Number of those agingout of system washighest in 2024
BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer
Every year,more than 100 18-year-olds age out of Louisiana’s foster care system, meaning they have no permanenthome or source of care, and they often face devastating challenges.
Samantha Morris-LaCour,26, bounced around foster homes before living in a Natchitoches group home until sheturned
18. She left with no support system, anda relationship that brought on abuse and sex trafficking defined early adulthood for her, shesaid MikeyDoucet, 36, was no stranger to couch surfing, beginning when hewas achild in west Louisiana. One word he uses to describe hisfosterexperience: “traumatic.”
Keionna Johnson, 25, believes she would have taken her own life if she hadn’tfound help in Hammond. Now,the former foster child worksfor two state groups that work with childreninthe system “togive themhope.”
The 20018-year-olds who aged out of foster care in 2024 marked thestate’shighest total in six years, according to the Louisiana Department of Children and Family
Services. Rapides, East Baton Rouge and Jefferson parishes have the highest numbers in the state for 18-year-olds leaving foster care without apermanent home. Comparatively,the three parishes alsohave some of the highest rates of children in foster care. In recent years, the state has launched new initiatives to expand foster care and create programs to help clients whoturn 18. In addition, nonprofits andother organizations have been workingtoexpandthe safetynet for thoseyoung adults.
Many former foster youth have seen progress, but others still struggle.
Construction is underway on Helix Academy, acharter school that plans to open this fall, behindOur Savior’s Church in Opelousas.When the churchbought 135 acres for $2.9million in 2014, it notonly had spacefor apermanent home. It set asidealarge portionofthe open farmland for commercial development.
BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor
When the Rev. Eugene Reiszner instructed ateam member years ago to find the best piece of land in Opelousas to build apermanenthome for Our Savior’sChurch, he found it at the Harry Guilbeau exit along Interstate 49. They got ahandshake deal with the owner.But then there was abig problem. Others were looking at what was then ablank slate of farmland on the city’ssouthernedge. Amajor convenience store
chainjumped in and offered more than what thechurchofferedfor less acreage. Politicians, citing the fact that churches do notpay property taxes,were trying to get between thechurch and the seller, Reiszner recalled.
“He is out here mowing one day, and one politician comes up, brings him abottleofwhiskeyand an envelope,” he said. “Tothis day, Istill don’tknow what was in thatenvelope. He said, ‘Do not sellthattothe church ’”
See VISION, page 6A
Keionna Johnson, 25, aresidentofthe H20 Ministry,a home for women whohaveagedout of foster care, nowworksfor twostate groups that work with children in the system ‘togivethem hope.’
saythe
don’t addup
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
With little public attention, state legislators are moving forward with apackage of bills thatwould cuttaxes andattempttooffset therevenue loss by freeing up money that has flowed into astate savings account. The sponsor of the three bills, Rep. Julie Emerson, RCarencro, has said the numbers would balance out. But the Legislature’seconomists are forecasting that the proposals —if approvedduring thefinalthreeweeksofthe legislative session and by the public through changes to the state constitution next year— would leave lawmakers with amassive shortfall of $590 millionin2027 when they meet to pass the budget and later have to face voters.
Pro-EU centrist wins Romania’s election
BUCHAREST Romania Pro-European Union candidate Nicusor Dan has won Romania’s closely watched presidential runoff against a hard-right nationalist, nearly complete electoral data shows. A huge turnout Sunday played a key role in the tense election that many viewed as a geopolitical choice between East or West.
The race pitted front-runner George Simion, the 38-year-old leader of the hard-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, against Dan, the incumbent mayor of Bucharest. It was held months after the cancellation of the previous election plunged Romania into its worst political crisis in decades.
After 10.7 million of 11.6 million votes were counted, Dan was ahead with 54.19%, while Simion trailed at 45.81%, according to official data. In the first-round vote on May 4, Simion won almost double the votes as Dan, and many local surveys had predicted he would secure the presidency
But in a swing that appeared to be a repudiation of Simion’s more skeptical approach to the EU, which Romania joined in 2007, Dan picked up almost 900,000 more votes to solidly defeat his opponent in the final round.
Hungarians protest bill targeting media, NGOs
BUDAPEST, Hungary A mass protest in Hungary on Sunday drew around 10,000 people in what some demonstrators called an act of resistance against recent actions by the right-wing populist government to restrict basic rights and crack down on independent media.
The protest, the latest in a recent wave of anti-government demonstrations, came days after a lawmaker from the party of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán submitted a bill that would allow the government to monitor, restrict, penalize and potentially ban media outlets and nongovernmental organizations it deems a threat to the country’s sovereignty
The bill, which has been compared to Russia’s “foreign agent” law is expected to pass in the parliament where the ruling Fidesz party holds a two-thirds majority It is seen by many of Orbán’s opponents as among the most repressive policies the long-serving leader has leveled at his critics in the last 15 years of his rule.
Protesters on Sunday filled the square beside Hungary’s parliament in central Budapest to denounce the bill, which would allow the government to blacklist organizations that receive any amount of financial support from outside Hungary, and subject them to intrusive monitoring, searches, major fines and possible bans on their activities.
Austria welcomes home Eurovision winner
VIENNA — Austrian fans enthusiastically welcomed classically trained singer JJ back home at Vienna airport on Sunday after he won the 69th Eurovision Song Contest with “Wasted Love.”
As JJ walked through the gate, hundreds of fans cheered, some played his song and others surrounded the new star, hugging him and asking for autographs.
The 24-year-old countertenor, whose winning song combines operatic, multi-octave vocals with a techno twist, and who also sings at the Vienna State Opera, held up his trophy in one hand and a big bouquet of roses in the other He smiled, wiped away tears and told the crowd “that victory is for you.”
JJ, whose full name is Johannes Pietsch, was Austria’s third Eurovision winner, after bearded drag queen Conchita Wurst in 2014 and Udo Jürgens in 1966.
“This is beyond my wildest dreams. It’s crazy,” said the singer when being handed the microphone-shaped glass Eurovision trophy after his win in the Swiss city of Basel on Saturday night.
On Sunday night, JJ told reporters in Vienna that “I don’t think you’ll realize that you did it at all until you’re on your deathbed.”
BY WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY and TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Israel
announced Sunday it will allow a limited amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza after a nearly threemonth blockade, days after global experts on food security warned of famine
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a “starvation crisis” would jeopardize Israel’s new military offensive in Gaza, and his Cabinet approved a decision to allow a “basic” amount of food into the territory of over 2 million people.
It was not immediately clear when aid would enter Gaza, or how
The Israeli military body in charge of overseeing aid did not comment
Israel has been trying to impose a new aid system, despite objections by aid workers Netanyahu said Israel would work to ensure that aid does not reach militants.
Israel imposed the blockade starting March 2, cutting off all food, medicine and other supplies to Gaza, while pressing Hamas to accept new ceasefire terms. Israel resumed the war days later, shattering a two-month truce.
Earlier on Sunday, Israel said it launched “extensive” new ground operations in its new offensive — the largest since the ceasefire. Airstrikes killed at least 103 people,
Israeli
including dozens of children, hospitals and medics said. The bombardment also forced northern Gaza’s main hospital to close as it reported direct strikes.
Israel wants Hamas to agree to a temporary ceasefire that would free hostages from Gaza but not necessarily end the war Hamas says it wants a full withdrawal of Israeli forces and a path to ending the war as part of any deal.
“When the Jews want a truce, Hamas refuses, and when Hamas wants a truce, the Jews refuse it Both sides agree to exterminate the Palestinian people,” said Jabaliya resident Abu Mohammad Yassin,
who was among those fleeing the new offensive on foot or in donkey carts. “For God’s sake, have mercy on us. We are tired of displacement.”
Israel’s military, which recently called up tens of thousands of reservists, said the ground operations are throughout the Palestinian territory’s north and south. Israel’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said that plans include “dissecting” the strip.
Airstrikes killed more than 48 people including 18 children and 13 women — in and around the southern city of Khan Younis, according to Nasser Hospital, which said it struggled to count the dead
Turbulent waters may have contributed to N.Y. ship crash
Mexican training vessel hit Brooklyn Bridge, killing 2 sailors
BY JOSHUA GOODMAN and SUSAN HAIGH Associated Press
When a Mexican navy tall ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge it was maneuvering in turbulent waters. The tide had just turned, and a fast current was heading up the East River as a 10 mph wind set in.
While such hazards are easily handled by an experienced captain, mistakes can be costly in the heavily transited New York harbor, where narrow, curvy channels, winds howling off the jagged Manhattan skyline and whirlpool-like eddies can combine to make for difficult passage.
In the case of the 300foot Cuauhtemoc, two sailors were killed and 19 were injured Saturday evening when the training ship struck the iconic bridge, toppling the vessel’s three masts like dominoes as it drifted toward a crowded pier It’s unknown what caused the collision, and an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board is likely to take months
But footage of the collision shot by horrified onlookers show the ship
FDA
hurtling into the bridge in reverse at full speed, suggesting the captain lost control of the engine. There are also questions about whether a tugboat escort peeled away too soon and should have been rigged to the ship or stayed with it until it headed out to sea. Similar tugboat concerns emerged when a large cargo vessel crashed into a bridge in Baltimore last year Sal Mercogliano, a former merchant mariner who has powered multiple ships through the New York harbor, said all those “worst-case scenarios” the ship’s height, a strong current, heavy wind and the absence of a more controlled tugboat escort — all contributed to the tragedy
“The prudent thing would’ve been to leave two
hours earlier, when the tide was going out That would’ve been the ideal time,” said Mercogliano, who writes a widely followed shipping blog. “But I don’t think they ever envisioned that their engine would’ve propelled them into the bridge.”
Still, he said an even deadlier catastrophe was avoided by the ship’s steel rigging, which prevented the masts from falling into the water as well as the fact that the crew stayed harnessed in position rather than taking the risk that some members could tumble from a 12-story height as they scrambled down the rat lines.
“You could have had guys strapped in drowning in the river,” he said. “This could have been a lot worse.”
BY LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Food and Drug Administration has issued a long-awaited approval of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine but with unusual restrictions.
Novavax makes the nation’s only traditional protein-based coronavirus vaccine and until now it had emergency authorization from FDA for use in anyone 12 and older
But late Friday, the FDA granted the company full approval for its vaccine for use only in adults 65 and older — or those 12 to 64 who have at least one health problem that puts them at increased risk
from COVID-19. Vaccines made by Novavax’s competitors Pfizer and Moderna already are fully licensed for use in anyone 12 and older, and also are authorized for use in children as young as 6 months.
Next month, influential advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were set to debate if yearly COVID vaccines still should be recommended for everyone or only certain people at higher risk. The Novavax decision suggests the Trump administration may already have decided how to proceed in advance of that meeting.
Novavax chief executive John C. Jacobs welcomed
the licensure.
“Market research and U.S. CDC statistics indicate that older individuals and those with underlying conditions are the populations most likely to seek out COVID-19 vaccination seasonally This significant milestone demonstrates our commitment to these populations and is a significant step towards availability of our proteinbased vaccine option,” he said.
In its Friday approval letter the FDA didn’t explain the restrictions although they reflect skepticism about vaccines from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and other Trump officials.
because of the condition of bodies.
In northern Gaza, a strike on a home in Jabaliya killed nine members of a family, according to the Gaza Health Ministry’s emergency services. Another strike on a residence there killed 10, including seven children and a woman, according to the civil defense, which operates under the Hamas-run government. Israel’s military had no immediate comment. Its statement announcing the ground operations said preliminary strikes over the past week killed dozens of militants and struck more than 670 targets.
Israel blames civilian casualties on Hamas because the militant group operates from civilian areas.
Israel had said it would wait until the end of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East before launching its offensive, saying it was giving ceasefire efforts a chance. Trump didn’t visit Israel on his trip that ended Friday
Netanyahu’s office said his negotiating team in Qatar was “working to realize every chance for a deal,” including one that would end fighting in exchange for the release of all remaining 58 hostages, Hamas’ exile from Gaza and the disarmament of the territory
Hamas has refused to leave Gaza or disarm.
Gaza’s Health Ministry has said almost 3,000 people have been killed since the last ceasefire ended.
BY SARAH RAZA and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press
A 25-year-old man the FBI believes was responsible for an explosion that ripped through a Southern California fertility clinic left behind “anti-pro-life” writings before carrying out an attack investigators are calling an act of terrorism, authorities said Sunday Guy Edward Bartkus, of Twentynine Palms California, was identified by the FBI as the suspect in the apparent car bomb detonation Saturday that damaged the clinic in the upscale city of Palm Springs in the desert east of Los Angeles.
Investigators believe Barktus died in the blast, which a senior FBI official called possibly the “largest bombing scene that we’ve had in Southern California.”
A body was found near a charred vehicle outside the clinic.
Bartkus attempted to livestream the explosion and left behind writings that communicated “nihilistic ideations” that were still being examined to determine his state of mind, said Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office. U.S. Attorney Bilal “Bill” Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in the area, called the writings “anti-pro-life.”
The Associated Press reported Saturday night that those writings professed a sentiment that the world should not be populated.
“This was a targeted attack against the IVF facility,” Davis said Sunday “Make no mistake: we are treating this, as I said yesterday, as an intentional act of terrorism.”
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BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
VATICAN CITY Pope Leo XIV
vowed Sunday to work for unity in a polarized Catholic Church and world, as history’s first American pope offered a message of healing during an inaugural Mass in St. Peter’s Square before an estimated 200,000 pilgrims, presidents, patriarchs and princes Leo officially opened his pontificate by taking his first popemobile tour through the piazza, a rite of passage that has become synonymous with the papacy’s global reach and mediatic draw The 69-yearold Augustinian missionary smiled and waved from the back of the truck to people waving U.S., Peruvian and other national flags, and stopped to bless some babies in the crowd.
During the Mass, Leo appeared to choke up when the two potent symbols of the papacy were placed on him — the lamb’s wool stole over his shoulders and the fisherman’s ring on his finger — as if the weight of responsibility of leading the 1.4-billion strong church had just sunk in
He turned his hand to look at the ring and then clasped his hands in front of him in prayer
Vice President JD Vance, one of the last foreign officials to see Pope Francis before he died, led the American delegation honoring the Chicago-born Leo. Vance paid his respects at Francis’ tomb after arriving in Rome late Saturday In his homily, Leo said that he wanted to be a servant to the faithful through the two dimensions of the papacy love and unity, so that the church could be a force for peace in the world “I would like that our first great desire be for a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world,” he said. “In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest.”
His words echoed some of Francis’ key priorities, but his call for unity was significant, given the polarization in the Catholic Church in the United States and beyond.
Francis’ radical 12-year pontificate, which emphasized care for the poor and marginalized, and disdain for the capitalist economic system, often alienated conservatives who begged for a new pope who could pacify divisions. Leo’s election on May 8, after a remarkably quick 24-hour conclave, appears to have pleased
conservative Catholics who seem to appreciate his more disciplined, traditional style and Augustinian background, emphasizing core truths of Catholic doctrine.
Leo drove that message home by wearing the papacy’s formal red cape, or mozzetta, to receive Vance and official government delegations after the Mass. Francis had eschewed many of the formalities of the papacy as part of his simple style, but Leo’s return to the traditional garb has pleased conservatives and traditionalists, who breathed a sigh of relief when he came out
Zelenskyy meets with U.S., European officials ahead of Trump-Putin call
BY GIADA ZAMPANO and ELISE MORTON Associated Press
ROME Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with top U.S officials and European leaders on Sunday in Rome, ahead of a high-stakes phone call Monday between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the war in Ukraine.
The discussions came as Russia launched what Ukraine called its largest drone barrage against Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022, after the first direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in years failed to yield a ceasefire Friday Zelenskyy spoke with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the U.S. ambassador’s residence, after attending the inaugural Mass for Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square. Zelenskyy said on social media he had underscored the need for “real diplomacy” and reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to a “full and unconditional ceasefire.”
He said they discussed sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defense cooperation and plans for the upcoming prisoner exchange with Russia that was agreed in talks between the two
sides in Istanbul. Trump has said he plans to speak with Putin about stopping the “bloodbath” in Ukraine, and then speak to Zelenskyy and leaders of various NATO countries.
Zelenskyy also met with the new pope after the Mass. “The authority and voice of the Holy See can play an important role in bringing this war to an end,” the Ukrainian president wrote on social media. He thanked the Vatican for its readiness to become a platform for direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
Rubio on Saturday said the Vatican could be a venue for peace talks, taking up the Holy See’s long-standing offer after Leo vowed to personally make “every effort”
to help end the war
Ahead of a meeting in Rome with Vance and Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni, EU Commission head Ursula Von der Leyen urged parties to “push things forward.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he spoke to Zelenskyy and Rubio on the sidelines of the pope’s inauguration. Merz said he had agreed with the leaders of France and Britain “that we will speak again with the American president in preparation for this conversation.”
Merz told reporters that “my firm impression is that both the Europeans and the Americans are determined to work together, but now also in a goal-oriented manner, to ensure that this terrible war ends soon.”
onto the loggia wearing the red cape on May 8.
But Leo did break protocol when he gave his older brother, Louis Prevost, a self-described political “MAGA-type,” a bear hug in the basilica when he and his wife came up to greet the pope.
“Let us build a church founded on God’s love, a sign of unity, a missionary church that opens its arms to the world, proclaims the word, allows itself to be made restless by history, and becomes a leaven of harmony for humanity,” Leo said.
Strict diplomatic protocol dictated the seating arrangements at the inaugural Mass, with both the U.S. and Peru getting front-row seats thanks to Leo’s dual citizenship. Vance, a Catholic convert who tangled with Francis over the Trump administration’s mass migrant deportation plans, was joined by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived in Rome ahead of time to try to advance Russia-Ukraine peace talks.
Peruvian President Dina Boluarte was one of around a dozen heads of state who attended, as well as Ukraini-
an President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Russia had planned to send its culture minister, but was represented by its ambassador reports said. Diplomatic protocol also dictated the dress code: While most wore black, a handful of Catholic royals — Queen Letizia of Spain and Princess Charlene of Monaco, among others — wore white in a special privilege allowed them. Three dozen of the world’s other Christian churches sent representatives, the Jewish community had a 13-member delegation, half of them rabbis. Other representatives headed Buddhist, Muslim, Zoroastrian, Hindu, Sikh and Jain delegations. Security was tight, as it was for Francis’ funeral on April 26, which drew an estimated 250,000 people. The Vatican said that 200,000 were on hand Sunday in the piazza and surrounding streets, parks and piazzas, where giant television screens and portable toilets were set up. At the end of the Mass, Leo expressed hope for negotiations to bring a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine and offered prayers for the people of Gaza — children, families and older people who are “reduced to starvation,” he said. Leo made no mention of hostages taken by Hamas from southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, as Francis usually did when praying for Gaza.
BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press
WASHINGTON Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged Sunday that Walmart, the largest U.S. retailer, may pass along some of the costs from President Donald Trump’s tariffs to its shoppers through higher prices.
Bessent described his call with the company’s CEO a day after Trump warned Walmart to avoid raising prices from the tariffs at all and vowed to keep a close watch on what it does.
As doubts persist about Trump’s economic leadership, Bessent pushed back against inflation concerns,
praised the uncertainty caused by Trump as a negotiating tactic for trade talks and dismissed the downgrade Friday of U.S. government debt by Moody’s Ratings. Yet Walmart does not appear prepared to “eat the tariffs” in full, as Trump has insisted the company and China would do.
Bessent said he spoke Saturday with Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, stressing in two news show interviews that what he thought really mattered for Walmart customers was the decline in gasoline prices. Gas is averaging roughly $3.18 a gallon, down from a year ago but also higher over the past
week, according to AAA. “Walmart will be absorbing some of the tariffs, some may get passed on to consumers,” Bessent said on CNN. “Overall, I would expect inflation to remain in line. But I don’t blame consumers for being skittish after what happened to them for years under Biden,” a reference to inflation hitting a four-decade high in June 2022 under then President Joe Biden as the recovery from the pandemic, government spending and the Russian invasion of Ukraine pushed up costs. Walmart did not comment on Bessent’s description of his conversation with McMillon.
BY ALAN SUDERMAN Associated Press
The Justice Department may drop its criminal prosecution of Boeing for allegedly misleading U.S regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed and killed 346 people, according to a weekend court filing.
The department said in a Saturday status report that two representatives
had met with the families of some crash victims to discuss a potential pretrial resolution that would involve dismissing the criminal fraud charge against the aerospace company
The Justice Department said no decision had been made and that it was giving the family members more time to weigh in A federal judge in Texas has set the case for trial starting June 23.
Paul Cassell, an attorney for many of the families in the long-running case, said his clients strongly oppose dropping the criminal case. “We hope that this bizarre plan will be rejected by the leadership of the department,” Cassell said in a statement. “Dismissing the case would dishonor the memories of 346 victims who Boeing killed through its callous lies.”
Continued from page 1A
In interviews, several former foster clients who aged out and even some with permanent living situations described traumatic experiences from their time in the system, including attempted suicide, homelessness, abuse, mental health crises, substance abuse and an overall lack of support All of them said the majority of these situations followed them into adulthood.
All said that while they have left state-mandated observation, their struggles unfortunately stick around, and finding help as an adult comes with more barriers.
For those who found their footing after leaving the system with no permanent home, it has taken years
Morris-LaCour said that having no stability during her adolescence left her vulnerable as an adult, allowing some people to take advantage of her
“I feel like the system failed me,” she said. “If it wasn’t for my husband’s family, I wouldn’t have been able to make it. I’d probably be dead.”
A new approach
Louisiana officially began efforts to extend foster care in 2018.
At the time, proponents of the move and former foster youth shared gripping emotional testimonies and statistics with state legisla-
Continued from page 1A
Economists and former legislators are warning lawmakers that passage of the tax cuts could put Louisiana on the same difficult path they had to follow after the Legislature and then-Gov Bobby Jindal approved a big tax cut in 2008 Jindal and others said the tax cut would generate enough new investment and spending to pay for itself. It didn’t, economists say In fact, years of crippling budget cuts followed for the state’s universities and public health care.
Jindal’s successor, John Bel Edwards, and the new Legislature in 2016 inherited a $2 billion deficit that they addressed by raising the state sales tax.
“The Legislature ought to be paying attention to when you make significant revenue cuts and don’t contemplate the consequences down the road,” said Jay Dardenne, who as Edwards’ chief budget officer helped devise the plan to eliminate the deficit.
Emerson told the Ways and Means Committee that the changes would provide needed tax relief for Louisiana’s hardworking residents and make the state a more attractive place for investors and residents alike.
What the bills do
Emerson’s two tax cut bills passed the House overwhelmingly and were scheduled to be heard by the Senate Revenue & Fiscal Affairs Committee on Monday until she asked for a delay
“I’m working through trying to reconcile the numbers,” she said Friday in a text.
Her House Bill 578 would reduce the state sales tax from 5% to 4.75% and her House Bill 667 would drop the individual income tax rate from 3% to 2.75% and double the standard deduction for people over 65. A third bill would eliminate the state savings account known as the Revenue Stabilization Fund and redirect the money that has poured
JAVIER GALLEGOS
STAFF FILE PHOTO By
Wendi LeMoine, executive director of Brave Heart Louisiana Children in Need, unpacks a box at the organization’s storage facility. The nonprofit collects electronics, tools, and apartment and dorm supplies for youths aging out of the Louisiana foster system.
tors — including that for those who age out of foster care, 3 out of 5 will be homeless within a year And 3 out of 4 of these youths will be incarcerated at some point in their lives, according to data from a legislative task force.
Former Gov John Bel Edwards signed legislation in 2019 to extend foster care to the age of 21, which came with a cost of around $3 million amid an already-struggling
DCFS budget.
DCFS has since implemented a voluntary Extended Foster Care program for young adults ages 18 to 21. There are requirements for
into it. Under the change, that money would flow instead into the fund that legislators tap into annually for the state’s spending needs. This is the change Emerson says will offset the cuts.
The House is scheduled to take up the bill on Monday Tax revenue projections by the Legislative Fiscal Office on Emerson’s bills are based on an analysis by a state board known as the Revenue Estimating Conference This four-member board next meets on Wednesday and might raise revenue forecasts, which would reduce the projected deficits from Emerson’s bills
Emerson is a well-liked, thirdterm Republican legislator from Carencro, near Lafayette, who wields enormous power over tax policy as chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Her bills include several elements that were defeated by voters when Amendment 2, a sprawling proposed constitutional amendment, lost at the ballot box on March 29.
If approved by the Legislature, Emerson’s repeal of the Revenue Stabilization Fund would go on the statewide ballot next year as a proposed constitutional amendment.
The tax cuts would take effect only if voters approved the constitutional amendment.
The sales tax cut would cost the state treasury $266 million in fiscal year 2028, which goes from July 1, 2027, to June 30, 2028, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan fiscal staff.
The income tax cut and reduction in seniors’ taxes would cost the treasury $377 million in 2028. Together the two measures would mean a $643 million loss of tax revenue that year
Why legislators back plan
But, Emerson told the Ways and Means Committee, eliminating the Revenue Stabilization Fund would equalize that loss. She would achieve this through House bills 678 and 683.
The fund was created through a constitutional amendment in 2016 and established that all corporate
being able to remain in the program, such as school enrollment or employment. Those who qualify are assigned a LifeSet specialist, a case worker who provides one-on-one services
Shannon Catanzaro, a manager of DCFS’ Extended Foster Care program, said getting the program off the ground and running took time, but it has been growing in recent years.
“Over the last few years, we’ve been doing a lot,” she said.
Catanzaro said it has pushed more young adults to graduate high school or GED programs
The program had 215 participants as of March. The program doesn’t include every former foster youth. Some want to get support outside of DCFS or are unable to meet the eligibility requirements, while others are not aware of the program.
Doucet, a Hammond resident who aged out of care, was not so lucky in finding resources to help him a decade ago but was “blown away” by new extended foster care initiatives and resources.
Doucet echoes sentiments shown by data collected on those who age out, and he emphasizes the need for resources, especially mental health resources, for anyone like him.
“What happens when someone like myself ages out of foster care, it’s not good,” he said. “Someone like myself should be in prison.”
‘Gaps to fill’
A few groups and people have
tax revenue above $600 million each year would flow into the new fund.
To the surprise of virtually everyone, corporate tax revenue exceeded projections afterward and filled the Revenue Stabilization Fund with $3 billion.
During each of the last two years, $1 billion in excess corporate tax collections above the $600 million poured into the Revenue Stabilization Fund.
Emerson noted that, if the Revenue Stabilization Fund didn’t exist, that $1 billion would have been available for annual state spending.
That money “covers the payments of the rate reductions,” Emerson said in an interview She noted later in a text that the fiscal note for HB678 calls its estimates “highly speculative and reflects a precautionary approach until the observance of actual collections.”
The Legislature, in a special session in November, eliminated the corporate franchise tax and instituted a flat corporate income tax of 5.5%, noted Jim Richardson, a retired LSU economist who for years served as the independent member of the Revenue Estimating Conference. Richardson expects these changes to produce a substantial drop in corporate tax revenue, which would translate into less money to offset the tax cuts if the Revenue Stabilization Fund were repealed. Richardson noted that corporate tax revenue is difficult to predict. Also difficult to predict, he added, is how Louisiana’s trade-dependent economy will fare over the next two years given all the economic uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s tariff proposals.
After crunching the numbers, the Legislative Fiscal Office is projecting that eliminating the Revenue Stabilization Fund would generate only an extra $53 million for legislative spending in 2027 for fiscal year 2028. With the tax cuts forecast to reduce revenue by $643 million in 2028, the net projected shortfall from the changes would be $590 million that year, according to the Legislative Fiscal Office.
found ways to augment efforts to extend help for former foster youth.
LSU is currently taking inspiration from other SEC universities and is implementing a donor-funded program this upcoming fall to provide support services to the former foster youth attending the university
Michael Rozales, a case manager at LSU who is helping form the program, wants it to provide academic, emotional and potentially financial support to help former foster youth navigate college.
The pipeline for foster youth to college graduate is predictably low, as only half of the children in foster care will finish high school by age 19 — and those who finish college belong to a strikingly smaller group, according to the National Foster Youth Institute. National studies have said 3% to 4% of former foster youth get a four-year college degree, and between 2% and 6% receive a two-year degree.
“I hope (the program) has any kind of positive impact, even if it’s the smallest thing,” he said.
Some other statewide groups that aid foster children have carved out projects to specifically help young adults who were in foster care.
Brave Heart Louisiana Children in Need, a nonprofit that collects donations to create care packages for foster children, formed a program in 2021 for foster youth who are aging out.
The nonprofit, through donations and grants, collects electronics,
The economists are projecting shortfalls of $500 million in fiscal year 2029 and $350 million in fiscal year 2030 from the changes.
Sen. Franklin Foil, R-Baton Rouge, chairs the Senate committee that will hear Emerson’s tax cut bills. He was one of the 102 House members who in 2008 unanimously approved the tax cut that contributed to the deficits that followed.
Foil noted that lawmakers approved the tax cut, sponsored by then-Sen. B.L. “Buddy” Shaw, RShreveport, when the state had plenty of money In retrospect, Foil said, “it was probably too much, too fast.”
Discussing Emerson’s bill, Foil added, “You have to be careful not to move too quick. It’s difficult later to try to turn around and raise taxes. We have time to review the data and look at the numbers.”
Hard lessons
Shaw’s tax cut repealed a portion of the Stelly tax plan passed under the aegis of then-Gov Mike Foster Named after Vic Stelly the state House member who pushed the idea, the Stelly plan aimed to end years of chronic budget shortfalls. One way it did that was by having higher tax rates kick in at lower income levels and by eliminating a popular tax deduction Together, the changes meant higher taxes for upper-income taxpayers.
But Shaw objected to that after hearing from constituents and authored a bill to reverse the Stelly changes. Jindal tried to kill the bill, but after the Revenue & Fiscal Affairs Committee passed it, he supported the measure, and it flew through the House and Senate.
Among those who voted for it was then-state Rep. John Bel Edwards, who expressed regret when he later became governor because of the budget problems it caused.
Lawmakers didn’t realize it at the time, but the U.S. economy was falling into the Great Recession in 2008 Oil prices plummeted, costing Louisiana tens of millions of dollars per year
Between the tax loss from Stelly and the economic troubles, state tax revenues dropped from $12 bil-
tools, apartment and dorm supplies, Executive Director Wendi LeMoine said.
LeMoine is proud of the program and its impact, but due to a lack of available funds, it was able to serve only about a quarter of those who aged out last year, she said.
“We’ve grown it a little bit year by year but it’s in no way fully funded.
We have some gaps to fill,” LeMoine said.
Kerri Vinyard runs H2O Ministry in Hammond, which is a home for women who have aged out of foster care. It came to fruition in 2020 as a private entity and later became licensed under DCFS. It currently can house three women at a time.
Vinyard, who isn’t paid for her work with the home, said, “God led me to here.”
Johnson got involved with Vinyard’s group when she was 20.
“At first I was hesitant, because every time I stayed with people I had to leave,” she said.
Johnson, with eventual help from Vinyard and other connections, was able to graduate from high school and get two jobs. But for a time, she didn’t think any of that was possible.
“I think I would have committed suicide,” she said.
Johnson now works with the Louisiana Elite Advocacy Force to advocate for foster youth and prompt good policy changes for them.
Email Claire Grunewald at claire.grunewald@theadvocate. com.
lion to $9 billion by 2012.
“We passed the Shaw bill, we went into the hole and ended up with a $2 billion problem (in 2016),” said then-state Sen. Robert Adley, R-Benton, who, like Edwards, later regretted voting with Shaw
The loss of key government services left voters unhappy with Jindal when he left office in 2016, pollsters said.
Adley said lawmakers ought to follow the projections from the Legislative Fiscal Office that come from the Revenue Estimating Conference.
He remembered that the conference was created in the late 1980s to ensure truth in budget forecasting. Adley said then-Gov Edwin Edwards balanced a budget once after having his budget director call for a recess during a meeting. When the budget director returned, he now forecast a higher price for oil that, voilà!, balanced the budget.
“Lawmakers played with those numbers to get what they wanted,” Adley said.
Steven Procopio, who heads the Public Affairs Research Council, expressed a similar concern to Adley’s.
“You’re adding additional risk to our budget if you move away from the official forecast and what the economists say,” Procopio said.
Jan Moller, who heads Invest in Louisiana, said that Emerson’s bills, if passed in their current form, could cause the same headaches for Gov Jeff Landry as they did for Jindal.
“The math is the math,” said Moller Emerson’s proposal “jeopardizes existing services. It also jeopardizes Gov Landry’s priorities. He wants more money for GATOR Scholarships, more money for law enforcement, and it’s very likely that Louisiana will have to put up more money for disaster recovery and maintaining the Medicaid services we’re paying for This is a very risky gamble at a very perilous time for Louisiana’s economy.” Landry’s office declined to comment.
Email Tyler Bridges at tbridges@ theadvocate.com.
Our Savior’sChurchinOpelousasbought 135 acres of land in 2014, alargeportion of whichitisusing for commercial development. The property,branded as theI-49 Gatewaydevelopment, wasdivided into 17 lots, and nowall but four have been sold
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Theseller was unswayed and sold the 135 acres to the church for $2.9 million back in 2014 to give the growing congregation apermanent home in St. LandryParish.
Church officials, however, did not just plan to build a church.Only aportion of the land ended up being used for the church, with the majority of it set aside for commercial development.
The property,branded as the I-49 Gateway development, was divided into 17 lots, and now all but four have been sold. The biggest highlight may have come last year when aBaton Rouge-basedcharterschool bought 17 acres. It plans to open this fall.
Reiszner recalled the day he brought the church’ssenior pastor,Jacob Aranza, to the site.
“The first words out of his mouth were, ‘There’sgold in the dirt,’”Reiszner said. “Weknew if Opelousas was going to start flourishing, we’re going to have to have industry and places for people to work.It’spart of our work in the communities— to see it rise again.”
The project is also coming along as residential growth is happening in the southern end of St.Landry along the I-49 corridor.Specific population data for that area is unavailable, buthomeconstruction hasincreasedsignificantly in recent years, said Bill Rodier,now in his 13th year as head of the St Landry EconomicDevelopment office.
“For probably (my) first eight or nine years, Ihad almost no significant interest in consolidated residential development,” Rodier said. “Now,we’ve gotinterestall over the place. Ireallythink within the next fourtofive years that whole area in and around Harry Guilbeau Road along I-49, it’sgoing to be really difficult, if not impossible, to find green space.” Thesite Team Honda was the first to buy property in the devel-
opment back in 2018. Other sales followed: apediatric dentistry group, awomen’s health center, apediatrician’soffice and an ENT specialist.
Lafayette Shooters also bought alot, and Helix bought the 17 acres in the back. Aspecialtymeats store had adeal in place but put it on hold, Reisznersaid.
The property sales netted more than $4.2 million, land records show
“They have very savvy leadership over there,”
Dwayne Hargroder,ofthe Hargroder Real Estate Group, said of thechurch.
“They’re very forwardthinking. What’shappened is we’ve had somenational franchises kind of pushback originally on thelocation because there were not enough rooftops. We now have rooftops.We’re starting tosee that area develop.”
Theschool, Helix A&I and Medical Academy,could serveasasecondanchorin thedevelopment alongwith thechurch as it plans to open Aug.7tostudents in kindergartenthrough fifth grade, HelixCommunity Schools President and CEO Preston Castille said. Asecond phase of construction will beginthisyear for buildings to house grades sixthrough eight, and the campus is eventually expected to hold 900 students.
It’salso acominghome of sorts for Castille, who graduated valedictorian from Plaisance High School in 1985 andwhose motheralso attends Our Savior’sChurch, which has nearly 3,500 regular attendees Castille, now the District 8representativeonthe state’sBoard of Elementary andSecondary Education, likes the location next to the church along with its proximity to at least three medical offices and Opelousas General Hospital’ssouth campus.
“That church has done a wonderful job in the community,particularly that campus,”Castillesaid. “While we don’thave any formal affiliation, we’reeducating children and they’re very much about the whole family.Welikeour geographical proximity to thechurch.”
The I-49Gateway developmentlies within the Central St.Landry Economic Development District, which levies a1-cent sales tax on purchases at eligible businesses within the district.
Gross sales tax collections have increased each of the past fourfiscal years and topped $1.7 million in 202324, accordingtodatafrom the sales tax office with the St.Landry ParishSchool Board. Collections so far this fiscal year are at $1.56 million
The district has received a boost from the Love’sTravel Center that opened two yearsago. Company officials say that store is oneofits highest performers for fuel sales among its U.S. stores, Rodier said.
Therevenue will help fund aproject to doublethe size of the wastewater treatment facility that was built in recent yearsbut has already reached capacity because of the increased residential construction, he said. Work will start this year on lighting along I-49 at all four Opelousas exits.
“There are gaps in the lights right now,” Rodier said. “Bythe end of this year, there will not be one gap between one interchange to the next. It will be solid, brandnew, state-of-the-art LED lighting.”
On the residential side, national builder D.R. Horton is continuing to secure lots for single-family homes, Rodier said. While census datashows theparish has lost population since 2020, real estatedatashows home sales areonthe rise across theparish.
AmongAcadiana parishes, St. Landry hadthe mosthomes sold in thefirst
quarter,outside Lafayette Parish,and thenumber of newly built homes sold has doubled from ayear ago, according to data compiled by Bill Bacque, of Market Scope Consulting. The averageoverall sale price —just under $190,000 —is35% lower than that in Lafayette Parish Yetchallengespersist in Opelousas, where the median household income is about afourth of that in Youngsville andjust over 1out of every3 people live in poverty,census datashows. St.Landry hadthe highestdomestic population loss— 541 among Acadianaparishes betweenJuly 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024, data shows. “I know (thecity) has problems,” Reiszner said. “Weknow that. It gets a badrap.Ikeep tellingour congregation the desert is starting to bloom. It’scoming. To watch that happen, it’sall God. I’m blown away by what God has done.”
Email Adam Daigleat adaigle@theadvocate. com.
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having spread to the bone.
Biden
“While this represents amoreaggr essi ve form of the disease,the cancer appears to be hormonesensitive which allows for effective management,” his office said. “The President and his family arereviewing treatmentoptions with his physicians.”
Prostate cancers are graded foraggressiveness using what’s known as aGleason score. The scores range from 6to10, with 8, 9and 10 prostate cancers behaving more aggressively.Biden’s officesaidhis scorewas 9, suggesting his cancer is among the mostaggressive.
When prostate cancer spreads to other parts of the body,itoftenspreads to the bones. Metastasized cancer is much harder to treat than localizedcancer because it can be hard fordrugs to reach allthe tumors and completely root outthe disease.
However,when prostate cancers need hormones to grow,asinBiden’scase, they can be susceptible to treatment that deprives the tumors of hormones.
Outcomeshaveimproved in recent decades and patients can expect to live with metastatic prostate cancer forfourorfive years, said Dr.Matthew Smith of Massachusetts General Brigham Cancer Center “It’svery treatable, but not curable,” Smithsaid. “Most men in this situationwould be treated withdrugs and would notbeadvisedtohave either surgery or radiation therapy.”
Many political leaders sent Biden their wishesfor his recovery President Donald Trump, alongtime political opponent, posted on social media that he wassaddened by the
news and“we wish Joe afast and successful recovery.” Biden’svice president, Kamala Harris, said on social mediathatshe waskeeping him in her family’s“hearts andprayers during this time.”
“Joe is afighter —and Iknow he will face this challenge withthe same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership,” Harris wrote. The health of Biden, 82, wasa dominant concern among voters during his time as president.After a calamitous debate performance in June while seeking reelection,Biden abandoned his bid for asecond term. Harris became the nominee and lost to Trump, aRepublican who returned to the White House after a four-year hiatus.
But in recentdays, Biden rejected concerns about hisage despite reporting in the new book “Original Sin” by JakeTapperand Alex Thompson that aideshad shielded the public from the extent of his decline while serving as president.
In February 2023,Biden hada skin lesion removed from his chestthatwas a basal cell carcinoma, acommon formofskin cancer
And in November 2021, he had apolyp removed from hiscolon that was abenign, butpotentiallypre-cancerous lesion. In 2022, Biden made a “cancermoonshot” oneof his administration’sprioritieswith thegoal of halving the cancer death rate over the next 25 years. The initiative was acontinuation of his work as vice president to address adisease that had killed hisolder son, Beau, who died frombrain cancer in 2015.
His father,when announcingthe goal to halve the cancer death rate, said this could be an “American moment to prove to ourselves and, quite frankly,the world that we can do really big things.” Associated Press writer Jon Fahey in NewYork contributed to this report.
BY MEGAN WYATT Staff writer
Newly elected Lake Charles Mayor Marshall Simien Jr says he will scrap plans for a $24 million amphitheater project downtown in place of the former Capital One tower Simien, who will take office July 1, made his opposition to the amphitheater project a cornerstone of his campaign, in which he defeated two-term incumbent Mayor Nic Hunter in a May 3 runoff. The two pitched voters on dueling visions for the lakefront property, as Hunter pushed a plan to replace the dilapidated skyscraper — hit hard by Hurricane Laura — with an amphitheater with space for up to 3,500 attendees. Contractors imploded the building last year
Crowd gets reaction from passing vehicles
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
Indivisible Acadiana took its protest against President Donald Trump’s actions and policies to Lafayette’s south side Saturday, where support for Trump in the 2024 election was strong.
About 40 people held signs and flags at the busy intersection of Ambassador Caffery Parkway and Kaliste Saloom Road as part of a National Day of Action opposing the Trump administration’s assault on the Constitution, journalists, allies, immigrants, people of color, the LGBTQIA+ community and the environment, Matthew Isaak of Indivisible Acadiana, said in a news release. While there were fewer protesters than some previous events, Isaak said, “It doesn’t matter how many people are holding signs. It matters how many people see them.”
Saturday’s protest at one of the city’s busiest intersections certainly got attention.
The five protests in the past six weeks were held in downtown Lafayette. Saturday’s protesters were confronted, not just by supporters, but by Trump allies, some who made
ä See PROTEST, page 4B
BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer
From 2006 through 2021, there were 444 lightning strike deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The states with the most lightning strike deaths include:
n Florida — 79 deaths
n Texas 36 deaths
n Colorado — 24 deaths
n North Carolina — 21 deaths
n Arizona 17 deaths.
Louisiana had 12 deaths due to lightning strikes between 2006 and 2021, ranking 11th in the nation (tied with South Carolina).
Florida is considered the “lightning capital” of the country, with more than 2,000 lightning injuries over the past 50 years. Washington, New Hampshire,
ä See LIGHTNING, page 4B
During his campaign, Simien questioned why the city would want to give up property and sales tax revenue that could be generated by private investment at the site. He said in a recent interview that he does not necessarily have plans for the property at this point, but he does not want taxpayers to foot the bill.
“I would like it to be entertainment and hospitality, so people can
come into town and stay and enjoy this area,” Simien said. “But that’s got to be driven by the private sector because obviously, they have to invest and see what’s profitable.”
Taxpayers approved a lakefront amphitheater project in 2023 as part of a bond proposal known as LC Rebound that reallocated existing taxes. Initial plans called for
rebuilding a more modern venue at the existing Arcade Amphitheater, which is located less than half a mile from the Capital One site. But when the City Council approved the purchase of the Capital One tower site and parking garage for $2.9 million last December, plans changed to build
TOP: Foodies of Lafayette hosted a public cake picnic inside the Petroleum Club on Sunday. To participate, the only requirement was to bring a cake (homemade or store bought) to share. Jojo Dailey, left, and her mom, Ji Dailey, cut slices of one of the many cakes
LEFT: A Pistachio Rose Bundt cake was available to share.
Production designer created film’s visuals with a crew of Louisiana artists
BY JENNA ROSS Staff writer
Early in the film “Sinners,” a buoyant, bloody box-office hit filmed in Louisiana and set in the Mississippi Delta of the 1930s the audience encounters a small house, shaded by oak trees, its front boards stained blue. That blue, an earthy turquoise, shows up again and again through the movie, a protective force in a world populated by vampires.
The thoroughly Southern “Sinners,” released in April, has dominated theaters across the country earning praise for its director
Ryan Coogler and its star Michael B. Jordan. But its intricate sets, and the Louisiana artists who created them, are becoming stars in their own right, with fans analyzing their every detail, down to the hues of the painted boards.
“Every streak of rust was purposeful,” said Timotheus Davis, art director and lifelong New Orleanian.
Some of the film’s artists, including New Orleans-based Oscar winner Hannah Beachler, the film’s production designer have been sharing sketches and behindthe-scenes photographs since the film’s release, joining the online conversation decoding the scenes and their symbolism Set decorator Monique Champagne, who lives in Houma, offered her own before-and-afters.
“To see the response from the
As formersecretary of the Department of Health, Iwas deeply disappointed to seethe Senate passSenate Bill134. SB134 would protect negligent nursing home companies and private equity firms from any significant consequences for blatant abuse and neglect
This is especially concerning since Louisiana’snursing homes are ranked as the very worst in the nation with an average of 2.31 on the CMS quality rating system (according to April 2025 data) and havethe highest concentration of nursing homes that qualify as twoor one-star facilities, meaning that they are below average or much below average.
SB134 would allow nursing home management and administrators who don’tprovideany health care services and don’t have ahealthcare license to be included under the Medical Malpractice Act, so they are no longer held legally accountable forunderstaffed and negligent nursing homes.
So if your loved one dies of pressuresores becauseofnegligent staffing practices, the management companies will hide behind that negligentact as medical care and therefore receive protection under the Medical Malpractice Act.
Thisisnot just about lawsuits against abusive or negligent nursing home owners.Liability and legal restitution function as tools to ensure facilities comply with the law.Ifthis law passes, that will be gone. There will be no reasonfor themto provide adequatecare and will deprive vulnerable elderly residents of avoice.
Ihave often been asked what is so different about Louisiana that puts us at the bottom of nursing home quality indicators. It is because we should be considering legislation that would demand improvements in our nursing homes (as many states have done) insteadof legislation like SB134 that decreases liability and accountabilityinanindustry that already doesn’tprioritize quality of care. Our seniors deserve more.
KATHY KLIEBERT Thibodaux
As acareer school employee, former East Baton RougeMetro council member and community advocate, Ioppose Senate Bill 71. Thebill removes financial responsibility from the charter operators and applies it to Louisiana taxpayers. In Baton Rouge, public charter schools have been extremely unpredictable, with sudden closures primarily due to declining enrollment, financial challenges and accountability issues linked to their management. However,there is one exception: Impact Charter School, ahigh-performing, B-rated school with apromising future, was reconstituted. Impact Charter secured a majorinvestment of over $8.5 million from aprivate bank that believed in Louisiana’s charter movement. SB71 will allow the transfer of Impact Charter’sbank debtsto the taxpayers of Louisiana. IDEA University Prep cost $17 million, and is now beingleased to Helix Community School at arate that satisfies themonthly debt owed. Makingmatters worse, SB71 would giveBESE members —some of whom
are also CEOs of charter management organizations —the power to set theloan terms that they or their allies could later benefit from. This represents aserious conflict of interest and an erosion of public trust.
Charter schools in Baton Rouge have an average ranking of 4out of 10, which is in thebottom 50% of Louisiana public charter schools. Instead of creating anew financial time bomb, there should be aprioritization of permanent investments in areas like increasing teacher pay,funding transportation and student supports. There is no feasible rationale forLouisiana taxpayers to assume thefinancialburden of charter operators’ school facilities. In consideration of taxpayer-funded vacant buildings, already racking up maintenance costs and debt, Iurge each senator to vote no on SB71. Protect taxpayers. Protect ourschools. Protect Louisiana’sfuture.
CHAUNA BANKS Baton Rouge
The phrase “good enough forgovernmentwork” has long been used to cast doubt on government and civil service workers. The League of Women Voters recently considered the problem at our 2025 convention on “Serving Democracy: The Value of Nonpartisan Civil Service.” Legislating distrust of the civil service risks becoming aself-fulfilling prophecy in away that threatens good governance and possibly democracy itself
Aproposed constitutional amendment moving through the Legislature, Sen. Jay Morris’sSenate Bill 8, would allow forreclassifying certain positions from classified to unclassified civil service. Classified civil service workers have protections that prevent them from being fired arbitrarily without due process, especially forpolitical reasons. Unclassified workers lack such protections and may be fired at will. Classified state workers must refrain from political activity,but unclassified state workers have no such restrictions Public policy experts and active and retired civil servants themselves testified at the SB8’shearing of the “disaster” that would result from opening up the civil service to political patronage that compromises ideals of nonpartisanship and “dispassionate objectivity.” The targeted positions include lawyers and engineers, whohave professional and ethical standards and codes that should transcend politics. Testimony raised questions about whether the state can afford to pay the higher salaries that unclassified workers are paid and suggested that effective civil service reform should focus on all positions rather than reclassifying some. It wasn’tlong ago that democracy and the civil service in Louisiana were threatened in this way. Huey Long enacted civil service bills in the 1930s that decreased the state civil service by nearly athird and led to scandal, embezzlement, fraud and mandatory political contributions by state workers. Perhaps it is of that disaster that the Huey Long statue still stands outside the Louisiana Capitol to remind us.
M. CHRISTIAN GREEN president, League of Women Voters of Louisiana
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR
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OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com.
As aLouisiana voter who has long supportedmeaningfullegal reform, Iwant to extendmysincere thanks to the members of theLouisianaHouse of Representatives whotook decisiveaction recently and voted in favor of reform legislation that will help restore fairness and balance in our civil justice system.
By advancingkey bills aimed at modernizing our laws and reining in lawsuit abuse, lawmakers sent aclear signal that theyare serious abouttackling the root causes of ourstate’shigh insurance costs and antibusiness legal climate. Among themostimportant is House Bill 431, which would bring Louisiana in linewith theoverwhelming majority of states by adopting amodified comparative faultstandard. This long-overdue changeensuresthat no one more responsible for their own injury than anyone else involved can stillwalk away with apayout —a basicprinciple of fairness that already governsmost of thecountry Equally important is House Bill 450, which
repeals the Housley Presumption,ending the absurd practice of presuming injury without evidence. House Bill 34 brings much-needed transparency to medical expenses in personal injury lawsuits, allowing juries to consider what’spaid, not just theinflated “sticker price.” Andwith House Bill 434 raising thebar on recovery for uninsured drivers, lawmakers are wisely reinforcing personal responsibilitywhile helping reduce overall claims costs.
These reforms aren’tjust good policy they’re common sense. They will help discourage abuse of our court systemand send astrong message that Louisiana is serious about creating afairer legal environment that benefits families, drivers and job creators alike.
Iapplaud Speaker of the House Phillip DeVillier and other House members for standing withcitizens like me over special interests and voting in favor of these bills. RICHARD CLOUD Lafayette
Howcool would it be to find amessageinabottle?Who would it be from and what would it say?Here’syour chancetoget creativeand letusknow. So,what’sgoing on in this cartoon? youtellme. Be witty,funny, crazy,absurd or snarky—just trytokeepitclean.There’snolimit on the numberofentries.
Thewinning punchline will be lettered into the word balloon and runonMonday, May26, in our print editions and online. In addition, the winnerwill receivea signed print of the cartoon along with acool winner’sT-shirt! Some honorable mentions will also be listed.
To enter,email entries to cartooncontest@theadvocate.com
DON’T FORGET! All entries must include your name, homeaddressand phone number.Cell numbers are best.
Thedeadline for all entries is midnightonThursday, May22.
Good luck, folks! —Walt
Youmight have heard theriddle about the man who must row a fox, achicken and asack of corn across ariver one at atime. Most combinations ofthese passengerscannotbeleftalone together, requiring acomplex series of moves and countermoves
On the edge of Uganda’sBwindi Impenetrable Forest, where mist clings to the treetops and mountain gorillas roam,a quiet revolution has been unfolding. For the last 24 years, Ihave been living and working as a physician forthe people surrounding the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Collaborating with the Batwapygmies, other tribal members and generous donors from the U.S., we have built the award-winning Bwindi Community Hospital. This institution has become abeacon of hope for250,000 residents whoonce had nowhere to turn.
But today,that hope is under threat.
Let me tell you about Peace. In the 1990s, she wasayoung woman facing an unthinkable reality.Her husband had just died of AIDS,and she had been diagnosed with HIVwhile carrying their unborn child. Treatment options were nonexistent. Misinformation spread like wildfire. “I wasliving like an outcast —untouchable and condemned to ashort life. Ilived in fear,was rejected and isolated, but Istill had hope.”
Without access to HIVtreatment, Peace’s greatest concern wasthat her unborn child would be infected with HIV. Tears readily flowed as she recounted the momentshe learned her child did not have HIV. She named her Miracle. Today,Peace is not just surviving —she is leading. As the coordinator of Bwindi Community Hospital’sHIV program,she ensures that over 500 villagers are tested each month and oversees the care of morethan 1,000 individuals living with HIV
The cycle of HIVtransmission can be broken. Without treatment, if apregnant mother has HIV, depending on her viral load, she has up to a45% chance of her newborn being HIV positive. If not diagnosed, 50% of these kids will die before their second birthday.With antiretroviral treatment of the pregnant mother and preventive treatment of the newborn, the rate of HIVtransmission from mother to child can be reduced to less than 1%.
Thanks to Peace’swork and the dedication of our Ugandan hospital staff, forthe past three years, every single HIV-positive mother who has adhered to treatment has given birth to an HIV-negative child. That momentwhen a mother hears her baby is free of the virus? It never gets old.
That’sessentially the situationwith the House budget bill right now, except this Sphinxian conundrum remainsunsolvable.
House Republicans have given themselves aset of mutually exclusive constraints for their upcoming tax-and-budgetbill. They want to cut taxes, especially forthe rich and corporations. But they also wantto reduce deficits,which is at oddswith those tax cuts.
Perhaps the tax breaks could be offset by huge cuts to major safety-net programs such as Medicaid andfood stamps. But Republicansclaim they also want to help regular Americans, who would definitely be hurt if their health care and food assistance are taken away
There’snoway to achieveall these things in one bill —torow all the elements to final passage.
Some Republican lawmakers have endorsed bogus arithmetic tohelp move things along. That is, they want to pretend thetax cuts will be free which would mean (conveniently) that lawmakers don’tneed to pass draconian safety-net cuts to offset theircost
Maybe that could solve their problem Butalas, the laws of mathematics can’t be suspended forever
Regardless of what Republicans say, thetax cuts will indeed cost money.If they’re not offset with either additional revenue or reduced spending,the government will have to borrow alot more to deal with the loss.Borrowingmore, in turn,will requireCongress to significantly increasethe debt limit
Here is where things get really tricky Republicans also don’twant to vote for ahugedebt-limit increase in thisbill, eventhough President Donald Trump has ordered themtodoso.
Youcan see how this is getting complicated, especially given the razor-thin GOPmajority in which every defection matters. If you thought thegoals of the president’s trade policy were incon-
gruous andconvoluted, now imagine complex budget negotiations withcontradictory goals —where thegoals that areultimately sacrificed might be determined by,say,Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia.
Never one to feel overly burdened by reality,Trump insists his tax-andbudget package is destined for great success. He has urged lawmakers to hurry up andpass his “big, beautiful bill,” apparently unaware of the curse of unwieldy “BBB”-nicknamed legislation that nearly felled his predecessor (Remember “Build Back Better”?)
Over thepastfew days, Republican congressional leaders have attempted to pare backthe president’s ambitions, at least alittle.
Forexample, Speaker Mike Johnson recently said that his GOP colleagues should now target “only” $4 trillion in tax cuts, instead of the originally planned $4.5 trillion. A$4trillion tax cut would still release an enormous flood of redink, but it would likely preclude delivering on many of Trump’scampaign promises —such as making the 2017 tax cuts permanent. Trumphas made hisdispleasure known.
Then there are theMedicaid cuts.
The Housecommittee that oversees Medicaid has been instructed to scrounge up $880 billion in “savings. As you might expect, this will be impossibletodowithout kicking alot of people off of the popular public health insurance program,which covers about 1in5Americans.
In abid to calm members, Johnson has taken some forms of Medicaid cuts off the table (such as limits on spending per Medicaid enrollee or reducing the share of costsshouldered by thefederal government rather than the states). But theoptions that are left —oratleast, theones that could still produce enough cost savings to get themath to work out —would still result in millionsmore Americansbecoming newly uninsured, anew analysis from the Congressional Budget Office found.
The mostlikely of those options, involving achange to taxes on health care providers, would disproportionately hurt red states (particularly poorer, Southern states)
To throw yet another wrench into the system,Trumphas suggested that lawmakersraise taxes on the ultra-wealthy to help pay for thebill.
This is actually agood idea! It’spopular among voters.
Butwhile Republicans have usually fallen over themselves to prove obeisance to Trump’sorders, in this case, congressional leaders recoiled. “We don’twant to raise taxes on anybody,” SenateMajority Leader John Thune, R-SouthDakota, told Fox News. For once, it was Trumpwho backed down, acknowledging on social media, “Republicans should probably not do it.”
That big, beautiful rowboat, it seems, has sunk in themiddle of the river. Email Catherine Rampell at crampell@ washpost.com. She is on X, @crampell.
This progress was madepossible in large part because of the President’sEmergency Plan forAIDS Relief (PEPFAR), aprogram launched in 2003 after an unlikely conversation between rock star Bono and then-President George W. Bush. For nearly 22 years, the program stood as arare example of bipartisan cooperation. It becamethe largest single-disease humanitarian initiative in history PEPFAR has saved over 26 million lives and ensured that 6million children born to HIVpositive mothers were free of the virus. Prior to 2024, bipartisan support had secured five-year reauthorizations in 2008, 2013 and 2018. But now,that legacy is in jeopardy Bwindi Community Hospital is facing an unprecedented crisis. USAID, acrucial partner, can no longer provide the medical supplies and equipment essential to our work.
And mostalarming? Our only source of HIV medications —provided through PEPFAR and administered by USAID— is now at risk. On March 25, congressional reauthorization of PEPFAR expired. Viaacontinuing resolution, Congress has appropriated funding only through the end of September.PEPFAR currently resides in budgetary purgatory
We are faced with the dilemma of only six weeks’ worth of HIVmedication remaining. Alocal proverb warns, “When twoelephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.” And right now,itispeople like Peace —people whohave fought so hard forafuture —who are being trampled by political and financial shifts beyond their control.
If we don’tact, we risk undoing decades of progress. We risk leaving behind the mostvulnerable.
In moments like this, Ithink back to aguiding principle spoken by President George W. Bush when he reflected on PEPFAR: “Towhom much has been given, much is required.”
Our hope now is that President Donald Trumpwill recognize the urgency of this momentand continue the legacy of American leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS.Because when you stand in an African clinic and see the joy on amother’sface as she learns her baby is HIV-free, you understand —this is a fight worth continuing.
Dr.Scott Kellermann is aTulane graduate wholives in Californiaand Uganda
TO
built in 1990.
“I don’twant to build asecond one and then have to figure out what to do with the first one,” Simien said. “I’d rather justtake what we haveand use the funds we have to upgrade the existing amphitheater.”
Simien said he doesn’tyet have atimeline for when thoserenovationswill take place or whatthey will entail.
The mayor-electsaid he’sbeen busy building his transition team. He expects to tap peopleacross a spectrum of communities,including those who represent local industry,businesses, health care nonprofits, religious organizations and ethnicminorities.
Although he declined to share specifics, Simien said he’s also selecting staff for his administration andplanstoannounce appointmentsinJune.The mayorappoints public safety officials, including the police and fire chief, along with officials who help to runCity Hall’soperations in public works, finance, recreation and more.
“I want to get some good momentum goingwith this admin-
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public?Mind-blowing,”
Davis said. “Tosee people analyze, to notice ideas that Ihad, to break that stuff down. …It’sbeen so cool to watch people dissect everything they can.”
Thefilm warrants the close read, Davis and Champagne said during interviews this week, largely thanks to Beachler, ameticulous researcher,who has worked with Coogler for a dozen years and five films, including “Black Panther.” ANew Orleans resident since2004, sheimbuedthe film withdeepknowledge of the region, tucking references to Ya-ka-mein and tamales into the sets.
istration,sopeople can see we’re willing to work for them,”Simien said. “It was never aboutcoming in and making abig, giant change. It was to get thingsgoing.”
It remains to be seen if Simien will retain any of Hunter’sappointees.
“I’m still evaluatingthat,”Simien said. “I’m seeing who’svery good at theirjob and who’ll be able to perform faithfully for thecitizens of LakeCharles and see what their strengthsand weaknesses are.”
Simien has been meeting with thecity’sexistingadministration.
He has also met with Hunter “Wetalked about thetransition,” Simien said. “He’smaking everythingavailable to me and any type of space in City Hall to meetwith people.Heasked me if Idid make anytype of personnel decisions to get that done pretty quickly,which Iwanted to do anyway,sopeople can plan their lives.”
Simiensaid his first priority as mayoristofueleconomic expansion, especially in areas of the city thathave been economically depressed.Heaims to growthe city’s economybyevaluatingthe privatesector’spriorities, working with local higher education institutions on training and seeking more revenue sources from other levels of government.
as the birthplace of the Delta blues, and Po’ Monkeys, arural juke joint that shaped the early scene. But they also noted theslantofa shack, thecolor of the dirt.
“Wewere tryingtofind the language,”said Davis, 43, acarpenter-turned-artdirector.
Beachler arrived on set withthat Mississippi dirt, Champagne said. “She’s just on adifferent level.
“I knew from thevery first production meeting we had that we were going to putour entireheartsinto this project.”
They built each setfrom scratchonlocationinLouisiana.
Another early priority will be increasing wages for cityemployees. Simien said the city is spending taxpayer funds to train workerswho thenleave for betterpaying opportunities.
“The priority is to get agrasp on thecity’sfinances to see what money is out there, what moneys have been committed, what moneys areavailable,”Simiensaid. “I just want to getcaught up on that because that’ll drive alot of thedecisions that Imake.”
In apostelection interview, Huntersaidthe newmayor will face thesame financial challenges as he did.
“There’snever enough money to do all the things we want to do,” Hunter said. “During acampaign, it’svery easy to promise the world, andwhenpeople really getdown to thebudget, you realize the world costsa lot of money.”
Simien said he’sbeen pleasantly surprised by the community’ssupport, even from those who supported Hunter during therace.
“Mywhole platform has been one Lake Charles,” Simien said. “And Itrulyamexperiencing one LakeCharles.”
Email Megan Wyatt at mwyatt@ theadvocate.com.
Thechurch in thefilm was small, meager,soitcouldn’t have alot of bells andwhistles. But Beachler asked Davis what the essentials would be.Acommunion table, Davis said, with an inscription on the front:“In remembrance of me.”
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rude hand gestures and yelled, “Go Trump” and “Go MAGA.”
One manina vehicle with aTexas license plate stoppedonAmbassador Caffery Parkway andtold the protestersthrough an openwindow, “Something I’ve noticed is allthe smart people are for Trump.”
Anotherpersonwho honked and waved at the protesters had asign on hisMercedes that read,“Taxthe rich.”
Motoristssupportingthe protesters by blowing horns and waving far outnumbered thosewho expressed support for Trump, although most motorists didn’trespondatall.
“I think we’re the majority,” Isaak said. “Maybe that’salittle optimistic.”
Mary Tutwiler,ofLafayette, held asignwith the quote:“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
It seems,she said, thatmankind would have evolved beyond the need to scapegoat people to make themselves feel better,but we have not.
“My father fought in World WarII. He fought the Nazis,”Tutwiler said “And here Iamhavingtodoitagain.”
Email ClaireTayloratctaylor@ theadvocate.com.
move anymentalblocks thatthey had thatstopped them from making their art.
And in some ways, he continued,“that’swhatIhad to do to approach this film.”
At first, amonghis idols,he feltlike anewbie,animpostor.But those feelings faded quickly thanks to Beachler and Coogler,Davis said. “They made me feel like I belongedinthe space.”
heads and rust spots,” he said, “like she had been living there all her life.”
So Davis started again, this time using salvaged wood only
Then they painted some of that wood blue.
Then Beachler showed the housetoCoogler. As they walked inside, birds were chirping. “All kinds of life cam In spun ‘SINNERS’
“Everything has ameaning,” Beachler saidby phone from South Africa, where she’sfilming the fantasy “Children of Bloodand Bone.” “Absolutely everything.”
“Sinners,” which has earned critical praise and more than $280 million worldwide since its opening, follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack as they return home to open ajuke jointinMississippi. They enlist the preacher’s son, Sammie, to perform for the opening, conjuring powerful spirits, some of them bloodthirsty
To create that world, Beachler and Davis traveled the MississippiBlues Trail. They touredhistoric sites, including Dockery Farms, aplantation known
Twoempty storefronts in Donaldsonville, an hour’s drive west of New Orleans, becamebustling twin grocery stores for Black and White customers. The label for each box of salt and sack of flour hadtoberesearched, designed and fabricated,Champagnesaid.
“Wehad threefull-time graphicspeople on for that part.”
They wantedthose markets to nod to the history of Chinese American families whoset up shop in the Delta,sothey hiredconsultant Dolly Li, whohad made a short documentary on the subject. They wanted Sammie’shouse, filled with children, tobefilled with love, too, so Champagne had her momsew their sleeping cushions from vintage fabrics. They wanted the country church to feel authentic, so they turnedtoDavis, who as akid spent many Sundays with family in Mississippi.
Fans have sincedissected the framing of thosewords while Beachler has shared the meaning behind another symbolwithin the church, this one anod to Chadwick Boseman,the “Black Panther” star who died at 43. The church’scrossed beams are for Chadwick, shesaid on Twitter,“making the Wakanda Forever gesture.” “Black Panther” is part of what ledDavis to make movies. Watching it, he thought, “allthe stuffI’m looking at came out of someone’shead.”
Beachler’shead, it turns out.
Davis hadbeen teaching carpentry and working event production when, amid thepandemic,hegot aproduction design gig on “The Walk,”amovie shot in New Orleans.
As he took other jobs, his agent connected him with Beachler,and he went toher for advice. But“Sinners” was their firsttimeonset together
Growing up, he hadheard thestory,one thefilm toys with,about legendary blues musician Robert Johnson selling his soul to thedevil in exchange for his guitarskills.But on theirtrip through the Delta together, Davis learned that folks wouldgotothatcrossroads to makeanoffering to re-
Ahouse for Annie,the film’sspiritualcenter,was his “trial by fire,” he said. They built it at Creedmoor Plantation in St. Bernard Parish. Beachler hadfilmed there before and knew “instantly” that Annie’s house would be at home there, she said. Unlikeotherplantations, which radiatepain, “there wassomething alittle more spiritual aboutthat place,” she said. “You can feel the ancestors there.”
From the outside,she wanted the house to appear worn, leaning. But inside, big timbers would give the structure strength.Davis thought he could create theshack withmostly new wood made to lookold,he said, running asample by Beachler
Whenhis crew wasdone, Beachler walkedthrough, quiet.
“Congratulations, you made aset,” she toldhim. “I don’tdosets.”
She wanted actor Wunmi Mosaku, who plays Annie, to need to shift herbody to move around theroom, filledwith herbs andjars andhoodoo implements, adjusting to the crooked floor
“There needed to be nail
“Not just any blue,” as Champagnenoted.But haint blue, the color used on porch ceilings across the South. The tradition originated with the Gullah people, aform of protection. Together,they talked through that history,then Annie’shistory.They played with darker,greener shades of blue, painting them with different brushes, until they found theone that felt right.
LOTTERY
SATURDAY,MAY 17, 2025
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As thestate’s premierprogram,LSU softball must improve —but that starts with keepingTorinaatthe helm
LSUsoftball coach BethTorina watches aplayduring aBaton Rougeregional game against SoutheasternLouisiana on Friday at TigerPark. LSU wasknockedout of the tournament by Southeastern.
Beth Torina clasped ahand tightly on top of her gold LSUcap as nextto her on the news conference podium senior Danieca Coffey answered a question from areporter,seemingly trying to keep her composure moments after her Tigers’ season ended Saturday with an 8-7 loss to Southeastern Louisianainthe NCAA BatonRouge softball regional.
Forthe successfulTorinaera at LSU(since2012) the loss represents something of alow point. Certainly new ground if nothing else. It’s only thesecondtime ever along with2010,that LSU has gone 1-2 in an NCAA regional at home.
If Torina didn’tlike thelooks of the TigerPark scoreboard after the loss, I’msure she wouldn’thaveliked the looks of the LSUmessageboardsany better.Fans and critics are bayingloudand longfor Torina’s job,
complaining that the program has regressed since she led theTigers to thelast of four Women’s College World Series appearances in 2017. Torina, as if hearing the withering criticism, struck adefiant note, insisting that after having to retool most of her roster and her coaching staff from asuper regional appearance in 2024 (finishing one win away from the WCWS) that the program had made strides in 2025.
“I’m sure on the outside looking in you don’tsee it at this moment,” Torina said. “But thisprogram grew this year and this program is going to be better for it. I’m not going to be sittinghere on aSaturday night anymore. We’regoing to be in theplaces thisprogram deserves to be.”
ä See RABALAIS, page 3C
BY JIM KLEINPETER Contributing writer
Southeastern Louisiana hadanextended stay in theNCAABaton Rougesoftballregional but theLions’triptothe championship round ended quickly in thorough domination. The No. 4-seeded Lionstook their recordbreaking season as far as it could go before falling to Nebraska, 8-0, in asix-inning, mercy rule finish Sunday at Tiger Park. Thegame took 2hours and 9minutes clock time to complete but it couldn’terase theindelible mark the season has left on coach Rick Fremin’sprogram. In his 10th season as the Lions coach, the Belle Chasse native averaged 46 winsover the past four seasons and 34.6 in his Hammond tenure.
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
COLUMBIA,S.C. It got offtoasour start, butLSU did whatithad to do this weekend against South Carolina at Founders Park: Winthe series.
The Tigers lost the seriesopener on a walk-off wild pitch on Thursday,6-5, but bounced back with an 8-1 winonFriday and a7-3 victory on Saturday Here arefive takeawaysfromLSU’s seventh series victory in Southeastern Conference play Is LSUworthyofatop-eight seed in NCAA Tournament?
The Tigers finishedthe regularseason with a42-13 overall record, a19-11 record in SEC play and atie for third place with Vanderbilt forthe best record in the toughest conference in the sport.
LSUisalsoNo. 8inRPI after Saturday and No.7inKPI following Friday’sgames KPI is another results-based rating system usedbythe selection committee. It’sgone 20-11 against Quads 1and 2, and hasmore wins than all but six teamsagainst Quad 1. Thursday’sloss to South Carolina may have affected the Tigers’ chances of being the No.1team in the country in next week’s polls. But the defeat hasn’taltered the fact that this team deserves to host aregional and super regional at Alex Box Stadium HowmuchdoesSEC tourneymatter?
Awin or two in Hoover,Alabama, as the No. 3seed will only help the Tigers’ odds of earning atop-eight seed in theNCAA Tournament. But even if they lost to No. 6 Auburn, No. 11 Mississippi State or No.14 Texas A&M on Friday,it’sstill hard to imagine them not earning that coveted bid in the NCAA tourney BesidesLSU’s strongmetrics,the
LSUright fielder JakeBrown watches the ball flyout of the park for ahome runagainst Arkansas on May10atAlex Box Stadium.
TheLions (50-15) also beat LSUtwice on its home field to advance to the championship round for the second consecutive season and wonaschool-record number of games despite losing 12 seniors and have 15 new players in the dugout. “You neverwantyourseasontoend,” Fremin said. “But whenyou put ‘special’ on the field, or in the dugout, or within astaff, you kind of want to live in that world forever “It’sbeen amagical ride. Ithink we’ve uppedthe ante fromayear ago. We took down atop 10 team twice on their home field and hit the 50-win mark, which still amazes me.” In theend the Cornhuskers,who pummeled SLU,14-1, Saturday,were too strong, led by Big 10 Player and Pitcher of the Year Jordy Bahl(25-6). She threw
BY DOUG FERGUSON
AP golf writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C Scottie Scheffler worked harder than he imagined and got the result everyone expected Sunday in the PGA Championship: A most pleasant walk to the 18th green with another major title secure in the hands of golf’s No. 1 player
Scheffler was flawless when he had to be on the back nine of Quail Hollow, leaving the blunders to Jon Rahm and everyone else trying to catch him on a final day that turned tense until Scheffler pulled away with a steady diet of fairways and greens.
He closed with a bogey he could afford for an even-par 71 giving him a five-shot victory and his third major title.
Scheffler became the first player since Seve Ballesteros to win his first three majors by three shots or more.
A snoozer? Not even close. That much was clear when Scheffler raised his arms on the 18th green and then ferociously slammed his cap to the turf, a brand of emotion rarely seen by the 28-yearold Texas star
Scheffler was five shots ahead coming to the last hole when he won his first Masters green jacket in 2022. He was four shots clear of the field when he won at Augusta National last year And he had a six-shot lead at Quail Hollow But this sure didn’t feel like a walk in the park.
He had a five-shot lead standing on the sixth tee. But with a shaky swing that led to two bogeys, and with Rahm making three birdies in a four-hole stretch around the turn — they were tied when Scheffler got to the 10th tee. It looked like a duel to the finish, with Bryson DeChambeau doing all he could to get in the mix. Under the most pressure he felt all day, Scheffler didn’t miss a shot off the tee or from the fairway until his lead got back to four shots.
Rahm wound up seven shots behind, but the two-time major
champion was the only serious threat.
His chances began to fade when he failed to birdie the 14th and 15th holes, the two easiest holes on the back nine and the last good scoring chances.
His 3-wood on the reachable par-4 14th was a yard from being perfect, instead going into the bunker He blasted out weakly and his 7-foot birdie putt never had a chance.
He drilled a 345-yard drive on the par-5 15th and his 4-iron went just over the back.
Rahm putted it too hard and it rolled 12 feet. He missed that birdie putt and then came unglued.
A bogey on the 16th hole went from rough to bunker Having to take on a dangerous pin at the
par-3 17th, it bounded over the sunbaked green into the water for double bogey And his last tee shot went left off the grassy bank and into the stream for another double bogey
All that work to make up a fiveshot deficit at the start of the day and Rahm closed with a 73 to tie for eighth.
“Yeah, the last three holes, it’s a tough pill to swallow right now,” said Rahm, his first time seriously contending in a major since he left for the Saudi riches of LIV Golf two years ago.
DeChambau birdied the 14th and 15th to get within two shots, but he never had another good look at birdie and bogeyed the 18th for a 70. He tied for second with Harris English (65) and Davis Riley, who overcame a triple
bogey on No. 7 to play bogey-free the rest of the way and salvaged a 72.
J.T Poston, the North Carolina native who also flirted with an outside chance, bogeyed the last two holes for a 73 to tie for fifth.
English finished his Sundaybest score as Scheffler was making his way down the third hole. He had a flight to catch that afternoon. He also was the clubhouse leader
But he looked at Scheffler’s name atop the leaderboard and said with a smile, “I don’t see him slipping a whole lot. I see myself catching my flight.”
That was a common feeling.
“He’s in a spot where it would be shocking if he didn’t win today,” reigning champion Xander Schauffele said.
BY CLIFF BRUNT AP sportswriter
OKLAHOMA CITY The Oklahoma City Thunder grew up on Sunday Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, Jalen Williams added 24 and the Thunder rolled into the Western Conference finals beating the Denver Nuggets 125-93 in Game 7 The top-seeded Thunder will host the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves starting Tuesday
It’s Oklahoma City’s first trip to the conference finals since 2016. Oklahoma City went a leaguebest 68-14 in the regular season, becoming the youngest team to win at least 60 games.
To back up their status as the best team in the league, the Thunder had to get past three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and a Denver squad that won the NBA title in 2023 and beat the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games in the first round this year
Coach Mark Daigneault said his players handled the pressure well
“There’s not many games, you wake up in the morning and you know that you’re going to remember the game for the rest of your life, and Game 7 is one of them,” he said. “To be able to focus through that and perform the way these guys did today was very impressive.”
Jokic had 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Nuggets. Aaron Gordon, a key player for Denver throughout the playoffs who hit the winner in Game 1 against the Thunder started despite a strained left
Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shoots over Denver’s Jamal Murray, left, and Christian Braun, in Game 7 of a Western Conference semifinals playoff series on Sunday in Oklahoma City
Alcaraz still has Sinner’s number after win in Rome
ROME — There’s only one player who is consistently beating Jannik Sinner
Carlos Alcaraz defeated the topranked Sinner again, 7-6 (5), 6-1, to win his first Italian Open on Sunday and add another big clay-court title to his résumé.
Since the start of last year, Alcaraz is the only player to beat Sinner more than once and now he’s done it four straight times. Alcaraz’s victory before Sinner’s home fans at the Foro Italico snapped the Italian’s 26-match winning streak.
It was Sinner’s first tournament back after a three-month doping ban.
Alcaraz also solidified his status as the favorite to defend his title at the French Open. Roland Garros starts next Sunday
Verstappen ends Piastri’s win streak at three races
IMOLA,Italy Max Verstappen gave his Formula 1 title defense a big boost with victory at the EmiliaRomagna Grand Prix after a daring overtake on standings leader Oscar Piastri at the start.
The Dutch driver built a commanding lead which was wiped out when the safety car bundled the field back up. He held on to win ahead of Lando Norris, who overtook his McLaren teammate Piastri for second with five laps remaining. Verstappen took his second win of the season, and first since last month’s Japanese Grand Prix, and denied Piastri what would have been his fourth straight win Piastri finished third. Piastri’s lead over Norris in the standings was cut to 13 points, with third-placed Verstappen nine behind Norris.
Struggling Garcia says he might not play in Ryder Cup
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sergio Garcia has appeared in 10 Ryder Cups and amassed more points than any other European player
But the 45-year-old Spaniard says he would decline an invitation to play for Team Europe if he chosen by captain Luke Donald because of how poorly he is playing.
Garcia says his feelings could change if he begins to play better He made the cut at the PGA Championship but was never a factor and finished well down the leaderboard at 7-over 291. Garcia won the LIV Golf Hong Kong event in March but missed the cut in the Masters and is currently not eligible for the U.S. Open or British Open.
Mystics come back for win against the Sun
UNCASVILLE,Conn. — Brittney Sykes scored 27 points and Kiki Iriafen recorded a double-double and the Washington Mystics spoiled the Connecticut Sun’s season debut with a 90-85 win on Sunday
The Mystics (2-0) used a 30-point fourth quarter to overcome a 65-60 deficit at the end of three quarters and Stefanie Dolson gave Washington its first lead of the game with a 25-foot, 3-pointer to make it 75-74 with 5:38 left. Olivia Nelson-Ododa countered with a layup to put Connecticut back ahead, but Sonia Citron responded with three-point play and the Mystics led the rest of the way Trailing 88-85, Marina Mabrey missed a deep 3 attempt from 27 feet and Citron clinched it with two free throws with 2.1 seconds left.
Del Toro is first Mexican to lead Giro d’Italia
SIENA, Italy Isaac del Toro became the first Mexican cyclist to take the overall lead of the Giro d’Italia but the 21-year-old was beaten on the line by Wout van Aert in a tough and dusty ninth stage on Sunday that shook up the general classification.
hamstring. He had eight points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes
“What he played with today, I don’t know many people that would even attempt to go out there and run up and down,” Nuggets interim coach David Adelman said. “And he did it in Game 7 against Oklahoma City on the road. That was one of most incredible things I’ve ever seen. He was extremely close to not playing. I was surprised
The Thunder fell behind by 11 in the first quarter but took the lead early in the second. Oklahoma City outscored Denver 39-20 in the period to take a 60-46 lead at halftime. Gordon was called for a flagrant-1 foul for elbowing Gilgeous-Alexander in the face early in the third quarter Gilgeous-Alexander made both free throws, and then Williams hit a short jumper to give Oklahoma City a 66-46 lead. Cason Wallace got loose on a fast break and dunked on Jokic to put the Thunder up 78-57, sparking delirious roars from the crowd. Oklahoma City cruised from there and now hopes to make another leap.
“We’re better now than we were at the beginning of the series, and it’s because of them,” Daigneault said. “They pushed us to the limit.”
Giulio Ciccone was third at the end of the 112.4-mile route from Gubbio to Siena, that included a mini Strade Bianche on the white, gravel roads of Tuscany Del Toro has an overall lead of 1 minute, 13 seconds over UAE Team Emirates XRG teammate Juan Ayuso. Pre-race favorite Primoz Roglic was involved in a crash and had a puncture. He’s slipped to 10th, more than two
Former LSUstarwas thetargetofalleged racist comments from fans in Indianapolis
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
The WNBA is reportedly investigating allegations that fans directedracist comments toward former LSUstar Angel Reese on Saturday during the ChicagoSky’s road game againstthe IndianaFever On Sunday,the league addressed what it called “alleged hatefulfan comments” in astatement that said it was “looking into” those allegations. Reports by FrontOfficeSportsand the Indianapolis Star then confirmed that Reese was the targetofthe alleged remarks.
The league launched “No Space for Hate” this season, amultidimensional platform designed to combat hate andpromote respect across all WNBA spaces both on-
Continued from page1C
perception around the Tigers’ play throughout the second half of this season has been strong. They entered this week as the No. 1team in the country accordingtoevery poll and have won four of their last fiveseries in SEC play
There’s astrongargumentto be made that ateam’sspotinthe NCAA Tournamentshouldbe based on merit alone. But since the selection committee ismade up of human beings and not robots, national perception and how well aprogram is playing lately play a big role in determining ateam like LSU’sfate as atop-eight seed Brown’sstrongplayvs. righties
The sophomore outfielder started just one game this weekend, but Brown mashedthe ball when he got his opportunities to dig into the batter’sbox against South Carolina.
The Louisiana native went 5for 8with ahome run and twodoubles against the Gamecocks.Hecame off thebench on Thursday and Friday —both nights where South Carolina started aleft-hander on themound— before going3 for5 at the plate on Saturday
Like with junior Ethan Frey against left-handers, Brownhas clearly found hisstroke versus righties.Trying to find playing
Southeastern infi elder ShelbyMorris tries to beat the throwto first after laying down a bunt against Nebraska in the first inning of their regional championship game on Sundayat TigerPark.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL
JOHNSON
line and in-arena.
“The WNBA strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms,”the statementsaid.
“They have no place in our league or in society. We areawareofthe allegations and are looking into the matter.”
TheSky began its season on Saturday with a93-58 loss to the Fever.
On one third-quarter play,Fever starCaitlin Clark gave Reese ahard foulonalayup attempt, knockingthe ballout of her possessionand sending hertothe floor.Reese then hopped up and confronted Clark,starting a skirmish that briefly pausedthe game.
Officials reviewed theplay,then upgraded Clark’s foul to aflagrant
1and assessed technical fouls to both Reeseand Fever forward
Aliyah Boston
Reese called the foula “basketballplay”and saidrefs“got it right.” Clark said she was merely trying to prevent Reese from attempting awide-open layup.
“Let’snot make it anything that it’s not,” Clark said. “It was justa
time between those two and senior Josh Pearson will be something to continue to monitor as LSUheads into the postseason. Given Pearson’s playoff history and experience, the Tigers will need all three of them to contribute in June in order to get to the CollegeWorld Series.
Evaluating LSU’stop pitchers It wasn’taperfect series for LSU’stop arms.
Sophomoreleft-handerKade Anderson allowed just one earned run in 62/3 innings, but freshman right-hander Casan Evans,junior right-hander Zac Cowan and junior right-hander Anthony Eyansonstruggled to varying degrees throughoutthe weekend.
Cowan was hithard for the third time in three weeks on Thursday allowing three earned runs and four hits in 12/3 innings.Healso walked abatter and hit another before allowing the walk-off run to score on awild pitch in the ninth inning.
LSU had atwo-run lead in the eighth when heentered the game.
“I don’tknow if they were mistake pitches or they put good swings on it,”LSU coach Jay Johnsonsaid,“butyou’vegot to give them credit.”
Evans and Eyanson didn’tscufflenearly asmuch, but neither were at their sharpest against the Gamecocks.
Evans walked abatter and bare-
JOHNSON
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL
ChicagoSky forward Angel Reese takes ashot during warmups before agameagainst the Brazil National Team on May2atthe Pete Maravich Assembly Center
good play on the basketball. I’m not sure what the refs saw to upgrade it. That’suptotheir discretion.
ly threw morethanhalfofhis 27 pitches for strikesonFriday, and EyansonadmittedonSaturday that he didn’t havehis best stuff, eventhough he only gave up two earned runs. Eyanson walked three batters andonly had five strikeouts against the lowly Gamecocks.
“I was waiting for an outing like that to happen where Ididn’thave my best stuff and just had to mentally grind,” Eyanson said.
Thetop of theorder gets going LSU’sattack is at its best when freshman Derek Curiel, junior Daniel Dickinson and junior Jared Jones are clicking on all cylinders. And that was on display this weekend, especially on Saturday It was abig weekend for Dickinson and Jones.Jones went 6for 13 withthree home runs, moving to thirdonLSU’sall-time homers list on Friday. Dickinson was5 for12 and blasted ahomer on Thursday and Saturday Curiel,LSU’s leadoffhitter, joined theparty on Saturday after going 0for 8with awalk through the first two games of theseries. He bounced back with a3for 5 performance in the series finale.
“I just tuned some things up, madesome adjustmentsmentally,” Curiel said, “and justlocked back into my plan and just had fun.”
Email Koki Rileyat Koki.Riley@theadvocate.com.
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23rd homer and fourth of the seriesinthe Huskers’ leadoff at-bat. Samantha Bland added three hits andfour runs batted in.
The No. 2-seeded Cornhuskers (42-13) won all three regional games via the mercy rule and will move on to play at Tennessee in the super regional roundnext weekend. SLU couldn’t recreate the magic they had against LSU. Brilee Ford gotthe onlyhit on an infield single in thefifth inning afterBahl had retired the first13hitters.
“This season has been like a movie,” said Lionsshortstop Chloe Magee. “Every year you try to make it here and notbeing
at amajor D1 (school) it’sa little bitharder just because of the road you havetogotoget here.
We neverlet that beanexcuse.We showed up every day and played great ball.
“It’sa resultofgreat coaching, greatteammates and great chemistry.I wish we could have gone further but I’m at peace with wherewe’reat. It was afun year.”
Said Ford: “We’re just one big family.Asmuch as we’re together,wereally don’tfight that much. Asfar as we’ve cometogether,I’m proud of every single one of us.”
Nebraska tied for second in the Big 10 with a17-5 league mark but won 10 of their last 12 games.
“Wecame together last July and it literally hasbeenevery single day,” Nebraska coach Rhonda
Revelle said. “You can getyour adrenaline pumping and all the things competitors do but there’s areal peace knowing every day this team has invested themselves.”
The Huskers could be trouble as theNCAATournament moves to theround of 16. Bahl, who pitched Oklahoma to twonationaltitles beforetransferring to her home state university in the offseason, hit fourhomers in the regional and became only thefifth player in NCAAhistorytohit at least20 homersand have at least 20 wins in the circle. Generally considered oneofthe top three pitchers in the country, Bahlwill face off against oneof theother two, Tennessee’s Carlyn Pickens. The Huskers tied for second in the Big10regular season standings.
TheWNBAPlayers Association also weighed in on the reports that fans directedracial comments toward Reese during the game.
“TheWNBPA is aware of reports of hateful comments at yesterday’s gameinIndianapolis,” its statement said, “and supports the WNBA’s current investigation into this matter.Such behavior is unacceptable in our sport. Under theWNBA’s‘No Spacefor Hate policy,wetrust the league to thoroughly investigate andtakeswift, appropriate action to ensure asafe andwelcoming environment for all.”
On Saturday,Reese scored a team-high 12 points. Clark notched 20 points, 10 rebounds and10assists in herthird careertriple-double,whichisalreadytiedfor the third mostinleague history
The Sky and Fever will play four more times during theregularseason this year
“I wasn’ttrying to do anything malicious. That’snot the type of player Iam.”
Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com. For more LSUsports updates, signupfor ournewsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter
TheAssociated Press
PHILADELPHIA— Philadelphia Phillies closer José Alvarado was suspended for 80 games on Sunday followingapositive testfor externaltestosterone under Major League Baseball’sdrug-testing program. Alvarado, among the hardestthrowing relievers, becamethe second playersuspendedthis year under thebig league testing program after Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar Phillies president of baseball operations DaveDombrowski saidthe positive test was caused by aweight loss drug Alvarado took during the offseason. Dombrowski said Alvarado accepted the suspensionand didnot appeal.
“It’snot something he did knowingly,” Dombrowski said. “I believe that,the wayhetalked to me.”
Barring rainouts that push games into later this season, Alvarado would be eligible to return on Aug. 19 against Seattle. Alvarado would lose $4.5 million, exactly half his $9 millionsalary this year,aspart of a$22 million, three-year contract. Because of the suspension, he would be ineligible for the postseason.
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Brave words, though it’snever agood sign foracoach to have to justifytheir own existence. Or trytoconvince anyone that thingsare going well.
Overall, this wasagood if not ultimatelygreat season forLSU, going 42-16 andearning aNo. 10 national seed. But there is a perception that thegap between LSUand the top shelf programs in the country has grown. The addition of powerhouse softball programs like Oklahomaand Texas to the Southeastern Conference hasn’thelped that one bit Neither does losing tworegional games to SLU,4-3 and 8-7. It must be said that pinning theentire weekend on what LSU didn’tdoand not crediting SLU for what it did do is adisservice to theLions. SLU won 50 games this season and kept relentless pressure on theTigers in both games it won at Tiger Park this weekend. The Lions were lowballed as aregional No. 4seed. But LSU is the state’spremier program. The biggest budget, the best facilities. The news conference was held in LSU’sconverted covered batting cages, across asmall outfield walkwayfrom Tiger Park’simpressive performance center,the biggest facility of itskindinthe SEC. It almost doesn’trequire mentioning, but obviously SLU doesn’thave anything like that in Hammond. In theend, SLU wasnomatch for regional No.2seed Nebraska, losing 14-1 Saturday and 8-0 Sunday to the Cornhuskers in the LSU-less regional final at LSU. If anything, the Lionssaved LSU from getting
“We’ve got to moveon,” manager RobThomson said. “It’stoo bad, butwe’ve gottomove on.We have really good pieces here that can pick up the slack.”
Phillies closing options include Jordan Romanoand Orion Kerkering.
A29-year-old left-hander,Alvarado is 4-1 with a2.70 ERA and seven saves in seven chances. His 99.6mph four-seam fastball velocity ranks fifth amongthose who have thrown 250 or more pitches.
Philadelphia has a$9million option on Alvarado for 2026 with a $500,000 buyout. Alvaradois19-26 with a3.40 ERAin399 relief appearances andone startovernine major league seasonswith Tampa Bay (2017-20) andthe Phillies(202125). He has 52 saves in 68 appearances andappeared in 21 postseason games over the last three seasons. Alvarado had13saves last year, Jeff Hoffman10and CarlosEstévez six. Hoffman becameafree agentand signeda $33 million, three-yearcontractwithToronto, and Estévez becameafree agent andagreed to a$22 million, twoyear deal with Kansas City Alvarado was the sixthplayer suspended this year for adrug violation.
squelched by Nebraska and its amazing Jordy Bahl, whohas to be the deadliest dual-threat player in the nation. The Cornhuskers moved on from here to face Tennessee in asuper regional in Knoxville. Should LSU moveonfrom Torina? The idea is absurd. Yes, softball and men’s basketball are the only two of LSU’sbig seven programs(football, men’s and women’sbasketball, baseball, gymnastics, softball, track and field) not to winanational title since 2019. But that’satough standard. And if LSU athletic director Scott Woodward was willing to give men’s basketball coach Matt McMahon another chance this coming season, you would definitely expect Torina to get the sameconsideration. She’sled LSU to NCAA play every season (no tournament in 2020 because of the pandemic) and over 500 wins. She’swellliked within the athletic departmentand has led ascandal-free program.That it would take a couple of million dollars to buy out Torina and her staffisprobably aconsideration as well. Clearly,though, LSU softball should strive to be better.More competitive. Winchampionships again. The Tigers will need the meanstogoand get somebetter players in the transfer portal, namely apower hitter or two, before the 2026 season arrives. Torina madeadefinitive statementthat improvement will come. That LSU won’tbein this position again. Surely she’s earned achance to prove that she can get the program there, just as surely as she knowswhat may happen if she does not. For more LSUsports updates, signupfor ournewsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter
BY JENNA FRYER AP auto racing writer
INDIANAPOLIS The only laps twotime defending Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden turned during qualifying Sunday were on foot after Team Penske was disqualified from making a run at the pole. Scott McLaughlin crashed, Newgarden and Will Power failed inspection, and the three Penske drivers who swept the front row for last year’s 500 will now start in the fourth row It was a devastating blow to the team owned by Roger Penske, who also owns IndyCar the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500, which he has won a record 20 times The day got off to a horrible start when McLaughlin, last year’s polesitter, crashed in morning practice and Team Penske decided it wouldn’t even bother sending him out for the fast 12 shootout and just accept the 12th starting spot in the field.
Then, moments before the shootout began, rival team owner Chip Ganassi was among a chorus of competitors who accused Team Penske of cheating Others said
they noticed the modification during Saturday’s first day of qualifying.
Right after Ganassi was seen complaining to a Penske executive, the cars for Newgarden and Power returned to the garage. In-
dyCar announced the two cars had failed inspection and would not be allowed to qualify IndyCar technical director Kevin Blanch said Newgarden’s and Power’s cars had “a body fit violation on the rear attenuator.” It is
assumed that the modification was an attempt to gain an aerodynamic advantage. The rear attenuator is a safety device designed to absorb and reduce the force of impacts. It is a spec part that is not allowed to be modified. Team Penske filled a seam to close off airflow over the attenuator in an attempt to reduce drag which could potentially improve straight-line speed.
Tim Cindric, president of Penske’s IndyCar program, said Power passed inspection but officials flagged Newgarden’s car He also said the modification was not on McLaughlin’s car
“It was a bit of randomness internally there that we need to sort out,” Cindric said. He said IndyCar initially was going to allow modifications and Team Penske crew members were seen on pit road making adjustments.
But, Cindric acknowledged that modifications are not permitted after inspection and he also understood if other teams complained about the Penske cars.
“It’s a shame we didn’t give our guys a chance to go for it,” Cindric said.
Newgarden, who is trying to become the first driver in 109 years
South Carolina
LOB — LSU 9; South Carolina 5. 2B — Brown (8), Scobey (6). HR — Jones (19), Dickinson (10), Brown (7), Kaczmar (6), Hollins (6). SB — Dickinson (8)
Dallas 3, Winnipeg 2 Friday, May 9: Winnipeg 4, Dallas 0 Sunday, May 11: Dallas 5, Winnipeg 2 Tuesday, May 13: Dallas 3, Winnipeg 1 Thursday, May 15: Winnipeg 4, Dallas 0 Saturday, May 17: Dallas 2, Winnipeg 1, OT Edmonton 4, Vegas 1 Tuesday, May 6: Edmonton 4, Vegas 2 Thursday, May 8: Edmonton 5, Vegas 4, OT Saturday, May 10: Vegas 4, Edmonton 3 Monday, May 12: Edmonton 3, Vegas 0 Wednesday, May 14: Edmonton 1, Vegas 0, OT CONFERENCE FINALS (Best-of-7; x-if necessary) Dallas vs. Edmonton Wednesday, May 21: Edmonton at Dallas, 7 p.m. Friday, May 23: Edmonton at Dallas, 7 p.m. Sunday, May 25: Dallas at Edmonton, 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 27: Dallas at Edmonton, 7 p.m. x-Thursday, May 29: Edmonton at Dallas, TBA x-Saturday, May 31: Dallas at Edmonton, TBA x-Monday, June 2: Edmonton at Dallas, TBA Tennis
Italian Open Results Sunday At Foro Italico Rome Surface: Red clay ROME Results
to win three consecutive Indy 500s, was a contender to win the pole and was seen running off his anger in the infield of the speedway as another qualifying session roared on around him.
The punishment meant that the front row from last year will now start side-by-side-by-side in the fourth row in 10th, 11th and 12th.
A year ago, Team Penske was caught in a push-to-pass scandal in which Newgarden was found to have access to the additional boost of horsepower when he should not have. He was stripped of his season-opening victory and Penske suspended Cindric for two races, which included the Indy 500. Also suspended was team managing director Ron Ruzewski, Newgarden engineer Luke Mason and senior data engineer Robbie Atkinson.
The fast 12 was also reduced to just nine cars attempting to advance to the final qualifying round, when six drivers compete for the pole for the May 25 race. The six to advance were Felix Rosenqvist, Pato O’Ward, rookie Robert Shwartzman, Scott Dixon, Alex Palou and Takuma Sato.
Assessing your outstanding balances, selecting adebtpayoff strategy,and formulating agame plan aregoodstarting points forgetting out of debt once and for all.
BY AMY SORTER | Bankrate.com (TNS)
Getting rid of debt is agoal many Americans have. Not only does eliminating debt improve your financial health, but it is also likely to have apositive impact on your mental health. Assessing your outstanding balances, selecting adebt payoff strategy,and formulating agame plan are good startingpoints for getting out of debt once and for all.
Once youhave aclear view of what you owe, you take steps to start making progress and pay down your balances.You can usethe followingtipstoget out of debt
1. Re-examine spending habits
Your spending should bedivided between need to have and nice to have. “Need to have” refers to essentialnecessities, including food, shelter,utilities,transportation and clothing.“Nice to have” is everything else.
While whittling down your debt, you can’tslack offonyour “need-to-have” expenditures. Butyou can decreaseyour “nice-to-have” spending and usethat extra toward payingdown acredit card or loan balance.
It’s never toolateto increase your cognitive reserve
What is meant by cognitive reserve?
Cognitive reserve is the mind’sresistance to damage the brain.
It is an evidence-based idea, proposed by Columbia University neuropsychologist Dr Yaakov Stern in the mid-1990s, which described individuals with no apparent symptoms of dementia whowere nonetheless found at autopsy to have brains consistent with advanced Alzheimer’sdisease. They found that these individuals did not show symptomsof the disease while they were alive because they had had large enough cognitive reserves to offset damage and continue to function as usual. Essentially,individuals can develop areserve of thinking abilities during their lives, which protect them against losses that can occur through aging and dementia.
Research has shownthat individuals with greater cognitive reserve are better able to stave off degenerative brain changes associated with Alzheimer’sorother dementias. Lifetime exposures to educational and occupational attainments and leisure activities later in lifecan increase reserve. For example, studies have shownthat there is areduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in individuals with higher educational or occupational achievements. It is never too late to build acognitive reserve. Early exposures to enriched environments provide the strongest effects, but leisure activities in older adulthood can also increase the reserve. Activities that engage the brain such as reading, learning anew language, visiting with friends and family,going to movies and restaurants, and attending community social events are all strongly related to gains in cognitive reserve and a reduced risk of dementia. It is important to note that it is cumulative behavior changes across all aspects of health (physical, cognitive and social) that promote cognitive reserve.
When someone has afavorite restaurant, sometimes the love knows no bounds. Such is the case for those who get their hands on the new fashion statement from Zippy’sBurritos, Tacos and More: custom Zippy’sCrocs. The Baton Rouge restaurant posted on socialmedia Wednesday to inform customers that they can “step into Zippy’sstyle” with special Crocs, complete with exclusivejibbitz —small, interchangeableshoecharms that can be inserted into the holes ofCrocs shoes. Four jibbitz are available, including apurpleLouisiana map withastar on Baton Rouge, the iconic marquee sign with the text“Igot my hangoveratZippy’s,”a replica of theZippy’sStyrofoam cup and the70808 zip code. The shoeitself is red withwhite peppers and the Zippy’s logoatthe toe. The black strap also includes the Zippy’slogo. “These limited-edition beauties are $75 and guaranteed to turn heads (and start convos),” the post states.
Zippy’s Burritos, Tacosand More in Baton Rouge has released custom Crocs PROVIDED IMAGE
Physical activity plays an important role in building cognitive reserve. Adiverse aerobic program builds fitness, strength, balance training and increased flexibility.Research has shownthat amulticomponent exercise program that combined aerobic, strength and balance training in older adults with mild cognitive impairment demonstrated improved memory. Cognitive skills are not fixed. On the contrary,atall ages the brain has the ability to respond to new information and new stimuli, to seek out and embrace things that challenge the brain. Individuals should engage their minds outside established domains, meaning that if they always worked crossword puzzles, they should try something outside their realm Other examples of
Dear Doctors: Iama 74-year-old man with asomewhat embarrassing question. My grandson recently asked me why Ismell dusty.I’ve heard about “old personsmell,” but always thought Iwould know if Ihad it. What causes it? Ihave good hygiene. Why doesn’tthat prevent it?
Dear Reader: Whetherit’sbad breath, perspiration or anyother scents our bodies produce, the standards of modern hygiene demand that they be eliminated
The when and why of this has its roots in the late 19th century, when advances in plumbing and the science of hygiene (boosted by aggressive advertising by soap manufacturers)introduced the ideaofthe daily bath. Today,wehave moved far beyond simply staying clean. People of all agesare expected
to erase any trace of bodily odor Unfortunately,asthe interaction with your grandson shows, even aslight shift from that olfactory net zero cancauseembarrassment
Thescentyou are asking about is believed to be triggered by a compoundknown as 2-nonenal. It has been variouslydescribed as smelling musty,grassy,greasy or dusty. Its presence on thebody is not related to poor hygiene.
Dear Miss Manners: My child’s school is having astaff appreciation week, which isn’tabad idea, given the effort they put in and how they enhance our kids’ lives. Whatstrikes me as extremely gauche,however,isthat it’s organized and run by the school, while asking parents to contribute.
This seems like the kind of thing that parents should organize if they want to, rather than being pressured into it by the school. If the administration wants to do it themselves, then they should fund it. Instead, here is what we are told to do:
First day: Send kind words/thanks.
in procuringwhatever school supplies the staff needs.
But you should also learn from your distasteabout thereminders: Alert other parents, but do not pressurethem.Miss Manners cautionsyou that you do not know their financial situations,even if youthink you do.
Rather,2-nonenal is abyproduct of chemical changes that occur in certain fats present in theskin. To understand how this happens, we need to dip intobiochemistry
The creation of 2-nonenal begins withchemical compounds called omega-7 unsaturated fatty acids. Human skin produces several types of these, the most abundant of which is palmitoleic acid. It is central to the skin’sability to act as aprotectivebarrier and plays arole in wound healing.
Aprocess known as oxidation can cause abreakdown in certain chemical bonds in palmitoleic acid. When this occurs, one of the byproductsis2-nonenal.
Due to age-related changes that occur in the skin, older adults can often begin to produce larger amounts of 2-nonenal. The chemical structure of this compound
causes it to evaporate readily at room temperature. That means 2-nonenal emits its characteristic scent not onlywhen present on theskin, but also in the air around theperson whose skin is producing it. Andbecause 2-nonenal is a fatty acid, it is not water-soluble. This means that unlike sweat, which is water-based, it is not easily washed away with soap and water.Even forpeople who practice diligent hygiene, the dustyormusty scent of 2-nonenal can persist. Because 2-nonenal can become embedded in fabrics, it can be helpful to washclothing and bedding with detergents that are specially formulated to removegrease. Keeping rooms well-ventilated can help diminish thescent of the compounds that have become aerosolized.
Some claims have been made thatthe tannins present in persimmon-basedsoaps can successfully remove 2-nonenal from the skin. However,the evidence in thatregardisstrictly anecdotal.
As forbeing unaware of this change in your personal scent, it is due something knownas sensory adaptation. It occurs because, in order to remain alert for important new information, our brains begin filter out the familiar.Ithappens to all of us, and is not acause foralarm
Sendyour questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla edu, or write: Ask theDoctors, c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite1450, Los Angeles CA, 90024.
as you suggested. —E.J.R., in Laguna Hills, California
Shredded paper
Second day: Send sugary treats.
Third day: Buy something from their wish lists.
Fourth day: Staff get aspecial Mexican luncheon while parents coverclassroom duties. (Keep in mind, students have been trying for months to get the qualityof food in the cafeteria improved, while the staff claims there is no need.)
Fifth day: Send ateacher’sfavoritesnacks and drinks tostock their fridge. It comes across like, “Hey, aren’twegreat? Buy us stuff and tell us how great we are!” And they send reminders EVERY DAY. Tacky Do teachers and school staff deserve nice things? Yep. Butthis is not the way to go about it,inmy opinion.
Gentle reader: Then why haven’t you organized the parentstoshow your appreciation for the staff in aproper fashion?
Youneedn’tdoitwith sugary treats —or, for that matter,useless apple-themed objects. Letters of thanks, by all means. Bonuses, if possible. And assistance
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Cancel thatgym membership. Cut back on meals out or the daily coffee shop visits. Get rid of that streaming subscription you don’t use.Eliminating a$15-per-month streaming subscription givesyou an extra $180 ayear,which you can dedicate to debt.
2. Determinethe rightapproach
The common approaches to paying down debt are snowball and avalanche.
DEBT SNOWBALL —SMALLEST FIRST Through the debt snowball strategy,you make minimum payments on all credit accounts and loans— except for the account withthe smallestbalance, where youput all extra dollars. Once you’vepaid that balance, turn to the account with the next-smallest balance and work on that. Continue this approach until your debtisgone. As you pay off balances, the amount available to pay offdebt “snowballs”into alarger sum,allowing you to pay accounts down more quickly
The snowball strategy’smain benefit is thequick wins. Seeing a credit card balance at zero within afew months can motivate you to continue.But while you’re paying off smaller amounts, yourhigherinterest-rate accountbalances continue to grow,making this method potentially costlier
DEBT AVALANCHE —STARTINGBIG With the debt avalanche strategy,you make minimumpayments to all accounts. Your primary focus
Dear Miss Manners: Ihosted arelativeover the winter
While in my home, she complained about my furniture being uncomfortable, and wanted me to purchase at least afew piecesinwhich she could sit comfortably There were manyways in which Iaccommodated her. Forinstance, she complainedthe mattress was uncomfortable, so Ipurchasedafoam padtoadd to themattress. She complained thebedroom was too hot, so Ipurchased atable fan for her. She particularly complained aboutthe dining room chairs during meals, but Idid not think a larger chair would have worked at thetable. (I have avery small eatingarea.)
WasIwrong forrefusing to purchaseadditional furniture for her?
Gentle reader: Instead of buying her ahouse she might like better?
Miss Mannersneednot be reminded that oneshould make one’sguestscomfortable. But there are limits. And there is an equal obligation for houseguests to do their best to put up with what they find
Youwould havebeen justified in apologizing that you were unable to adjust your entire house to makeher comfortable, and to offer to identify ahotel that could do so forthe rest of her stay
Send questions to Miss Manners at herwebsite,www missmanners.com.
andall extra money go to thehighest interest-rate balance. Once the balance reaches zero, concentrate on the card or loan with the nexthighest interest rate andwhittle that down.
The debt avalanche approach eliminates themostexpensive debts first,which helps yousave on interestpayments. However,this strategy requiresmotivation and perseverance. Your higher-interest-rate accountscould also be the largest balance accounts, which generally take longer to pay off.
3. Go beyond theminimum
Paying morethan the minimum on acreditcard or loan means the account hits azerobalance faster, andyou can saveinterestonthe outstanding balance. For example, consider acredit card with a$5,000 at a20percent interest rate. Even a small bumpinthe monthly payment you make can shave significant time offyour repayment period (and save you hundreds in interest).
Paying more than theminimum can also lower your credit utilization ratio. This percentage representshow much credityou use relativetohow much you have. A lower utilization ratio improves your creditscore.
Bankrate’scredit card payoff calculator can help you determine minimum payment amounts, inter-
Dear Heloise: R.J., of New Orleans, wrote about astuck key lock. Home improvement stores sell small tubes of powdered graphite that have atiny nozzle to fit into theoffending lock. Ashort squeeze or two pumps of powdered graphite into thelock, and voilà! Problem solved. No more having toshave lead pencils and trying to blow graphiteintothe offending lock
By The Associated Press
Valley,Arizona
Happyplanting
Dear Heloise: M.K. said they put their shredded paper in abox and put it out on recycling day
Shredded paper is not acceptable forrecycling! It maybeused in gardens that are mixed with soil or compost, used in packing fragile items, or put in the trash. So many sources exist forrecycling. Everyone must learn what can and cannot be recycled. If in doubt,throw it out! —Judy A., Green
Today is Monday,May 19, the 139th day of 2025. There are 226 days left in theyear
Todayinhistory:
On May 19, 1920, 10 people were killed in agunbattle between coal miners, who were led by alocal police chief, and a group of privatesecurity guards hired to evict them for joining a union in Matewan, West Virginia.
On this date:
In 1536, Anne Boleyn,the second wife of England’sKing Henry VIII, was beheaded at the Tower of London after being convicted of adultery
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developing cognitive reserve include changing routes while going to regular venues, such as grocery shopping or toafaith establishment. Using thenon-dominant hand for activities such as eating or brushing teeth are challenging practices and can help
est accrual and how long it takes to pay off abalance.
4. Earmarkextrastobalances
Reducing spending is one way to generateextra cash.You canalso use unexpected amounts, large and small, toward getting out of debt where you can.
USING THE WINDFALL
If you’ve received awindfall like alarge cash infusion from atax return, work bonus or moneyfrom agenerous relative, put some of it towardthe debt you owe and keep alittle to treat yourself to anight out or other fun activity.Every little bit helps when working toward your debt-payoff goals.
GENERATE SMALL SAVINGS
Youcan also make adent in debt with thedebtsnowflakestrategy.
This methodrequires you to find small savings anddirect those littleextras toward debt. Thereare plentyofways to do this,like:
n Buying generic products.
n Using coupons for purchases.
n Carpooling to save on gas.
n Limiting water and electricity usage.
Afew dollars aweek won’tclear yourdebtovernight, but small savings can help reduce what you owe and help you move towarddebt freedom more quickly
5. Debt consolidationmethods
Using adebtconsolidation loan or transferring what youowe to a 0percentAPR creditcard is one way to handle your debt. Both of these methods let you pay off multiple creditors andlenders, leaving youwith asingle monthly fee that goes toward thebalance of the loan or card.
In 1883, William Cody held the first of his “Buffalo Bill’sWild West” shows in Omaha, Nebraska.
In 1921, President Warren G. Harding signed the Emergency Quota Act, which established national quotas forimmigrants.
In 1943, British Prime MinisterWinston Churchill met with President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House, where the two leaders agreed on May1,1944, as the date forthe D-Dayinvasion of France (expansion plans forthe invasion caused thedate of thelanding to be delayed by amonth).
In 1962, film star Marilyn Monroe sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy
Dear Readers: In many parts of the country,people are getting their gardens in shape forspring planting. If you’re planting something new that you haven’tused before, you can go online, type in the nameofthe plant, and get instructions on the do’sand don’ts of that particular item.Happy planting! —Heloise
Send ahinttoheloise@heloise com.
during aDemocratic fundraiser at NewYork’sMadison Square Garden. In 2018, Britain’sPrince Harry wedAmerican actor Meghan Markle in St. George’sChapel at Windsor Castle. Today’sbirthdays: TV personality David Hartman is 90. Musiciancomposer Pete Townshend (The Who) is 80. Singer-actor Grace Jones is 77. Former racing driver Dario Franchitti is 52. Basketball Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett is 49. Country musician-producer Shooter Jennings is 46. Comedianactor Michael Che is 42. Singer Sam Smith is 33. Media personality-singer JoJo Siwa is 22.
preserve mental capacity.Examining problemsfrom different perspectives and changing pointsofview will also exercise thebrain.The internet is full of various websites that offer video lectures and courses that can flex mental muscles. Traveling to new places, exploring personal strengths and weaknesses, expanding on existing talents, and learning anew hobby or learning to play anew musical instrument are all waysthat not only build mental and physical capacities, but also develop cognitive reserve.
This approach can makebudgeting easier (you’re eliminating multiple payments forone). Youcould also find yourself with morefunds to makethat payment, as you’ve eliminated multiple credit card and lender interest rates. However,pay attention to information like interest rates and loan terms (i.e., origination fees and thetime you have to repay) before signing on thedotted line.
6. Debt managementplan
Adebt management plan (DMP) canhelp you in the following ways:
n Youwork with acredit counselingagency to develop abudget to manage your finances.
n That agency works with creditors to negotiate concessions like fee waivers or reduced interest rates.
n If thecreditors agree to cooperate,you makeone monthly payment to thecredit counseling agency,which pays each creditor There are acouple of caveats here. First, reputable DMP agencies are nonprofit, but you’ll likely pay afee attached to your monthly payments.
Second, it’snot agood idea to open newlinesofcredit or take out loans while on the plan. You’re using theDMP to pay off debt, not accrue more. Also, if you recently entered aDMP (which might be reflected on your credit report), lenders and creditors might be reluctant to give you aloan or credit card. Those that do might only offer ratesfor bad credit, which meansahigher annual percentage rate(APR) or fee.
7. Settle forlessthanwhat’sowed Adebtsettlement program
Dana Territo is an Alzheimer’s advocate and author of “What My Grandchildren Taught Me About Alzheimer’sDisease.” She hosts “The Memory Whisperer.” Email her at thememorywhisperer@gmail. com.
meanscontacting creditors to settle forless than what you owe. Youcan either do thejob yourself or go through athird-party debt relief company that negotiates with creditors on your behalf.Dependingonthe termsof the agreement, you could end up paying less than whatyou oweor see your interest rates and fees reduced or waived.
“Debtsettlementisbeneficial to many,but thatdoesn’tmean it’sthe right option for everyone,” says AdemSelita, co-founder of The Debt Relief Company.“It’snot as innocuous as adebt consolidation loan, but it’snot as harmful as a bankruptcy.Intermsofimpact, there aren’tmany other options that can help you get out of debt quicker and save you moremoney than debt settlement. However [you] could be liable for tax payments, and your credit score could be negatively affected.” If youchoosetopursue debt settlementonyour own, youwill need to be prepared to negotiate directly with creditors andpay a set amount toward your debt. A debt settlement program can simplify thisprocess —atthe expense of added fees.
Bottom line
Although it takes diligence and consistency, getting outofdebt is possible. Following the above strategies can help you reduce your debt while improving your financial health. While you’re paying down debt, examine and modify behaviors that got you there in the first place to prevent going downthe sameroad once your balances are paid in full.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Look for the positive angle and head in that direction. Overanalyzing will hold youback. You are in abetter position than you think, anda positive change willenergizeyou to exceed your own expectations.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Keep your eyes on your goal and your circumstances. Someone will embellish information to grab your attention. When in doubt, take abreak and concentrate on yourself and what makes you happy.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Stepoutsideyour comfort zone and let your imagination help you achieve your dreams. Focus on what'simportant and develop skills to help you achieve something new and exciting. It's OK to show emotions.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Seek information to enhance your skills, knowledge and experience, and rethink your purpose, passion and desired position. If you love what you do, you will do agood job.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Too much of anything will lead to backlash. Choose discipline, harness your energy and do your best.Don't count on otherstodothings for you or give in to someone pressuring you.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) You'll attract takers and givers. Examinewho they are, what they want and what you are willing to offer and receive. Indebtedness can affect your ability to do what's best for you. Weigh the pros and cons.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Take your mind off all the distractions buzzing around in your head. Turn off the news, get out-
doors and engage in activities that challenge you physically and encourage you to pay attention to your well-being.
SAGITTARIUS(Nov. 22-Dec.21) It'stwosteps forward and three steps back. Sitback and organize your thoughts, and you'll get aclear message from your heart regardingwhattodonext.Opportunityis within reach, but you must take the time to recognize the possibilities.
CAPRICORN (Dec.22-Jan.19) Consider your concerns and set out to make adifference. Volunteer, engage in rallies, gather informationanddoyourpart.Theknowledge you gain will change how you view yourself.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Putmoneymatters first. Look at how much you earn and where your money goes. It's time to restructure your lifestyletofit your budget. Consider unique ways to use your talents, skills and experience.
PISCES(Feb. 20-March20) Size down on all fronts. Too much food, expenditures, work, travel, daydreaming or anything else will drag you down. Temptation is the enemy. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Review your investments and adjust your overhead. Setting abudget and allocating funds to payoff debt will ease stress and put you in abetter position to follow your dreams.
Thehoroscope, an entertainment feature, is notbasedonscientific fact. ©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By
Andrews McMeel Syndication
Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letterinthe cipher stands for another.
CLUE:P EQUALS U
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squaressothat each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the samenumber only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Saturday’s Puzzle Answer
BY PHILLIP ALDER
The late Sen. Arlen Specter said, “If youare going to have to play defense allthe time, you cannot have the kindof ingenuity, assertiveness, independence andintelligence that have made our country strong.”
That is not the case at the bridge table. In apair tournament (duplicate), if your defense is excellent because you are ingenious and intelligent, you should want to defend all of the time. Then you will get one top after another.
This week we will look at one of the most important and taxing aspects of defense —tracking the high-cardpoints to place the unseen key cards.
In thisdeal, East hastofindthe winning defense. South is in threeno-trump. West leadsthe heartnine. Declarer wins with his king and runs the spade queen. Whatshould East do after taking this trick with his king?
Eastshouldcheckthehigh-cardpoints.
South showed 15 to 17 points, North tabled12, and East haseight. That leaves threetofivefor West. What high card might he hold?
What did East learn from West’s openinglead?
Anineisalwaystopofnothing.So,West hasnopointsinthemajors.Hemusthave aminor-suit ace. And since the diamond ace will not be good enough to defeat the contract, East should assume his partner has the club ace. East should shift to the club three, the low card saying that he has honors in the suit andistryingtowin tricks in this suit. West should win with his ace and return the clubsix,givingthe defenders five tricks. ©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews
Syndication
Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
InstRuctIons:
or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional
4. Proper
or an “s”
explicit words are not allowed.
or
toDAY’sWoRD GRAtuItY: gruh-TOO-ih-tee: Something given voluntarily, usually for someservice.
Average mark 10 words
Time limit 20 minutes
Canyou find 17 or more words in GRATUITY?
sAtuRDAY’s WoRD —soLIPsIstIc
