vanced two measures Tuesday that would revise the state constitution to pay for educator raises in later years, despite some concerns from teachers union leaders including about a potential pay cut for teachers this coming school year The bills would eliminate three constitutionally protected education trust funds, use the money to pay off retirement debt and put the savings toward higher salaries for teachers and school support staff. The House Appropriations Committee voted in favor of both bills which repackage part of a constitutional amendment that voters rejected this year If the Legislature passes the bills, the public still must vote to amend the state’s constitution. That vote would likely not happen until April, lawmakers say, leaving at least one school year where teachers and staff could see their current pay decrease.
During the committee meeting, the president of the state’s largest teachers union told representatives that he could not support the bills in their current form because they do not guarantee that all eligible educators would receive the pay increases Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Larry Carter also expressed worry that the raises would not be included in the state’s schoolfunding formula, which would prevent the money from being reallocated for other uses in the future
“We cannot rely on good intentions alone when it comes to educator paychecks,” he said “We support the spirit of both bills, we really do, but we want to get some guarantees.”
Carter raised similar concerns about the teacher-pay portion of Amendment 2, which voters shot down in the March 29 election. The union ultimately backed the amendment after working with lawmakers on revisions — something it might try to do again with the new bills.
On Tuesday, Appropriations Committee Chair Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, said he disagreed with Carter that the wording of one bill could leave out some eligible educators He pointed
to a line in the proposal that states each public school system “shall” provide a permanent salary increase.
“It doesn’t give an option to the public school system” on what to do with the funds, he said.
House Bill 579, by Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, eliminates three education trust funds in order to pay off debts related to the state’s teachers retirement system, for which individual school districts pay interest. House Bill 466 by Rep Josh Carlson R-Lafayette, requires school systems to give teachers raises using the debt-payment savings.
Carter, however, pointed out that educators would technically not receive raises if the bills pass. Instead, the resulting constitutional amendment would make the one-time stipends that educators have received the past two years $2,000 for teachers and $1,000 for support staff — a recurring part of their annual salaries.
Emerson noted that Carlson’s bill requires the state to step in to subsidize any school districts that are unable to cover the cost of the raises through their savings alone. She also said Tuesday that the state will pay for raises for educators and sup-
port staff who work in charter schools, many of which don’t pay into the state’s teachers retirement system. The bill does not mention charter schools that don’t pay into the retirement system, but Emerson said their educators will also get raises.
Emerson estimated that the cost to the state to pay for charter raises would likely be between $15 million and $20 million.
Carter said it’s unacceptable that, even if the amendment to raise teacher pay in the future is approved, teachers could lose their stipends next school year
“Our educators deserve a genuine increase that acknowledges their contributions and the rising costs of living in this country,” he told the committee.
Rep. Jason DeWitt, R-Tioga, told Carter that if the bills advance, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers must do more to inform its members of their intent
He said he fielded “a lot of phone calls” ahead of the March vote from constituents who didn’t understand what Amendment 2 would do, noting that many were under the impression that the money for the raises would come from teachers’ retirement funds, which is
Travelers with no REAL ID can fly for now
BY REBECCA SANTANA and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Travelers who haven’t obtained a REAL ID by this week’s deadline received assurances from the head of Homeland Security that they will be able to fly after additional identity checks. Her comments came Tuesday as long lines formed outside of government buildings from California to Chicago as residents scrambled to update their IDs before the long-delayed deadline.
Kristi Noem told a congressional panel that 81% of travelers already have IDs that comply with the REAL ID requirements. She said security checkpoints will also be accepting passports and tribal identification when the deadline hits Wednesday
Those who still lack an identification that complies with the REAL ID law “may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step,” Noem said.
“But people will be allowed to fly,” she said. “We will make sure it’s as seamless as possible.”
The Transportation Security Administration warned people who don’t have the REAL ID to show up early and be prepared for advanced screening to avoid causing delays.
“I do not have a belief that this will cause people to miss their flights if they take that additional time in,” said Thomas Carter
the TSA’s Federal Security Director in New Jersey “I think there’s that selfresponsibility of the law that they need to know, give themselves that extra time, and if they do that, they shouldn’t have an issue.”
Across the country, Department of Motor Vehicles offices extended their hours to help meet the demand But despite that, some people waited for hours Tuesday to get a REAL ID ahead of the long-delayed deadline.
Renel Leggett, a college student from West Chester, Pennsylvania, spent hours getting her REAL ID and was not happy about it
“I’ve been out here for three hours to get one ID when I’ve already had one that should have lasted me until about 2029,” Leggett said.
“You have to do it. But it feels like a waste of time,” she said.
REAL ID is a federally compliant state-issued license or identification card that Homeland Security says is a more secure form of identification. It was a recommendation by the 9/11 Commission and signed into law in 2005.
The commission recommended the government set security standards for stateissued driver’s licenses and IDs It was supposed to be rolled out in 2008. But the implementation has been repeatedly delayed Besides needing a REAL ID to fly domestically, people will also need one to ac-
cess certain federal buildings and facilities.
In recent weeks, Noem has been warning the American public about the upcoming deadline. In a television ad put out by Homeland Security, she warned that these IDs were needed for air travel and for entering public buildings, adding: “These IDs keep our country safe.”
A REAL ID-compliant driver’s license has a symbol (in most states, a star) in the top corner of the card. In California, about 58% of all driver’s license and ID cardholders have a REAL ID. The state has extended the hours of some Department of Motor Vehicles offices through June 27 to help more people get the federally required identification. Officials are also reminding residents that if they already have a valid U.S. passport, they can use that and wait to upgrade to a REAL ID when their ID or driver’s license is due for renewal.
Lucas Krump was traveling Tuesday to San Francisco on business from Newark, New Jersey, and said he was using a passport to get through security
“I don’t have a license that is Real ID,” he said. “I question the bureaucracy around it. It feels like attacks on everyday people, having to upgrade their licenses and all of their identification for something that really, you know, seems like we’ve been fine without it.”
At the Driver Services Bureau in Jackson Missis-
sippi, there were no long lines Tuesday, and people were getting their REAL IDs fairly quickly
Marion Henderson said before going in that she planned to travel to California, Michigan, Chicago and New York this year and wanted to be prepared.
“Even though I have my license, now that it’s required, I wanted to go ahead and get it done” ahead of the deadline, Henderson said.
“We need to do a better job next time of selling this with your group,” DeWitt said.
Carter said his organization had done its best to let its members know the union supported the amendment.
He also urged lawmakers to consider additional ways to raise teacher pay
“The choice before this committee is to extend beyond simply preventing a pay reduction,”
Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment,” hear a meditation from a senior cardinal, and then most likely cast their first ballot.
Assuming no candidate secures the necessary twothirds majority, or 89 votes, the cardinals will retire for the day and return on Thursday
They will have two ballots in the morning and then two in the afternoon, until a winner is found.
Asked what the priorities of the cardinal electors were, Goh told reporters this week that the No 1 issue was that the new pope must be able to spread the Catholic faith and “make the church relevant in today’s time. How to reach out to young people, how to show a face of love, joy and hope.”
But beyond that, there are some real-world geopolitical concerns to take into consideration. The Catholic Church is growing in Africa and Asia, both in numbers of baptized faithful and vocations to the priesthood and women’s religious orders.
It is shrinking in traditionally Catholic bastions of Europe, with empty churches and the faithful formally leaving the church in places like Germany, many citing the abuse scandals.
“Asia is ripe for evangelization and the harvest of vocations,” said the Rev. Robert Reyes, who studied in the seminary with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the Filipino prelate considered a contender to be the first Asian pope. But should the pope necessarily reflect the new face of the Catholic Church, and inspire the faithful especially in the parts of the world where the momentum of growth is already underway? Does it even matter?
Pope Francis was the first Latin American pope, and the region still counts
How a new pope is chosen
One at a time, in order of seniority, each cardinal approaches the altar holding out his ballot; he kneels, offers a short prayer, rises and says aloud in Latin, ‘I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will be my
count the ballots in front of the altar.
persecution. The Vatican has defended the accord as the best deal it could get, but it remains to be seen if Francis’ successor will keep the policy
According to Vatican statistics, Catholics represent 3.3% of the population in Asia, but their numbers are growing, especially in terms of seminarians, as they are in Africa, where Catholics represent about 20% of the population.
Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, the archbishop of Kinshasa, Congo, said he is in Rome to elect a pope for all the world’s Catholics.
“I am not here for the Congo, I am not here for Africa I am here for the universal church. That is our concern, the universal church,” he told reporters. “When we are done, I will return to Kinshasa and I will put back on my archbishop of Kinshasa hat and the struggle continues.”
Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, the chatty French-born archbishop of Algiers, Algeria, lamented last week that there hadn’t been enough time for the cardinals to get to know one another, since many of them had never met before and hail from 70 countries in the most geographically diverse conclave in history
the majority of the world’s Catholics.
Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the retired archbishop of Mumbai, said the church needs to become more Asian, culturally and spiritually
The “center of gravity of the world is shifting toward Asia,” he said. “The Asian church has much to give to the world.”
has 53 (or likely 52, given that one is not expected to participate for health reasons).
At 80, Gracias won’t be participating in the conclave, but India has four cardinal-electors, and overall Asia counts 23, making it the second-biggest voting bloc after Europe, which
One of the big geopolitical issues facing the cardinals is China and the plight of the estimated 12 million Chinese Catholics there.
Under Francis, the Vati-
can in 2018 inked a controversial agreement with Beijing governing the appointment of bishops, which many conservatives decried as a sellout of the underground Chinese Catholics who had remained loyal to Rome during decades of communist
“Every day, I say to myself, ‘Ah! Oh my God! There we have it!’” he said. For the cardinals, there is also the belief that they are guided by the Holy Spirit. There is a famous quote attributed to then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1997, in comments to a Bavarian television station. The future Pope Benedict XVI said the Holy Spirit acted like a good educator in a conclave, allowing cardinals to freely choose a pope without dictating the precise candidate
“Probably the only assurance he offers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined,” Ratzinger reportedly said. “There are too many contrary instances of popes the Holy Spirit would obviously not have picked.”
BY JAMES FINN Staff writer
Federal Border Patrol agents arrested and deported dozens of people in asweepingimmigration enforcement operation along the Interstate 10 corridor in Louisiana and Mississippi in late April, officials said, part of the Trump administration’s widening crackdown on immigration.
The enforcement action, which federal officials describedasa “highway interdiction operation” dubbed “Operation Magnolia,” yielded arrests of 48 people originally from Mexico,Nicaragua,Kazakhstan, Honduras, Colombiaand Guatemala who are accused of entering the United States illegally, Border Patrol spokesperson Rob Brisley said in a written statement.
Border Patrol provided few additional details on thearrests. But combined with documents agents have filed in federal court, the announcementsheds light on how the Trump administration is relying on vehicle surveillanceand traffic stops to carry out itsimmigration agenda in New Orleans and across the Gulf South.
Border Patrol did not release the identities of those detained in the highway operation, apart from saying that eight of the people would be prosecuted in federal courts for illegal reentry to the U.S. —a criminal proceeding separate from the civil process migrants undergo when theyappear in immigration courts. Federal prosecutors
around the country are pursuing an unprecedented number of those criminal cases,mostly against people whose sole alleged crimes arereentering the country after being deported, as Trumpmarshals theJustice Department’s resources to support his immigration agenda.Historically, the department preferredtoleave such casestothe immigration court system.
Besides the detainees chargedwith illegalreentry,Brisley saidthe recent Border Patrol operation led tothe arrest of one person accused of being in the country illegally who would be charged with using false documents.
Three U.S. citizens, too, face “various federal charges” stemming from theoperation, Brisley said. He said Border Patrol agents seized $104,000in cash, guns and magazines and other“illegal contraband.”
The apparentstrategy of detainingpeoplealong major roadways comes as Trumphas usedabroadening set of tactics in enacting his immigration agenda, whichhas included detainingstudents on college campuses and ratcheting up criminal prosecutions forlow-levelimmigration felonies.
Louisiana has emerged as afocal point of that agenda due inpart to its highnumber of Immigration andCustoms Enforcement detentioncenters
Last month, the administration drew headlines aftera 2-year-old girl appeared to have been deported despite pleas from immigration attorneys andthe girl’s father to ICE officials,including in an earlier legal filing,thatassertedshe hadbeen born in Louisianaand wasaU.S citizen, according to an order issuedbyaTrumpappointed federal judgein
Monroe. ICE officials said the child’smother,alsodeported,requested that her daughterremain with her, though immigration attorneys have disputed that account.
Brisley declined to answer questionsabout the identities of the people arrested along I-10 last month, and about precisely where the arrests occurred andhow Border Patrolelects to refer immigrationdetainees to the Justice Department for criminalprosecution.
Trafficstops
Operationaldetails—including howBorder Patrol agents determined whoto stopand detain in the operation —werenot released.
ButinNew Orleans in recentweeks, agents appear to have relied on traffic stops repeatedly to detain people accused of illegally reentering the country, according to federal court records. In several cases, they have done so after monitoring homes andvehicles
Border Patrolagentsin New Orleans on April 10 pulled over ared GMC pickup they believed was owned anddriven by peopleinthe countrywithout documentation, Border
PatrolIntelligence Agent Francisco DelValle wrote in an affidavit.
The agentsran acheck on the truck’splates and saw that the vehicle was registered in Mississippi to what DelValleand his colleaguesbelieved wasa “fictitious” person. Border Patrol agents view such registration as acommon tactic used by people in the countryillegally,Del Valle wrote, “becauseofthe strict identification laws at the LouisianaDepartment of Motor Vehicles.”
The agentsstopped the truckand detainedthe driver,Waulter Homero Raymundo-Marcos,of Honduras, along with four passengers from Guatemala andHonduras suspectedofbeing in the country without documentation.
In other cases, Border
Patrol agents described surveilling homes where undocumented people are suspected of living, then followingvehicles that leave from thoselocations and performing traffic stops. In Terrytown on March 27, agents described in an affidavit monitoringa home inhabited by a“previously deported Guatemalan national.” When aToyotaTundra departed the housearound 7a.m., BorderPatrol agents performeda traffic stop on the vehicle and detained the driver,identified in courtrecords as Neri Osbeli Argueta-Chun, and one passenger,Frailyn Argueta-Jeronimo, on allegations that they had reentered thecountry without permission.
Ema jfinn@t
OPINION
OUR VIEWS
Legislature should fix closed primary problem
When lawmakers lastyear partiallyabandoned Louisiana’spopular open primary system in favor of party primaries, they created abig potentialproblem fortensofthousands of registered voters —one that could conceivably keep them from being able to fully participate in the electoral process. We’re relieved that the Legislature is working toward asolution that will keep peoplefrombeing turned awaywhen they tryto vote forU.S. senators, members of theHouse of Representatives and other officials starting next spring At issue is the way those who choose not to registerwitheither majorpoliticalparty are treated. Under the new law,Democratsmust vote in theDemocratic primary andRepublicansmust vote in the Republican Party. Thosewho arenot registeredina party can voteineither one(but of course not both).
That’sstraightforward enough,but there’s a catch: Louisiana recognizes three otherofficial parties,including one called theIndependent Party,and voters registered with themcannot vote in either major partyprimary
Nearly 150,000 people are registeredasIndependents (uppercase“I”),although it’sa logical betthatmost of them meanttosimply declare their independence —witha lowercase“i” from any political party,largeorsmall. In order to do that under the currentsystem,votersmust register as “no party.” With few exceptions, Louisiana voters have rarelyhad to worryabout suchnuances.But now that this is about to change,lawmakers are moving abill aimed at makingsure thatvoters who want to take part in nextspring’s primaries don’tface an unpleasant surprise on Election Day House Bill 420 by state Rep.Beth Billings,RDestrehan, would allow the Independent Party to dissolve itself —somethingits leader William Bryan, to his credit, supports.
It would also allow Secretary of State Nancy Landry to switch registered Independentsto no party,and require her toinform them of the change. Prospects for passageare promising; the bill was adopted by theHouse on a90-2 vote andawaits actioninthe Senate.
We’ll be honest: We thought theold system of voting worked just fine, andopposed addingpartyprimaries for Congress, the state Supreme Court, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Public Service Commission.The newsystemisn’t just confusing; it’salso more costly because it adds athird election to each cycle. Andpolls show thatmost of the state’svoters prefer to be able to vote for theircandidate of choiceateach stageofthe process,regardless of political party But closed party primaries havelongbeena goal for the partiesthemselves, whoseleaders believe it bolsters candidates whoare true partisans.With Gov.Jeff Landry leadingthe way, last year’slaw was passed forthe benefit of political party insiders. This one would be for thevoters whowant to make sure theirvoices are heard.All ofthem.
Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence
TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.
TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE
Afterhorribleaccident, acommunity comes together fortravelers
On April25, aday after our book talks in Lake Charles at the Calcasieu Parish Library,Mary and Iwere coming home on Interstate 10, going 70 miles per hour,and violently hit a10foot long piece of wood that suddenly appeared in our lane. The terrific impact blew out two tires, broke arim, broke the windshield, broke the brake line and steering mechanismand probably more. Butwemanaged not to go off the road or flip over.Luckily,noone was behind us Icalled Onstar,and apatient woman took my shakycall and, after being assured that we were not injured, quickly dispatched awrecker to our aid. State Trooper J. Jordan appeared on the scene(acall to State Police was made by awitness) and gave us supportand safety from the speeding traffic. AJefferson Davis Parishsheriff’s deputyalsoappeared, andtogether the officers located the large object in theditch. The nice
trooper prepared an incident report and stayed with us as we awaited a wrecker truck. We were very fortunate that we were not seriously injured. Paul, a Sulphur tow truck operator,brought us to Lafayette, where our car will be evaluated, and told us abouthis unusual experiences. IcalledService Cadillac to let them knowthatwe were coming and was referred by acooperative Javon Alexandertoa nice woman named Megan in the body shop. She assured us thatwewould be taken care of andgiventransportation home. Afriendly Cajun from Scottnamed Ron helpedusretrieve our belongings and drove us home from Service Cadillac, telling us stories the whole time. It felt comforting to be home after thetraumatic event. Thanks to allofthe strangers who came to our rescue and aid on that trying day WARREN PERRIN Lafayette
Auto insurance rates are outrageous, andthere’s areason for it thatwasn’tmentioned by either Gov.JeffLandry or InsuranceCommissioner TimTemple
There’s aprovencorrelation between relentless advertising by plaintiffs’ attorneys and settlements or lawsuits —frivolous and otherwise —against insurance companies.
These ads, in my opinion, should be curtailed or even stopped completely
Plaintiffs’ attorneyads are designedtocreatethe impression thatplaintiffs will get abig money windfall as aresult of an auto accident. This is anotion that’sgeared towards agullible audience who believesthattheir fender-bender is going to make themrich.
Recently,Iread Cal Thomas’column about the U.S. Postal Service, and I was shocked and horrified by Thomas absolutely callous dismissal of a service that is bothconstitutionally required and also vitally necessary to manycommunities in this state and every other Thomas’ main saw is thesameone fiddled by modernconservatives: “Let’sprivatizeitand let theprivate enterprise do better.”
First of all, we already have. UPS, DHL and dozens of other package delivery organizations makebillions off of direct-to-consumer package delivery for everything under the sun, and it has given theCal Thomases of theworld afalse sense of confidence that those same said services will be able to do what USPS already does to letters.
The dirty little secret there is that mostplaces in America aren’tprofitable to deliver to, so asignificant por-
tion of the private companies rely on theshipper of last resort to complete their deliveries. The reason forthis is that the post office has to deliver.It has to deliver to places like Jena and Ruston and LaSalle. UPSdoesn’t. They can accept your money,take it part of the way,and then dumpitatthe local post office for the rest of the trip (which is usually what happens).
What Thomas is proposing, however, is to just let rural communities and impoverished areas just die. Diefrom alack of medicines being delivered, die from alack of communication, die from alack of vital necessities delivered via physical mail.
In theend, if Thomas really wants to improve the postal system, maybe he could just fully fund the thing —like we haven’tdone for 30 years, because people like Thomas hate it forsome reason.
DANIEL MONACO Metairie
Ilovethe ones who saytheygot hundreds of thousands of dollars in asettlement (whethertrue or not). Whatthese adsdon’tsay is that the settlement hastocover the cost of property damage, replacing the car, the medical bills, etc. that have to be paid fromthe settlement, nor do theysay thatthe plaintiff’s attorneys will take 30%to40% of the settlement as their fees
Not only is the advertising message deceptive, it also exacerbates the costofeveryone’sauto insurance in the long run. If we went back to notallowing plaintiffs’ attorneys to promote their services (it was not always like this), especially on television, we’d seeadrop in insurance prices statewide because the “getrichquick” incentive to sue would not be thrown in the public’s face everysingle day. These adsdonothing except to benefit plaintiffs’ attorneys, which is the point of advertising. However,the ultimate harm accruestothe public by creating outrageous, untenable auto insurance ratesfor everyone, while attorneys enrichthemselvesatthe public’s expense.
JANRAMSEY NewOrleans
SPORTS
Raised at Lamson
Haydenonlastleg of long association with Ragin’ Cajuns
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
More than anyoneonthe UL softball roster,senior center fielder Maddie Hayden has felt awhirlwind of emotions as the season winds down.
Some athletes spend four or five years on acollege diamond.Hayden has spent most of her lifeatLamson Park, beginning with the yearswhen she simply was Haley Hayden’slittle sister
“Since Iwas probably 9or10,” said Maddie Hayden, whose Cajuns open her final Sun Belt Tournament at 10 a.m. Thursday against Appalachian State in Troy,Alabama. “I was definitely the little sister running around.”
Sometimes, she watched the Cajuns play,but mostly she was playing her owngame.
“My parents and other parentssat in thosebleachersbehind the right-field wall where they’d cook,”she said. “So for the good games, I’d be up there, butmost of the time, I’d be behind the lockerroom with atennis ball I’d find on the tennis courts and play wall ball by myself the whole entire day ”
One only can imagine all of the memories that floated throughHayden’s head during her finalhome serieslast weekend against Southern Mississippi
“It’s bittersweet, for sure,” Hayden said. “Atfirst,ithadn’tfullyhit me, but when Iran on the field, it did. I’m going to miss playing in front of these fans alot.
“There was so much love thisweekendthat overshadows all thesadness that comes with it being mylast weekendathome.”
As a9-year-old, she wasn’t thinking about college ball much. But as soonas her recruitment began, therewas just one ballpark on hermind.
“It wouldn’ttake much convincing, just because of the atmosphere here,” said Hayden, who committed to UL as afreshman at Ruston High. “When I’d get into Lafayette or Lamson Park, nothing else compared to it.
“I knew how the fans were.Iknew how big the crowdswere. Iwasn’treally surprised by anything whenIgot here because of how Iwas treated whenIwas just asibling of aplayer That’s whyI chosetocomeherebecause Iknew exactly what Iwas going to get.” That mentality stayedthe same last offseason even aftercoach Gerry
ä See HAYDEN, page 3C
UL baseball coach MattDeggs stillhasn’tgotten over the Sunday loss to Georgia Southern two weeks ago. But lastweekend’sroadsweep of GeorgiaState certainly helped.
BY JIM KLEINPETER
Contributing writer
“It was agreat response after not sweepingGeorgia Southern, because the hay was almostinthe barnon thatone,” said Deggs,whose fourthplace Cajuns will play at second-place Southern Mississippi (35-13, 18-6) in a SunBelt seriesstarting 7p.m. Friday
“Basically what we didthis (past) weekend was evenupfrom that debacle on Sunday.That’sall we did.” Perhaps,but it actually dida few other things as well. Once the Cajuns got offtoasubpar start tothe season, the goal became to finishinthe top six to avoid the play-in round of theSun Belt Tournament. Deggs figured it wouldrequire 16 league wins to do so. The sweep put UL at15-9with sixgames left. “I didn’t think we’d be this closetwo weeksago,” Deggs said. “Hats off to our guys, they keep playing andthe pitching hasbeenbehind that.”
The sweep also was more evidence that maybe it’stimefor the team and itsfans to stop limiting its potential. Is this team still flawed in several areas? Absolutely.But this coaching staff somehow thrives in chaos and has come up withaPlan D—orperhaps even a Plan EorPlan F—that seems to be working after early season struggles. Just look at the team’sSun Belt numbers. While the overall statistics aren’taskind because of the team’slack of depth, thenew plan is about focusing on league play
LSUsoftballopens thepostseason with afamiliar face likely in theopposing circle. Raelin Chaffin, who played three seasons at LSU before transferring to Mississippi State, is the ace for the Bulldogs and probably will getthe start when the teams face off in an SECTournament game at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Georgia’sJack Turner Stadium. Chaffin, aBossier City native who playedatAirline High School, transferredtoMississippi State after compiling a23-8 overall record at LSU as the third starter.She blossomed in 2025 with a21-8record forthe No 8-seeded Bulldogs (37-16, 13-11 SEC), 2.53 ERA and 180 strikeouts in 166 innings.She alsohad fourshutouts and three saves. Whileshe’s likely to be highly motivated to face her former team, LSUcoach BethTorina
said the Tigers have an advantage of familiarity with her,too. “She’sthrown in themajority of games and has alion’s share of their SEC games,”Torina said “I would expect to see her “Our team will feel confident in any game we play.They don’t really care who’sonthe other side, they’re going to play LSU softball. They’ll feel like they’ve seen herbefore. She’s gotsome new pieces she’sadded this year Everyone knows she’sincredibly competitiveand talented We know we have ourwork cut out forus.”
The No. 9-seeded Tigers (40-13, 12-12) have struggled through the second half of the SEC schedule, and Torina is hoping the conference tournament can give her team areset and
STAFFFILE PHOTOByBRAD KEMP
center fielder Maddie Haydenmakes aleaping catch to rob UL-Monroe’s Hollie Thomas of ahome runonMarch20atLamson Park.Hayden and the Cajuns open playinthe SunBelt Conference Tournament on Thursdayagainst AppalachianState in Troy,Ala.
STAFF PHOTO By BRADKEMP Pitcher AndrewHerrmann, whohas a2.33 ERAin SunBelt Conference play, will be abig keydownthe stretch for the Cajuns.
Florida gives Golden raise after title
BY MARK LONG AP sportswriter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. Florida basketball coach Todd Golden has signed a contract extension that raises his annual salary to $6 million, a lucrative bump nearly a month after the Gators won the national championship Golden inked a six-year, $40.5 million extension Tuesday night adding a year to his current deal and putting him under contract through the 2030-31 season He signed a two-year extension in March 2024 that increased his average salary to $4.1 million annually His latest raise is a significant commitment from Florida and puts Golden nearly on par with football coach Billy Napier, who is scheduled to make $7.4 million in 2025.
Golden’s deal pays $6 million a year (beginning April 16, 2025), with a $300,000 pay hike every year after
“Todd has done an incredible job getting Florida men’s basketball back where it belongs,” athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a statement. “We believed in his vision, his competitive nature and his modern approach to the game back in 2022, and he has validated that belief in a relatively short time and helped create memories of a lifetime for another generation of Gator fans.”
The new money makes the 39-year-old Golden the secondhighest-paid basketball coach in the Southeastern Conference behind Arkansas’ John Calipari, who earns $8 million annually Golden, once an assistant under Bruce Pearl at Auburn who got his first head coaching job at San Francisco in 2019, previously ranked 12th out of 16 coaches in the league. He now jumps to fifth among the seven active coaches with national titles, behind Bill Self of Kansas, Calipari, UConn’s Dan Hurley and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo.
“As we’ve shown during our time in Gainesville, the University of Florida is an institution that has the resources, support, and people in place to compete and win national championships,” Golden said in a statement.
Golden’s new deal is nearly fully guaranteed Florida would owe him 85% of the remaining value if the school fired him without cause
“Todd has done an incredible job getting Florida men’s basketball back where it belongs. We believed in his vision, his competitive nature and his modern approach to the game ...”
SCOTT STRICKLIN, Florida Gators athletic director
at any point Golden’s buyout to leave Gainesville starts at $16 million next season and drops annually: $11 million in 2026-27; $4 million in 2027-28; $3 million in 2028-29; $2 million in 2029-30; and $1 million in 2030-31. However, Golden can leave for the NBA at a much lower price. His NBA buyout begins at $3 million next season and drops to $2 million (2026-28) and then $1 million in 2028-29.
Included in Golden’s annual compensation is a $500,000 signing bonus, a $500,000 annual longevity incentive and a $60,000 annual expense account.
In addition to that, he gets
$70,000 annually in travel allowance for using the university athletic association’s plane and other fringe benefits valued at $62,000.
He would get a $100,000 bonus for winning the SEC regularseason championship, a $50,000 bonus for winning the SEC Tournament, a $100,000 bonus for making the NCAA Tournament and a $50,000 bonus for every NCAA Tournament victory
With Golden at the helm for his third season in Gainesville, the Gators finished 36-4 and beat Houston to clinch the program’s third national title. They won their final 12 games, including four in the NCAA Tournament in come-from-behind fashion.
Florida’s style of play under Golden has drawn rave reviews, leading to sellouts in eight of the team’s last 10 home games. Florida averaged 84.8 points a game this season after setting the program record (85.6) during the 2023-24 campaign.
Golden became the third coach this century to win a national title within his first three seasons
on the job, joining North Carolina’s Roy Williams (2005) and UConn’s Kevin Ollie (2014) Williams and Ollie accomplished the feat in their second seasons.
Golden has a modest rebuild on his hands now Leading scorer Walter Clayton, the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, is headed to the NBA along with fellow guards Alijah Martin and Will Richard. Forwards Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu are going through the NBA draft process with the potential to stay in school and return for next season. Backup guard Denzel Aberdeen (Kentucky) and backup forward Sam Alexis (Indiana) transferred, and assistant coaches Kevin Hovde (Columbia) and John Andrzejek (Campbell) took head coaching jobs.
Golden signed two guards out of the transfer portal — Princeton’s Xaivian Lee and Ohio’s AJ Brown — and have swingman CJ Ingram and guard Alex Lloyd joining the team as incoming freshmen.
Notre Dame, Clemson agree to 12-year series
BY STEVE REED AP sportswriter
Notre Dame and Clemson already know each other pretty well in football. That relationship will become even more familiar in the future after the two college football powers announced a 12-year home-and-home scheduling agreement on Tuesday that will pit them against each other annually from 2027 through 2038. Clemson and Notre Dame were already scheduled to play in 2027, 2028, 2031, 2034 and 2037. Under the revamped schedule, the Tigers will host the games during odd-numbered years during that time frame, while the Fighting Irish will host the games in even-numbered years.
Clemson holds a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series, which has been highlighted by some memorable matchups.
The teams have played six times since 2015 with Clemson winning four times, including both postseason matchups.
Clemson defeated Notre Dame 30-3 in the College Football Playoff national semifinal at the Cotton Bowl in 2018 before winning the national title two weeks later In 2020, Notre Dame, playing as a full-time member of the Atlantic Coast Conference be-
cause of COVID-19 scheduling concerns beat the Tigers in a shootout, only to lose to Clemson in the ACC championship.
“Even in just the last decade, matchups between Clemson and Notre Dame have produced incredibly memorable moments and games,” Clemson director of athletics Graham Neff said in a release. “We have immense excitement for the creation of this 12-year series between these two premier programs, as we know these will be must-see matchups for fans at Memorial Stadium and Notre Dame Stadium as well as television audiences nationwide.”
Both teams reached the expanded College Football Playoff field last year, with the Irish advancing to the national championship game before losing to Ohio State 34-23. Clemson has won nine or more games in 14 straight seasons the nation’s second-longest active streak and the fourthlongest streak in major college football history Notre Dame has won nine or more games in the last eight seasons.
“We strive to consistently create a football schedule that positions us for success in the College Football Playoff, and that goal requires us to form historic
LSU, Grambling baseball forced to cancel matchup
LSU baseball’s final midweek game of the season Tuesday against Grambling was canceled because of inclement weather
The game will not be rescheduled, LSU announced, because there is not a date that aligns with the teams’ schedules.
Tuesday’s cancellation means LSU finishes its nonconference slate with a 23-2 record. Its only losses came to Omaha on Feb. 22 and Northwestern State on April 22. LSU’s final nonconference game this season was a 15-2 victory in seven innings over Southeastern Louisiana on April 29.
The next game for LSU (38-11, 15-9 SEC) will be Friday against Arkansas. First pitch from Alex Box Stadium for Game 1 is set for 6:30 p.m. The game will be available to stream on SEC Network+
Rangers recall Carter; Seattle acquires Taveras
Evan Carter was recalled by the Texas Rangers on Tuesday from Triple-A Round Rock, where the outfielder had been all this season after being hurt most of last year following his impressive debut late in the run to their only World Series title in 2023.
Carter started the season in the minors after hitting .158 in 14 spring training games. In 21 games for Round Rock, he hit .221 with three home runs, nine RBIs, 13 walks and six stolen bases.
Outfielder Leody Taveras, who at 26 was one of the Rangers’ longesttenured players, was acquired by Seattle on a waiver claim. He had been with the Rangers since 2016, and made his big league debut in 2020. Texas had put him on outright waivers over the weekend.
OKC’s Presti awarded executive of the year
Sam Presti of the Oklahoma City Thunder was announced Tuesday as the NBA’s executive of the year, the reward for building that team into a juggernaut that won a league-best 68 games this season.
It is Presti’s first time winning the award and the first time since 1994 that the franchise — which was then called the Seattle SuperSonics had its top executive voted as the winner Bob Whitsitt won it that season. Presti, the Thunder’s executive vice president and general manager, got 10 first-place votes from a panel of 30 basketball executives — one from each of the NBA’s teams — who ranked their top three choices in order Presti appeared on 22 of those 30 ballots.
Big 12 commissioner receives 3-year extension
IRVING, Texas Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has received a three-year contract extension through 2030, the conference confirmed Tuesday ESPN first reported the Big 12 board of directors agreed to extend his original five-year contract, which was set to expire in 2027.
Yormark was CEO of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation entertainment company when he was hired to take over for Bob Bowlsby in 2022.
Yormark landed a six-year television contract extension with ESPN and Fox valued at $2.28 billion and shepherded the move of Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah to the Big 12 following the disintegration of the Pac-12.
NASCAR title weekend set for Homestead in ‘26
partnerships like this one with Clemson,” Notre Dame vice president and director of athletics Pete Bevacqua said. “This rivalry has already produced some of
MIAMI NASCAR asked its fans where they would prefer seeing championship weekend held, and the Homestead-Miami Speedway was a winner The 2026 NASCAR season will end in South Florida, with stock car racing’s championship weekend returning to Homestead-Miami next year It’ll be the first time since 2019 that the titlewinners will be crowned there and start a rotation where NASCAR moves its final weekend around various tracks, and Homestead is the choice for 2026. Phoenix will be part of that rotation, but it’s unclear which tracks may be involved moving forward. NASCAR’s three series — the truck
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERIC GAy
Florida head coach Todd Golden celebrates after Florida beat Houston in the national championship game on April 7 in San Antonio.
the most memorable moments in recent college football history, and our fans deserve these matchups to continue to make those indelible memories.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO JACOB KUPFERMAN Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman passes the ball while pressured by Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods during a game on Nov. 4, 2023, in Clemson, S.C.
LSU
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of Wednesday’sgame play’sNo. 1-ranked Oklahoma, which is the SEC Tournament’sNo. 1seed. “Morethan anything(we) just need alittlemomentum and confidence forour team,” Torina said. “We’ve done agood job andhave astrongrésumé, but you wanttofeel good playing wellasyou moveinto the postseason
“We’re in everyball game. Ithink we’reactually playing pretty well. We’rejust playing areally tough schedule. Hopefully we can continue to play well,and theoffense keepsscoring, challenging people.Itputs us in agood spot.
“The savinggrace is you get through the SEC Tournament, and you get one weekend without an SEC team.”
The Bulldogs finished agameahead of LSUin theconference standings andfinished theseason
FOOTE
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In Sun Belt play,Luke Yuhasz (.368), LeeAmedee (.366), Conor Higgs (.333), Caleb Stelly (.325) and Owen Galt (.309) are shining.
SECTOURNAMENT
at TurnerStadium, Athens,Ga.; single-elimination format Tuesday’s games Game 1: No. 12 Georgia8,No. 13 Kentucky 0, 5innings Game 2: No. 11 Ole Miss 1, No. 14 Missouri 0 Game 3: No. 10 Alabamavs. No. 15 Auburn, n Wednesday’s games
Glasco left for Texas Tech and many of herteammates departed theprogram as well
“The program means alot to me —not only because I was apart of it from such an early age but the love you feel hereand the care the fans show you every day,” Hayden said. “I don’t know how you would want to leave that and not want to give that love and care back to them.
“It was hard because some of those girls, I’m still really good friends with to this day.For me, though, there was no bitterness, not with me. I’m still following their careersand are rooting for them.”
The last fewweeks of Hayden’s seniorseason have brought alot of joy as well.Two weekendsago Hayden captured alifetime memorywhen she made afantasticrunningcatch in center field to help take akey road series at Texas State.
“I was expecting the girl to hit because we’ve been pitching to get to her the whole weekend,soIwas ready,” Hayden said. “Off the bat, Iwas like, ‘I’m going to have to dive like Superman for this one in the air.’ Then Ijust kept running and Ifelt like Imight have just gone into another gear because next thing Iknew,it was just in my glove. It happened really fast.”
It was fitting that Hayden secured one of UL’s best wins of the season.
“IfImiss that ball, we’re the ones walking offthe field losing,” Hayden said. “With allthe heightened emotions, it was just really fun celebrating with my teammates afterwards. That was just a really fun series.”
UL coach Alyson Habetz appreciated thefactitwas Hayden making the grab.
“She continues to get better because she’ssocoachable,” Habetz said. “That’s thething thatIappreciated the most about her.Coming in as anew coach and her being asenior whose been here for four yearswith a long history here,she didn’t have to be coachable.
“She’salways willing to learnand figureout ways to get better.Ireally appreciate her as astudent-athlete and as aleader on our team.” Hayden is batting.374 with 18 RBIs, a.415 on-base percentage and17stolen bases.
“I‘m doing alot of different things now —slapping, hittingand bunting,”she said. “It’sbeen really fun becausecoachAlysonlets
DP: Payton List, James Madison, R-So. Second team P: Alana Barnard, Georgia Southern, Jr. P: Alyssa Faircloth, Troy,So. P: Sophie Moshos, App State, Jr C: Maddy Jennings,Coastal Carolina, Sr.
1B: Georgia Hood, Coastal Carolina, Jr.
In 24 league games, the pitching staff’s ERA is 3.32, compared to 5.00 overall. Andrew Herrmann has a2.33 ERA withtwo saves in 10 appearances
“You’re seeing aball club rise up fromthe ashes, so to speak, and reinvent themselves and play their best baseball at the right time,” Deggs said. “There’s no rule that says that at the end of April, May and June that I’vegot to be theteam that Iwas. There’snorule that says I’ve got to be a .500 ball club.
“The thing about it is baseball is such amind
by winning two games in three-game series against OleMissand Kentucky
TheBulldogs were swept by Oklahoma, and losttwo of threeagainstTexas and Tennessee in oneofthe
screw that guys fall into that trap and they carry themselves that way.”
Perhaps that’sthe best approach anyway
This team isn’tpolished enough to thinkithas reached some satisfactory level.
Just take this past weekend’sbig sweep, forinstance. Eveninthe best inning of the weekend, abase running mistake kept the six-run fifth inning from being even bigger.
“It’sjust been continually inexperience or focus mistakes like that,” Deggs said. “So Ishowupevery daythinking that literally every dayisabrand-new dayand put my expectation over here.
“Toplay consistent baseball, youcan’thavelapses. This team will keep youon your toes forsure,because Idon’tknow.”
Currently,the Cajuns are in fourthplace but just
“Morethan anything (we)justneeda little momentum and confidence for our team We’ve done agood joband have astrong résumé, but you want to feel good playing well as youmove into the postseason.”
BETH TORINA, LSU coach
toughestschedules in the SEC. Mississippi Statebatted .317 as ateam and hit 72 home runs,the third most in the conference. Sierra Sacco leads the way with a.466 batting average, 11 homersand 48 RBIs.Kiara Sells also has11dingers with 38 RBIs, and Nadia Barbaryhas 10 homers and 43 RBIs.
2B: Morgan Brown, UL-Monroe, Fr 2B: Makayla McClain, App State, Jr. 3B: Olivia Branstetter, South Alabama, So. SS: Grace Barrett, App State, So.
us go up there and do what we’recomfortable with and be free, so that’sbeen really fun.” For much of Hayden’scareer,she was autility player because of her athletic ability.She always was available to play different positions.
“I personally always thought Iwas going to be an outfielder when Ifirstgot to college, but when Igot here, coach Gerry(Glasco) alwaysmadeitknown that Iwas autility player,” Hayden said. “He liked that. “I sawsome time in the dirt. Iliked it. Ididn’treally
DP: Layla Thompson, UL-Monroe, Sr. Playerofthe Year:Aiyana Coleman, TexasState Pitcher of the Year: Nicolette Picone, Coastal Carolina Newcomer of the Year: Aiyana Coleman, TexasState Freshman of the Year: Emily Smith, UL Coach of the Year: Molly Fichtner, UL-Monroe
care. When you’re playing, youplayand don’tcomplain about where you’replaying.”
The outfield is where she really feelsathome.
“I definitelylove being in thegrass, though,” Hayden said. “I’m glad Igot to finish my career outinthe grass my senior year “It’sjust free out there.I love that there’sonly three of us out there withall the room to run around anddive outthere.”
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.
one game behind thirdplace Troy.Ifthe league standings stay similar,isit better to be the No. 3seed and paired with No. 2seed Southern Miss or the No. 4 seed and be in same bracket with top-seeded Coastal Carolina, which theoretically could have aregional berth already locked up? It’s something to ponder. For now, the Cajuns certainly aren’tone to give up on just yet, like some likely did amonth ago. It can be hard to watch at times, but the Cajuns’ worst struggles seemingly are athing of the past.
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.
“They’re going to be challenging,” Torina said. “They’re talented, they’ve swung really well all year, we know their pitcher well. It’satough matchup, but we’ll give them our best.” Tournament schedule at Troy softball complex,Troy Ala. All games on ESPN+ Wednesday’s games Game 1: No. 7Coastal Carolina vs.No. 10 SouthernMiss, 4p.m. Game 2: No. 8Troy vs.No. 9 James Madison, 7p.m Thursday’s games Game 3: No. 3ULvs. No.6 Appalachian State, 10 a.m. Game 4: No. 2Marshall vs.Game 1winner, 1p.m Game 5: No. 1Texas State vs Game 2winner 4p.m Game 6: No. 4UL-Monroe vs.No. 5Georgia Southern, 7p.m Friday’s games Game 7: Game 3winner vs Game 4winner, 4p.m Game 8: Game 5winner vs Game 6winner, 7p.m Saturday’s game Championship game, 1:30 p.m. All-conference team
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
UL first basemanEmily Smith wasnamed Sun Belt ConferenceFreshman of the year
Maddie Hayden hits an RBI single againstJames Madison on April 13 in Lafayette.
Gettingrid of bitter coffee
Dear Heloise: Recently,you ran aletter from areader whowas wondering how to get rid of the bitterness that was creeping into her coffee. Your suggestion of thoroughlycleaning the pot was agreat first step If this didn’tdothe trick for her,I’d like to suggest adding salt to her next pot! This tip was popularized by food science expert Alton Brown, even though the trick has been used for much longer Aquick internet search will bring up any number of suggestions, ranging from adding salt to your cup to using it when brewing the whole pot. Brown suggests a ½ teaspoon of salt for every cup of water and 2 teaspoons of ground coffee. It really works! But start withless salt than Brown recommends, then increase it each morning until you find your sweet spot. Karel, in Kalamazoo, Michigan Overwhelmedbypolitics
Keep theparty moving
Dear Heloise: Iget so confused by politics that Inolonger vote. Idon’tknow what the issues are because Ijust hate all thebick-
eringthat goes on.Noone will sit down with me andexplain things, and when they do on occasion,Ihave questions. ButI don’twanttosoundignorant by askingthem. Anyhintsto make it all easier? —Lynnette K., Blacksburg,Virginia Lynnette, no onewill spoon-feed you the answers to your questions. You’llhave to register to vote, read, watch debates, andmake an effort to learn the about the many problemsfacing America. The media is very active with debates, news interviews and more. Youcan also attendtown hall meetings in your community and ask questions there. Theright to votewas hard-won over thecourse of 200 years in this country.People even died in afight for womentoreceive thevote. Thebest way to honor those whofoughtfor us in each state and thosewho continue to fight forusistovote. This right is morevaluableand important than you know. —Heloise Send ahint to heloise@heloise. com.
TODAYINHISTORY
By The Associated Press
Today is Wednesday,May 7, the 127th day of 2025. There are 238 days left in the year
Todayinhistory:
On May 7, 1915, aGerman U-boat torpedoed and sank the Britishliner RMS Lusitania off the southern coast of Ireland, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans, out of thenearly 2,000 on board.
On this date: In 1945, Nazi Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Rheims, France, ending its role in World WarII.
In 1954, the 55-day Battleof Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam ended with Vietnamese insurgents overrunning French forces; it would be the last major battle of the First Indochina War.
In 1975, President Gerald R. Ford formally declared an end to the “Vietnam era.” In Ho Chi Minh City —formerly Saigon —the Viet Cong celebrated its
takeover In 1984, Monsanto and six other chemical companies agreed to paya$180 million settlement to Vietnam veteranswho were exposed to thechemical herbicideAgent Orange during the Vietnam War.
In 2020,Georgia authorities arresteda Whitefatherand son andchargedthem withmurder in the February shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, aBlack man they had pursued in atruckafter spotting himrunning in their neighborhoodnear the port city of Brunswick. (The twomen and athird White manwould be convictedof murder in state court and hatecrimes infederal court.)
Today’sbirthdays: Singer Thelma Houston is 82. Rock musician Bill Kreutzmann (Grateful Dead) is 79. Actor/former boxer Randall “Tex” Cobbis75. Actor Breckin Meyer is 51. Reggaeton musician JBalvin is 40. Actorcomedian AidyBryant is 38.
Actor-writer Maya Erskine is 38.
Actor Alexander Ludwig is 33.
mangotangoroll
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Sushi
n Geisha, SushiwithFlair,17097 Airline Highway, Prairieville
When going to asushi place for the first time, my MO is to never go alone and to always split multiple rolls. I’ve heard good things about Geisha —they’re sister restaurants withthe Patio Tex-Mex Fusion, which is my happy place, and their rolls did not disappoint.I ordered the geisha roll (their signature),the mango tango roll andthe cherry blossomroll. All weregood but the cherry blossom roll stolethe show.The snow crab, whitefish, tuna and salmon paired perfectly,and I’m abig fan of their soy wrapping (in lieu of seaweed).
—Serena Puang, features writer
Pulled porkhand pies
n Louisiana Locavores, Festival food pop-up, Lafayette
One of the best parts of going to Festival International in Lafayette is getting the opportunity to try new-to-me dishes alongside old favorites. This year,the Louisiana Locavores booth called me back several times to try their barbacoa rice and gravy, pulled pork andgreen chili pimento cheesehand pies,
Dear Miss Manners: When hosting a cocktail hour,how does thehostess gracefully navigate the quantity of food served? For example, if thecheeseplatter is reduced to afew bites, should the hostess be constantly monitoring and replenishing it,even if theplanned “hour” has passed?
Icertainly don’twant to appear stingy withguests. Butbringing out more food seems to encourage lingering and drifting into dinner time andbeyond.
idea and go home
By
Sopapilla cheesecakeand pulled porkhand pies with green chile pimento cheesefromLouisiana Locavores.
and sopapilla cheesecake bars. Each dish wasaunique twist on well-loved eats. The hand pies wereflavorfulwithout being overstuffed (or too dry,a commonmeat pie issue), with a pepperjelly dipping sauce that added an extra-sweet zing to the savory pies. Thesopapilla cheesecakebars had acaramelized cinnamon-sugar layer on top,adding delightful complexity to the rich cheesecake. And youcould really taste the fresh, local ingredients in Louisiana Locavore’srice and gravy,which layered extremely well with thesmokiness ofthe shredded brisket
This eatery can be found at local farmers markets and festivals, so follow them on social mediatosee where they’ll end up next —JoannaBrown, staff writer
Iwas taught that as a guest, Ishould not take thelast piece of anything crackers, nuts, candy or cheese. Is that still thecase? It seems to me that empty platters should signal that it’s time to say “thanks and goodbye.” Butdoes it appear churlishtoleave the bowls and platters empty?
Gentle reader: Fill or clear any empty receptacle, in which category Miss Manners includes the guests. So if Uncle Lance is lingering by thedessert table, hoping for something more, swoop him up and introduce him to anyavailable guest in the next room. Eventually thetable will be empty and the guests will get the
FLYING
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—and they start to think that “everything counts,” said David Carbonell, aChicago-based psychologist who authored aworkbook to help people cope withflying fears. Abad flight withheavy turbulence or some other problem may trigger an anxietythatpersists,he said.
Campbell, whohas otherforms of anxiety, developed afear of flying a fewyears ago. She is transgender and said travel can be stressful becauseofconcerns about how she’ll be treated by airportsecurityorin other interactions.
Aerophobiacan be complicated Carbonell said. For many people, it’snot so much afear of crashing as it is claustrophobic feelings of being in an enclosed cabin and not having control.
Campbell said that’s what she experiences: “feeling trapped and unable to breathe.”
Nelson said flightattendants regularly deal with sufferingpassengers: “We’ve had people have panic attacks, and we’ve had to give themoxygen. It can be quite intense.”
Howtocopewith flying anxiety
Statisticshave long shownthat airliners are probably thesafest way to travel. Accordingtothe National Safety Council, the odds of dying in an airplane crash are toolow to be calculated, based on 2023 statistics —making them far, farlowerthan of being killed in amotor vehicle crash or,for that matter, walking on asidewalk or crossing astreet.
But experts sayyou can’t really reason your way out of an anxiety disorder
Carbonell spends little time on statistics, telling patients: “I know youalready looked at themall, and they’re not helping you.”
For people with milderlevels of aerophobia, deep breathing often
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“This event —it’sfor the foodie, andthe strong epicurious audience in Lafayette.”
Don’t look for bands or fair games at this festival.
The programmingwill be more along the lines of “coffee class,” according to Currie, with afocus on coffee workshops andbrewing demonstrations
“The world has about eight or nine major brewmethods, and typically in theUnited States,you just seetwo or threeofthem,” he said. “But these other methods are kind of fun and really do change theflavor.”
For example, he talks about the Japanesebeing notorious in their studiousness andbeing exacting with their coffee.
Being precise makes adifference and can create better coffee.
“If youtreat it like ascience, and concern yourself with theratioof coffee grinds to water,the temperature of the water, the levelof grind —itsuddenly transforms how you’re extracting flavor out of the coffee molecules,”Currie said.
“By making it ascience, youcan tinkerand change the flavor of the
Dear Miss Manners: Iamcurrently being treated for amedical problem. The issue is expected to fully resolve in time,but it is temporarily forcing me to work part-time, andprevents me from participating in certain activitiesthat are standard in my line of work. Itherefore have to explain to clients andothers that my current availability is limited. Iusually give themanabbreviated versionofthe reason, just so theyknowthat I’m not making something up to avoid doing thework, or to give myself more time to getitdone. Mostpeople just sympathize and wish me aspeedy recovery, which is fine. But some interject veryreligious wishes forme, such as assuring me that “The good Lordislooking out for you and will take careofyou for a full recovery.”
This makes me uncomfortable —first because Idon’t appreciate inserting religious beliefs into businesstransactions in general, and second because Idonot subscribe to the same religionasthe person making this statement. Iknow that people who say
this mean well, so Iusually just say“Thank you” andtry to move quickly to anothertopic. Is there agraceful waytodiscourage these comments?
Gentle reader: Here is aperhapsnovelway to discourage people from introducing their personal beliefs into professional dealings: Don’tyou do it first. This includesstating your beliefthat your explanations may not be believed.
Ratherthanabbreviate your medical diagnosis, omititentirely.You can stop talking after saying, “I have amedical conditionthattemporarily requires me to work part-time,” and Miss Manners thinks you have every chance of being taken at your word.
She cannotpromise an instant recoveryfor the current pandemic of TooMuch Information: Youmay still have to say“thank you” fromreligious well-wishers andmoveon. But it is astart.
Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St Kansas City,MO 64106.
works. Longer exhaleshelpthe body relax, said Dragonette, who counseled Campbell for aerophobia and other anxiety disorders at aNewport Healthcareresidential facility in Temecula, California.
People suffering more extreme cases can be helped with exposure therapy.Itcan start by simply getting patients to becomecomfortable looking at photosofplanes, watching videos of planes flying safely,orputting on avirtual reality headset that shows recordings of being inside aplane, Dragonette said.
It’samatter of getting patients to learn to live with their feelings and better handle them
Carbonellrecommendspatients take practice flights that do not involve work trips or any other responsibilities.Whentheyhave symptoms, he recommends they keep awritten inventory
coffee you’re using now.”
Coffee as aLouisianaspecialty
Currie’spassion forcoffee is newly developed out of his passion forpromoting NewOrleans, Lafayette and the Gulf South as amajor coffee center,competing withthe likes of Seattleand Portland. He spent his career in health care marketing and saidheand his business partner,Kevin Richards, decided to take on aretirement project that would promote akey Louisianaindustry
They landed on coffee, after research that revealed that the Port of Orleanshad been amajor player in the world of coffee, before regionslike the PacificNorthwest becameascendant in the 1970s and ‘80s.
Three years ago, Richards and Currie started the NewOrleans Coffee Festival, which is atwo-day trade show that promotes knowledge building between Louisiana coffee craftspeople and global industry players. The Lafayette eventwill complement Currie’sNew Orleans-based trade show with afocus on the consumerexperience. Currie and Richards see coffee culture progressing in muchthe same way cocktail culture has in recent decades, with adeeper consumer ap-
“They’re keeping asimple count,” he said. “We’re using counting as aproxy foracceptance.” It’s OK to askfor help
Nelson, who wasalongtime United Airlines flight attendant, says: “I’ve had situations where I’dsort of sit in the aisle and hold someone’shand.”
On aFrontier Airlines flight last year from Detroit to San Diego, Campbell tried breathing and other coping skills, but they didn’t halt her panic attack. The passenger next to her noticed she was increasingly anxious, and summoned aflight attendant.
Theflightattendant took deep breaths with Campbell and helped herget throughit, andalsotook down Campbell’sphone number and checked on her aday later
“I was really impressed,”she said.
preciation forqualityingredients andthe expertise of mixologists (or baristas).
“When bartenders became mixologists over the last 20 years, yousaw areal resurgence in the American cocktail,”saidCurrie “The same thing is happening with baristas andthe development of coffee, with this great exploration of the adventure in flavor that coffeeprovides.”
“Wecould not have picked abetterindustry to promoteinLouisiana,” Currie said. “It’sjust areally positive place to put your time. I think Lafayette could be one of the real secret weapons in coffee, because the consumer is ready for it. The coffee shop owner is ready forit. Ithink there’snoreason why Lafayette, over thenextfive to 10 years, can’tbecomeknown as one of the really cool coffee places in the whole country.”
The Lafayette Coffee Festival, aone-day eventfor coffee lovers who want to learn more about roasting,brewing andpouring a great cup, will take place on Saturday,June 14, at Rock n’ Bowl in downtownLafayette.
Tickets are $10 online and at Lafayette Rêve Coffeelocations.
Sushi rolls from Geisha, Sushi withFlair in Prairieville. Fromleft, are the geisha roll,
and cherry blossomroll.
STAFF
PHOTO
JOANNA BROWN
Hints from Heloise
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
AP FILE
PHOTOByJOSE LUIS MAGANA
An airplane liftsoff fromRonald Reagan Washington National Airportas the sun rises Feb.3 in Arlington, Va
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
CurTiS
U.S. expandsattempt to break up Google
The U.S. Justice Department is doubling down on its attempt to breakupGoogle by askinga federal judge to force the companytopart with some of the technology powering the company’s digital ad network. The proposed dismantling coincides withanongoing federaleffort to separateGoogle’sChrome browser from its dominant search engine.
The government’slatest proposal was filed lateMonday in a Virginia federal court 21/2 weeks after afederal judge ruled that itslucrative digital ad network has beenimproperly abusing its market power to stiflecompetition to thedetrimentofonline publishers.
In a17-page filing, Justice Department lawyers argued that U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema should punish Google by ordering the company to offload its AdXbusiness and DFPadplatform, tools that bring togetheradvertisers, who want to markettheir products, and publishers,who want to sell commercial spaceontheir sites, to bring in revenue.
The government also is seeking other restrictions,including a10-year ban on Google from operating adigital ad exchange, to undercut the power of a“recidivist monopolist.”
Not surprisingly,it’sanidea that Google vehemently plans to oppose when the penalty phase of the antitrust case known as remedy hearings —begins in late September Google already has vowedto appeal Brinkema’srulingthat the technology powering thead network has been breaking the law, butcan’t do that until the judge rules on its punishment in adecision expected late this year or early next year
The Justice Department’s proposal “would causeeconomic chaosand technological dysfunction resultinginharm to millions of advertisers and publishers, and in so doing, degrade the experience of internet users,” Google said in a court filing lateMonday In its counterproposal, Google outlined aplan that it believes will bringmoretransparency to its ad network and eventually foster more competition.Google proposed the appointment of atrustee to oversee its behavior for three years. Theattempttotear down Google’sadnetwork comeson top of the Justice Department’s ongoing effort to have the company part with its popular Chrome browser andimpose other restrictions to curtail the power of its ubiquitous search engine, which another federal judge branded an illegal monopoly in aruling lastAugust
The remedy hearings in the searchcase are scheduled to conclude laterthis month,with aruling from U.S. District Judge Amit Mehtaexpected by Labor Day
Rite Aidtoclose or sell off its stores
Rite Aid customers canexpect their local storetoclose or change ownershipinthe next few months, as the struggling drugstorechain goes through anotherbankruptcy filing
The company planstosell customerprescription files,inventoryand otherassetsasit closes distribution centers and unloads store locations. Stores will remain open for now, but thecompanyisn’tbuying new inventorysobare shelves are likely become morecommon.
“I thinkwhatwe’ll progressively seeisthe stores will become moreand more spartan,” retail analyst Neil Saunders said The company runs1,245stores in 15 states, according to its website.Ithas aheavy presence in New York, Pennsylvania and California, which alone has 347 locations. Rite Aidnolonger has stores in Louisiana; it largely leftthe state by 2018,after Walgreens bought 2,000 locations.
Rite Aid said most of its stores will remain open for afew more months. All locations will eventually close or be sold to anew owner
U.S. stocks sink forsecondday
BY STAN CHOE and ALEX VEIGA AP business writers
U.S. stocks closed lower Tuesday as quarterlyresults show more companies are scrubbing their forecasts for upcoming profits because of uncertaintycreated by PresidentDonald Trump’stariffs.
TheS&P 500 fell, its seconddrop afterbreaking anine-day winning streak, its longest such runinmore
than 20 years. The Dow Jones IndustrialAverage andthe Nasdaq composite also finished lower Palantir Technologies was one of the heaviest weights on the market as it sank 12%. The company whichoffers an AI platformfor customers, droppedeven though it reported aprofit for thelatest quarter that met analysts’ expectations and raisedits forecast for revenue over the full year AI-related companies have been finding it more difficult recently to convince investors to support theirstocksafter they’vealready shot so high. Palantir’sstock’s priceremains near $110, when it
was sittingatonly $20 less than a year ago. The returntoEarth forAIstocks is happening as Trump’stariffs change the economic landscape for other companies.
Clorox CEO Linda Rendle said hercompany saw changes in shopping behavior during the first threemonths of the year,for example, that led to lower revenue.
The company reported both weaker revenue and profit forthe latest quarter than analysts expected.
Clorox expectsthe slowdownsto continue in the current quarter, and its stock fell 2.4%.
Mattel, meanwhile, said it’s
“pausing” its financial forecasts for2025, in part because the “evolving U.S. tarifflandscape” is making it difficult to predict how much U.S. shoppers will spend over the holiday season and the rest of this year
The toymaker closed 2.8% higherafter also reportingbetter resultsfor thelatestquarter than analysts feared.
Ford Motor said it’s expecting to take a$1.5 billionhit this year because of tariffs. The automaker also said it’scanceling financial forecasts forthe full year because of “tariff-related uncertainty.” The stock rose 2.7%.
U.S. tradedeficit hits record high
pharma products in particularclimbed $20.9 billion, theU.S.CensusBureau andBureau of Economic Analysis noted, signalingthat drugmakers sought toget ahead of Trump’s threatstoslap tariffs on the sector
BY WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP business writer
NEW YORK The U.S. trade deficit soared to arecord $140.5 billion in Marchasconsumers and businesses alike tried to getahead of President Donald Trump’slatestand most sweeping tariffs —withfederaldatashowing an enormous stockpiling of pharmaceutical products.
Thedeficit —which measures the gap betweenthe value of goods and services the U.S. sellsabroad againstwhatitbuys— has roughly doubledover the lastyear.InMarch 2024, that gap wasjust under $68.6 billion, accordingtoCommerce Department records
According to federal data released Tuesday, U.S. exports forgoods andservices totaled about $278.5 billion in March,while imports climbed to nearly$419 billion. That’s up $500 million and $17.8 billion,respectively, from February trade.
Consumergoods led the imports surge increasing by $22.5 billion in March.And
BY LIZ SWAINE Staff writer
SkyWestAirlines, thenation’s largest regional carrier,will be hiring150 employees to staffa new maintenance facilityatShreveport Regional Airport.
The Tuesday announcement came together quickly,said North Louisiana Economic Partnership Executive Director Justyn Dixon, because SkyWest needs to begin hiring ASAP.“These jobs aregoing to start beingpostedinthe next 24 to 48 hours,” he said. The new jobs willhave an average annual salary of $70,000. In addition, LouisianaEconomic Development estimates the facility will lead to 375 indirect jobs.
SkyWest expects the maintenance base will open in the second half of the year.
“While we had known consumer goods accounted for the bulk of March’srise, we can nowsee pharmaceutical products were $20 billion higher —almost all of which were imported from Ireland,”analysts at Oxford Economics wrote in aTuesday research note. “Uncertaintyremains high, andbroader signs of front-loading may be visible in coming months.”
Importsof“capital goods,”like computers, as well as automotive parts and cars, also increased in March. Butindustrial supplies and materials, such as metal and crude oil coming intothe U.S., fell —notably as steel andaluminum tariffs andotherlevies impacting energy took effect.And servicebased importslike travel also decreased.
Overall, imports arefloodinginto the U.S. for productsthat have —orare feared to soon be —caught in the crosshairs of the ongoing trade wars.Trump has threatened and imposed aseries of steep tariffs in recent months. Much of March, in particular, was filled with anticipation anduncertainty
existing hangar at SHV thatwas built in 1983 to house Rockwell. Over the years, thefacility has been used by Boeing, Continental Express andWestern Global Airlines.
To help seal thedeal with SkyWest, the Caddo Parish Industrial Development Board is providing a$250,000 performance-based grant, said IDBcounselMike Busada, of Butler Snow.The grant will be matched by LED and Caddo Parish,putting the total vale of the package at $750,000. Northwest Louisiana’selectric franchise AEP/ SWEPCOisproviding an energy efficiency grant of up to $200,000.
Funding will alsoberouted to the airframe and power plant maintenance program at Southern University Shreveport so the school can continue tosupport the airport, Busada said.
NLEP’sDixon saidthis announcement is astep in the right direction in Northwest Louisiana.
“When Igot here four years ago, Isaid we need to be an aerospace community,” Dixon said.
leading up to what the president called “Liberation Day”onApril 2, when he announced new import taxes on nearly all of America’s trading partners. With the exception of China, higher tariff rates for many countries have since been postponed —but other sweeping levies remain.
The White House insists that new tariffs will help closelong-standing trade deficits (the U.S. hasn’tsoldthe rest of the world morethanit’sbought since1975), reinvigorate manufacturing in America and generate government revenue. But economists are warning of significant consequences forbusinesses, households and economies worldwide under thelevies that Trumphas proposed.
These new tariffs are already increasing operating costs for businessesthatrely on aglobalsupply chain— which, in turn, will hike prices fora rangeofgoods that consumers buy each day
The recentsurge in imports reflectseffortsbycompaniesacrossthe country to bringinforeign goods beforemoreduties kicked in. New orders for manufactured durable goods, forexample, jumped 9.2% to $315.7 billion in March, according to Census Bureau data released last month.
“Wehavedevelopable sites out at theairport. We have Barksdale Air Force Base, where 800 to 1000 well-trained individuals areoutprocessing every year.Wehave an A&P school
Larry Blackwell said SkyWest is a solid partner forShreveport.
STAFF PHOTO By JILL PICKETT
NorthLouisiana Economic Partnership President and CEO Justyn Dixon speaks Tuesdayabout SkyWest Airlines plans foramaintenancefacility in Shreveport.
