The Times-Picayune 05-18-2025 by The Advocate

THERIVER’S RECKONING

BY MIKE SMITH |Staff writer

First in aseries

ABOARD THE HURLEY Mayo Broussardisback at afamiliar bend in the Mississippi River, looking over its deep, muddy currents, helping solve aproblem. The world is depending on it. The 78-year-old, with abushy white beard and apack of Marlboros in his pocket,ismaneuvering across the deck of an Army Corps of Engineers dredge ship downriverfrom Baton Rouge. Barges and tugboats are lined up nearby like an armada of commerce. Louisiana’s State Capitolbuilding shimmers in the far-off distance.

Broussard has been up and down this stretch of the Mississippi,watching it andmeasuring it, clearing out themuck buried deep below its surface so the giant vessels stacked with freight from across the globe can pass safely. For him, the calculation is simple: The goods must ﬂow

ABOVE: Mayo Broussard, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, takesabreakonthe Mississippi River near Baton Rouge. ‘The river’s constantlytryingtochangeitself. We’retryingtocontrol it,’hesaid

TOP: The Mississippi River looking upriver with NewOrleans toward theright, withlakePontchartrain in the background

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFElD

“Bottom line —and whatever it takes, we do it,”Broussard said. But along the Mississippi from Baton Rouge to theGulf,

that vitalmission is colliding with new realities on the river thathold profound consequences for everyone living beside it. And as thenew eraemerges,

Louisiana and thenation are struggling to contend with it.

Broussard recalls his early years in the industry,doing the dirty work of managing the mud being dug up from the depths. There were goods to be shipped and money to be made, andthe river,despite all itstwists and turns, provided adirect path to prosperity.

That’seven more true now, and underneath the ship, the Hurley,isone of adozen curves in theriver between Baton Rouge and NewOrleans that stack up with mini-mountains of mud, threatening navigation. It can takemore than amonth to ﬁnish the job here, even for theHurley,the largest dredge of its type in North America. Agiant dustpan-likemachine drops down from the ship, vacuuming sediment and spitting it back out from along pipe to be swept downriver with the currents. When it’s deep enough for vesselsthe size of three football ﬁeldstopass, thework is done. For now.

ä See RIVER, page 10A

Escape shines spotlight on jail’s issues

lengthystays,lack of nighttime security checks amongstark signsoftroubles

BY JILLIAN KRAMER, MISSY WILKINSON and JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writers

Three of the 10 men whojoined in abrazen jailbreak Friday morning in NewOrleanssat inside the lockup fornearly two years or longer before their runfor freedom, records show,a duration that is common in OrleansParish, where aspotlight now hovers over SheriffSusan Hutsonand an understaffedjail stretched to capacity

BY SAM KARLIN |Staff writer

The length of jail stays among violent offenders in New Orleans and their impact on the population and climate inside the jail wasamong several issues drawing concern Saturday as the sun set on the second day of amassive law enforcement search, with seven of the escapees still on the lam

The brazenescapeunfolded after midnight Friday from aunit staffed by asingle deputy reportedly on ameal break, according to authorities. The breakout went unnoticed formorethanseven hours, until aroutine head count exposed the missing inmates.

It wasthe largest escape ever at the9-year-oldlockup,where longstanding, documented problems at the troubledfacility faced mounting scrutiny.Manyofthe issues that mayhave contributed to the jailbreak —including overcrowding, defective cell doors and lax security —have been well-documented and the subject of urgent warnings.

Attorney GeneralLiz Murrill was among those who pointed to prisonerswho have remained in the jail foryears as acontributor

“Long stays certainly increase the likelihood of danger and

ä See ESCAPE, page 4A

Regulators believe many insurers in Louisiana were underpricingtheirproducts before aseries of hurricanes wipedout ahostof companiesin2022 and2023. And the state is increasingly reliant on the global industry of reinsurance that has seen prices soar every year since2017, in part because of Progress slow to come

Ayear after Republicanleaders ushered in aseries of pro-industry changesinabid to alleviate the home insurancecrisisinLouisiana, officials are confronting a hard truth: there are few immediate signsofrelief. Insurance rates are notlikely to come down dramatically,atleast in the near term. And while the ongoing legis-

lative sessionhas putthe focus on auto insurancerates,many homeowners in southLouisiana still face the threat of losing their homes over high property insurancebills. With homeowners’ insurance rates ticking upward for most homeowners sincethe changes the Legislature adopted lastyear, lawmakersappear poised to stay the course on aproindustry strategy They’ve rejected bills thissession that wouldrequire insurers to reveal moreinformation about their finances and to mandate certain levels of discountsfor

homeowners with fortified roofs. A broad tax break for homeowners paying high premiums appears unlikely

Thelack of progresshas frustrated Gov.Jeff Landry,who is at odds with fellow Republican Insurance Commissioner TimTemple, the architect of the insurer-friendly plan. But industry groups and Temple saytheyare starting to see signs of improvement. Ahandful of

companieshave won approval to start writing home insurance policies in the past year. And ahandful of companieshave ﬁled rate decreases,though an analysis of statedata from The Times-Picayune |The Advocateshowsthat rate increases are outpacing the declines. Those illustrate an uncomfortable realityfor Louisianans: Rates are notexpected to go back to what they were before thecrisis

began in 2022, whichTempleacknowledged. “It’snot going to come downas sharplyasitincreased,” he saidin arecenteditorialboard meeting with the newspaper.

legislaturestays the course on currentbills ä See INSURANCE, page 6A

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Temple Landry

Hutson

Iran shrugs off threats, will continue nuke talks

TEHRAN, Iran Iran’s president said his country will continue talks with the United States over its rapidly advancing nuclear program but will not withdraw from its rights because of U.S. threats.

“We are negotiating, and we will negotiate We are not after war but we do not fear any threat,” President Masoud Pezeshkian said during a speech to navy ofﬁcials broadcast Saturday.

“It is not like that they think if they threaten us, we will give up our human right and deﬁnite right,” Pezeshkian said.

The negotiations have reached the “expert” level, meaning the sides are trying to reach agreement on the details of a possible deal. But a major sticking point remains Iran’s enrichment of uranium, which Tehran insists it must be allowed to do and the Trump administration increasingly insists the Islamic Republic must give up.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran’s program if a deal isn’t reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.

Secret Service interviews

Comey over ‘86 47’ post

WASHINGTON Former FBI Director James Comey was interviewed by the Secret Service on Friday about a social media post that Republicans insisted was a call for violence against President Donald Trump.

The interview was part of an ongoing Trump administration investigation and was expected to help authorities assess the purpose and intent of the post and whether Comey intended to communicate a threat to the president, which he has flatly denied. Any decision on whether charges should be filed would be up to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump said Friday, though there’s a high bar in proving that comments or posts amount to direct threats of violence.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem conﬁrmed in a post on X that Comey had been interviewed and said she would “take all measures necessary to ensure the protection” of Trump. The Secret Service is part of the Department of Homeland Security An interview is a standard part of an investigation into comments perceived as potentially threatening but does not suggest that charges are being considered.

At issue is an Instagram post from Thursday in which Comey wrote “cool shell formation on my beach walk” under a picture of seashells that appeared to form the shapes for “86 47.” Merriam-Webster, the dictionary used by The Associated Press, says 86 is slang meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of” or “to refuse service to.” It notes: “Among the most recent senses adopted is a logical extension of the previous ones, with the meaning of ‘to kill.’ We do not enter this sense, due to its relative recency and sparseness of use.”

2nd man booked in fires at U.K. PM’s properties

LONDON A second suspect was arrested Saturday on arson charges in connection with a series of fires targeting property linked to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, police said.

A 26-year-old man was arrested at Luton Airport on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life, police said. The arrest came the day after a Ukrainian man appeared in court on charges of setting ﬁre to Starmer’s personal home, along with a property where he once lived and a car he had sold. Police didn’t provide the nationality of the second suspect.

No injuries were reported from the ﬁres which occurred on three nights in north London between May 8 and May 12.

Roman Lavrynovych, 21, didn’t enter a plea Friday in Westminster Magistrates’ Court to three counts of arson with intent to endanger life.

Lavrynovych denied setting the ﬁres and, at this point, there is no explanation for the crimes, a prosecutor said.

Starmer and his family had moved out of his home after he was elected in July

Severe storms rake across the U.S.

At least 27 killed, including 18 in Kentucky

BY DYLAN LOVAN Associated Press

LONDON, Ky. — At least 27

people have been killed by storms systems that swept across part of the U.S. Midwest and South, with Kentucky Gov Andy Beshear announcing Saturday that 18 of the deaths came in his state and 10 others were hospitalized in critical condition.

A devastating tornado in Kentucky damaged homes, tossed vehicles and left many people homeless Seventeen of the deaths were in Laurel County, located in the state’s southeast, and one was in Pulaski County: Fire Department Maj Roger Leslie Leatherman, a 39year veteran who was fatally injured while responding to the deadly weather

Parts of two dozen state roads were closed, and some could take days to reopen, Beshear said. He also said the death toll could still rise

“We need the whole world right now to be really good neighbors to this region,” the governor said.

State Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson said hundreds of homes were damaged, Kayla Patterson, her husband and their ﬁve children huddled in a tub in their basement in London, the county seat, as the tornado raged around them.

“You could literally hear just things ripping in the

distance, glass shattering everywhere, just roaring like a freight train,” she recalled Saturday “It was terrible.”

The family eventually emerged to the sounds of sirens and panicked neighbors. While the family’s own home was spared, others right behind it were demolished, Patterson said as the sound of power tools buzzed in the background.

The neighborhood was dotted with piles of lumber, metal sheeting, insulation and stray belongings — a suitcase, a sofa, some sixpacks of paper towels.

Rescuers were searching for survivors all night and into the morning, the sheriff’s office said. An emergency shelter was set up at a local high school and donations of food and other necessities were arriving.

The National Weather Service hadn’t yet confirmed that a tornado struck, but

PHOTO PROVIDED By ABC7 lOS ANGElES

Debris covers the ground Saturday after an explosion outside a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, Calif.

1 killed in blast at Calif. fertility clinic

SEJAL GOVINDARAO, ERIC TUCKER and GENE JOHNSON Associated Press

An explosion killed a person and heavily damaged a fertility clinic Saturday in the upscale California city of Palm Springs in what the FBI characterized as an “intentional act of terrorism.”

Akil Davis, the head of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said in the evening that the clinic was deliberately targeted, while declining to elaborate on how authorities have reached a conclusion on a motive.

Authorities were still working to confirm the identity of the person who died at the scene. Davis would not directly say whether that person was the suspect but said authorities were not searching for a suspect.

Davis also said four people were hurt but provided no additional details on the severity of the injuries Authorities were also investigating the possibility that the explosion was being livestreamed.

The FBI said it was sent investigators, including bomb technicians, to the scene Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills said in a statement that the blast “appears to be an intentional act of violence” and several buildings were damaged, some severely

“There has been one fatality, the person’s identity is not known,” Mills said.

The act was being investigated as a possible car explosion, according to two law enforcement ofﬁcials briefed on the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss preliminary information from an ongoing investigation.

One of the ofﬁcials told AP that investigators believe the person who died was likely the person who set off the explosion, but they cautioned that the investigation was still in its early stages.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal agents were working to learn more, adding, “Let me be clear: The Trump administration understands that women and mothers are the heartbeat of America. Violence against a fertility clinic is unforgivable.”

The FBI’s Los Angeles field office said via the social platform X that “investigators, bomb technicians & an evidence response team” were among assets that were deployed. Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also assisting.

Dr Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic, conﬁrmed that his facility was damaged. He said all staffers were safe and accounted for

meteorologist Philomon Geertson said it was likely It ripped across the largely rural area and extended to the London Corbin Airport shortly before midnight Resident Chris Cromer said he got the ﬁrst of two tornado alerts on his phone around 11:30 p.m or so, about a half-hour before the tornado struck. He and his wife grabbed their dog, jumped in their car and scrambled to the crawl space at a relative’s nearby home because the couple’s own crawl space is small.

“We could hear and feel the vibration of the tornado coming through,” said Cromer, 46. A piece of his roof was ripped off, and windows were broken, but homes around his were destroyed.

“It’s one of those things that you see on the news in other areas, and you feel bad for people — then, when it happens, it’s just

surreal,” he said. “It makes you be thankful to be alive, really.”

The storm was the latest severe weather to cause deaths and widespread damage in Kentucky Two months ago, at least 24 people died in a round of storms that swelled creeks and submerged roads. Hundreds of people were rescued, and most of the deaths were caused by vehicles getting stuck in high water

A storm in late 2021 spawned tornadoes that killed 81 people and leveled portions of towns in western Kentucky The following summer, historic ﬂoodwaters inundated parts of eastern Kentucky, leaving dozens more dead.

About 1,200 tornadoes strike the U.S. annually and they have been reported in all 50 states over the years. Researchers found in 2018 that deadly tornadoes were happening

less frequently in the traditional “Tornado Alley” of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas and more frequently in parts of the more densely populated and tree-filled mid-South area. The latest Kentucky storms were part of a weather system Friday that killed seven in Missouri and two in northern Virginia, authorities said. The system also spawned tornadoes in Wisconsin, brought a punishing heat wave to Texas and temporarily enveloped parts of Illinois — including Chicago — in a pall of dust on an otherwise sunny day “Well that was something,” the weather service’s Chicago office wrote on X after issuing its firstever dust storm warning for the city Thunderstorms in central Illinois had pushed strong winds over dry, dusty farmland and northward into the Chicago area, the weather agency said. In Missouri, St Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said five people died, 38 were injured and more than 5,000 homes were affected in her city

“The devastation is truly heartbreaking,” she said at a news conference Saturday An overnight curfew was to continue in the most damaged neighborhoods. Weather service radar indicated a likely tornado touched down between 2:30 p.m. and 2:50 p.m. in Clayton, Missouri, in the St. Louis area. The apparent tornado touched down in the area of Forest Park, home to the St. Louis Zoo

Trump says he will call Putin, then Zelenskyy,

President to push for Ukraine ceasefire

BY YEHOR KONOVALOV and JOANNA KOZLOWSKA Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine President Donald Trump said he plans to speak by phone Monday with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, followed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leaders of various NATO countries, about ending the war in Ukraine.

Trump said the call with Putin will be about stopping the “bloodbath” in Ukraine.

“Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war, a war that should have never happened, will end,” Trump wrote Saturday in a post on his social networking site Truth Social. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov conﬁrmed in comments to Russian media that preparations were underway for Monday’s call.

Trump’s remarks came a day after the first direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in years failed to yield a ceasefire. Putin had spurned Zelenskyy’s offer to meet face-to-face in Turkey after he himself proposed direct negotiations — although not at the presidential level — as an alternative to a 30-day ceasefire urged by Ukraine and its Western allies, including the U.S. Also on Saturday U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov During a visit to Rome, Rubio suggested that the Vatican could be a venue for Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

In Ukraine, a northeastern town declared a period of mourning after

on Monday

a Russian drone hit a bus evacuating civilians from front-line areas, killing nine people, Ukrainian officials said. The strike came hours after the Russian and Ukrainian delegations left Istanbul, after agreeing to what would be the biggest prisoner swap to date between the warring parties. The talks in Istanbul on Friday broke up after less than two hours without a ceasefire, although both sides agreed on exchanging 1,000 prisoners of war each, according to the heads of both delegations. Ukraine’s intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov said on Ukrainian television Saturday that the exchange could happen as early as next week.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By TIMOTHy D EASlEy

Dennis Clark goes through the remains of his house on Saturday that was destroyed by severe weather in london, Ky.

increase theability of offenders to ﬁnd and exploit weaknesses in the facility or its stafﬁng,” Murrill said. “This is aknown problem —Judge Africk recognizes it.”

U.S. District Judge Lance Africk has since 2013 overseen afederal consent decree governing conditions inside the Orleans Parish jail,under asettlement reached between former Sheriff Marlin Gusman, plaintiffs’ attorneysand the U.S. Justice Department, which intervenedin the case. The agreement emerged from aclassaction lawsuit over unsafe and unconstitutional conditions, among other issues.

Fora time, Africk seized oversight of thejail from Gusman, who said in an interview Saturdaythat the building was state-ofthe-art when it opened and “highly secure” —but reliant on proper stafﬁng and supervision. The escape was a“lack of vigilance, maintenanceand clearly lack of supervision,” Gusman said. Hutson,who beat Gusman to take her seatas sheriff,has pointedto a tangle of persistent problems at the jail he built: Malfunctioning locks that make it harder to secure cells; dangerouslylow staffing levelsthat leave housing units unmonitored for long stretches; and a rising jail population that she saysisplacing growing strain on an already overextended workforce. Federal monitors have echoed manyofthose concerns, documentinglapses in medical care,use-offorce protocols and basic supervision —all contributing to what they have described as ajail in astateof ongoing instability

Months ago, federal monitors overseeing court-mandated reforms warned that jail staff were conducting nighttime security checks only 7% of the time —a

pattern they described as part of abroader web of “systemic deficiencies” pla guing the facility

Those and other warnings nowappearprophetic. They also areraising new questions about the jail’schronic understaffing and fragile infrastructure —and fuelingcondemnation of the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce, which manages the jail.

Long stays, overcrowding

In an October report, the monitors overseeing the consentdecreewrotethat many of thejail’schronic issues continuedto place detainees, deputies and the public at risk.

Although arecentstatus report fromthe Sheriff’s Officetouted improvements in stafﬁng andoversight,the escape has reignited debateover how best to manage thejail’smost dangerous detainees.

Of the 10 inmates who escaped, ﬁve arecharged with murderorattempted murder,court records show.Two have been held in the city’sjailfor at least two years, court records show

Lengthy stayscan also contributetoovercrowding. Acityordinance mandates that the jail houseno more than1,250 inmates at atime. Yetpublic data show the jail’spopulation was 1,374 people as of Wednesday,and it topped 1,500 inmates inNovember Murrill on Saturdaycited oneparticular escapee— 27-year-old Derrick Groves —who court recordsshow has been incarcerated for more than two years in the jail.

Groves was convicted in October of second-degree murder and, in aseparate case, manslaughter.Heis awaiting sentencing in OrleansParish CriminalDistrict Court. Criminal District Court JudicialAdministrator RobertKazikdid notre-

turn aphone call Saturday evening. Chief CriminalDistrictJudge Tracey Flemings-Davillier didnot immediately respond to an email requestingcomment Security lapses

In Hutson’smostrecent court statusreport, shesaid night-shiftsecurity checks hadimproved in allpods, or residential units of thejail. Shesaiddatashowedthat between 88% and 100% of checks had been completed in certain pods.

Her report did notinclude data on night-shift security checksinPod 2E, where the inmates escaped early Fridaymorning.

Themen exploiteda hole behind acell toilet to access amaintenance corridor.Surveillance footage later showedthem slipping through aloading dock area and scaling the facility’sperimeter wall, using blankets to soften the barbedwire

Aspokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office did not return aphone callSaturday afternoon. Neither did Margo Frasier,the lead monitor over the consent decree.

“The OrleansParish sheriffcontinues to allow tiers to go completely unsupervised for many,many hours, which is contrary to the provisions of the consent judgment,” said Emily Washington, an attorney with the Roderick & Solange MacArthur Justice Center, which represents inmatesinthe consent decree litigation In the federal monitor’s most recent report, they wrote that generally adequatesecuritychecksonly happenedtwice aday

“Supervisors often claim they performinspections, but the appearance of the housing areas and the lack of documentation calls

those claimsinto doubt,” the report said.

Manhunt continues

The search for the remaining escapees continuedSaturday evening, with authoritiesencouraging thepublic to remain vigilant and report anysuspiciousactivity. Rewards for tipsleading to arrestsofthe escapees reached $12,000 on Saturday

The three inmates who have been rebooked include: Robert Moody,who is charged with battery and weapons offenses; Dkanen Dennis,who is charged with armed robbery andweaponsoffenses; andKendell Myles, whoischarged with attemptedmurder andother offenses.

The menwere transported to the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, authorities said. They were conveyed there by helicopters and, in the case of Myles, with aspit hood on to combat aggressive behavior

In age, the escapees range from19to42yearsold, and in size, from 5’5” and 150 pounds to 6’ and 230 pounds. According to Vinelink jail records, their most recent stintsatOrleansJustice Center had seen them locked up for periods ranging from aweek to more thantwo years.

Leo O. Tate Sr 31, had the shortest stay,having been booked May 9onparole vio-

lation, possession of ﬁrearm by felon and illegal carrying of weapon. At the other end was Groves,booked on seconddegree murderand attempted second-degree murderonJan. 5, 2023. Law enforcement warned he may attempt to locatewitnesses in the murder trial. Groves had been convicted in October of second-degree murder in the 2018 Mardi Gras Day killing of twomen in the 9th Ward. The ﬁrst inmate to be recaptured was arguably the mostpracticed at theart of escapeand amongthe longesttobedetained at Orleans Justice Center,having been booked there in January 2023. Myles, 20, gained notoriety as ateen for youth detention center escapes as violent as they were temporarily successful. Tate, Groves, Antoine Massey,Lenton Vanburen, Jermaine Donald, Corey Boyd andGaryPriceremain at large.

By Amanda McElfresh | amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

TheLSU LCMC Health Cancer Center is making progress towardsbecomingthe ﬁrst NCI-designated cancer center in Louisianaand on theGulfCoast Thedesignation is part of theNationalCancer InstituteCancerCenters Program, whichwas established in 1971 to recognizeinstitutionsthatmeet rigorous standardsfor state-of-the-art research focusedonthe prevention,diagnosis andtreatment of cancer.Thereare currently73NCI-designated centersacrossthe United States.The closest ones to Louisianaare in Texasand Alabama. Having an NCI-designated center in thestate wouldyield numerous beneﬁtsfor Louisianaresidents. Thosewould includemoreaccesstoclinical trials,attractingtop-tier medicaltalenttothe state, andLSU LCMC Health Cancer Center receiving substantialfunding forvaluableand potentially life-savingresearchthatpatients anxiouslyawait

“NCI designationisthe single most transformative eventthatcould occurinthisstate in improving healthcare forall Louisianians said Dr.Steve Nelson, Chancellor of LSUHealthNew Orleans. “There is a halo effectwhenyou have an NCI-designated center Notonlydoescancercaresigniﬁcantlyimprove, but allmedical services advancebecause this achievement liftseveryoneup.

Dr.Lucio Miele, Directorofthe LSULCMCHealth Cancer Center,saidmanyinnovations in cancer treatmenthavecomeabout as theresultofworkat NCI-designated centers. Forexample,immunotherapyisnow considered thestandardofcarefor many typesofcancer, andcameabout as adirectresultof NCI-funded research

“Immunotherapy haschanged theprognosis of cancersthatwereonceconsideredincurable,” Dr Mielesaid. “Ithas revolutionized treatment, andit wouldbemoreavailable than it already is to patients throughout LouisianaifweweretohaveanNCI-designatedcancercenterinthe state.

Dr.Nelsonsaidthe economic impact to Louisianaissubstantial.Previousstudies have shown that forevery NCIdollarinvestedinastate,that amount is multiplied by three. When acancercenter in Kansas received an NCIdesignation,the region sawaneconomicimpactofmorethan$4billion.In Tampa, theNCI-designatedMoffitt Cancer Center hasresultedina$2billion economicimpactper year This is duetojobscreatedatNCI-designatedcenters andthe downstream spending that resultsfromnew jobs, as well as majorinvestments from companiesin industries such as biotechnologythatwanttolocate closetosuchcenters. Adesignatedcancercenter willignitethe nascentbiotech industry andwillbe thecenterpiece of medicalinnovationinLouisiana “MostNCI-designatedcenters areonthe East andWestCoasts. It’s notacoincidence that those arealsowhere themostsuccessful biotechcompanies are,”saidDr. Miele. “Those companieswant access to academic institutions wherediscoveries arehappeningevery day. We believewecan make

that happen in Louisiana.” LSUHealthNew Orleansand LCMC Health have each committed$50 milliontowardthe NCI designationgoal. Thus far, that fundinghas allowed theLSU LCMC Health Cancer Center to invest in numerous resources.Those includehiringmedical investigatorsinpopulationhealth, cancer biology andgenetics, andexperimentalpharmaceuticals “Right now, we have theright number of people but barely so.Tobetruly competitive, we need to bringinabout twicethe minimum levelofinvestigators that areneeded,”Dr. Mielesaid. “We’ve been engagedinaveryaggressiverecruitment effortthat hasresultedinhiringtwo basicscientistsand two cliniciansinthe last fewmonths.Weknowweneedto bringhighly-respectedand highly-fundedresearch scientists to Louisianaifweare to make this happen Dr.Miele said theLSU LCMC Health Cancer Center does have theright facilities in placetovie for theNCI designation, includingappropriate facilitiesfor clinicaltrials, pathology andbiostatistical work,aswellas200,000 square feet of renovated research space. Allinall,adecisiononLSU LCMC Health Cancer Center’s NCIdesignation is aboutﬁve yearsaway. “Wehaveastrongfoundation, butweneedto grow that foundation.The $100 millionthatwehave invested so farneeds to double as we continue to build ourstaffing andresources,” Dr.Nelsonsaid. “Weare gratiﬁed that thesupport for this effortcomes from thehighest levels,including theGovernor, both LouisianaU.S.Senators, ourLegislature,aswellasmany privatecompanies andphilanthropic organizations includingthe Al Copeland Foundation.The leadership of LSU, includingPresident Tate andthe Board of Supervisors, andGregFeirn wholeads LCMC Health,haveembracedthisboldvisionfor Louisiana. Thereisatremendousamountofexcitementabout ourefforts to do this.”

Dr.Miele said communityengagementisalso a core piece of thequest for an NCIdesignation.LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center hascreatedanemail newsletter to shareregular updates, andateam hasbegun hostingcommunity town hall meetings, screeningeventsfor certaintypes of cancer and directingpeopletothe nearestmedical center to receivecareupondiagnosis

“Achieving NCIdesignation isn’t somethingwe canaccomplish behindcloseddoors,” Dr.Miele emphasized.“It demandsthatwestepout,engage directly,and trulylistentothe voices in ourcommunities.Their concerns,questions,and livedexperiences must shape theway forwardbecause without them,thismission cannot succeed.”

Dr.Nelsonconcluded,“When we aresuccessful allofLouisiana andthe region,north andsouth east andwest, urbanand rural, willbeneﬁtfrom ourefforts.” Visitwww.lsulcmchealthcancercenter.orgtolearn more aboutthe LSULCMCHealth Cancer Center

PHOTO PROVIDED By lOUSIANA STATEPOlICE

louisiana State Police trooperstransporta recaptured inmate after aFridayjailbreak involving 10 escapees fromthe Orleans Justice Center.

Tate

Groves Massey

Vanburen Donald Boyd Price

Dr Lucio Miele

Dr Steve Nelson

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•“Vertebralaxial (spinal) decompressionwas successfulin71% of the778 cases” -Journal of NeurologicalResearch

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•“Decompression Therapyreporteda76.5% with complete remissionand 19.6%withpartial remission of pain anddisability” -Rio Grande Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery

At LeBlancSpineCenter, we utilizeadvanced, FDA-clearedtechnologythatisproventoeffectively

standfor longer than 5minutes withoutpain. Ihad tried epidural steroidinjectionsand physical therapy in thepast, butwas stillsuffering.I have always beenactiveand my back pain wasaffectingmy lifestylegreatly IcametoLeBlancSpine Centerand began Decompression treatment. andIamnow 100% improved! Ican do everything Idid beforemypainstarted,and my favorite part aboutthistreatment is theresults! Ican do allofmydaily activities withoutany pain.The doctorsand staff here have also treatedmegreat IhaverecommendedLeBlancSpine Center to manypeople. andwillcontinue to do so!

Mark Evans (FormerHighSchoolCoach and InsuranceAgent) Hometown -Baton Rouge,LA

alleviatepain.

It’s importanttonotethatnot everypatient is a candidatefor Spinal Decompression, whichiswhy we prioritize athorough individual assessment for each person whowalks throughour doors. Our high successrateinpainreliefstems from our commitment to only taking on patients whom we confidently believewecan help

Forthe next 7days, we areofferingaspecial “Decompression Evaluation”offer,atnocostto you! What does this offer include? Everything we normally do in ournew patientevaluations:

•Anin-depthconsultationabout your health andwellbeing wherewewilllisten. really listen .tothe detailsofyourcase.

•Acompleteneuromuscular examination

•Afullset of specializedX-rays(if clinically necessary)

•Athorough analysis of your exam andX-ray findings

Youwillsit with thedoctorone on onetogoover your x-rays,and you’ll gettosee everything first hand

At LeBlancSpine Center,weare honestwithour patients andwegivepersonalized attentionand analysis to each case.Wetruly enjoymeeting with patients to answer theirquestions andtohelp find outifSpinalDecompression treatments couldbe theanswertotheir pain

Thereisnochargeatall andyou don’tneedtobuy anything.You have nothing to lose by taking us up on this specialoffer andyou will getanswers to

what is causingyourpain. If youhaveseenour adsinthe past and have thoughtabout calling, don’thesitate. Youdon’t have to go on living in pain,missing outonactivitiesand otherpartoflifethatyou enjoy. Call us today!

IcametoLeBlancSpine Center because Ihad beensufferingfor about2years with pullinginmy lowerbackdownintomylegs. Ihad triedphysical therapybut wasstill suffering. AfterstartingSpinalDecompression treatments

Iamnow 70%improved! Ihavelesspain with walkingand more mobility.I have less pain in the morningwhenwakingup, andIcan nowlift, bend do household chores andother dailyactivitieswith lesspain.I am treatedwonderfully by thestaff and Idorecommend LeBlancSpine Center very often others.The doctorsare honest andsincere

Randi Henriques (SocialWorker) Hometown -New Orleans, LA

IcametoLeBlancSpine Center because Ibeen suffering with lowerbackand hippain, difficulty sitting, andrestrictedmobility.Ihad triedother doctorsinthe past,medication,physicaltherapy andmassage- alltonoavail Ibegan Spinal Decompression treatments andIamnow 90%improved! What Ilikemost aboutmycare at LeBlancSpine Centerismy improvement in pain.I cannow bend andlift withoutpain, andIevenhavefewer headaches. Thestaff is very friendly andcalls everyone by name. Iwould absolutelyrecommend LeBlanc SpineCenter. Thedoctors actually SHOW you what theproblemsare on thex-rays, andthey trackyourprogress. Youwillget resultsbut this is notaquick fix. Youhavetocommittothe time andefforttocometotreatment.Comparedto surgery, this aWIN forthe patient!

Paula Laird (CPA) Hometown -Baton Rouge,LA

worsening wildfires, hurricanes and other climate change-related disasters

Still, Temple said thathe sees signs Louisiana’smarket is improving. In town halls,hesaid he’sstarted hearingrecentlyfrommore people who have seen their premiums drop. And he noted that he’sapproved 10 additionalcompanies to start writingpropertyinsurance here, saying the resulting competition should drive down rates.Customers who getfortiﬁedroofs, in particular,have reported signiﬁcant savings.

But Temple conceded that most Louisianans should not yet expect falling premiums, saying, “I don’tthink we’re thereyet.”

Temple also expressed frustrationthat Landry said last December that he was unhappy with thepace of progress on property insurance. Some of the legislation meant to bring down rates didn’tgointo effect until January,Temple noted.

Temple touted that eight insurers have filed rate decreases, though the Insurance Department later clarified that three companies have filed for decreases eight times.Still, that outpaces the five total decreases companies asked for in all of 2024 Of the 10 companies that have become newlylicensed to write homeowners policies, four of them won that approval before the package of laws was signed last year

One of the companies told The Times-Picayune |The

Advocate it is notwriting homeowner policies. Theothers didnot return messages forthis story. Most ofthose companies arerated by AM Best, seen in the industry as the gold standard thatindicates the companiesare financially sound. Butthreeare rated by Demotech,arating ﬁrmthat has drawn scrutiny forrating companies that researchers sayare of lowerquality. Newmarketshare data showsthree ofthe companies had begun writing policies by theend of 2024:AcceptanceInsurance Company, Auros Reciprocal Exchange and Lilypad Insurance Company.They collectively had 0.15% of the market Ben Albright, head of the Independent Insurance Agents &BrokersofLouisiana, said he is seeing some rate drops in commercial property insurance, which often leads the market. But he’snot yet seeing widespread premium drops in home insurance,though people do have moreoptions for insurers now, he said “I am optimistic that the homeownersmarket is starting to move in the right direction, but I’m not ready to predict that the average consumer will see adecreaseon their renewal,” Albrightsaid. ‘Difficult path’

As lawmakers havecontinuedto embrace pro-insuranceindustrybills,itappears unlikely that theywill pass abroad taxbreak for homeowners whoare struggling with high premiums.

Landry is pushing House Bill 148 by Rep. JeffWiley, R-Maurepas, to giveTemple more authority to reject

rates for being “excessive,” but the bill is unlikely to have any effect in the short term. Templehas indicated he would notuse the authority because he already reviewswhether rates are backed up by sound math. He argued that rejecting ratesarbitrarilywould push insurersout of themarket.

Another bill by Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, to doleout atax breakfor low-income residentsto offset premium costs is still alive, recentlywinning narrow approvalfromthe Senate. Senate Bill 235 still must winapprovalfrom theHouse, but it would give low-income homeowners a $2,000 taxcredit,cappedat $10 million ayear

Rep.Brian Glorioso, RSlidell, alsosponsored abill to let homeowners deduct theirhome insurancepremium from their taxes.But after ﬁscal analysts estimated it would cost thestate nearly$70 milliona year, Glorioso conceded House Bill 236 has little chance. An even more generous bill by Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge, alsohas an uphill battle.

Glorioso, whosupported Temple’spackageofbills last year,saidthere’s little the Legislature can do to bring costs down immediately,absent atax break.

“I never tellanyoneyour rates are going to go down,” he said. “I hope theywill. Realistically,what we’re hoping for is to slow the growthrate. It’sgoing to be adifﬁcult pathabsent some coordination with other states on areinsurance plan or afederal reinsurance plan.”

LCTCSsteps up to train Louisiana’sfutureworkforce as developmentboomspurs demand forskilled employees

Louisianaisexperiencing amajor economic developmentboom, with more than $50billion in construction projects expected to beginby this summer.Large projects like theMetadata center in Richland Parish,the Hyundaisteel plantinAscensionParishandCFIndustries’low carbonammoniaplant,alsoinAscensionParish, areall expected to createhundredsof localjobs. Theseroles willinclude skilledtradessuchas electricians,plumbers, andHVACtechnicians aswellastechnologyprofessionals,accountants business managers,and more Thoseupcomingprojectsare poised to add to thesteadydemandfromexistingLouisiana businesses in sectorssuchashealthcare, manufacturing, andenergy.

Allofthese companieswillhavelong-term needsfor employees whoare dedicated, driven andproperlytrained in keyskills. That is where theLouisianaCommunityandTechnicalCollege System(LCTCS)playsakeyrole,withitsunique abilitytorapidly createand launch certiﬁcation programs that getLouisiana residentsinto high-wage, high-demandjobs. In addition to preparingnew workers, LCTCSalsopartners with employers to upskillcurrent employees for career advancement, expansionopportunities, andevolvingindustry needs.

“Ithas always beenthe goal of LCTCStobe thedevelopment armofeducating andtraining Louisiana’sfutureworkforce,”saidDr.Chandler LeBoeuf, LCTCSVicePresident of Education. “Wewanttomakesurethatstudentsare receivingthe trainingtheyneedtobecompetitive in thejob market.Whenpeopleask aboutLCTCS impact,it’sabout students earningcertiﬁcates credentialsanddegreesthatenablethemtomake alivable wage andbea successful professional Wewouldn’t be able to do that withoutstrong industry partnerships.”

Dr.RickBateman,ChancellorofBossierParish Community College, said that when General DynamicsInformationTechnology(GDIT),aglobal technology andprofessionalservicescompany withalargepresenceinNorthLouisiana,needed to expand itsworkforce,its leadersimmediately approached BPCC aboutthe company’sneeds

“Theywerelooking forpeoplewitha mixture of skills.Welistenedtothemand then quickly developedacurriculumforanAssociateofApplied SciencedegreeinSystemsAdministrationwith aconcentration in DevOps.Wewereabletodo that in less than sixmonths,”Dr. Batemansaid. “Weare nowacoupleofyears into theprogram andGDIThas asteadysupplyofpotential new

Watching reinsurance

Insurance companies buy reinsurance to protect their balance sheet much in the same way homeowners buy insurance to protect their house against ahurricane. In effect, they are sending some of the premium dollars they collect to other insurers.

Starting in 2017, when wildﬁres rocked California, costs for reinsurance rose every year through 2024, according to an indexpublished by the trade publication Artemis. That included anearly 30% jumpin2023. Andthose costs getpassed down to homeowners, who see higher propertyinsurance bills as aresult.

The index forecasts a slight dip in costs this year, in part because aflood of investorcapital looking to cash in on the highprices is pushing costsdown.

Still, amovement is afoot to setupa federalreinsurance backstop to help lower costs for homeowners amid worsening natural disasters. Greater New Orleans Inc., theregion’s economic development arm, is lobbying for such achange. They similarly pushed for aﬂood insurancesolutionamid problems with the National Flood Insurance Program.

Landry has also raised thepossibility that Louisiana may need federal help. DemocratsinCongress have introduced legislation to set up areinsurance backstop, but theideahas not gained traction

“It’snot sustainablegiven where the reinsurance market is andthe larger numberofnatural disas-

ters we’re seeing,” Glorioso said. “The only wayit’ssustainable,tome, is to expand thenational ﬂood program and include all natural disasters in it.

Temple’soffice quietly completed areport in March that looked at the possibility of amultistate reinsurance pool or acatastrophe fund like Florida, which established amultibillion-dollarfund to reimburse insurers for part of theirhurricanelosses. But the report largely panned the idea, echoing concerns from thereinsurance industry that such amove would concentrate risk in hurricane-prone areas. Temple has opposed the idea of afederal intervention, saying the private market is capable of delivering affordable home insurance. Anotherchallenge is the setup of insurance being handledbystate regulators. Giving thefederal government the ability to step into that role seems politically unlikely right now,said Carolyn Kousky,head of the nonproﬁt Insurance for Good. “Not only is there no political support, but muchof the capablefederalworkforce hasbeen eliminated,” she said.

employees thanks to that degree offeringhere at BPCC.”

Dr.BatemansaidthatnimblenessandresponsivenesstoindustrydemandsarecoretoLCTCS’s structureand philosophy

“Werealize that businesses arelooking to our institutionstodeliverontheirtalentdevelopment needs,”hesaid.“Theyaremovingquickly,andwe have to do that as well.”

This summer,Bossier Parish Community Collegewilloffer asix-weekpre-employment programdesignedtoprepare people to enter theworkforce.Dr. Batemansaidthe program, calledEMPWRLA(EmploymentandWorkforce Readiness)wascreatedindirectresponsetolocal employerdemands.Inadditiontointroducing students to basicskillsinareassuchasmanufacturingandlogistics,itwillalsoteachstudents aboutthe realitiesofbeing aprofessional, such as theimportanceofwearing proper clothing or uniforms,drugtesting andteamwork.

“Wealready have more than adozen companies that have told us they want to interviewthe graduatesofthisprogram upon completion,” Dr Batemansaid.“Manyareofferingtosupportthis with scholarships as well.Wewereparticularly intentionalabout embedding soft skills into this curriculum –thingslikeconﬂict resolution collaborationand problem-solving.We’ve heard employers saytheir newemployees don’t have a strong enoughfoundationinthose areas, so we want to addressit. We believewecan move the needle forbothcompanies andlocal families with this program.”

PhillipMay,PresidentandCEOofEntergyLouisiana,saidthecompany’slongstandingpartnership withLCTCShashelpedcreateasteadypipelineof line workerswho go on to jobs with thecompany andmanyofitsvendors.Inaddition,institutions like RiverParishesCommunity Collegeand SOWELA TechnicalCommunity Collegehave createdprogramsforcurrentEntergyemployees to upskill, expand theircapabilitiesand position themselvesforstrongercareeropportunitiesand upward mobility “LCTCS is very responsivetothe needsof business,”May said.“Rightnow,Louisiana has some of thegreatesteconomicdevelopment opportunitieswe’ve seen in ageneration. Those opportunitiesarecontingentonhavingaworkforce that canmeetthe needsofnew andexpanding businesses.HavingapartnerlikeLCTCSthatcan help trainthatworkforce is critically important. Ifwedidn’thavethat,wewouldn’tbeabletohave theseeconomicdevelopment wins.”

Standing atop thelevee,situatedbetween Lake Pontchartrainand whereElysian Fields meets LakeshoreDrive,itiseasytobeswayedbythe charm of theuniversitythatmakes itshomehere. Since it wasestablished in 1958,the University of New Orleans(UNO) hasmadeover80,000 students feel at home on itscampus. From itsstate-of-the-art recreation andfitnesscenterthathousesbasketball,pickleball, andracquetball courts,aswellasa 25-yardpool, to theRobertE.NimsTheater in the Performing Arts Center,UNO is atreasure within theGentillyneighborhood. Locateda shortdrive from anywhereinthe metropolitanarea, UNOprovidesanaccessibleoption forlocals to enroll andcompletetheir degreesina sustainableway.Inadditiontorecent high school graduates, non-traditionalstudents oftenfind UNOisthe perfectpathtolevel up in theircareer withoutincurring significant amountsofstudent debt.Daysspent at UNO, workingthrough rigorous academicsare also filledwiththe beauty that comes from collaboratingwithpeers,strolling beneath themajesticliveoaks, or enjoying astudent theater production or jazz performances from localmusicians. ThespiritofNew Orleansextends across the entire campus

“UNO feelslikecommunity andhome,”saidKheri Billy, UNOalumna, life-longNew Orleansnative, andCEO of ReconcileNew Orleans, Inc.,a nonproﬁt that supports youngadultsastheytransform their livesbyencouraging personal growth andproviding them with workforcedevelopment andtraining.

“It’snot farfromanywhereinthe city,soitwasn’t adifficult stretchtomakeitthere as someonewho wasworking whileinschool,”Billy continued. “I wasalsoa youngparenttryingtomakeeverything work,soitwas arelief that UNOwas close.”

In 2005,whenBilly wasbeginning hersenior year as an accounting major, HurricaneKatrina devastated theCityofNew Orleans. Though UNO wasabletoreopenrelativelyquickly,the storm permanentlydisplaced many NewOrleaniansand severely impacted thestudent population in the yearsthatfollowed.

“Hurricane Katrinawas amonumentaltimein thecity. Therewas aheaviness,but therewas also ajoy in beingabletorebuild andinthe togetherness we felt as acommunity,” said Billy. “Thatisdeeply connectedtomyUNO experience andwhatitfeltlike to be on campus.There wasa feelingof‘We’regoing to be back.Our city is goingtobeback. Thecampusis goingtobeback. We areone.UNO is NewOrleans.” Communityactivistand leader,Susan Hess,

whohas served as presidentfor severalcharitable organizationsinNew Orleans, such as SPCA and LouisianaNatureand ScienceCenter, graduated from UNOin1967after moving to NewOrleans from thenortheast andenrolling as atransferstudent from CornellUniversity.

“I didn’t know anything aboutUNO, andI was really worriedI wouldn’t getthe same levelofeducation Ihad beengetting at Cornell, butIwas wrong, Hess said.“Iwas completely wrongabout that.In fact,Ifeltthatthe educationI gotatUNO waspossiblyevenbetterthanwhatI wasgetting at Cornell. Allmyclasses were taught by greatprofessorsand theclasses were small. Thelearningexperiencewas really very positive.”

Aftergraduating, Hess stayed localand became aproliﬁc leader in thecommunity.Twentyyears afterhavingattendedUNO,Hesswas inspired to become alife-long advocate for theschoolwhenshe witnessedthe progress theuniversityhad made by thelate80s

“WhenI went back,Isaw thenew buildings, lots of students,lotsofactivity, andI said to myself,‘I wouldliketobeapartofthis, Hess shared.“So,I contactedthe university.I foundout they hadjust createdthe UNOFoundation, andI joined theboard Iserved35years, andI waspresident of thefoundation from 1989-1991.

UNOhas an enduring legacy of beinganaffordable path to higher educationfor NewOrleans locals andfor enabling graduatestostayconnected to the city as they buildtheir careersand theirfamilies. Nearly half of allalumnicurrently live in theNew Orleansmetro area,and many communityleaders such as Hess andBilly,continuetovoice theessential role UNOhas played in creatingand maintaining askilled workforce in NewOrleans that keepsour region healthy.

Localactivist, business leader,formerlegislator andUNO alumna,Julie Stokes,who spokeatUNO’s Spring 2025 Commencement ceremony,sharedwhy as amemberofthe University of LouisianaSystem BoardofSupervisors,she is fullycommitted to UNO andits future “I seeUNO rising as abeaconfor this city andthis region —a placethatdoesn’t just educatestudents butelevatesthem. Aplace that turnslocaltalentinto localheroes, readytolead, to rebuild, andtoshape thefutureofLouisiana,” said Stokes,inher speech. “Our university is positioned to empowerthe

By Amanda McElfresh| amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

This articleisbrought to youbythe LouisianaCommunity andTechnical CollegeSystem.

Israel launches new military operation in Gaza

Netanyahu tells negotiating team to stay at talks

BY IBRAHIM HAZBOUN and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

JERUSALEM Israel said Saturday it launched a major military operation in the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas to release remaining hostages, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a negotiating team to remain in Qatar for indirect talks with the militant group. Defense Minister Israel Katz said Operation Gideon Chariots was being led with “great force.” Netanyahu had vowed to escalate pressure with the aim of destroying the militant group that has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades.

The military operation in the Palestinian territory came a day after President Donald Trump concluded his Middle East trip without a visit to Israel. There had been hope that his visit could increase the chances of a ceaseﬁre deal or the resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza, which Israel has prevented for more than two months.

An Israel ofﬁcial said that Netanyahu was in constant contact throughout the day with the negotiating team in

Doha, Qatar and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, and instructed the team to remain there. The ofﬁcial spoke on condition of anonymity, because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the sensitive negotiations with the media.

Hamas, which released an Israeli-American hostage as a goodwill gesture before Trump’s trip, insists on a deal that ends the war and leads to the withdrawal of Israeli forces — something Israel said that it won’t agree to.

Israel’s army said on social media it wouldn’t stop until the hostages are returned and the militant group is dismantled. Israel believes as many as 23 hostages in Gaza are still alive, although Israeli authorities have expressed concern for the status of three of them.

More than 150 people had been killed in Israeli strikes in the last 24 hours, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry It said more than 3,000 have been killed since Israel broke a January ceaseﬁre on March 18.

On Saturday afternoon, an Israeli strike killed at least four children in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the north, according to al-Awda Hospital, which received the bodies. Seven others were wounded in the strike, which hit a house A later strike in Jabaliya killed four, the hospital said.

“This is unacceptable.

Protesters

Until when? Until we all die?” asked a sweating Naji Awaisa as he and others ﬂed Jabaliya with their belongings down streets lined with shattered buildings. Smoke from airstrikes rose in the distance.

Airstrikes around Deir alBalah in central Gaza killed 14 people, with the bodies arriving at al-Aqsa hospital. One strike on a house killed eight people, including parents and four children.

A strike hit outside a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, killing four, the Gaza Health Min-

istry’s emergency service said.

There was no immediate Israeli comment on the strikes. A separate statement said that the military had killed dozens of ﬁghters while dismantling an “underground route” in northern Gaza.

Hundreds of protesters rallied Saturday night in Tel Aviv, some holding photos of Palestinian children killed in Gaza, with others demanding a deal to end the war and bring all hostages home.

“Let me be crystal clear All of Israeli society, left,

right, secular, religious, stands united in calling for a hostage deal. To miss this moment for a deal would be a betrayal of history, a stain that will never fade,” Dalia Kushnir-Horn, sister-in-law of hostage Eitan Horn, told the crowd.

Gaza is in the third month of an Israeli blockade with no food, water, fuel or other goods entering the territory of more than 2 million people. Food security experts say Gaza will be in famine if the blockade isn’t lifted.

Earlier this week, a new humanitarian organization

that has U.S. backing to take over aid delivery said that it expects to begin operations by the end of the month, after what it described as key agreements with Israeli officials. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation identiﬁed several U.S. military veterans, former humanitarian coordinators and security contractors to lead the effort.

Many in the humanitarian community, including the U.N., said that they won’t participate, because the system doesn’t align with humanitarian principles and won’t be able to meet the needs of Palestinians in Gaza. Tom Fletcher, the U.N. humanitarian chief, said Friday that there’s already an aid delivery plan with 160,000 pallets of supplies ready to move: “It is ready to be activated — today — if we are simply allowed to do our jobs.”

The war in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamasled militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 others. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, many of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Magdy reported from Cairo. Tia Goldenberg contributed to this report from Tel Aviv, Israel.

Justice Department deal ends ban on aftermarket trigger

BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trump administration will allow the sale of forced-reset triggers, which make semi-automatic riﬂes ﬁre more rapidly, with the federal government ending a ban as part of a settlement that also requires it to return seized devices. The agreement announced Friday by the Justice Department resolves a series of cases over the aftermarket trigger that the government had previously argued qualify as machine guns under federal law The settlement is a dramatic shift in Second Amendment policy under the Republican administration, which has signaled it may undo many of the regulations that the previous administration of Democratic President Joe Biden had fought to keep in place in an effort to curb

gun violence.

“This Department of Justice believes that the 2nd Amendment is not a secondclass right,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.

Gun control advocates said the settlement would worsen gun violence.

“The Trump administration has just effectively legalized machine guns. Lives will be lost because of his actions,” said Vanessa Gonzalez, vice president of government and political affairs at GIFFORDS, a gun control group. There had been several legal battles over forced-reset triggers, which replace the typical trigger on an AR-15style rifle. The government for years had argued they are essentially illegal machine gun conversion devices because constant finger pressure on the triggers will keep a rifle firing essentially like an automatic.

Hundreds of Rwandans who fled to Congo after 1994 genocide return

BY RUTH ALONGA Associated Press

GOMA, Congo Hundreds of Rwandan refugees who were living in eastern Congo since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda were repatriated on Saturday, the U.N refugee agency said, after Rwandanbacked rebels seized key parts of the region. Most of the refugees were women and children, and 360 of them crossed the border in buses provided by Rwandan authorities and were escorted by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, and aid group Save the Children local authorities said. The goal is to repatriate 2,000 people, UNHCR said.

“We are happy to welcome our compatriots. They are a valuable workforce for the country’s development,” said Prosper Mulindwa, the Rwandan mayor of Rubavu, during a brief ceremony at the border

The returnees were transported to a transit center where they will receive emergency assistance and support for reintegration They were among the hundreds of thousands of Hutus who ﬂed Rwanda after the

state-sponsored 1994 genocide that left up to a million minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus dead. Most had returned when Tutsi-led Rwandan troops first invaded Congo in 1996. But Rwandan authorities said thousands of Hutu militiamen and ex-soldiers had stayed and joined Congo’s army to destabilize Rwanda.

For decades, mineral-rich eastern Congo has been ripped apart by violence from government forces and different armed groups, including the Rwandabacked M23, whose recent resurgence has escalated the conflict and worsened an already acute humanitarian crisis.

The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts.

Among the Rwandan returnees, personal testimonies highlighted journeys marked by exile and a deep connection to a homeland some have never known Nyirakajumba Twizere was born in 1996 in Congo and had never seen Rwanda.

“I never thought this day would come,” he said. “I’m ﬁnally going back to the land of my ancestors.”

The deal announced Friday was between the Justice Department and Rare Breed Triggers, which was

previously represented by David Warrington, Trump’s current White House counsel Rare Breed Triggers

argued that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was wrong in

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MAyA AllERUZZO

Aviv, Israel.

Bondi

Few see or understand the world that exists along the river

But Broussard, from the tiny town of Coteau Holmes near the Atchafalaya Basin, knows its high-stakes implications. He also senses the ultimate futility of the work he has spent his life performing.

“The river’s constantly trying to change itself. We’re trying to control it,” he said. “One day, Mother Nature’s going to prevail. She’s going to have the ﬁnal say-so no matter what we do.”

‘The river is different

The Mississippi River built south Louisiana with its sediment. It is the reason New Orleans was founded. It supplies the region with drinking water provides jobs for its people and serves as one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. But it has always made for an uneasy bargain. Louisiana’s reliance on the Mississippi means the mighty river can take away as much as it gives — and both the state and the nation are reaching a moment of reckoning.

Decades of human interference with the river’s course fusing with the power of its natural ﬂuctuations have left south Louisiana vulnerable in myriad ways. Drinking water and infrastructure are increasingly threatened, the rapid disappearance of the land near its mouth poses risks to communities and shipping, and the battle to keep the river from shifting course is an ever-present challenge.

These are not far-off, theoretical problems. But public awareness of their serious, urgent challenges is scant.

New Orleans and its suburbs have already had to scramble to ﬁnd ways to deal with the threat of salt water moving up the river and corroding drinking water systems. Sea level rise, combined with the dredging of the river for shipping and breaks in its lower banks, is worsening the problem to the point that hundreds of millions of dollars may have to be spent to deal with it.

The Bird Foot Delta, the gangly splotches of land at the river’s mouth resembling its name, providing protection for shipping routes and communities farther inland, is sinking at an astonishing rate of about a half-foot per decade, and projected sea level rise will worsen it.

The delta has already lost more than half of its wetlands over the last century As it gradually withers in the decades ahead, the nation may have to decide how to maintain a reliable shipping route to enter and leave the Mississippi — at a potentially high cost and with signiﬁcant implications for global commerce.

Louisiana’s shipping interests are also ﬁghting to adapt in other ways. Growth in vessel size has led to the deepening of the river channel, and the Port of New Orleans is warning that it must build a new, expansive terminal and related infrastructure farther downriver in St. Bernard Parish in the face of opposition from residents.

The principal reason: Ships have become so large, with containers stacked so high, they cannot ﬁt under the 165-foot-high Crescent City Connection bridge crossing the river in New Orleans.

Underlying it all is the river’s course itself. It is constantly seeking to break through in its search for the fastest way to the Gulf, necessitating the elaborate Old River Control Structure north of Angola, keeping it from jumping course to the Atchafalaya River Its operations are currently being reassessed.

Below New Orleans, after the levees end, the river has broken through in spots more recently. There are beneﬁts to this in terms of land building in a state fast losing its coast, but shipping interests are worried and scientiﬁc modeling indicates it is worsening saltwater intrusion.

All of these issues are quietly intensifying in the background of south Louisiana’s daily existence, adding to the question facing coastal communities additionally threatened by land loss, storms and skyrocketing insurance rates: How long into the future can they remain viably livable, and at what cost?

It’s already preoccupying scientists, shipping leaders and the Corps of Engineers Two far-reaching studies are underway, and the results may serve as a test of whether the nation is prepared to address the concerns they identify

The two studies, both lasting ﬁve years and designed to complement each other, are delving into a wide spectrum of concerns along the lower Mississippi basin across parts of seven states.

In Louisiana, that means everything from the Old River complex to saltwater intrusion and underwater mudslides that endanger oil and gas infrastructure. Incorporated into them will be the changing river’s effects on the communities that rely upon it.

The Trump administration’s costcutting and rejection of the science surrounding climate change, meanwhile, may further complicate the challenge. One example on the horizon: The Corps’ study is not yet fully funded, not to mention solutions to the problems it identiﬁes.

It has been nearly a century since the lower river’s modern shape took form with the construction of the vast levee system and control structures that hold it in place — paradoxically protecting Louisiana from ﬂooding while setting its land loss crisis in motion Decisions taken in the near future in response to a new set of challenges will determine the river’s next era.

“Thomas Jefferson thought this was the most important place in North America,” said Donald Boesch, a respected coastal scien-

tist and New Orleans native who was instrumental in securing $22 million from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine for one of those sweeping studies, focusing particularly on the delta.

“That’s not changed. It’s really very important in terms of the national commerce in and out of the river to the world. That makes it strategically important for the nation. And then, with that, of course, is that the decisions we make also affect where and how long you can live.”

Sam Bentley, an LSU geologist co-leading the National Academysponsored study, said “none of these things are unconnected” while seeking to convey the importance of the moment. He noted that a century has passed since the last sweeping plan to manage the river

“The river is different. The Gulf of Mexico is different,” said Bentley, whose research on underwater mudslides around the Bird Foot has shed new light on the problem. “And so we need to have a new set of tools to manage it.”

‘A generational impact’

The giant blue cranes tower above the New Orleans riverbank, hovering next to a container ship stretching nearly three football ﬁelds long. Blue, red and yellow metal boxes rise atop its deck, stacked like mismatched Legos. Before arriving here, at the terminal at the end of Napoleon Avenue, the MSC Agrigento had been to ports in Mexico and Houston. It would later cross the Atlantic and make its way into the Mediterranean, with stops in Spain and Italy Ronald Wendel Jr stands nearby, aboard a Port of New Orleans ﬁre boat bobbing on the river currents talking about the past, present and future of the shipping industry in the city where he grew up.

“New Orleans was founded to have a port at the bottom of the Mississippi River,” said Wendel, the port’s acting CEO at the time, who recently left for the private sector “So everything about New Orleans started by being a port.”

At its heart, New Orleans has always been a port city, the main reason such a motley collection of cultures collided here, from the haunting history of enslaved African Americans to the arrival of Europeans with varying motivations.

The ﬁrst steamboat to work the river, beginning in 1811, was called the “New Orleans,” and at one point in the 19th century the city was considered the world’s fourthlargest port, Tulane geographer Richard Campanella noted But it has never been steady sailing, with fortunes ﬂuctuating like the river stages themselves.

The modern river took shape after the great ﬂood of 1927, whose biblical proportions left a permanent mark on Louisiana. Business interests played a major role in decision-making then, advocating for the river levee to be blown up south of New Orleans to protect the city eventually carried out, inundating St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes. It was later determined that the dynamiting essentially had no effect on New Orleans’ fortunes, as author John Barry explains in his monumental book “Rising Tide.” In the ﬂood’s aftermath, the nation embarked upon a project so

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFElD

The Marathon Garyville refinery and the Cargill Reserve Grain Terminal are reliant on the Mississippi River

STAFF FIlE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

The U.S Army Corps of Engineers dredges the Mississippi River near Baton Rouge in 2024, clearing out the muck buried below its surface so giant vessels stacked with freight can pass safely

STAFF FIlE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

A light brown plume of sediment at the very end of the Mississippi River flows out into the Gulf off the coast of south louisiana.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFElD

The Mac Ubery VIII container ship passes under the Crescent City Connection as it heads up the Mississippi River to the Port of New Orleans.

RELYINGONTHE RIVER

It has beena century since the modern lower Mississippi Rivertook shape.A convergence of issuesare requiring anew set of strategies central to Louisiana’sfate.

OLD RIVER CONTROL STRUCTURE: Controls the flow between the Mississippi and Atchafala ri entingthe

PORT OF NEW ORLEANS:The city haslong

Staffgra

Sources: CH2M Hi

splotche land at the end of the river are fast disappearing. Subsidence, erosionand sea levelrise are posing serious concerns for residents and shipping interests.

*Accordingtothe most severe scenario modeledbythe state

large and consequential that it changed Americanhistory.The MississippiRiver and Tributaries Projectbuiltthe levee system as it is known today,keeping the communities nexttoitsafefrom ﬂooding while providing areliable shipping lane.

Since that time, shipping along the river itself from Minneapolis on down has exploded fromaround 19 million tons in 1934 to 480 million in 2022 —anincrease of nearly 2,500%.Four Louisiana portsbetween Baton Rouge and the Gulf, including the Port of New Orleans, have regularly ranked among the top 15 in the nation.

Morethanhalfofthe nation’s grain exports pass through the Port of South Louisiana, situated betweenNew Orleans and Baton Rouge. But keeping up with the changing industry has alwaysbeen a challenge. Alitany of strategies have been contemplated over the years, including grand plansabandoned to history

They included “Centroport, USA,” an ambitious idea to relocate Port of New Orleans facilities to the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet andAlmonasterarea, with alock built in St. Bernard Parish. It was canceled in the 1980s, and the lock, opposed by St. Bernard, was never built. The MRGO, responsible for widespread wetlands destruction and blamed for funneling storm surge into the city during Hurricane Katrina, is now shut off with adam. Amovementalsotook shape, spurred in part by planning forthe

Ronald Wendel

once the Port of NewOrleans’ acting CEOwho recently leftfor the private sector,said,‘NewOrleans was founded to have aportatthe bottom of the Mississippi River.Soeverything about NewOrleans started by beinga port.’

1984 World’sFair,toredevelop New Orleans’ riverfront fortourism, conventions and otherpublic uses insteadofthe wharves for shipped goods. That movement eventually won out, helping lay the groundwork forprojects like theErnest N. MorialConventionCenter andthe Warehouse District, definitively setting New Orleans on atourismdependentcourse. Port business was also well on its way to being transformed through the growing use ofcontainer shipping. Anotherturning pointhas arrived. ThePortofNew Orleans

is banking on growthincontainer shipping forits business model, but the expanding size of vessels and what theycarry posesa dilemma. Ports like Mobile, Alabama, and Houstonthreaten to stealaway more of New Orleans’ business if thelargerships cannot pass beneaththe Crescent City Connection to the Napoleon Avenue terminal throughout theyear,they say Shipping interests have sought two waysofdealing with growing vessel sizes. One is aplan to build a new terminal downriver in St.Bernard andassociated roads andinfrastructure, eliminating the need

for the larger ships to navigate the bridge.

Those plans are moving forward, though St. Bernard ofﬁcials, again seeingthemselves as being bullied by NewOrleans,are firmly opposed, and Plaquemines Parish is proposing an alternative. It is unclear whetherSt. Bernard can derail the project.

Hundreds of millions in federal and state money have already been committed to it.One Port of New Orleans ofﬁcial said recently the port would be reduced to a“niche” role in theindustry withoutthe project, expected to cost at least $1.8 billion, though opponents contend it will be far higher Wendelsaidthe port hasspent many hours listening to St. Bernard residentsand making changes to bring themonboard.

“I’m anative New Orleanian. This is important to me. This is generational impact,” he said as the boat meanderedupriver from theCrescentCityConnectionand the cityskyline. “I reallywant my grandchildren to be telling their grandchildren one day that ‘oh, my grandfather wasa big part in helping keep the port growing.’”

‘Tofeedthe world’

The other strategy is not as immediatelynoticeable to residents, but so far has been more impactful, both because of shipping and its unintended effects. That has been to deepen the river itself

Thebiggerships have deeper drafts,causing largervessels to lighten their loads during certain times of theyear to travel upriver,

adding costs to thejourney —another threat to port business. Congress responded in the 1980s by providing theCorps withthe authority to deepen the lower river channel from 40 feet to 55 feet. The Corps proceeded in stages, ﬁrst going to 45, thento50, now completedtoDonaldsonville. Digging down to 55 feet is notonthe books.

But there wasacatch. Saltwater intrusionupthe Mississippi had occasionally been aproblem during low-water periods, even as far back as the1930s,but theCorps acknowledged the deepening project would worsen it. It is not aminor issue. More than amillionpeople in southLouisiana depend on the river fordrinking water. High salt content can pose risks for people with kidney diseaseorhighblood pressure, as well as infants and pregnant women.But that is only part of the concern. The region’swater infrastructure includes an unknown though certainly large—number of lead pipes threaded throughout their systems that salt water dangerously corrodes.

In New Orleans alone, the numberhas been estimated at over 50,000 —though 100,000 service lineshavebeen classiﬁedasunknown. One estimate shows Louisiana with nearly 267,000 service lines containing lead.

“Itwill increase the corrosion of thepipe,and that will also cause chemicals like lead from thepipe

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Jr.,

RIVER

Continued from page 11A

material to leach into our drinking water,” said Tiong Gim Aw, an expert in environmental health sciences at Tulane University.

Because of that, the Corps spelled out a plan to “mitigate” the effects — not solve it completely, but reduce it to the level it was before the deepening of the river

The plan included building an underwater barrier, or sill, in the Mississippi when necessary to block the salt water’s advance, though it would be constructed above lower Plaquemines Parish, leaving those coastal communities to cope with the problem in other ways.

But evidence is emerging that the saltwater problem is worsening more severely than envisioned because of the river deepening combined with other factors particularly breaks in the lower Mississippi’s banks bleeding out water

ﬂow. The barrier, or sill, has now had to be built three years in a row after having previously been necessary about once a decade.

The sill was also shown to be insufﬁcient in 2023. With river levels especially low, the sill slowed the salt water’s advance, but it was eventually overtopped, requiring the Corps to heighten it.

A notch was left in the middle of the sill to allow enough space for ships to pass, limiting trafﬁc to one way in that location. The disruption to shipping was minimal, said Sean Duffy executive director of the Big River Coalition, which advocates for commercial navigation interests.

It also set off panic in the New Orleans region, leaving officials to ﬁgure out how the metro area would be supplied with drinking water should the salt water reach treatment plants, as was being predicted. The White House declared a federal emergency

For a solution for that year alone, New Orleans planned to build a temporary pipeline stretching farther upriver, at a cost of up to a quarter of a billion dollars. It turned out not to be necessary, but it is widely acknowledged now that sea level rise may help worsen the problem as it gains pace.

Permanently upgrading treatment plants to deal with salt water would be an extreme cost. Replacing lead pipes also comes with a hefty price tag.

New Orleans would have to spend $1 billion to replace all of the city’s lead service lines by 2037, a deadline that had been set under the Biden administration, the Sewerage and Water Board estimates.

The Environmental Protection Agency says no level of lead should be considered safe in drinking water ‘Threat to health of populations’

There are other related problems. In lower Plaquemines, unprotected by the sill, the high salt content appears to have reacted with disinfectants normally used for drinking water That seems to have produced an unusually high

that around 3 feet of sea rise would see the wedge move 4 miles to 8 miles farther upriver reaching a given location three to six days sooner than it does today

Meselhe and his colleagues also ran modeling comparing 2023 conditions to 1994 data. The rudimentary results found that if no sill would have been built, the saltwater wedge would have advanced about 20 miles farther upriver in 2023.

Asked about the problem while out on the river, Wendel asserted that the port would always take the community’s interests in mind, but that saltwater intrusion has long been an issue, even before the recent deepening. As for the models showing it worsening he said experts at the Corps would have to answer those questions.

The crevasses’ effects on saltwater intrusion involve how they slow the river The weakened currents make it more difﬁcult for the river to push back the salt water moving up from the Gulf in the shape of a wedge along the bottom when the Mississippi is low A crevasse as large as Neptune Pass can also be a problem for navigation. The slower currents allow sediment to drop out and build up along the bottom, creating a hazard for vessels, leading the Corps to dredge in areas it hasn’t had to before. Its strong pull also produces a countercurrent posing dangers for ships.

level of disinfectant byproducts — collectively known as DBPs that can be harmful to health in cases of long-term exposure.

The parish’s Port Sulphur water system was hit with a violation by state authorities in part because of that. It was graded an “F” by the state Department of Health in 2023, also partly for that reason.

Aw, the environmental health expert, said high levels of DBPs in drinking water over many years can cause problems with the liver, kidneys or central nervous system. There may be an increased cancer risk, but there is no conclusive evidence, he said.

Plaquemines was better prepared in 2024, installing advanced ﬁltration machines using reverse osmosis technology at three plants in the lower parish But it is a costly, temporary solution, running an estimated $1 million per month to rent the machinery last year

Purchasing them and ensuring upkeep would be far more.

On the front lines of the problem, Plaquemines is instead planning other solutions, mainly expanding the capacity of its infrastructure to be able to pump more water from farther upriver But if those upriver plants were also affected, the parish would be back to relying on water brought in on barges and the filtration machines, parish officials say In Orleans and Jefferson parishes the filtration machines are inadequate to deal with the far larger

amounts of water consumed there.

A report compiled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency following the 2023 saltwater intrusion, obtained by The Times-Picayune | The Advocate, warns of the need to prepare for future occurrences and dire consequences.

“It was clear that a saltwater intrusion could precipitate a signiﬁcant if not severe threat to the health of populations involved and to the immediate- and long-term viability of the infrastructure and water systems themselves,” it said.

Modeling by both the Corps and academics has been delving into the challenge, including how best to build or position a sill to deal with it. Ehab Meselhe, a Tulane professor who has conducted a range of modeling independently and for the state, said the threat may become more severe if seas rise as predicted toward the end of the century

Some modeling, while rudimentary, has shown that around 5 inches of sea level rise could move the saltwater wedge a couple miles farther upriver, Meselhe said, though there’s also lots of uncertainty related to breaks in the lower Mississippi’s banks.

Projections for sea level rise along Louisiana’s coast by 2100 range far higher — from around 3.5 feet to roughly 9 feet above 2000 levels.

Analysis by the Corps of Engineers, also approximate, shows

“We need this to feed the world,” he said of shipping along the river, speciﬁcally naming grain exports from the Midwest. “The whole Mississippi River is not just the Port of New Orleans. There are ports all up and down this river bringing in deep-draft vessels all the way to Baton Rouge.”

Dangerous stretches

Indeed, new modeling is showing that three key factors are worsening saltwater intrusion when the river is low They include the deepening of the river for shipping, but also sea level rise and breaks in the lower river bank, weakening the Mississippi’s ﬂow

The biggest factor in the most recent academic modeling has been the breaks in the river bank far down in Plaquemines Parish, commonly referred to as crevasses, Meselhe said. One in particular, called Neptune Pass, has been taking as much as 16% of the river’s ﬂow since it drastically widened when the Mississippi was exceptionally high and powerful in 2019, notes coastal scientist Alex Kolker, who has closely studied the channel. In total, only 20% of the river’s water at New Orleans was making its way down through the three main channels in the Bird Foot to the Gulf, one study analyzing 2022 data determined.

Corps modeling so far also suggests the crevasses may be the most signiﬁcant factor in the recent worsening.

Finally, Corps modeling illustrates how sea level rise combined with the crevasses and land subsidence could be problematic, effectively deepening the breaks in the river and potentially creating new ones.

The good news concerning the crevasses is that partial solutions may exist. The Corps is planning to construct a sill to reduce the ﬂow of Neptune Pass while still allowing it to build land with sediment ﬂowing through it.

That plan has come as somewhat of a relief to coastal advocates who do not want it shut off completely For them, the crevasses are acting as natural river diversions, building land the way the Mississippi did before the levees were built. But that does not address sea level rise or the other existing and future crevasses. Reducing emissions and heading off the worst effects of climate change may be the only true solution when it comes to limiting rising seas.

The issue is in such ﬂux and poses so many risks that the Corps is planning to build a physical model on a section of the river to study saltwater intrusion and sill dynamics.

Mead Allison, a Tulane University geologist co-leading the National Academies study on the lower river, points out the range of emerging challenges, but said he nonetheless sees hope. He notes the gargantuan task of creating New Orleans in the ﬁrst place in what was essentially a swamp whose land was “jello.”

“And we managed a way to create a navigation channel through one of the most dangerous stretches for shipping

in the world, through

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

A marker for an oil pipeline that crisscrosses a canal near Empire.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFElD

Shipping commerce on the Mississippi River is constant daily

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Port Sulphur fishing camps are adjacent to Mardi Gras Pass. The Port Sulphur water system’s high salt content appears to have reacted with disinfectants normally used for drinking water An unusually high level of byproducts were detected that can be harmful to health in cases of long-term exposure.

the mouths of the Mississippi River, and New Orleans would have not ﬂourished,” he said over lunch on Tulane’s campus recently, not far from where the Mississippi begins its half-circle cradling the Crescent City

“There are a whole series of those kinds of emergencies that you would have said threaten the future of New Orleans And I have to feel like we’re going to come up with a solution to this one, right? There is a solution to this, and there are a lot of smart people working on it, and so we’re going to get there.”

‘We’re still people’

Justine DeMolle, wearing a blue ﬁshing shirt with her name embroidered above the pocket, hustles between her kitchen and the dining room at her restaurant, perched near the spot where Louisiana reaches its end.

She is not the type to make excuses or dwell on challenges, instead leaving her fate in God’s hands. Family pictures adorn the dining room along with a painting of the Last Supper and a cross with the words “Amazing Grace.”

The restaurant in Venice, almost as far south as you can go in Plaquemines Parish, is called Changes, and painted on the peachcolored outside wall is the motto: “One season at a time.”

But it hasn’t been easy for the 63-year-old since she bought the restaurant over six years ago. Business has ﬂuctuated. Fishing lodges nearby now provide their own food for guests, she said The oil companies that use the area for a base often do the same, and few residents from farther up the parish make the drive down to dine.

The saltwater intrusion that hit lower Plaquemines hard for a couple years in a row certainly didn’t help, though DeMolle is hesitant to make too much of it. She had to get rid of her fountain drink machine and sell bottles, and she could no longer serve tap water to customers, causing an increase in prices. She stopped selling her homemade sweet tea, and “that was a real big thing,” she said. Later, she said the water had a chemical-like taste. But she has not yet had to replace any corroding equipment, unlike others in the parish who have spent huge amounts of money doing so She understands Venice is particularly vulnerable and mentions she does not want to sound “selfish” — but wishes those in charge of dealing with the problem would explain “why you can’t protect me like you’re doing up the road.”

“I know it has a lot to do with New Orleans and all of those places, but we’re still people. We’re people and we live here,” said DeMolle, a mother of three who grew up in Buras about 20 minutes upriver. “I feel like, if you’re going to do it, just do it. Take care of where you have your people.”

Others have seen far more damage. That includes Dylan Butler, whose family owns the popular Venice Marina a short drive away, where a sign reading “Fishing Capital of the World” may not be much of an exaggeration. It serves as an ideal launching point for both inland and offshore ﬁshing, from freshwater species like largemouth bass to the red snapper that weave their way through the legs of Gulf oil platforms.

Butler, a 32-year-old former University of Louisiana at Lafayette baseball player said he could not venture to guess how much it all cost his family’s business and the wider fishing industry in lower Plaquemines, but that it was likely in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions. Commercial docks had to replace expensive ice machines Water pumps corroded. Supplying water to the restaurant, bar, rental camps and houseboat slips owned by his family’s marina was endlessly complicated.

“It takes over every aspect of what you have going business-wise and life-wise,” he said. “What you drink from how you get up to brush your teeth in the morning, to the water that is sent to your refrigerator.” Residents dealt with similar issues.

Relaxing on his porch in Venice with his wife and great-grandson, his shrimp boat on a trailer out front, Johnny Bourgeois said he had to replace two hot water heaters in 2023, spending about $1,200. They corroded and busted due to the salt water He spent months that year picking up bottled water from the nearby ﬁre station provided by the parish. He was grateful for it and said it was sufﬁcient, but getting through the day without a reliable drinking water supply was complicated.

It was better in 2024, but there were still periods when the water seemed to taste salty or like chemicals, he and other residents said.

“That’s the first couple years that I’ve seen it that bad,” said the 68-year-old retired shrimper and lifelong resident of the area, referring to 2022 and 2023. “Plenty people had to change their hot water heater their washer and dryer.”

‘Is this for society?’

Not far from Changes, the marina and Bourgeois’ house, the river reaches its end — and the root of many of Louisiana’s problems related to the mythic waterway reveals itself.

It is here, at what is known as the Bird Foot Delta, that the Mississippi completes its 2,350-mile journey and tumbles into the Gulf, the work of draining more than 40% of the contiguous United States complete.

What remains of its muddy ﬂow splinters off into three principal directions, the wisps of land encasing it simultaneously sinking and being washed away

It can feel like the end of the world past these withering wetlands, once so labyrinth that European explorers had trouble ﬁnding the river’s mouth. Beyond them, the turbid, green waters of the Gulf are wide open, oil and gas structures like space stations in the distance.

Signs of the sinking and disappearing land are everywhere. The rusty Pass a Loutre lighthouse, moved here in 1855, stands on a narrow shifting sandbar Its door has sunken beneath the sands, the ﬂight of steps inside of it drowning in the Gulf’s waters Farther inland, along South Pass, where James Eads’ construction of jetties transformed river shipping in the late 19th century, there is more of the same.

The steps leading down from the door of South Pass Light at Port Eads plunge into the water, illustrating how far the rusted, white landmark has sunk into the subsiding ground. Later, by around 1910, shipping companies had already needed a deeper channel and concentrated on the adjacent Southwest Pass, which now ushers towering tankers and container ships from across the globe into the river and back out again.

The Corps’ dredging budget for the Mississippi from Baton Rouge

to the Gulf for the 2024 ﬁscal year was $228 million by far the largest dredging program in the country, including Red Eye Crossing, where Mayo Broussard helped stand watch. It removes roughly 46 million cubic yards a year of sediment from that stretch, enough to ﬁll 10 Superdomes. Nearly half of it comes from Southwest Pass alone.

The funding is not always enough, particularly if the river runs unusually high and more extensive dredging is necessary Corps spokesperson Ricky Boyett said the agency works with whatever it gets and makes do, sometimes delaying less urgent projects if needed. There is a beneﬁt to all of that digging beyond shipping The Corps reuses a large portion of the mud dredged from Southwest Pass to build land along the 22-mile channel in the vanishing Bird Foot, though much of it eventually disappears again.

Taking into account land loss, the Corps has built roughly 750 net acres per year since 2010 through what is ofﬁcially known as “beneﬁcial use.”

“We’ve done enough of that activity in the last 15-20 years that we’re actually seeing a net land gain in areas serviced by Southwest Pass or areas adjacent to Southwest Pass,” said Jeff Corbino, an environmental specialist with the Corps. “So we have the setting where everything’s sinking around us, but we’re outpacing the rate of subsidence.”

The Corps does not do it as a charitable contribution. Building up the surrounding land helps allow it to keep the riverine highway into the nation’s heartland open.

“It’d be extremely difficult for us to maintain a 50-foot-deep channel for 30 miles of open gulf before we hit deep water,” Corbino, 50, said while aboard the Hurley after watching its dustpan dredge descend into the river’s depths. “If we let that marshland subside and disappear, we would have a tremendous problem maintaining that channel.”

Duffy, of the Big River Coalition, said the importance of maintaining Southwest Pass cannot be overstated.

He dismissed talk of seeking to reposition the river’s main entry and exit, calling it simply unrealistic, though a range of academics and others have said the possibility must be studied considering future projections.

When the river was deepened to 50 feet, the Corps spelled out a compelling economic case. Its cost-benefit analysis was 7.2 to 1 meaning the economic benefits outnumbered the costs by that much, and that was prior to the huge liquefied natural gas plant being built in Plaquemines Parish.

But when it comes to the Bird Foot, it is a race against time, and time may eventually win. The state is also pursuing its own plan to restore part of the delta, but with sea level rise driven by climate change projected to further gain pace toward the end of this century, how long before it risks overwhelming these already fragile wetlands?

Down off the Bird Foot, Richie Blink navigates his skiff among the jetties, lighthouses and oil and gas installations. The 38-year-old, a former Plaquemines Parish Council member oil industry boat operator and son of a shrimper, now conducts tours to draw attention to Louisiana’s severe land loss crisis.

His boat is named after an area lost to erosion, Dry Cypress. He said the Corps should think more creatively and work to build land, even if it means narrowing shipping lanes, and laments what he sees as industry’s overwhelming inﬂuence.

“We’re still operating like it’s the 1880s and we can’t afford to do that,” he said after having motored his skiff into South Pass behind a shrimp trawler, its green nets splayed out to the sides like a bat’s wings. “Who are we doing this for?

Is this for the tugboat company, or is this for society?”

‘Lifeblood of this country’

Mayo Broussard pulls out a cigarette as he exits the boat bringing him back to dry land, joking with other Corps workers familiar with his rascally persona. He is nearing retirement, and he mentions he’d like to tell his story while he still remembers it.

His life and career stand as a symbol of the intertwined existence of Louisiana and the Mississippi. The Atchafalaya Basin, where the Mississippi once ran, was his backyard as a kid, and he recalls drifting in a pirogue, taking in the sounds of the swamp and little else.

He followed his father and other family members into the dredging profession, beginning in the summers when he was a kid as a dishwasher and all-around helper sometimes sleeping on the quar-

terboats that housed workers.

“It was a family atmosphere,” Broussard said, unspooling his long experience in his raspy voice. “A lot of that intrigued me.”

His early jobs were with private companies wherever they’d send him, from the river to the Gulf and beyond, as far away as Asia. But he was given a tragic reminder of the hazards of the job when his dad was severely hurt and permanently disabled in a work accident aboard a dredge off Beaumont, Texas.

He said he wished he had “half the toughness” of his father, who lived into his 90s despite the accident. Broussard went to work in the industry full time when he turned 18.

An old timer informed him of the basics: “It ain’t pretty, it don’t smell good, but you got to have it,” he said. “I’m thinking, ‘What the hell is he talking about?’ And he started explaining about, when you’re moving volume, the cheapest way to do it is by water.”

The Vietnam veteran admits to having had a hard time balancing the demanding schedule requiring him to be away from home for long stretches, recalling some choice words an ex-wife had for him. He jokes that at times the job has been his “mistress.”

“Basically the doctor told me that if I didn’t change my lifestyle, that I probably wouldn’t make it to 45,” Broussard said. With that in mind, he made the jump to the Corps in 1988, inspecting work sites and informing his superiors that he did not want a desk job.

He became a senior construction representative, overseeing inspectors and quality assurance, “making sure the taxpayer gets his bang for the buck.”

He’s set to retire later this year

He wants to spend his time afterward on a houseboat and move anytime anybody gets close, though he also enjoys being around his 16 grandchildren and one greatgrandchild.

He’s grateful to the Corps, which has provided him with a good, steady living, and, by extension, to the river itself. His existence, like Louisiana’s, has depended upon it.

“It’s the lifeblood of this country man — the Mississippi,” Broussard said. “Always has and always will be.”

Email Mike Smith at msmith@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

A wall of sinking rocks is at the end of the Mississippi River not far from the South Pass lighthouse along coastal louisiana.

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Richie Blink peeks into an upper window at the Pass a loutre lighthouse near the mouth of the Mississippi River The actual doorway to the lighthouse has sunk below the waterline where he is standing

STAFF FIlE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

The U.S Army Corps of Engineers dredges the Mississippi River near Baton Rouge in July 2024.

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

Johnson, Scalise make bigpushfor ‘big,beautiful bill’

WASHINGTON —House Speaker

Mike Johnson and his chief lieutenant, House MajorityLeader

Steve Scalise, both of whom favor football metaphors, ﬁnd themselves in aclutch drive to push their “one big, beautiful bill” into the end zone.

But the two LSU boys wholead the lower chamber have an unbalanced line.Some ultra-conservative Republicansare pulling one way and some moderate GOP representatives are thrusting the other

The friction threatens to scuttle the single spending instrument that is chock-full of President Donald Trump’slegislativewants for the next decade.

Heading between meetings, Scalise pointed out that thelegislation has alot of moving parts— each one withaconstituency that needs to approve the languageon their speciﬁc issue.

“This always happens when you have abig bill like this. There’re always some ﬁnal details to work out,” Scalise said. Each step is fraught with hurdles.

First, the “titles” from 11 House committees must be merged into asingle measure, properly called abudget reconciliation bill. The House Budget committee Friday voted it down with 16 yeas to21 nays, which included ﬁveRepublicans. But the bill likely will be

House cries foul in legislative basketball

State senators and representatives frequently ﬁnd themselves at odds during the legislative session over taxes, the budget, education policy and the like.

Add anew topic of dispute —basketball.

“The Senate cheated,” said state Rep. Dixon McMakin of Baton Rouge, referring to the outcome of the annual House v. Senate basketball game known as Hoopla.

“Wewere playing against teenagers. It was astacked deck,” said state Rep. Matthew Willard of New Orleans.

Mark Ballard CAPITOL BUZZ staff reports

reconsidered SundayorMonday If it passes then, theHouse Rules committee needs to approve it before the full House gets avote.

Thelegislation,ifpassed by the House, goes to theGOP majority Senate, whose members already have said they plan somemajor rewrites.

Thebill then likely will require further negotiations between the chambers on language that all the Republicanscan approve —and thus avoidDemocrats having input.

children,” McMakin said to laughter in the Senate chamber.

Senators are always at a disadvantage during Hoopla because there are39senators and 105 House members, and senators tend to be older.

To be clear,McMakin and Willard made the statements tongue-in-cheek, or at least somewhat. It was, after all, only agame of basketball. The two chambers play for charity —and bragging rights.

The ofﬁcial score showed the Senate won, 51-40. But, as McMakin noted, when he and two other House members brought the trophy to the Senate on Monday,actual senators scored only 13 of the 51 points.

“Congratulations Sen. Reese, Sen. Talbot, Sen. Bass and to your wives for making very ﬁne athletic

So theytypically draftringers.Former Sen. RickWard of PortAllen played this yearagain, and he still hasmoves. Whatwas differentthis yearwas theextensive play of MikeReese’s 16-year-old son Greyden, Kirk Talbot’s21-year-oldson Michaeland Ryan Ward,anLSU student who is aclose friend of Adam Bass’ family Greyden outjumped the House members, and allthreeyoungsters racedupand down the court while the House members,ahem, chugged up and down.

“I was out of breath,” said Rep. Tehmi ChassionofLafayette,the leading scorer for theHouse with nine points. Willard, awhirling dervish onthe court,contributed eight.

Sen. Blake MiguezofNew Iberia ledthe senatorswith nine points.

Chassion showed video to areporterofSen. Caleb KleinpeterofPortAllen signaling forseveral young-

Republican leaderschose to advance Trump’slegislative agenda using reconciliation rules that allows Congress to attach language as it relatestospending. The method would allow asimple majority to pass thebill rather than requiring 60 votes in the Senate, whereRepublicans hold 53 of the 100 seats.

Moderate Republicans arearguing thatdeep spending cuts in Medicaid, redirecting funding for Biden-era climate change incentives, and refusing to allow an abundant deduction for state and

sters to enter the game with the House ahead, 4-0.

“The Senate does what it has to do,” Kleinpeter said later,withalaugh.

Rep. John Illg of Metairie, who oversees Hoopla, said theyought to institutearule whereasenator’s child can play only if the senator is on the courtatthe same time

But he noted,withthe help of the New Orleans Pelicans,the gameraised $25,000 to refurbish abasketball court in alegislator’s district.Willard won the draw,and he said themoney will go to Harris Playground in Gentilly Woods “It was anice event,” Illg said.

LSU grad to run Postal Service

The new leader of theU.S. PostalService is an LSU graduate.

David Steiner,who graduated LSU with an accounting degree in 1982, was named Postmaster General by theU.S. Postal Service BoardofGovernors. He has been thechief executive ofﬁcer of WasteManagement for thepast dozen years and is amember of FedEx’s board.

In astatement announcing Steiner’sappointment,USPS ofﬁcials praised his tenure at Waste Management,saying he “is credited with leading tremendous change in the organization, transforming operations and culture

local taxes will comeback to haunt themnext year whenthey face reelection in their largely purple districtsand thereby endanger the narrow Republican congressional majorities.

Conservatives see the current GOPmajoritiesasaprime opportunity to demand deeper cuts in Medicaid and food stamps, plus quicker elimination of energy tax credits.

The bill’s$5trillion in proposed cutspartially offset its increased costs. The future of Medicaid has been the focus of attention nationally —and Louisiana in particular,becauseathird of the state relies on the state-federal health care insurance. Louisiana providers are still sorting out just how the spending cutsinthe 160-page title would impact the state’slow-incomepeople.

Initial calculations by the bipartisan Congressional Budget Ofﬁceindicate that about 8million Americans would lose coverage from the changes to Medicaid, plus millions more with rollbacks to the Affordable Care Act.

One majorengagement in the overall battle doesn’treally involve Louisiana.

Members representing wealthier states want to raise alimit on federal deductions allowed for taxes paid to state and local governments, called SALT.

Starting in 2026, the cap disappears, allowing ﬁlers to deduct the state and local taxes they paid throughout the year —atgreat costtothe national treasury,spur-

and delivering strong ﬁnancial results.

“Dave is ahighly regarded leader and executive with tremendous vision, experience and skill that can be applied tothe long-term mission and business needs of the Postal Service,” said Amber McReynolds, chair of the BoardofGovernors. Postalunions fear that, in taking the position ﬁrst held by Benjamin Franklin nearly 250 years ago, Steiner will move towardprivatizing the quasi-public institution that is largely self-funded and delivers mail to almost170 million addresses.

Steiner joins LSU alums in top federal government jobs, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton;House MajorityLeader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson; and U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge and chair of the powerful Senate HealthEducation Labor &Pensions committee.

Jim Brown ends weekly column

In 2004, Jim Brown began writing aweekly column to vent at what he called his unjust conviction and six monthsinprison, from actions while he was Louisiana’sinsurance commissioner Soon enough, Brown discovered that he liked writing the column and branched off ontoavariety of other topics —including

ring effort by ﬁscal conservatives to reinstate the cap. Republicans from wealthier states want ahigher cap. Both sides are arguing over where that limit should be set and for how long.

The “big, beautiful bill” is 1,116 pages and, if passed as it sat before the budget committeevoted, would put $46.5 billion toward completing the wall along the Mexican border; $45 billion for building immigrant detention centers; plus $150 billion more for the military.Italso would include an increase for the child tax credit; make tips and overtimetax deductible; and allow tax deductions for interest on loans to buy American-made cars.

The big-ticket item is renewal of the 2017 tax breaks that was Trump’ssignature legislation during his ﬁrst term. Extending those tax breaks, whichare set to expire, would add about $4.5 trillion to the $36.2 trillion national debt. But the average Louisiana taxpayer could face an increase of $2,135 if the bill doesn’tpass, according to the National Taxpayers UnionFoundation, aWashingtonbased conservative advocate on taxing issues.

“Wedeliver on all of President Trump’spriorities,” Scalise said as he headed off for another meeting. The talks have “narrowed down to ahandful of issues that need to be ﬁxed.”

EmailMark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.

stories from his 24 years as an elected ofﬁcial in Louisiana, colorful personalities he met along the wayand also everyday concerns that sparked his interest as afather and grandfather

Two weeks ago, Brownannounced he had written his ﬁnal column.

“Besides these weekly ramblings, I’ve been able to tuck seven books into my portfolio,” he wrote. “I haven’tgained alot in personal renumeration, but Ihope Ihave been able to continue receiving my readers’ respect.”

The nearly 1,100 columns were published in smalltownnewspapers throughout Louisiana and on his website.

In an interview,Brown noted that he had just turned 85 and is recovering from acar accident.

He said he was no longer willing to devote the time needed to research and write 52 columns ayear

“I like to paint and wasn’t painting enough because I got bogged downwith my column,” Brownsaid. “I didn’texercise enough. I just wanted to have timeto do other things.”

Those other things include four children and seven grandchildren, and

he also keeps an eye on the grandchildren of Steve Carter,his former brotherin-law,and his brother,both of whom have died. Brownmakes apoint of sending ahandwritten note to each of them on holidays. Over the years, Brown wrote about his encounters with former Gov.Edwin Edwards, former President Bill Clinton, musician Jerry Lee Lewis and the Rev Jimmy Swaggart.

“When (chef)Paul Prudhomme died, Iwrote about my relationship with him and the world of food,” Brownsaid. “I wrote about [trumpet player] Al Hirt whotraveled on my campaign bus when Iran for governor in 1987.” Brownlost that election. He previously served as astate senator from Ferriday,which is where he met Jerry Lee Lewis, and as secretary of state. In the 1990s, he wasinsurance commissioner Along the way,Brownhas operated Lisburn Press, which has published some 50 books (including “Long Shot,” about the 2015 governor’srace, written by Advocate reporter Tyler Bridges and journalist Jeremy Alford).

Asked what he’ll miss mostabout the column, Brownsaid, “Itwas very rewarding to see people say how much they enjoyed it and shared it with family members.”

Brown

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J. SCOTT APPlEWHITE

Speaker of the House MikeJohnson, R-Benton, right, and House Majority leader Steve Scalise,R-Jefferson

Trumptells Walmarttoeat costsfromtariffs

Presidentwarns retailer to notup prices because of hislevies

BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald TrumponSaturday ripped intoWalmart, saying on social media that the retail giant should eat the additional costscreated by his tariffs.

As Trump has jacked up import taxes, he has tried to assure askeptical public that foreign producers would pay for those taxes and that retailers and automakers would absorb the additional expenses.Most economic analyses are deeply skeptical of those claims and have warned that the trade penalties would worsen inﬂation. Walmart warned on Thursday that everything from bananas to children’s carseats could increase in price.

Trump, in his Truth Social post, lashed out at the retailer,which employs 1.6 million people inthe United States.Hesaidthe company, based in Bentonville, Arkan-

sas, should sacriﬁce itsprofits for the sake of his economic agenda that he says will eventually lead to more domestic jobs in manufacturing “Walmart should STOP tryingtoblame Tariffsas the reason for raising prices throughout the chain,” Trump posted.“Walmart made BILLIONS OF DOLLARS last year,far more thanexpected. Between Walmart andChina they should, as is said, “EAT THE TARIFFS,”and not charge valued customers

ANYTHING. I’ll be watching, and so will your customers!!!”

The posting by theRepublican president reflected the increasinglyawkward series of choices that many major American companies face as aresult of his tariffs, from deteriorating sales to thepossibility of incurring Trump’swrath. Trump has similarly warned domestic automakers to not raise their prices, even though outside analyses say his tariffs would raiseproduction costs.

So far,those tariffs have darkenedthe moodofan otherwise resilient U.S. economy. The preliminary reading of the University of Michigansurveyofconsumersentiment on Friday slipped to its second lowest measure on record, with roughly 75% of respondents “spontaneously” mentioning tariffs as they largely expected inﬂation to accelerate.

In April, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon was among theretailexecutives who met with Trump at theWhite

House to discuss tariffs. But theTrump administration went forward despite warnings and has attacked other companiessuchasAmazon and Apple that are struggling with the disruptions to their supply chains.

Walmart chief financial officer John David Rainey said he thinks $350 car seats madeinChina will soon cost an additional $100, a29% price increase.

“We’re wired to keep prices low, but there’salimit to whatwecan bear,orany retailerfor that matter,” he told The Associated Press on Thursdayafterthe company reported strong ﬁrst-quarter sales.

The administration recently ratcheteddownits 145% tariffs on China to 30% for a90-dayperiod.Trump has placed tariffs as high as 25% on Mexico andCanada due to illegal immigration and drug trafﬁcking, harming the relationship with America’stwo largest trading partners.

There is auniversal baseline tariff of 10% on most countries as Trump promises to reach trade deals in thecoming weeksafter having shocked the financial markets in early April by charging higher import

Judgestrikes workplaceprotections fortrans workers

BY CLAIRE SAVAGE

The Associated Press

Afederal judgeinTexasstruck down guidance from agovernment agency establishing protections againstworkplace harassment based on gender identityand sexual orientation.

Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas on Thursday determined that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission exceeded its statutory authority when the agency issued guidance to employersagainst

deliberately using the wrong pronouns for an employee, refusing them access to bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity, and barringemployees from wearingdress code-compliantclothing according to their gender identity because theymay constituteforms of workplace harassment

Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects employees and job applicants from employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sexand national origin.

The EEOC, whichenforces workplace anti-discrimination laws,had updated its guidance on workplace

harassment in April of last year underPresidentJoe Bidenfor the ﬁrst timein25years. It followed a2020 Supreme Court rulingthat gay, lesbian and transgender people are protectedfrom employment discrimination.

Texas and the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank behind Project 2025, in August challenged the guidance, which the agency says servesasatool for employers to assesscompliance with anti-discriminationlaws and is not legally binding. Kacsmaryk disagreed,writing that the guidance creates “mandatory standards

from which legal consequences will necessarily ﬂow if an employer fails to comply.”

The decision marks the latest blow to workplace protections for transgender workers following President Donald Trump’sJan. 20 executive order declaring that the governmentwould recognizeonly two “immutable” sexes —male and female.

Kacsmaryk, a2017 Trumpnominee, invalidated all portions of the EEOC guidance that deﬁnes“sex” to include “sexual orientation” and “genderidentity,” along with an entire sectionaddressing the subject.

taxes based on trade deficits with other countries. Trumpinsists he intends to preservethe tariffs as a revenue source and that a framework agreementwith theUnited Kingdom would largely keep the 10% tariff rate in place.

Trumphas also placed import taxesonautos, steel and aluminum and plans to do so on pharmaceutical drugs, among other products.

The tariffs andTrump’s own reversalsonhow much he should charge have generated uncertaintyacross the U.S. economy, such that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell hasheldthe central bank’sbenchmark rates steadyuntil there is more clarity.Powell haswarned that tariffscan both hurt growth and raise prices. On Saturday,Trumprepeated his calls forPowell to cut the benchmark rates. That could cause inflation to accelerate, butthe president has maintained that inﬂationarypressures have largely disappeared from the economy “Too Late Powell, aman legendary for being Too Late, will probably blow it again —But whoknows???” Trump posted on TruthSocial.

SUNDAY NEWS SHOWS

ABC’s“This Week”: Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.;Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif NBC’s“Meet the Press”: Former Vice President Mike Pence; Treasury SecretaryScott Bessent;Sen.Chris Murphy,D-Conn. CNN’s“State of the Union”: Bessent; Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C. CBS’ “Face the Nation”: Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Sen. Chris VanHollen, D-Md.; former Defense Secretary Robert Gates. “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.; House Speaker Mike Johnson,R-Benton; Adam Boehler,U.S. special envoy for hostage response.

The Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS FIlE PHOTO By DAVIDZAlUBOWSKI

President DonaldTrump on Saturdayripped into Walmart, saying on social media that the retail giantshould eat the additional costs created by his tariffs.

Study: Many La.studentsbehindinreading

Andmostfailtocatch up by thirdgrade

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

More than half of Louisiana children from poor families start kindergarten without basic reading skills —and most fail tocatch up by third grade,a critical year for literacy development, according to anew study

The study by researchers at Tulane University has alarming implications for the 75% of kindergarten students in Louisiana public schoolswho qualify as economically disadvantaged. Many of thosechildren will face readingdifﬁculties from the moment they start school,and alarge share will continue to struggle years later

“Weare seeing that there’sa group of kids who start kindergarten way behind —and stay behind,” said Tulane Early Childhood Policy Research Lab Director Lindsay Weixler, who conducted the analysis withAlicia Gerry and TynesiaFields. The group, which received afederal grant, partnered with the Louisiana Department of Education

The study also points to a powerful preventative measure: preschool. Poor students whoattend prekindergarten aretwice as likely to enter kindergarten with foundational reading skills, comparedwith 4-year-olds whostay home, the researchers found.

The ﬁndings are based on an analysis of economically disadvantaged students’ scores on an assessment called DIBELS,which tests kindergarteners’ ability to

Q&A WITH lINDSAyWEIXlER

TUlANE EARlyCHIlDHOOD POlICy RESEARCH lAB DIRECTOR

recognize letters and sounds, and elementary school students’ ability to soundout words and read sentences. Under state law,Louisiana public schools must give the assessment to students in grades K-3.

Studentswith the lowest scores are labeled “well below level” and considered signiﬁcantly at risk for readingdifﬁculties. Beginning this year,anew state law says that third graders who fall in that category can beforced to repeat the grade.

More than 50% of studentsfrom low-incomefamilies score “well below” theexpectedreading level when they start public kindergarten, according to theanalysis of data from the2023-24 school year.Asthe report putsit, “these children arriveatkindergarten without basic literacy skills.”

Many of them struggle to catch up. Only 20% of economically disadvantaged studentswho were behind in kindergarten became proﬁcient readers by thirdgrade, as measured by their English scores on the stateLEAP test. By contrast, 46% of students who entered kindergarten with basic reading skills met expectations on the third grade English test.

Weixler said that because the DIBELS test only became mandatory in 2023, the analysis of students’ progress from kindergarten tothird grade is based on older data from studentswho started school in 2012 and 2013. It’spossible that schools today do abetter job of helping students advance than they did adecade ago. Still, she said, thestudy calls into question the new law that will

require struggling readers to repeat thirdgrade.

Below,Weixler discusses her ﬁndings andhow to help off-track students. The interview has been condensed and edited forclarity

What happenstostudents who startkindergarten behind in reading?

By themiddle of ﬁrst grade, only athird of students whoare economically disadvantaged are still scoring “well below.” But of that one-third of kids, the overwhelming majority were already well below at kindergarten entry

So this is astory not of kids who are falling behind or falling off track. It’sastory of kids whoare having areally hard timecatching up when they’re starting so far behind.

Whyare students fromlow-income families starting behind?

There’ssome really great research nationallyshowing that when we talk about opportunity gaps and achievement gaps, much of that gap is already present at kindergarten entry between lower-income kids and their higherincome peers.

Lookingwithin Louisiana’s data, we see it too. That quarter of kids who are not economically disadvantaged, on average, they are doing better at kindergarten entry and at every point in time we’ve measured.

What did you find about the importance of preschool?

This is not acausal study of whether pre-K participation caused students to have greater literacy skills at kindergarten entry. Butwedosee apretty strong correlation here.

The data indicate that, on average, kidsare doing better at kindergarten entry if they have been to pre-K. And Ithink, anecdotally,you hear from schools and teachers that they feel like kids are just moreprepared to be in aclassroom and moreprepared

WE’RE ASKING EXPERTS ACROSS THESTATEHOW TO TACKlE THEBIGGEST CHAllENGES FACINGlOUISIANA SCHOOlS.

to be in aschool environment if they’ve been to pre-K

When you don’tstart supporting kids’ education until they enter kindergarten, you’re starting really late in the game. Should the state encouragemore families to send their kids to pre-K?

One of the things that’sreally stark to me is when we look at kids whose parents report that they were at homefor their preKyear,which is about 25% of Louisiana kindergartners. Threefourths of those kids, if they are economically disadvantaged, are scoring well below the benchmarkwhen they enter kindergarten.

They are just really unlikely to have these kindergarten readiness skills as measured by the DIBELS. So Idothink that, as a state, we should be working to provide access to pre-K programs to any family that wants to send their child.

Based on your findings, what do youthink about the newthird grade reading law?

If they werebehind at kindergarten entry and spent four years struggling to learn to read, Idon’t think another year of third grade is likely to solve the problem

My general understanding of the research is that these kind of policies that hold kids back based on test scores don’tset those kids up forsuccess downthe line. What these data are showing us is that we need earlier intervention. There’sawealth of other research that supports that birth to age 5isacritical window forcognitive development and language development.

Ithink the answer is, if we want to see these kids proﬁcient at third grade, we’ve got to start much earlier in supporting kids and families.

Email Patrick Wall at patrick. wall@theadvocate.com.

Weixler

AN LSUGRAD

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Hikersurvivedbyforaging, drinking melted snow

Womandescribes ordeal aftergoing missing in Calif. wilderness

BY JAIMIE DING Associated Press

LOS ANGELES A28-year-old

womandescribed Friday how she survived for weeks outdoors in California’s eastern Sierra Nevada by foraging for food and drinking melted snow after asolo camping trip wentawry during harsh winter weather

Tiffany Slatondetailed her ordeal during anews conference with theFresnoCounty Sheriff’s Department,two days after she was found in a cabin that the owner had left unlocked in case wayward hikers needed shelter.Authorities said she hadbeen there for only eight hours before the cabin’sowner arrived and discovered her Slaton described being caught in an avalanche at one point, causing her to fall and hurt her leg. Shedidn’t say which day that happened. She had abicycle, a

tent, two sleeping bags and food, she said, but she ended up losing all of her equipment, leaving herwith only alighter,aknifeand some snacks. She didn’tdescribe howshe lost hertentorother gear

Aftershe fell, Slaton said she tried calling 911 five timeswithnosuccess but got aGPS signal on her phone

“I ended up on this very long, arduous journey that Ijournaled to try and keep saneand eventually managed to gettocivilization,”

shesaid

Authorities called her survival stunning given the conditions. The cabin was more than 20 miles from where she had last been seen, and the mountains were covered in up to 12 feet of snow in some areas.

“I wouldhave never anticipated her in my wildest dreams being able to get back asfar as shedid,” Sheriff John Zanoni said. Slaton had beenonanextendedbiking and backpacking trip that also included time in Oregon, department spokesman Tony Botti said. Herjourney took hertothe

TiffanySlaton, ahiker found in the HighSierraafter going missing forthree weeks, speaks during anewsconference on Friday in

Sierras, where she decided to make the trektothe Mono Hot Springs before meeting afriend in mid-April, he said. She was lastseen on April20byasecurity camera near HuntingtonLake, an unincorporated mountain community,riding on a bicycle and also sittingona

sidewalk withabackpack. Slaton’s parents, wholive in Georgia,reported her missing on April 29 after they hadn’theard from her in aweek.

Slaton, who was acompetitivearcher in her homecountry of Bermuda,said her athleticism and foraging knowl-

edge helped her survive. She had somesnacks on her but eventually ran out. The owner of Vermilion Valley Resort, Christopher Gutierrez, said his staff left cabin doors unlocked during the winter in case someone needed shelter during the frequent mountain snow-

storms. His backcountry lodgesitsinthe Sierra Nevada about halfway between Yosemite andSequoia and Kings Canyonnational parks andisafrequentstopfor hikers on the John Muir and Paciﬁc Crest trails.

Slatonfound safe havenin one of those cabins during an intense snowstorm where all she could see waswhite,she said. It wasjust eight hours later that Gutierrez arrived to open the cabin for the season, authorities said.

“If he hadn’tcomethat day,Ithink they would have found my body there,” Slaton said.

Twodaysearlier,the Fresno County Sheriff’s ofﬁcecalledoff asearch that had covered morethan600 square miles of the Sierra NationalForest,withno luck. Searchers were hampered by heavy snow blocking many roads. Slatonemerged battered and bruised from the cabin Wednesday When she saw Gutierrez, she ran up to him to give him ahug.

“I really do have anew faith in humanity,” Slaton said of surviving her ordeal.

Keymoments from firstweekofCombs’sex traffickingtrial

By The Associated Press

NEW YORK Testimony in the sex trafficking trial of hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs began this week, opening awindow into what prosecutors say was the sordid world of group sex, drugs and violence beneath the glittering, jet set persona cultivated by the Bad Boy Records founder

Much of the testimony was hard to watch. Combs’ exgirlfriend, Cassie, recounted being beaten and pressured into degrading sexual performances with strangers.

Here are five key moments from the trial, which resumes Monday: Defensearguments

Lawyer Teny Geragos took anovel approach to defending Combs in her opening statement.

She conceded the hip-hop impresario has a“bad temper” and is prone toviolent outbursts that are often fueled by alcohol, jealousy and drugs.

But she maintained that while his actions might have warranted domestic violence charges, they aren’tproof he engagedinsex trafﬁcking and racketeering —the charges he faces.

Geragos argued that Combs’ sexual habits were part of aswinger lifestyleinvolving consentingadults and reminded jurors that “kinky” sexual predilectionsdon’t equate to sex trafﬁcking.

“Sean Combs is acomplicated man. But thisisnot a complicated case,” she said. “This case is about love, jealousy,inﬁdelity and money.”

Jurors sees videoofattack

The packed courtroom fell silent whenjurors were

Jurors also heard from DanielPhillip,who said he was aprofessional stripper paid to have sexwith Cassie whileCombs gave instructions. He testified thathe once sawCombs drag Cassie by her hair as she screamed. Combs, Cassie messages Defense lawyers, during their crossexamination of Cassie, sought to cast the musician as an enthusiastic participant in thesex marathons.

“I’malways ready to freak off,” shewrote in one 2009 message read in court.

Later that year,however, Cassie expressed frustra-

tion with the state of their relationship and told Combs she needed something more from him than sex.

In a2017 textmessage Cassie told Combs: “I love our FOs when we both want it,” using the initials of freakoff. On the stand,Cassieexplained: “I wouldsay loving FOs were just words at that point.”

Dawn Richard’stestimony Dawn Richard, aformer castmember on Combs’ MTVreality show“Making the Band,” testiﬁed that she saw Combs physically attack Cassieonmultiple occasions.

During a2009 incident in hishome, Richard said Combs tried to strike Cassie in the head with ablack skilletbefore he put his arm around her neck and dragged her up the stairs. “I wasscaredfor herand scared to do anything,” she said. “I had never seen anything like that before.” Richard, whowas later amember of the Combs’ band Diddy —Dirty Money, sued the producer last year, accusing him of physical abuse, groping, andpsychological abuse during the years they worked together His representative denied the claims at the time.

shown security camera video of Combs assaulting Cassie in aLos Angeles hotel in 2016.

The videodepicts Cassie, an R&B singer, headed down ahallway towardthe hotel’s elevatorsjustbeforeCombs rounds acorner,strikes her andthrows her tothe ground before kicking her and then dragging her back toward their hotel room

Jurors also viewedphotographsofdamageinthe hotel hallway,including flowers strewn on thefloorand soil spatteredagainstawall. Later,asCassie testified about the attack, theywere shown photos of the musician’s swollenlip.

The trial’sfirst witness wasa formersecurity guard at the hotel. Israel Florez testified Combs attempted to bribehim, holdingout a stack of money with a$100 on top,telling him: “Don’ttell nobody.”

Florez said he responded: “I don’twant your money Just go back into yourroom.”

Cassie’s testimony

The “Me &U”singer

whoselegal name is CasandraVentura, testiﬁed that Combs was into voyeurism and dictated everyaspect of sexeventshedubbed“freakoffs.”

Thehighly orchestrated affairs, which Combs also called “wild king nights” or “hotelnights,” involved male sexworkers,heavy drug use and copious lubrication.

“It was his fantasy,”Cassie said.

Cassie said each “freakoff” involved about 10 large bottles of baby oil —heated up.

“It wassucha mess,” she said. “Itwas like, ‘Whatare we doing?’”

She said Combs also asked her to perform degrading andpainful sexacts with male sexworkers

Cassie said eventually she was doing “freak-offs” weekly for adecade, with the ﬁnal one in 2017 or 2018.

“The freak-offs becamea job,” Cassie recounted.

She said she felt she couldn’t refusebecause she fearedthe videos wouldbe made public.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByGARy KAZANJIAN

Fresno, Calif.

IMAGE By ElIZABETHWIllIAMS

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, far left, and attorneyMarc Agnifilo, right, sitatthe defensetable Tuesdayduring witness testimony in Manhattan federalcourtinNew york.

Mr.Sarran’sfuneral arrangements. Hisfamily invites youtoshare thoughts, memories,and condolences by signingan onlineguestbook at www. ejﬁeldingfh.com

Scheuermann, Emma Lou

Emma LouScheuer‐mannpassedawaypeace‐fully at TouroInfirmaryon Monday, May12, 2025 fol‐lowingcomplications from a decade-longbattlewith cancer. AlifelongNew Or‐leanian,Emma wasa light toeveryoneshe met. She was born on September29, 1961 to thelateLouis “Rags”Scheuermann and Maureen O’Donnell Scheuermann.Lovingsis‐ter to Maureen, Joe (Shelly)and Ed (Stephanie).Beloved aunt and “Emmy” to Tyler, Na‐taly, Parker (Kelley),and PeytonScheuermann. She isalsosurvivedbyher cousins KathyBarbazon (Clem)and KarenMeyer (Gordon)and countless friends andneighbors. Emma attended St.Francis ofAssisi School andlater RedemptoristHighSchool She spentmostofher adult life caring forothers and sharingher light, love, and hospitalitywithmany. She wasa familiar faceat “Rags”Scheuermann Field atKirsch-Rooney Stadium, a dedicatedvolunteer who endearedherself to local baseballplayers andfans, creatinglifelongmemories and cherishedfriendships For thepast five decades, she wasa constant fanof her father’s andbrother’s Delgado Community Col‐legeBaseballteams,sup‐porting theDolphinson and offthe fieldinwhat‐everway possible. During the summer months,she servedasa pillar of the New OrleansBoosters baseballorganization, spearheadingfundraising effortsand logisticsfor the franchise’sannualtripto

theAAABANationalTour‐namentinJohnstown Pennsylvania, where Emma was also recognized as an HonoraryCitizen.Deeply devoted to herCatholic faith,Emmawas aparish‐ioner of St.Francis of As‐sisiParishwhere shewas involvedinorganizing manyeventsand min‐istries,including the parish’sannualThanksgiv‐ing Food Driveand Christ‐mas AngelTree Project. She received thepresti‐gious OrderofSt. Louis Medallion forservicesto the parish andthe Archdio‐ceseofNew Orleans. She was also namedVolunteer ofthe Year forthe Sisters ofthe Living Word.She servedasanambassador for hercity, whether work‐ing the1984 World’sFair, cheeringonthe Saints, catchingcountless pa‐rades,or planning fundraisersand events for a varietyofcauses. The familywishestoexpress its profound thanks to Dr JoanCheng andthe physi‐cians,nurses, andstaff of Touro Inﬁrmaryfor their careand compassion over the years. Aspecial thank you to “Emma’s Team”of family, friends, Patton Street neighbors, players, and everyone who sup‐portedher throughout her journey.Her courage, hope and undaunted spirit servesasaninspiration to everyonewho hadthe priv‐ilege to call hera friend.All are invitedtoattend aCel‐ebrationofEmma’s Life on Monday, May19atSt. Fran‐cis of Assisi Church,611 State Street,New Orleans, Louisiana 70115. Visitation willbegin at 9amfollowed bya FuneralMassatnoon. IntermentwillfollowatSt. Patrick’s Cemetery #3.In lieuof ﬂowers, thefamily requestsdonations to The Tradition Campaign for Delgado Athletics, 615City ParkAvenue,Bldg. 20, New Orleans,Louisiana 70119 or The NewOrleans Boosters (neworleansboosters@ yahoo.com).Arrangements byL.A.Muhleisen &Son Fu‐neral Home.Toshare mem‐ories or condolences, pleasevisit www muhleisen.com.

CarolynGretheSimpson age 92, of CortlandtManor, New York passedawayon Thursday,May 15, 2025 Carolyn wasborninNew Orleans,LAonJanuary 4, 1933. Shegraduated from S.J.PetersHighSchool and was alongtimeparishioner ofSt. AnnCatholicChurch and Shrine in Metairie,LA. Along with beinga devoted wifeand mother,Carolyn workedasanAssistant Bookkeeper forSouth Cen‐tralBell& TelephoneCom‐panyfor 15 years. Carolyn was preceded in deathby her belovedhusband,Jack Simpson;her parents, Alexander andAnna Grethe; herbrother Alexander Grethe,Jr.;and her sisters, ThaisGrethe and Jean Comeaux. Sur‐vivorsinclude herdaugh‐ter,Laura Simpson; her son-in-law, ByronMene‐gakis;and hergrand‐daughter, NatalieMene‐gakis.Funeralservicesfor Carolyn will be held at Leitz-Eagan FuneralHome, 4747 Veterans Memorial Blvd.,Metairie, LA on Tues‐day,May 20, 2025, at 11:00 am. Intermentwillfollow atLakeLawnParkMau‐soleuminNew Orleans, LA In lieu of ﬂowers, please considera donation in honor of Carolynto Catholic CharitiesofNew Orleans at www.ccano.org Oneshort sleep past,we wakeeternally Anddeath shall be no more..."

Thomas,Denise Lynn Danna

Denise Lynn Danna Thomaspassedawayon May 9, 2025. Born in New Orleans on August 14, 1962, Deniselived alifedefined bystrength, caring,perse‐verance,service,and faith If youknewDenise, you knewa true renaissance woman.Her creative spirit found expression in sewing, cooking, andcraft‐ing,while herservant's heart ledher to shareher musical talentsonworship teams forover30years withthe majority beingat NorthshoreBible Church She considered beinga lovingmotherasher great‐est accomplishment, pour‐ing herselfintoraising and homeschoolingher chil‐dren, Brandi Lynn Thomas Taylorand Sean Alexander Thomas, andcherishing her role as grandmotherto Arielle Lynn Taylor.Grow‐ing up primarilyin Metairie, Louisiana, Denise later called Covington, LA homefor many years. She thenembarkedonanad‐venture,touring thecoun‐try in an RV with herhus‐bandDennisJoseph Thomas, before eventually settlinginMcAlpin,Florida inrecentyears.She loved ballroom dancingwithher fatherVincent RoyDanna, Sr. Sheand hermother MaryLynnLugenbuhl Danna were infamous for laughingtogetherasthey cooked up playfulpranks onher siblings,showing off herfun-loving spirit and the tightbonds shehad withher family. Shetook immensepride in earning her collegedegreeat Louisiana StateUniversity, despite facingsignificant financialand personal hardships—a testamentto her unwavering determina‐tion. This experience later inspiredher to become a published author andin‐ternational speaker, teach‐ing families throughher book titled,"HowtoGoto College Debt Free.”Her workhas impacted thou‐sands of families world‐wide. Denise's christian faith wasthe foundation of everything shedid,guiding

herservice to others and illuminating herpath through life's challenges Her legacy of strength,per‐severance,and loving care lives on in thosewhose lives shetouched.She is precededindeath by her parents,Vincent Roy Danna,Sr. andMaryLynn Danna.She is survived by her loving anddevoted husband of 39 years, Den‐nis Joseph Thomas,her daughterBrandiLynn ThomasTaylor(Philip), her son Sean Alexander Thomas, andher siblings Vincent RoyDanna,Jr., Terri LeighDanna (Kim‐berly), andChristian Patrick Danna. Services willbeheldonMonday, May 19, 2025 at Garden of MemoriesFuneralHome and Cemetery,4900 Airline Drive,Metairie, LA 70001 Visitationwillbegin at 9:00 amfollowedbyan11:00 amservice.Burialwillfol‐low at Thomas Cemetery in Franklinton.Itwas Denise’s wishthatdonations be madetocharity in lieu of ﬂowers. Herfamilysug‐gests Breast Cancer Re‐searchFoundationor Spike’s K9 Fund to honor her memory.Onlinecondo‐lencesmay be offeredat www.gardenofmemorie smetairie.com

Wells passedawayonSaturday May 10, 2025 at theage of 78. Belovedwifeofthe late Lewis Wells for51years MotherofKelly Wells Zim‐mermann (Eric).Daughter ofthe late Pearland Carl Ehrhard.Sisterofthe late Carl“C.J.”Ehrhard,Jr. Grandmother of Anne,Julia and Caroline Zimmermann. Niece of thelateBeverly Fisher, Claire Fisher,Rita Mae Fisher andMyrtle Eharhard. Also survived by her belovedcaninecom‐panion, Jack.She wasa parishioner of St.Clement ofRomeCatholicChurch and ateacher in theJeffer‐sonParishSchool System

for32years.She lovedto traveland spendtimewith

Simpson, CarolynGrethe

Sesame Workshop receives award as it charts a new path

BY GLENN GAMBOA Associated Press writer

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Elmo, Abby Cadabby and the rest of the “Sesame Street” gang will get some high-profile help as they travel down a new road.

The Sesame Workshop — founded in 1969 and currently working on its 56th season, but its first not distributed by recent partner HBO received the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award Wednesday, which will provide the nonprofit a $250,000 grant as well as support in promoting its work from the Elevate Prize Foundation. Previous winners of the award include Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, actor Michael J. Fox, and NBA great Dwyane Wade.

“They haven’t just entertained generations – they’ve educated, advocated and inspired real change,” Elevate Prize Foundation CEO Carolina Garcia Jayaram, said as she presented the award to The Sesame Workshop at the foundation’s Make Good Famous Summit in Miami Beach Florida “And their work hasn’t just been con-

would be news about Sesame Workshop’s future released “in the coming days.”

that there would also be updates to the show’s look and feel.

Elevate Prize Foundation to stand with The Sesame Workshop and its work.

Miami Beach, Fla.

ﬁned to the screen Through their nonprofit, they’ve expanded their mission globally They’ve created realworld programs that bring education, health and hope to millions of children in over 150 countries.”

Sal Perez, the show’s executive producer and a Sesame Workshop vice president, said the organization planned to use the award to let more people know that its nonprofit work extends beyond the

TV show

“We do a lot of work around the world with direct services, trying to provide content for families that talks about some of those harder to talk about subjects, whether it’s trauma, whether it’s homelessness and things of that nature. So this is an opportunity to highlight that kind of work.”

Perez told The Associated Press in an interview before the ceremony that there

Dutch-led Suriname team digitizes 100K documents

Efforts preserve Jewish history in the Caribbean

BY MOLLY QUELL Associated Press

AMSTERDAM The fire that caused significant damage in April to historic buildings in Suriname’s capital city was not the only threat facing the nearby Neveh Shalom Synagogue. As firefighters battled to save the historic city center of Paramaribo — a UNESCO World Heritage site the synagogue’s volunteers were busy scanning thousands of archival documents in an effort to preserve the history of the thousands of Jews who have called the Surinamese capital home since the 1700s. The blaze was contained before reaching the synagogue, but at the mercy of other threats, including the tropical climate, insects and time, it was a reminder of how fragile the 100,000 historic documents, kept on pages stored in filing cabinets for decades, were and how vital the preservation project was. The operation to digitize the birth records, land sales and correspondence has been overseen by Dutch academic Rosa de Jong, who had used the archive as part of a Ph.D. study on how Jewish refugees fled the horrors of World War II to the Caribbean, including the tiny South American country of Suriname.

“I felt that my work comes with an obligation to preserve the past that I’m build-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO lilly Duijm is responsible for boxes of documents from the archive in Paramaribo, Suriname.

ing my career on,” De Jong told The Associated Press. When she ﬁnished her academic research, at the University of Amsterdam, last year, De Jong saw an opportunity to return to Suriname and safeguard the ﬁles that had been crucial to her work.

She raised the financing for cameras, hard drives and travel expenses and returned to Suriname with the aim of making high-quality scans of the hundreds of folios held by the synagogue.

The result is more than 600 gigabytes of data stored on multiple hard drives.

The archived documents show how Suriname was a hub of Jewish life for the Americas. The British who colonized the region gave Jews political and religious autonomy when they first moved to Suriname in 1639 to manage tobacco and sugar cane plantations

When the Dutch took control of the colony they continued this practice. When Jewish people were forced out of other places in the Americas, they often ﬂed to Suriname

On Christmas Eve in 1942, more than 100 Dutch Jewish refugees, ﬂeeing the horrors

of the Holocaust, arrived in Paramaribo.

Liny Pajgin Yollick, then 18, was among them. In an oral history project for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, she described the relief she felt when she arrived in Suriname to the sound of a familiar song.

“I remember it was morning and they played Dutch National Anthem for us when we arrived, and everybody was crying. We were very emotional when we heard that because many of us never thought we would ever hear it again,” she said.

When the Netherlands was freed from Nazi German occupation three years later Teroenga, the magazine published for the Jewish congregations in Suriname, ran with the headline “Bevrijding” (“Liberation”). The archive at Neveh Shalom has a copy of every edition of Teroenga.

Key to De Jong’s preservation project has been 78-yearold Lilly Duijm, who was responsible for the archive’s folders of documents for more than two decades.

Born in Suriname, when she was 14 she moved to the Netherlands where she eventually became a nurse But she returned to her homeland in 1973, just before the colony got its independence, and her four children grew up in Paramaribo.

She knows how precious the archive was.

“I told the congregation, as long as the archive is still here, I will not die. Even if I live to be 200 years old,” she tearfully told AP “This is keeping the history of my people.”

Last year, Warner Bros Discovery decided not to renew its deal for new episodes that air on HBO and Max, though episodes will remain on the streaming service until 2027.

“’Sesame Street’ is not going to go away,” Perez said. “It will never go away It’s obviously been a beloved show for so long.”

However, there are changes coming to the new season, which currently has no distribution deal. Perez said the segments on the new season will be longer and “really focused on character,” while also focusing on its audience’s emotional well-being and development

“The more kids want to hang out with our characters on ‘Sesame Street,’ the more they’re going to take in those lessons,” said Perez, adding

The new season will also feature more exploration of the “Sesame Street” neighborhood and a look inside the legendary two-story brownstone at 123 Sesame Street.

Though Sesame Workshop receives only a small amount of government funding, Perez urged viewers to support public media, especially following President Donald Trump’s recent executive order to cut funding to PBS and NPR.

“We believe in the power that public funding has for children’s media,” he said. “I think people should support their local PBS afﬁliates and support children’s media because it is an entry point for children to really start to see the world outside of their homes.”

Jayaram said she felt the time was right to for the

“This is a foundation that’s about social impact,” she said. “So the symbolism of us joining forces with a children’s program is to say that even though our leaders are grown adults, it’s the child in all of us that we need to revive and remember our essential values as humans.”

Famed roommates Bert and Ernie were on hand to receive the award alongside Perez with their trademark banter “We are so proud to make the Catalyst,” joked Ernie. “One day we’d also like to make the Dog-alist.” In a video acceptance, Abby and Elmo took their own swing at explaining the award. “It’s like a spark that makes good change happen kinda like magic,” explained Abby “Elmo really likes being a catalyst,” said Elmo.

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PROVIDED PHOTO Sal Perez, executive producer and VP of Sesame Street at Sesame Workshop, talks to Bert and Ernie after winning the Elevate Prize Foundation’s Catalyst Award on May 14 in

BY KAREL JANICEK Associated Press

BRNENEC, Czech Republic A dilapidated industrial site in the Czech Republic where German businessman Oskar Schindler saved 1,200 Jews during the World War II is coming back to life

The site, a former textile factory in the town of Brnenec, about 100 miles east of Prague, was stolen by the Nazis from its Jewish owners in 1938 and turned into a concentration camp. This weekend it welcomed the ﬁrst visitors to the Museum of Survivors dedicated to the Holocaust and the history of Jews in this part of Europe.

The opening was timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. It was also in May 1945 that Schindler received a golden ring from grateful Jewish survivors, made with gold taken from their teeth. The ring was inscribed with the Hebrew words from Talmud, saying “Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.” Schindler’s story was told in Steven Spielberg’s Oscarwinning movie, “Schindler’s List.”

Daniel Löw-Beer was a driving force behind the project.

His predecessors lived in this part of Czech Republic for hundreds of years, acquiring the plant in Brnenec in 1854 and turning it into one of Europe’s most important wool factories.

“We had to flee for our lives, lost a bit of our history, so putting a little bit of history back to a place and hopefully bringing out as well the history of Oskar Schindler and the village is what we’re doing today,”

When skeptical local residents could see something was really happening this time, they offered help. A ﬁrm came with a big truck loaded with bricks, dropped them and just went off, Löw-Beer said.

“We wanted to show that you have to do something for something else to happen,” said Milan Šudoma of the foundation. If organizers had waited until they had secured all the necessary funding, nothing would likely be done by now, he said.

“Oskar a nd Emilie

Schindler are proof that one person can make a difference,” the museum quotes Rena Finder, one of the Schindler’s Jews, as saying.

Hundreds of lives saved

Schindler, an unlikely hero, was born in the nearby town of Svitavy (Zwittau in German) in what was then the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia, with a German-speaking majority and a substantial Jewish population.

A Svitavy museum said Schindler was a mass of contradictions: a troublemaker, a womanizer, a spy for the Germans, a Nazi but also a man who saved people from the Holocaust.

After the war broke out in 1939, Schindler moved from Svitavy to Krakow, now Poland, where he ran an enamel and ammunition plant and treated Jewish workers well.

resettle the plant in Brnenec. When a transport with 300 women was diverted to the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz, Schindler managed to secure their release. Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial center in Jerusalem, said it’s the only known case “that such a large group of people were allowed to leave alive while the gas chambers were still in operation.” In another bold act, Emilie Schindler led an effort to save more than 100 Jewish male prisoners who arrived at a nearby train station in sealed cattle wagons in Jan-

Löw-Beer told The Associated Press.

Today, his family members are scattered around the world.

“I’m pleased to put a little bit, of course emotionally, of my family back in the place because they were survivors. My grandfather lived here, my father lived here, and then the world was shattered one day in 1938,” he said.

Separate past, present

The museum, housed in part of a renovated spinning mill, displays the history of Schindler, his wife Emilie, the Löw-Beer family and others linked to the area, together with the testimonies of Holocaust survivors. It includes a space for exhibitions, lectures, ﬁlm screenings and concerts, as well as a café.

A transparent glass wall between this part and the bigger, still ruined area behind it separates the present and history

“It’s a universal place of survivors,” Löw-Beer said.

“We want those stories to be told and people to make their own opinions.”

In 2019 Löw-Beer set up the Arks Foundation to buy

the warehouse and turn it into a museum, investing money and renewing a partnership with the local community to revive the neglected site.

The regional government contributed funds, while a grant from the European Union brought children from five European countries to Brnenec to come up with ideas that helped shape the museum design.

The ofﬁcial opening on the weekend completed the ﬁrst step but a lot remains to be done.

The remaining buildings are still waiting to be fully restored.

They include Schindler’s ofﬁce where the town hall plans to create an information center, the barracks of the SS troops, which will provide more exhibition spaces, and the entire building of Schindler’s Ark where the Jewish prisoners lived and worked

Currently the museum is not open on a daily basis and focuses on education activities for schools.

Previous projects to restore the site failed due to a lack of funds. In contrast, the Arks Foundation took a step-by-step approach.

“Everybody said there was nothing I could do. And that’s a lie because there is always something you can do.”

With the Red Army approaching in 1944, he created a list of Jewish workers he claimed were needed to

Ancientreptile footprints rewritehistory of evolving

PROVIDED PHOTO By PER ERIKAHlBERG

Aslab of sandstone foundnear Melbourne, Australia, preservedfossil footprintsfromareptile-likeanimal that lived around 350 millionyears ago. Thefootprints are highlighted in yellow(front feet)and blue (back feet) and showthe movements of three similar animals, researchers say.

Scientists ID theoldestknown fossil footprints

BY CHRISTINA LARSON AP science writer

WASHINGTON Scientists in Australia have identiﬁed theoldest known fossil footprintsofareptile-like animal,dated to around 350 million years ago.

The discoverysuggests that afterthe ﬁrst animals emerged from theocean around 400 millionyears ago, they evolved the ability to live exclusively on land much faster than previouslyassumed

“Wehad thought the transition from ﬁn to limb took much longer,”said California State University paleontologist Stuart Sumida, who was notinvolvedin thenew research.

Previously the earliestknown reptile footprints, found in Canada, were datedto318 million

Chimpanzeesdrumwith regularrhythm, studysays

They beatontree trunkslikean instrument

BY CHRISTINA LARSON AP science writer

Chimpanzees drum with regular rhythm when they beat on tree trunks, anew studyshows.

Chimpanzees and humans last shared acommon ancestor around 6million years ago. Scientistssuspectthis ancient ancestor must have been adrummer —using beats to communicate.

“Our ability to produce rhythm —and to use it in our social worlds —that seems to be something that predates humans being human,” said study co-author CatHobaiter,aUniversityof St. Andrews primatologist

Previous research has shown that chimps have their own signature drumming style. Anew analysis of 371 bouts of chimpanzee drumming demonstrates that the chimps “clearly playtheir instruments —the tree trunks —with regular rhythms,” said University of Amsterdam music cognition researcher Henkjan Honing, who was not involved in thestudy When bounding through the jungle, chimpswill often grab hold of the tallbuttress roots of rainforest trees. Sometimes they pound them several times to create lowfrequency sounds that can be heard for akilometeror more through the forest.

Scientists believe that the drumming is aform of long-distance communication, perhaps to alert other chimps where one chimpis waiting or the direction it is traveling.

“It’saway of socially checking in,” said Hobaiter, addingthateachchimp has

PHOTO By ADRIAN SOlDATI

PROVIDED

Awild male chimpanzee drums on abuttress tree while producingapant-hoot call as he joins his groupmates in Uganda’sBudongoForest in 2017.

its own “individual signature —apattern of beatsthatallows youtorecognize who’s producing thatdrumming.”

Thenew work showed that chimpsfrom different regions of Africa drum with distinctly different rhythms, with western chimps preferring amore even beat while eastern chimps used varied short andlongintervalsbetween beats. The research was published earlier last monthinthe journal Current Biology

It’swell-known that chimps use toolssuch as rocks to crack open nuts and sticks to “ﬁsh” termites from their mounds.Tree roots can also be tools,the researchers say Chimpsare selective about which rootsthey pound, said co-authorCatherineCrockford,a primatologist at the CNRS Institute for Cogni-

tiveSciences in France. Certain shapesand wood varieties create sounds that travel well through dense jungle.

The drummings are likely “a very important way to makecontact,” she said.

At closerdistances chimps usearepertoireof vocal calls more complex thanscientistsonce thought, according to aseparate study in Science Advances.

Researchers analyzed how chimps combined sounds —suchasacall associated with resting and one used to invite play —tocreatenew meanings. In this example, the combined call was an invitation to nest together nearby at night

“Wehaveprobably underestimated the ﬂexibility and complexity of animal communication,”saidCrockford,who waspartofboth research teams.

yearsago.

The ancientfootprintsfrom Australia were found on aslabof sandstone recovered near Melbourne andshowreptile-like feet with long toes andhooked claws.

Scientists estimate the animal wasabout21/2 feet longand may have resembled amodern monitor lizard.

Thefindings werepublished lastweek in Nature.

The hookedclaws area crucial identiﬁcationclue, said study coauthor andpaleontologist Per Ahlberg at Uppsala University in Sweden.

“It’sawalking animal,” he said.

Only animals that evolved to live solely on land ever developed claws.

The earliest vertebrates —ﬁsh and amphibians —never developed hard nails andremained dependent on watery environments to lay eggs andreproduce. But the branchofthe evolutionary treethatled to modern reptiles, birds and mammals— known as amniotes —developed

feet with nails or claws fit for walking on hard ground.

“This is theearliest evidence we’ve ever seen of an animalwith claws,”saidSumida At the time the ancientreptile lived, theregionwas hotand steamy andvastforests began to cover the planet. Australia was part of the supercontinent Gondwana.

The fossil footprints recorda series of events in one day,Ahlberg said. One reptile scampered across the ground before alight rain fell.

Someraindrop dimples partially obscuredits trackways. Thentwo more reptiles ranbyin the opposite direction before the ground hardened and was covered in sediment.

Fossil “trackways are beautiful because they tell you how somethinglived, notjust what something looked like,” said coauthor John Long, apaleontologist at Flinders University in Australia.

Gulf Shores region a longtime vacation draw

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

New census data reveals that

Baldwin County, a corner of Alabama on the Gulf Coast known for its white-sand beaches and genteel towns, has experienced an upsurge in population and tourism within the last decade.

Home to the cities of Daphne, Fairhope and Foley, Baldwin County is the sixth fastest-growing metropolitan area in the nation, according to a 2023-2024 report by the U.S. Census Bureau. With over 260,000 residents, its population has increased by 66.3% in the last 20 years, making it the fastest-growing county in the state.

The Census Bureau noted that 97% of the uptick is due to incoming migration especially people who are 65 years or older

This suggests that the area has become a retirement destination, potentially due to its cheaper housing market. In Baldwin County, the median value of homes is $287,000 while the national average is $303,400, according to census data.

Though Viktoria Riiman, a former socioeconomic analyst at the University of Alabama, said in 2018 that other age groups are also moving to Baldwin County for reasons besides its cheaper housing.

“Both retirees and younger families are moving to the county because it offers a high quality of life, from great amenities to quality schools and great economic opportunities,” Riiman told the university’s news center

THE GULF COAST

But the growth spurt in population and residential development has strained local infrastructure, particularly in Fairhope, where the City Council recently approved a 9-month ban on new housing applications, local media outlets reported. In Foley, the local government responded to

searching for ways to ease congestion caused by an influx of residents and tourists.

Areas like Gulf Shores are longtime vacation hot spots for people living in neighboring states like Louisiana.

This especially rings true for New Orleanians, who no longer have a beach getaway after two local ones, Pontchartrain and Lincoln, shut down years ago

Beyond its beaches, Gulf Shores has attracted more visitors after Buc-ee’s — a Texas-based megastore gas station chain expanding across the Gulf Coast opened a location about half an hour away in Robertsdale, Alabama

The sprawling convenience store, known for its brisket sandwiches, endless merchandise and pristine bathrooms, immediately drew in thousands of customers. As an attempt to ease congestion at its Alabama location, the company made a deal to open a Bucee’s nearby in Harrison County, Mississippi, which is launching this summer

“They needed our store to take the pressure off of Alabama,” Bill Lavers, the executive director of Harrison County Development Commission, said in February “They knew that that’s what they needed because of the trafﬁc that was going to come.”

Throughout the year, Gulf Coast residents also ﬂock to Fairhope, a town that carries the patina of Southern charm with its blend of boutiques and natural beauty for an affordable vacation stay

Similar to Gulf Shores, corporate chains like Wawa and Publix have opened storefronts on the outskirts of Fairhope in response to Baldwin County’s immense growth in population and tourism.

The Alabama Tourism Department said that 72% of travelers made a trip to the state, attracting 29 million tourists and generating nearly $30 billion in economic activities.

Email Poet Wolfe at poet.wolfe@ theadvocate.com.

State may change student LEAP test

interview

Bill calls for alternatives as contract’s end nears

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

A Louisiana lawmaker wants the state to explore alternatives to the standardized test students take each year

Senate Bill 105 by Sen. Mark Abraham, R-Lake Charles, initially called for the state to replace the LEAP test with a national assessment beginning in the 2026-27 school year A task force of representatives from different education organizations, including teachers, principals and superintendents, would choose which national test to use.

Marigny residents sue N.O. council over hotel

Suit: Approved size exceeds limits for historic neighborhood

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

A group of Faubourg Marigny

residents is suing the City Council over its decision earlier this year to allow a ﬁve-story hotel on Elysian Fields Avenue that will exceed the maximum size limit for buildings in the historic neighborhood

The suit, ﬁled in Orleans Parish Civil District Court earlier this month by the Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association and four residents of the neighborhood, is seeking to overturn an exception to city zoning rules that the council granted in February to Metairie-based NOLA Hotel Group, the developers of the proposed hotel.

The zoning waiver allows the group to build the hotel, which will be located on a vacant lot at 621 Elysian Fields Ave., to a size of more than 82,400 square feet. That’s about 30% larger than allowed under current rules.

The council, with the support of the area’s district council member Freddie King, granted the waiver over the objection of 600 residents and against the recommendation of the City Planning Commission, which said the project did not satisfy the criteria needed to get a zoning waiver

The suit claims the council was “arbitrary and capricious” in ignoring the commission’s recommended denial.

“People buy homes and move into neighborhoods based on what the zoning rights are and what they expect,” said Jeffrey Seymour, one of the named plaintiffs in the suit and a member of the FMIA. “Then, you have a political decision being made that runs counter to the zoning regulations.” King, who initially opposed the project but later came out in support of it, did not respond to multiple requests for a comment.

Attorney Ike Spears, who lobbied King on behalf of the developers, said he was unaware of the suit and declined to comment

The developers also said they were unaware of the suit and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The controversy over the hotel, which would be called The Elysian, is the latest of several disputes over hotels and transient lodging planned near residential neighborhoods in the Marigny and Bywater amid a broader crackdown in the city over short-term rentals

The Elysian would be operated by Home2 Suites by Hilton, a moderately priced extended-stay chain, and have 120 rooms.

The Senate Education Committee last week approved the revised bill, which now heads to the Senate ﬂoor for debate.

“Let’s just search the options we might have,” Abraham said in an

But state education officials said the original bill removed too much of their power in the decision-making process and risked going against federal law that dictates what types of tests states can administer They worked with Abraham to revise the bill so that the state board of education, not a task force, would research alternatives and make recommendations to legislators next year

The state’s contract with the vendor that administers the LEAP test, which students take in core subjects every spring, ends in 2027. After that, the state could choose to keep the test as is, make changes to it, or replace it entirely

The bill says the board must explore whether the state should switch to a “nationally normed assessment,” such as the SAT or the TerraNova, which compare students’ performance to their peers

across the country But Abraham and state Education Department officials said federal law might not allow public school students to take a national test even though Louisiana private schools that get state money can use them. If it is allowed, changing to a national test would require schools to overhaul their instructional materials and curriculum, which could be expensive, according to the bill’s projected ﬁscal impact.

Families enjoy the new Great lawn at The Batture on May 11.

THE BATTURE TRIES TO WIN OVER SKEPTICS

Developers gradually making changes to site

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

When Ben Jacobson and Casey Burka unveiled plans for an outdoor-focused entertainment district with restaurants and shops on the banks of the Mississippi River near Audubon Park, some nearby residents sounded the alarm They raised concerns about traffic, noise and what the project might mean for their neighborhood.

In the 18 months since, the local developers have altered their approach to building support for The Batture, as the project is called. They’ve gradually added programming to the 10-acre site in a way that is intended to show, not tell, wary locals what the former industrial marine yard could be.

Since the fall, they’ve turned an old oil platform on the site into a coworking space and installed a broad lawn with Adirondack chairs, picnic tables and beach umbrellas. In March, they began hosting food truck roundups every Friday through Sunday And last week, the Crescent City Farmers Market moved its Tuesday morning Uptown Farmers Market to The Batture from its former home at Tulane’s University Square. So far, the developers’ efforts appear to be paying off. On Mother’s Day, hundreds of mostly young families spent the afternoon hanging out at The Batture, tossing footballs and Frisbees, chasing kids and sampling food truck fare on an unseasonably cool spring day

“We’re trying to show people the vision, get them out here and do it organically because that’s what works in a place like New Orleans,” said Jacobson.

Neighbors also are warming to the concept, at least as it has been implemented so far But they still question the developers’ long-term plans and what they say is a lack

of transparency

“People like the idea of walking over the levee to buy a lobster roll,” said Jack Davis, who heads the River Triangle Association, a group of nearby condo residents formed after the project was announced. “But they’re suspect. What happens if they try to go big?”

Jacobson and Burka, both New Orleans natives and partners in the real estate brokerage Ben and Burka, have been working on the project since 2015 and have described it as potentially transformational for a section of Uptown riverfront that has previously been inaccessible for recreation and entertainment. The property previously belonged to Bisso Marine, which used the site in recent years to clean and store marine scrap and materials. A separate business, EN Bisso, continues to operate on the adjacent parcel and is not involved in the sale or planned development.

The initial plan for The Batture proposed creating a retail corridor carved into ﬁve city “blocks,” with eight buildings that would be turned into restaurants and bars. A street lined with 400 parking spaces would span the length of the district and run parallel to Leake Avenue.

More recently, the developers have modiﬁed their plans to feature six

buildings with a “market” that would sell food and drinks, including alcohol; four restaurants or cafes; and a single bar, as well as the coworking space, called The Rigs. “Our plans haven’t really changed,” Jacobson said. “Obviously, we’re just doing it a little more slowly and organically which makes it all feel more

STAFF PHOTO By STEPHANIE RIEGEl

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

People shop at the Crescent City Farmers Market’s Uptown Market at The Batture in New Orleans on Tuesday.

DOWN ON THE BAyOU

LEFT: James Andrews & the Crescent City Allstars perform on the Urban South Orleans Stage during the Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo Festival along Bayou St. John on Saturday.

BELOW: Festivalgoers float in vessels in Bayou St. John during the Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo Festival in New Orleans.

STAFF PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER

HOTEL

Continued from page 1B

Opponents of The Elysian say they are not against a hotel on the site, which has been vacant and weedcovered since the Aquatic Gardens, a nursery and gift shop, was shuttered and demolished several years ago. Rather, they oppose the size of the proposed structure, which they say would dwarf the 19th-century cottages and shotguns in the neighborhood.

The developers have previously said that they need the additional square footage for the hotel to justify their investment in the property, which they bought in 2022 for $2.75 million, and that returning the lot to commerce should be seen as an opportunity for progress.

NOLA Hotel Group, whose other projects include the Andrew Jackson Hotel, Hotel St. Pierre and the St. James Hotel in the French Quarter, as well as the Blake and La Galerie downtown, has been trying to win over neighbors and city regulators for three years.

They have scaled down their original plans for the hotel from seven

Continued from page 1B

Though they decline to discuss speciﬁc numbers, they have previously said the cost of the land was around $5 million and that they planned to invest “several million dollars” building out the concept.

Earlier this year, they took out a $1 million mortgage, court records show Land use attorney Mike Sherman, who represents the developers, said the numbers work because the developers are able to take a cut of the sales from the food and beverage operators that come to the site, whether the food trucks that have been setting up on recent weekends or the restaurants and bar that will eventually open.

“If we can continue to attract the kind of crowds we have had on recent weekends and are able to sell to them (from establishments on site) so they’re not having to bring their own stuff, then the project will work,” Jacobson said.

Earlier this spring, he filed for building permits to convert one of the structures on the site into a 700-square-foot market that could be a “commissary” or “bodega” with prepared food and drinks. He hopes it will be open by the fall.

The Rigs is also generating revenue for the development. Lease rates run from $200 a month for a single coworking space to $2,800 a month for a large private ofﬁce with access to common areas and the outdoor amenities. To date, the facility is more than 90% leased with about 85 workers coming to the site on a regular basis.

Among the tenants is Ben and Burka’s brokerage office and its 15 employees. Being located on the site full time has helped Jacobson better visualize what The Batture

stories to five. But in December, planning commission staff said the project is still too big for the site and did not meet any of the nine criteria needed to get a zoning waiver

The nine criteria that the CPC used to make their determination include, among other things, that a waiver should not be granted if it will give a property owner special rights not enjoyed by others in the neighborhood; alter the character of the area or impair an adequate supply of light and air to adjacent property Waivers also should not be granted for the convenience or proﬁt of a property owner, the rules say All nine criteria must be satisﬁed for a zoning waiver, according to city law

The City Council has broad latitude to ignore Planning Commission recommendations on land use issues and often does, typically following the lead of the district council member on which way to vote on an issue.

In this case, King said his ofﬁce evaluated the project against the nine criteria, which he said he considers “subjective,” and found that the project satisﬁed all of them Attorney Justin Schmidt, who rep-

resents the neighbors and ﬁled the appeal, said the council can, by law, ignore CPC recommendations “as long as it does not rise to the level of being arbitrary and capricious.” His suit argues that the council acted in that manner because it did not follow the nine criteria.

“There are nine criteria, and the law is clear They are not subjective,” he said.

The case has been assigned to Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Ethel Julien. Schmidt said after the city has ﬁled a response, he expects Julien to set a hearing on whether to send the matter back to the City Council for further consideration.

In the meantime, the developers must still get approval for their design from the Historic Districts Landmarks Commission. The zoning waiver they received from the council gives them permission to exceed the maximum allowable size limit but the HDLC has to sign off on what the project looks like.

Earlier this month, the HDLC’s Architectural Review Committee rejected the group’s latest plans, saying they were not in keeping with the character of the neighborhood.

could become, he said.

Not your momma’s riverfront

On Mother’s Day, that vision was reminiscent of the popular upscale resorts along the Florida Panhandle’s Highway 30A. Kids swung on a tire swing and played cornhole while parents sipped wine. Friends gathered at a picnic table to share barbecue and fried chicken from the food trucks Others waited in line for the lobster roll, which was in short supply

Though the crowd skewed young, there were plenty of grandparents and great-grandparents, too. Lifelong New Orleanian Carol Bienvenu, who grew up in the 1980s and hung out at the Fly as a teenager said it was refreshing to experience a new side of the riverfront.

“We never really knew this was here,” said Bienvenu, who spent two hours picnicking with 12 members of her multigenerational family “It’s beautiful.”

Bienvenu said she found out about The Batture from her 28-year-old daughter, who saw the Mother’s Day weekend being pro-

Big Freedia announces death of longtime partner

BY MARCO CARTOLANO Staff writer

Famed New Orleans bounce musician Big Freedia announced Thursday that her longtime partner Devon Hurst died from diabetes complications, forcing the artist to cancel her weekend performance at the Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo.

“I’m devastated to have to announce that today my partner of 20 years Devon Hurst passed away peacefully due to complications from diabetes, surrounded by his loving family,” Freedia said in a post on Instagram. Hurst was 38, People reports. In an interview last year on The Shade Room, Freedia said that Hurst came to one of her shows after they met over the phone, the online publication Them reported

“I fell in love with him from the ﬁrst time I saw him,” she said. Freedia, known as the Queen of Bounce, was scheduled to head-

TESTING

Continued from page 1B

And it would be costly for the state to give a different test: Annual expenses range from $2.5 million for the Metropolitan Achievement Test to $29.7 million for the SAT, according to the cost estimate. Under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, states are required to annually test all students in math and English in grades 3-8 and one year in high school, and give a science test to students in some grades. State exams must align with each state’s learning standards.

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley questioned whether the law would allow Louisiana to switch to a national test.

“LEAP assesses the standards that have been approved in Louisiana,” he said. “If you jump to a national assessment, it’s not necessarily going to be the same standards applied to Louisiana education.”

Abraham said the notion for the bill stemmed from debates last year over Louisiana’s new LA GATOR program, which gives Louisiana families public money to put toward private school tuition and allows participating private schools to decide which nationally normed tests to give students. Some public education advocates said all schools should get to choose their tests.

“I said, ‘Well why can’t we do that for public schools?’” Abraham said, noting that private schools in the LA GATOR program will get public money After researching the issue, however, he said he realized the

Neighborhood angst

Jacobson said most nearby residents have been appreciative of what The Batture is bringing to the area. Davis said members of The River Triangle Association still have concerns.

In late April, the association sent a letter to the developers, asking for an opportunity to have more input on the “scope and scale” of the project. They said communication has been “intermittent at best” and again reiterated their request for a trafﬁc impact study the developers have said is in the works but have yet to produce. Sherman said, as he has in the past, that a trafﬁc study is forthcoming and will be made available.

line the Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo Saturday Instead, the schedule was updated to include a bounce show featuring HaSizzle, Partners-N-Crime, 504icygrl and Raj Smoove closing out the Orleans Avenue main stage. In her post, Freedia requested privacy for both of their families and said details of public services will be announced when planning is completed.

“He will deeply missed by everyone in this community who knew him and loved him,” Freedia said on Instagram. “We take comfort in knowing he is free from any pain and suffering, and is at peace in the loving arms of Jesus Christ.”

The local icon has garnered wider attention in recent years for her collaborations with some of the world’s biggest musical artists such as Beyoncé and Drake. In 2024, she received the key to the city of New Orleans.

state could potentially be in violation of ESSA if it went with a nationally normed test, which is why he changed the bill’s wording to have the board research all possible options. Some education organizations have also called for the state to update or replace the current LEAP exam.

The Louisiana School Board Association, which supports Abraham’s bill, pointed out in a March Facebook post that national tests are much shorter than what the LEAP requires, despite recent moves by the education department to shorten the number of questions on the English and math annual exams by 20%. The Louisiana Federation of Teachers, a state teachers’ union, has also criticized the LEAP exam, saying in a post on the organization’s website that there is no way to judge how accurately the test evaluates students.

Board of Secondary and Elementary Education President Ronnie Morris said the board will seek outside help as it explores whether and how to replace the LEAP test.

“We want to have stakeholder input on this process,” he said. “We want to consider what other states are doing.”

Abraham’s bill also aims to reduce the amount of testing Louisiana students undergo by requiring that assessments in social studies and science not be administered to more than four grade levels.

It prohibits schools from giving both tests to the same grades and would essentially codify new state guidelines that say fourthand sixth-grade students will no longer take an annual social studies LEAP test beginning in the 2027-28 school year

for instance, the association was not informed in advance about a special events permit The Batture secured to host a gathering during the Masters golf tournament, which featured a ﬂoating putting green on the river

“We’re almost always surprised by what is going on out there,” Davis said Friday “Whether it’s a yacht showing up for Super Bowl or a putting green in the river.”

The problem, he said, is not a legal one at this point but about “community relations” and trust. Sherman counters that the developers have made themselves available to anyone who wants to talk to them.

moted on Instagram.

Jacobson said the popularity of the site with young families over the past two months has exceeded expectations. He plans to close after Memorial Day weekend for two weeks to make adjustments to the site, then reopen for a “Summer Series” beginning Father’s Day weekend.

“We need time to retool to make the space more comfortable in the summer heat,” he said, adding that shade coverings, new furniture, sand and water features are among the changes in the works.

The letter also seeks more “transparency” about where The Batture is in the permitting process. It says,

“We have started weekly coffee meetings at The Batture and invited everyone to come,” he said. “Last week, only one person showed up.”

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Kids play in front of The Rigs at The Batture in New Orleans on Tuesday.

Mothe

Aldrich, Wendell Mata,Manuel Brock, Gwendolyn Wells,Carol Celentano, Robert Robinson FH Charles, Donald Clark,Alfred Clark,Alfred

Cordes,Gordon

Curtis,Jerry

Dupaquier Jr., Norton

Faia,Gregory

Flynn, George

Goodwin,Patricia

Jensen,Wanda

Jones, Joycelyn

Keen,Susan

Kjormoe, Cheryl

Marks, Gail

Mata,Manuel

Means, Norma

Mintz, John

Nelson,Annie

Nusloch, Caroline

Ockman Sr., Elton

Oswald-Soto, Beulah

Powell Sr., Gregory

Obituaries

Aldrich, Wendell Gerard 'Jerry'

Puyau, Geraldine

Ross, Lillian SarranJr.,Alfred Scheuermann, Emma Simpson, Carolyn Thomas,Denise Wells, Carol EJefferson Garden of Memories

Thomas,Denise LA Muhleisen

Celentano, Robert Kjormoe, Cheryl Scheuermann, Emma Leitz-Eagan

Prejean,Marilyn

Simpson, Carolyn

Tharp Funeral Home

Aldrich, Wendell

NewOrleans

Charbonnet

Powell Sr., Gregory

DW Rhodes

Brock, Gwendolyn

Gertrude Geddes

Jones, Joycelyn

Greenwood

Cordes,Gordon

Marks, Gail

Lake Lawn Metairie

Charles, Donald

Wendell Gerard "Jerry Aldrich joined the love of his life Carolyn Geiger Aldrich on May10, 2025. Born 89 yearsago in Metairie, son of the late Wendell "Red" and Emelda Mullen Aldrich. Beloved fathertoWendell "Jerry" Aldrich, Jr.ofCovington, Nancy Aldrich Byrd(Jay)of Baton Rouge, BrianAldrich of New Orleans and Rebecca Aldrich of Kenner. Cherished Papa to grandchildren Amanda Byrd Fontenot (Jessie), Sara ByrdAndree, Alexandra Byrd(Jay), Wendell "Trey Aldrich III (Melissa), ChristopherAldrich (Tiz); great grandchildren Brooklyn (Josh), Brody (Tiffanie), Aime, Tyler, Jackson, Jeffery,Brandlee Baylee, Braeden, Izaand Margot; great,great grandchildren Dawson, Isla and Leyton.Hewas preceded in death by hissisterAlice McKay Thornhill, brotherinlaw C. Samuel Geiger and in laws Charles and Huey WrightGeiger. Jerry graduated fromHoly Cross High School with honors and attended Tulane University.He workedatDelta Airlines, which started hiscareeras acomputer programmer. After retiringfromUnisys, Jerrybecameactivein civic and communityorganizations. He heldleadershiproleswiththe Crestwood Homeowners Association, Kiwanisof Covington, EmeraldForest Condo Association and was afounding board member of the Lafayette CemeteryNo.1 Tomb& CopingOwners Association

Jerry wasalwaysattending school and athletic functions forhis children, grandchildrenand great grandchildren. He was very interestedinour family's genealogyand would get together with his cousins to share ameal and thelatestnewsfrom his extended family. Jerry wasanardent followerof localsports. He was aman of kindness, generosity, compassion, humor and wisdom. Dadlived his life as the embodiment of a Holy Cross Man. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly suggests donations to Holy Cross High School and Lafayette Cemetery No.1 Tomb and Coping Owners Association.

Relativesand friends are invited to attend a Funeral Mass at 12:00PM on Wednesday,May 21, 2025 at Tharp Funeral Home, 1600N.Causeway Blvd.,Metairie, LA 70001. Visitationwillbegin at 10:00 AM. Intermentwillbe in St. Patrick #1 Cemetery. Expressions of love and sympathy may be placed and viewedat www.tharpcares.com.

Brock, GwendolynF

fery Jell,Jr. (deceased) NicoleTiffany, andAn‐thony Joseph (deceased) Gwenand Jefferyshared26 years of marriage before his passingdue to health complications.A devoted wife, mother,grand‐mother, andfriend, Gwen’s world revolved around her family. Shewas asteadfast and nurturing presence especiallyrememberedas a spirited sports momwho never misseda game.Her grandchildren—Brock and Blake—werethe lightof her life.She cherished their hugs, laughter,and playful banter,muchof which shegleefully en‐couraged. Shealsoenjoyed bowling androadtrips withher husband andbest friends Ernest andAdrian Jarreau.Gwenwas aproud breastcancersurvivor, known forher strength,re‐silience, andfaith.Her ra‐diant personality—equal parts loving,witty,and prayerful—earnedher the nickname“Mrs. Southern‐spice”among hernetwork offriends.A lifelong mem‐ber of Mt.MoriahBaptist Church in NewOrleans, Gwenfound joyinpraise and worshipand deeply cherished herchurch com‐munity,especiallyher spir‐itual bond with Pastor Cyril R.Grayson,Sr. Profession‐ally, Gwen dedicatedover 20years to thehealthcare fieldasa Certified Nursing Assistant. Herpatients weredrawn to hervibrant spirit, warmth,and no-non‐sense charm. Shewas pre‐ceded in deathbyher hus‐band, twosons, parents, sisterLulaF.Gills (Charles),nephewColby Gills,and nieceCharlene Gills.Gwenissurvivedby her daughter,NicoleBrock Cousizan(Donald); her cherished grandchildren, Brock,Blake,DonaldJr., and Da’NaraCousizan; her nephew, Curtis Gills; anda hostofextendedfamily and dear friendswho will continue to celebrateher lifeand legacy.Relatives and friendsofthe family, along with Pastors, Offi‐cers, andmembers of Mount Moriah Baptist Church,are invitedtoat‐tendthe funeralservice on Monday, May19, at 10:00 a.m.atMount Moriah Bap‐tistChurch,2407 Louisa St., New Orleans. Pastor Cyril R.Grayson,Sr. will offici‐ate.Visitationwillbeheld from9:00a.m.to10:00 a.m. Intermentwillfollowat Crystal SpringsA.M.E Church Cemetery,23308 Crystal SpringsRd.,Mount Hermon, LA 70450 Arrangementsentrusted to D.W.RhodesFuneralHome. Pleasevisit www.rhodesf uneral.comtosignthe on‐lineguest book

DonCharles was born on September 23, 1936 and livedhis entirelifeinthe city he loved, NewOrleans. He died on May 13, 2025. Don was agraduateof Alcee Fortier High School where he excelledinbaseball,football, basketball and track and was voted Most Athletic by his classmates. Hisathletic prowess earnedhim a scholarship to Tulane University where he played baseballand was awarded several athletic letters Don had thedistinctionof hittingthe cycleagainst arch-rival LSUina game held in BatonRouge.Incollege Don had asummer job as acamp counselorat Sam Barthe School in City Park. Therehemet thelove of his life,Edna. After earning abachelor's degree in Geology in 1958 Donand Edna married on October 23, 1960. Don served his country as amedic in the AirForceand then began workatStandardSupply and Hardware Company whereheremained forhis entirecareerrising from thewarehouse to serving as avice president Don's warm smileand engaging personalitywere agifttoall who knew him. He was never without a joke or humorous storyto share. Don was devoted to his family and had agift formaking everyone he knew feelspecial.A lifelong athlete, Don worked out multiple times aweek fordecadesatthe Y.M.C.A, theReily Center at Tulane or training for marathons on the streets of New Orleans. Donwas an ardent Tulane fan, cheering on his belovedGreen Wave throughall sports and seasons. He was an elderat St.Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church and with Edna particularly lovedhelping at the Program of Hope Ministry. Don was preceded in death by his parents Christine HelmerCharles and Russell Hamilton Charles, hisbrothers, Russell Charles, Arthur Charles, and George Charles, and his sisters AltheaCharles, Gloria C. Duncan, Audrey C. Maumus and Arthemise Charles. He is survivedby his wife, Edna Metzger Charles, hisdaughters, Emily Charles Fleshman (Roger) and Sutton Charles Ruiz(Mike) and granddaughters, Grace Sentell Fleshman and Gloria Sutton Ruiz. The family wishes to express our deepest gratitudefor the loving care providedto Don by theentirestaff of The Blake at Colonial Club, Danyel Hunt (Grace and Compassion SeniorCare LLC) and Anthony Christiana (Passages Hospice).

with cancer,athis home in Gretna, Louisiana. He was 68years old. He waspas‐sionately knownasGun‐slinger.Heisthe sonofthe lateShirley Williams Clark and RooseveltClark.Father ofRandell Brock(Amanda) and Alfred Clark, Jr (Ali‐cia); brotherofBettyeWat‐son,KarlClark (Monica) SandraC.Miller (Gil,Sr.), Darnell Clark, Shirley Hollins,and Dale Clark. De‐voted companionofShelia Bennett; devotednephew ofKermit"Joe" Williams and Bill "Peck" Henry, Jr Heissurvivedby9 grand‐childrenand 1great grand‐child,and ahostofnieces, nephews,and otherrela‐tives andfriends.Hewas precededindeath by 1 grandchild. Relativesand friends of thefamily, also priestand parishioners of St. Joseph theWorker Catholic Church,Marrero LA, employees of Primoris ConstructionCo.,Gonzales, LA, andFirst Studentof New Orleans, LA,are in‐vited to attend theGrave‐sideService at Restlawn Cemetary, Avondale,LAon Monday, May19, 2025 at 11:00 a.m.,FatherSidney Speaksofﬁciating. ACele‐bration of Life eventwillbe heldata laterdate. Fu‐neral planning entrustedto RobinsonFamilyFuneral Home, 9611 LA Hwy. 23 Belle Chasse,Louisiana, 70037, (504) 208-2119. For onlinecondolences,please visit www.robinsonfamilyf uneralhome.com.

Prejean,Marilyn Cordes,GordonR.

ionCrockett. Sheisalso survivedbymanygrand‐childrenand greatgrand‐children. Coming to New Orleans,she joined St ThomasBaptist Church fol‐lowingRev.Maxon’s death she then followed Rev. MitchellStevens to Mt ZionBaptist Church where she served until shewas calledhome. Shewas a memberofSeniorSaints Ministriesuntil hersick‐ness. Relativesand Friends ofthe Family,alsoPastor, Ofﬁcers andMembers of Mt. Zion BaptistChurch are all invitedtoattend theFu‐neral ServiceonMonday, May 19, 2025 at 10:00 am at Mt. Zion BaptistChurch 2200 DumaineSt.,New Or‐leans,Louisiana 70119. Vis‐itation will beginat9:00 am. Dismissalwilltake place on Tuesday, May20, 2025 at UnionBaptist Church,743 Gwin St., Brusly, LA.at10:00 am BurialwillfollowinUnion Baptist Church Cemetery inBrusly, LA.Professional arrangementsentrusted to MajesticMortuary, (504) 523-5872.

Mintz, John

Nusloch,Caroline

Oswald-Soto, Beulah

Majestic Mortuary

Curtis,Jerry River Parish

HC Alexander

Ockman Sr., Elton St Tammany

Audubon Jensen,Wanda Means, Norma

EJ Fielding

Keen,Susan SarranJr.,Alfred

Gwendolyn F. Brock, af‐fectionatelyknownas Gwen",ofTylertown, Mis‐sissippi, transitioned peacefullyonMonday, May 12, 2025, at theage of 63, following acourageous journey throughongoing medical challenges.Born onDecember3,1961, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Gwenwas thebeloved daughterofthe late May‐oniaW.Lee andthe late CurtisFortenberry.She at‐tendedFrancis T. Nicholls HighSchool and later earnedher GeneralEduca‐tion Development(GED) diploma.In1978, Gwen married theloveofher life, the late JefferyJ.Brock,Sr. Their union wasblessed with three children—Jef‐

Robert Joseph Celen‐tano, lost hiscourageous and hard-fought battle against cancer on May15, 2025. Belovedhusband of the late Vita Nuccio Celen‐tano. ProudFatherof RobertCelentano,Jr. (Jes‐sica) andLaurieCelentano Step-father of Natalie Pusateri, Gina Webb (Danny) andDebbieTeach‐worth (Dan). Sonofthe lateRocco andRuthCelen‐tano. BrotherofDonaldCe‐lentano andthe late Llyod Celentano,Richard Celen‐tanoand Ruth FayCelen‐tanoBoudot. He wasa proud Papa of Trey,Josh, Rocco,Issaac,Max.Stepgrandfather of Matthew Nicholas, Shelby,Nelson, Kaitlin.Robertisalsosur‐vived by many extended familymembers and friends whomheloved deeply.Relatives and friends areinvited to at‐tendthe Visitation andFu‐neral Mass on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at L. A. Muh‐leisenand SonFuneral Home, 2607 Williams Blvd., Kenner. Visitation from 9:00a.m.to11:00 a.m.,fol‐lowed by FuneralMassat 11:00 a.m. Intermenttofol‐low at JeffersonMemorial Gardens Cemetery,St. Rose, LA.Toshare memo‐riesorcondolences,please visit www.muhleisen.com

Relatives and friends are invitedtoattend the memorial service in the chapel of Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. in NewOrleans, on Friday, May 23, 2025 at 2:00PM. A visitationwillbeheldat thefuneral home beginning at 1:00PM. Inurnment will be held at alaterdate. In lieu of flowers the family welcomes memorial giftstoSt. CharlesAvenue Presbyterian Church (1545 StateStreet, NewOrleans, LA 70118) or Tulane Athletics directed to the Green WaveClub (Visit giving.tulane.edu/memory or mail checks to Tulane University, PO Box 669394, Dallas, TX 75266-9394 Please indicatethatthe gift is in memory of Donald Charles).

It is with heavyhearts weannouncethe sudden passing of Gordon R. CordesofBarataria,La. on Friday, May9,2025, at the age of 69. Gordon grew up inAlgiers andwas the beloved sonofthe late Pearl andGordonCordes. Gordonwas theproud fa‐therofhis beloveddaugh‐ter,Kristin Thiebaud (Kegan) andleavesbehind his lovedand dedicated companion,BrendaLirette Heissurvivedbybrothers, EddieCordes(Debbie), Ricky Cordes (Gilda), his sisters,JoAnn Dauenhauer (Robert)and TammyKo‐diak(Jericho) andformer husband of Rhonda Cordes. Gordon wasthe beloved godfatherofMike Lobue,Jr.,Megan Dauen‐hauer andthe late Natasha Cordes, andanuncle to manynieces, nephews, great nieces andgreat nephews that he loved dearly. He will be missed and fondly remembered by his friendsinwhich many werelifelong. Agood day for Gordon wasbeing with familyand friends. He en‐joyed traveling, ﬁshing, playing cards, dominoes, and festivals. Gordon hada way of making sure life was neverboring. He en‐joyed turningeveryday moments into unforget‐table memories with a good practicaljoke. While our hearts areheavy they’re also full of laughter froma lifetime of surprises and sillymoments.Family, friends andemployees of Union PaciﬁcRailroadare invited to attend theser‐vices of Gordon Cordes on Tuesday,May 20, 2025, at Greenwood FuneralHome, 5200 CanalBlvd.,New Or‐leans,LA70124. Visitation willbeat10:00 am fol‐lowed by aFuneralMass conducted by Father Patrick Collum at 1:00 pm IntermentwillbeatGreen‐wood Cemetery.For any condolences andfond memories, visitwww greenwoodfh.com

It is with sadness, we share thepassing of Norton "Duke"J Dupaquier, Jr.onTuesday, May13, 2025, at the age of 69. He wasborninNew OrleansonSeptember 1, 1955 and went on to graduate from Jesuit High School andthe University of New Orleans. After earning his Bachelor's degree,hewent on to enterthe cardealership business, eventually becoming thegeneral sales manager. Through the years, Duke workedthroughevery pain, hardship and challengewith aheadinjury. Hislaughterand witwere contagious... always believing therewerebrighter days ahead, especially with hisDrillSergeant (Donnalee)athis side. Life threwhim another curveballwith Cancer.But in true Duke form, he dealt with it believing that nothingelse mattered beyond thesimple things in life andthe love of hisfamily andfriends So,Duke, as you listen to LedZeppelin, ride that "Stairway to Heaven" with aMichelob Ultra in one hand and acigarinthe other. Love NeverDies. Duke is survivedbyhis wife of 50 years, Donnalee DiGiovanni Dupaquier; son, Jared N. Dupaquier; sister Vanessa Adams (Te-Cye); brothers, Mark Dupaquier (Nancy) andLouis Dupaquier(Vikki); grandson,Marc-Elliott Dupaquier; and brother-inlaw,Don DiGiovanni,Jr. (Ann). He wasprecededin death by hisparents, Norton andCharlesa LeJeune Dupaquier. Thefamilywould like to extendtheir gratitude to Dr."Ram" Ramcharan Thiagarajan; Jennifer and thestaff of Heartof Hospice;and Tiffanywith NolaatHome Care. To view andsignthe familyguestbook, please visit lakelawnmetairie.com

Dupaquier Jr., Norton Faia,Gregory Faia, GregoryGerard

To view and sign theonline guest book, please visit lakelawnmetairie.com

Charles,Donald Ray

DupaquierJr., Norton Joseph

Celentano, Robert Joseph

Gregory

Faia,61years old, passedawayathis home on Thursday, May8, 2025, followinga courageous battle with Glioblastoma brain cancer Anative NewOrleanian,he wasa longtime resident of Metairie, Louisiana. Mr.Faia earnedhis Juris DoctoratefromLoyola University School of Law in 1990. Since1999, Mr.Faia wasactive in both thetitle andreal estate industries wherehewas theowner of Security Title of Louisiana, LLC. Hislaw practice Faia and Associates, LLC was

Curtis,Jerry Dean Hills

Jerry Dean HillsCurtis was born on April7,1944 She went with theLordon Monday, May12, 2025. She was thewifeofAlvin Cur‐tis,Sr. andthe daughter of MaryLee Crockett andthe stepdaughterofTheron Crockett. Mother of Johnny Ross, Jr.and ByranRoss, Sr. andthe late AveryRoss, Sr. Stepmother of Alvin Curtis, Jr.and DwainCur‐tis.SisterofJoyce Murphy LoisHilley(Jim),GwenEd‐wards (George),JohnL Crockett (Mona) andMar‐

Clark, Alfred 'Gunslinger'

Alfred "Gunslinger" Clark,a truckdriverand long-time resident of Baton Rouge,LA, departed this lifeTuesday,May 6, 2025 after along-term battle

May18, 2025

dedicated to intellectual property as well as corporate law including formerly working as general counsel to Ruth'sChris Steakhouse. In 2008, he was named President of Strive Incorporated, anonprofit organization committed to assisting disabled adults with employment challenges,a role he was most proud of and continued until his death. In 2010, Mr. Faia was appointed Trustee of the Jefferson Parish Finance Authority and in 2016 was appointed Chairman of the Board and served until his death. He was an owner of AdsSquared, LLC. which led him to become aYahoo Relationship Partnerwith the Yahoo Search Partner Advisory Council.Greg was aleader in the search optimization industry and internet advertising. He was amember of the American Land and Title Association the Louisiana Bar Association, New Orleans Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. Greg was also amember of the Southern Yacht Club. He is preceded in death by his parents, Ronald Lawrence Faia and Jane Durning Faia.Heissurvived by his loving wife, Michelle A. Faia, his son, PhilipG.Faiaand those he called his own, TheodoreJ Picou, III (Geneva), Taylor Picou and her son, Parker, his stepsons, Tyler Molero (Isabella), Hunter Molero, and Brennan Molero, his sister, Jane F. Mentz and brother, Ronald L. Faia, Jr (Tracy)aswell as ahost of nieces and nephews Greg's employees were like family, especially his assistant, Jewel Davis, and his paralegal, Gina B. Grob. He was hard-working, had agenerous spirit, and was undeniably the lifeof the party. He enjoyed boating, fine art, traveling, and spending time with his beloved dogs, Sadie and Coco. The legacy he leaves behindinboth his family and professional endeavors will forever be cherished and celebrated by those who knew and loved him. The family will hold a private cremation service through Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home. ACelebration of Life for Greg will be held at The Southern Yacht Club, 105 N. Roadway Drive, New Orleans, LA on Sunday, June 22, 2025, from 2pm5pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider acontributionin Greg's memory to Strive Incorporated. An online guestbook is available at www.LakeLaw nMetairie.com

George Q. Flynn, age88, distinguished historian and beloved father, passed away peacefully on May 5, 2025,inSt. Petersburg, Florida. He was predeceased by his wife, Mary R. Flynn, and is survived by his children Sean Flynn (Marija), Kathleen Flynn and Margaret Flynn Robison, and grandchildren Lillian Flynn, Carson Robison, Lucas Flynn, and Mariel Robison. George's early life was shaped by two key events—first, playing basketball at Behrman Gym in NewOrleans where he met the coach that led him out of the life of ayoung pool shark and school dropout in New Orleans' Irish Channel into college and eventually academia Second was meeting Mary Ann Reising after ahigh school basketball game which forever changed his direction in life forthe better. He always felt unreasonably lucky to have married herand he remained devoted to her to the end. George was agraduate of Loyola University and Louisiana State University, earning his PhD with the birth of his first child. Over 30 years as aprofessor, including over twenty at Texas Tech University, George became aleading historian of military conscription in the United States, writing five books which shaped the discourse on conscriptionand its role within democratic societies. His meticulous research and balanced analyses continue to serve as foundationalresources

forhistorians, policymakers, and students alike,illuminating the complex history of the draft, its policies, politics, and impact on western society. He remained ago-to interview whenever the draft came up in current news

Beyond his professional accomplishments, George was known forhis humor, intolerance of sanctimony, and asometimes-infuriating fondness forthe opposite sex, allofwhich consistently endeared him to so many who knew him. He was aman of integrity and depth,who found joyin meaningful conversation, learning, and the successes of those he loved. An earlyand abjectfailure at school,George eventually becamea lifelonglearner, largely teachinghimself from bookssubjects such as math, statistics, and finance, as well as tennis, golf, and the piano. He was intensely grateful to the people who enabled what he felt was a very lucky life—fromfamily like his uncleEarlwho was the closest thing he had to afather and hisfather-in-lawwho he thought was asaintfor letting a rogue such as himmarry Mary Ann, to the friends that welcomed himwhen he made St. Petersburg his final stop and the caregiverswho helped him through his final years, to his wifewhom he credited with everything goodthat happened along the way. The family willhold the interment and maincelebrationoflifeonSaturday, July 5, 2025,at11:00 a.m.at Lake LawnMetairie CemeteryinNew Orleans, Louisiana.Inlieuofflowers, donationsmay be made in George's memory to the Mary Reisingand George Q. Flynn Scholarship at Loyola University New Orleans, https://spark.loyno.edu/tri bute

June 13, 1940-July 1, 2018

Pat Goodwin has left this life. Shewas acreative and brilliant womanwho joyfully gave life and family to her children. She lived life on her own terms; her persistence in adversity was awesome. An accomplishedcook and seamstress, atalentedwriter, a formidable Scrabble player,Pat was endlesslycurious and wielded awicked sense of humor. Pat becamea lawyer at 43 without having graduated highschool or college. Acceptedinto the New Orleans Loyola Lawprogram,she graduatedinthe top 10% of her class and made Law Review. Astudy group who becamefriends supportedher school efforts.She paid herbills by sore-footedlyserving cocktailsina revolvingbar highover downtown New Orleans and sewing theatre costumes and alterations at Mathilda's Vintage in the French Quarter.Live-inpartner Tomand his familyhelped nurturePat'slaw school years. Pat practiced lawin NewOrleans and Alexandria firmsbefore becoming counselfor the Alexandria Social Security Disability division, from which she retired. In retirement, she found great joy advising and helping many folks access SSDbenefits forloved ones in need. Born in Alexandria, LA, Pat'schildhood roamed several Louisiana communities beforeher family movedcross country to Coolidge,Arizona, when she was 13. There, she wore Levis,played clarinet in the schoolmarching band, knewtwangy guitar guy DwayneEddy,hung out with pals at Tag's. A marriage at 15 beganher newfamily, which grewto 4adoredchildren—Victoria Goodwin Baker, Donald Kevin Baker, Leigh Patricia Baker, Paul Gray Baker. Vic(toria)gigglestoday thinking about when she and her friends were young teenagers needing escape,Pat mightdrive them allaround town in the 8-passengerstation wagon, dragging Main,a legendary sourceofmirth. Pat especially enjoyed memoriesofbeingpulled over more than once on these outings by cops who sternlydoubted she was the parent. Paul remembershis mother as providing him constant unconditional love that allowed him to develop asense of self and the capacity for moral judgment and mak-

ing choicesinlife.Kevin died in his mid teens and Leighdiedsoonafter Pat's death.

Patwas daughterto Doris Brister Goodwinand Edward JamesGoodwinJr; granddaughtertoher belovedAnnieLaura Morgan Brister, Charles AllieBrister, Lillie A. RobertsGoodwin, and Edward James Goodwin. She was adearsister to and is survivedbyJoAnn Clevenger, JimGoodwin, and Bruce Goodwin. Pat leaves many Goodwin, Landry, Brister, Wells, and Chambers cousins who recall Pat's exuberant throatylaugh and encyclopedicknowledge of family Pat's dog"Rug" was long an important partner and traveling companion for many adventures. Rug and Patlast traveled together as ashesonto family graves, Louisiana waters, and Bath, Maine gardens. Her garden skills and happiness with plants of all sorts yieldedfruits, veggies,and flowers from LouisianatoArizona, California,and Mississippi To "find aplace inside where thereisjoy,"Pat held closely to dogs, family,plants, and food. She fiercelywon and lost any and all card games. Patfavored lanky cowboys who jitterbuggedwithabandon. Her several parts-of-herlife partners didnot endure her almost manic fervorfor life,saddening and sobering once-upon-a-time tomboy Pat.

She hadfollowedher father any and everywhere—fishing, shooting, motoring, dogloving, campfire cooking, Hank Williams listening, Louis Lamour reading, smoking, curt wording,four wheel ATV riding adventurer through life.She lovedher white Corvette purchased with first attorney's position earnings, later aquick Dodge V8 pick-up truck, and last aPTCruiser she and palRug camped in all over theUSA Patmet and dinedwith hero Julia Child.She wined and dinedatthe Ritz in PariswithsisterJoAnn. Preparing, cooking and sharing thefish she expertly caught delighted Pat. She wascareful to followthe instructions given by her Mother and Grandmother when preparing delicious preserves and jellies throughout her life.She laughed with brotherBruce as she unearthed an intact,long flintspear point near Calcasieu River. She raved over brotherJim'sfine croissantsand perfect waffles. She was akeen member of several dinner and reading groups. Every one of themany chickens she raised from "little biddies"toegg providers were named and adored Patlived and lovedher life

Lucky are they who knew her smilesand love

WandaLucille Reis

Jensen, of Slidell, Louisiana,passedawayon May 14, 2025, at theage of 93. Born on October27, 1931, in Natalbany, Louisiana,tothe late Jewel Lee Tucker andAllieMae MatthewsTucker, Wanda's lifewas avibrant tapestry woven with love,creativity, and adventure. Aloving wifetothe late Reed War‐ren Jensen for18beautiful years,Wanda's life was further blessedwitha lov‐ing family. Wandawas a nurturing mother to Cindy Gibson(Gary), John Reis (Melinda), Philip Reis (Karen),KurtJensen, and TiffanyRobinson(Russell), and to thelateBruce Jensenand JulieJensen. Her legacy continues through hergrandchildren, Brian Gibson,Felicia Parent (Chris),Nikki Madeley, JohnReis(Amanda), An‐gelle Rowe (Jamie), SamanthaSchenker (Kevin),Sarah Young (Ricky),TiffanyMorales, Michelle Hughes,and PhilipReis(Danielle), and her great-grandchildren, Reis, Allie, Aiden, Jonah, Juliette,Kaelyn, Jordan Maryah, Maleah,Kingston, Princeton,Brooks, Heston, Jesse,Mika, andSimon Wanda wasprecededin death by hersister, Yvonne O'Connor. Wandagradu‐atedfromSophieB.Wright withthe Classof1947, marking thebeginning of a life ﬁlledwithcontinuous learningand growth.She dedicated 33 yearsofser‐vicetoBellsouth Corpora‐tion, where shenot only excelled in hercareer but

also formed lastingfriend‐ships andconnections.Her commitmenttoher work was paralleled only by her devotiontoher familyand her passions.Anartistat heart,Wanda wasanac‐tivememberofthe Slidell Art League,where she sharedher love forpaint‐ing anddrawing.Inher earlier years, Wanda's melodic voicegracedthe Sweet AdelineQuartet, performingunder the names of theCreoleCuties and theSparkelettes. Wanda's garden wasan‐other canvas of hers where shecultivated beautyand serenity at home. Herintellectualcu‐riosity wasinsatiable; Wanda wasa voracious readerwho kept abreastof current events andnever hesitated to shareher well-informed opinions She andReed shared alove for travel,exploring the UnitedStatesintheir 5th wheel camper,and also enjoyed venturingabroad toEuropeand the Caribbean.Cruises with her familywereamong her mostcherished experi‐ences,creatingmemories thatwould last alifetime. A faithfulmemberofRidge MemorialBaptist Church in Slidell, Wanda'sspiritual lifewas acornerstone of her existence. Sheat‐tendedchurch andBible study regularly, finding strengthand community in her faith until herhealth prevented attendance Wanda will be remembered asa loving andgenerous soul, whose presence en‐richedthe livesofthose around her. Herwarmth, wisdom, andthe joyshe found in life's simple plea‐sures will continue to in‐spire herfamilyand friends.Her wonderful sense of humor andgener‐ous spirit broughtjoy and laughtertoall who knew her.Wanda’s familyex‐pressestheir sincereap‐preciationtothe staff at SummerfieldSeniorLiving inSlidell fortheir kindness and love they showed dur‐ing Wanda’sresidence there forover10years Also, specialthanksto caregivers, Samantha and Tina, fortheir loving kind‐ness, patience,and profes‐sionalism;and to Pastor PaulDabdoub of Ridge MemorialBaptist Church for hiswisdomand kind‐nessasheministeredto Wanda in herlastdays. Relatives andfriends are invited to attend avisita‐tiononThursday,May 22 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00p.m.atAudubon Fu‐neral Home in Slidell. Afu‐neral servicewillbegin in the chapel at 1:00 p.m. In lieuof flowers, memorial donations to St.Tammany AnimalServicesare appre‐ciated. Memories andcon‐dolencesmay be ex‐pressedatwww.Audubon FuneralHome.com.

Joycelyn “Joyce”Jones was born on January8, 1967 to herlovingparents DonaldFrank Jonesand CarlonJeanBreauxJones Joyce passedawayonthe afternoon of May8,2025 at the ageof58years.A life‐longresidentofNew Or‐leans,Joyce attended Audubon School,gradu‐atedfromDaneel Pre-voca‐tionalSchool,and com‐pletedthe food service program at Holman Voca‐tionalCenter. Shepartici‐pated in theSpecial Olympicswhere shewon manytrophiesand acco‐lades.She also once reigned as queen of her school’s carnival ball Joyce enjoyedmusic—es‐peciallyMichael Jackson— and dancing. Joycewas alsoskilled at drawing, often timesoptingtodraw someofher favorite car‐toon characters like Char‐lie Brownand Snoopyof the Peanutscartoon.Solv‐ing jigsaw puzzlesand wordsearchpuzzles were someofher favorite pas‐times,along with watching her favorite TV shows, suchasGood Times, Ilove Lucy, andThe Priceis Right,tonamea few. She alsoenjoyed taking Po‐laroids of herfamilyand friends andwatching Saintsgames at home with her family. Sheloved fam‐ily gatherings more than anything; Anyone who knewJoyce wouldtellyou her favorite thingtodo was spendtimewiththe onesshe loved. Oneofher special talentswas her ability to remember every‐body’sbirthday. Joycehad agreat senseofhumor,al‐

ways laughing andcrack‐ing jokes. Shewas also a verygenerousand loving personwho wouldgive anythingasked of herand witha smile.Joyce loved her Heavenly Father and, while stillable, read her bible andprayedevery night before bed. Joyce truly liveduptoher name asshe broughtpurejoy to all thosewho knew her. She is survived by her brother,DonaldFrank Jones Jr.(Williemae) of Baton RougeLA, sisters JacquelineMarie Womble (Keith) of Dallas TX and Gwendolen AnnGrandpré ofNew OrleansLA, along withmanyrelatives,in‐cluding nieces,Tamara Danielle Smith(Raymond) ofSlidell LA,KeishaMarie WombleofDallasTX, Sarah Anne Webster(Joshua) of Houston TX,and Keri NicoleWombleofDallas TX, nephewsFrederick Douglas JonesofBaton Rouge LA andGabriel ProsserJones of NewOr‐leans LA,auntsVirginia Brisco(Sidney (d.))of FranklinLA, DeloresRussell (Leonard) of NewOrleans LA, Vivian Gair (Norbert)of New OrleansLA, andHope NicoleBreauxofDetroit MI great nieces RayneElise Smith of NewOrleans LA Talia D’NaeSmith of Slidell LA, NiaDanielleYarbrough ofDallasTX, Daisha Jean GloriaGrandpréofHouston TX, SarahAbeni Gwen‐dolen WebsterofHouston TX, KeyahRoseWebster of Houston TX andRoryJean CrowofDallasTexas,great nephews RaymondEugene Smith Jr.ofSlidell LA Malachi Joseph Hubbardof Houston TX,JoshuaAn‐thony WebsterJr. of Hous‐ton Texas, LeshawnRoy Webster of HoustonTX, and Rodney “Tripp” DCrow III of Dallas TX,several cousins,and herdear friend, KeithCelestain Joycelynwas preceded in death by herparents Car‐lon Jean Breaux Jonesand DonaldFrank Jones. Rela‐tives andfriends of the familyare invitedtoattend the CelebrationofLifeSer‐viceonTuesday,May 20 2025 at Gertrude Geddes Willis FuneralHome, 2120 Jackson Avenue,New Or‐leans,LA70113 at 11:00 a.m.Visitationfrom10:00 a.m.until 11:00 a.m. Inter‐mentMount Olivet Ceme‐tery, 4000 Norman Mayer Avenue, NewOrleans,LA 70122. Youmay sign the guest book on www.ger trudegeddeswillis.com Gertrude Geddes Willis Fu‐neral Home Inc.,incharge (504) 522-2525.

SusanEnloe Keen,age 83, of Covington, Louisiana, passedawayonTuesday, May 13, 2025. Shewas born onJanuary 2, 1942, in New Orleans,Louisiana.She is survivedbyher children MarkKeen (Dawn) and Stephanie Keen Rolling (Jason);grandchildren, Jessica Pastor,KylePastor; and many extended family members andfriends.She was preceded in deathby her loving husbandof44 years,Frank McElroy“Mac” Keen,III; herparents,Gille‐spieEnloe,Sr. andHelen Forio Enloe; andsiblings, Gillespie “Gill” Enloe, Jr Susan graduatedfromMc‐Donough 35 High School in New Orleansand attended Louisiana StateUniversity where shewas amember ofthe DeltaZetaSorority. Art washer lifelong pas‐sionand atrueexpression ofher heart. Sheespecially loved painting pleinair capturing ﬂowers, land‐scapes, andthe quiet beautyofthe worldaround her.One of herearliest works wasa magnolia she painted forher mother on Mother’sDay while at LSU, a gift made with love when moneywas tight. She

beganher career as an English teacherinthe Jef‐fersonParishSchool Dis‐trict,later transitioningto a fulfillingroleinreales‐tatewithLatter& Blum.At 80, shetook asolotripto Francetopaint—one of her favoriteadventures. In her later years, shecontinued togrowasanartistand was thrilled to be the2025 ChefSoireePosterArtist. Shewas exceptionallyin‐telligent andknown forher razor-sharp,dry wit—al‐waysready with aclever remarkthatcould make you laughorthink.She met eachday with quiet strengthand determina‐tion. Herresilience wasan inspiration to allwho knew her.She lovedtraveling withfamily, andher daughterwillalwayscher‐ish theirmany mother/daughter trips, es‐peciallytheir favorite des‐tinationofNew York City She wasdeeply proudof her son, Mark,and her grandchildren,Jessica and Kyle. Shealsofound great connectionand inspiration inher belovedart groups, whose friendshipsmeant the worldtoher.Inlieuof flowers, contributionsin memoryofMrs.Keen may bemadetothe Northshore HumaneSociety at www northshorehumane.org/ give or to theYouth Service Bureauatwww.ysbworks. com/donate. Thefamily willholda privatecelebra‐tionoflifeata laterdate. IntermentwillbeinGreen‐wood Cemetery,New Or‐leans,Louisiana.E.J.Field‐ing FuneralHomeofCov‐ington, Louisiana, is hon‐oredtobeentrusted with Mrs.Keen’s funeral arrangements. Herfamily invites youtoshare thoughts, memories,and condolences by signingan onlineguestbook at www ejfieldingfh.com

Cheryl Toye Kjormoe, passedawaypeacefully on May 10, 2025, at theage of 72. Born to Robert E. Toye Jr. andMildredGaudet ToyeonNovember6,1952, inNew Orleans, LA.Cheryl dedicated many yearsof her life as asales repre‐sentative forRepublicNa‐tionalDistributingCom‐pany. Shewas aloving mothertoher sons ThomasB.Kjormoe and JohnD.Kjormoe.Her role asa grandmotherto Rowan CaseyKjormoe and SeanDavid Kjormoewas one shecherished.She is alsosurvivedbyher broth‐ers,RobertE.ToyeIII and Pat Toye.She waspre‐ceded in deathbyher par‐entsand hergrandson, David CaseyKjormoe Cherylwas an avid dancer and herlovefor travel was fulﬁlledthrough numerous cruises,eachanadventure thatbrought newexperi‐ences andlasting memo‐ries. Moreover,Cheryl's homemadefudge wasleg‐endary, asweet testament toher desire to spread joy through hercooking. Rela‐tives andfriends arein‐vited to attend theVisita‐tionand FuneralMasson Thursday,May 22, 2025 at St. Rita Catholic Church, 7100 JeffersonHwy Hara‐han,LA70123. Visitation willbeheldatthe church from10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.The FuneralMassbe‐ginsat12:00 p.m. Burial willdirectlyfollowat MetairieCemetery, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd New Orleans,LA70119. Arrange‐ments by L. A. Muhleisen& Son FuneralHome. To share memories or condo‐lences, please visitwww muhleisen.com.

Kjormoe, Cheryl Toye

Goodwin, PatriciaA.

Keen,Susan Enloe

Flynn, George Q.

Jensen,Wanda LucilleReis

Jones, Joycelyn 'Joyce

Gail Heigle Farmer Marks passedMay 12, 2025, survived by three daughters,Tammy Farmer Johnson (Ronald),Debbie FarmerKuylen(Donald), and JoyFramerBorn; six grandchildren,Tabitha Gar‐rard(Sean); Jonathan Kuylen; Jacob, Daisy, Lily and Jayden Johnson; two great grandchildren, Canon and Sutton Garrard; and three siblings,Edmond, An‐drew, andJoeyHeigle. Gail was preceded in deathby her ﬁrsthusband,Mervin Farmer, andsecondhus‐band, Donald Marks; three siblings, June Hoffman, Au‐gustHeigle, andDonald Heigle; andher parents, Margaretand August Hei‐gle.Mrs.Marks worked at JCPenneyfor over 30 years inthe accountingdepart‐ment. Sheenjoyed bingo, dancing,and MardiGras. She will be sorely missed byher devotedfamilyand friends.Relatives and friends areinvited to visit Greenwood FuneralHome, 5200 CanalBlvd.,New Or‐leans,LA70124, on Mon‐day,May 19, 2025, starting at11:00 a.m. Catholic Ser‐vices will follow thevisita‐tionat1:00p.m.The burial willbeinGreenwood Cemetery. We also invite you to shareyour thoughts, fond memories, and condolencesonlineat www.greenwoodfh.com Your shared memories will helpuscelebrate Gail’slife and keep hermemory alive

Mata,Manuel

ManuelMatapassed awaysuddenlyonFriday, May 9, 2025, at theage of 66. He wasbornonDecem‐ber 2, 1958, in Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua, Mexico to Jose ManuelMataand thelate Elvia Olivas Mata.He resided in Bridge City,LA for 47 years. Devotedhus‐bandof44years,toLouella Gautreaux Mata.Lovingfa‐therofBrandyMata, Lillian Mata, ManuelMata (Tiffany)and ElviaMata. Proud grandfatherofHai‐ley Allen, Ryan Pittman Richard AllenJr.,Emma Mata, Alonzo Martinez MaddenMataand Kailex Reid. BrotherofMaricela Mata, Lupe Mata,and the lateLeonardoMata (Martha), SoniaGalaviz (Martin), Hector Mata (Mayra),and thelateLuis (Julia),EloyMercado (Fran‐cisco), JesusMata(Patri‐cia), Carlos Mata (Veron‐ica), Veronica Mata,and the late Javier Mata (Siria). Manuelissurvived by manynieces, nephews, loved ones anddear friends.Manuelwas the proud ownerofManuel MataSheetrock.Known for his strong work ethicand hands-onapproach Manueltook greatpride in every projecthetouched Through ManuelMata Sheetrock,hehelped shape homesand busi‐nesses, leavingbehinda lasting mark in more ways thanone.Whenhewasn’t onthe job, Manuel could befound tendingtohis beloved farm, where he raisedcattleand found peace in therhythm of country life.His connection tothe land randeep, and his care forhis animals was areflection of there‐spect he hadfor nature.In his younger years, Manuel had apassion forrace‐horses. He dedicated countless hourstotraining and caring forthem, al‐waystakingpride in their strengthand spirit—a re‐flection of hisown. Ahard‐working manwitha deep lovefor thelandand a fierce commitmenttohis craft,hebuilt alegacynot onlythrough hisbusiness but in theheartsofthose who knew him. Family and friends areinvited to at‐tendthe visitation on Sat‐urday,May 24,2025, from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at Mothe FuneralHome, 7040 Lapalco Blvd Marrero, LA 70072. AFuneralMasswill begin at 1:00 p.m. and in‐terment to immediately followatOur Lady of Prompt Succor Cemetery

531 Ave. A, Westwego,LA 70094. He is survivedbyhis motherLindaBarnett Mintz, aunt Walda Barnett Besthoff, sisterMargaret MintzEasthope,brother-in -law Thomas Easthope and nephew and niece Evan and Virginia Easthope.John lovedfamily.Heenjoyed being with his largenetwork of Mintz, Barnett and Cooper family members.

Means, Norma'Jean'

Norma “Jean” Means, of Slidell, Louisiana, passed awayonApril 23,2025, at the ageof86. Shewas born inBrucetonMills, West Vir‐ginia,onApril 12,1939. She lived afulland dedicated lifemarkedbyhardwork, faith,and devotion to her family. Jean grew up in the rolling hillsofWestVir‐ginia,where sheattended BrucetonMillsHighSchool, beforefurtheringher edu‐cationat Morgantown Business College. She loved raisingher familyin Elizabeth,PA, formany years priortorelocatingto the NewOrleans area in 1983. Sheloved hercareer and family shecreated at AucoinHartJewelers where sheworkedfor over 25years before retiring Jeanwas thebeloved daughterofthe late GeorgeRay Claude Sisler and Edith MarieDarby SislerHerring.She wasa lovingspousetoher late husband,Milton William Means,withwhomshe shared53years of mar‐riage filledwithlove. To‐gether, they raised two children, PatrickSean Means (Jaime) andKath‐leen Dawn MeansAndry (Robert). Herroleasa motherwas oneofher greatestblessings of her life. Jean's legacy contin‐ues to flourish throughher grandchildren,Jessica Means McNichols, Justin Andry,and NicoleAndry Hampton(Cody), as well as her great-grandchildren, Claudia McNichols, Andrew McNichols,and Evelynn Hampton. She took im‐mense joyspendingtime withall of herfamily. She alsoleavesbehind, hersib‐lings,JohnnyLee Sisler (Glenna), Claude Junior Sisler(Sandra), andNancy Loise Sisler Nedrow (Ran‐dall),aswellasa host of extendedfamilymembers and friends. Along-stand‐ing member of theFirst UnitedMethodist Church ofSlidell,Jean'sfaith was the cornerstoneofher life She wasanavidcrocheter creatingbeautiful pieces thatwerebotha hobby and away of expressing her care forothers. She loved spending time out‐sideand couldoften be found on herbackpatio where sheenjoyed her daily devotionsand sip‐pingcoffee. Those who knewher will remember her forthe warmth she brought into everyroom and thekindnessshe ex‐tendedtoeveryone she met.She wasabletodo thisthrough thetravels with familyand friends. Her love forher familywas her most defining trait, and itisthislovethatwillcon‐tinue to resonate in the heartsofthose sheleaves behind. Memorial services tohonor herlifewillbe heldat alater date in Uniontown, PA.Memorial donations maybemadeto First United Methodist Church (FUMC) locatedat 433 Erlanger Ave.,Slidell LA70458 www firstumcsli dell.orgA fund hasbeen established forthe group Jeanbelongedtothatcro‐chetedprayershawlsand other charitable endeav‐ors.Memoriesand condo‐lencesmay be expressed atwww.AudubonFuneralH ome.com

John was aman of academic pursuits. He attended Newman School CarltonCollege,Tulane and Loyolauniversities. John was an excellent writer who assistedwithhis father's legal practice. He delighted in taking vocal lessons and was fascinated by religious studies. He spoke both Spanish and Norwegian.His keen ear fordialects made him an interesting and humorous storyteller. John had apassionfor rescuing animals. He evacuated with five canine companions, when avoidingHurricane Katrina. John was truly dog'sbestfriend The family givesthanks to thenumerous people who were devotedtoJohn: Touro doctorsand nurses; executiveassistant Patty Peterson; and caregivers Mildred Antione,Velma Banks, John McLaughlin, Rosa Azurdia andSenais Edwards.

Relatives and friends are invitedtoattend his memorial servicesat Temple Sinaion Wednesday, May 21, 2025. Visitationwillbegin at 11 AM followedbyservicesat 11:30 AM. Areceptionwill follow theservices Kindly omitflowers. MemorialstoNew Orleans SPCA are gratefully preferred

AnnieLee Nelson,medical technologist,educator and artist,whose long history withthe Universityof Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS,was marked by her support and devotion forhighereducation, passed away peacefully at theage of ninetyfive, on May 12, 2025, in Brandon, MS. Anativeof Ville Platte,LA, she is the daughter of thelateJoseph and AlidaPitre

AnnieLee earneda Bachelor of Science degree fromSouthwest Louisiana Instituteand medical technologytraining at Charity HospitalofNew Orleans. It was during her early career as amedical technologist that she met her late husband and life partner, Dr. Norman C. Nelson, whom she married in Opelousas, LA,in1955. They residedinNew Orleans, LA;Houston, TX; San Francisco,CA; Fort Campbell, KY;and Boston, MA, prior to moving to Jackson, MS, in 1973, where Dr. Nelsonserved as Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs at theUniversityof Mississippi Medical Center (UMC) and Deanofthe University of Mississippi School of Medicine from 1973-1994. They were married for61years. AnnieLee was known for her educational work with thefirst computer systems at UMC.She also initiated the"Taste of UMC",a culinary showcase of the cultural diversity found among theuniversity'sfaculty and staff. This popular event became a much-anticipated annual affair

She wasa member of Saint Paul CatholicChurch in Flowood,MS, and an activemember of several women's organizations including theUniversity Medical Center Women's Club, which she served as president theMississippi Artists'Guild.

Arts and craftswere a constant in her life.Her talentswere many and she

embraced adiverse assortment of creative outlets such as sewing, quilting,pine needlesculptures and baskets, stainedglass windows, and beadedand wire-wrapped jewelry. Creativeprojects were always in hand.She and her late husband were also keenly fond of American decorative arts In addition to her husband and parents, Annie Lee is predeceased by her 12 siblings. She is survived by her threechildren, Norman C. Nelson,Jr. (Rebecca Johnson) of Macon, GA;Charles Edwin NelsonofBrandon, MS; and Jennifer Ann Nelson of NewOrleans, LA;three grandchildren, Meredith Lancaster(Jonathan) of Marietta, GA; Sarah Jacques (Armand) of New Orleans, LA;and Julia Buce (Trevor) of Statham, GA,as well as threegreat-grandchildren. Areception willbegiven in her honoratthe River Hills Country Club in Jackson, MS, on Sunday, May 18, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. AnnieLee'snephew, The Very Rev. John Pardue, V.F willpreside at her Mass of ChristianBurial on Monday, May 19, 2025, at theHolyCross Catholic Church in Lafayette, LA Visitation willbeginat 10:00 a.m. at Holy Cross CatholicChurch. ARosary willbeprayed at 11:00 a.m Interment willbeatthe Holy Mary Mother of God Cemetery in Lafayette, LA Viewthe obituary and guestbookonline at www.mourning.com

Martin& CastilleSOUTHSIDE, 600 E. Farrel Road,Lafayette, Louisiana 70508, 337-984-2811

Caroline SutterNusloch, age 85, passedaway peacefully on Sunday, April 13, 2025, in NewOrleans, Louisiana. BornonJuly 21, 1939, in NewOrleans, Caroline later livedinNew Canaan, Connecticut, until retiring with her husband to Savannah, Georgia. She was the daughterof Thomas Meriwether Sutter and Anna Drayton Trucks Sutter. Caroline attended Louise McGehee School and earneda bachelor's degree from Newcomb College Caroline embraced life with energy, warmth, and humor. Her outgoing spirit and caring nature left a lasting impressiononall who knew her. She found joy in traveling, tending her garden, and arranging flowers withanartist's eye forbeauty. She taught gradeschoolinNew Orleans, and,for ashort time, in NewCanaan, Connecticut.She also dabbled in entrepreneurship with her own decorative ribbon business. Adedicated volunteer, she gave generouslyofher timeto help others. She shared 56 happy years with her beloved husband, JerryProbst Nusloch, who preceded her in death. Caroline is lovingly remembered by her twin sister, Charlotte Hoggatt, and her in-laws, Bob Symonand Becky Sutter. She waspredeceasedby her parentsand her siblings, Langston Symonand Tom Sutter, Jr. She leaves behind nephews, Charles Hoggatt, Bob Symon, Jr., Trey, Jimmy, Paul Sutter, and George(Hank) Nusloch, III, andnieces, Jenny Nettles, Beth Richardson, and Julia Jane Nusloch Joubert

Caroline was active in many social clubs and organizations, includingPi Beta PhiFraternity, The Colonial Dames, The New Canaan and theLandings Garden Clubs, and The LandingsCountry Club, as wellasa SkidawayIsland Methodist Church member.

Relativesand friends are invited to attendthe memorial service in the chapel of Lake Lawn MetairieFuneral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd.in NewOrleans,onSaturday, May24, 2025 at 2:00PM. A visitation will be held at thefuneral home beginning at 1:00PM.A reception will follow the chapel service.The interment will take place at alater date. To view andsignthe online guest book, please visit lakelawnmetairie.com

Ockman Sr., Elton Stephen

EltonStephen Ockman Sr. passedawayathis homeinHahnville,LAon May 14, 2025, at theage of 92. He wasborninEdgard, LAonAugust3,1932, to Zenon Ockman andFlo‐rence Duhe Ockman.He was marriedtoBeverly GuidryOckmanfor 50 years.Hewas preceded in death by hisspouseBev‐erlyGuidryOckman, par‐ents, Zenonand Florence Ockmanand hissiblings, CliffordOckman, Melvin Ockman, PearlBourgeois and Caroly Hayesand his daughter-in-law,Cathy Ockman. Eltonissurvived byhis children,Bryan Ock‐man (Betty), EltonS.Ock‐man,Jr.,“Jay” (Laura), Cheri Ockman Williams (Mike), andLaurieOckman Rawson(Brent) andhis companion for20years, Janet Jaquillard.His grand‐children, HeatherMontz Maturin (Clint),Jonathan Montz (Ashley),Madison RawsonPlummer (Luke) TaylorOckman, Kourtney Cooper, Maverick Ockman Faith Ockman,BrodieRaw‐son,JoshOckmanand Holly Ockman.Heisalso survivedbygreat-grand‐children, Cooper Maturin, EllaMaturin,Rowan Montz, and RylinMontz.Heloved tohunt and ﬁsh anddedi‐cated many yearsserving his church,Our Lady of the HolyRosaryand theHah‐nvilleFireDepartment. He was knowntomanyas L’Avocat. Thefamilywould liketothank hiscare‐givers, especially Tosha and Tressy,for theircom‐passion andkindnessdur‐ing this time.Funeral ser‐vices will be held on Friday May 23, 2025, at ourLadyof the Holy Rosary Church in Hahnville,LA. Visitation willbeheldfrom9 a.m. until thetimeofMassat11 a.m.Burialwillfollowat HolyRosaryCemetery, Taft,LA.

husband of 52 years, Robert Emmett Oswald; son, JamesArmand Oswald; husband of 18 months, Luis Alejandro Soto;parents, Nolia LeBlancLepre and Vallie Francis Lepre; and brother, VallieFrancis Lepre, Jr.; andsister,Betty Phillips Maxwell. Sheissurvived by children, Robert Emmett Oswald, Jr Elizabeth OswaldFetzer(Everett), andScottAshton Oswald (Erin);grandchildren, Katie OswaldHutchins(Jared), Margaret Oswald Thompson (David), Robert Emmett OswaldIII,Donald Everett Fetzer III (Jessica) RankinScottFetzer, AshtonVincentFetzer, Bridget OswaldAnderson (Michael) and Claire Margaret Oswald; great grandchildren, Melrose Hutchins, Levi Thompson Dillon Fetzer, Jace Fetzer, Abigail Fetzer, Charlotte Fetzer, Ellanore Fetzer, Oliver Fetzer, Patrick Anderson, and John Anderson; sisters, Beverly Epling andWanda David. Additional survivors include7 nieces, 2nephews, 3stepchildren, 5step grandchildren, and2step great grandchildren. Mrs. Oswald-Sotowas born in Biloxi, Mississippi. Sheisa graduate of BiloxiHigh School andCharity Hospital School of Nursing. AMaster Gardener and Landscape Design Consultant, sheisthe foundingpresidentof JeffersonBeautification, Inc.,havingbecome active in civic endeavors in 1976 as amember of Shady Oaks GardenClub. Sheisa foundingcoordinator of theJeffersonParish AdoptA-Parkway Programand hasservedonthe board of directors of theLA. State Urban ForestryCouncil TheRiverRidge CommunityAssociation theFourParish Civic Beautification Association, theLaSalle Park Development Board, the Harahan Beautification Commission, andthe Westwego Beautification Commission. Amemorial visitation and service will be held on May23, 2025, at Lake LawnFuneral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd in NewOrleans.Visitation will be held from9:00am10am with aMemorial Mass at 10am, and inurnmenttofollow at Metairie Cemetery after theMass. In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to

See more DEATHS page

InLovingMemoryof

ALifeWellLived

ALBERT“PUNK” LAQUE May18,1934-October27,2018 Happy91st Heavenly Birthday Dad! Lovealways, Children, Grandchildrenand Great-Grandchildren. Michael,Nolan, Quinn,JackandOwen Youaresolovedand missedbysomany: YourFamily,relatives andcountlessfriends. Keepwatchingoverus alluntilwemeetagain!

Nusloch, CarolineSutter

Nelson,Annie LeePitre

OPINION

OUR VIEWS

Abetterway to make La. fiscally sound

In one way at least, the Louisiana Legislature seems poised to apply the right lessons from earlier losses. After voters overwhelmingly defeated the 115-page constitutional Amendment 2inMarch, lawmakers arebreaking the key tax and ﬁscal proposals into bite-sized parts. This is as it always should have been. Voters deserve amenu of options to choose from when they mighthave an appetite for only some, but not all, of the offerings on the table. Especially when proposing to change the basic charter of the state’sgovernment, citizens should be able to weigh in on individualcomponents of the plan, so as to ensure that the ﬁnal product truly representsthe public will.

As individual pieces of legislation,two of those proposals merit strong consideration as they aim to make our state more ﬁscally sound. Lawmakers wisely have been moving those proposals toward passage in the current session. Althoughperhaps afew tweaks to the current forms of the bills still wouldbeadvisable, these suggested statutes are moving in the right direction —and, at the very least,should be presented to the votingpublic individually without being tied to so many other,unrelated ideas.

One that has some worrisome aspectsbut also offers great rewards is House Bill 473 by Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro. It would take three separate educational trust funds out of the constitution and use themoney to retire a large portion of the debt owed by the Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana, plus make permanent a$2,000 teacher pay raise —with tens of millions of dollarsper year leftover for other,presumably,educational purposes, rather than to make interest payments to banks.

Thetrade-offsare complicated, but Louisianans deserve the option to vote on them.

Asecond initiative —technically three bills, House Bill 366, by Rep. Daryl Deshotel, R-Hessmer,and House Bills 678 and 578byEmerson, which would work hand in hand —offers far more upside than downside. It wouldeliminate the state Revenue Stabilization Fund while using the money for amultitude of purposes, chief among them the effective elimination, for any parish that wishes to do so, of the largely counterproductiveinventory tax. It alsowould completely ﬁll up aseparate rainy-day fund and provide more money for the state’sgeneral spending fund and for small cuts in both income and sales taxes.

That initiativecould amount to afour-way win. We aren’tashigh on resurrection of athird plank fromAmendment 2, namelywhat is now HB295, which wouldinstitute strict new spending limits on education, health care and prisons. Future legislatures, answering to their constituents, should have leeway to meet any newlydeveloped needs in those three key areas of state services, not be hamstrung by artiﬁcial limits. Either way,by movingtoward giving voters choices across the board, lawmakers this session are acting commendably.They shouldn’t let the momentumdissipate.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. letters are not to exceed 300 words. letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, lA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

TO SEND US A lETTER, SCANHERE

Theon-again, off-againtrade war

Never mind.

President Donald Trump’s145% tariffs on China ran smack into Stein’s law,the lateeconomist Herb Stein’s famousaxiom that “if something cannot go on forever,itwill stop.”

What was effectively an instant embargo on thebiggest importer into theUnited States wasn’t sustainable, and sure enough, it’snot going to be sustained.

The U.S. and China have mutually agreed toback off atitfor-tat trade war that quickly spiraled into territory that meantwanton economic destruction for bothsides.

The U.S.-China trade relationship wasn’tbuilt in aday,and it couldn’t plausibly be ended over afew days via presidential TruthSocial posts, either

During a90-day pause, theU.S. is takingits tariffs down from 145% to 30%, while China is dropping from 125% to 10%.

The problem with tariffs is that they are away of harming aforeign trade partner via imposing pain on your own businesses and consumers.

Small businesses were looking at potential extinction and retailers warning of empty storeshelves.

We’ve imposed embargoes on foreign countries before —for instance, theso-called ABCD encirclement that cut Japan off from raw materials during the early stages of World WarII. But we were abouttogotowar with Imperial Japan, whereas one hopes we won’tbeengaged in active hostilities with China any time soon.

While marketsare relieved that the 145% tariffs are off for now,wearen’t in agreat place. A30% tariff on China, plus theother tariffs that are in play

around the globe, mean we still have lurched into thehighest U.S. tariffregimesince the 1930s.

An on-again-off-again-on-again approach forces U.S. economic actors to deal withwildly gyrating uncertainty for no good reason. Who knows what will happen in 90 days? The Soviet Union wasgoverned by Five-Year Plans; now,weare governed by 90-Day Pauses.

Trumpprides himselfonhis dealmaking, but he hasn’tgotten anything from theU.K. or China that he couldn’t have achieved withmuch less disruption

We could have gotten an outline of a trade deal with the Brits by working with them behind closed doors, and we could have gotten a30% tariff on China by imposing oneatthe outset, rather than 145%.

There is no doubt that China is a

hostile power and bad economic actor, and we should be putting our relationship on adifferent basis. The risk is that Trumphas, by tarifﬁng everyone, friend or foe, madeitharder forusto deepen relationships with our allies and isolate our adversary As Robert Atkinson of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation points out, the current tack will also hamper the moststrategically important, technologically advanced U.S. ﬁrmsthat are all globally integrated. The Trumptariffs will increase their costs by making imported inputs more expensive, while limiting their foreign markets by inviting foreign retaliation forTrump’stariffs. This is not awinning formula, and if China gets an upper hand as aresult, there will be no easy do-over Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry

Coverage decisionsoften complicated

When readers question why certain stories get coverage and others don’t, there’soften theimplication that these decisions are madewith some intention by the newspaper to endorse some activities or pointsofview and sideline others.

Butoften, many other factors come into play Sometimes, it’ssimply that we weren’taware of an event takingplace. At other times, there may be so much going on that we may not have theresources to be everywhere at once. Andyes, many times we are exercising news judgmentindeciding what deserves more attention.

This happens especially in sports. Fanswho rabidly cheer forateam often demand that we cover it more. When we can, we do try to add resources tocover moreof what interests you. Ialways appreciate letters from readers asking whywe don’tcover acertain topic more, andwealways forward them to the appropriate editor It makes us think about our priorities and adjust when we can.

cis and the selection of anew pope. And lastly,wereceived four letters on environmental issues.

Andthen there are theinterestsof our readers to consider.Newspapers trytoappeal to awide audience. So, events that are passionately followed by asmall, niche group may not get the coverage some feel they deserve.

Butunfortunately,there’snot always an easy answer to whyacertain event didn’tget coverage. As with much in life, it’scomplicated. Going to our letters inbox, in the week of April 17-24,wereceived 82 letters. Outside of national politics, the biggest topic was Louisiana’sinsurance crisis and what the Legislature is doing to address it. We received ﬁve letters on that topic. Next, we received four letters on thedeath of Pope Fran-

For the week of April 24 to May 1, we received 77 letters, with immigration atop issue. We received ﬁve letters on issues from immigration policy to the detention centers in Louisiana. A second topic also prompted ﬁve letters, and that was insurance. We received three letters on the topic of education and three on the warinUkraine. Lastly,areminder that we are still accepting letters forour Town Square feature. The question we are asking you to write about is: How important is your faith to your daily life, and what role, if any,should it play in public life? Send your responses to letters@ theadvocate.com.Wewill publish aselection in an upcoming edition.

Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | OpinionPageEditor.Emailher at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com.

Arnessa Garrett

Rich Lowry

ASSOCIATEDPRESS FIlEPHOTO Machines load containers at ashipping terminal in Shanghai, China.

COMMENTARY

La.embroidersa cultural quiltofmanycolors

Apologies if this columnseems like awritten version of acollage, butplease give it achance tocohere. When earlier this spring Iwrote that musicians and restaurateurs are two groups that, more than any other, deﬁne Louisiana for the world, afriend suggestedI also look into our “[visual] art scene and its international impact.” The friend was right about the thriving art scene —but as I looked into that,itled to another potential story,and then others, ranging fromart to Katrinarecoverytoneighborhood revitalization to an industrial controversy and back to food and music. So, just about everything Iwill mention deservesastory of its own, but the resulting weaveof all theelements creates apaean to the astonishing vibrancy of Louisiana’ssocio-cultural landscape.This place is amiracle. I’ll start with the Ferrara Showman Gallery on Julia Street. The internationalscope of its programs in the past 27 years was arevelation to me. The back-

ground offounder Jonathan Ferrara —the fascinating struggles andrisks he embraced to create today’s thriving gallery —isitself worth amajor feature story,asis the peripatetic journey of gallery co-owner Matthew Showman. Thegallery’simmediate interest, though, is in kickingoff what surely will be astatewide spate of 20th anniversary remembrances of Hurricane Katrina. Thegallery’sKatrina remembrance comes in two parts. One of its currentfeatured exhibitions, through May 31, is of worksbymixed-media artist GinaPhillips, who came to New Orleansinthe 1990s by way of Kentucky. She earnednational acclaim after returning post-Katrina to theLower 9th Ward/Holy Cross neighborhood and securing a“long-armquilting machine” to create textile works of surpassing beauty.

If you imagine what schoolchildren know as “collages” (there’s that word again) being turned into truly ﬁne art,that mightbehow laymen would describe Phillips’

colorful productions. Livingnot far from what was themusician’s house, Phillipsﬁrst gained poststorm acclaim for her Fats Domino Series of fabric paintings. Domino played ahuge role as well in the work of Paul Villinski, who began crafting vinyl butterﬂies from ruined LP records he found post-Katrina right down thestreet from Domino’shouse. Villinski’swork will be featured at Ferrara Showman in August, concurrent with the Katrina anniversary— and he’ll also do an installation at aNew Orleans public school, all part of what Ferrara calls “the abilityfor visual art to showcase theresilience and transformation of New Orleans.”

That leads back to Phillips: In thevery week her new exhibit opened at Ferrara Showman, she featured prominently in avery large story in the London-based Guardian by New Orleansessayist Jason Berry.Berry’sthesis begins withanassertionthat the Lower Ninth has becomeanartscentered “renaissance district” post-Katrina, withPhillips as one of its guiding lights. That renaissance, Berry posits, is now at risk

because of amajor grain terminal being builtnearby Well, the grain terminal is a subject for another day; but when Iasked Phillips about Berry’sdepiction of avibrantly artistic community, sheagreed but noted that both sides of the Industrial Canal, including the Bywater district oppositeher Holy Cross neighborhood, are ﬂourishing.

Fascinated, Imade apilgrimage that night to the wonderful Mazant Street barbecue haven called The Joint (it suffered afire just three days later,but should open again in several weeks), followed by ajaunt four blocks away to B.J.’sLounge. There, first the terrific musical fusionist Sunpie, playing in the backyard patio, and then the Deslondes, playing indoors, entertained an enthusiastic crowd of ages ranging from about 21 to 81.

Ihad neverheard of the Deslondes, but Phillips said on the phone that they feature asound distinctive to groups from that section of town. She described it as “country soul.” Ididn’tknow what she meant. Sure enough, though, theyplayed music somehow seem-

ing to fuse —oh, maybe Muddy Waters, the Allman Brothers and Johnny Cash. It was revelatory All of this —the art, music, food and renaissance —tumbled for me into asingle two-day span. This is how Louisiana rolls. I harken back to the closing stretch of the 2014 Senate race. On one day,Republican Bill Cassidy campaigned at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, among empty livestock stalls, as another pavilion featured afestive native-American gathering that then-Sen. David Vitter called a“powwow.”The sameday,an Opelousas event forDemocrat Mary Landrieu featured ﬁrst a soul band and then an infectious zydeco outﬁt while couples joyfully danced as if it were afais do-do.

This multi-faceted ebullience is what makes Louisianans special. And if you ﬁnd yourself pulled in too manydirections at once, as this column has been, well, just go with it. That’show Louisianans weave the fabric of our lives. Quin Hillyer can be reached at quin.hillyer@theadvocate.com.

FEMA in upheavel aheadofhurricane season

As Louisiana stares down yet another hurricane season starting in two short weeks, here’sa statusupdatethat’sdeﬁnitely not going to ease local concerns: “FEMA is not ready.” That chilling assessmentdidn’t come from some drive-by observer

ished,the resourcesand cooperation are not there,… (The) intent cannot be wind down and be ready to support (the)nation in a major response.”

It’sthe conclusion of FEMA’s own internal agency review,obtained by CNN. The document, prepared for new acting Administrator David Richardson, doesn’tjust point to longstanding problems within the disaster response agency; it also offers aglimpse into this chaotic moment within the federal government, as the second Trump administration’ssignature cut-ﬁrst-ask-questions-later m.o. ﬁlters down through an agency whose very future existence has been called into question by those in charge.

Afew alarming lines reported by the news network:

n “As FEMA transforms to a smaller footprint, the intent for this hurricane season is not well understood.”

n “If an organization hears it should be eliminated or abol-

n Mosthurricane preparations have “been derailed this year due to other activities like stafﬁng andcontracts.”

Add to thatthe same haphazard staff downsizing that has been happening across government agencies; the sudden termination of Richardson’s predecessor after he told Congress he didnot believe FEMA should be eliminated; and several anecdotal instances of even red states that have struggled to getexpected reimbursements following extremeweather,and the state of play ahead of June 1ishardly reassuring.

For his part,Richardson insists that thefact of the review itself is evidencethat things are workingasthey shouldbe.

“The slide (quoted by CNN) was used during adaily meeting Acting Administrator David Richardson hasheld everyday titledHurricane Readiness Complex Problem Solving. In other words, exactly whatthe head of an emergency management agency should be doing before Hurricane Season,” aspokesper-

son for theDepartment of Homeland, whereFEMA is housed, told CNN. “FEMA is fully activated in preparation for Hurricane Season.”

Well, let’shopeso.

But the dynamics described in the report are very real, and coming straight fromthe top. President Donald Trump hastalked of either overhauling FEMA or getting rid of it andpassing its functions on to states, which have widely varying resources and are

already hard-pressed during major emergencies Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem saidina March cabinetmeeting that “weare going to eliminate FEMA,” although she more recentlyhas talkedof reorienting it.U.S.Rep.ClayHiggins, R-Lafayette, who represents avulnerable coastal district, has introduced legislation to eliminate the agency andprovide federal block grants to states struck by disaster There’s also plentyofpushback, andnot just from theusual sources. Louisiana’s Republican U.S. Sen. JohnKennedy,who rarely strays from theTrump line,has introduced bipartisan legislation to improveFEMA’s operations.

“FEMA can’t go away,” Kennedy said earlythis year.“Ithink the ﬁrst job of thefederal government is to protect people and property.”

Former DemocraticGov.John Bel Edwards,asked at arecent public eventinLakeCharles,offered asimilarpoint of view. Edwards, who noted that 23 major federal disasterswere declaredonhis eight-year watch, said the idea of heading into something like amajor hurricane without “afederal partner lean-

ing intothatwithyou beforehand, andonthe ground withyou in a robustway immediatelyafter is very,very troubling to me.”

Letting states fend forthemselves, he said, is “in my estimation notgoing to endwellfor the large,complexdisasters.”

While Edwards voiced concern thatthe administrationinWashingtonhas alreadymadeits decision, he did allowthathewas encouragedtosee his former chief of staff Mark Cooper named to Trump’sFEMA Review Council. We should be,too. Unlike so many in this conversation,Cooper, who also oversawemergency preparedness forRepublican Gov.Bobby Jindal, hasbipartisan trust andexperience on thelocal levelboth in Louisiana and in California,aswellaswith theprivate suppliersector with Walmart. Hopefully,the politicianswho make up abouthalfthe council, which is co-chaired by Noem, will listen to his on-theground insights.

Thatmight be atallorder fora crowd that considers traditional government expertise suspect. Butmaybe they could keep their minds open,justthis once.

Email Stephanie Graceat sgrace@theadvocate.com.

Lake Charles’ firstelected Blackmayor isn’taDemocrat

Come July,MarshallSimien will be mayor of one of Louisiana’s largest cities. His journey from Lake Charles as achild to college to law school to asuccessful career as an attorney and areturn to the place where he was birthed ushered him into community and public service. Now,he’smaking history Simien is not the ﬁrstBlack mayor of Lake Charles. Theﬁrst was Lake Charles District C Council member Rodney Geyen, who served as the city’s27th mayor for 41/2 months. The 28th mayor was Randy Roach Abunch of Democrats and aRepublican ran to replace Roach in 2017. Simien, then aDemocrat, was acandidate. Republican Nic Hunterwon the election, serving as the29th mayorsince. Simien missed facingoff with Hunter in arunoff by 100 votes. This time, Simien got aclean shot at Hunter in arunoff —and won by 654 votes earlier this month

When Simien is swornin, he’ll be thecity’sﬁrst Black elected mayor Louisiana communityand political activist Gary Chambers watched the Lake Charles election with great interest. “They gave themayor an opportunity, andthey’re going to give this brother achance,” he told me Thursday. Chambers said this election is another example why every vote counts, particularly every Black vote. The Lake Charles vote isn’tcomplicated; it’sjust split. There were 22,000 White voterseligible to cast ballots and21,116 eligible Black voters. That’s 48% White voters and 46% Black voters, with 6% of voters of other racial identiﬁcations. Lake Charles is aDemocratic city by voters’ partyregistration, butthe city sits in Calcasieu Parish, which overwhelmingly voted for Donald Trumpin2016 and2024.

trict has moreBlack voters. Now, four of theseven city council districts arerepresented by Black members.

Simien was one of those representatives, elected to represent predominantly Black North Lake Charles, downtown and the lakefront in District Afor two terms,startingin2005.

Simien was born in LakeCharles Charity Hospital and reared on North Adams Street in thecity’sGoosportneighborhood. The hospital is now Moss Memorial HealthClinic.

Agraduateofthe old Washington High School, Simien started his college education at what was then the University of Southwestern Louisiana, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and ﬁnished at McNeese StateUniversity Likesomany young people, Simien didn’tstay home.

In recentdecades, three of the seven city council members represented majority Black districts. With more White residents movingoutsideof thecityinrecent years, afourthcity council dis-

Right out of college, Simien worked at Marathon Oil in Houston before attending and graduating from the Louisiana State University law school. Fresh out of law school, he did aclerkship in Orleans Civil District Court

with ajudgewho would become aLouisiana SupremeCourt chief justice —Bernette Johnson.

Simien had asuccessful career with New Orleans’ Middleberg, Riddle &Gianna law ﬁrm,practicinginthe litigation division. In law school, he said he knew he wanted to “practice law,litigate and make money.” And he did.

While at the law ﬁrm and living in Mandeville, he got active in politics, working on Johnson’s 1994 Louisiana SupremeCourt and Marc Morial’s1994 mayoral campaign. He caught the political and public service bug.

When his dad becamefrail back home, he, his wife, a3-year-old son and a3-week-old son moved to be close to his dad.

He started the Simien Law Firm. His public service turned from helping others achieve their political goalstohelping his home city

Simien was on the Lake Charles BoardofZoning Adjustment, president of theLake Charles Facilities Corporation and the Board of Commissioners of the Lake Charles Harbor &Terminal District, thegroup that oversees the PortofLake Charles. He ran for city council and won. Twice.

Alifelong Democrat, Simien decided to makeanother run for mayor,this timeasanIndependent. “People want to get to the sameplace with different philosophies about how to get there,” he explained. “The two-party system hasn’tworked foralot of people. My real party is southwestern Louisiana.”

The truth is that the parish and the city are so Republican red that someRepublican, conservative Democratic, Independent or no party voters couldn’tvote for aDemocrat. Simien got enough of those votes to push him over the top.

Johnson has mentored many young attorneys. “I’m truly excited,” she said. “I’ve got judges and prominent attorneys, but Marshall is my ﬁrst mayor.” Geyen, Chambers, Johnson and others are counting on Simien to be successful, bringing Lake Charles back from Hurricanes Rita and Laura.

He can liftresidents’ spirits, give them hope. Soon it’ll be his timetoprove the voters were right.

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

Will Sutton

Stephanie Grace

Quin Hillyer

AP PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFElBEIN Homeland Security SecretaryKristi Noem

Simien

Jefferson Beautification, Inc P.O.Box 10658, Jefferson LA 70181 or on www.jeffersonbeautifica tion.org

GregoryL Powell,Sr., diedonMonday, May5 2025 at theage of 65. He was born on July 25thto the late Sherman, Sr.and Adele Powell. Survivorsin‐clude hislovingwife, Monique VancePowell; children, Kentrell Vance, (Irsha);ChastityVanceCook (Johnathan); Gregory Powell, Jr.and Alexis Pow‐ell;brothers, Tyrone Pow‐ell,Sr. (lateJoyce); Sher‐man Powell,Jr. (Michelle); Richard Powell, Sr.,(Mec‐shall) (lateMiriamPowell); grandchildren,Myriana Vance, TamiaVance;Ken‐trell Vance, Jr;JaylinTrot‐ter,Khloe Cook andBrook‐lyn Cook;brothersinlaw, TevestVance,Kendall Vance andthe late Gerard Vance;sisters in law, Ros‐alind Vance(Bridgette) and Michelle Baptiste; nieces, ShanitaPowell, Bennara N. King,Shenai Powell, CacheVance,Korie Vance,BrindallVance and KeioneVance;nephews Richard Powell, Jr;Tyrone Powell, Jr;TroyMonroe, Ja‐coriVance,JarmarJones, GregoryOffray; Jadii Joseph, Gerard Joseph,Jr. and thelateGerardJoseph, Sr; cousin,Shawn Verrett; Godchild, AshantiEstem; lovingfamilypets, Louie and AngelPowell, as well asa host of otherloving relatives andfriends.Greg attended Southern Univer‐sity, where he played saxo‐phone in therenowned marchingbandand later graduated before joining the U.S. Army.Duringhis service in Desert Storm, he rosetothe rank of Platoon Commander andwas awarded theArmyCom‐mendationMedal,among

severalother honors.After his military service, Greg joinedthe Police Academy and went on to proudly serve as an officeronthe CityofNew OrleansPolice Force for34years.Family meant everything to Greg He taught hischildren faith,integrity andthe im‐portanceofhardwork—al‐waysputting God firstand keepingfamilyclose.A de‐voted husband,henever misseda morningcoffee and teawithhis wife.Greg was afaithfulmemberof FranklinAvenue Baptist Church,groundinghis life inprayerand purpose. Whetherserving as an offi‐cer or mentoringneighbor‐hood kids,hewas acon‐stant presence andfather figure to many.Hebelieved God andfamilycame first. Thoughhe’snolongerwith us, hislight livesonin every hearthetouched BigGreg, youwilltruly bemissed. ACelebration service honoring thelife and legacy of thelateGre‐goryL.Powell, Sr will be heldat Franklin Avenue Baptist Church,8282 I-10 Service Road,New Orleans, LA70126 on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at 10 am,Pastor FredLuter,Officiating. In‐terment Mount Olivet Cemetery. Visitation 9am inthe church.Pleasesign onlineguestbook at www charbonnetfuneralhome. com. Charbonnet Labat Glapion,Directors (504)581 4411.

Prejean, MarilynB

MarilynB.Prejean passedaway, surrounded byfamily, on Monday,April 7,2025, aftera briefbattle withcancer. Shewas born inHouma,LAtoGladys Fonseca andJohnF.Pre‐jean, Sr.While shespent mostofher adultlife in the WashingtonDCarea, she never forgot herLouisiana roots, oftenbringing gueststoshare food and culture. Marilynwas avol‐

unteer andadvocatefor feral cats in herneighbor‐hood,providing food, healthcare, andevenadop‐tions.She also volunteered ather church,taskedwith multiplearchivalduties and developing the church's website. Shevol‐unteered to be oneofthe firstEucharistic Ministers for AIDS patients (1980's1990's) at George Washing‐ton University Hospital Her employment history centeredaround acade‐mia,working as office or clinicmanager andmed‐icaleducation researcher She also hada briefstint asa flight attendantand assistant teacher. Shewas ahead of hertimewithher onlineblog, Madame Citi‐zen,followedbyprominent DCareanewspaper editors who oftencontacted herto discuss heropinionsand topics. OneofMarilyn's greatestjoyswas travel‐ing,seeingnew sights and learningabout newcul‐tures.Her lifelong compan‐ion,DukeWilson, often took herplaceshehad known in business ven‐tures,joining oldfriends and making newones. Dukeencouragedher gar‐deningand herwriting Theyparticularlyenjoyed visitingfor MardiGrasand JazzFesttoreallyenjoy the food andmusic andcarni‐val festivities. Marilynis survivedbyher sisters, EvelynPrejean,MSN,RN and Bernadette "Bunny" P. Clement;her brothers, JohnF.Prejean,Jr.,MD, StevenM.Prejean (Kit), ReneE.Prejean,and Alpha (Duke's cat).She waspre‐deceasedbyher parents; her brother, LouisJ.Pre‐jean; abrother-in-law, Dou‐glasJ.Clement;a niece, RhondaClement Corte; a nephew, BrandonC.Pre‐jeanand hercompanion of 40years,DukeWilson. The familywould like to ex‐press oursincere gratitude and appreciation to Dr Khanand histeamat Marsh MedicalCenterin Hagerstown, MD fortheir enduringcommitmentand outstanding healthcare to our sister throughout her illness andalsotoFr. Charles Dussouyand the prayergroup from Our LadyofPerpetual Help for all theirsupport and prayers andmanykind‐nesses. Aspecial thank you to Keyawana Collins and herdaughter, our"an‐gels" in home care andto all ourfamily'sfriends whose supportand kind‐nesswillnever be forgot‐ten.A Memorial Mass will becelebratedat11:00 am on Saturday,May 24, 2025,

at Leitz-EaganFuneral Home, 4747 Veterans MemorialBlvd. in Metairie LA. Visitation will beginat 10:00 am.Interment will be private.Fondmemories and expressionsofsympa‐thy maybesharedatwww LeitzEaganFuneralHome. com.

Gerri Puyau, bornGeraldine Sally diBenedetto, passed peacefullyatthe ageof94onMay 13, 2025, at her home in Baton Rouge, LA.Daughterofthe late SalvadordiBenedetto and Eunice Frisch diBenedetto of NewOrleans, LA.Belovedwife of thelateDr. Francis A. Puyau, sistertothe late Robert L. diBenedetto,Betty Anne Mentel Ross, and PatriciadiBenedetto.Survivedbyher sister Eunice Marie Allen Jennings. Loving motherofMichael(Susan); Stephen (Lynda); Jeanne Marie "Sally"; Julie (Doug); and Melissa "Lisa" (Will). Grandmother of Daniel Puyau (Lindsay); Sarah Puyau Chappell (Adrian); Nathaniel Puyau (Bernardita "Bernie"); Renee PuyauStelzer(Jason); JourdanPuyau;Noah Nagle; Anah Nagle; MaryHelen Manuel, Jimmy Manuel. Great Grandmother of O'Malley and Bear Puyau, Oakley HarrellDavenport (Jarred) and RiverHarrell; Isabel and Violet Chappell; Calvinand Norah Puyau; Charlotte"Charlie"and Bernadette "Bernie" Stelzer. Gerri graduated from theAcademy of Holy Angels High School in 1947 and was an avid artist throughout her life.Her art reflected the culture of her native city, NewOrleans, and thestate of Louisiana. She workedinvarious mediumsincludingoils, pastels, watercolorand her favorite, copper enam-

elingusing the Limoge technique.Her art education spans over many different institutionsincluding, L.E. Rabouin School for Commercial Art, NOLA; University of Tennessee, Nashville, TN; Aquinas College,Nashville, TN; Newcomb College, NOLA; and Penland School for Craft, Penland,NC. She was a foundingmember of the NationalEnamelist Society andattendedmanyoftheir workshops. She wasalso a member of the National Enamelist Guild, Washington DC,Women in theArts, Louisiana Crafts Council, Louisiana Artand Artist Guild andAssociated Women in thearts. Gerri's exquisite artwork haswon several awards and has been exhibitedinsuch prestigiousexhibits such as the Enamelist Society First and Second Juried Exhibitions, Louisiana State Archives, TulaneUniversity Medical Center,Louisiana RuralLife Museum, Louisiana Crafts Council Juried Exhibits, Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce, NashvilleChamber of Commerce andthe ParthenoninNashville, TN. Serviceswillbeheld on Monday, May19, 2025, at St.Jude the Apostle Church in Baton Rouge Serviceswillbeginwith visitation from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM followed by afuneralMass.

Ross,Lillian Maud

Episcopal Church later this month.Please call thechurch for details: 985-892-3177. In lieu of flowers, the familykindly asks that donations be made to: pagerobbins.orgin Lillian's memory

Sarran Jr., Alfred C. Alfred C. Sarran,Jr.,age 81, of Slidell, Louisiana, passedawayonThursday, May 8, 2025. He wasborn onNovember20, 1943, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He issurvivedbyhis wife of 5 years,Dorothy Lynne La‐Grossa Sarran;children, AdamC.Sarranand Angela C.Sarran; grandchildren, MonicaAvila,MarcosAvila, and MichaelAvila;greatgrandchild, ZarinAvila; and many extended family members andfriends.He was preceded in deathby his wife of 43 years, Joy Lanning Sarran;his par‐ents, Alfred C. Sarran Sr and HildaMarie SimonSar‐ran;siblings, CorinneSar‐ran Clark, CharlieSarran, Hilda Sarran Hayes, and Michael Sarran.Hewas a graduateofFrancis T. NichollsHighSchool in New Orleans. Al retired fromTexas Instrumentsas a computer ﬁeldengineer. Heworkedatthe Univer‐sityofHolyCross in New Orleans as amanager of datasystems.Hewas a memberofthe Knightsof Columbus. He wasa kind and gentle soul andalways willingtohelppeopleifhe could.Heenjoyed spend‐ing time with hisfamily and friends, especially withhis grandchildren. He enjoyed workinginand maintaining hisyard. He was alovinghusband,fa‐ther, grandfather, brother, and uncle. He will be sorely missedbyall who knew him.God blesseduswith his presence.Inlieuof ﬂowers, contributionsin memoryofMr. Sarran may bemadetoTunnels to Tow‐ers Foundation,St. Joseph’sIndianSchool,the AmericanLegion, or Knight ofColumbus(SlidellCoun‐cil 2732).Relatives and friends areinvited to at‐tendthe memorial mass on Wednesday,May 21, 2025 at2:00p.m.atE.J.Fielding FuneralHome, 2260 West 21st Avenue,Covington, Louisiana,withvisitation beginning at 12:00 p.m. In‐terment will follow in St JosephAbbeyCemetery, 75376 RiverRoad, St.Bene‐dict, Louisiana. E. J. Field‐ing FuneralHomeofCov‐ington, Louisiana, is hon‐ored to be entrustedwith

Lillian Ross passed away, at home,onMay 7, 2025, surrounded by her immediate family. Thefamilywishesto thank thestaff at Page RobbinsAdult Day Center for theircare andsupport whileLillian attendedtheir center Agravesideservice will take place in Covington, Louisiana, at Christ See more DEATHS page

Powell Sr., GregoryL.

Puyau,Geraldine Sally 'Gerri'

Saints to sink or swim with oneofmost inexperiencedquarterback roomsever

SLUends softball season forLSU

DEEP

THE DATPACK

JAKE HAENER

SPENCER RATTLER

erek Carr is retired Jameis Winston is aNew York Giant. AndDrewBrees isn’t walkingthrough thatdoor The New Orleans Saints aregoing to sink or swim thisseason with their trio of young quarterbacks. Ready or not, here come Tyler Shough,Spencer Rattler and JakeHaener

TheDat Packisnot just the most inexperienced andunprovenquarterback room in theNFL.It’sthe mostinexperienced andunprovenquarterback room in Saintshistory.

Combined, they have played in 15 games and thrownﬁve touchdown passes and sixinterceptions.None of them has won asingle NFLstart.

This is where the Saints ﬁnd themselvesafter Carr’s surprising retirement: With six NFL starts, Rattler is the most experienced passer on theroster At 26 years old and entering his thirdseason, Haener is the oldest and longest-tenured. And Shough, the No. 40 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is the highest-paid andmost likely to start the season opener against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 7.

Southeastern advances to play Nebraska

BY JIM KLEINPETER

Contributing writer

The Southeastern Louisiana Lions came to TigerPark as the No.4seed in theBaton Rougeregional. By Saturday night, they looked likethe best team in the state. The Lions celebrated their first 50-win season by taking downNo. 1-seeded LSU for the second time in two days, 8-7,toadvancetothe regional final againstNebraska at 2p.m.Sunday at Tiger Park. The Lions need to beat Nebraskatwice to advanceto their first super regional. Three times, LSU cameback to tie the game, the last on abase hit by Jadyn Laneauxinthe top of theseventh.But the Lions answered in the bottom half to walkoff the Tigers on their own field.

Colleen Kulivan singled off losing pitcher Sydney Berzon and went to third when first baseman Tori Edwardsfielded Kailey Dixon’s bunt andthrew theballintoright field for the Tigers’ third error.Shenita Tucker walked to set up aforce at home, but Kulivan scored easily on Shelby Morris’ bouncer to second baseman Sierra Daniel.

The Lions again used their small-ball offense to freeze LSU fielders and force them into mistakes and bad decisions, especially in the first inning when they scored four unearned runs without ahit —oreven aball leaving the infield. Defense wasn’tthe only problem.LSU scored only 13 runs in the tournament despite hitting several offensive milestones in the regular season. LSU’s top twosluggers, Maci Bergeron and Tori Edwards,werea combined 1for 13 with two RBIs in three games, while walking acombined seven times.

and Rattler are expected to receive thebulk of the firstteam repsonce full-team, on-field drills start this offseason. He said team officialswill not rush intoadecision and will be patient before identifying astarter, meaning thecompetition likely will extend well into the preseason schedule in mid-August.

In terms of experience and pedigree, it’safar cry from afew years ago, when the future Hall of Famer Brees started,and veteran backups Winston andTeddy Bridgewater were behind him. Noone really knows what to expect.Saints head coach Kellen Moore said all three playerswill compete for the job, but Shough

“(Carr’sretirement) will provide some of thoseyounger quarterbacks achance to get ready from a rep standpoint and an opportunity standpoint and obviously those guys will be ready and ﬁred up for (theopportunity),” Moore said.

If no one seizes theday or the Saints don’tlike what they see, team ofﬁcials will consider signing aveteran quarterback to join the competition. Butatthis stage of the

The first inning wasanLSU defensive disaster. Morris led off with awalkagainst LSU starting pitcher Tatum Clopton andadvanced to third on third baseman Danieca Coffey’sthrowing error on Chloe Magee’s

ä See SOFTBALL, page 7C

baseman DaniecaCoffey reacts after the Tigers were defeated by Southeasternlouisiana in aBaton Rouge regional elimination game on Saturday at TigerPark

LSUbeats SouthCarolinatobolster postseason standing

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

COLUMBIA,S.C LSU hadalot on the line Saturday afternoon at Founders Park.

Awin in its series finale against South Carolina would more than likely clinch a top-eight seed in the NCAATournament and lock in atop-four seed in the SEC Tournament next week. In the ﬁnal regular-season game of the year,Saturday’sresult would play amajor role in the Tigers’ postseason outlook

“I say to the players, everything is training for something,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. It wasn’talways pretty,but LSUtook care of business against SouthCarolina, earning a7-3 win to take the series and fortify its postseason position.

With Saturday’s win, LSU will be theNo. 3seed inthe SEC Tournament and play the second game in Hoover,Alabama, on Friday

TheTigers will face either No.6 Auburn, the No. 11 seed (TBD)orNo. 14 TexasA&M. TheTigers earned two byesinthe singleelimination format

“Everybody will be happy,” Johnson said regardingLSU’sextra rest this week. “The coaches arehappy,the players are happy,the players’ girlfriends are happy.And the other

thing. is thecoach is happybecause it allows us to get some good work in this week.”

The LSU bats started slow again Saturday, failing to scoreuntil juniorJared Jones hit a solohome run in the fourth to tie the game 1-1.

TheTigersthenscoredthree runs in the ﬁfthinning. With thebases loaded and nobody out,Jones grounded into adouble play that letarun scorebeforejunior Daniel Dickinson blasted atwo-runhomer —his 10th of the year and second of theseries to hand LSUa4-2 lead.

LSU’shome run spree continuedinto theseventhwhensophomore Jake Brown cracked his seventhlong ball of the year to stretch theTigers’ advantage to three runs.

“Weactually hada meeting at the begin-

ning of the seventh inning,”Johnson said. “And it’s like,fromthis point forward, we’re going to dominate the seventh, eighth and ninth inning on offense and defense.” LSU continuedadding runs in the later innings, scoring in the eighth and ninth on two-out, run-scoring singles from freshman Derek Curiel and sophomore Steven Milam, respectively “Good feeling to getback on track,” Curiel said. “It’sagreat winbyour team.” Junior right-handerAnthony Eyanson started for LSU (42-13, 19-11 SEC). After allowing just one earned run in his last 15 innings, the UC SanDiego transfer surrendered two earned runs in seven

TYLER SHOUGH

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEl JOHNSON

Royals place pitchers Ragans, Lugo on IL

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City

Royals All-Star pitchers Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo were placed on the 15-day injured list on Saturday

Left-hander Ragans was moved to the list with a left groin strain and right-hander Lugo, a Shreveport native, with a third finger sprain.

Lefties Noah Cameron and Evan Sisk were recalled from Triple-A Omaha in corresponding moves.

Cameron is slated to start for the Royals against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night. It would be the second start of his career

Journalism makes headlines

Favorite squeezes out win at Preakness

BY STEPHEN WHYNO AP sports writer

BALTIMORE Journalism jostled with horses down the stretch, shrugged off the contact, burst through the lane and came from behind to win the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday

The odds-on favorite was bumped by Goal Oriented near the quarter pole, and it looked like another second-place ﬁnish was coming two weeks after being the runner-up to Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby Journalism instead ran right by Gosger to give trainer Michael McCarthy his second win in a Triple Crown race.

“A lot of bouncing around there,” McCarthy said. “When I saw that, I kind of resigned myself to the fact it was another fantastic effort and maybe come up a little bit short But it just goes to show the testament that this horse has Couldn’t be prouder of him.” Gosger was second by a halflength. Sandman was third, and Bob Baffert-trained Goal Oriented fourth. Journalism went 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.37.

Umberto Rispoli became the ﬁrst jockey from Italy to win any of the Triple Crown races.

“When I crossed the wire, the ﬁrst things that comes up to my mind, it’s all of the 20 years of my career that pass in front of me,” Rispoli said. “I had to wait so long to be on a champion like that.” Journalism handled the adversity and thrived on a warm day that dried out the track after torrential rain fell at Pimlico Race Course for much of the past week. Those conditions suited him better than the slop at Churchill Downs in the Derby

“This victory symbolizes so much about life,” co-owner Aaron Wellman said. “It took guts for Umberto Rispoli to power his way through a seemingly impossible hole getting side-swiped and threading the needle and powering on through.

“And it took guts from an incredible horse to somehow will his way to victory.”

Journalism paid $4 to win, $2.80 to place and $2.40 to show

Struggling Orioles

“He’s a remarkable horse,” Baffert said of Journalism. “I wanted to be on the lead and was behind horses I knew (Goal Oriented) was intimidated. He’s never run that way He ran well, but he’s still too green for that.”

Clark

BY MICHAEL MAROT AP sportswriter

Sovereignty did not take part after his owners and trainer Bill Mott decided to skip the Preakness, citing the two-week turnaround, and aimed for the Belmont on June 7. That made this a ﬁfth time in seven years that the Preakness, for various reasons, was contested without a Triple Crown bid at stake.

But Journalism staked his claim for 3-year-old horse of the year by winning the $2 million American classic race run at the

has triple-double

lost three of four last season to Indiana. Ariel Atkins added 11 points.

old Pimlico Race Course for the last time before it’s torn down and rebuilt. While work went on around him before the postrace news conference, Wellman asked, “Are they already tearing this place down?”

Not yet, and not before Journalism could add a memorable chapter by squeezing through the space he had to win.

“I still can’t realize what this horse did,” Rispoli said. “It’s all about him. It’s a pleasure and privilege to ride a horse like him.”

The Preakness is set to be held at nearby Laurel Park, between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., next year before a planned return to the new Pimlico in 2027. McCarthy raved about the history at the place known as “Old Hilltop” and still remembers where he was when Sunday Silence beat Easy Goer at the wire in 1989 in a fashion similar to how Journalism won this time.

“Things kind of come full circle,” McCarthy said. “I’m sad to see this place go, but we’ll try to get back here next year, whichever locale it’s at.”

Journalism is the ﬁrst horse to win the Preakness after running in the Kentucky Derby since Mark Casse-trained War of Will in 2019. He is the first Derby runner-up to follow that up by winning the Preakness since Exaggerator in 2016.

Only two others from the 19 in the Derby participated in the Preakness: Casse’s Sandman and fellow Hall of Famer D Wayne Lukas’ American Promise, who did not have the same positive response as Journalism.

“The best horse won,” Lukas said.

“He ﬁnished beautifully.”

to lead Fever past Sky

major league ﬁeld coordinator/ catching instructor Tim Cossins.

Hyde was in his seventh season. He endured seasons of 108 and 110 losses early on, but by 2023, the Orioles won the AL East with 101 victories.

Nuggets forward Gordon game-time decision Sunday

The Denver Nuggets went through a walkthrough practice session Saturday with Aaron Gordon. They went over the game plan as if Gordon was an integral part of it. Now, they wait. The high-ﬂying forward will be a game-time decision because of a strained left hamstring as the Nuggets prepare to face the top-seeded Thunder in Oklahoma City on Sunday in Game 7.

Nuggets interim coach David Adelman didn’t know the grade of Gordon’s strain. He said that Gordon was acting just like himself at practice.

“He’s always the same. Aaron kind of saunters around with his West Coast style,” Adelman said “So you wouldn’t know if he was hurt or not.”

Paolini takes down Gauff to win home tournament

ROME Jasmine Paolini got the party started at the Foro Italico. And now the stage is set for Jannik Sinner

Paolini took advantage of the crowd’s support and beat Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2 to become the first home player to win the Italian Open in 40 years Saturday With the top-ranked Sinner to play Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s ﬁnal Sunday, Italy could earn its ﬁrst sweep of the Rome singles titles.

The last Italian woman to win the open was Raffaella Reggi in 1985 in Taranto. The last local man to raise the trophy was Adriano Panatta in 1976.

INDIANAPOLIS Caitlin Clark opened the season with the third triple-double of her career, and the new-look Indiana Fever dominated the ﬁnal 16 1/2 minutes Saturday to pull away from the revamped Chicago Sky 93-58.

Last season’s WNBA Rookie of the Year ﬁnished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists while blocking a career-high four shots

Aliyah Boston added 19 points, 13 rebounds and ﬁve blocks, while Natasha Howard scored 15 points in her Fever debut. DeWanna Bonner also scored seven points to move into third on the WNBA’s career scoring last, passing Tina Thompson. Bonner now has 7,489 points.

Indiana’s victory margin matched the second-largest in franchise history Angel Reese had 12 points and 17 rebounds for the Sky, who

But the game was defined by the newest chapter in the Clark-Reese rivalry This time, it came on a hard foul from Clark across Reese’s arm, which jarred the ball loose and knocked Reese to the ﬂoor with 4:38 left in the third quarter

When Reese jumped up to confront Clark, Fever center Aliyah Boston stepped between the two players as Clark walked away from the skirmish. The referees upgraded Clark’s foul to a ﬂagrant 1 and assessed technical fouls to Reese and Boston following a replay review

But after Reese made one of two free throws and Courtney Vandersloot made a layup on the ensuing possession, Indiana closed the third quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 65-45 lead The Sky never really threatened Indiana’s lead. Fever coach Stephanie White

“I came here as a kid to see this tournament but winning it wasn’t even in my dreams,” Paolini said.

Ex-WR Antonio Brown involved in Miami scuffle Dozens of videos surfaced on social media early Saturday showing what appeared to be ex-football star Antonio Brown involved in a scufﬂe with several men after a Friday night event in Miami.

In a post on X, Brown said that he “was jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me.” According to Brown, he was brieﬂy detained by police but released when ofﬁcers “received my side of the story.”

Growing social media inﬂuencer Adin Ross held a boxing event at a Miami warehouse Friday night. After the event, video shows several men ﬁghting with Brown in what commenters said was an attempted robbery of Brown.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JUlIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON

Umberto Rispoli, aboard Journalism, left, edges luis Saez aboard Gosger to win the 150th Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico race course in Baltimore.

THEVARSITYZONE

‘ITWAS AN HONOR’

BrotherMartinseniors

SULPHUR Brother Martin

in arun on agroundout

DestrehanQB Fields gaining recruiting notice

BY SPENCER URQUHART Staff writer

Destrehan Class of 2026

quarterback Jackson Fields faced his share of adversity as ajunior,but he was still wasableto gain the attention of college coaches after leading his team on adeep playoffrun.

Fields missed four games last season after suffering aleg injury in the season opener.His Week 6return sparkedaneight-gamewinning streak that resulted in Destrehan reaching the state semifinals, and he carriedthat late-season momentum into Wednesday’sspring game against Edna Karr

“(The offers) aregreat. Ifeel like Iworked for this.Thisissomething I’vebeen working toward sinceI wasalittlekid, and it’sreally justa blessing.”

JACKSON FIElDS Destrehan quarterback

Lamar offering him four days later.Fields picked up another FCS offer from West Georgia this week and is aiming to have more come his way.

played the baseball state championship series with six seniors in the starting lineup. And when it became clear in the latter innings Friday that CatholicBaton Rouge was going to win the state title with asweep over the Crusaders, coach Jeff Lupo wanted to acknowledge the other seniors for their contributions.

One by one, he inserted them into the game. Some as pinch hitters; others as pitchers.

“It feels likethesekids are part of afamily and a greater unit,” Lupo saidafter the 8-1 loss that capped the two-game series sweep at McMurry Park. “They all take ownership in it. They’ve invested alot of time and energy and deserve to be rewarded.

“It’snot the outcome they wanted, but they’ll be successful businessmen and fathers and husbands, and they’ll be able to tell

their sons whohopefully will be at Brother Martin oneday that, ‘I got to pitch in the state championship game.’ ” Theconsolation prize doesnot matchwhatcould have been earned witha pairofwins in the best-ofthree series. But that beats never having thechanceto play for atitle.

Brother Martin reached thestate finalsatthe end of aseason that included a Catholic Leaguechampionship —the second for the school in the past three seasons. The state finals appearance was thefirst for the school since it won a5Atitle in 1996 —a near three-decadewait to be amongthe finalteamsleft standing

Amongthe seniorstarters, fourofthem —Ryan Darrah,Egan Prather, Reece Roussel and Stan Wiltz —starred on theEastbank team that won the Little League World Series in 2019, giving them and their families abondthat will last alifetime.

Cole Navarro became an ace pitcher while also playingthird baseand batting

cleanup. He went 3for 3 and scored arun in his final high school game. Cody Kropp, theleft fielder,was the other senior starter in the lineup. He delivered on what would have been asacrifice fly for the first run of the gameFriday were it not for aspectacular throw from theoutfield and tag of arunner trying to score from third.

It was that kind of series for Brother Martin, getting outexecuted by ateam that played near ﬂawless baseball, just as the Crusaders had done in so manygames this season. It was after afour-run ﬁfththat madethe score 6-0 that Lupo inserted reliable senior left-hander Jude Tingstrom in relief of his younger brother,Blaise, a junior right-hander Then in theseventh, Lupo inserted three more senior relievers: Cole Heap, Patrick Laicheand Kaiden Timothy. They each recorded an out.

Timmy Gabriel, Ben Switzer and Christian Michel each made plate appearances as pinch hitters. Switzer drew awalk. Michel drove

The chance to play in the gamemeant something to those players.

“I’ve been playing with them since Iwas young, as long as Ican remember,” said Laiche, whogot the one batter he faced out on a groundout to second base. “And just to get out there and throw behind my guys one more time, it was an honor.Igave it all Ihad.”

When the game ended, and after the players solemnly accepted their state runnerup trophy andposed fora team picture in the middle of the inﬁeld, the seniors stood alone near the team’s third-base dugout and huddled around each other Onebyone, each drew long embraces and words of thanks from their other teammates and coaches.

“They did alot of good things,” Lupo said about those seniors. “They helped rebrand our program with thestyle that they play and theeffort and intensity that’sexpected of them. I couldn’tbemore proud.”

ContactChristopherDabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

Division IV Championship No. 2Vermilion Catholic4,No. 12 Ouachita Chrisian1 Saturday’slinescores

three Game 1: Teurlings 11,E.D.White 1, 5innings; Game 2: E.D.White 4, Teurlings 3; Game 3: Teurlings 14,E.D.White 3, 5 innings; Teurlings wins series 2-1 Division III No. 2U-High vs.No. 4Catholic-New Iberia Game 1: U-High 2, Catholic-New Iberia 1; Game 2: Catholic-New Iberia 8, U-High 1; Game 3: Catholic-New Iberia 7, U-High 4; Catholic-NewIberia wins series 2-1

Sterlington 5, Erath 3 Erath 001 002 0—32 0 Sterlington 010 031 x—5 80 W— Breen JRob (5 IP,2H,3ER, 7BB, 3K). L— Talan Landry(5IP, 7H,5 ER, 2BB, 2K). Leaders STERLINGTON: Downs Devyn 2-3,2B; Miler Sheets 1-3, 2RBIs;Tre Burch1-1, 2B; ERATH: Talan Landry1-3, HR, RBI; Seth Leger 1-3. Records Erath 26-13; Sterlington 35-9 Catholic-New Iberia 7, University 4 Catholic 030 000 04 —77 2 University 200 001 01 —4 70 W— Jac Ruskowski (2.1 IP,2R,1 ER,3 H, 1BB, 1K). L— Trey Sotice (0.1 IP,3 R, 0H,2BB, 0K). Leaders CHNI: JD Hidalgo 2-4, HR, 3RBIs; Lane Fenske2-3, RBI;Cohen Evans 1-4, 2RBIs. U-HIGH:Caden Connor 1-5, 2RBIs; Ethan Hopkins 1-4,RBI. Records CHNI 26-12;U-High 28-11 Teurlings Catholic 14, E.D.White 3, 5innings

E.D.White 003 00 —3 12 Teurlings 662 0x —14141 W— Jace Garber (2.2 IP,1 H, 0ER, 5

BB, 3K). L—Grant Kirkpatrick (0.1 IP,5 H, 5ER, 0BB, 0K). Leaders TEURINGS CATHOLIC: JackPurser 3-3, 2B, 4RBIs; Evan Vincent 2-2, 3 RBIs; Jack Ortego 1-1, 2RBIs;Brennen Storms 2-3,RBI; E.D.WHITE: Dylan Robichaux 1-2,2B, 2RBIs Friday’slinescores

E.D.White 4, Teurlings Catholic 3 Teurlings 001 200 0—38 3 E.D.White 111 000 1—47 1 W— Grant Barbara (1.2 IP,0R,1 H, 0 BB, 1K), L—Dylan Helms (4.1 IP,1R, 3H,1 BB, 4K). Tophitters— TEURLINGS: Will Power1-2, HR,2 RBIs; Brant Badeaux 2-3; EDW: Jax Triche 2-3; Jonathan Lee2-2, Luke Zeringue 2-3; Owen Porche 1-4,RBI Records Teurlings 33-5; EDW23-19 Catholic-N.I. 8, University 1 University 000 000 1—18 1 Catholic-NI 012 320 x—8 91 W— J.D.Hidalgo (6 IP,5 H, 0ER, 5 BB, 7K). L— B. Mayeaux (2.2 IP,5H 3ER, 2BB, 2K). Tophitters— CHNI: LukeLandry3-4, 2B,2RBIs; J.D Hidalgo 2-3, 2B,RBI; GavinRoy 1-3, 2B, RBI; U-HIGH: Jack Mccann3-4; Trey Sotice 2-4;Mackie Musgrove 1-4, RBI Records CHNI 25-12;U-High 28-10

The6-foot-1, 205 pound Fields has recently picked up three Division Ischolarship offers andislooking to lead Destrehan to astate championship as asenior He showedoff hispassing ability Wednesday against aKarr defense that is loaded with high-end Division I prospects.

“Jacksonisa special kid,” coach Marcus Scott said. “What happens is he preparesfor these moments. He works hard and makes sure that the other guys join him in preparation. He does alot of extra work, and it pays off whenever we compete.”

Fields looked to Class of 2026 four-star wide receiver Jabari Mack early and often on Wednesday.Mack, an LSU commitment, has built chemistry with Fields having worked with him since middle school.

“(Jabari and I) work hard everyday,” Fields said. “All summer and even on weekends during the season. I feel like we have aspecial connection. That will be something that will take us deep in the playoffs this year.”

Mack is the top returning target for Fields with Destrehan losing apair of Division Iwide receiver signees. Fields targeted rising senior wide receiver Cal Williams multiple times during the spring game, andsophomore wide receiver Dominic Townsend caught several passes with the second-team offense. Fields receivedhis ﬁrst Division Iofferfrom NichollsState on March25, with

“After the injury last year,I really feel like going into next season healthy will help the team outa lot,” Fields said. “(The offers) are great. Ifeel like Iworked forthis.Thisis something I’ve been working toward since Iwas a little kid, and it’sreally just ablessing.”

Destrehan junior Malachi Dabney is another talented player returning on offense but didn’tplay in the spring game as aprecaution, Scott said.

“Moving forward, we’ll be able to add Malachi backalong with three more receivers who didn’t play (Wednesday),” Scott said. “Wheneverweget those guys back and get the chemistry going up front, I think we’ll be ﬁne.” Destrehan’sdefense was tested against an explosive Karroffense. Thehope is that facing the reigning DivisionIselect state champions this spring will lead to improvement in the fall.

“(Karr) is superproductive on offense,” Scott said. “Weneededtosee that type of speed and execution. Our big thing was to makesure we getmaximum effort. Once we have the effort, we canfix themistakes. Ithink with agood, tough summer,we’ll be on track.” More than 30 college coaches attended, according to Destrehan’sInstagram page.

“It’sturned into the premier eventinthe spring here in Louisiana,” Scott said.

“Welove to welcome the coaches from all the universities, and it’sjust a tribute to the kids andthe programs.”

BY SPENCER URQUHART Staff writer

UNO found itself one win away from theSouthland Conference baseball tournament championship series Friday night after entering thetournament as thelowest seed The No. 8seed UNO beat No. 1seed Southeastern Louisiana10-6 to put them put them in the winner’sgame Friday against No. 4Northwestern State.UNO deliveredagainwith a3-2 victory overNorthwesternState at AlumniField in Hammond. After Northwestern State eliminated Southeastern 11-8 earlier Saturday,the Privateers metthe Demons and aUNO winwould put it in the championshipseries against the Edinborough, Texas, bracketwinnerstartingThursday.A NorthwesternState win would force a bracket championship game at 1p.m. Sunday UNO (27-24) has yet to trail during tournamentplay after taking a3-0 lead in the

top of the ﬁrst inning against Southeastern on Thursday “Something we talked aboutisbeing ready to play at the right timeand putting it together at theright time,” coachDax Norrissaid.“Alot of good at-bats. In years past we’ve always been able to swing the bat, but oneofthe main things Itold(former UNO coach)Blake (Dean) when Igot here was that we were going to getthis pitchingright.They’re deﬁnitely on the right track.”

UNOleft-hander Hayden

O’Dell gotthe start and worked deep into the game Fridayagainst Northwestern State after the Privateers

used ﬁve pitchers Thursday

O’Dell threw aseason-high

71/3 innings in which he allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and one walk.

O’Dell’sonly earned run came in the eighth inningonaSamuel Stephenson home run. “Coach Dax was confident in me to go up there and give us as manyinnings as Icould,” O’Dellsaid. “I thought Idid agood jobof saving thebullpen.We’re justgoing to keep that momentum andkeep playing baseball how we know we can play.”

UNO right-handerSawyer Toneycameoninreliefof O’Dell and gotthe ﬁnal two

outs in the eighth. Closer Bryce Calloway recorded the save after retiring the Demonsinorder in the ninth.

Atwo-way player,Calloway started the game at ﬁrst base anddelivered theﬁrst run of thegame with asolo home run in the bottom of the fourth. It was Calloway’s team-leading 17th homer of the season. “(The home run) was a tone-setter,” Calloway said. “Westarted off slow today so Ireally was just trying to getthe barrel to the ball and getthe team started. Backto-back (pitching) dates are alwaystough, but I’ve got my team behind me,and

that’sall that matterstome when I’m up there.” Northwestern State tied the game in the top of the sixth,but UNO responded on Tristian Moore’ssacrifice fly to drive in Matt Gonzalez in the bottom of the inning. Gonzalez’ bloop single delivered an insurance run in the seventh to put UNO up 3-1thatdroppedinafter the center fielderappeared to lose trackofthe ball in thelights. Diego Villescas scored on the play,and Karson Evans was thrown out at home plate.

Email Spencer Urquhart at surquhart@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By CHRISTOPHER DABE

Brother Martin players and coaches stand after accepting the Division Iselect state runner-up trophyonFridayatMcMurry Park in Sulphur.Catholic

Chris Dabe

Scottie Scheffler smiles on the seventh hole during the third round of the PGA Championship at Quail

Scheffler sizzles, goes up 3 strokes at PGA

BY DOUG FERGUSON

AP golf writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A PGA Championship missing star power got the best in golf Saturday when Scottie Schefﬂer delivered a clinic over the closing stretch at Quail Hollow for a 6-under 65 and a three-shot lead going into the ﬁnal round

Scheffler started his big run with a 3-wood to just inside 3 feet on the reachable par-4 14th for an eagle, causing so much hysteria that Bryson DeChambeau had to back off his putt across the lake at the 17th. It ended with an 8-iron from the seam of a divot to just inside 10 feet for birdie on the 18th, creating even more space between Scheffler and Alex Noren, who had a 66 and gets his first shot in a final group along with the No. 1 player in the world.

DeChambeau, the U.S. Open champion who has been a major force at golf’s biggest events, brieﬂy took the lead with a birdie on the par-5 15th. And then it all came undone

He missed a 4-foot par putt on the 16th. He found the water on the par-3 17th — the cheer for Schefﬂer made him back off a 25foot bogey putt that he eventually missed — and he had to scramble for par to salvage a 69.

DeChambeau was three behind when he finished, then six behind when Scheffler got done with his masterful performance by playing the final five holes in 5 under The third round was delayed by morning storms, forcing a change in tee times to threesomes off both tees that didn’t start until shortly before noon. And then it became a game of musical chairs for the lead Nine players had at least a share of the lead at one point

One of them was two-time major champion Jon Rahm, who has not seriously contended in the four majors he has played since joining LIV Golf

“Hard to express how hungry I may be for a major, about as hungry as anybody can be in this situation,” Rahm said. “Very happy to be in this position.”

He finished nearly two hours before Scheffler and figured he

DUNCAN

Continued from page 1C

game, the options are limited

The late resolution of the Carr situation left the Saints stuck in No Quarterbacks Land. The Saints probably would have been interested in adding someone such as Daniel Jones, Jimmy Garoppolo or Jacoby Brissett if they had known sooner about Carr’s unavailability

Now, the free agent quarterback market is barren. Carson Wentz, Tyler Huntley and Case Keenum don’t offer much of an upgrade and hardly move the needle. The lone free agent QB with star power, Aaron Rodgers, is not under consideration, according to sources, which makes sense for a team with a ﬁrst-time, 36-year-old head coach. The Saints’ best option might be to wait out the competitions in Cleveland and New York to see whether a better option such as Winston, Kenny Pickett or Joe Flacco materializes via trade. But make no mistake, that’s

PGA Championship Par Scores Saturday At Quail Hollow Club Charlotte, N.C. Yardage: 7,626; Par: 71 Third Round S. Schefﬂer, United States 69-68-65—202 -11 Alex Noren, Sweden 68-71-66—205 8 J.T. Poston, United States 68-70-68—206 -7 Davis Riley, United States 71-68-67—206 -7 Si Woo Kim, South Korea 72-64-71—207 6 Jon Rahm, Spain 70-70-67—207 -6 JVegas, Venezuela 64-70-73—207 6 K .Bradley, United States 68-72-68—208 5 B. DeChmbu, United States 71-68-69—208 -5 Tony Finau, United States 70-69-69—208 5 Matt Fitzpatrick, England 68-68-72—208 5 Matthieu Pavon, France 71-65-72—208 -5 G. Higgo, South Africa 69-69-71—209 4 J. Highsmith, United States 73-67-69—209 -4 Adam Scott, Australia 69-71-69—209 -4 Matt Wallace, England 71-70-68—209 4 Cameron Davis, Australia 66-74-70—210 -3 Ryan Fox, New Zealand 67-71-72—210 3 R. Gerard, United States 66-72-72—210 3 L. Glover, United States 71-70-69—210 -3 M. Grysrmn, United States 71-72-67—210 3 D. McCarthy, United States 70-68-72—210 3 Ben Grifﬁn, United States 70-69-72—211 -2 Ryo Hisatsune, Japan 68-71-72—211 2 R. Macintyre, Scotland 68-70-73—211 -2 M. McNealy, United States 70-72-69—211 -2 Taylor Pendrith, Canada 69-70-72—211 2 David Puig, Spain 71-72-68—211 -2 A. Smalley, United States 67-71-73—211 2 J.J. Spaun, United States 71-68-72—211 2 Harry Hall, England 69-72-71—212 -1 Viktor Hovland, Norway 69-71-72—212 1 T. Moore, United States 73-69-70—212 1 Joaquin Niemann, Chile 74-67-71—212 -1 M. Thrbjrsn, United States 68-70-74—212 1 R. Campos, Puerto Rico 68-73-72—213 E Eric Cole, United States 70-70-73—213 E N. Echavarria, Colombia 68-74-71—213 E H. English, United States 72-70-71—213 E Tyrrell Hatton, England 68-73-72—213 E Max Homa, United States 73-64-76—213 E Aaron Rai, England 67-72-74—213 E C. Young, United States 73-69-71—213 E W. Clark, United States 72-69-73—214 +1 Luke Donald, England 67-74-73—214 +1 B. Hossler, United States 71-70-73—214 +1 T. Olesen, Denmark 71-71-72—214 +1 Marco Penge, England 69-71-74—214 +1

C. Bezuidnht, South Africa 70-68-77—215 +2 Richard Bland, England 70-69-76—215 +2 Sam Burns, United States 73-70-72—215 +2 Corey Conners, Canada 73-68-74—215 +2

R. McIlry, Northern Ireland 74-69-72—215 +2

T. McKbbn, Northrn Irelnd 70-71-74—215 +2

X. Schaufﬂe, United States 72-71-72—215 +2

S. Stevens, United States 70-68-77—215 +2

D. Berger, United States 71-71-74—216 +3

T. Fleetwood, England 70-70-76—216 +3

C. Morikwa, United States 70-72-74—216 +3

R. Hojgaard, Denmark 68-74-75—217 +4

J. Lower, United States 69-73-75—217 +4 Kevin Yu, Chinese Taipei 73-70-74—217 +4 N. Hojgaard, Denmark 72-69-77—218 +5 Stephan Jaeger, Germany 67-75-76—218 +5

M. Kim, United States 71-72-75—218 +5 Tom Kim, South Korea 71-72-75—218 +5

A. Eckroat, United States 72-70-77—219 +6

B. Harman, United States 71-72-76—219 +6

B. Campbell, United States 73-69-78—220 +7 Bud Cauley, United States 74-69-77—220 +7 Elvis Smylie, Australia 70-73-77—220 +7

B. Hun An, South Korea 69-73-79—221 +8 Chris Kirk, United States 73-70-78—221 +8 Sergio Garcia, Spain 75-68-79—222 +9

would be at least one shot behind going into the ﬁnal round.

“This golf course is tricky, and one shot is nothing on 18 holes,” Rahm said

He now faces a ﬁve-shot deﬁcit but armed with growing confidence in his game.

Plan B, a break-glass-in-case-ofemergency contingency situation. Plan A is to ride with the Dat Pack

The success of rookie quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix last season gives reason for optimism. Both led their teams to the playoffs in Year 1. But they were supported by veteran teammates in the quarterback room. What the Saints are attempting to do is rare. Extremely rare. Through staff research, we were able to ﬁnd only two other instances where a team entered the season with so little experience and pedigree at the quarterback position.

The 1993 Seattle Seahawks — who, coincidentally, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was a part of — featured a quarterback room of rookie Rick Mirer, Dan McGwire (1-1 career record) and Stan Gelbaugh (0-11). That team ﬁnished 6-10.

The Carolina Panthers entered the 2001 season with 29-year-old rookie Chris Weinke and unproven young veterans Matt Lytle and

Report says McIlroy’s driver failed inspection before PGA Championship

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rory McIlroy

was part of roughly 50 players whose drivers were tested before the PGA Championship, which was described Saturday as a normal procedure designed to protect players who are not aware if their clubs have exceeded limits.

McIlroy drew particular attention when Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio reported Friday afternoon that his driver was deemed nonconforming and the Masters champion could no longer use it at Quail Hollow

McIlroy has not spoken to the media the last two days.

Kerry Haigh, chief championships officer for the PGA of America, confirmed the USGA was asked to test drivers at the PGA Championship. The USGA, which governs golf in the U.S and Mexico, regularly conducts tests on the PGA Tour when asked.

Results are conﬁdential.

Schefﬂer posted the low score of any round in a major with his 65, which moved him to 11-under 202 as he goes for a third major

The 3-wood on the 14th was what got it started. The up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 15th gave him the lead for the ﬁrst time in the championship. Schefﬂer was equally pleased with the finish, wanting the proper conclusion to such an important round.

He holed an 18-foot birdie putt for one of only six birdies on the day at the 17th, then ﬁnished it off with a closing birdie, each with a slight show of emotion.

“Big emotion for me,” Scheffler said with a smile. “It was an important time in the round. I wanted to ﬁnish off the round the right way I hit some good shots down the stretch.”

Masters champion Rory McIlroy and reiging PGA champion Xander Schauffele had a long day, nothing to do with each posting a 72. They were supposed to tee off at 8:25 a.m. and likely would be ﬁnished in time for lunch.

With the change to threesomes of both tees, they didn’t start until 1:38 p.m. and were on the other side of Quail Hollow as all the action was on the closing stretch.

Davis Riley whose game has been rounding into form since he battled a two-way miss at the start of the year, made three straight birdies around the turn and two more on the scorable 14th and 15th holes for a 67. He was at 7—under 206 along with North Carolina native J.T Poston, who birdied his last hole for a 68.

Rahm was tied for ﬁfth with Si Woo Kim and Jhonattan Vegas, who had two-shot leads after 18 holes and 36 holes and began Saturday with two straight bogeys. But he steadied himself and was still in the mix until driving into the water on the 15th for bogey and finishing out his 73 with a three-putt on the 18th.

DeChambeau played in the ﬁnal group at the Masters with McIlroy, and he played bogey-free through 15 holes until a ﬁnish that did more damage than he realized.

“It cost me three shots and that’s what happens here at Quail Hollow,” he said.

Haigh said the standard process is for one-third of the 156man ﬁeld to have driver tests and that was the case at Quail Hollow

“Finding driver heads that have crept over the line of conformance is not an unusual occurrence, especially for clubs that are hit thousands of times over a long period of time,” Haigh said in a statement. “The results are kept conﬁdential to protect players, who are unaware the club has fallen out of conformance and not responsible for it falling out of conformance other than hitting

the club thousands of times.”

Drivers that exceed USGA limits, particularly when the face gets too thin and can cause a slight trampoline effect, need to be replaced. Haigh said players change “without issue.”

“To publicly identify players whose club did not conform can lead to that player being questioned unnecessarily,” Haigh said, referring to why results are conﬁdential “Neither the USGA nor the PGA of America have any concerns about player intent.” Some companies tend to make the face as thin as possible, within limits, for greater distance. When constantly hit at swing speeds around 115 mph, topping 120 mph for the power players, that can allow a club to become nonconforming, known as “creep.” Research indicates a driver can start to creep after 5,000 swings, which is typically about four months depending on how much play or practice is involved.

McIlroy drew extra attention because he was last among the 74 players who made the cut in driving accuracy, hitting only 10 fairways over 36 holes. He hit nine fairways on Saturday in his round of 72 and declined for the third straight day to speak to reporters. It was at least the second time that results of a random driver test have been reported. Xander Schauffele had to replace his driver at the 2019 British Open and he was furious with the R&A for not keeping the matter private.

Dameyune Craig. The Panthers went 1-15. Dubious company, for sure.

The situation exacerbates an already challenging rookie season for Moore.

No ﬁrst-year Saints head coach has ever faced more difﬁcult circumstances from a quarterback standpoint. Jim Haslett had Jeff Blake. Sean Payton had Brees. Dennis Allen had Winston and Andy Dalton.

To his credit, Moore remains undaunted. A former quarterback himself, he understands the position and can relate to his young trio of signal callers. Additionally, former quarterbacks Doug Nussmeier Scott Tolzein and Scott Linehan are key members of his offensive staff.

“We feel great about it,” Moore said. “We feel like we’ve set this quarterback room up in a really potentially successful way with the experience that’s in that room. We feel like it’s going to be a good, developing, melting pot for them.”

Moore has little choice other than to be optimistic. The fortunes of his ﬁrst Saints team are on the arms of the Dat Pack. We know they’re willing. Time will tell if they’re able.

Email Jeff Duncan at jduncan@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFElD

Shough runs a play during rookie

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATT yORK

Hollow on Saturday in Charlotte N.C.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GEORGE WAlKER IV

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, watches his tee shot on the 17th hole during the third round of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow on Saturday in Charlotte, N.C.

OUTDOORS

S.T.A.Rbeginssummer fish fest

BY JOE MACALUSO Contributing writer

Louisiana’s summer-long love affair withits coastal waters and the creatures living in this vast sweep of bayous, marshes, bays, lakes andoffshore depths begins this week.

The countdown this week leads up toSaturday’sS.T.A.R. —the Statewide Tournament &Anglers’ Rodeo —opening day and ends when S.T.A.R.’stwinkle fades at 5p.m. on Labor Day

Between those 108 days are weekday-intoweekend ﬁshing rodeos almost too many to count, including the 27th-annual Swollfest, every-year get-togethers for Catholic, Jesuit and Brother Martin high schools, the Golden Meadow-Fourchon Tarpon Rodeo taking in the Fourthof July holiday,and the Grand Isle TarponRodeo, which will celebrate its 97th gathering in late July making it our country’s oldest ﬁshing event. And, this just in: Clarence Foret called to talk about theNinth Wounded WarHeroeson June 26-28 and its aim to bring 50military veterans to Bridge Side Marina on Grand Isle.

The S.T.A.R. take center stage with itshundreds of thousands of dollarsprizeslikea pickup truck and boats/trailers for the ﬁrst 10 entered anglers catching aspecially tagged redﬁsh. Then there are rigged-out boats/trailersinfour regions for theheaviest speckled trout, and other big-money prizes for other species categories like red snapper,mangrove snapper,cobia, sheepshead along with special Ladies, Fly Fishing, Kayak and Youth divisions and the Calcasieu Calcutta,which is reserved for catches from Calcasieu Lake.

Years of the Youth Division has made the summer special for 17-and-younger ﬁshers. First, the youngster must enter theS.T.A.R. There’snoentryfee andkidsbecomeeligible when they catch a14-inch-longspeckled trout and/or sheepshead. They can enter their catch at aweighstation or by emailing aphoto of the youngster with the ﬁsh on aruler to the tournament director,this year being Red Trascher

This year is also the second year CCA organizers have a“Catch, Photo, Clip &Release” for all tagged redfish. The move came after changes to the Wildlife andFisheries changes in redfish size and daily creel limitslast year Now,instead of an angler needing to present one of the 100 specially red-tagged redfish at aweighstation,the fisherman need only to take aphoto or video of the catch, clip the tag, then releasethe fish.

After that, the angler will bring the clipped tag to the weighstation and send the photo or video to CCA Louisiana.

There are also 80 specially blue-tagged redﬁsh, which, if captured, wins ayear’ssupply of Michelob Ultra.

All winners will be honored Oct. 16 at Live Oak at Cedar Lodge in Baton Rouge during the Baton Rouge Chapter’sannual banquet

All rules, entry feesand weighstationsare listed on CCA’s website: ccastar.com

WoundedWar Heroes

Foret is along-time offshore fisherman, who competed in rodeos with his dad and uncle for years before dedicating his efforts to military veterans. It’sacompanion to the annual WWH basstournament heldfrom Doiron’sLanding in Stephensville.

“During the last eight years, we’ve leanred how much this rodeo means to our wounded veterans. It’saonce-in-a-lifetime eventfor them,” Foret said.

But, he’srun into aproblem thisyear

“Many of our usual captains have previ-

TUESDAY

LAFAYETTE KAYAKFISHINGCLUB

MEETING: 6p.m., Pack &Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette. Call (337) 232-5854. Website: lafayettekayakﬁshing.com

TUESDAY-THURSDAY

STATEOFTHE COAST CONFERENCE: Morial Convention Center, New Orleans. Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana event. Website: stateofthecoast.org

WEDNESDAY

FLIES &FLIGHTS: 7p.m., Rally Cap Brewing, 11212 PennywoodAvenue Baton Rouge. Flytying. Open to public. Sparetools, materialsfor novices. Email Chris Williams: thefatﬁngeredﬂytyer@gmail.com

THURSDAY

ACADIANA BUGS& BREWS: 6p.m., Pack &Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook Lafayette. Open to the public. Email Flip Siragusa: redﬁsh452@gmail. com. Website: www.packpaddle. com

Lessons foryoung outdoorsmen

If a9-year-old’sintention is to become a field-to-table chef and is alreadyhandyinthe kitchen, then‘Outdoor Cooking for Kids’ will be ahit. Notonly does the 128-page book have easy-toprepare dishes, but this Falcon Guides bookgives helpful information on fire safety,avoiding burns, food handling and storage,and handling knives and other kitchen tools. The book costs $16.95 and is from The Globe Publishing Group in Essex,Connecticut.

ous commitments this year so we only have 15 boat owners lined up,” Foret said. “Weput two veterans on aboatsothe fishing trip is more personal, andweget to knoweach other With alist of at least 50 veterans,weneed volunteers to take themfishing, and all the fish caught are cleaned and divided among the veteranstobring home.”

Foret said volunteers cook allthree days, and “...we explain the purpose and goals of WoundedWar Heroes each night. Saturday night we have our awards nightand door prizes for the veterans.”

ASaturday night auction helps raisemoney forthe all-volunteer organizationtodefray costs.

To contact Foret, call (985) 414-8998.

Swollfest

There’ssomething differentthis year.It’s apartnership withthe annual Catholic High Alumni Rodeo, andit’sbecause both aregoing in thesameweekend —the June 4-7 Swollfest at theGrand IsleMarina andthe June 6-7 CHS’atFourchon Marina.

And, because Swollfest’sfishing begins

Wednesday, June4,Catholic High’s organizers will open ﬁshing thatday,too.Swollfest’s weigh-in begins Thursday,June 5and CHS will weigh ﬁshfor entered anglers June 6-7. Catholic High uses fundraisingmoney for scholarships. Swollfesthas raised millions in its 26 years and has committed $250,000 this year to the Hogs House, aresidence forfamilies with children being treated at Our Lady of the Lake Children’sHospitalinBaton Rouge.

Overthe years, those millions raised have provided$500,000 to OLOL’s Children’s Hospital with hundreds of thousands of dollars spread among the American Diabetes Association, St. Jude Children’sResearch Hospital,the Muscular Dystrophy Association, to providing Action Track chairs andaccessories to families, Heroesonthe Water, the Dr Matt Matherne Memorial Scholarship Fund and many others. Details for these two rodeos can be found on swollfest.com andthe Catholic High website. If you have dates and information on other summertime ﬁshing rodeos, email Advocate Outdoors: jmacaluso@theadvocate.com

LOTTERY

SATURDAY

STATEWIDE TOURNAMENT &ANGLERS’ RODEO/S.T.A.R.: Opening day of CCAsummer-long ﬁshing contest throughSept.1.Multiple species categories.CCA membership required. Website: ccalouisiana.com HUNTINGSEASONS SQUIRRELS: Statewide,through May 25, privatelands only.Closed on wildlife management areas.

AROUND THECORNER

MAY25—SOUTH LOUISIANA HIGHPOWER CLUB MATCH: 8:30 a.m. Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Range, St Landry Road, Gonzales. CMP GSSM, NRA match rifleor service rifle, 200-yard/50-rounds match course &Prone matches.Fee $15 members, $20 nonmembers, $5 juniors. $25 annual club (first match free) &Civilian MarksmanshipProgram membership (allows purchases from CMP). Call (337) 380-8120. Email MikeBurke: SouthLaHighPower@ hotmail.com

MAY25—BLESSING OF THE BOATS: 2p.m., Morrison Parkway public

launch, False River, New Roads. MAY26—MEMORIAL DAY

MAY27—REDSTICK FLYFISHERS FLY

TYING: 7p.m Orvis Shop, 7601 Bluebonnet Boulevard.Open to public. Hands-on clinic covering basics of ﬂytying. Materials and tools provided. Website: rsff.org

MAY28—PUBLIC MEETING/NE LA. WILD TURKEY: 5:30 p.m. LSU AgCenter, 4589 La. 605, St.Joseph Wildlife and Fisheries-led discussion of turkey populations.Email Cody Cedotal: ccedotal@wlf,la.gov

MAY29-31–42NDPHOENIXBASS FISHING LEAGUEALL-AMERICAN: LakeHamilton, Hot Springs, Arkansas. First place $120,000. Website: MajorLeagueFishing.com

MAY30-31—BASSMASTER COLLEGE SERIES/LUNKERS TRAIL: Chickamauga Lake, Dayton,Tennessee. Website: bassmaster.com.

MAY31-JUNE 1—BASSMASTER

KAYAKSERIES: LakeTenkiller, Cookson, Oklahoma. Website: bassmaster.com

ALLIGATORHARVEST APPLICATION

DEADLINE: June 15 for tagsfor taking alligators beginning Aug. 27 on 22 wildlife management areas, 28 public lakes &one CorpsofEngineersproperty.Applicant minimum age 16 &$8.50 fee. Rules/application website: louisianaoutdoors.com/lottery-applications.For more, email: LAalligatorprogram@wlf.la.gov

FISHING/SHRIMPING

SHRIMP: Spring inshoreseason open from Miss. River/SouthPass west to Freshwater BayouCanal (will open 6a.m., May19, La./Miss. line west to SouthPass &6 a.m., May22, Freshwater BayouCanal west to La./Texasline); alloutside waters open. Shrimp seasonin federal watersoff theTexas coast closed. OPEN RECREATIONAL SEASONS: Redsnapper, gray triggerfish, flounder;lane, blackfin, queen and silk snappers &wenchmen among other snapper species; all groupers except closed for goliath &Nassau groupers in state/federal waters.

BY CLIFF BRUNT AP sports writer

OKLAHOMA CITY Shai GilgeousAlexanderand the Oklahoma City Thunder have reached amoment of truth.

The youngest teaminleague history to winatleast 60 regularseason games can validate that success when it hosts Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in Game 7of theWestern Conferencesemiﬁnals on Sunday

It’sabig deal for aThunder team thatlosttoDallasinthe conference semiﬁnals last year as the No. 1seed in the West.

“It’sdoordie,” Gilgeous-Alexandersaidafter losing Game 6in Denver. “It’swhat you live for,it’s what youworkedyourwhole life for.It’seither your team continues or your dream ends.So, youlay it all out there on the ﬂoor and you live with the results.”

The winner advancestoplay Minnesota in the Western Conference ﬁnals, starting Tuesday Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said the team’sapproach will not change,evenwith allthatisat stake. Afterall, OklahomaCity won aleague-best 68 gamesinthe regular season.

“It’srecurring themes that you just revisit in these situations, and if youneed newmaterialinthese situations, then your material was wrong in the first place,” he said. Gilgeous-Alexander,anMVP finalist, has returned to form after aslow offensive start in the series. He is averaging 28.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists while shooting 51% from the field.

Gilgeous-Alexander will face a Denversquad that won the NBA titlein2023 and notched aGame 7victory this season in theﬁrstround against the LosAngeles Clippers.

“We’ve got to do what we’ve been doing in theseries,”Denver interim coach David Adelman said. “We’ve got to hang early and then rely on our chemistry and the fact that we’ve been around each other for along time.

“That’swhere experiencecan really help you.”

Jokic, athree-time MVP and aﬁnalist this year,has hadtwo great games in the series and three that are below his standards. He had 42 points and 22 rebounds in Game 1, aNuggets’win in Oklahoma City He had 44 points and 15 rebounds in aGame5loss. In thethree gamesinbetween, he shot 33% from the ﬁeld and his scoring average dipped to 21.3 ppg.

One of Jokic’s most important helpers might not play.Adelman said Aaron Gordon, akey player forDenverthroughoutthe playoffs, will be agame-time decision with alefthamstring injury

The versatile 6-foot-8 forward hit thedramatic game winner in Game 1. He has averaged 14.5 points and 9.2 rebounds in theserieswhile shooting 45% from 3-point range. Thunder forward Chet Holmgren saidthe Thunder won’tworry about things out of their control.

“It’sgoing to comedowntowho’s willing to really execute and win each possession all throughout the game,” he said.

“You can’tworry aboutwinning the game, you’ve got to win apossession ﬁrst and then worry about the next one. That’swhat we’ve we got to do, that’swhat they’re going to try and do, and we’ve got to do (it) better.”

LSUbaseballsecures No.3 seed in SECTournament

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

COLUMBIA, S.C. LSU earned the No. 3seed in the SEC Tournament after its 7-3 win on Saturday against South Carolina.

The result means the Tigerswill face either No. 6Auburn or the winner of No.11 Mississippi Statevs. No. 14 TexasA&M in the second game in Hoover,Alabama, on Friday.Thisyear’s tournament is single elimination all the way through TheTigers finished theirSoutheastern Conference schedule with a19-11 record and ended the regular season at 42-13overall.

LSU earned the No. 11 seed in last year’s

LSU

Continued from page1C

against the Gamecocks (28-28, 6-24).He walked three batters and had justfive strikeouts.

He gave up arun-scoring doubleinthe second inning before freshman Beau Hollins blasted asolo home run in thefourth that handed South Carolina a2-1 lead. Hollins’ homer was just the fourthlong bomb Eyanson has allowed this year “Honestly,(I) didn’thave my best stuff,” Eyanson said. “I was waiting foranouting like that to happen where Ididn’thavemy best stuff and just had to mentally grind.”

Eyanson ran into more trouble in the sixth inning, but like he has on numerousoccasions this season, he got out of it unscathed With runners on the corners and one out, he forced adoubleplaytoend the inning and maintain LSU’s4-2 lead.

“I was more competitive with pitches as the outing went on,” Eyanson said. “Made them workharder to get on base andearn things.”

Freshmanright-hander Mavrick Rizy replaced Eyanson in the eighthinning and forced aground out before exiting for freshmanleft-hander CooperWilliams. He recorded two outs to get out of the inning, but he also surrendered asolo homerun that cut LSU’slead to 6-3

Williams got asecond strikeout to start the ninth but then was replaced by redshirt

SOFTBALL

Continued from page1C

bunt. It was her second error in two games vs.Southeastern Maria Detillier hit achopper to shortstop Avery Hodge, who made an ill-advised throw home that was way too latetoget Morris. Bergeron, the catcher,compounded the mistake by holding theball while Detillier advanced to second. Cydnee Schneider next hit aone-hopper back to Clopton, who looked the runner back to third but didnot throwtoﬁrst, andSchneider wassafeto load the bases.

Clopton then walked BrileeFordtoforce in arun and was pulled in favor of Ashley Vallejo, who struck out Maddie Watson. But Vallejo walkedKulivanona 3-2countto force in another run, and aground outby Dixon made it 4-1.

LSU was quiet for the next twoinnings but rallied to tie it in the fourth. Bergeron reached first on an error,and McKenzie Redoutey hit aone-out double to sendher to third. Back-to-back singles by Danieland Laneuax brought home two more runs and finished Southeastern starter MacieLaRue. Walker High School product Lainee Bailey,who held LSU hitless Friday,relieved LaRue and got the second out but walked Hodge before uncorking awild pitch. Daniel scored on ahead-first slidethat barely beat catcher Schneider to the plate to tieitat4-4 Southeastern took a6-4 lead withthe help of Laneaux’sthrowing error on adouble by Watson, who later scored on afielder’s

SEC Tournament but still reached the championshipgame, falling to No.1Tennessee 4-3 in the ﬁnal. The Tigers took down No.6 Georgia, No. 3Kentucky and No. 10 South Carolinatwice to reach the title game.

LSUwas the No. 3seed in the 2023 SEC Tournament and the No. 4seed in 2022. It won its ﬁrst game but lostthe next two in bothyears.

The last time the Tigers wonthe SEC Tournament was in 2017 when they defeated Arkansas 4-2toearn their12th conference tournament title.

Email Koki Rileyat Koki.Riley@theadvocate.com.

sophomore Chase Shores, who walkedabatter but retired theother two he faced to end thegame.

“We’ve asked alot of Zac (Cowan), and we’ve asked alot of Casan (Evans),” Johnson said. “And so to get out of this with 30 pitches or under for those two guys and win theseries, that’sa big win on top of winning two out of three.”

LSU’s next game will be at theSEC Tournament on Friday. First pitch time hasyet to be determined but it will be the second game after No. 2-seededArkansas’ matchup at 3p.m

BY GUERRYSMITH Contributingwriter

Well beforeits marathon with Charlotte endedSaturday,the Tulane baseball team was locked into the No. 5seed in the American Athletic Conference Tournament and an opener against No. 4-seeded Florida Atlantic at 8a.m. Tuesday

Using almost exclusivelylow-leverage pitchers whohavestruggled for most of theyear,the Green Wave lost amore than four-hour slugfest20-16 on seniorday at Turchin Stadium

Thelargely meaningless result left Tulane (30-24, 13-14 AAC) with alosing mark in the leagueand afour-game skid entering thetournament, where it will try to recapture its title-winning mojo from the past twoseasons underthird-year coachJay Uhlman.

“Wegot down early,and we came back and put some runs on the board, which is good after two days whenwecouldn’tget arun,” Uhlman said. “You don’twant to get swept. Youdon’t wanttolosegames, but we are in agood position moving forward and that’swhatthis team needsmoving into Tuesday.”

Charlotte (35-20, 18-9), which threw mostly low-leverage pitchers as wellafter allowing one run through theﬁrst two games, will be on theoppositesideofthe bracket from theWave as the No.2seed in Clearwater,Florida.

The other twoteams on the Wave’sside are No. 1-seeded Texas-San Antonio (42-11, 23-4) and No. 8-seeded Rice(17-38, 10-17), which named former Tulane boss David Pierce its coach early in theseason.

Tulane began by using apitcher per inning. The other constant was asteady supply of runs forthe 49ers.Theyscored twiceonthree hits offJ.D.Rodriguez in theﬁrst,two more on apair of hits off Wes Burton in thesecond, and twice on three hitsoff Garrett Payne in thethird.

Thepattern ﬁnally broke in the fourth, but not in agood way for the Wave.Grayson Smith could not getout of the inning, giving up ﬁvehitstothe sixbatters he faced. Freshman Michael Devenney permitted two morehitsbefore Logan Poteet blasted athree-run home run that

on SaturdayatTiger Park.

choice byKulivan. LSU tied it on Jalia Lassiter’stwo-run double in thesixth.

LSU3,UConn 0: LSUstaved off elimination

earlier in the day by knocking of No.3-seeded Connecticut behind Berzon. Berzon (18-7) pitcheda five-hitterfor

bounced offthe topofthe scoreboard and kept going.

Tulane, which scored five runs in the third to pull even at 6-6, trailed 14-6 at that point and never came closer than four the rest of the way.

Eight Wave pitchers combined to give up aseason-high 19 hits,withall of them yielding at least one run.

Aside from using normal Sunday starter Mike Szturmaand closer Joseph Taylor in the seventh and eighthinnings, Charlotte used the same pitching approach. Starter Trip DoVale has appearedinonly four games foratotal of seven innings.

Uhlman started six seniors, giving shortstop KaikeaHarrison the day off along with ﬁrst baseman Matthias Haas (in favor of Tracy Mitchem) and outﬁelder Tanner Chun (in favor of Jackson Linn). Second baseman Connor Rasmussen leftearly for freshman NateJohnson, and the new-look lineup found its groove against the 49ers’ arms.

FreshmanJason Wachs, alreadyona torrid streak,flew outtodeep centerfield in his first at-bat, then reached base in his next five plate appearances. He had two doubles and asingle in his last three, raising his average to .349. Johnson also had three hits, including amammoth home run off Taylorinthe eighth.

Mitchem, afourth-year player starting for the first time this season, hadthe first two-hit gameofhis career Linn hadhis secondtwo-hit game of the season and first since opening weekend doubling twice— but also leta single go underhis glove fora two-base errorand was thrown outatthird trying to advance on apitch that got away from the catcher Grayson Smith (0-1) took the loss. Charlotte’sJoel Sarver (2-1), the only one of 16 pitchers who did notallowa run, gotthe win. Despite getting swept, the Wave professed confidence heading to Clearwater “Thekey is forour offense to do what it did today,”Rasmussen said. “Weput up 16 runs and areconfidentinour abilities We just have to go outthere andplayour brand of baseball. We knowwhatwecan do in that ballpark.”

her sixth shutout this season and 13th of her career.She struck out fiveand walked only two while inducing nine ground-ball outs. Twoofthose were turned into double plays, including the game-ending sequence when shortstop Avery Hodge fielded ahard grounder,stepped on second and threw to first while in the air to end the game.

The LSU defense wasstrong, also turning a4-6-3 double playinthe ﬁrst inning when Berzon put the Huskies ﬁrst twobatters on base.

LSUhad nine hits andﬁve walks but struggled to comeupwiththe bighit,stranding 14 base runners after leaving nine on in the Friday loss to Southeastern.

The Tigers loaded thebases with nobody out in each of the first twoinnings but could squeeze only three runs outofit. Edwards walked to force in arun in the first inning, but the next three hitters popped out, struck out and flied out, respectively UConnreplaced startingpitcher Payton Kinney after abases-loaded force out at the plate in the second inning, but Bergeron walked to force in arun, and Edwards drove aflyball to deep center to score another Nebraska beat Southeastern in thewinner’sbracket 14-1 earlier Saturday

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEl JOHNSON

lSU ﬁrst baseman Jared Jones blocks aball during ahard Arkansas hit on May11at Alex BoxStadium.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEl JOHNSON

Southeasternlouisiana outﬁelder Colleen Kulivan slides into home to score the gamewinning runagainst lSU in theseventh inning of the Baton Rougeregional elimination game

p.m.

at Cincinnati (Abbott 2-0)

12:40 p.m. TampaBay (Baz3-2) at Miami (Quantrill 2-4), 12:40 p.m. Minnesota (Matthews0-0) at Milwaukee (Peralta 4-3), 1:10 p.m. St.Louis(Liberatore3-3) at Kansas City (Wacha 3-4), 1:10 p.m Chicago White Sox(Cannon 2-4) at Chicago Cubs (Rea3-0), 1:20

(Springs 5-3) at San Francisco (Ver-

0-3),3:05 p.m. L.A. Angels (Kikuchi 0-4) at L.A.Dodgers (Gon-

DannyHeitman AT RANDOM

Afacemask reminds me

of the lockdown days

Iwas in our laundry room the other day,lost in atrance of boredom as Icycled another load, when abright patchof yellow caught my eye. It was thetip of an old face mask that hadfallen into the corner,apparently hidden for years beneath aspare clothes hamper

Like the contents of atime machine, this little artifact of domestic life circa 2020 quickly took me back.

Along with many other Louisiana residents navigating the lockdown days of the pandemic, our family used alot of fabric masks as we ventured out for necessities,and keeping them clean became asomber ritual. Adozen wouldhang from drying racks in the laundry room, their varied colors creating amacabre mobile that underscored the weirdness of the times.

Memories of other grim oddities from those days came rushing back as Ifed abundle of bed sheets into the dryer.I remembered the bizarreminuet as the deliveryman brought our groceries each week, both of us dancing around each other in ashared gesture of social distancing.

Ithought about our national obsession with hand sanitizer, along with the supply chain woes that left once proud Americans scrambling for bathroom tissue. To support our neighborhood restaurants as their dining rooms closed and they relied on takeoutorders to stayaﬂoat, I’d pull into the parking lot of nearby eateries and nod to the waitstaff as they quickly passed packaged entrees through the car window The whole exchange seemed glancingand vaguely illicit, like buying diamonds on the black market.

That dark human comedy also came with devastating loss. Millions died from an unpredictable virus, and the economic hardship from the lockdowns was wide and deep Students languished at home, and families and friends endured separations too painful to quantify.We’re still debating the best course if another pandemic comes our way Another vivid memory ﬂoated back to me as our dryer tumbled and rumbled through its hour of work. It occurred to me that amid the lockdowns, I’d struck one of those silly cosmic bargains so common among souls in distress.

“Make the pandemic go away,” I’d promised back then, “and Iwon’tcomplainabout anything again.” Recently,Iattended six public gatherings in aweek. Last month, my wife and Idancedat afriend’swedding, savoring the joy of the crowd. Meanwhile, my long-ago promise to stop my griping in exchange for better days has, as you might expect, been abit of abust.

Icontinue to quibble about little things —the twingeinmy shoulder,the squirrels in our ﬂower bed, the lawnmower that has, once again, failed to start. Even so, I’m trying to tell myself that this anxious spring in the life of the country, whatever its challenges,has been the kind of season my pandemic self could only have hoped for Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman.com

PROVIDED PHOTOCOURTESy lIBRARy OF CONGRESS

The areas around lakes Maurepas, Pontchartrain and Borgne are shown on amap by H.S.Tanner from1851.

Anchored to thelake

BY RICHARD CAMPANELLA Contributingwriter

Editor’sNote: The following is a condensed excerpt from the latest book by Tulane geographer and Times-Picayune contributing writer Richard Campanella, “Crossroads, Cutoffs, and Conﬂuences: Origins of Louisiana Cities, Towns, and Villages” (LSU Press). Please seeoriginal for sources and endnotes.

Few places offered better access to ecological resources than the basins of lakes Maurepas, Pontchartrain and Borgne. By pirogue,portage and pluck, one could venturefrom timbered hills to tide-washed islands, traversing eco-zones from as high as 370feetinelevation down to the level of thesea —all within 20 miles.Waterborne accessled Native residentstocall this region Balbancha, for the many dialects heard along crisscrossing trade

routes. Principal tribesnorth of Okwa-ta—“Big Water,”Lake Pontchartrain —werethe Tangipahoa, Acolapissa (Colapissa), and Choctaw, each of which favored riverside perchesassettlement sites. OneAcolapissa village was

located four leagues up the river named Talcatcha (Taleatcha, later Hatcha), meaning rock or stone. It washere where Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville visited in 1699 and found the water good to drink, suggesting this site was above the head of tides, aplausible rationale forthe village. Later,anEnglish mapmaker translated talcatcha as “pearl,” forthe calcium accretions Native Americans collected from the shells they used to scrape out dugout canoes. “Pearl” got applied to the larger river to the east, which is where abranch of the Choctaw tribe lived into the twentieth century —likely on Indian Village Road in eastern Slidell, overlooking asecondary channel of the

BYJAN RISHER Staff writer

Missy Andrade, from Lafayette, says she ﬁrst heard theterm “padookie” when she was in the sixthgrade and met agroup of dancers from New Iberia who joined her Lafayette dance studio. “BritneySonnier asked me one day if Ihad apadookie,” Andrade said. Over the years, whenever

Andrade heard the wordagain, she’d ask, “Where are you from?” The answer wasalways the same: New Iberia. Earlier this year,Andrade asked aco-worker if she had aponytail holder.The co-worker’sblank stare prompted her to say,“Hold up —you’re from NewIberia. What do you call it?” The answer: “Padookie.”

“Itgot me thinking, where does that term come from?” Andrade said. “It’snot a Cajun French word. Why is it only isolated to the boundaries of New Iberia? Where did it come from, and why did it stick?” Aregionalriddle The question sparked what

DININGSCENE

Crawfish king Al Scramuzzadies, butlegacyendures

He hooked up N.O.

People who are passionate about crawﬁsh have “their guy.”

It’stheir hookup, the one they rely on when they need crawﬁsh. James Clesi knows all about it, and he’sthat guy for plenty of them. He also appreciates where it all started.

Rise of alegend

“You needa crawfish connection, and that’syour guy; I mean, nobody does this with hamburgers,” Clesi said. “Al Scramuzza was the first crawfish guy He was aguy for all of us who came afterwards.Hewas the first crawfish guy for New Orleans.”

Ian McNulty WHAT’S COOKING

Clesi, proprietor of Clesi’sSeafood (4323 Bienville St., 504-9090108) in Mid-City,isone ofmany who have spent the week relishing stories about Al Scramuzza and reﬂecting on his inﬂuence.

Scramuzza died May 11 athis home in Metairie at the age of 97.

Scramuzza wasthe self-proclaimed emperor of crawﬁsh and the unparalleled impresario of the mudbug for New Orleansinhis time.

It had been more than 30 years since he closed his once-famous market, Seafood City,the emperor’sthrone room and boil room,at the corner of North Broad Street and St. Bernard Avenue.

He’d been more or less retired since.

But all around the realmof crawﬁsh, people were reeling in reverie about his impact on this cornerofNew Orleans life, texting memories, raising toasts and planning their own personal tribute boils.

“Al told me you havetohave a great product, but you also have to let people know about it,” said Jason Seither,who boils at his Seither’sSeafood restaurant, outside the Zuppardo’sMarket Food and at countless catering events

“He paved the way for all ofus doing this today.Ithink everyone should have aboil this weekend in his honor.Ithink Al would’ve liked that.”

The key to New Orleans food

culture is NewOrleans people, the passion they put intoitand the way they entwine food withtheir ownfamily traditions andsocial rituals. It goesbeyond craving and becomes culture, and individualsbecomeemblematic of that culture.

For crawﬁshinNew Orleans, that was Scramuzza. He introduceda generationtocrawﬁsh

back when the idea of aboil was a rustic custom, something associated withAcadiana beforeCajun country and the Creole city were as closely connected. He helped bring crawﬁsh from thebackwaters to the mainstream.

That evolution could not have been the workofone person, but there’s no doubt thatScramuzza was the face of the rise of craw-

ﬁsh, the booster of the boil as fascination for it grew. His boil recipe wassecret (“a secret ingredient is asecret,” he once told an interviewer.“That’s why theycall it asecret ingredient”). But his approach was unvarnished. As an entrepreneur,he marriedanalmost religious zeal for his product with boundless chutzpahinmarketing.

He employed kids to dangle crawfishonfishing line outside the market. He wrote, directed and starred in his own TV commercials,like the Mel Brooks of crawfishmarketing, and these have become YouTube gold. He donned awhite lab coat and made far-fetched health claims about the virtues of crawfish (“prescribing” crawfish for everything from body aches to infertility).

He was amaster of jingles that have been on people’slips in the days since his death. “Seafood City,very pretty,” was his mantra, along with“Stick with Scramuzza and you’ll neverbealooza,” a refrain he reprised for an unsuccessful run at the state Legislature

Scramuzza grew up destitute during the GreatDepression. Through the years he shared memories of plucking stray shrimp and crabs from under French Market delivery trucks for his mother to cook gumbo and foraging for duck eggs in City Park to sell on the streets. He lived for atime in an orphanage, where he gainedalifelong love of sports, which he would continue as acoach for youth teams much later in life.

He got his start in sales, and seafood, at afruit stand in Central City that also sold shrimp and crabs. In 1951, when atruck farmer arrived with aload of crawﬁsh, he saw anew niche for the thenexotic item. People just needed to learn what crawﬁsh were, and how to eat them.Scramuzza was the manfor the job.

He moved to adifferent market at North Broad Street and Bayou Road, and by 1961 started Seafood City nearby,eventually taking up the whole block. Today,the address, made famous in his jingles as 1826 North Broad, is just another chain pharmacy

But his legacy continues. His grandson, Anthony Scramuzza, runs Scramuzza’sSeafood (2106 Idaho Ave.), adistributor with asmall retail market in Kenner that is amini temple to his life and work. And it lives on in the gusto that many bring to their own ventures around mudbugs.

“There are so many people in the crawfish game now,but he made the game, he started it,” said Clesi. “He was the Yoda.” Louisiana is enjoying aparticularly robust crawfish season this year.The end will eventually arrive, and the season will come again. But will there ever be another Al Scramuzza? Betting on it might just make you aloser Funeral services arescheduled for Monday at Lake LawnFuneral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd., with visitation at 9a.m., funeral Mass at 11 a.m.and asecond-line to the Lake LawnCemetery WLAEChannel 32 public television will rebroadcast its documentary “Al Scramuzza: The Crawfish King” at 7p.m. on Sunday

FIlE PHOTO

n His Story

Twocenturies ago, aFarewell Tour initiated festive and historic fare, thanks to Lafayette’s return to this country.Recently,the Spirit of ’76 National Society Daughters of the American Revolution commemorated that momentous tour by dedicating aplaque, followed by aluncheon.

SPRING SCENES

Nell Nolan SOCIETY

Under the heading, “Lafayette Bicentennial: Reflecting on the Past, Shaping the Future,” the above DAR chapter,which has Trudy Crow Oswald as its regent, recalled Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette, the Marquis de Lafayette, who was the last surviving major general of the American Revolution, and, at the invitation of President James Monroe and Congress, visited New Orleans as part of his Farewell Tour of the United States (Aug. 16, 1824 to Sept. 7, 1825). In New Orleans, an enthusiastic crowd greeted Lafayette in the Place d’Armes (later,Jackson Square), where Mayor Joseph Roffignac welcomed the 67-yearold Hero of TwoWorlds beneath amassivearchconstructed in his honor.For five days, Lafayette was lodged in the Cabildo. The plaque’sdedication took place on the second floor of the Cabildo with dignitaries in attendance,such as Consul General of France in Louisiana Rodolphe Sambou,senior adviser to the Lt.Gov of Louisiana Julio Guichard, Parochial Vicar of HolyName of Jesus Church the Rev Edward L. Gros,SJ, and NSDAR officers Janet McFarland, Suzanne M. Heske and Patricia L. Maclay M.D., National Franco-American Memorial chair.Also, Director of theCabildoLouisiana State Museum Rebecca Mackie,Cultural andEducation Attaché for France in New Orleans Jacques Baran,and, as members of theNew Orleans Lafayette Bicentennial Committee, co-chairs Denise Bennett and John Scurich,Trudy Crow Oswald, Missy Curran,Austin Delery, Kathleen Robert, and Lee F. Pitre Ph.D., thechapter’s Franco-American Memorial chair

An extensive listofDARs came

n Center Celebration

Twoofthe most desiredwords for any fundraiser applied to the recent Harry Tompson Center’s annual gala: sold out! Billed for 2025as“Harry’sFlock: Something to Chirp About,” the lateafternoon event took place in the Academy of the Sacred Heart Nims Fine Arts Center.After the doors opened and the silent auction luredearlybirds, remarks

n ANocturnal Roar

followed,startingwitha prayer Executivedirector Emily Bussen Wain gave the welcome and introduction, followed by remarks from thehonorary chair couple and stalwart volunteers, Shannon and JerryDaigle,and theLegatus Christi Award presentation to Sister KathyOvermann,D.C.inrecognition of her daily service at HTC’sSt. JosephRebuild Center.Next, supporters mingledasthey enjoyed food bygenerouspurveyors,

Guests sported 1920s glad rags forCountry Day’srecent Great Gatsby-styledgallivanting.Marqueed “Roaring Nights,”under theaegis of Country Day’sCity Nights, thetrifold event started witha speakeasy-themed patron party in the school’sWoodvine Courtyard, chairedby Jessica Moran and Kelley Slocum,with araspberry-colored velvetbackdrop, adark wood bar and winebarreltables,a Champagne tower,and aglitter bar,beforemoving to the main event, also outdoors, where avintage 1912 car was thesurecynosure. The decorative colorswereblack and gold; the school’scherished giant oaktreewas festooned with lighting and gold reﬂectiveballs; andcenterpieces were crafted with black andwhite featherplumes. More features were the fortuneteller,specialty drinks (including Bee’sKnees), food catered by Martin’sWine Cellar, and the auction by Thompson AuctionServices. Twotop itemswereFreeLunch fora Year (copping two“winners,” Kelly Chism and Matthew Wello)and astay at Seaside,Florida, purchased by Patrick Thompson.The musicmakers were Angelika “Jelly” Joseph, Sam Kuslan &Friends, andrenditions of Tina Turner’s“Proud Mary” and Chaka Khan‘s “IFeel for You.” An after-party in theColemanFamily Dining Room rounded offthe revelry

from across theU.S. to celebrate with the Spirit of ’76 Chapter

Further guestswere LSDAR ofﬁcials, including state regent Cheryl Gott;representatives from historical societies, suchas Russ Godwin (state president,Sons of theAmerican Revolution), Bonnie Slaughter (president,Daughters of 1812), Austin Delery (Societyof theFounders of the City of New Orleans) and Katherine Determan (chair,New OrleansTown Committee); andfrom theRochambeau Chapter in Paris, regent Cath-

turned an ear to the music of DJ Chuck Steibing,and anticipated the Big 3Giveaway Drawing. Atop item was the $3,000 Travel Package. The Harry Tompson Center is aday shelter that provides housing, health care, hygiene and hospitalityservices towell over

erine Armand and registrar Virginie de Pusy Lafayette,adirect descendant of the marquis.

During the plaque dedication, renowned Williamsburg, Virginia, actor Mark Schneider, whoportrays Lafayette, read the inscription in English and French. Father Gros then read his blessing of the plaque in both languages. To conclude, soprano Irini Kyriakidou Hymel sang theanthemsofthe U.S. and France, “TheStar-Spangled Banner” and “La Marseillaise.” From the Cabildo, the group headed to Arnaud’sRestaurant for athree-course meal of butter lettuce salad, amain course choice (Gulf ﬁsh or grillades and grits) and crème brûlée. Small American and French ﬂags acces-

sorized the centerpieces of red carnations and white baby’sbreath that chapter member Gayle Dellinger arranged. Father Gros delivered the invocation and the benediction; Spirit of ‘76 Chapter members Lee Pitre Lynch, TerryOlivier, RosemaryPic and AmeliaKays spoke, and were applauded by chapter members Ann Farmer,Brenda Bethea, Christy Lynch and BrittanyOswald Stumpf,M.D among others; actor Mark Schneider presented atime-line travel sequence of events with Virginie de Pusy Lafayette; and, before the benediction, Trudy Oswald closed the program with a host of thanks. She washailed for her organization of the momentous event. But that wasnot all. Photo opportunities wereavailable, as wasatour of Arnaud’s. Of course, what remained indelibly wasthe legacy of Lafayette, whose words to Mayor Rofﬁgnac on April 10, 1825, were scripted on the commemorative plaque. Remembered, too, werethe deep and lasting bonds between the U.S. and France, which were built in history and are carried forward today

4,000 homeless individuals yearly It was started 26 years ago by theRev.Harry Tompson, SJ, who passed away in 2001. Billed as NestBuilders, the top category of sponsors included theDaigles, Dr Moisesand Rosemary Arriaga, The Azby Fund, Donald and CathyEspenan,Fluid Process & Pumps, LLC, the Hammer Family, Drs. Anand and Maya Irimpen, Drew and Lynn Marsh,and the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation.The Song Birds were Jean and Dan Jens, David and Mary Beth Mettz, Stephen and Keenan Romig, St.Joseph Church, Richard and Anna Tompson, and Rick and Susan Yelton. Mary Baudoin is theboard president, and Stephen Romig and Paul Buras, the treasurer and secretary Dwight Barnes,Alisa Bright, Charles Bourg,Tashee-

The three top-tier patron categories included Wise Law LLC,

na Butler Dr Peter DeBlieux, Cathy Espenan, MichaelHammer, Geri Kolwe, the Rev Anthony McGinn,SJ, Jim Pellerin, Kevin Wilson, and Sister Overmann serve as the board’sdirectors. More notables were gala chair Paisleigh Kelley,Emily Wain, and committee members GeriKolwe, Stephanie Clark,Stacey Davis, Bernadine Dupre, Jana Fogleman, Craig Forshag,Vicki Judice,Bev McCoy, Marie Louise Guste Nix, Stephanie Riegel, Sylvia Schully and Anna PepperTompson Along with the avian-themed altruism was joyful camaraderie and spirited competition at the extensive silent auction. Of particular note-worthiness was the DJ’s playing of Fats Domino’s “Blueberry Hill,” which elicited general toe tapping.

Olivia and Chad Ventola, and spouses KaraVan de Carr and Daryl Byrd. Dozens followed under theremaining four rubrics. Headliners were event chairs Katie Kailas and Sarah Lobell with Praveen and Brandon,auction chair AmyLawler with Chris,Parents’ Association President Shelli Ergen with Hasan,

head of school RobHereford with wife Amanda Whalen,board of trustees chair RobynSchwarz with Andrew,and Diana and Brandon Wise. Somewhere, the spirit of Jay Gatsby gave awink of approbation to the “Roaring Nights”

PHOTOSByJEFF STROUT

Julio Guichard, TerryOlivier,Rodolphe Sambou, the Rev. Edward Gros, SJ

Virginie De Pusy lafayette, Mark Schneider

Patricia Maclay, Suzanne Heske, Rebecca Mackie

TrudyCrowOswald,lee Pitre lynch

PHOTOSByMARy STROUT

Jerryand Shannon Daigle

Paisleigh Kelley, Sister Kathy Obermann, Emily Wain

Byron leBlanc, Stephen Romig

Jimand MaryTemple Thomas, Ann and Bill Von Almen

PHOTOSByMARy STROUT

Brandon and Sarah lobell, Katie and Praveen Kailas

Chris and Amy lawler Michelle Steinhardt

Hasan and Shelli Ergen, Rob Hereford

KelleySlocum, Jessica Moran

ARTS &CULTURE

Museum spotlights brutal Aleutian Islandscampaign

Spanning1,200 miles from mainland Alaska toward Siberia and knifing between the Bering Seaand Pacific Ocean, the more than 300 mostly barren Aleutian Islands would have made for aperilous WWII battlefield even if no shotshad been fired.

That there were and why —from June 3, 1942, to Aug. 15, 1943 —is the story told in “On American Shores: The Aleutian Islands Campaign,” achanging exhibit on view at the National WWII Museum through Jan. 11. Cold, rainy and snowy when not foggy,and always unpredictable, the Aleutians climate was amenacefor both sides.The small population of native Aleut peoples who inhabited the islandsbefore thewar somehow managed it, but they were captured,removed or interned when the ﬁghting started. The called their territory the“Cradle of Storms.”

“I didn’tﬁght any Japanese,” said Capt. Paul W. Schaughency, of the 265th Coast Artillery Regiment, as quoted in the exhibit “Wefought the weather.” Accordingly,accommodations for the conditions —especially battleuniforms forsoldiers in bothforces —take marquee positions among the 70 or so objects on view in the exhibit.

“It is avery rough environment to ﬁght in and it really affected people,”said Ross Patterson, curator for the exhibit. “A lot of people froze and it caused them lifelong problems, even if they weren’thit in battle.”

Tracking thebattle

Given the expanse of the islands, alarge map outside the entrance to the exhibit offers visitors an essential orientation moment. Similar smallermaps of island clustersare reprised inside, to help track the individual actions. Those started just afew months after Pearl Harbor,when the Japanese launched adual attack on Midway and the Aleutians. The targeting of the Attu and Kiska islands in June 1942 was theonly North American soil seized during the war.The impact on morale on the suddenly not-so-distant home front was bracing “In apoll, more people could identify Alaska and the Aleutians after the attack in 1942 than could identify where Hawaii was on a map, it was that much on their mind,” Patterson said. Fought on land, sea andinthe air,the subsequent counterattack and continuing engagement were conducted in devastatingly mortalconditions.

In the Pacific Theater,onlythe fight for Iwo Jima later in thewar surpassed the American-to-Japanese combat casualty ratioon Attu, which included afinalbrutal banzai charge by the enemy. “The Japanese cut ice trenches

into the huge volcanic rises on Attu,” Patterson said. “The Japanese had been there since 1942, andthey knew that the best defensible areas would be actually upinthe fog banks, and they could ﬁre down at choke points. Ourtroops would have to ﬁght their way up these frozen mountains and take ice trench after ice trench.”

That topographyand climate combined to ensure that the battle’smateriellargely remains as it was left when the ﬁghting concluded.Asequence in the exhibittitled “Frozen in Time” notes that, both on land andunder the sea, the Aleutiansremain “among thewar’sbest-preserved battleﬁelds.”

Keyobjects in theexhibit

Incredibly delicate propaganda leaﬂetsdropped by Americans on Kiska Island were created in theshape of Paulowinia leaves, which the enemy believed were abad omen when falling out of season

Butthe Japanesehad already abandoned the island at the time of the leaﬂet drop,prompting a Royal Canadian Corps of Signals corporal to quip that they’d been dropped on “thefew remaining dogs on the island,which unfortunately could not read.”

“On American Soil” tracks several Allied “ﬁrsts” in thewar: It was thesiteofthe war’s ﬁrst multiservice amphibious assault

n RonBechet and KeithDuncan will discuss Duncan’s“Battleofthe Bands” exhibition foraCurated Conversation event at 2p.m. Sundayat the Ogden Museum of SouthernArt The event is free but preregistration is requested. More: ogdenmuseum.org

n BK House and Gardens is marking the 100thanniversaryofthe community effort to save thesite from demolition by hosting “Dining Through Time” at 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Curated culinarystations will be combined withexplorations of the differenteras of the house’s centuryofpreservation history.Tickets: bkhouse.org.

n From noon through 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Historic NewOrleans Collection will host afreecourtyard event celebrating Caribbean culture, including steel-pan music, poetry, food and more.More:hnoc.org.

Amap of the Aleutian Islands helps visitors to the exhibit orient themselves in the battleground.

thefirst American use of carrierbased close airsupport, and thefirst airstrikesagainst the Japanese mainland by land-based bomber formations. It was also thesiteofcombat thatproduced thewar’sfirst Medal of Honor received by aHispanic American soldier,Private Joseph “Joe” Pantillion Martínez, who was honored posthumously

The islands also sawapopularculture “ﬁrst”thatwould echo through severalsubsequent wars: The ﬁrst of many intheater Bob Hope Christmas shows took place in the Aleutians on Dec. 23, 1942. The cover of a personalized scrapbook in the exhibit marks that show and a later 1943 overseas entertain-

n Historian John Curatola will conduct aDinnerwith aCurator at 6:30 p.m.Tuesdayatthe National WWIIMuseum. The topic: “The PacificMasters of the Air.”Tickets: nationalww2museum.org

n At 6p.m.Thursday, the Museum of the SouthernJewish Experience will host abook talk withShari Rabin, author of “The JewishSouth: An American History.”The free event will be offered in-person and online More: msje.org

n The Newcomb ArtMuseum will host its annual CreativeConnections reception celebrating local artists at 5:30 p.m.Thursday.The event is free and opentothe public. More: newcombartmuseum.tulane.edu

ment tour.Titled“INever Left Home,” the scrapbook’scover shows thatHope’sbarnstorming troupe made stops in Iceland, England, Tunisia,Sicily and other destinations.

A1944 muster roll sheet from the destroyerUSS Cummings notesthe transport of visitor Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Comdrin-Chief,” anddescribes his destinationas“Eleanor Roosevelt (wife), 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.” Dave Walkerfocuses on behindthe-scenes coverage of the region’s many museumshere and at www.themuseumgoer com. Email Daveatdwalkertp@ gmail.com.

PHOTOSByDAVEWAlKER

TheAleuts, at left,who lived on the Aleutian Islands, were captured, interned or removedbythe combatants.At right, the fiercely cold weather meant clothingwas akey part of the fight.

Dave Walker

TRAVEL

Glimpsethe MilkyWay this summer in Louisiana

BY LAUREN CHERAMIE Staff writer

When the stars align, about eight months out of the year,the Milky Way and its 100 billion stars can be seen in some form.

In the spring and summer,that includes the early morning hours March through May and between dark and midnight June through August.

Some dates that have the potential to be great times to see the Milky Wayinthe nextfew months are:

n May 19-28

n July 22-31 n Aug. 14-20.

However,tobest view the Milky Way, afew factors come into play

The sky must be devoid of light pollution, or brightening of the night sky caused by streetlights and other man-made sources. Most people have to drive out of city limits to ﬁnd this.

Additionally,afull moon can drown out the faint stars in the sky,soit’sbest to pick atime during anew moonwhen the moon is positioned between the earth and the sun. During this time, there’sless moonlight interference.

To help stargazers know how bright the sky will be in agiven location, the Bortle scaleand its nine levels are useful.

Class 1includes the darkest sky someone can ﬁnd, while class 9isthe most light-polluted sky.For most people,a class 3or4location is dark enough to see stars.

In Louisiana, Dewey Wills Wildlife Manage-

ment, Kisatchie National Forest and Tensas River National WildlifeReserve typically fall under the Bortle scaleclass 2. The closest class 1locations are in Texas at Big Bend National Park and Greater BigBend Dark Sky Reserve.

Otherstargazing places in Louisiana include:

n Alexander State Forest

n Black BayouNational WildlifeReserve n CatahoulaLake n Chemin-A-Haut State Park

n Cypremort Point State Park

n Highland Road Park Observatory

n Lake D’Arbonne State Park

n Lake Fausse Pointe StatePark

n NorthToledo Bend StatePark

n Palmetto Island State Park

n RockefellerNational WildlifeRefuge n South Toledo Bend StatePark.

DeweyW.Wills Wildlife Management

TheLouisiana Department of Wildlifeand Fisheries manages the four campsites on this remote wildlife management area. Severalgamespecies are available to hunt at Dewey W. Wills, including deer,squirrel,rabbit, raccoon, waterfowl and woodcock, and there are ﬁve concrete boat ramps for recreational and commercial ﬁshing.

Thesite is also great for birding, with avarietyof songbirds, wading birds and shorebirds.

KisatchieNationalForest

With morethan 600,000 acres, Kisatchie National Forestisthe state’sonly national forest.

It’slocated in seven parishes in central and northern Louisiana. Some of the recreational eventsinclude eagle nest cams, off-highway vehicle trails, hunting and ﬁshing.

The Longleaf VistaTrail leads to overnight camp spots. Set up atelescope in the parking area or venture down to thebluffside gazebo to see thestars.

Tensas RiverNational Wildlife Reserve

Thousands of people visit Tensas River National Wildlife Reserve each year to takepart in hunting, wildlife photography and observation and environmental education.

There are morethan 400 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and ﬁsh on the property, which was established in 1980. The refuge includes the state’slargest population of theLouisiana black bear

While theU.S. Fishand Wildlife Service-maintained grounds close to visitors two hours after sunset, ahandful of paid campgrounds on the refuge’s border offer overnight chances to see thestars.

Writer Jessica Fender contributed to this report.

Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie@ theadvocate.com.

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

Hotelisnot answeringwhile Hotel.comrefuses to help guest

Irecently booked aroom through Hotels.com near Glacier National Park in Montana. Ireceivedanemail from the property saying my reservation wasn’tguaranteed and my card hadn’tbeencharged

Christopher Elliott

The hotel asked me to call about my reservation, but the answering machinesaid the ownerwas in labor and wouldn’tbeable to respond to messages. My credit card wascharged for the room.

Itried calling the hotel multiple times, but the answering machine messageremained thesame. Other numbers providedwere either busy or disconnected.

Hotels.com wouldn’thelp, simply forwarding my concerns to the property

Ifeel likeI’ve been scammed.I just want my $169 backand to warn others about this place.Can you helpme? —Steve Eliason, Minnetonka, Minnesota

The hotel should have honored your booking —and if it couldn’t, Hotels.com should have refunded your $169. Whena hotel can’thonor areservation, the booking site is obligated to ﬁnd you comparable accommodations or to return your money

That’s astandard practice in the travel industry

This is the ﬁrst timeinmyyears of advocating cases thatsomeone has closed ahoteltogive birth. Ihope mom and thebaby are OK and thatthe hotel opensagainsoon

In this situation, you did everything right by trying to contact the property and Hotels.com. Youalso kept adetailed paper trail of all correspondence, including emails and phone call records. This documentationshows thatyou gave the system achance to resolve your problem

Most importantly,the correspondence shows thatthe hotel sent you an email saying thatyour reservationwas not conﬁrmed and that you wouldn’tbecharged.

So someone —either the hotel or Hotels. com —really screwed up here. If your initial attempts fail, consider escalating the issue to asupervisor or executive. Youcan ﬁnd contact informationfor Hotels.com executives on my consumer advocacy website,Elliott.org.

If Hotels.com hadn’tbeen able to help, and if you hadn’treached out to me,you could have disputed your Hotels.com charges. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, your credit card can refund you for an item you paid for but didn’treceive, like a hotel stay Icontacted Hotels.com on your behalf. A representative acknowledged the unusual circumstances of your case and agreedto issue afull refund. Youreceived your $169 refund from Hotels.com, along with a$50 credit for future bookings.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonproﬁt organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

Hives Cause... Itchiness, Welts, Discomfort

Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria Study Enrolling

BETWEEN THE PAGES WITH WIllIAM GREINER

Bursting with color

Photography book presents a pre-Katrina New Orleans

BY RIEN FERTEL Contributing writer

“Neutral Ground: New Orleans 19902005” by William Greiner, University of New Orleans Press, 96 pages.

Photographer William Greiner’s new collection, “Neutral Ground,” is four decades in the making Shot in Greiner’s hometown between 1990 and 2005, the scenescapes featured in these 85 photographs feel both eerily foreign and hauntingly familiar. Rusted signage, empty buildings and buildings consumed by cat’s claw vine take space on the pages — these photos could have been taken a century ago or last week Greiner started photographing New Orleans as a teenage newspaper reporter In college, he fell under the sway of William Eggleston, whose vibrant color palette and innovative framing techniques inspired Greiner to see photography as art. Success came quickly

The Museum of Modern Art in New York purchased several of his pieces in 1991. Soon after, his work hung alongside that of his mentor, Eggleston, in a dual exhibit at New Orleans’s Contemporary Arts Center His work can be found in collections around the world: The Art Institute of Chicago, J. Paul Getty Museum and the National Portrait Gallery in London. Today, Greiner lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Since leaving New Orleans, he has largely abandoned analog photography for a range of other artistic mediums: painting, collage and sculpture.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Photographer William Greiner’s new collection, ‘Neutral Ground,’ is four decades in the making

Perhaps south Louisiana is made for the camera’s eye. For here, even the air is unique,” Greiner writes in “Neutral Ground,” “soaked in humidity, which affects the light.”

This interview has been condensed and edited

How did you start as a photographer?

I started out interested in sports journalism. I was the youngest photographer in the NFL when I was 19. I was the ﬁrst American to cover the Tour de France in 1981. But I went back to college and, long story short, I met two kids from Memphis, Tennessee, and they introduced me to William Eggleston, a pioneer in ﬁne-art color photography That sort of changed my whole interest and trajectory with the medium He opened up a door. Like you’ve been listening to classical music all your life and all of a sudden you stumble onto Led Zeppelin. I was turned on to this idea that

photography could be very personal and not have any speciﬁc meaning or purpose.

How does “Neutral Ground” fit into that long career?

It was a body of work that went on for quite a long time with no real purpose, per se, except I was reacting to my city, my hometown. Then only subsequent to Katrina, looking back and realizing, “Why did I make these pictures? How did I make these pictures? And what do they mean?”

Those photographs resonated in a different way at that point. I think I had this intuitive sense of foreboding. But then you had all this disaster-porn photography, and I didn’t want to be associated with that. So I waited. Five years turned to 10 years, 10 years turned to 15 years. So it’s a 35year book in the making.

How did you decide what to include?

This was probably culled from 10,000 photographs, which is not really that many as far as photographers go. But it’s a lot of pictures. Sometimes I would go out speciﬁcally with the idea to make photographs, but oftentimes it was just kind of happenstance. Unlike a lot of photographers that seem to need to go someplace else to make work, someplace new to them, I decided to do the exact opposite. I embrace, like Clarence John Laughlin, the photograph-at-home mentality I would keep a camera in my car, and if something caught my eye, I would just stop.

I’ve worked on a bunch of — I’ll call them sub-projects. There was a group of pictures of ﬂora and fauna. There was another group

about urban homes. For a few years, I was interested in children, because I was getting ready to have a child, and I started thinking about how children take on a personality and adult characteristics. It’s all that mashed up together

One of the images that most resonated with me is of a kid in the backseat of a cop car She looks frightened. She might be holding Mardi Gras beads. I can’t tell. That’s one thing that I like about photography Pictures lend themselves to allowing the viewer to make up their own story about what’s going on. I realized that we all bring our own preconceived notions, experiences, visual acumen to everything we look at. That speciﬁc photograph was a parade in Mandeville. This little girl’s in the back of this cop car, and she looks pleadingly at me. But actually, it’s a very festive occasion. It’s kind of weird and kind of confusing, which I like. Recently you’ve exhibited in a variety of mediums — collage, painting sculpture.

I don’t really photograph very much anymore. In part because

of where I live I’m not really interested in photographing here. And also in part because I never embraced digital technology I never liked it. It’s just so overcomplicated. Analog photography was pretty easy for me. Shutter speed, aperture, focus and ﬁlm speed: four elements. So I thought, what else can I do to express myself? I really grasped collage and assemblage. If you were to return to New Orleans today, what do you think your camera’s eye would gravitate toward?

I was in New Orleans two weeks ago for a book signing, but I don’t get back very often. I’ve thought about it, about how the city has changed and what that looks like. I don’t know if it would feel brand new, but it deﬁnitely feels a little foreign. I see the change. I could point out people, could tell if they were local or not. I could see myself photographing there again.

Rien Fertel is the author of four books, including, most recently, “Brown Pelican.”

Deep look at family history generates new conversations

‘Daughters of the New year’ explores the Vietnamese American experience in the South

BY RACHEL MIPRO

Contributing writer

Elizabeth Tran was standing in the snack aisle of the New Orleans Costco when she learned that her novel — something she’d worked on for five years in several states had been sold to a publisher “It was very much a full circle moment where it felt like I was writing about New Orleans and I had finally come home, and I got to sell this book,” Tran said. “That definitely felt like a homecoming.” “Daughters of the New Year,” released in 2022, went on to make waves for its intricate femalecentric portrayal of a Vietnamese immigrant family The book set in modern-day New Orleans, centers on the three Trung sisters and their relationship to their mother, while also delving intopolitical history faith traditions, contemporary beauty standards and sexuality Tran, one of three daughters raised by Vietnamese refugees herself, used this debut novel to explore the Vietnamese American experience in the American South.

Three years later, Tran’s novel is

generating new conversations as the One Book One New Orleans’ 2025 selection The organization seeks to promote literacy and community in the Crescent City by asking New Orleanians to read and discuss a selected book each year — essentially creating a citywide book club.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

You grew up here in New Orleans.What was that like?

My family moved here in the ’80s. My dad worked at Touro as a biomedical engineer, and he also did the local Vietnamese newspaper, The Little Saigon News, and so growing up, we delivered the newspaper to New Orleans East businesses in Versailles and to Vietnamese businesses on the West Bank. I don’t think I really realized the importance of the Vietnamese community until I left after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and moved to Los Angeles, and then came back. So yeah, born and raised and came back.

And hopefully here to stay I have to say, I love your book so much. You hit so many different themes and it’s like a love song to New Orleans.What made you start writing it?

I was doing my doctoral research, and a lot of the books I was reading were about Vietnamese history and southeast Asian history I just really wanted to learn more about my culture, because I didn’t feel that I learned much about it at all in history classes, growing up in school, even in college.

So part of my research was just learning about my own culture

and learning about my own family history just because my family didn’t really talk about it either The Vietnam War was a very traumatic experience, and being displaced and being refugees was very traumatic for them.

Vietnam can be quite a malecentered society and has historically valued a certain kind of really inﬂexible masculinity It was really curious to me that some of the few historic and mythologized ﬁgures were women, and I wanted to include them in my novel.

What other influences did you kind of borrow from your own life? There’s that constant theme of alienation. Did you feel that growing up here?

Oh for sure. I think that actually the alienation came from really unexpected places. I felt like I didn’t necessarily belong in mainstream American culture, especially growing up in the ’90s, in the early 2000s. Mainstream American culture was the girl next door It was Barbie, it was a very particular kind of American experience. I didn’t see myself reﬂected in that. When you’re in an immigrant community you become this new thing. You’re Vietnamese American, and so I wanted to give page space to this really unique experience. Reading up about your background, I remember you said you couldn’t read a book your dad had written in his native language. Do you speak Vietnamese?

I don’t, and actually, the language barrier was a really big part of my alienation growing up, and it continues to be something that I struggle with. But I

also think that it’s important to acknowledge what happens when you have a displaced refugee community, right?

You have parents who speak a language and their children who might not speak it as ﬂuently or not at all. And so that language gap and that language barrier was something that I really wanted to write about and explore. One of my dreams is one day to hopefully get the language back. What are you working on right now?

I’m writing a different novel, and it’s about the father ﬁgure Cuong in the book, I’m writing it from his perspective, but in 1960s and ’70s Vietnam. So it’s kind of like a companion novel to “Daughters of the New Year,” but just from his perspective.

And it’s the anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, which led to a huge flood of immigra-

tion into the city Is that something that’s on your mind?

There’s a lot of stuff happening across town, actually, that’s really exciting and interesting. I think it’s really special that New Orleans is including Vietnamese experience in the history of the city, and it’s doing it in its important institutions like The Historic New Orleans Collection and the Ogden Museum, but I also think that it’s a reminder that a lot of our immigrant community is in New Orleans East, in these neighborhoods that are often forgotten or not taken care of. And if we want to preserve the culture, all this color and wonderful vibrancy that’s brought in by our immigrants, we have to make sure that we also put our money where our mouth is, and build infrastructure and build programs.

Let’s end with the One Book One New Orleans’ selection. How are you feeling about that?

It’s really special to have the book be picked because it feels like a kind of acceptance of the Vietnamese community and Vietnamese experiences and Vietnamese American livelihood, and all those things are also part and parcel of being New Orleans.

My book is a New Orleans book, and yet it shows New Orleans East, it shows the West Bank, it shows Versailles. It shows Vietnamese supermarkets in the suburbs. And those are just a part of as much of New Orleans as anything else. And so it’s really, really special for a nonproﬁt and an organization like OBONO to also recognize that.

LOUISIANABAKES

Cornbread, cake canwithstand theheat, feed acrowd

Browned Butter

Cornbread

Serves 10-12

12 tablespoonsunsalted butter

1/2 cup of Steen’scane syrup

Olivia Regard

With late spring grilling and picnic season upon us,menus areﬁlled with food that can withstand the outdoor heat and feed acrowd. On someoccasions,Ihavethe luxury oftime to plan amenu. On other occasions, however, spontaneity is the drivingforce, and Imust quickly work with pantrystaples to create dishestocontribute to the meal. When time is anissue, Ireturn to aknowncrowd pleaser: cornbread. Whetherfromabox mix or made fromscratch, hot-fromthe-oven cornbread is always ahit. As Southerners, we take great pridein ourcooking,and cornbread is no exception. Debates abound as to the ingredients thatmake a “proper cornbread” with individuals drawing clearlines in the sandoverthe inclusionof sugar and ﬂour

While recipes may vary, onething onwhichI think we can all agree is that cornbread needs agood, crispy crust. The recipes below may break some of the cornbread rules, but theoutcome is notdisappointing. These recipes include flour,have a hint of sweetness and may evendouble asdessertwiththe addition of fruit and aglaze Forthe first recipe, BrownedButterCornbreadbuilds upon abasiccornbread recipe but includes both asweetener (Steen’ssyrup) andflour.Donot be alarmed, however,asthe sweetness from thesyrup is balanced by the nuttiness of the browned butterand the tartness of thebuttermilk.The crunchy,buttery crust is achieved by baking the cornbread in ahot skillet/cast-iron pan. The heavy,heatretaining material will give the crusta dark colorand rich flavor, but any large ovenproof skillet will work.

If you don’thave askillet bigenough to hold allthe batter,halve the recipe or bake theextra cornbread batterinamufﬁn tin. Themufﬁnswill not have the same dark crust, but the moist crumb is ample recompense.Tobranch outevenmore, addbitsofcooked bacon, sauteed onions or shallots, chili powderorcumin, chopped chilies or herbs, gratedcheese or corn. Thesecondrecipe,Blueberry LemonCornmeal Cake, is equally versatile. This rich and tender cornmealcake is punctuatedbybright, sweetblueberries and lots of lemon zest, but the recipe can easily swap outthe blueberries for strawberriesorblackberries. The cake canalsobeserved without thesuggested lemon glaze.Enjoy it asan afternoon treat or add moreblueberries and whipped creamtodress it up fordessert.

Here’s my almost summerwishfor us: delicious meals that includefresh-bakedcornbread, good salted butter and sweet, connected time with friends or family beforethe swelteringheat of summer keepsusindoors.

21/4 cups of buttermilk at room temperature

3large eggs at room temperature

11/2 cups of yellow cornmeal

1cup all-purpose flour

11/2 Tablespoons baking powder

11/2 teaspoonskosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On the stovetop, in an 11- or 12-inch skillet (ovenproof and preferably cast-iron),brown thebutter by melting the butterover medium heat Cook, swirling thepan to lightlycoat the sides andbottom. The butter will begin to foam. Continue cooking and stirring slightly until thefoam subsides and the butter turns adeep nut brown.

2. While the butter browns, whisk together thecornmeal,ﬂour, bakingpowder,salt and baking soda. Set aside.

3. Once the butter is browned, pour thebutter into alarge bowl. Do not wipe out thepan. Return thepan to the warm burner

4. Whisk the maple syrup into thebutter, then whiskinbuttermilk. The mixture should be cool to thetouch; if not, let cool thenwhiskinthe eggs

5. Foldthe dry ingredients into thebuttermilk mixture and stirtocombine.

6. Pour the batter into thewarm skillet.(Note: If the skillet is no longer hot, reheat it brieﬂy on thestovefor afew minutes.)

7. Bake until thetop is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into it emerges clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool in theskilletfor 10 minutes before serving.

BlueberryLemon Cornmeal Cake

Serves 12 Forthe cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter,melted, plus

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Butter an 8-inch square pan and linewith parchment paper

3. Zest the 2lemons into alarge mixing bowl. Addthe sugar and the eggs, and whisk vigorously until pale and smooth.

4. Whisk in the sour cream, melted butter and salt until smooth and emulsiﬁed.

5. Whisk in the baking powder and baking soda.

6. Addthe ﬂour and cornmeal, and stiruntil incorporated.

7. Fold in 2⁄3 of the blueberries.

8. Spoon thebatter into the prepared pan. Topthe batter with theremaining blueberries slightly pressing theberries into the batter

16-ounce

9. Sprinkle the top of the batter with 2teaspoons of turbinado sugar

10. Bake the cake until golden brownand a skewer inserted comes out clean, approximately 35-40 minutes.

11. Let the cake cool slightly then gently removethe cake and allow to cool on awire rack.

12. Optional (if using the glaze): While the cake cools, makethe glaze by mixing 2tablespoons of lemon juice with powdered sugar and apinch of salt. Whisk until smooth, adding more lemon juice as necessary to makeathin but still opaque glaze.

13. Using afork, prick holes onto the top of the cake. Drizzle the glaze over the warmcake and let it set forafew minutes before serving.

PHOTO By OlIVIA REGARD

Browned Butter Cornbread, left, and Blueberry lemon Cornmeal Cake

Pearl River

Under the colonial regime, afew French settlers in what is now St. Tammany Parish made their livelihoods from the pine derivatives of charcoal, tar,pitch and resin, used as sealant forroofs and ship hulls.

“It is usually towards the mouths of the river,and along the sea-coasts, that they make tar,” colonist La Page du Pratz pointed out, “because it is in those places that the pines chieﬂy grow,” and where the tar could be shipped across Lake Pontchartrain.

As early as 1722, a Frenchman named Rousseau et La Combe established an operation presumably at the mouth of Bayou Lacombe, where he and enslaved workerssent wood, charcoal and bricks by schooner to help build NewOrleans. By 1727, a census recorded 16 colonists and 13 enslaved workersliving north of the lake. Three or four tar works operated elsewherealong the lakeshore by the 1730s, including up BayouLiberty and the Tchefuncte River, where AntoineAufere had up to 40 slaves laboring on the largest tar works. But these rustic industries never really spurred town formation, probably on account of their arboreal nature, as well as theentrepreneurs’ lack of title tothe land

Adefeatand asurrender

The slow pace of landtitling reﬂected the limited fecundity of the region’s hard clays soils. French authorities prioritized instead the rich alluvial soilsalong the Mississippi River and its distributaries, where arpenteurs laid out elongated lots for concessionaries to create plantations. Before the French could turn their attention to less-fertile areas, their devastating defeat in the French and Indian War (1763) incurred the surrender of the lands acrossthe lake to the British.

In 1766, English authorities inventoried their new colony and found “a Town

on LakePontchartrain call’ed Tangipahou inhabited by frenchmen& Choctaws,” probably the ﬁrst ofits size in thisarea. Asmuggler’sparadise, Tangipahou sawdeer pelts harvested by Nativescome in on packhorsesled by English traders which, instead of getting exported through Mobile to Great Britain,instead went south illegally to enemy New Orleans, “where they sell for as much as they do in London.”

Also shipped southward were pitch,tar,lumber charcoal, lime andcattle, all “contrary to Act of Parliamt.” ImportedfromNew Orleans were contraband “Liquor &c,” to which the French added“Rum,Powder,Ball &Blankets” to pay off their Choctaw trading allies. Worse yet, from the British perspective, “the French give them bad talks andpoison their Minds against theEnglish,”areminder ofthe lingering animus fromthe recent war. It is unclear where the rambunctioustrafﬁcking outpost of Tangipahouwas located. Local historian FrederickS.Ellis put it on Bayou Bonfouca, Bayou Liberty, or Bayou Lacombe, making it an antecedent of Slidell or Lacombe; it may have also been atthe mouth of theTchefuncte or Tan-

gipahoa, making it aforerunner of Madisonville.

What all these sites had in common was their headof-lake setting: Each was at or near themouth of anavigable river emptying into a lake or bay,enabling trade with communities rimming thebasin.

In recognition of this siting advantage, British land grants in this region were all made“at the head of Lake Pontchartrain,” wrote Jacob Blackwell in 1766. They started with the “Tanchipaho Plantation” grant madefor Francis DuPlanly (a.k.a. François Hery);continued with a grant “on acreek named Chefuncte” for John Jones; and proceeded as far east as the Rigoletsintothe 1770s. French travelers had given thelower Tchefuncte River area the name Coquille (“little shell”) for its many rangia clams and oysters, which Anglophones shortened to“Cokie.”

Focusonseaports, land

Yetthe Britishland grantsnever amounted to much;indeed, only seven in this area would be later recognized by American authorities, and none developed directly into modern towns.

Britishauthorities focused instead on the fertile loess bluffs by the Mississippi River to thewest, or

theseaports of Mobile and Pensacola tothe east.

As for thelands in between,the British,like the French prior,got distracted by adistant war,this one with American revolutionaries. After Spain declared war on Britain in 1779, the conﬂict came home to West Florida, resulting in the expulsion of the British Now Spain would control West Florida, plus New Orleans and all of Louisiana, not to mention mostofthe hemisphere to thewest and south.

From 1779 to 1810, Spanish authorities increased thenumber of land grants 11-fold within the Distrito de Chifoncte, today’sWashington and St. Tammany parishes.There was good reason: With New Orleans constantly rebuilding after six hurricanes and two ﬁres from 1776 to 1794, resources across thelake took on new value.

“The wild lands are ﬁnely timbered with pine, live oak, cypress, magnolia, plum,gum,bay,cottonwood, ash, (and) willow,” wrote one observer.“(They) will furnish an inexhaustible supply” of lumber,tar and pitch “for acentury to come.” The underlying PleistoceneTerrace also provided ﬁne clay for brickmaking.

Oneland grant went to Jean Baptiste Baham

in 1783 for1,000 arpents along the Tchefuncte River

Another went in 1785 to district commandant Charles Parent, where he would amass aherd of 1,500 cattle along the lower Tchefuncte. Being at the head of alake by the mouth of anavigable river above the tidal line, this site, formerly Coquille or Cokie and now Chifoncte, wasideal forboat-building, with aharbor-like setting and timber and tar nearby It would eventually become Madisonville.

Tenrivermilesupthe Tchefuncte,aFrench Creolenamed JacquesDreux (Drieux) attaineda Spanish land grant on the west bank of the Bogue Falaya, at its head-of-navigation abovethe two rivers’ conﬂuence.

It made an ideal site for an interior landing, dubbed the Barrio de Buck Falia, working in tandem with the lake port of Chifoncte.

Around 1805, Dreux laid outfoursquaresalong the Bogue Falaya River, intending to build atown he would callSt. Jacques. Although Dreux neverfollowedthrough on the project,his intent signaled the promise many sawinthis pleasantand resource-rich region.

Ruralsettlersgather

Geopolitical changes helped cluster rural settlers into lasting communities. First came the secret retrocession of Louisiana by Spain to France in 1800, followed by the subsequent sale of Louisiana by France to the United States in 1803. Seven years later,discontented Anglo colonists in West Florida rebelled against the Spanish, launched the Republic of West Florida, and ended up under the dominion of the United States. Spain and the U.S. eventually signed the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819, which, after ratification in 1821, officially gave Louisiana its boot shape. It wasduring those interregnum years that colonialera settlers dispersed along the Lake Pontchartrain shore began to cluster into bona fide towns —namely Barrio de Buck Falia at a river confluence and headof-navigation site (today’s

Covington), and Chifoncte at ahead-of-lake site (today’sMadisonville). The creation of Covington involved an Anglo-American family originally from Philadelphia, starting with Captain William Wharton Collins, whoshipped mail from NewOrleans up the Tchefuncte River into Spanish territory

Recognizing the region’s opportunities, William urged his brother John Wharton Collins to come to Louisiana and open amercantile firm in New Orleans. Their twosisters came as well, and as the newcomers sailed across the lake on William’s schooner,they apparently liked what they saw —inmore ways than one. Both sisters eventually married members of the Badon family,who owned land on the Bogue Falaya just downfrom Jacques Dreux’sstalled St. Jacques townproject at Barrio de Buck Falia. John Wharton Collins, meanwhile, set his eyes on land adjacent to the Dreux tract, forwhich he obtained aSpanish grant. Afew years later,under American governance, he purchased 1,600 acres from Dreux and designated asection as the Town of Wharton. Collins then hired NewOrleans surveyorengineer Joseph Pilié to lay out astreet plan. In 1816, the state Legislature incorporated the town but changed its nameto honor Leonard Covington, the late brigadier general whohad helped get the short-lived West Florida Republic annexed into the United States. Following acentury of ad-hoc settlement, the town of Covington finally blossomed, and with compelling rationales: alanding among multiple confluences at the head-of-navigation in aregion ripe forresource extraction as wellasresort opportunities.

Richard Campanella, ageographer with theTulaneSchool of Architecture and Built Environment, maybereached at richcampanella.com, rcampane@tulane.edu, or @nolacampanella on X.

Love,boundariesand thethermostat

Dear Annie: I’m really struggling with how to handle my daughter’s relationship. She’sinher early 20s and is smart, funny and ambitious. I’m so proud of her But Ijust can’tseem to get behind her boyfriend. He’snot unkind, but he’s …aimless. He can’tseem to hold down asteady job, he leans on her emotionally (and sometimes ﬁnancially), and he doesn’t seem to have any clear goals for the future. Meanwhile, she’sworking hard,ﬁnishing school and making plans and I’m worried he’sdragging her down more than lifting herup. I’ve tried bringingitupgently, but she gets defensive and insists I

CURIOUS

Continued from page1D

elaborate game of telephone in Curious Louisiana history —with more than 17 people in the chain of calls. Each conversation provided at least one more detail and the name of another woman who went to Mt. Carmel Academy in New Iberia with acritical piece of padookie information. It also required multiple points of clariﬁcation.

First, Mt. Carmel Academy was aCatholic girls’ schoolthat operated in New Iberia from 1870 until 1988. It was run by nuns of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Many of its tight-knitgroup of alumni remain in close touch, and the school plays acritical role in the world of padookie lore.

Secondly,many in St. MartinParish and some in Vermilion Parish also use the term padookie to refer to ponytail holders

Third, depending on the generation, padookiecould refer to only the double loops of elastic string, each having around bead that overlapped the other to secure hair.There is ageneral consensus that, originally, “padookie” only referred to those typesofponytail bands. However,inthe 60+ yearsofdocumented usage of the term, many now use it as acatch-all term for any ponytail holder

Most people who use the term admit they have no idea where it came from It’ssimply what they’ve always called ponytail holders —and they’ll ﬁght for its place in the lexicon.

Generational endurance

Joy Blanchard, who teaches education at LSU, sits ﬁrmly in the St. Martinville padookie camp.

Now 47, Blanchard remembers hearing the word “padookie” sleeping over at afriend’shouse, but she also remembered her mother using the word. Her mother,Rita Blanchard, is 84. “It is padookie, and that’s the only word Iever heard, but Idon’tknow where it comes from,” said Rita Blanchard. “My oldest daughter was bornin’63, and when her hair was long, we made aponytailand used apadookie.”

That said, Susan Latiolais Tauzin, who is 79 and grew up on the levee in Catahoula in St. Martin Parish, said she only used the word “padookie”asaword to replace “thingamajig.”

“It’skind of anonsense word. In my circle, it represented something silly,” Tauzin said. “I’ve never seen it used speciﬁcally.It was acatch-all jar.” From otherlands

One theory holds that the word was brought to the deMahy family home in the summer of 1966 by acousin named Beth, who was from LakeProvidence —she told agroup of fellow 12-yearold girls that the elastic hair ties with beads were called “padookies.” Carmen deMahy Nicholson and her sister,Marie deMahy Rathe, have no clear memory of the incident. “But then Idon’tremember some things that happened last week,” Nichol-

—Chilledand Frustrated

war?

don’tunderstand him. I’ve backed offbecauseIdon’twant to damage ourrelationship, but Isee how exhausted and stressed she’sbecome since being withhim.She’s notquite herself these days, and that worries me more than anything. Idon’t want to overstep or seem like theoverbearing mom, but Ialso don’t want to watch her give her heart —and her energy to someonewho might not be able to give much back Is it OK to be honest with her? Or should Ijust stayquiet and hope sheﬁgures it out on her own? —TryingtoStaySupportive Dear Trying to StaySupportive: It is hard to watch someone you love

son joked. “But Iwas gone and alreadymarried in the summer of ’66. Idon’t knowwhere it came from, but Idoknowthat padookies were the ones withthe balls.”

The cousin fromLake Providence appearstobe Beth Howington Malone, now living in Reno, Nevada. She didspend weekswith herdeMahy cousins in the summer of 1966 and was 12 years oldatthe time.

At ﬁrst blush,Malone hadnorecollection of the word “padookie,” but she wondered if her younger sister Katherine Sandifer now living in Florida, would remember “I had to be reminded of what we called them, but nowit’scomingback,” Sandifer said. “Beth is six years older than me. Iwas only 6years old that summer. She was12. Icalled it whatever my older sisters called it.”

Curious, Sandifer called other cousinsinLakeProvidence to ask if they remembered the word. At least one cousin was still very familiar with the term. “As an adult, Ihad short hairfrom college to now, Sandifer said.“As I’m wearing my hair longer.I

makechoices you would not.But remember,this is her relationship to navigate. Youhave expressed your concerns gently,and that is enough for now What she needs mostistoknow you will be there, without judgment, if and when she sees things differently.Sometimes the best support is quiet presence, not persuasion. Trust her to learn.Trust yourself to loveher through it

Dear Annie: Every Thanksgiving, my brother hoststhe holiday meal —at my house. He does mostof thecooking, which Iappreciate, but every year we end up in the samestrange tug-of-war over the thermostat. As soon as he startsbustling

was saying theother day, ‘What arethese things called?’ Now,itwill be a padookie. It will regain its name.”

Padookie capital?

Katy Shae Svendson, who grew up in New Iberia and went to Mt. Carmel with someofthe deMahy girls, only knows ponytail holders to be called padookies.

“I have one on right now,” Svendson said. “First,they were like theones shaped like anumber 8, ahair tie. That’swhat Icalled padookies.”

These days, she calls all hair ties and ponytail holders padookies. Andhow long has she called them that?

“Sixty-four years,”Svendson said. “Ever since Imet one. Maybe New Iberia is thepadookie capital of the world.”

She even wondered if the word could have some African or Caribbean origins and suggested calling her friend, BeckyOwens.

Owensisananthropologist who also went to Mt. Carmel.

“Supposedly,itstarted in New Iberia,” Owenssaid. “You should call Phyllis Mata. She seems to know a

around the kitchen, he turns the heat down andswitches on the ceiling fan. Meanwhile, I’msittingthere shivering in my own home, layered in asweater and blanket while guests try to pretendthey’re not freezing. He says he getstoo hot while cooking and needs theair circulating, but it’s gettingtothe point where Idread bringing it up, because he brushes me off or laughs it off like I’m being dramatic. Idon’twant to start aﬁght or makehim feel unwelcome, especially since he’sdoing so much work, but I’mtired of freezing in my own homeonaday that’s supposed to feel warmand cozy How can Iset aboundary without turning Thanksgiving into acold

lot about it. It may have gotten started in her class at Mt.Carmel.”

Matahas written atribute to Mt.Carmel published in The Daily Iberian, in which she mentionsthree 1970 graduates of the school who had aspend-the-night party in the home of Courtney Viator Louvier.The other two girls were Annette Viator Clifford and Mary Beth Bourgeois. Other girls in attendance were Tere Ramos Thomas, Suzette Buford Armentor,Sally Molbert Angers and Bonnie Ferguson Segura.

“They weresitting on the ﬂoor reading album covers and eating macaroni and cheese and listening to Otis Redding withrollers in their hair when Courtney asked one of the girls to hand her something, but instead of calling it awhatchamacalit, she called it ...,” Matawrites.

The girls, according to Mata, went to school Monday morning and were visiting withother friends. The group was known for inventing words and somehow assigned theword “padookie” tothe ﬁgure-8 shaped hair tie.

“It spread like wildﬁre through thehallowed halls

Dear Chilled and Frustrated: It is generousofyou to open your homeand kind of your brother to cook,but hospitalityshould go both ways.If youare uncomfortable in your own house, it is perfectlyreasonable to say so. Let him knowahead of time that while youappreciate his effort, thethermostat needstostay at alevel that keepseveryone, including you, comfortable.Suggest he dress in lighter clothing or takea fewbreakstocool off. Thanksgiving should bring warmth in spirit, not goose bumps from the cold.

Sendyour questions forAnnie Lane to dearannie@creators. com.

of Mt. Carmel and way beyond,” Mata writes, adding that she doesn’tknow anyone from the area who doesn’tuse the word.

Multiple friends who wereapart of the group remember the incident and attribute the wordpadookie to either Louvier or Clifford, but did not wanttobe quoted in the article.

Louvier now lives in Chicago and Clifford in Georgia. Neither was available forcomment on the padookie incident.

Acelebration of quirk

New Iberia artist Paul Schexnayder has painted multiple pieces as an ode to the NewIberia padookie, and forawhile, he sold a T-shirt that simply read, “PADOOKIE:It’saNew Iberia thing.” Clai Rice, associate professor at University of Louisiana-Lafayette, focuses someofhis research on contemporary theories of linguistics. Rice says perhaps part of the reason the word “padookie” has stayed local and has had staying power is its orientation in usage toward kid or teenage culture.

“Weknowwhenyou learn your ownhome language,

youdon’t really knowthat there’s something unusual aboutituntil youcan travel away or otherpeople come andvisit you. So if you have akids’ word, thenit stays really local,” Rice said.

Secondly,henoted that the worditself is simply an interesting word—ithas a good rhythm to it and has the word“dookie” in it. “That creates somestaying power,” Rice said. In raising the question of padookie, Andrade in Lafayette said she wasahistory major “Whether we realize it or not, we are very connected by the quirks of our culture,” she said. “Inmany ways, south Louisiana likes to celebrate those quirks as opposed to trying to assimilate.”

Padookie, it seems, is a grand celebration of just that.

Do you have aquestion about something in Louisiana that’sgot you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include yourname, phone number and thecitywhere you live.

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday,May 18, the138th day of 2025. There are 227 days left in the year

Todayinhistory On May 18, 1980, the MountSt. Helens volcano in Washington stateerupted, leavinganestimated 57 people deador missing.

On this date: In 1863, the Siege of Vicksburg began during the Civil War, endingJuly4with aUnion victory

In 1896, the U.S. SupremeCourt,in Plessy v. Ferguson, endorsed “separate but equal”racial segregation.(Thedecision was reversed 58 years later by Brownv.Board of Education of Topeka.)

In 1927, in America’sdeadliest school attack, part of aschoolhouse in Bath Township, Michigan, was blown up with explosives plantedbylocal farmer Andrew Kehoe, whothen setoff abomb in his truck; the attacks killed 38 children and six adults, including Kehoe, who’d earlier killed his wife. (Authorities said Kehoe, who suffered ﬁnancial difﬁculties, was seeking revengefor losinga township clerk election.)

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed ameasurecreating the Tennessee Valley Authority, thelargest public utilityinAmerica.

In 1973, Harvard law professor Archibald Cox was appointed Watergate special prosecutor by U.S. Attorney General Elliot Richardson.

In 1981, the New York Native, agay newspaper,carried astory concerningrumorsof“an exotic new disease” among LGBTQ+ people; it wasthe ﬁrst published report about what came to be knownasAIDS.

In 1998, the U.S. government ﬁled an antitrust case against Microsoft,saying the powerful software companyhad a “choke hold” on competitors thatwas denyingconsumers important choices about howthey bought and used computers. (The Justice Department and Microsoft reached asettlementin2001.)

In 2018, a17-year-old armed with a shotgun and apistol opened ﬁre at a Houston-areahigh school, killing eight students and two teachers.

Today’sBirthdays: Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson is 79. Musician Rick Wakeman (Yes) is 76. Musician-composerMark Mothersbaugh(Devo) is 75. Country musicianGeorge Strait is 73. Actor Chow Yun-Fat is 70. Hockey Hall of Famer Jari Kurriis65. TennisHall of Famer Yannick Noah is 65. Comedianwriter Tina Fey is 55. Rock singerJack Johnson is 50. Heisman Trophywinner Travis Hunter is 22.

Canwediscuss anything otherthanfood?

Dear Miss Manners: What’s happened to mealtime conversation?

We have friends who are perfectly capable of talking about all kinds of interesting subjects, but only so long as there is no food in front of them. If we meet at restaurantsor for meals at each other’shouses, all they ever talk about is the food. They grill (sorry!) waitstaff at length about theingredients before they order.They even ask us, if they’recoming to our house, what we plan to serve —and make not-too-subtle suggestionsfor changing the menu. Not to accommodate allergies, which Iwould understand, but just preferences.

Iwould even stomach (sorry!) all that ifthey then talked about something else during dinner

Butthey don’t. Partofitiscritiquing thefood we’re eating, and if they likewhat we made, they thinkit’sa compliment to ask for therecipe while we’re eatingit.

Butthat’snot all. We have

to hear about what foods they like in general, and where they get them; which foods disagree with them, including descriptionsofdisgusting reactions; and which foods they think are bad for everybody.Wehear about their diets, how much weight they lost or didn’tlose, and the food habits of people we don’teven know.It’senough to makemelose my appetite (not sorry!).

Then there is the endless talk about restaurants —not just theone we happen to be in, but others they’ve gone to, which ones they like, which ones they don’tlike and what they ate there. Andplaces they have heard about but haven’ttried yet Iamfed up! (Sorry!)

You’ll probably tell us to get new friends. Butthese include childhood and college friends, who share our interests as well as our history.Some are work friends, who have lots to say about our respective ﬁelds. Someare theparents of our children’sfriends, who have thesame goals about improving education. There’smywalking partner,who keeps me amused. Andthere are relatives we like —aswell as afew we just have

to tolerate. In other words, they’re not just bores, and we can’tﬁre them and get awhole new set.

Gentle reader: There is an old rule of etiquette that Miss Manners leftgathering dust in thecupboard, because circumstances had changed, no one pays attention to it now,and she hadn’tconsidered it worth aﬁght.

Until she got your letter

The rule prohibits talking about food while consuming a meal. This even prohibits complimenting the food, which is practicallyconsidered mandatorythese days. But the rule dates from atime when people whoentertained were likely to employ cooks.

(That did not mean that they were necessarily rich; “help” was paid shockingly little.) So rather than being ﬂattered by compliments, the host would suspect that the guest might attempt to steal the chef.

Whether or not people had fewer allergies then, guests either ate what they were given or pushed it around their plate.

The ban on food talk relieved them of being questioned or urged

Today’setiquette does require

hosts to ask in advance whether their guests have eating restrictions. But at the table, they may gently say,“I’mputting food talk off limits.”

Miss Manners’ guess is that the guests will be relieved to eat —ornot eat —inpeace.

Dear Miss Manners:I have a friend whoconstantly solicits gifts foravariety of occasions, both forherself and forher 12-year-old son. Most recently she tagged me on social media next to alink to agiftregistry forher son’s8th grade graduation.

Is this athing?

It seemsshe feels he is entitled to gifts and recognition forbeing promoted to the next grade. How should Iapproach these kinds of requests?

Gentle reader:Ofcourse it is a thing. Are you not constantly being solicited formoney and goods from just about everyone whohas your contact information?

But Miss Manners assures you that that does not makeita proper thing, nor one requiring aresponse.

Email Miss Manners at dearmissmanners@gmail. com.

Hints from Heloise

Dear Heloise: Our cityhas arecycling program for cans and plastics, but there arerules thatthe items need to be clean without any food residue Since we live in the desert, Idon’t want to waste waterwhen washing these items. After dinner, Iusually washsome dishesinthe sink; then afterward,I rinseout the recyclables in this water and toss themin the recycle bin. —J.B.,Tucson, Arizona

Charging hearingaids

Dear Heloise: Iwanted to comment on PaulH.’sletter regard-

ing charging hearing aid batterieswhen theelectricitygoes out.His idea of asmall battery stationisagood one. The last twosets of hearing aids thatI have gotten came withtheir own charging stationand contained batteries. When the charging station is fully charged, it can charge the hearing aids at leastthree times without being plugged into electricity. These camewiththe hearing aids at no extra charge. Iwasn’tawarethat their charging stations had batteries until Iread the literature that came witheach setofhearing aids.Your readersmight have the solution to charging their hearing aids without realizing it, which would be thecharg-

ing station that camewith their hearing aids. If not, it might be worth it to buy one. Iwas able to keep my hearing aid batteriescharged during the recent ﬁreswehad in Southern California so that Icould hear during the blackouts and evacuation orders that applied to my family. When Ihad hearing aids withreplaceable batteries, I always hadatleast amonth’s worth of batteries available.

J.R., Porter Ranch, California

Smallfurniture assembly

DearHeloise: Alot of small furniture assembly calls foranAllen wrench or ahex key,which always comes with the assorted screw.But Ibought an Allen wrench set that comes in ahan-

dle, which folds neatly up. The handle makes it much easier to grip the wrench so that you can tighten the screwsmore easily —Tim Hammond, viaemail

Themayonnaisemethod

Dear Heloise: If you want anice, moist turkey,try this: Rub the turkey all over with agenerous amount of mayonnaise before cooking. Make an aluminum tent over the turkey and bake at 325 Ffor the calculated time. Remove the aluminum tent about 30 minutes before the turkey is done cooking, and you’ll have atasty,moist turkey! —R.C., in Colorado

Send ahinttoheloise@heloise com.

Louisiana’s historic snowstorm capturedinahardcover coffee-table book Step intoamagical momentfrozenintime with So Much Snow,” astunning celebrationofLouisiana transformed into awinterwonderland,showcased in ahardcovercoffee-table book.When Louisiana received moresnowthan Anchorage, Alaska,inJanuary2025,our award-winning photographerscaptured everyenchantingdetail: Mardi Gras beads glisteningonsnowmen,palmtrees draped in white,and families creating once-in-a-lifetimememories.This premium 144-page hardcoverbook,featuring dynamic photos andstories,isyour chancetoown apieceofLouisiana historythatyourgrandchildren will hardlybelieve From record-shatteringsnowfallto theﬁrst-ever blizzard warningissued forsouthernLouisiana,get this coffee-tablebook to serve as areminderof this once-in-a-lifetimeweather event. Pre-order online and save at

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

ABlueflite drone makesa delivery. PROVIDED PHOTO

support Air

Dronemanufacturerchose southlouisiana forits latest expansion

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Blueﬂite, aDetroit-based drone manufacturer with aglobal footprint,isexpanding into Louisiana, where it has partnered with AcadianAmbulance to develop potentially lifesaving technology to deliver blood to accidentsites. The deal is one of several potential ventures in thestate forthe nearly 8-year-old startup, which

BY BLAKE PATERSON

Staff writer

Jordan Losavio, co-founder of BatonRouge-based tech startup Encore CO2, needed acustom part last month for aprototype that aims to transform carbon emissions into useful chemicals.

Alocal machine shop told her it would take nine days and $350 to make the part. Instead, she turned to amachinist 1,500 miles away at the Brooklyn, New York, headquartersofNewlab.

Losavio handed over $50 and the design speciﬁcations. Twenty-four hourslater,she had theiPhonesized Teﬂon ring she needed for Encore’slatest test.

“When you’re astartup, you don’t have weeks to wait,” Losavio said. “I need to be able to try something out, then say,‘Hey,pivot thisbyX percentage,’ go back to that manufacturing hub and make it again.” Avoiding those types of delays,

IDEAS INNOVATION &

hasbegun interviewing potential employees for itssoftwaredevelopment ofﬁce in downtown Lafayette. Anditcomes as the company is attracting the attention of local investors. Last month,the Ochsner Louisiana Innovation Fund, which invests in health care startups, invested $250,000inBluefliteto supportits development of medical logisticstechnology. Boot 64 Ventures,a Metairie-based fund

targetingtechstartups, also has invested an undisclosed amount in the business. “These are strategicinvestors, people in aspace we want to operate in, not somejackass venture capitalist that just wants the returns,” Blueﬂite co-founder James McClearen saidinaninterview. “Ochsner is investing because they believe our tech will help ä See DRONE, page 2E

“When you’reastartup, you don’thaveweeks to wait. Ineed to be able to trysomething out, then say,‘Hey,pivot this by Xpercentage,’ go back to that manufacturing hub and make it again.”

JORDAN lOSAVIO,co-founderofBaton Rouge-based techstartup Encore CO2

Cornerstone to lay off 116 at Waggaman plant

Company cites rising feedstock costs

BY TIMOTHY BOONE Business editor

Cornerstone Chemical Co said it is shutting down one of the units at its Waggaman manufacturing facility, a move that will put 116 employees out of work.

In a letter it sent to the Louisiana Workforce Commission on May 5, the company said it will mothball the acrylonitrile unit on July 31, and that 71 hourly plant workers will be laid off by Dec. 31 The layoffs will occur in three batches between July 31 and the end of the year

Cornerstone said 45 salaried workers have also been notified that they will be laid off because of the plant closure. Those layoffs will also happen in the second half of the year

Acrylonitrile is used to make hard plastics, synthetic rubber and acrylic ﬁbers that are used for TVs, phones, tires and clothes.

Matt Sokol, Cornerstone’s CEO, said in a statement the layoffs were a “difficult step” that were “part of a broader effort to streamline operations and ensure the long-term sustainability of the business.” The layoffs represent 29% of the

company’s total workforce at the Waggaman plant.

Cornerstone said the unit is being shut down for potential future use by the company or another tenant but said the timeline for bringing back the plant is unknown.

Global trend

Cornerstone cited a number of

factors in the decision to close the plant, including rising feedstock costs and an oversupply of acrylonitrile.

According to Prismane Consulting, a global chemical research ﬁrm, a plant in Bahia, Brazil, also is shutting down. Combined with the Waggaman plant, the facilities accounted for 20% of the acryloni-

trile production capacity in North and South America.

Asian plants, particularly those in China, have also played into the global oversupply of acrylonitrile, Prismane said. That’s despite the recent shutdown of a facility in Hiroshima, Japan.

Cornerstone manufactures intermediate chemicals, used to

DRONE

Continued from page 1E

their business.”

Ochsner Health Senior Vice President Aimee Quirk said Ochsner’s fund invested in Blueﬂite because it is looking to improve health care accessibility, efﬁciency and outcomes, while also helping to spur economic development opportunities.

Boot 64 Managing Partner John Roberts said his fund was attracted to the company because of its potential applications.

“Blueﬂite represents a unique opportunity, combining technology and a physical product to provide solutions to problems across the globe,” Roberts said Quintessential ‘garage startup’

Blueﬂite’s move into Louisiana comes nearly a decade after the first commercial drone ﬂight took place in 2014 in Alaska, when oil giant BP began using unmanned aerial vehicles to survey roads, pipelines and equipment.

In the years since, the evolution of drone technology, software and regulations has enabled the commercialization of the autonomous devices in construction, agriculture, infrastructure, energy, health care and other sectors of the economy A research organization estimates the value of the global industry to be about $40 billion.

Tech giants Amazon and Google — along with California-based startup Zipline have begun using drones to make deliveries in a few states, but the vision of drones as a part of daily life is still far from reality

Blueflite, co-founded by McClearen and Frank Noppel in 2018, hopes to change that by providing a turnkey solution for big companies that want to use drone technology but don’t want to make it themselves.

The company sells hardware and software that it designs and manufactures at two facilities in Michigan and New York. It has 20 employees in ﬁve locations around the world.

McClearen described the company as the “quintessential garage startup” that, until a few years ago, was still making drones out of his house. Now, McClearen, an Atlanta native

and graduate of Georgia Tech, will be spending time away from that home as he helps launch Blueﬂite’s Louisiana outpost.

The ﬁrm’s new Lafayette ofﬁce will focus on managing several Louisiana projects. It will be located in the Opportunity Machine startup hub, across the street from FlyGuys, a Louisiana startup that provides an online marketplace of drone services.

McClearen said the company was attracted to the area by a talent pool of software developers that would provide value at a lower cost compared with cities on the West Coast.

“We’re really stingy about opening new ofﬁces, because it’s a small company, and managing all this stuff can be a nightmare,” McClearen said. “It was a strategic decision.”

Lifesaving blood

One of the Blueflight’s main reasons for coming to Louisiana is its partnership with Acadian Ambulance, the Lafayettebased, multistate medical transportation powerhouse. In 2023, the two companies — through Blueflite’s subsidiary, Darkflite — received a federal grant to study the feasibility of using drones to deliver blood and other supplies to the scene of auto accidents and other medical emergencies.

The study was completed and submitted late last year

“If you can get blood to an accident site, you can save lives,” McClearen said. “But ambulances and helicopters don’t all carry blood because it’s such a valuable commodity and has a shelf life.”

The partners are waiting for approval to begin phase two of the project, which would mean putting the proposed plan in action in a limited way, testing delivery of blood to crash sites via drones in Louisiana. A third phase of the grant, if approved, would support full commercialization of the service.

Blueﬂite already is making different types of deliveries for a health care system in Michigan as part of a state-funded project. In early May, its drone pilots began delivering lab samples between buildings on a medical campus.

McClearen said he expects to learn the fate of the next phase of the Louisianabased pilot program in the next couple of weeks, and is optimistic it’s going to be approved.

“That will allow us to bring additional hardware into the state,” he said.

In addition to providing a location to manage that potential pilot program, McClearen said the Lafayette office will be the headquarters for its new software division, which makes tools for drone fleet management, inventory tracking, pilot qualification and flight data analysis.

“We started as a hardware drone company, but we’re moving pretty fast into software,” he said.

Australian mines, Gulf Coast oil rigs

McClearen said the new Louisiana ofﬁce has spotlighted Blueﬂite’s potential for the oil and gas industry

That sector of the economy was a focus of the company in its early days; now it’s coming back to the forefront.

“We actually started the company with the idea to kill the helicopter in the oil and gas industry,” he said. “The helicopters are $3,000 an hour, and sometimes they’re ﬂying things like a little circuit board because the whole rig’s down. It’s not like they need a drill head or something; they just need something that’s the size of a tissue box.”

A good test case for the viability of this type of delivery might be the mining industry in Australia, where Blueﬂite and its partners hope to convince mining companies they can save money and time by delivering small items to remote locations via drone.

Blueﬂite sent one of its drones to Australia so business development teams can host demonstrations He said the company has Australian connections because it has partnered with Charles Darwin University in Australia to research a hydrogen-based drone power supply The goal is to extend a drone’s range without adding weight. McClearen thinks what works for Australian mines will work just ﬁne for Louisiana energy companies, particularly anyone that needs to get supplies to offshore rigs. He hopes to explore that possibility more with more potential Louisiana partners, including the owners of FlyGuys, the drone company across the street.

“It’s early in the relationship, but we’re thinking about going to a show together to pitch the oil and gas industry,” he said.

Email Rich Collins at rich.collins@ theadvocate.com.

make day-to-day products such as car batteries, particle board and laminated plastics at its Waggaman facility The plant is part of the company’s larger Cornerstone Energy Park, an 800-acre facility that opened in 1952. Other tenants include CF Industries, electric parts manufacturer Rohm and UBE, a Japanese ﬁrm that plans to open a facility next year that will manufacture solvents used for electric vehicles

Along with shutting down the acrylonitrile unit, Cornerstone sold off the sulfuric acid operations at the Waggaman plant to Ecovyst for an undisclosed sum in a deal that was ﬁnalized earlier this month.

Forty of the 45 employees working on the sulfuric acid side were kept onboard by Ecovyst, while some workers chose to remain with Cornerstone.

Sokol said the sale of the sulfuric acid business was part of a strategy to build “a cleaner, more modern, and resilient organization.”

With the closure of the acrylonitrile plant and the sale of the sulfuric acid unit, Cornerstone’s operations at the Waggaman plant will be down to producing melamine, used to make everything from ﬂame-retardant foam to low-emission spray paint and urea, used in fertilizer and to reduce air pollutants

Email Timothy Boone at tboone@theadvocate.com.

NEWLAB

Continued from page 1E

companies that Idea Village is working with can take advantage of Newlab’s lab space and equipment.

“Hopefully, there will be a revolving door,” she said.

Kris Khalil, head of the New Orleans BioInnovation Lab, said he sees “tremendous opportunities for collaboration, where our biotech founders might beneﬁt from Newlab’s advanced prototyping and expertise, and in turn, we can offer speciﬁc insights for biotech or health applications in Newlab’s portfolio.”

The Newlab facility will span 30,000 square feet and will be staffed with a team of experts in 3D printing, advanced machining and more to help startups quickly make the custom parts they need.

The site will also include a set of industrial bays — equipped with overhead cranes and fume hoods — where start-ups can build and test their prototypes. That access to machinery and industrial space is hard to come by and means that startups can focus resources on scaling up research instead of spending it on building out their own workshop.

Newlab, which calls itself a “venture platform,” also helps startups ﬁnd investors, market their technologies and work with industrial partners to test out their designs in the real world.

“Newlabs’ presence here is a bridge between where we’ve been and where we’re going,” LED Secretary Susan Bourgeois said at Monday’s announcement, calling it a “milestone in Louisiana’s economic evolution.”

Why Newlab is coming to Louisiana

The global push to decarbonize the economy can be measured in trillions of dollars, Josh Fleig, LED’s chief innovation ofﬁcer said at Monday’s event. If Louisiana doesn’t invest in new forms of energy production now it will cede its role in the future as a global leader in energy to places like Texas, Fleig said.

Louisiana’s massive industrial base produces an outsized amount of planet-warming emissions That “deep industrial legacy” is part of what attracted Newlabs to Louisiana, said David Belt, the company’s co-founder and CEO. “You’re sitting on one of the most strategic hubs of energy in the country,” he said.

Newlab New Orleans will initially focus on accelerating technologies across three different sectors: industrial power, carbon management and utilization, and shipping and maritime.

Newlab focuses on working with “deep tech” startups — a term for companies that are building hardware based on years of research and development. That includes Encore CO2, which is planning to move into Newlab New Orleans once it’s built. The start-up, which was born out of research done at LSU, is developing technology that transforms carbon emissions into high-value industrial chemicals with potential applications from consumer goods to agriculture.

Encore CO2 has already demonstrated that its propriety technology works on a small-scale in a laboratory, Losavio said. It’s now trying to scale up that technology for an industrial setting. The company became a member of Newlab last year with funding from a Department of Energy grant. Robert Twilley, LSU’s vice president for research and economic development, said he hopes Newlab’s expertise will help usher academic research into the market.

“One thing we do a great job of is generating knowledge,” Twilley said. “We don’t do a very good job of commercializing it.” Losavio, who is pursuing a Ph.D. at LSU, said that in her many years on the Baton Rouge campus, she never once heard faculty or staff mention turning research into entrepreneurship.

“That’s a fundamental problem, and Newlab understand that’s problem,” she said.

Newlab is expected to open its hub in New Orleans by the end of 2026.

Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@ theadvocate.com.

FIlE PHOTO

Cornerstone Chemical Co. is shutting down the acrylonitrile unit at its Waggaman manufacturing facility and laying off 116 employees. The layoffs represent 29% of the company’s total workforce at the Waggaman plant.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Blueflite, a Detroit-based drone manufacturer with a global footprint, is expanding into louisiana, where it has partnered with Acadian Ambulance to develop potentially lifesaving technology to deliver blood to accident sites.

TALKING BUSINESS WITHSCOTT COWEN

Former Tulane presidentaimstoinspire in newbook

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Scott Cowen, president of Tulane University from 1998-2014, led the one of the nation’smost prestigious schools through the unprecedented and uncharted challenges brought on by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The storm that swamped New Orleans sent Tulane students scattered for asemester and threatened the future of auniversity that dates back to 1834.

Cowen’swork rebuilding the school —and simultaneously helping reimagine K-12 education in NewOrleans —earned him a reputation as acapable leader in times of crisis.

Or as he puts it, he became the “master of disaster.”

In 2020, while Cowen was serving as interim president of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, his crisis management skills were againput to the test by the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he used the lessons learnedfrom Katrina to steer the ship.

Cowen traces his lifelong interest in leadership to his days as high school class president in his New Jersey hometown,through his time in the U.S. Army and as an undergrad at the Universityof Connecticut.

During the half-century career in academia as aresearcher,professor and top administrator,he honed his leadership skills and, even, distilled many of the lessons he learned into aleadership class he created for Tulane. The course continues to this day Now Cowen, 79, has written a new book, his ﬁfth, called “Lead and Succeed.” His aim is to pass on what he’slearned as astudent, infantry ofﬁcer and educatorto thenextgeneration. Cowen’s intended readers are college students and high schoolers who will be taking the reins in the years to come.

This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity

Whythis book and whynow? Iwant to share with young peo-

“I want thenextgeneration to learnhow to lead.”

ple what I’ve learned. Iwantthe next generation to be effective, thoughtful and moral leadersin aworld that seems increasingly lacking in such ﬁgures. I’mworried about the next generation, so Iwanted toaddress them.

How didthis project fitinto your other obligations?

Ihad been thinking about this fora very long time. WhenI stepped down after being president, Iwas teaching at Tulane. I asked if Icouldcreate acourse on leadership, whichI hadnever done before. The more Isaw the impact the class was having on students, Irealized, “This is working. If Ican do this, maybe somebody elsecan do it, too.” They’re still teaching that course every year at Tulane and at CaseWest

ern. Is the book adistillation of the lessons you’ve been using in the classroom? Yes, and my own experience growingup. When Iwas in high school, Iwas captainofthe football team.Iwas head of the student body,but to be honest, I didn’tknow what the hell to do half the time.During one high school speech, instead of saying what Ihad prepared, Ithrew away my notes andsaid, “Hey, listen,you want me becauseI’m cool. And, by theway,I’ll get beer in theschool.” Idon’tknow what Iwas thinking. After Iﬁnished, a facultymembersaid, “Mr. Cowen, one of twothings is going to happentoyou. You’re either going to be nothing or you’re going to do

In thebook, youtalkabout ahumbling momentatthe University of Connecticut when you tried asimilar speech, but it was not well received. It didn’twork at all. Icame offassome crazy guy,and they put it in the school newspaper.I learnedmylesson thereand decidedI should be alittle bit more thoughtful. Iwas trying to be abig man,not knowing what Iwas doing or whatI wantedtodofor the university.Itwas embarrassing. How much have you been out there promoting the new book? Alot morethanIthought. I’ve gotten alot of requests to speak Iwent through auniversity to releasemyother books. This time Iused ahybrid publisher,who helps you build your book. (In this model, authors pay higher upfront costs but keep more of the back-end royalties.) Not only did I learn from them,but they’vebeen so good aboutpromotion.

Youhaveasection in thebook about the importance of being vulnerable.Whyisthat important? Youhave to let people know who you are andwhat you stand for.Myviewiswhatyou see is what you get withme. There’s no bulls*** with it. It is what it is. Beware of anybody who thinks they’rethe smartest person in the room. I’d rather be the personthat says, “Hey,Ihavesome thoughts, but Ineed help.”

withthe endinmind?

If people are struggling to make aplan, I’ll say,“What does winning look like? What do you want to get done?” If they don’tknow, Iencourage them to really think aboutit. Take my book,for instance. Why am Idoing this? It’s because Iwant thenext generationtolearnhow to lead. Ialways talk about the end game. What is it youwanttosee happen, andhow canyou getfromwhere youare nowtothere?

Ilearned alot about that after Katrina.I saidtoeverybody, “This is amess, but we’re going to make this institutionbetter.” And Imeant it. We got our students out in the community to work, andthe city’spublic school systemisbetterbecause of it. Tulane is abetter institution because of it. And Ithink New Orleans is better off overall.

What were the mostimportant lessons you learned during thepandemic?

To emphasize communication. Talk aboutwhat’sgoing on, what’s working, what’snot working, my expectations, other people’ssuggestions. Find out if there are silverlinings. Before the pandemic, mostfaculty members didn’t know how to use Zoom. Now we alldo. So something came outof it thatwas good What makesyou mostproudabout your time at Tulane?

Going through what we all did after Katrina was aheroic moment. Ithink most people did a very, verygoodjob. And Iwas glad that if it was going to happen that Iwas there and could do something to help. And, because of that experience, whenuniversitieshaveaproblem, they call me

What’s nextfor you?

Ithink probably in another year, I’m going to sayenough is enough and spend the rest of my life hanging around anddoing whatever it is thatIwanttodo. I’ve beenatit for avery,very long time. I’m getting older.Knock wood, I’m still in good shape. I’m not at that point right now, but I’mgetting there. EmailRich Collins at rich.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Former Tulane University President Scott Cowen’snew book, ‘lead and Succeed,’ will be released June 3.

Fool’sTake:

Semiconductors, anyone?

Motley Fool

We’re in aperiod of economic uncertainty,and at times like this, picking individual stocks can be especially difﬁcult. Instead, youmay want to invest in exchange-traded funds —funds that trade like stocks. If you’re willing to accept some riskfor ashot at market-beatingreturns, check out the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (ticker: SMH), which tracks an index of 25 companies in the semiconductor production and equipment industry. Itsshares of Nvidia, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and Broadcom make up over 40% of the fund’s value. All three have performed well in recent years and areleaders in the artiﬁcial intelligence boom. The ETF has averaged annual gains topping 21% over the past 15 years. It looks well-positioned to keep outperforming the stock market, with its top stocks growing rapidly.The need for semiconductors should continuetogrow, driven by AI and future technologies. Meanwhile, these stocks have all built formidable competitive advantages, which should help them continue to outperform the broad market. While the coming months are

likely to remain volatile, the VanEckSemiconductor ETF is poisedtodeliverstrong growth. (The Motley Foolowns sharesof andrecommends Nvidia and Taiwan SemiconductorManufacturing. It recommends Broadcom.)

Fool’sSchool: Keep up with investments

Aclassic bit of investing advice is to “buy and hold,” but we suggest buying TO hold —buying with theintentionofholding for a long time,while youkeep up with your investments’ developments. (If astocknolonger inspiresconﬁdence,there isn’tagood reason to keepholding it.)

Savvy investors often check in with their holdings every quarter when companiesreleasetheir quarterly reports. Mostpublicly tradedAmericanbusinesses issuea detailed“10-K” report every year. At theends ofthe other three quarters, they issue shorter (but still informative) “10-Q” reports. Both reports typically offer three keyfinancialstatements —abalance sheet,income statement and statement ofcashflow —and sometimesadditionaldata. These statementsreveal growthrates, profit margins, cashlevels,debt loads, inventory levels and more. Many companies’ management teamsalso hold informative conference calls with Wall Street analysts each quarter.You’ll often be able to listentothese via the company websites, and with an

online search you might even turn up transcripts of these calls

To follow theprogress of your holdings, at aminimum, read their quarterly and annual reports and search online for any news relatedtoeach company.(You’ll find enlightening articles on many companies at Fool.com and elsewhereonline.) Ask yourself: Is this company growing? What areits challenges and opportunities? Is it going in any new directions? Are there any redflags or troubling trends (suchasdebt growing faster thanrevenue) in the financial statements?DoIstill believe in the company’sfuture, and is it still one of my bestinvestment ideas? Books suchasthese can help you learn how to make sense of financial statements: “Reading Financial Reports for Dummies”by LitaEpstein and “The Little Book That Still Beatsthe Market”by Joel Greenblatt. If all this seems like alot of work, it kind of is.Fortunately, you can always justopt to invest in asimple, low-fee S&P 500 index fund.

Ask theFool: Therule of 110

What’sthe “Rule of 110”? —G.L., Pasadena, California It’s arough guideline for how you might allocate your assets. It’s conventional wisdom that as we age, we might shift some of our investment portfolio from stocks to “safer” categories, suchasbonds

and even certiﬁcates of deposit or money marketaccounts. But how much should you keep in stocks at any one time? Enter the Rule of 110. According to the rule, if you start withthe number 110 and subtract your age, you’ll arrive at thebest percentage of your portfolio to keep in stocks. So if you’re 50, you’dbe60% in stocks. If you’re 30, you’d be 80% in stocks. Of course, we’re all different, with differentrisk tolerances, goals and needs, and the rule isn’tideal foreveryone. Some recommendstarting with 120 if you want to be moreaggressive. Others point out that if you’re still young —maybe 25 or even 35 you might want to keep mostor all of your long-term dollars in stocks.

How willweknowifwe’re in arecession?

—N.H, Little Rock,Arkansas Recessionsare defined in different ways. The International Monetary Fund defines it as “a sustained period when economic output falls and unemployment rises.”The nonprofit National Bureau of EconomicResearch notes that arecession typically lasts at least afew months and “begins when the economy reaches apeak of activity and ends when the economy reaches its trough.”

Many consumers are worried that arecession could be looming, as the economy contracted in the ﬁrst quarter.Remember,though, that the U.S. has always recovered from recessions.

My Dumbest Investment:

The worst best stock

My mostrecent regrettableinvestment wasbuying into arenewableenergy company on an investing app, when it waslisted as thebest-performingstockthat day. It wasa terrible buy! It dropped by morethan half. I hope at somepoint it recovers enough so I can break even. —G.T., online

Youmade some commonrookie mistakes —such as being wowed by astrong-performing investment. If astock or fund surges over aday or even ayear,many people might buy into it, thinking it will do that frequently.But it maywell be the only timeitdoes so —and the muchhigher current price might have moved the investment into overvalued territory It’sbest not to rely solely on a recommendation, but to do your own digging into any potential investment. Any company you’re interested in should have agood website with an area for investors, where you should ﬁnd its quarterly and annual reports. If the site has little information, that’sa bad sign.

Youwere smart to think that renewable energy is likely to grow in prominence, but not all renewable energy companies will be great investments; some will prosper while others ﬂame out. Finally, consider just selling this (or any other) stock if you no longer believe in the company.Aim to

Formany,the anxiety around taxes extends beyond the traditional April 15 deadline. As ofﬁcial noticesfrom the IRS begin to arrive, adifferent kind of worry takes hold —the unsettling prospect of an unresolvedissue, an unexpectedtax bill or questions about areturn. This was the case with two readers calling into my Ask Post line looking for advice. One involved alate return; the other,anerroneous W-2. First, the question about ﬁling alate return.

Areader wanted to conﬁrm that there are no penalties for ﬁling alate return if you don’towe Uncle Sam.

“I called the IRS to ask this question, and the woman I spoke to refused basically to answer,” the caller said. “I was quite dismayed at the inability to get any answers on this because it seemed like asimple matter.”

Isuspect the IRS representative didn’tfeel comfortable assuring the reader he wouldn’tbepenalized because she couldn’tknow for sure if the agency might conclude that taxes were owed, which may result in interest and penalties.

But generally, you won’t be penalized for ﬁling a return late if you don’tultimately owe any taxes. However,penalties are associated with owing taxes and either failing to ﬁle on time or failingtopay the amount due by the tax deadline. Now to the question on the W-2associated withidentity theft, which is happening more often because of the numerous data breaches that have exposed people’s personal information, including SocialSecurity numbers.

“My son, out of the blue, received aW-2 from acompany he had never worked for,had never applied to work for,with his correct Social Security number,full name, and address,” aconcerned mothersaid. The W-2listed $32,000 in income. The motherisconcerned that her son, whose earnings are below the ﬁling threshold, mightbeliable for taxes on income he hadn’treceived.

Unfortunately,Ihave experience with this exact issue.

Afew years ago, someone used my husband’sSocial Security number to get a virtual call-center job with an Arizona company.The company issued a1099-NEC —typically used by businesses to report payments to independent contractors or self-employed individuals. The form indicated that

my husband had earned just over $10,000 as an independent contractor

TheIRS compares what it receives on documents such as W-2s or 1099s with what people report on their federal income tax returns.

Iasked IRSspokesman Eric Smith about such cases, and he told me that the son may get aCP2000. Such anotice might questionwhether ataxpayer has underreported income, leading to abill for unpaid taxes interest and penalties.

“If that happens, he can call the phone number on thatnotice to explain the situation, or respond tothe notice in writing,” Smith said.

With this type of fraud, you need to do several things,which the mother had her son do.

Getanidentity protection PIN from the IRS This six-digit number prevents someone from ﬁling atax return using your Social Security number.Dothis even if you

don’thave aﬁlingrequirement.

Smith alsorecommended ﬁling IRSForm 3949-A, Information Referral,which allows people to report alleged tax law violations by a businessorindividual.

Check your credit reportfor any employer information you don’t recognize. By law,the three major credit bureaus— Equifax, Experian and TransUnion —must give you afree copy of your ﬁle every 12 months. At the onset of thepandemic, the bureaus madeiteven easier for people to view their credit history by offering free weekly credit reports. Although the offer was supposed tosunset, the bureaus have permanently extended it. Here’sthe ofﬁcial site where you can get your reports free —annualcreditreport.com. Reportthe identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission. File areport onlineatIdentityTheft.gov or call theirhotline at 1-877-438-4338. For

theonline form, you will be asked how theidentity thief used your information, and there’sanoption to note it was through employment. Lock down your credit files. You have aright to afree credit freeze, alsoknown as a security freeze, at all three major credit bureaus. You can learn howtoplace a freezeonthe FTC’swebsite by searching for “Credit Freeze.” Employersmay check acreditreport to verify an applicant’sidentity Once afreeze is placed, the credit bureauscan’trelease any information without your permission. The mother who reached out to me wondered what else her son should do. “I’m just so stressed by this,” she saidonthe call. Irecommend three additional steps. Contact the company. The responsibility of resolving this matter doesn’tjustfall on you. According to theIRS, employers are responsible for ﬁlingaccurate W-2s and

1099s. If the form is wrong, the IRS requires the company to correct it. Contact the Social Security Administration. Let the agency know that someone has stolen your Social Security number and is fraudulently using it for their employment. Block electronic access to your Social Security number If you know your Social Security number has been compromised, you can ask the Social Security Administration to block electronic access by calling (800) 772-1213. Youwill have to verify your identity if you want to removethe block.

Youcan get a“Self Lock” with E-Verify —afree online service that the federal government provides to employers to check if an employee is eligible to work in the U.S. and also protects against identity fraud. It’snot foolproof because it requires an employer to use the system.Individuals can also create an E-Verify

account. If you use this option, you can unlock your Social Security number to allow an employer to check your status. Iknow this is alot to do. Navigating the complexities of your tax-ﬁling obligations and the rising threat of identity-related fraud is challenging and frustrating. As for my husband’scase, the company that issued him the incorrect 1099 initially wasn’tcooperative, sending him an email with an appalling lack of accountability: “Unfortunately,the responsibility of resolving this matter and safeguarding personal information falls on you as the victim.”

We responded with equal ﬁrmness, citing the clear IRS rule they were disregarding. Only then did they ﬁnally issue acorrected 1099.

Email Michelle Singletary at michelle.singletary@ washpost.com.

NewOrleans

DarrylStevens has been hired by Magnolia Community Services as facilities director Stev en sh as nearly 15 years of experience in facilities managementand previouslyserved as facilities director for Wynhoven Healthcare

Paul Babineaux has joined Gordon Arata as an associate in theNew Orleans ofﬁce.

Babineaux

Babineaux joins the litigation team where he will work on arange of matters, including construction, energy andgeneral commercial litigation. He previously practiced at an insurancedefense ﬁrm and served as an assistant attorney general in the Civil Litigation Division of the Louisiana Department of Justice. He earned abachelor’sinmass communications-journalism from LSU anda lawdegreefromLoyola University New Orleans College of Law.Babineaux was aDean’s Merit Scholar at Loyola.

BatonRouge

Landon Hester hasbeen hired as executivedirector of the Baton Rouge Bar Association

He replaces Ann K. Gregorie,who retired after 38 years as executive director Hester recently was communications leadfor the Center for Planning Excellence.Beforethat,he spent four years as communications coordinator for thebar association. He earned abachelor’sinmass communicationsand amaster’s in strategic communications, both from LSU.

St. James Place has made two changes to its leadership team. MikeChampagne is now executive directorfor assisted living and

memory care. Champagne has more than 15 years of experience in seniorhealth care. He has worked on the sales, marketing and operations side.

AmyNelson is now executive director of health care. Nelson has been amemberofthe

St. James Place leadership team since 2019, when she was hired as directorofassisted living. She has worked in long-term care since 2006. She earned abachelor’sinmarketing and amaster’sinbusiness administration, both from Southeastern LouisianaUniversity

Ochsner Health has added fournew orthopedicand sports medicine providers.

Joseph Halphen practices orthopedic medicine at OchsnerHealth Center-Central.

He earned a bachelor’sinbiological sciences from Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University and abachelor’sinphysician assistant studies from Louisiana State University HealthSciences Center in Shreveport

Lindsey Thompson is afamily nurse practitioner specializing in orthopedic medicine at OchsnerHealth Center-Prairieville an dO chsner Health CenterGonzales.

She earned a bachelor’sinnursing from Nicholls State University and amaster’sinfamily nursing from the University of SouthAlabama

Patrick Arcement practices orthopedic medicine at OchsnerHealth Center-DenhamSprings and OchsnerOrthopedicsand Sports Medicine Institute at Elite Training Complex-Burbank.

He earned amaster’sinphysician assistant studies from OurLady of the Lake College, now Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University

Callie Amedee practices orthopedic medicine at Ochsner Medical Complex-TheGrove. She earneda bachelor’sinkinesiology and a master’sinbiology-medical sciences, both from LSU and amaster’sinphysician assistant studiesfrom Mississippi College.

TiffanyFranklin has been named vice chancellor for extension and outreach at the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center

Franklin is a program specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’sOfﬁce of Partnerships and Public Engagement.

She hasserved as ascience adviser for theNational Institute of Food and Agriculture and associate youth specialist andprogram leader for 4-H andyouth development at the Southern Ag Center

She earned abachelor’s in therapeuticrecreationand leisure studies,a master’sinpublic policy and programmanagementand adoctorate in public policy, all from Southern University

Raquel SquareAyles hasbeen named associate vice chancellor for extensionand outreach.

Ayles serves as Southern Ag Center’sYouth Development Program leader and STEAM specialist. Before theAgCenter,she was chief academic ofﬁcer of the AlgiersCharter School Association and superintendent of Charter SchoolsUSA in Louisiana.

Sheearneda bachelor’s in el-

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DIGITAL DETOX

Expertssay unplugging mightbea great idea forhealthfor adults andteens

BY SHANTELLGOMEZ

Contributing writer

According to many sources, most Americans spend more than six hours a daylooking at screens—and thenumbers are rising. Taking abreak from screens is more importantthan ever.

In 2023, the Pew Research Center conducted astudy that foundnearlyhalfof teens use the internet “almost constantly.” That’s roughly double the 24% of teenswho used theinternet at this rate in the 2014-2015 survey

According to researchatthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention high levels of screen time have been linked with adverse health outcomes, including poor sleep habits, fatigue and symptoms of anxietyand depression

But it’snot just ateen or Gen Zproblem, even adults who grew up without technology strugglewith self-regulation when it comes to screen time —the effects on children who have only known to rely on their screens are worse.

Dr.Katie Fetzer,a mental health counselor who has been practicinginLouisiana for 15 years, said there is acorrelation between screen timein youth and building empathy

“There’sa longitudinal study National Institutes of Health is doing, speciﬁcally measuring the brain —the adult, the child and adolescent brain —for those who are exposed to screen timemedia,” Fetzer said. “They’re seeing aweakening in the neurological part of the brain where empathy is built.”

Adigital detox can provide amuchneeded break from the cycle of self-

sabotage and offer afresh perspective, allowing people to look up andengage with the world. The benefits of adigitaldetox are many.According to aUCLA study,preteenswho hada five-daybreak from screens were much better at reading people’semotions(nonverbal skills) than children who continued using screens.

Waytoreduce screen time include:

n Trya mini digital detox during a time when it is less necessary or tempting to be connected to work,perhaps over aweekend.

n Enlistsupport. Tell friends and fam-

ily about going ofﬂine.

n Dig out acamerasothere’snoreason to grab aphone.

n Go outside —without aphone.

Stepping away from devices, even for aday,can reduce stress, better sleeping habits, enhance relationships and make way for more activities in the day

According to theNationalLibrary of Medicine, 92% of Americans use their phones before bed, which disrupts sleep patterns. The blue light emitted from devices suppresses melatonin, the

Teacher: Phoneban ‘returned sanctity’to classroom

BY JANRISHER Staff writer

As Louisiana wraps up its ﬁrst school year under anew statewide cellphone ban, someeducators say they’re witnessing something they haven’tseen in years: students talking to each other

While the cellphone ban enacted before the 2024-25 school year hasn’t been perfect,most educators sayit’sa stepinthe right direction.

In July 2024,Louisiana became one of at least nine states with tough restrictions on the use of cellphones in schools.

LouisianaSenateBill207 states that “no students shall possess, on their person, an electronic telecommunication device throughout the instructional day.Ifastudent brings an electronic telecommunicationdevice in any public elementary or secondary school building or on thegrounds thereof during an instructional day, theelectronic device shall either be turnedoff andproperly stowed away forthe durationofthe instructionalday or prohibited from being turned on and used during the instructional day.”

The phone ban came after years of mounting concerns. For more than adecade, teachers have been navigating classrooms in which students are creating TikToks, scrolling, andgaming instead of doing classwork.

As thefirst school year under the cellphone ban comes to a close, many Louisiana educators say they are seeing thepower of change ﬁrsthand.

Jean-Luc Billeaudeaux,a teacher at Lafayette High School with 21 yearsofexperience, says the cellphone ban has been apositive move. He says, in this school year,hehas seen moreinteraction among students at lunch and in between classesthaninprevious years as phone usage steadily increased.

“The last few years, before the statestepped in,weredifficult with phones in class,”Billeadeaux said. “Each classperiod, I found myself addressing phone useduring instruction.And many times, parental contacts werenonfactors, student behaviors rarely changed.”

Billeadeauxlaments the necessity of the state’sinterventionbut saysafter an almostcompleted school year withthe ban, he believesthe positivesoutweigh the negatives.

Not allstudents say thephone banhas made abig difference. Some, like 16-year-old Alex Martin, ajunior at Comeaux High in Lafayette, saytheywerealready less reliant on screensinsocial settings.

HEALTH MAKER

Clinic serving Latin community in Kenner to expand

Spanish-speaking health care provider celebrates 52-year, multigenerational legacy

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

The Mendoza family has been providing health services in pediatric and family care for the Kenner community for 50 years, in both English and Spanish. Now the Mendoza Medical Clinic, plans to expand the business (and keep it in the family).

In 1965, the Mendoza parents immigrated to New York from Honduras. Dr Roberto Mendoza, who had completed medical school at the Unversidad Autonoma de Medicina de Honduras, set his sights on becoming a pediatric doctor in the United States.

Dr Mendoza got his neonatology

certiﬁcation at the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital in New York City

While on a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida (Roberto Mendoza was well known for being a Disney fanatic), the family spent some time visiting friends in New Orleans during Mardi Gras season.

Roberto and Mirna Mendoza instantly fell in love with the city, according to their daughters.

“He came home to West Virginia from his trip and said to us ‘I found the perfect family atmosphere. We’re moving to New Orleans,’” said Peggy Mendoza, the daughter and operations manager at the Mendoza Medical Clinic in Kenner

Dr Mendoza was inspired by the connection between Honduras and New Orleans. He sought to ﬁll a gap in the city: a Latin physician for the Latin community

In 1973, 52 years ago this month, Roberto and Mirna Mendoza, real entrepreneurs according to their daughters, established a private practice in the city.

“Our parents really believed in the American Dream,” Peggy Mendoza said. Originally, the family had two locations — one in New Orleans

and one in Kenner However, as Dr Mendoza got older, his family encouraged him to downsize and focus on one clinic.

In 2011, Dr Mendoza died. His wife and family had to wrestle with the future of the clinic.

“We wanted to keep my dad’s legacy and his approach to the practice and how our providers helped patients,” said Peggy Mendoza.

“I didn’t realize how much of a privilege it was to be at the clinic every single day with my dad,” Minny Mendoza Lavelle said, the current family doctor at the clinic. “Who’s better to take care of your business than your family?”

Minny Mendoza Lavelle followed in her mother’s footsteps and is a nurse practitioner at the Mendoza Medical Clinic. Peggy Mendoza, who received her master’s in business, runs the ﬁnancial and business operations for the clinic as the chief operations ofﬁcer

And, Mirna Mendoza, the 84-year-old matriarch of the family, is the chief executive ofﬁcer and owner of the clinic. She still practices as a registered nurse at the clinic (as she has since the Kenner location opened in 1986).

Roberto and Mirna Mendoza’s sons, Roberto Jr and Ricky Mendoza, chose a different path than medicine but continue to contribute to the family business. Roberto Mendoza Jr studied civil engineering at MIT in Massachusetts but has since returned to live in Metairie. Ricky Mendoza joined the Navy soon after high school and served for 10 years. Now, he lives in the New Orleans house where family grew up

Minny Mendoza Lavelle’s daughter, Gabrielle Leche, is studying to be a nurse practitioner and plans to be the third generation of Mendozas working at the clinic when she graduates. Originally opened for pediatric

ABOVE: The original Mendoza Medical Clinic building at 3100 Williams Blvd. in Kenner opened in 1986. RIGHT: The new and improved Mendoza Medical Clinic was finished in May.

care, the clinic expanded its services in 2011 to provide family medicine for both children and adults — and they pride themselves on offering personalized care to their community that goes the “extra mile.”

“We know that parents are much better at making sure their kids are getting their annual visit,” Peggy Mendoza said. “But sometimes as adults, we are not as good at that. That’s why we chose to put both adult and child care all together in one place.”

A new look

To bring the practice to a new age, the Mendoza family unveiled the clinic after $1 million in renovations with new exams rooms, modern restrooms, new doorknobs, windows, lights and more to bring the building up to current standards. Construction on the building ended in April, and the family has moved the practice back into the building.

Additionally the family is planning to unveil a new wellness spa near the current location of the clinic. Although no ofﬁcial opening date is planned, the Mendoza Med Spa should welcome new patients this year

“Our family cares for your whole family,” Minny Mendoza Lavelle

Springing into action can help protect your heart

Mayo Clinic News Network (TNS)

People are starting to engage in outdoor activities after a winter spent largely indoors and perhaps with less physical activity than during more temperate seasons. In other climates, people may be starting an indoor, less-active time.

Gosia Wamil, M.D., Ph.D., a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London, offers ﬁve tips to protect your heart when you spring into action after a sedentary period.

It may be tempting to immediately move garden equipment and furniture out of storage, start a landscaping project, go on a long

hike or engage in other physically demanding activities that were on hold due to poor weather

“Spring is a great time to reconnect with nature and enjoy movement, but it’s vital to respect your body’s limits,” Wamil says. “Even light daily activity can have meaningful benefits for heart health. Consistency matters more than intensity.”

Busy lifestyles and, for many people, long days spent working at a desk, compound seasonal challenges that may mean less activity.

Together, the lack of movement may decondition your body, requiring a bit of time before you re-

turn to more optimal shape. Stress can further compound demands on the heart.

Wamil’s first tip: Ease into physical activity gradually

“After a long season of reduced activity it’s important not to jump straight into strenuous tasks,” she explains. “Start with light activities like walking or gentle stretching and gradually build up intensity. This helps reduce the risk of injury or sudden cardiac stress.”

2. Warm up before and cool down after physical activity

“Whether you’re gardening or going for a hike, taking ﬁve to 10 minutes to warm up prepares your

muscles and heart for the activity ahead,” Wamil says. “A proper cool-down helps your body return to baseline and prevents dizziness or blood pressure drops.”

3. Listen to your body — and don’t ignore warning signs.

“If you feel chest discomfort, unusual shortness of breath, dizziness, or palpitations, stop immediately and seek medical attention,” Wamil advises. “These symptoms could signal a heart problem, especially in people who haven’t been active for a while.”

4. Stay hydrated and dress appropriately for the weather

“Dehydration and overheating can put extra strain on the heart,

especially in older adults,” Wamil says. “Wear layers you can remove as you warm up, and drink water regularly even if you don’t feel thirsty.”

5. If you have known heart disease or risk factors, talk to your doctor before starting a new physically demanding activity

“People with high blood pressure, diabetes, or a history of heart conditions should check in with their health care provider before beginning more vigorous outdoor tasks,” explains Wamil, whose tools to diagnose a variety of heart diseases include cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cardiac MRI). “A tailored plan can keep you safe and active.”

Health notes: LSU Health School of Dentistry opens new clinic in N.O.

Staff reports

The new Special Care Clinic, at 1100 Florida Blvd. in New Orleans, will treat those with any conditions that complicate receiving dental treatment including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities and or complex medical histories. The clinic opened in May, and future patients are instructed to call (504) 619-8770 to schedule an appointment.

Continued from page 1X

“I don’t really use my phone as a social network,” Martin said. “I’d rather be in person with other people.” His attitude reflects a broader Gen Z trend toward analog postcards, Polaroids, and vinyl — in a quiet rebellion against the digital saturation of their lives.

Meanwhile, Diana Lombana, a Spanish teacher at Comeaux High School, says she has found the cellphone ban beneﬁcial.

Specialized brain injury unit opens in BR

The Baton Rouge Rehab Hospital, at 8595 United Plaza Blvd., will provide high level inpatient rehabilitative care to patients who have experienced mild to moderate brain damage from a motor vehicle accident, falls, tumors, strokes or other sources of trauma in their new Specialized Brain Injury Unit. This unit is the ﬁrst of its kind in the Baton

“It reduces distractions and improves focus, leading to better concentration and academic performance,” Lombana said. “During lunch time, I have noticed that there is more face-to-face social interaction.” Hayden Lathers, who is finishing 11th grade at Liberty Magnet High in Baton Rouge, says the lack of phones has “made this year less memorable,” because students couldn’t take impromptu snapshots with friends through the school day and year On the other hand, Lathers, who is 17, be-

Rouge area.

NOLA Smoke-Free Ordinance turns 10

Since enacting the smoke-free ordinance on April 22, 2015, to limit smoking and vaping in indoor and some outdoor spaces, smoking rates in the city decreased from 23% in 2014 to 19% in 2021, according to the New Orleans Health Department.

To celebrate the public health

lieves the phone ban is “inherently good, but it’s not the best solution.” Even so, Lathers says there are absolute upsides to less phone usage in school. “We’ve had more engagement, more activity in class with the phones down,” Lathers said. “Students are actually participating in class that’s what school should be about, learning and engaging If phones are a huge distraction, they should be regulated.” Even with a statewide mandate, enforcing nophone usage remains a challenge.

Christopher Kovatch, an English teacher and basketball coach at Carencro High, says learning is back on the upswing and TikTok isn’t viewed in class nearly as much as it was.

“The cellphone use isn’t gone,” Kovatch said, “but it has returned sanctity to the classroom.” As schools across the country debate similar bans, Louisiana classrooms offer an imperfect but early glimpse of what happens when students are nudged back into the present — one unplugged lunch, one focused classroom at a time.

milestone, Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued an official proclamation declaring April 22, 2025, as the “10-Year Anniversary of the New Orleans Smoke-Free Air Act Day.”

Gonzales foundation raises $625K

In support of Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s Invest in Ascension campaign, the Gonzales Area Foundation announced a gift of $625,000 that will go to-

ward the Cancer Center’s expansion of its Gonzales location at 1104 W. Highway 30.

The 6,000-square-foot addition will feature a 2,500-square-foot infusion suite, state-of-the-art lab, retail pharmacy new exam rooms and more.

Health Notes is an occasional listing of health happenings around Louisiana. Have something you’d like to share? Contact us at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.

PHOTOS PROVIDED By MENDOZA MEDICAl ClINIC

said. “We get to know a lot of families — grandmas are now coming in, and we’ve treated

PHOTO PROVIDED By PEGGy MENDOZA Mirna Mendoza, the 84-year-old matriarch of the family, is the chief executive officer and owner of the Mendoza Medical Clinic.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEl JOHNSON Students check their cellphones for the day and prepare to walk through metal detectors on Aug. 12 for the first day of school at Baker High School in Baker louisiana schools are wrapping up the first school year under a new statewide cellphone ban.

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Swapsandtips

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Replacebutterwithcoconut oiltomakethecandied walnutsandsprinklewitha plant-based‘feta’crumble insteadofgoatcheese

•Needitnutfree?Swapout walnutsforsunﬂowerseeds toastedwiththesamesweetspicyseasoning.

Continuedfrom page1X

hormone that helps induce sleep.

Reducing screen time, especially before bed, can improve thequalityofsleep.

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CandiedWalnuts

2tablespoonsbutter(orcoconutoil) 1cupchoppedwalnuts

2tablespoonsSwerveGranular 1/4teaspoongroundcinnamon 1/8teaspoonTonyChachere’sCajun seasoning

2tablespoonsSwerveBrownSugar Replacer

Meltbutterinasaucepanover mediumheat.Oncemelted,add walnutstopanandcoat.Sprinkle withSwerveGranular,cinnamon, andTonyChachere’s.Stiruntil caramelized.Removefromheat spreadontoparchmentpaperand separate.SprinklewithSwerveBrown SugarReplacer.Allowtofullycool beforeserving.

•Wantmorewalnuts?

Therecipeyieldsjustenough fortwosalads,butdouble(or quadruple)therecipeforsweet andsavorysnackinglater.

•Can’tﬁndHanley’s StrawberryVinaigrette? Makeyourownalternative dressingbywhiskingtogether balsamicvinegar,oliveoilanda spoonfulofno-sugarjam.

More than 40% of America reported experiencing feelingsofloneliness at least sometimes, according to data collected by the United States Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Surveybetween July 23 and Aug. 19, 2024.

louisiana has the 22nd-highest rate of loneliness in the United States, with 39.91% of adults reporting feeling loneliness at least sometimes.

The Census Bureau surveyasked adults whether howoften theyfeltlonely,ona scale from never, rarely,sometimes, usually and always. Outof 3.3 million louisianans surveyed, just over 1.3 million reported feeling lonely at least sometimes.

The five loneliest states in America include in descending order: n Alaska with 45.10% adults reporting loneliness

n Oregon with 44.04% adults reporting loneliness n Virginia with 41.97% adults reporting loneliness n West Virginia with 41.96% adults reporting loneliness n Utah with 41.64% adults reporting loneliness.

Theleast lonelystates in America include, in ascendingorder: n Iowa with 34.89% adults reporting loneliness n Delaware with 35.62% adults reporting loneliness n Tennessee with 36.02% adults reporting loneliness n Wisconsin with 36.62% adults reporting loneliness n Newyork with 36.68% adults reporting loneliness.

Without constant digital distractions, many individuals ﬁnd they are more focused, efﬁcient and productive. Adigital detox doesn’t have to be extreme or all-ornothing. It can be small and gradual.

According to research from the National Library of Medicine, adigital detox can lead to positive changes in addiction and healthrelated outcomes,which were able to be maintained post-intervention.

Tips to reduce screen time include:

n On adaily basis, set screen-free times:Designatespeciﬁc times during theday to be screen-free. It helps createhealthier routines and reduces dependency on screens.

n Use an alarm clock so that having aphone by the bed is not anecessity

n Usetimers: Many phones have built-in featurestotrack andlimit the useofdevicesorapps.Set adaily reminder to take a digital break.

n Replace high-stimuli apps with low-stimuli activities: Instead of mindlessly scrolling, pick up abook, take awalkorengage in a new hobby. Activities like reading or playing amusical instrument are great

alternatives that don’tinvolve screens.

n Go analog: Consider using an old-school DVD player instead of tablets or smartphonesfor road trips or family downtime.

The limited options help children collaborate on decisions, which is great for their development.

Leadingbyexample

Amanda Shea, aLafayette mother looking at adigital detox, notes that her oldest child is notafraid to callher outfor being on the phone too much.

“I often ﬁnd myself reachingfor my phonetodistract or avoid, which only hinders my productivity,” she said. “WhenI am overly connected to my phone, I feel moreanxious.”

Thelouisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This sectionlooks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and reexamining tried and true methods on ways to livewell.

Shea’shonesty is areminder: Children are watching, andtheyare absorbing the habits modeled forthem

“There’sresearch showing that reading from aphysical text leads to better comprehension andretention than reading on ascreen,” said Andrea Hernandez, afaculty memberatthe Episcopal School of Acadiana in Cade. “Whenweread on paper, we create‘mental maps’ that help us recall information more effectively.Similarly,handwriting encourages summarizing rather than transcribing, which strengthensmemoryand understanding.” Margaret DeLaney (margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com)contributed to this report.

Health editions will also profile people whoare advancing health for the state of louisiana. Do youhavea health story? We want to hear fromyou. Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more. WE WANT TO

GETTy IMAGESPHOTO By XAVIER lORENZO Experts saypeople of all ages strugglewithself-regulation when it comes to screen time. But the

Molly Kimball RD,CSSD

Remember to

‘BEFAST’

Astrokeoccurswhenabloodvesselinthebrain“clogs”up,deprivingbraintissueofbloodandthenutrientsitneeds. BEFASTisahelpfulacronymtorememberwhengettinghelpforsomeoneexperiencingastroke,becauseeverysecondcounts.

Isthepersonunabletomaintainproperbalance?

Istheperson’svisionaffected? Aretheeyesdeviatedtooneside?

Doesonesideofthefacedrooporisitnumb?

Isonearmweakornumb?

Isspeechslurred?

Ifapersonshowsanyofthesesymptoms,evenifthesymptoms goaway,call911andgetthemtoahospitalimmediately.

Things thatmight surprise you

Fromsymptomstotreatments, it’simportanttoknowthefacts aboutstrokes.

Astrokecanhappenatanyage.Aquarterofstrokesoccurinpeopleyounger than65,andasmanyas10%ofstrokepatientsareyoungerthan45.

Strokesaffectthebloodvesselsintheneckorbrain,whichiswhythey’re alsocalledbrainattacks.

Somepatientsdescribethepaintheyexperienceduringastrokeastheworst headachethey’veeverhad.Butnotallstrokesaresignaledbyaheadache.

About85%ofstrokescanbetreatedwitha“clot-busting’’drugcalledtissue plasminogenactivator(tPA),butitmustbeadministeredwithinthreehours oftheonsetofthestroke.InspecializedfacilitieslikeOchsnerMedicalCenter –NewOrleans,someoftheworstkindsofstrokescannowbetreatedupto 24hoursfromwhenthesymptomsbegan.

Upto80%ofstrokescanbeprevented.

Controlyourbloodpressure. Highbloodpressureisamajorrisk factorifleftuntreated.

Askyourdoctoraboutatrialfibrillation(Afib),anothermajor riskfactor.Afibsymptomscanincludeheartpalpitations, lightheadedness,dizzinessandshortnessofbreath.

Stopsmoking.Ochsner’sfreeSmokingCessationProgramcan help.Learnmoreatochsner.org/quit.

Limitalcoholuseoravoiditcompletely.

Manageyourcholesterollevels.

Getregularexerciseandfollowahealthydiet.

Gettreatmentforcirculationproblems.

Controldiabetes.TolearnhowtheOchsnerDigitalMedicine programcanhelpyoumonitoryourdiabetesfromthecomfort ofyourownhome,visitochsner.org/digitalmedicine

Whenalovedoneexperiencesastroke,itcanpush youintounfamiliarwaters.Thesesixessentialtips canhelpyounavigatenewresponsibilities.

Becomestrokesmart Committolearningallyoucanaboutstrokes andtreatments.

Gettoknowthecareteam Establishaconnectionwiththedoctorsandnurses overseeingyourlovedone’scare.

Createasafeplace Preparingasafelivingenvironmentforthepatientis essentialafterahospitalstay.

Helppreventanotherstroke Lifestylemodiﬁcations,includingexerciseanddiet, canreducetheriskoffurthercomplications. ProgramssuchastheOchsnerTeleStrokeProgram canbealifelinetopatientswhodosufferastroke. TeleStrokeallowsdoctorsatdozensofhospitalsin LouisianaandMississippitoconsultOchsnervascular neurologistsviavideotechnology.Thisaccessto specialistshelpskeeppatientssafeandreducesthe needtotransferthemoutoftheircommunities.

LOUISIANA

PelicanPhilanthropy

Seniorsget $80K in scholarships from N.O. star C.J. McCollum

BY JOSEPH CRANNEY Staff writer

Zayden Hills says he knewwhat he wantedtobewhen he grew up by the time hewas 6years old Alawyer

He was acreative kidwhose mom, ateacher, encouragedhim to readand write. He loved “The ChroniclesofNarnia” and thriller novels. He read Maya Angelou and wrote poemsheperformed at open mics when he was still in elementary school.

But it was aworkday visit tohis uncle’sNew Orleans law ﬁrmthat really settled it.

“I foundbeing an attorney to be the most interesting thing when Iwas younger,” said Hills, nowa senior at Edna Karr High School, about to pursue acareer in the law

Hills is among 11 New Orleans high school seniorsselected to this year’sclass ofMcCollum Scholars, aprogram funded by NewOrleans Pelicans star C.J. McCollum and his wife, Elise. McCollum Scholars launched last year in partnershipwiththe

New Orleans-based nonproﬁt College Beyond. Each scholar receives $80,000 over four years in last-dollar scholarships, designed specifically to closethe financial aid gaps that remain after grants, institutional aid, andother scholarshipsare applied.The scholarship includes access to one-on-onecounseling, monthly workshops and college tours.

“Inacitywhere thenarrative around New Orleans youthistoo oftenshapedbydeﬁcit and limitation, the McCollum Scholars program stands as apowerful counterexample,” said Clara Baron-Hyppolite, CollegeBeyond’s executivedirector. “It shows what young people are capable of when they are supported, seen, and no longerheld back by ﬁnancialbarriers.”

Baron-Hyppolite says that the scholarship is speciﬁcally intended to reducestudents’ family contributions and eliminate the need for loans

Among the universities where this year’s classwill attend: Vanderbilt University, Syracuse University,Providence College andTulane University

“I want to provide students with theresources they need to think outside the box aboutwhatthey canachieve in their lives,” McCollumsaid in amessage on College

Beyond’swebsite. He joinedthe Pelicans team in 2022.

Hills, theEdnaKarrstudent body president with agrade-pointaverageabove four points, will attend theUniversity of Southern California, where he’llmajor in English, an educationthatwill allow him to continue to read and writealot, becauseafter all: To be agood lawyer youhavetobeagoodwriter,Hills said. He had lotsofoptions when it came to deciding wheretogoto college —USC,Amherst College in Massachusetts, Morgan State in Baltimore, Loyola University New OrleansorLehigh University in Pennsylvania, McCollum’salma mater.

In making hischoice, Hills went back to afeelinghehad as akid in NewOrleans. Adream that he could be faraway,somewhereat peace. California, he thought. “California, when Iwas younger,alwaysseemed like an escape to me,” he said. “I always knew I wantedtogo…I just didn’tknow how.

The remaining2025 McCollum Scholarsare: n KeyriaBillew,Livingston Collegiate Academy,will attend Tulane University on the Mayoral Scholarship. n Arsenio BoldsJr.,Edna Karr

ä See PELICAN, page 2Y

JanRisher

‘Wemustbe kind when we can’

The near noon sun offered no slanting light. It was brash. It was bold. It was blinding.

When Itook my seat on the bench, Ithought about aline from aCher movie Inever saw, but an old boyfriend told me about 34 years ago. He told me about acharacter in the movie “Mask” whotalked about things that wereadrag, listing “holes in my shoe, dust in my hair,no money in my pocket and the sun shining on my face.” Isat on the bench and reﬂected on what the character from the movie Inever saw meant

Then Ithought about so many other people who, like that old boyfriend, said things I’ve mostly forgotten —except for the strange snippetsthat stuck. Words, phrases and moments that still shape how Isee the world —and ripple into the lives of others I’ve touched.

Ithought of Mrs. McLean, my high school junior English teacher,who in class one day off-handedly said, “Ifyour ears are pierced, you should never leave your house without earrings.” In the more than 16,000 days since, Ican count on one hand the times that Iforgot to put on earrings to go whereverI was going.

Ithought of acaterer whose name Ican’tremember.Imet her in Reno, Nevada, in 1990. She quickly told me how to make adish with Italian sausage, freshbasil, Roma tomatoes,whole cream, Parmesan cheese and penne pasta. Imade it shortly thereafter and loved it. I’ve been making it ever since, and it is “the meal” my family loves most,though my husband might argue that that designation lies with his tacos

Ithought of aSlovak woman I met on abus in 1993 who helped me navigate aconfusing bus transfer and ended up actually giving me abus ticket whenthe snow started to fall. Iprotested that Icouldn’taccept the bus ticket. Her English wasbroken, but somehow she said one of the most poetic sentences anyone has ever uttered to me. She said, “The world is small. We must be kind when we can. Take the ticket.” And so Idid, and the sentence and moment profoundly changed the way Isaw the world. Back to the realityofthe present day,Ilooked at the notso-far-away horizon across the lake at Solomon Retreat Center and considered the fuzzy line between where Iend and others begin —and how we all get meshed together in so many ways.

The sun continued to shine as Ilistened to the songs of aCarolina wren, apersistent tufted titmouse and ablue jay

PROVIDED PHOTOS

NewOrleans Pelicans star C.J.McCollum, center,meets with the2025 membersofthe McCollum Scholarsprogram. All are graduating seniorsatNew Orleans highschools and each received $80,000 in scholarships.

STAFFPHOTO By JANRISHER

The viewfromabench near the lake at Solomon Retreat Center in loranger

‘Double

Shirley

known

agent’

retires

after 41 years with La. ecosystem

as louisiana Sea Grant and lSU AgCenter marine extension agent

BY LAUREN CHERAMIE Staff writer

Mark Shirley, a Louisiana Sea Grant and LSU AgCenter marine extension agent, retired in March after 41 years of service. He is known for many things during his career, but most notably, he developed Marsh Maneuvers established in 1989 as an immersive education program for 4-H students to experience Louisiana’s coast. The program motivates students toward studying coastal ecology and biological sciences

Shirley is an aquaculture specialist with expertise in crawfish, alligator and recreational fish production. Since the ‘80s, he has educated new crawfish farmers on production and harvesting practices.

In 2024, Shirley received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Louisiana Wildlife Federation

This interview was edited for length and clarity

How did your love for nature come about?

I grew up in the middle of New Orleans, so I’m a city kid born and raised. But my dad and I went ﬁshing a lot, so I enjoyed coastal Louisiana as a kid. I was catching speckled trout and redﬁsh. I was in Boy Scouts and enjoyed camping and the outdoors.

I went to LSU for my bachelor’s degree in wildlife management, and then I got my master’s in wildlife management. My ﬁrst job was at Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in Grand Chenier, where the center of alligator research was and still is for the world. Back in the ’70s, they came up with the idea of having an alligator harvest system and the alligator farm program.

At Rockefeller, I got a lot of experience working with alligators but also with water fowl research, duck banding, river otters and marsh management.

When did you start working with the Louisiana Sea Grant program and LSUAgCenter?

In 1984, I started working for the program and the center The Louisiana Sea Grant organization is similar to the land grant university program. Basically, I was a double agent.

Congress allocates money which comes through the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration to fund research and extension work on coastal issues in all the coastal states and Great Lake states.

On the AgCenter side, when the land grant university system started, Congress developed that program to do agricultural research and later ﬁgured out that they needed to have extension agents. They did research but also extended the information to farmers around the country

I was a marine extension agent with Louisiana Sea Grant and a county agent with the LSU AgCenter

What were some of the daily tasks of a double agent?

As a marine extension agent, I was involved in communicating the research that was developed at LSU and any other coastal university to shrimpers and ﬁshermen. I worked with landowners who harvest wild alligators, farmers who developed their alligator farms and with crawﬁsh farmers to help them develop their businesses.

Over the years, my expertise involved coastal issues, marine fisheries, freshwater fisheries, crawﬁsh aquaculture and alligator aquaculture.

Within all of that, I also did the Marsh Maneuvers 4-H program that’s available to students from fourth grade to high school.

As an expert in crawfish aquaculture, do you prefer seasoning in or on top of your crawfish?

It makes a big difference. Do not put salty spices in your crawﬁsh boiling water

When you boil your crawﬁsh in salt water, it’ll make part of the meat stick to the shell and make them a little bit harder to peel.

Once you boil them, put them in a container and sprinkle spices on top, and they will absorb some of that ﬂavor

If you boil them just right, the backstrap — the piece of meat that sits on top the vein — stays on the tail. That gives you much more meat. If they cook just right and not too long, and not in salt water,

PROVIDED PHOTO

The 2025 members of the McCollum Scholars program wear matching denim jackets.

PELICAN

Continued from page 1y

High School, will attend University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff on a football scholarship.

n Kiali Brown, The Willow School New Orleans, will attend Lehigh University

n Alejandra Flores-Rasgado, Livingston Collegiate Academy, will attend Macalester College as a QuestBridge Scholar

n Nandi Gayles, Ben Franklin High School, will attend Providence College on the Posse Foundation

of service.

when you pinch the tail, you can actually pull that vein out.

If you add a couple of sticks of butter or margarine to your boil, that’ll help them peel a little bit easier too.

How can the average Louisianan be a good steward of the coast?

It gets into the policy and political arena to support the coastal restoration efforts and organizations The state government has the Coastal Protection Restoration Authority, and the federal government has the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act.

Along the coast, we have the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, as well as the Louisiana Wildlife Federation and Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Get involved with some of these nongovernmental conservation groups that sometimes do field trips, encourage policy decisions and encourage the investment of tax dollars to projects.

I look at coastal restoration as paying rent to keep using this

Scholarship.

n Gerald Jackson, Abramson Sci Academy, will attend Louisiana State University

n Elissa Merlin, The Willow School New Orleans, will attend Tulane University

n Akeim Nelson, G.W

Carver High School, will attend Tulane University

n Jayden Simmons, G.W Carver High School, will attend Vanderbilt as a QuestBridge Scholar

n Ezekiel Whitley St. Augustine High School, will attend Syracuse University on the Please Foundation Scholarship.

RISHER

Continued from page 1y

Inspired Book Club choice wins Pulitzer Prize for fiction

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

“James,” by Percival Everett, the second book for the 2025 Louisiana Inspired Book Club, has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, in addition to the National Book Award and the Kirkus Prize. A twist on the classic Mark Twain novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” this work of fiction features Jim as the narrator, not Huck, and fills in the gaps of the original text when the two became separated. This selection will be an excellent read to transition into the summer Take the journey with the Louisiana Inspired Book Club and read “James,” then join in the discussion on the virtual Inspired Book Club discussion at 12:15 p.m., June 10. Everett is a distinguished professor of English at the University of Southern California Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and is widely regarded as one of the most original voices in American literature. His body of work spans satire, Westerns and experimental prose. His 2001 novel “Erasure” was adapted into the Oscarwinning 2023 film “American Fiction.”

He has received the Windham Campbell Prize from Yale University He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the writer Danzy Senna, and their children. Everett reimagines the epic tale of Huck and Jim with Jim’s Odyssean journey to freedom for himself and his family The relationship with Huck is still there, but the focus is on Jim and the

for

people he meets along the way

The novel is darkly funny at times and achingly sad at others, yet action-packed and irresistible. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on a nearby island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father As readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward elusive freedom.

Jim has always been a favorite character in American literature, but “James” elevates him to a multidimensional hero who exhibits intelligence, wit, courage and compassion.

Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

Everett

Houma

New Orleans.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Mark Shirley, a louisiana Sea Grant and lSU AgCenter marine extension agent, retired in March after 41 years

Mark Shirley, in orange, is known for many things during his career but most notably, he developed Marsh Maneuvers — established in 1989 as an immersive education program for 4-H students to experience louisiana’s coast.

PROVIDED PHOTO

‘James’ by Percival Everett is the summer selection

the Inspired Book Club

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

JANA ROSE SCHLEIS

Contributing writer

Editor’snote: This story,created by Jana Rose Schleisfor KBIAispart of the Solutions Journalism Network. Louisiana Inspired features solutions journalismstories that provide tangibleevidence that positive change is happening in other places and in our own communities —solutions that can be adopted around the world. Throughoutthe month of April, Columbia, Missouri, residents observe Arbor Day —the conservation holiday that encourages planting trees —with tree seedlings givenout in fourth gradeclassrooms and at aSaturday farmers market. For Missourians, many of the Arbor Day tree seedlings originate at the state-run tree nursery

This year,approximately 80,000 sycamore seedlings were sent to fourth graders across the state. The fast-growing tree is native to Missouri and doesespecially well in the state’s streamside habitats. Generally planted in spring, sycamores are beneficial for wildlife as the tree’s soft wood affords birdsand smallmammals aplace to burrow

The tiny trees begin their journey where they’re growninthe Texas County townofLicking. The seedlings are inspected by about adozenstaffatMissouri’s George O. White State Forestfor length,thicknessand root quality

The nursery was founded by theU.S.ForestService in the1930s to assist landowners in reforesting the state. The Ozarks had been heavilylogged as railroads stretched west. The original site was just

40 acres andnow standsat 100 acres. It’sowned and operated by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Nursery supervisor Mike Fiaoni manages the tree production facility, andselects the species thatare sent —free of charge —to students across the state for Arbor Day. Teachers also receivematerialstoinclude in lessons about the species and how to plant the trees

“Wewant to educate young students as faras the importance of trees, the values of trees andso this is the way we can do that …startreachingthemata young age,” Fiaoni said.

Fiaoni picked the sycamore for this year’sArbor Day tree because it can grow well across theentire state. Theseedlings are carefully packaged in bundlesof25. They’re placed on top of abed of moss, given a spritz of water,wrapped in tear-proofpaper,placed in a cardboard box and stacked in aUPS trailer for the journey across the state.

The nursery grows,cultivates, packages and ships 2 million bare-rootseedlings to landowners, farmers, schoolsand local governments eachyear

“A lot of folks think, ‘I want to do something for conservation but I’m one person or Idon’t have alot of money.Whatcan Ido?’” Fiaoni said.

“By simply plantinga tree—whether it lives 10 years, 20 years, maybeeven 100 years —the ecosystem you’re formingaround that tree, thevalue that it’s adding to your home or tothe property,the oxygen it’s giving off, the value it’s adding to the wildlife,”he said. “There’sjustsomuch of an ecosystemthat’sgoing to evolve around that single tree …it’ssoimportant.”

From LickingtoColumbia

This year, morethan 1,000

of those seedlings traveled the127 miles to Columbia and weregiven to enthusiastic farmers market shoppers, manyofwhomlined up early on aSaturday morning.

“Wehad people waiting,” saidEricSchmittel, aforester withthe cityofColumbia. “Weshowed up here probably about 6:30 —there were people waiting here already,and the line hasjust been around the corner.”

Schmittelmanages trees in the city’s70parks and trails as well as those in the urbanenvironment downtown. Schmittel orders around 15 to 20 species of seedlings to give away for ArborDay and said themost sought-after are thosethat producefruit, nuts or ﬂowers. Columbia recognizes “Arbor Month” —culminating withthe seedling giveaway

“They’re free ﬁrst of all, which is everybody’sfavoriteprice,but then they’re also really excited about the differentvarieties,” said Hollie Campbell, amember of avolunteer group called “TreeKeepers” whospent themorning handing out seedlings to eager market attendees.

The TreeKeepers are trained by city foresters on the basics of treecare planting, pruning andwatering —and assist in conservation projects across the city, including invasive honeysuckle removal.

Campbell has been apart of the group for three years and said she initiallyjoined to learn more abouttrees and“give back”through conservation in her community.

“This is theonly planet we have, and Ithink it’s really important thatwehonor that,” Campbell said.

Cruz Chavez and his daughter Violetta waited in line at the farmers market hoping to score native fruit trees suchaspawpaws,ser-

vice berries or persimmons. Chavez plants atree each year withhis kids for Arbor Day

“The tree kind of gets to grow withthem. Ithink they getreallyexcitedseeing it get alittle bigger every year,” Chavez said.

Since Violetta is learning about howtrees help the environmentinschool, her father Cruz said she’s“obsessed” with planting trees Including thisyear’s Arbor Daytree, andher favorite, thesycamore.

“I likethe color when the bark comesoff. Ithink it’s really cool,”she said.

Alocal climatesolution

Arbor Day’sroots began in Nebraska in the 19thcentury and hassince grown into aglobally-observedday of conservation.

For more than 50 years, the Arbor Day Foundation’s mission has been to help communities plant, nurture and celebrate trees.

“Wetalka lot abouttrees

…and themessaging we sometimes forget is it’snot about the trees, it’sabout the people,” said Eric North, program manager forurban forestry at the Arbor Day Foundation.

North said trees can enhancequality of life.They improve water and air quality and can reduce the impacts of increasing severe weather caused by climate change like heat in the summer and wind in the winter “Wefeelverystrongly and passionately that trees are really part of abig solution to helpimprove thelivesof people livingincommunities, to help improve things that might be negatively impacting the climate,” he said.

North said as the threats of climate change intensify theArbor Day Foundation has heard from morepeople and organizations who want to implement the solution of planting trees. He helps those folks understand when, whatand howtoplant.

The city of Columbia has participatedinthe Arbor Day Foundation’sTreeCity USAprogram for30years, Schmittel said. To qualify participating cities must observeArbor Day, have atree board or forestry department andcommita minimum $2 per capita annual investment in trees. Schmittel said the city of Columbia spends more than $5 per capita on trees each year Bare root seedlings like those cultivated at thestate tree nursery and handed out each year at theColumbia Farmers Market are small and need care. Schmittel recommends residents place mulch around the seedling to help it maintainmoisture and encircle it with wire to ward off critters. When watered, it can eventually grow into amature tree.

“Especially these really small seedlings, you’re not necessarilyplanting it for yourself,”Schmittel said “You’re planting it for future generations.”

FAITH & VALUES

Hindu dairy farm produces healthy consciousness

Cows produce more milk than average

BY RICHA KARMARKAR

Contributing writer

On a quiet Sunday on rural Pennsylvania farmland, Dhruva and his favorite cow, Tabby, meet at dawn

While one recites a mantra to Lord Krishna using prayer beads, the other listens to religious chants as she’s milked. But they’re joined together at breakfast — both enjoying a sattvic, or spiritually pure vegetarian meal of organic produce sanctiﬁed by God before consumption.

Cows on the Gita Valley dairy farm outnumber humans by about 5 to 1, but the 20 full-time human residents prefer it that way

“They’re like big dogs that like to run up to you and try to eat your hands or something,” said the commune’s head chef, Madhupan. Parijata, Dhruva’s wife, called the cows “friends, but also living entities that make a contribution and deserve our respect.” (As initiated members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, or ISKCON, the residents of the farm, besides eschewing illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling, use only one name.)

Of Tabby the “mascot of the herd” that has been producing milk for the longest among the cows, Dhruva simply said, “She’s a grain thief.”

On this farm and creamery run by Hindu devotees and modeled after a traditional Indian gaushala, or cow sanctuary, the only one of its kind in the United States, both soil and soul are cultivated with God in mind The 102 rescued bovines on the 430-acre property roam free providing emotional support to their human companions as well as fresh milk

In line with the owners’ belief system, Gita Valley is the first USDA-certified dairy farm that refrains from violence against its cows. They aren’t dehorned, poked, prodded, bred, branded or conﬁned in any way, and the cows are not sent to market (“a sanitized term for slaughtered,” said Dhruva) after they can no longer produce milk, as they are at most U.S. dairy farms.

The 16 female cows who are able to produce each give 400 gallons a week — more than average a fact Dhruva attributes to the principle that “when we’re happy, when we’re taken care of, we’re willing to give more.”

ISKCON adherents believe cows are the ultimate mothers providing protein, nutrition and sustenance and asking for nothing in return. Gita Valley’s priority, Dhruva said, is not proﬁt but for rescuing the animals from a capitalist culture that forces cows (and their farmers) into exploitation

“It’s very clear from the Vedas that humanity as a whole is suffering today as a result of the slaughter of cows,” he said, referring to sacred Hindu texts.

Dhruva, 52, the farm’s president, and his wife, who goes by PJ, gave up successful careers in South Africa (“I was promoted,” said Dhruva, who worked as an engineer) to move to Port Royal in 2009. Devoting their lives to Krishna the blue-skinned deity and cowherd whom ISKON members consider the Supreme Lord, they adopted a dietary regimen free of meat, onions, garlic, caffeine or any other spiritually disruptive ingredients.

They moved onto the farm founded in 1974 by Swami Prabhupada, ISKCON’s founder, who had named the land Gita Nagari, or “land of the Bhagavad Gita,” Hinduism’s holiest book, so Hare Krishnas, as ISKON followers are known, could live out their faith without worldly distractions.

The project, now rebranded as Gita Valley, was started with four Brown Swiss cows and innumerable peacocks — “a headache for the plants,” said Dasya, the head gardener

Ashok Dudakia, one of the swami’s original initiates, describes the guru as having “tears in his eyes” when he arrived in the U.S. in the late 1960s and saw how Americans treated their cows.

“He said, ‘how can I educate these people on nonviolence?’ ” said Dudakia, who goes by the name Adya. “Actually it’s not nonviolence, it’s just etiquette. We are the supreme species, God has given us that, and we should be taking care of animals, not mistreating them.”

Dhruva said a growing ethical veganism movement, whose adherents may consume animal byproducts if the source is guaranteed to be non-exploitative, has been increasing demand for Gita Valley’s dairy products, evidenced by Gita Valley’s waitlist of hundreds of hopeful consumers.

The farm’s operation is nonetheless mostly funded by weekend retreats organized by a third party, which brings almost 3,000 people a year Other revenue comes from milk subscriptions (price: $18 per gallon) from nearby ISKCON temples, the farm’s gift shop, “Mootique,” and undergraduate workstudy programs. (One eager GenZer created a viral TikTok video that led to 1,200 applications for the program’s 54 spots.)

Outsiders can “adopt” or “rescue” a cow through regular donations; the latter allows donors to name a cow and participate in a cow puja, or Hindu blessing.

Drawing larger investors is a challenge, said Dhruva. Even though “there’s still this romantic idea of farming,” he said, it’s hard to ﬁnd individuals willing to contribute to the farm’s mission even

though they are likely to see competitive returns.

The gardener, Dasya, 35, an initiated Hindu monk who came to live in Gita Valley in 2019, observed that farm life is “always a battle between living simply and wanting more.” He admitted, “It’s tough sometimes to keep the vision, because in the immediate it might seem like, ‘What are we doing out here?’”

“When you’re here, you really see how dependent you are on a higher force, because you don’t know what’s gonna happen,” he said. “The wind could come and take out the greenhouse, take out your crops. You’re more connected to nature, and that ultimately brings you closer to knowing and acknowledging that there’s something higher.”

Yet he regards living on the farm as part of a “spiritual revolution” that makes him able to thrive “separated from the man.” The neighboring Mennonites who trade produce with him, said Dasya, admire the Hare Krishna farmers’ “pure, unmotivated love of God, without distraction of material wealth,” something, they tell him their own communities could stand to work on.

Madhupan, the farm’s vegan chef (and Dasya’s ﬁancé) lived in Wellington, New Zealand, in an ISKCON community before joining Dasya, whom she has long been dating, about a year and a half ago. Madhupan sees people outside ISKCON moving toward a more conscious, plant-based diet. “Many are not in a proximity

where they can purchase dairy that comes from places like this,” said the chef, who notes “sadly” that she lacks the enzymes to properly digest dairy “But it’s really a consciousness thing, being like, ‘Okay where does my milk actually come from? It doesn’t just come from Weiss or Wegmans. It comes from the cow And what’s the consciousness of that living entity?’”

Preeti Sharma, a pediatrician who visits the farm with her two teenagers every month and lives there part time, goes a step further, saying even vegan milk is produced from the living entities of trees: “It’s not so much about who’s better a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian,” she said, as much as bearing in mind that we are what we eat. “We are trying to work on our consciousness, and food is a fundamental part.”

Ashok Dudakia’s daughter, Kunti, a frequent visitor from her Washington-area home, is raising her two young daughters in the ISKCON tradition. She hopes the love she has cultivated in them for the farm’s cows (and its smell) will be passed on to the next generation.

“Whenever you see Krishna as a cowherd boy with cows, they’re always in an open pasture, free roaming,” she said. “Coupling Krishna’s pastimes with the actual experience of being on a farm with cows made it real for me and made me fully understand why Krishna was so passionate. They have such sweet energy, and they’re so giving of themselves.

I just think they’re really misunderstood in American culture like just cattle, or a product.” Dudakia, who lives in California, visited the farm’s temple to pray for the growth of the farm before he departed for his ﬂight home. He is planning to open an Ahimsa Dairy shop on the West Coast, he said, to expand their reach. “They need serious help, and we have to do something now,” he said.

Dhruva said he also prays to Krishna, asking that new money will come in from Hindu temples in the United States that reﬂect the Hindu American community’s wealth About an hour away by car is Vraj Temple, one of the largest Hindu houses of worship in the nation.

“A lot of people grew up in India and tell me, ‘We always had a family cow, I remember milking the cow,’” he said. “But when they come here, they forget very quickly The idea is that in one sense, Krishna will make some arrangements, but we don’t want to leave it all to him to do So we’re taking some practical steps to search out succession.”

Sharma, the pediatrician, believes that all that’s needed is for more people to visit and “get a real taste:” both of the non-violent milk and of the healing nature of Gita Nagari.

“Here, you live every day,” she said. “In the outside place, you pass days to live later Gita Nagari is a place where you can come with all your worries, sit with the cows, and they’ll lick it all out of you.”

Baton Rouge’s Jewish community honors liberators

The congregation also recognizes Holocaust writing contest winners

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

On May 4, the Unified Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge, in partnership with Jewish Federation of Greater Baton Rouge, held its service for Holocaust Remembrance, where they honored not only the victims and survivors of the Holocaust 80 years after the concentration camps were liberated, but also the American soldiers who liberated the camps. The annual event is called Yom HaShoah.

The service included prayers and a series of presentations, including the Texas Liberators Project and a conversation with Bill Kongable. Kongable is a World War II veteran of the 89th Infantry Division and a Texas Liberator

The event also recognized the winners of the Jewish Federation of Greater Baton Rouge Annual Holocaust Writing Contest. It concluded with the Mourn-

er’s Kaddish and Prayer for Peace.

Rabbi Sarah Smiley introduced Fran Berg, the founding commissioner of the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission, who has been championing liberators’ oral history and sharing the liberators’ witness for a long time. The Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission created the Texas Liberator project in collaboration with Texas Tech University and the Texas Holocaust museums. The project is an educational resource that teaches the history of the Holocaust and liberation. The website texasliberators.org provides the liberators’ oral testimonies, maps of the camps they liberated and an honor roll of 723 liberators Berg said that by providing their eyewitness testimonies, liberators protect and preserve the values affecting them to Europe in the ﬁrst place, freedom, morality, truth, duty, honor and country At 99, Kongable is sharp and sincere with a sense of humor He was a part of the liberation of Ohrdruf, which was the ﬁrst concentration camp to be liberated He and his daughter Trish Ramsey, took turns

telling his story to the quiet room full of listeners in the Uniﬁed Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge synagogue.

When asked his feelings about Germans after he witnessed the atrocities of the Holocaust, Kongable said his family was German, but more than negative feelings toward Germans, he said he wanted to get to know every Jewish person he met for the rest of his life.

“We have to learn history,” said Kongable. “If you don’t know your history, you are more likely to repeat it. That’s my main advice.”

He also said that the value in sharing his story 80 years later lies in the responses of his audience.

“The value is to hear people who appreciate the message, and the more people I can talk to, then the more people I can convince that the Holocaust really did happen,” said Kongable.

Remembering with writing

Ellen Sager, the executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Baton Rouge, described the organization’s Annual Holocaust Writing Contest and recognized the teachers in the sanctuary who accompa-

nied their ﬁnalist students to the event. The contest is free and open to all public, private, and charter middle and high schools throughout Louisiana. The purpose of this contest is to encourage students to learn about and understand the lessons of the Holocaust, including the nature and repercussions of unchecked hate and prejudice taken to their ultimate extreme, and use the lessons of the Holocaust to promote tolerance, acceptance and respect for others.

The middle school essay ﬁnalists were n First place — Lila Morton, a seventh grader from LSU Laboratory School n Second place — Ava Ash, an eighth grader from Central Private School n Third place — Laila Williams, a seventh grader from Sherwood Middle Academic Magnet. High School essay finalists were: n First place Sophie Crochet, a 10th grader from Ascension Catholic High School

n Second place — Mia Comeaux, a ninth grader from Delcambre High School n Third place — Anderson Paine, a 10th grader from Ascension Catholic High

School. Crochet’s winning essay includes the following: “An ignorant society makes and consumes stereotypes, which only makes them complacent in their ignorance. Stereotypes are dangerous, but our

acceptance of

PROVIDED PHOTO By RICHA KARMARKAR

Kunti pets a cow at Gita Valley dairy farm on April 19 in Port Royal, Pa.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Middle school first place winner lila Morton with WWII veteran Bill Kongable.

SUNDAY, MAY 18, 2025

CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley

SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr

GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters

ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson

ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis

directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

word game

instructions: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

todAY's Word — recouPed: rih-

KOOP'D: Regained.

Average mark 38 words Time limit 60 minutes

Can you find 55 or more words in RECOUPED?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

Sudoku

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

wuzzLes

Nerves of steel

Today’s deal is from a recent National Championship pair game contested in Memphis.

South was Geoff Hampson, one of the USA’s leading players Hampson’s three-diamond bid showed a fit for diamonds. He would have bid three clubs if he did not like diamonds North bid game hoping there would be nine tricks.

super Quiz

Hampson saw that there were only eight tricks and the heart suit was wide open. The heart suit would not be so easy to run on this deal, as West would have to unblock his nine of hearts not an impossible play but beyond the imagination of many Hampson couldn’t know this, and he showed nerves of steel by smoothly ducking the opening spade lead. East’s play to this trick might well have been an encouraging signal. West wasn’t sure and shifted to the king of clubs. Hampson played low again! West reverted to spades and led the eight. Hampson won with dummy’s jack, giving him nine tricks, and he ran all six of dummy’s diamonds. In the ensuing four-card ending, West had to come down to queen doubleton in both black suits. Hampson led a spade to his ace and,

reading the position perfectly, led another spade, discarding the jack of clubs from dummy West won and had to lead a club into Hampson’s ace-10, giving Hampson an overtrick! He will be arrested if he keeps this up.

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2025 Tribune Content Agency

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Lead the way. Choose intellectual banter over a shouting match, and you’ll gain the respect and confidence of onlookers waiting and watching to see what you do next.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Keep an open mind but a closed wallet. Don’t be tempted by any hype from someone eager to part you from your cash Discover your niche instead of buying into someone else’s.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Keep life simple, conversations civil and intentions honorable. Strive for peace and enjoy what life has to

offer Refrain from taking risks with your health or physical wellbeing. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Make room for new beginnings, and fulfill your dreams Learn from experience, listen to your heart and choose peace and love. Your success is attached to the you collaborate with and what you do next. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Prioritize travel, learning, reconnecting with old friends or going on an adventure that sparks your imagination. A change to your environment or routine will help you find inner peace.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Uncertainty signals that something has run amok. A thorough investigation will help you find solutions. A partnership will give you the strength and courage to take on something you wouldn’t do on your own.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Be careful when dealing with emotional situations. Arguments will make matters worse Be patient, listen attentively and size up your feelings and wants before responding.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Excitement will fuel your fire. Be the instigator and paint a picture that is hard to resist. Engage in chal-

lenges that depend on physical and emotional courage and strength, and rise to the occasion.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Making compensations will help level the playing field and ensure stability as living costs increase. When in doubt, take a break and do something that makes you happy

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Push for the changes that will end the blockages you face. Deal with people who are causing you grief and set boundaries that show you mean business.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Lock into what works for you and rid your-

self of uncertainty Avoid unnecessary domestic expenses. Look for ways to lower your overhead and give yourself some financial relief.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Let your intuition take you on a journey Follow the path that leads to people who offer new possibilities. Participate in events that push you to challenge yourself physically

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact.

goren Bridge

Answers to puzzles

1. Johnny.2.George.3.Jim.4.Jerry.5.John. 6. Ernest. 7. Jimmy. 8. Steven. 9. Harry 10. Charlie. 11. Mary.12. Carl. 13. Edgar.14. Lily 15. Garry.

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

Cryptoquote Answer

There are alwaysflowers forthose who want to see them. —Henri Matisse

word GAme Answer super quiz