler dropping left fielder

Terrence Kiel’sthrowonthe relay towards home.

Bothruns handed LSU a2-0 lead. Tigers third base coach Josh Jordanmadethe aggressive decision to sendBraswell home, but he had the stop sign up for Hernandez. The veteran just missed the late signal.

Itwasthethirdtimeintheseriesin whichLSU wasaggressive in sending arunnerhome with two outs

“Hitsinthe serieswere tough to comeby,”Johnson said. “So sometimes it’sbetter to roll the dice on making them make aplay than expecting your next guy to get a hitwith two outs.”

LSU’soffense had another quiet day overall. TheTigers hadjust seven hits, twowalks and went 3 for 11 with runners on base. However,theydid excel with two outs, scoring all four of their runs in those scenarios.

“Wewant to execute alittle better,playalittle better withacompetitive mindset (that)isone of a team that’scapableofaccomplishing alot of things,”Johnson said.

Freshman right-handerCasan Evansmade his second career start on Sunday anditwas an odd one.The Texas native allowed just oneearned run butheonly lasted 31/3 innings, throwinga seasonhigh 93pitches. Evans walked three batters,

YoungSt. Charles softball team falls shortintitle game

BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributingwriter

Coach Zach Weberand theSt Charles Cometstook alonglook as top-seeded Vandebilt Catholic hoisted the Division II select state softball championship trophy at Frasch Park in Sulphur on Sunday

With no seniors on the roster,the sixth-seeded Comets expect to be backnext year after falling 7-5 to the Terriers, whose roster was also made up completely of underclassmen “It’s something where we want to makesure we remember so we can get back to workwhere we’ll have this chance again,”Weber said. “Wehave unfinished business. If I know thesegirls,they’re goingto go back to work.”

No opponent had scored more than arun in the playoffs against Vandebilt Catholic (33-2) and pitcherLaurenBaudoin,but the Cometstotaled ninehits. Junior outfielder Bailey Tregre had three hits, including adouble.

“Wehave been able to score all season,” Weber said. “Early on today,wedidn’thave great at-bats, but thesecond and third time around theorder,wefound away to score.”

Webersaid. “Manson and Khloe Brady did, too. All these people are returning. We’re going to continue to get better.Next year,we’ll be back.” Arnett finished with twohits and scored two runs. Brady drove in tworuns. PitcherRileyPerilloux and second baseman Katie Bordelon each had ahit. Tregre’sRBI double in the fourth inning put the Comets ahead 3-2.

“Arnett is aplayer,” Weber said. “Not everybody gets to coach a playerlike her. We’re blessedto coach her.She is ahard worker She’sone of thebest playersI’ve ever coached. She comes to work every day.I can’twait to see how her senior year turns out.”

Perilloux allowed 10 hits and six earned runs. The Comets’ pitcher held Vandebilt Catholic all-state shortstopKallieWaalk and Baudoin, the two-hole hitter,toone hit in eight plate appearances. Vandebilt Catholic took a2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on twoerrors and two hits.

andoutranthe third baseman to slide head-first into home plate while Gracey Hebert rounded thebases andscoredwhenaninfielder for No. 2St. Thomas More (25-8) inexplicably rolled the ball towardthe pitcher’scircle.

The play began with McInnis on secondbase, and Hebertsingled to center field. With Godfrey waving McInnis home, she stopped between third and home as the throw came into the catcher

The catcher threw theball to the third baseman, and McInnis knew she would be safe when she saw thethirdbaseman was not going to makeareturn throw to home, she said. Meanwhile, Hebertalertly reached third base while McInnis scored.

Oncethat happened, Hebert saw an opportunity to score “when the catcher looked at me andshe dida lazy little throw to thethird baseman andthe thirdbaseman rolled it in,”Hebertsaid.“And Irealized nobody was paying attention. I just sprinted into home thinking nobody can get me.”

The winexemplifiedthe grit Godfrey saw from his team all season.

“The toughest group Iever coached,” he said. “Thatisthe definition of resilience and toughness. Lots of folks talk about it. These girls are it.”

ContactChristopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

surrenderedthree hitsand only recorded two strikeouts. After he allowed arun-scoring single with one out in the fourth, he exited the game for redshirt sophomore lefthander DJ Primeaux. Primeaux was on the mound to face LaViolette and struckhim outbefore redshirt sophomore right-hander Jaden Noot ended theinning withafielder’schoice groundout.Noot allowed asolo homer in the fifth inning but lasted untilthe sixth. He wasreplaced with one out and two on by freshman left-hander Cooper Williams so he could also face LaViolette. Williams struck out LaViolette andthen handedthe ball to Shores. Shoreshit the first batter he facedtoload thebases,but he forced aflyout to left field on a 100 mph fastball to end the sixth. “I thinkthey may have changed thedynamic of ourteam today,” Johnsonsaidwhenasked about the bullpen, “with some of the guys taking astepforwardthe waythat they did.” LSU faces Grambling Statefor itsfinal midweek game of theyear on Tuesday.First pitch from Alex BoxStadium is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be available to stream on SEC Network+.

Email Koki Riley at Koki.Riley@theadvocate.com.

St.Charles (26-8) tied it at 2-2 in thethird inning.Shortstop Adrienne Arnett singled andscored when an attempttopickher off first base sailed high and rolled all the way to the fence. Tregre walked and came home on Aliyah Manson’ssingle.

“Baileyhad some bighits,”

“Riley threw agreat gameinthe quarterfinals and semifinals,” Webersaid. “She threwwelltoday The thing we’vedone really well the last fewgames is we didn’t make many errors. Unfortunately,wemade errors in our biggest game.

“Wehad alot of movingparts allseason.Wehad four girls in the field today at spots theydidn’t start the season in. We have 13 girls. Small, but strong. They compete every day.I couldn’tbemore proud to be their coach.”

TULANE

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to cede the closer role early in the season to Michael Lombardi, who leads the AAC with nine saves but is outindefinitely with an oblique injury he sustained Friday night.

Mooretook the mound Sunday having issued17walks in 172/3 innings after walking 10 walks in 42 innings ayear ago.

He struck out the first twobattershefaced and benefited from a nice stab by third baseman James Agabedistoget the Wave out of trouble in the eighth. After walking nine-hole hitter Danny Baez to start the ninth, he coaxed three routine fly balls.

He registered all sixouts pitching from the stretch.

“Yesterday Iwarmed up completely out of the stretch in both games (while not being called to pitch), and thentoday Iwarmed up out of thestretch only,” he said.

“My timing was just off(on the walk from the windup), and my stretchfeltreally good.IfIcould pick up Mike (Lombardi) theway Mike’spicked me up this year,that would be huge. There’snothing I want more than that.”

Tulane jumped on FAUearly for the secondconsecutive game, doing it in unlikely fashion. The Wave scored three runs in the secondand threemoreinthe fourth after runners were erased forthe second out, leaving no one on base.

TannerChun walked andscored on James Agabedis’ double in the

second before Theo Bryant hit a no-doubt homerun to leftfield.

“My approach was fastball away and react to the breakingball in,” Bryant said. “I ended up getting a fastball in and hit it pretty hard.”

Six straight batters got on in the fourth with two outs, thanks to three singles around three consecutive walks. So muchfor Matthias Haas being tagged easily at third base when he took off from second after athrow across the diamond fromthird baseman Nick Romano. Never mind Bryant getting pickedoff in the fourth.

“Those arecases of teammates and coaches beingpickedup,” said Tulane coach Jay Uhlman, who blamed himself for sending Haas. “Wemakemistakes fromtime to time, and they did that, which Iappreciate.”

Still, nothing felt secure consideringhow the Wave frittered away a8-3 lead that was7-1 at one point on Saturday night without Lombardi. The concern mounted when the Owls scored four runs off reliever Carter Benbrook in the sixth and seventh without getting ahard hit.

Enter Moore, who bookended starterBlaise Wilcenksi’scareerlong 41/3 innings of shutout ball.

“Wewere thin in the pin, and Iwrote on my card before he (Moore) wentout there, this is whatyou say you’ve been wanting, whatare yougoing to do with this?” Uhlman said. “It was amustwin game for us, andhegot it done It was agood shot of confidence for him.”

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

John Curtis outfielder Miley Percle grabs the trophy while celebratingwith her teammates afterthe Patriots defeated St.Thomas More 2-0 towin the DivisionI selectchampionship

in Sulphur

STAFFPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

St.Charles right fielder Emily Kenyontries foradiving catch in the fifth inning against Vandebilt in the Division II select championshipgame on Sunday at FraschPark in Sulphur

Safety Haulcy choosesLSU over Miami

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

LSU football landed acommitment Sunday from Houston transfer safety AJ Haulcy,according to his representatives at A&P Sports Agency,reinforcing its secondary ahead of the 2025 season.

Haulcy,asenior,was afirstteam All-Big 12 selectionlast year after posting 74 tackles, five interceptions and 13 passes defended. He chose LSU over Miami after entering the transfer portal earlier this spring As he considered his options, Haulcy took avisit to LSU on Sunday.HevisitedMiamiearlier this week, going on atrip thatincluded apolice escortand time spent with rapper Rick Ross, but momentum builttowardLSU as the week continued.

Haulcy’sagents saidhewanted to play in the SEC, win anational championship and improve hisdraft stock. They described LSU’sfinancial offer as “competitive” with otherteams, but declined to specify how muchthe Tigers offered.

AHouston native, Haulcy began hiscareer at NewMexicoafter leaving high school as athree-star recruitwho wasrankedNo. 1900 overall in the country,according to the247Sports composite.He played in 12 games as afreshman, starting nine times, before trans-

ferringcloser to home.

Haulcy started all 24 games for theCougars over thepast two seasons.Heled theteam with 98 tackles in 2023,and his pass coverage numbers improved last year.Haulcy’sfive interceptions tied for the most in the Big 12. He has made 259 career tackles

Haulcy became the18th player to transfer to LSUthis offseason, the most in oneyear under coach BrianKelly.Heisthe secondsafety in theclass along with former NC Statedefensive back Tamarcus Cooley

LSU landed two transfersin the spring portal window with Haulcy and former USF defensivetackle Bernard Gooden. The Tigers have the No. 1transfer class in the country,according to 247Sports, afterbeing passed by Texas Tech at one point this spring.

Haulcy has one more year of eligibility.Heisexpected to compete to startwith Cooley, fifth-yearsenior Jardin Gilbert, junior Javien Toviano and sophomore Dashawn Spears. Gilbert started nine games last season after transferring fromTexas A&M. With him out this spring as he recovered from shoulder surgery,Cooley and Toviano oftenplayed on LSU’sfirstteam defense. Spears, aformer top 100 recruit, also got significant reps heading into his second season.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NAM y. HUH

Houston Astrosstarting pitcher Lance McCullersJr. throws against the ChicagoWhite Sox during the firstinning of their game on Sunday in Chicago.

McCullershas scorelessstart in return to Astros

The Associated Press

CHICAGO Thirty months after his last appearance, Lance McCullers Jr.finallymadeitbacktothemound in amajor league game.

The 31-year-old McCullers started Sunday for the Houston Astros and threw 32/3 scoreless innings in his firstouting since Game 3ofthe 2022 WorldSeries in Philadelphia. McCullers had surgery in June 2023 to repair his right flexor tendon and to remove abone spur.Then he was shut down after asetback lastyear He kept the Chicago White Sox off the scoreboard in his first game back, allowing three hits and three walks with four strikeouts. TheAstros lost 5-4 in agame shortened to seven innings by rain. “I was happy with the overall stuff. Physically,Ifelt strong through the game,” McCullers told reporters. “Very grateful to just be back out with theteam and be an active member.” McCullers stranded runners on second and third in the first inning and pitched out of abasesloaded situation in the second. Aftera 1-2-3 third, he gottwo outs in the fourth but also allowed a double and awalk. He was taken out after 87 pitches.

“A lot of foul balls, alot of highstress moments there, but Ithink he pitched out of them,” Espada said. “So he’ll get ready for the next one.” McCullers is 49-32 with a3.46 ERA in his career,which has

Haliburton,Pacers stun Cavs in Game 1

BY JOE REEDY AP sportswriter

CLEVELAND Tyrese Haliburton madea go-ahead 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter that sparked adecisive burst for the Indiana Pacers, who stunned the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers 121-112 on Sundaynight in Game 1ofthe Eastern Conference semifinals.

Haliburton finishedwith 22 points and13assists, andhealso made key plays on the defensive end, blocking a3-point attempt

by Max Strus with 2:12 left and converting it into alayup fora 10-point lead. Andrew Nembhard added 23 pointsand madefive 3-pointers for thefourth-seeded Pacers, who finished 19 of 36 beyond the arc. Cleveland, which wassecond in the NBA during the regular season with 15.9 3s per game, was 9of38. Donovan Mitchell ledCleveland with 33 points andbroke Michael Jordan’sNBA playoff recordwith his eighth straight game of at least 30 points in aseries opener

Evan Mobley added 20 points and 10 rebounds forthe Cavaliers, whotrailed mostofthe game, took the lead in thefourth and then couldn’tclose it out. Indiana had a12-point lead in the third before Cleveland rallied. The Cavs went ahead 102-101 on afree throw by Strus before Haliburton’s 3ignited a15-4 run.

All five Indiana starters scored in double figures.Aaron Nesmith and Pascal Siakam had 17 points apiece. Game 2isTuesdaynight in Cleveland.

HealthyCeltics look to extend recent dominanceoverKnicks

BY KYLE HIGHTOWER AP sportswriter

BOSTON To saythe Celtics have dominated the Knicks over the pasttwo seasonswould be an understatement New York lost allfourofits meetingswithBostonthis season by an average of 16.5 pointsper game. That cameafter the Celtics won four of the teams’ five matchups during their 2023-24 championship season.

It’smore than enough reason for thedefending NBA champs to feel confident heading into their Eastern Conference semifinals pairing with theKnicks, whichtips off Monday night Just don’ttell thattoBoston, which isn’ttaking anything –or anyone –for granted at this point of the season.

lot of different guys to try to slow him down.”

While Boston swept the season serieswith NewYork, it took a 119-117overtimewin thatincluded late 3-pointers by Kristaps Porzingis and Jayson Tatum forthe Celticstoprevail in the final regular season meeting on April 8. Brunsonbelieveshow they learnedand adjusted fromthe first three meetings showed up in that game. But he also knowsprogress isn’tenough at this point.

“I feel like we played better in that game. Obviously still not getting it done,” Brunson said. “Played and competed better than the first three games, so that’s something we can look at andbuild off of.”

Magicblueprint?

been entirely with Houston. He went 13-5 with a3.16 ERA in 2021, the last time he pitched anything resembling afullseason.

“It hasbeen avery long road for me. It’sbeen agrind to get back to this point,” McCullers said. “I know thatIhave to do abetter job of controllingthe pitch count and gettingquick outs and thingslike that, but from where I’ve come from over the last couple years, especially where Iwas early this offseason,I would lie to you guys if Ididn’tsay Iwas pretty proud of myself.”

Boston RedSox

ACECROCHETIS‘FINE’ AFTER LINE

DRIVE GRAZES HIS NOSE,GLOVE: Boston Red Sox ace GarrettCrochet had aclose call Sunday when aline driveskippedoff his glove and nose on its way to second basefor agroundout.

Red Sox managerAlex Cora rushed to the mound withateam trainer after the left-hander narrowly missed adirecthit off the bat of Minnesotashortstop Carlos Correa in the fourth inning. The ballskimmed off Crochet’sglove as heturned his head before it hit hisnose andcontinued its path.

Cora and the trainer asked for atowel and Crochet hadasmall trickle of blood comingout as he blew hisnose.

“Fine,”saidCrochet after Boston’s 5-4loss to the Twins. “It barely grazed me, obviously,just more shooken up at the initial impact than anything

“This is the playoffs. So everythingwedid in theregular season doesn’t really mean awhole lot now,” Celtics guard Derrick White said. “Not like we get to start up 1-0. So just understandit’sthe playoffs. They’re here for areason.”

Abig part of thereason whyBoston is on guard againstNew York is the play of All-Star Jalen Brunson. The recently named NBA clutch playerofthe year is averaging 31.5 points, 8.2 assists and four rebounds per gamethis postseason. It includesa40-point performance andwhat proved tobethe

winning3-pointerinNew York’s 116-113 Game 6closeout win over Detroit.

“Big-time player.Seems to make all the big plays for them,” White said. “Andhe’shad an unbelievable year.And obviously this playoffs he’s takenittoanother level. So it’s going to be agroup effort to try to slow him down, and to understand that he’s areally good player,he’s going to make tough shots, but just trying to make it as difficult as we can for 48 minutes and just have a

Though Orlando proved to be overmatched in their 4-1series loss to Boston, one thing they were successful at was limiting theCeltics’ success from the 3-point line. Boston connected on an NBA record for3-pointers made(1,457) and attempted (3,955 total and 48.2 per game) during the regular season. But the Celtics averaged only 31.2 3-point attempts pergame and only once hit at least 10 3-pointers in their series with the Magic. Knicks coach TomThibodeau said replicating that blueprint is the challenge forhis team.Healso said they don’tmind being aheavy underdog in this series.

BY CLIFFBRUNT AP sportswriter

OKLAHOMA CITY Shai

Gilgeous-Al-

exander and the young Oklahoma City Thunder must go through a DenverNuggets team that already has done it all if they want to cap off their fantastic regular season with an NBA championship.

Nikola Jokic andJamal Murray led the Nuggets to the title in 2023, and they helped Denver outlastthe Los Angeles Clippers 4-3 in thefirst round of theWestern Conference playoffs. The Nuggetsrolled past the Clippers 120-101 in Game 7onSaturday night.

Though Oklahoma City hadthe league’sbestrecordat68-14, that

won’tmatterwhen the Thunder host theNuggets in Game 1ofthe West semifinals on Monday night.

“Theyhavechampionship-caliber players, Hall of Fameplayers,” Thunder reserve guard Alex Caruso said. “They’re experienced, they’ve been there. Ithink thatshowed in Game 7the other night.They didn’tblink. They kind of rose to the occasion. We’re going to need ourbest, obviously,tobeat them. We’relooking forward to the challenge.” Denver must recover quickly to face arested Thunderteamthat swept Memphis in the first round.

“Feel blessed to get out of this thing,”Denverinterim coachDavidAdelman said Saturday.“This is amemorableseries. We just don’treally have timeright now to remember it.”

TherealMVP

Gilgeous-Alexander andJokic are MVP finalists, and there’sa good chance the winner will be announced during this series. Both teamsbelieve their star deserves to win. Gilgeous-Alexander led the league in scoring 32.7 points per game on 52% shooting.Oklahoma City’sChet Holmgren noted the conventional wisdomthat says the team with thebestplayer wins the series.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOBySUE OGROCKI

Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers goes to the basket in front of Dean Wade of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first half of Game 1inthe EasternConferencesemifinalsonSundayinCleveland.

AP PHOTO By CHARLES KRUPA Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis drivestothe basket against the Orlando Magic during a first-round playoff game on

Aprothonotarywarbler secures plant materials for anest.

RARE AIR

Researchersconfirm world-travelingwarblers’ return to Louisiana: ‘Isn’t that just remarkable?’

BY COLETTE DEAN Contributing writer

Ifyou’veevercomplained aboutair travel, imagine whatit’slikefor amigrating songbird. Take for example, the prothonotary (pro-thon-uhter-ee) warbler.It’sa bright golden bird about 5inches long and weighing about5 pennies. Local researchershave provedthatthis songbird migrates from Louisiana to SouthAmerica, with maybe a stop or two along the route (that’s round-trip, with no seat upgradeor in-flight entertainment)

The prothonotary warblerloves swampy woods mostfound in the South. In Louisiana,the bird is often referred to as the“swampcanary” or “swampcandle”and its name is thought to originate from prothonotaries,who were clerksin the Catholic church who wore yellow vestments. Recently, two male prothonotary warblers wearingleg bands were discovered returning to Louisiana after along journey. The bands

SMASHHIT

This is oneoftwo male prothonotarywarblers wearing leg bands which were discovered returning to Louisiana after along journeytoColombia in South America.

showed theyflew from Louisiana to Colombia in SouthAmerica in thelate summer and are now back for spring to nestand breed.

Lastsummer,these warblers

werebandedand outfitted with geolocator devices at the Baton Rouge Audubon Amite River sanctuary in Prairieville. In early April, birders Jane Patterson, Baton Rouge Audubon Society president and Michele Giroir were at the site, and spotted and photographed them.

Oneofthe maleshas ablack band on his leftleg,and theother has a green band, Patterson said,making it apositive identification for thesite.

“Isn’tthatjust remarkable?”said Patterson.

To band andattach the tiny geolocator,licensed bird banders set out amist net —alightweight net that snags the birds as theyflyinto it without harming tinylegs or feet. Once caught,the bandersquickly take several measurements including height,weight and body mass.

The geolocators on thebirds collect solarand barometricpressure data, which must be retrieved from the birds for data to be analyzed. Moreresultsastothe details of

ä See WARBLERS, page 2D

Here to stay,pickleballmorethanjusta trend

BY AVERYNEWMARK

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)

ATLANTA— Pickleballisn’t just apassing trend —it’safullblownwellnessmovement, bringing people together like never before. Since its pandemic-era boom, the sport has more than tripled, with almost 20 million Americans enjoying its physical and mental benefits in 2024, according to the Sports &Fitness Industry Association

Chris Wolfe, directorofpickleball operations at Pickle and Social in Gwinnett County, Georgia, has been at the heart of theAtlanta pickleball scene for more thana decade. Acofounder of the Atlanta Open, he started playing in 2011 andhas since helped organize some ofthe country’searliest leagues and tournaments. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution caught up with Wolfe

See PICKLEBALL, page 2D

Alzheimer’s advocates shinelight on those who need help most

What is an Alzheimer’sadvocate?

David Maheu sends the ball over the net during apickleball tournament at the ExchangeinNew Orleans.

Alzheimer’sadvocates play an important role in improving the quality of care and quality of lifefor people with Alzheimer’sdisease and their families by conveying their message to elected officials at the federal, state and local levels. David, forinstance, is a Louisiana caregiver whotakes care of his wife.David wasmet with twochallenges through her Alzheimer’sjourney: getting an official diagnosis of her condition (which took him almost seven years), and finding financial help forher care and general support forhim For David, and mostcaregivers like him,hefound it very difficult to navigate on his own the myriad available resources that he could use. According to the 2025 Alzheimer’sAssociation Facts and Figures, Louisiana has around 168,000 caregivers like David trying to navigate the services available fortheir loved ones. Louisiana caregivers forthose living with dementia spend 256 million hours caring fortheir loved ones, and morethan 50% navigate their own chronic health conditions. Currently,roughly 94,700 people live with Alzheimer’s, and Louisiana has aprojected increase between 17.4% and 22.6% in the number of people with Alzheimer’sdisease between 2020 and 2025. For David and other overwhelmedcaregivers in Louisiana, Alzheimer’sadvocates are crucial not only to assist in the journey but, more importantly to be apublic voice for those who are not able. Advocacy raises awareness and can improve care and support for individuals living with the disease and their families. Advocate volunteers can also help influence policies, regulations and public opinion to create amore supportive environment for those affected by the disease. The focus of advocacy this year at the State Advocacy Day on Tuesday is the push to establish aDementia Care Specialist Program by the Alzheimer’sAssociation/LA Chapter.Families facing this diagnosis fortheir loved one often encounter isolation and alack of coordinated support systems. ADementia Care Specialist Program is vital to support the caregivers and connect loved ones to community resources. Additionally,education plays acrucial role in mitigating the risk and impact of Alzheimer’s disease. It empowers individuals to manage their condition moreeffectively,including caregiving, understanding treatment options, looking at financial considerations and having opportunities to participate in research. Educational components would also be a part of the Dementia Care Specialist Program.

The Alzheimer’sand Related Dementias Awareness Dayin Louisiana

PROVIDED PHOTO By COLETTE DEAN

PROVIDED PHOTO By JOHN EDWARD HARTGERINK

Poor balance? Treadmillexercisenot recommended

Dear Doctors: Iaman85-year-old man with congestive heart failure. Ihave almosttotallylost my balance. My treadmill quit working and my daughter,aphysical therapist, thinks Idonot need to replace it. She thinks it is dangerous for me. My only alternative is awalker.Can you address this issue?

Dear reader: Your daughter is correct that in certain circumstances,exercising on atreadmill can pose dangers. This is true for someone withpoor balance, for people living with certain heart conditions and for older adults who are frail or who are not physically fit. In the personal information you have shared, you appear to fit into those categories. That said, there is also evidence that, when used with medical su-

WARBLERS

Continued from page1D

the route and what stops this current pair may havemade are forthcoming.

According to Erik Johnson, director of bird conservation for Audubon Delta, theprothonotary warbler has been the focus of the Audubon Society’sconservation project as aspecies of conservation concern and has many conservation challenges, as do manyotherneo-tropical migrants. In 2013,a prothonotary warbler was bandedin BREC’sBluebonnet Swamp Nature Center andreturned to thesame place the following springafter winteringin Colombia. This was the first time aprothonotary warbler was tracked making aLouisiana-to-Colombia round trip.

Data collected from this bird’sgeolocator showed that the journey of the Bluebonnet Swamp prothonotary warbler was a31/2-month fall migration, and a3-week spring migration to Louisiana covering 5,000 miles

This onebirdvisited seven countries and flew over three major water crossings

“Thispattern is afairly normal migration pattern forsongbirds,” Johnsonexplained. “The birds want to return back to their breeding site as fast as possible to seek out the bestterritory and secure amate.”

The prothonotary warblers preferred habitat —swampy forest and water —isroutinely at risk almost everywhere. The birds eat aquatic

PICKLEBALL

Continued from page1D

to chat about what makes pickleball so special, who he’smost excited to watch play and the best tips for beginners looking to get in on the fun.

Whyall thelove

Pickleball may have started as afavorite pastime for retirees, butithas since evolved into agame for everyone. Today,players of all ages are hitting the courts, with the average age now around 35.

“Anyone can pick it up quickly,” Wolfe said. “The paddle’ssmall, scoring is uncomplicated, and you don’t have to run long distances like in tennis.” The sport blends elements of tennis, badminton and Ping-Pong, offering afun, low-impact workout that’s easy on the joints —perfect for players of all ages

Physical health benefits Experts agreethatpickleball’saccessibility is ama-

ADVOCATES

Continued from page1D

raise awareness and advocate for better services and support for

Dr.Elizabeth Ko

Dr.Eve Glazier

ASK THE DOCTORS

pervisionand in addition to other types ofequipment, walking on a treadmill can be helpful. We’ll return to that in amoment. Butfirst, let’slook at whya home treadmill maynolonger beanappropriate option for you

Atreadmill is anarrow,motorized walkway that moves continuously beneath theuser’sfeet. For someone with poor balance, walking on something that dictates

your pace can lead toafall. The danger of the resulting impact is compounded by the chance of becoming entangled in the stillmoving mechanism. Falls area major cause of injury and disability in older adults, particularly those who are frail. It’strue that many treadmills include handrails; however,using those alters the mechanics of walking. This can adversely affect the alignment of the spine, exacerbate back pain and have an adverse effect on balance. The perpetually flat surface of atreadmill alsoremoves an important factor in balance training, which is the small andconstant changes we encounter when walking on natural terrain. Finally,for people living with congestive heart failure, exercising on atreadmill can

insects,flies, beetles, moths andcaterpillars, as well as spiders, snails and occasionally seeds, fruit and nectar

They breed entirely in the eastern United States, especially concentratedinthe South, with afew in Canada, where they areendangered species. Their migration to wintering habitats takes them into LatinAmerica, andcurrent data says that 90 percent of the warblers surveyedsofar have been found wintering in Colombia. These birds are cavity nesters, which means they build nests in cavities already in place,suchasahollowedout tree stump, anestbox or other item provided by a human, or aused nest of another bird. This also makes

jor draw.A2018 study from WesternColorado Universityfound that regular play can boostcardiorespiratory fitness by 12%, lowerblood pressure and improve cholesterol levels. Plus,itstrengthens muscles and sharpens hand-eye coordination.

Mental wellness on court

Butthe benefits aren’tjust physical. Wolfe credits pickleballwith helping hismental health, too.

“Gettingonthe court helps me disconnectfromlife’s stresses,” he explained.“It’s been ahuge anxiety reliever for me.”

Research backs him up Studies show pickleball can help reduceanxiety and depression, makingitasmuch amental health boost as it is aworkout.

Abuilt-insocialscene

Beyond the fitness benefits, pickleballisnaturally social. With smallercourts and alaid-back vibe, it’seasy to strike up aconversation between points

“You’re always close to your opponents,”Wolfe explained. “That makes it natural to chat,

thoseimpacted by dementia.

n Activities: Advocates andvolunteers will meet with state lawmakers and officials.

n Involved:The Alzheimer’sAssociation/LA Chapter,Alzheimer’sImpact Movement (AIM) and other advocates.

n Contact: TatianaGonzales Quiroga, tgquiroga@ alz.org;(504) 662-9314 ext. 1965E.

n Wear purple, theofficial color of Alzheimer’sawareness.

the birds ideal subjectsfor a conservation project.

“The male prothonotary warbler will take apiece of moss andplace it in aproposed nest, and once the female approves, she’ll begin to build or enhance the nest,” Johnson said. He explainedthatthe songbirdresearch is crucial for conservation to show where thebest place is to put conservation dollars to benefit bird species. Information from the geolocatorsshowsnot justflight patterns, but also the barometricpressure component offering higher resolution and estimates of the flight height of the bird.

This data helpsinform whether the birdsare at

joke around and build connectionswhile you play.”

Socializing is made even easieratvenueslikePickle andSocial, combiningfood, drinks and live music with indoor andoutdoor pickleball courts.

“It’simpossible nottohave fun,” Wolfe said. “Nobody’s worried about being the best.It’sabout gettingout there, enjoying yourself and meetingnew people.”

Stayingsafeonthe court

While pickleball is beginner-friendly,Wolfe hasa few safetytips.

“A lot of injuries happen because players aren’t used to moving backward,” he said. “Start slow,learn the basics, and give your body time to adjust.”

Whether you’re looking for anew workout, asocial hobby or just away to shake off stress, pickleball might be exactly what you need. And if you’re readytotake it to thenextlevel, Wolfe suggestskeeping an eye on rising stars like Anna Leigh Waters —a sign that thefuture of pickleball is just gettingstarted.

Other volunteer opportunities are available at Alzheimer’sServices of the Capital Area, alzbr.org, and theAlzheimer’sFoundation of America, alzfdn.org.

Dana Territo is an Alzheimer’s advocate and author of “What My Grandchildren Taught Me About Alzheimer’s Disease.” She hosts“The Memory Whisperer.” Emailher at thememorywhisperer@ gmail.com.

worsen symptomssuch as fatigue and shortness of breath. That brings us to the topic of medical supervision. If you are determined to incorporate atreadmillinto your exercise routine, first talk to your cardiologist.They will let you know if it is an option. If so, you would move forward with aphysical therapist who specializes in cardiac rehabilitation. They would schedule regular sessionsinwhich your treadmill use, along with your vital signs —including heart rate, blood pressure and breathing would be carefully monitored. Aharness to allow an upright posture during exercise may be incorporated into the therapy Studies have shown that regular sessions of medically supervised treadmill exercise can be helpful

risk for collisions withwind turbines or otherproposed structuresinthe Gulf of Mexico. Flight height combined withweather patterns arevaluable evaluation tools for conservation.

“Last year, we deployed 15 geolocators on prothonotarywarblers, and so far,we have three in-hand,”Johnson said. They were scattered in nearby observation areas in South Louisiana.

“Our return rate has been 40 percent so far,soifwe can find twomore birds, we’ll meet our goal,” Johnson said.

The prothonotary warbler is just one of many birdsthatare at risk.North Americahas lost more than one-in-four of its bird species,according to research, andmore than 2.9 billion birds have been lost since 1970, including birds in every ecosystem.

The decline of birds signals abroader crisis in the natural world, due to global losses in insects, amphibians, and wildlife. The websitewww.3billionbirds.org, sponsoredbyseveral conservationagencies, offers seven actions the public can taketomake adifference.

By The Associated Press

in building up the leg, hip and core strength needed for older adults to improve their balance. When the exercise program included the use of awalker or acane, the study participants showed even greater improvement.

Youare fortunate to have a physical therapist in the family —perhaps she’swilling to help you explore someofthe options discussed here. Youmay be able to do the treadmill exercise you desire and also give her peace of mind.

Send yourquestions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla edu, or write: Ask theDoctors, c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

Today is Monday, May 5, the 125th day of 2025. There are 240 days leftinthe year

Todayinhistory:

On May 5, 1961, astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr becameAmerica’sfirst space traveler as he made a15-minute suborbital flight aboard Mercury capsule Freedom 7.

On this date:

In 1862, Mexican troops repelled French attacks on the city of Puebla de los Ángeles in the Battle of Puebla, also knownasthe Battle of Cinco de Mayo.

In 1925, schoolteacher John T. Scopes was charged in Tennessee with violating astate law that prohibited teaching the theory of evolution. (Scopes wasfound guilty but his conviction was later set aside.)

In 1945, in the only fatal attack on the U.S. mainland during World WarII, aJapanese balloon bomb exploded on Gearhart Mountain in Oregon, kill-

ing apregnant womanand five children. In 1973, Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby,the first of his Triple Crown victories, in atime of 1:59.4 —arecord that still stands. In 1981, Irish Republican Armyhunger-striker Bobby Sands died at age 27 at the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland on his 66th day without food. In 1994, Singapore caned American teenager Michael Fay forvandalism, a day after the sentence was

YEARS

PROVIDED PHOTO By COLETTE DEAN

Erik Johnson, director of bird conservation for Audubon Delta, quickly measures aprothonotarywarbler for height, weight and bodymass for research purposes.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Take refuge in spaces that allow you the freedom to work without someone looking over your shoulder or criticizing everything you do. Leave nothingtochance.

GEMInI (May21-June 20) Look at documents involving institutions or your possessions, assets or joint ownership situations. Aim to broaden your perspective and enhance your opportunities.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Slow down. Breathe deep, consider your situation and take apass if something appears sketchy. Focusinward, hone your skills andadjust your talents to accommodate what you want to pursue.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Live and learn. Concentrate on what matters to you and what you must do to fulfill your dreams. Learn new skills and associatewith people whohave similar interests and goals.

VIRGo(Aug. 23-sept. 22) Achange may be in order, but micromanagement is necessary to avoid excessive behavior and letting others take advantage of you. Make decisions guidedbycommon sense, not by emotions.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Holdwhat and who you love close and manufacture an environment around you conducive to independence and achieving your goals. Fuel business or personal relationships with endless possibilities.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Settle down and settle in for the long haul.Change begins with you. Discipline and apas-

sionate attitude will give you theedge in competitive situations.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec.21) Leap forward. Refuse to let fear stifle your plans. Invest in yourself and find a path leading to monetary rewards and satisfaction. Make home improvements and ahealthy lifestyle your priorities.

cAPRIcoRn(Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Be careful whatyou sayand do. Take careof emotional or health issuesbeforethey have achancetowreak havoc on your life. Putyourself first.

AQuARIus(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Being proactive can lead to good or bad, dependingonyourapproach. An opportunity is apparent if you network. Attend events, travel and gather information that can help you advance your interests

PIscEs(Feb. 20-March20) Making big decisions will backfire unless you've done the proper legwork to ensure your plan is solid and fair. If you embellish or take on too much, your strategywill crumble

ARIEs(March 21-April 19) Aphysical challenge will motivate you to take better care of yourself and become more active in your community or group functions. Do your part, and you won't be disappointed.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. ©2025 by nEa, inc dist. By andrewsmcmeel syndication

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squaressothat each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontainsthe same number only once. Thedifficulty level of thesudoku increases from monday to sunday

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

Bridge

By PHILLIPALDER

Bridge has survived all these decades forseveral reasons. For example, there aredeals, like this one, that do not follow anormal course. What wouldatextbook advise West to lead against four spades? But what would he lead if he could see all52cards?

When adefender has four trumps, it is usually best to try to makedeclarer ruff something. The defender hopes to reduce declarer’s trumplength down to his own,or, even better, shorter than his.Hewants declarertolosetrump control.

Thinkingalongthoselines,Westledthe heart ace. When East signaled enthusiastically with the nine, West led another heart. South tried dummy’s queen, but East covered with the king. After ruffing, South wastempted to play on trumps, but he mused about West’s lead. West surely had not started with ace-doubleton. And if not, it wasa dangerous lead, suggesting that he had long trumps.

Declarer cashed his diamond ace, ruffed adiamondonthe board, leda club to his king, and ruffed his last diamond.

Thenheplayed atrump. West won andled another heart, but South ruffed, cashed his two top trumps, and played on clubs, still having one trump to retain control.Declarer lost only one heart and twospades.

wuzzles

Onthisdeal,Westhastoleadhissingletontodefeatthecontract.Then,ifdeclarerattackstrumps,Westwinsandreturns thesuit. Or,ifSouth exits with aheart before or after ruffing adiamond on the board, East wins and gives his partner a clubruff. ThenWest cashes thespade ace and plays another spade.

©2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

Each Wuzzle is awordriddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place,saying, etc. Forexample: nOOngOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

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

by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. proper nouns, slang

or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAy’s WoRD InEXAct: in-ex-ACT: Not precisely correct or true.

Averagemark13words

Timelimit 20 minutes

Can youfind 17 or more words in INEXACT?

sAtuRDAy’s WoRD —QuADRuPLE

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

dIrectIons: make a2-to 7-letter word from theletters 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.

kenken

InstructIons: 1 -Each row and each column must contain the numbers1thorugh 4(easy) or 1through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 -The numberswithin the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.

WiShinG Well

HErE is aplEasanT liTTlEgamEthat

Puzzle Answer

Scrabble GramS

jump Start

roSe

Anybodyknowing thewhereabouts of Tyrone B. JonesofFrancisco Verrette

Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of Thoa ThiNguyenpleasecontact DavidJ.Motter, Atty.3500 N. Hullen Street,Metairie, LA 70002; 504-3887005. 139248-May3-5,3t $97

If youknowthe whereabouts of ToshicaSmith,pleaseimmediately contactBowes,Petkovich &Palmer, LLCbyphone at (504) 368-2700, emailatmaro@bpp-law.com, or by mail at 2550 Belle Chasse Highway, Suite200, Gretna,Louisiana 70053. 139683-May5-6,2t $113

PUBLIC NOTICE

RTAwillholda public hearingduringthe Riders Advisory Committee meetingonWednesday May7,2025,

and103. Detailed informationwill be availableatwww norta.com. Comments maybesubmitted at the meeting, by emailto comments@norta.com, or by calling(504) 2483900 by May7 To requestdisabilityor language accommoda‐tions, contact(504) 8278377 at least72hours in advance. 139615-MAY5-7-3T $269.19

LIMITATIONOFLIABILITY Notice is hereby given that K&KMARINE, LLC, as ownerofthe M/VT-Ray fileda Complaintpur‐suantto46U.S.C.§ 30501 et seq.,claimingthe right to exonerationfromor limitation of liabilityfor allclaimsfor loss, dam‐age, death, injury or de‐structionallegedly caused,arising outof, or resultingfromthe events that occurred on or aboutAugust29, 2024, wherein Captain Ted Williams allegesthathe wasaboardthe M/VTRayand sustainedin‐juries anddamages al‐legedlyresulting from an incident aboard theM/V T-RayatornearFreeport, Texas, as more fullyde‐scribedinthe Complaint. Allpersons firms, corpo‐rations, or otherlegal en‐tities assertingsuch claims shall file them as provided in Rule Fofthe Supplemental Rulesfor CertainAdmiralty and i i l i i h

y Maritime Claims,with theClerk of Court, U.S. District Courtfor the

PUBLIC NOTICE

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURTEASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA IN THEMATTEROFTHE COMPLAINTOFDIAMOND BINDUSTRIES, L.L.C.,AS OWNERAND OPERATOR OF THEMNRIVER DIA‐MOND,PETITIONING FOR EXONERATIONFROMOR LIMITATIONOFLIABILITY

CIVILACTIONNO: 25-778 DISTRICT JUDGE: SUSIEMORGAN MAGISTRATE JUDGE: EVADOSSIER Admiralty- Rule 9(h)

NOTICE TO CLAIMANTS OF COMPLAINTFOR EXONERATIONFROMOR LIMITATIONOFLIABILITY

PUBLIC NOTICE OFFICIAL NOTICE OF MONTHLYMEETINGof theREGIONALPLANNING COMMISSIONFOR JEF‐FERSON,ORLEANS PLAQUEMINES, ST BERNARD, ST.CHARLES ST.JOHN, ST.TAMMANY andTANGIPAHOA PARISHES andthe POLICY COMMITTEEofthe RE‐GIONAL PLANNING COM‐MISSIONFOR JEFFERSON, ORLEANS, PLAQUEMINES, ST.BERNARD,ST. CHARLES, ST.JOHN, ST TAMMANY,and TANGIPA‐HOAPARISHES. Theregular meetings of the Regional Planning Commission andthe Pol‐icyCommittee of theRe‐gional Planning Commis‐sion forthe monthof May2025 will be held on Tuesday, May13, 2025. Allmeetings commence at 12:30 P.M. Allmeetings will be held at: Regional Transportation Management Center 10 Veterans Boulevard 1st Floor Conference Room NewOrleans,LA70124 Forfurther information call (504) 483-8500. ADA NOTICE:The RTMC is ADAaccessible. Forspecial accommoda‐tionsfor this meetingor foranyonewho requires an auxiliaryaid or ser‐vice foreffective com‐munication,ormodifica‐tionstopoliciesorpro‐cedurestoparticipate in this meeting, should con‐tact RPC’spublicout‐reachcoordinator,at 504-483-8513 or mgivhan@norpc.orgas soon as possible,but no laterthan 48 hours before thescheduled event. 139555-may5-1t $22.96

LIMITATIONOF LIABILITY Notice is hereby given that theabove named Limitation Petitioner, Port Ship Service, Inc. have fileda complaint, pursuant to Sections 30501, et seq. of Title46 of theUnitedStatesCode (46U.S.C.§ 30501, et seq.), forexoneration from or limitation of lia‐bility forall claims for anyloss, damage,injury, or deaths arisingout of or occurringasa result of theincidentocca‐sionedonorabout Sep‐tember 24, 2024 allasis more fullyset forthinthe Verified Complaint. Allpersons firms, corpo‐rations, or otherentities having such claims to whichthe Verified Com‐plaint seeksexoneration from or limitation of lia‐bility areadmonishedto file theirrespective claims,asprovidedin Rule F, includingpara‐graphs (4)and (5) thereof, of theSupple‐mental Rulesfor Certain AdmiraltyorMaritime Claims of theFederal RulesofCivil Procedure, with theClerk of this Courtatthe United States CourtHouse,500 PoydrasStreet,Room C151, NewOrleans Louisiana70130, and must servea copy thereofonattorneys for Limitation Petitioners, Messrs. Pusateri,John‐ston,Guillot &Green‐baum,LLC,1100 Poydras Street,Suite 2250, New Orleans,Louisiana 70163, on or before the 16thday of May, 2025, or be per‐manently defaulted If anyclaimantdesires to contesteitherthe right to exonerationfromor theright to limitation of liability, he shall file and serveonthe attorneys forLimitationPetitioners an answer to thecom‐plaint on or before the aforesaid date unless his claimhas included an answer,sodesignated, or be defaulted Date:Apr 02 2025

NOTICE is hereby given that DiamondB Indus‐tries, L.L.C.,asowner and operator of thevessel, theM/V RIVERDIAMOND herengines,tackle, gear furniture, appurte‐nances,etc.(hereinafter "the Vessel"),has filed a Complaint, pursuant to 46 U.S.C. §§ 30501, et seq forexoneration from or limitation of liabilityfor allclaimsfor anyand all loss of life,injury, loss of property,destruction,or damage,arising outofor relatedtothe allegedIn‐cident occurringonNo‐vember 3, 2023, involving theM/V RIVERDIAMOND at or near HoumaTwin Span Bridge on theGulf Intracoastal Waterway in Terrebonne Parish,all as is more fully de‐scribedinDiamond BIn‐dustries,L.L.C.'sCom‐plaint forExoneration from or Limitation of Lia‐bility ("Complaint"). Allpersons firms, or corporations asserting claims with respectto whichthe Complaint seeksexoneration from or limitation of liability areadmonished, to file theirrespectiveclaims, under oath,asprovided in Rule Fofthe Supple‐mental Rulesfor Certain Admiraltyand Maritime Claims of theFederal RulesofCivil Procedure, with theClerk of the United States District Courtfor theEastern Dis‐trictofLouisiana,500 PoydrasSt.,New Orleans, Louisiana, andmust servea copy thereofon counselfor Complainant on or before the22ndday of July,2025 or be de‐faulted I, DominicDontrell Davis, have been convictedof14:43.1Sexual Battery.Date Convicted: 10/247/2014. 15:542Failure to Register/Notifyasa SexOffender.Date Convicted: 6/23/2016. My Addressis: 4321 PerlitaStNew Orleans, LA 70122

2026 Budget at theconclusion of thepublichearing JonS.McGill, Sr Chairman,TNIBD 139110-may5-1t $92.28 I, EZEKIELJOSE KENNONDOYLE aka EZEKELLDOYLE aka EZEKIALDOYLE, have been convictedof14:80 -Carnalknowledge of ajuvenile.Date Convicted: 10/7/2020. 15:542 -Failure to

PUBLIC NOTICE OF VACANCY Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-EastBank BoardofCommissioners

Pursuant to La. R.S. 38:330.1 et seq., notice is hereby given that applications arebeing acceptedfrompersonsinterested in serving on the BoardofCommissioners for the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority- East Bank (SLFPA-E) Nine members serve on the BoardofCommissioners. ANominating Committee comprised of representatives of civic, professional and academic organizations reviewsapplications and recommends individuals for appointment by theGovernor and confirmation by the Senate. The Nominating Committee is comprised of representatives from the following organizations: Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, Council for aBetter Louisiana, Louisiana Geological Survey,Association of State Floodplain Managers, National Society of Black Engineers, UNO College of Engineering, Tulane University School of Science &Engineering, SouthernUniversity College of Engineering, LSU College of Engineering, Louisiana Engineering Society, andAmericanSociety of Civil Engineers.

CURRENT VACANCY

The Nominating Committee is accepting applications for 4positions on the SLFPA-E BoardofCommissioners:

Anon-resident whoresides outside of Jefferson, Orleans, or St. BernardParish to completethe remainderofa term that started on July 2, 2021 and ends on July 1, 2025 and asecond term appointed by the Governor thatstarts on July 2, 2025 and ends on July 1, 2029

Aresident of Orleans Parish on the east bank of the Mississippi River to complete the remainderofa term that startedonOctober 21, 2022 and ends on July 1, 2026.

Anon-resident whoresides outside of Jefferson, Orleans, or St. BernardParish to completethe remainderofaterm that started on July 2, 2024 and ends on July 1, 2028.

Aresident of Orleans Parish on the east bank of the Mississippi River to complete the remainderofaterm that started on October 21,2022 and ends on July 1, 2026.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS

Three members shall reside in Orleans Parish on the east side of the Mississippi River within thejurisdiction of SLFPA-E.Two members shallreside in Jefferson Parish on the east side of the Mississippi River.One member shall reside in St. BernardParish. Threemembers shall reside outside of Jefferson, St. Bernard, or Orleans Parishes.

QUALIFICATIONS

Engineering/Related Field Professional

Five members shall be either an engineer or aprofessional in arelated fi eld such as geotechnical, hydrological, or environmental science. At least one of the three members shall be acivil engineer

Non-Engineering Professional Twomembers shall be professionals in disciplines other than engineering, geotechnical, hydrological, or environmental science with at least ten years of professional experience in that discipline. At-Large Twomembers shall be at-large and can serve with or without technical or professional qualifications. Once the new member is appointed, the composition of the Boardmust meet the residencyand occupational qualifications defined above.

HOW TO APPLY:

Youmay obtain an application by going online to www floodauthority.org or contacting: Chris Humphreys Interim Regional Director,Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East 6920 Franklin Ave., New Orleans, LA 70122 (504) 286-3100 chumphreys@floodauthority.org

The deadline for receiving applications is May 16, 2025