At Savoie’s Foods in Opelousas, not much has changed over 70 years of making their famous Cajun sausage and local food products, “one pound at a time.”
That’s how Eula Savoie started out in her home kitchen, behind a little country grocery store that still houses the original sausage maker she used in 1955. Each pound of sausage sold represented a lifeline as Tom and Eula Savoie struggled to keep their grocery and hog farming business afloat through the lean years Decades later, Savoie’s is a Cajun byword when it comes to smoked and seasoned meats, rice dressing mixes and jars of ready-made roux. And family is still at the heart of the operation, with Eula Savoie’s daughter, Donna Savoie Messner, now head of a company recognized by the Louisiana Legislature as a “Living Cultural Institution.”
Owner Donna Savoie Messner enjoys the camaraderie and food served during the Savoie’s Foods 70th anniversary employee celebration on Thursday in Opelousas.
LSU president heading to Rutgers
PATRICK WALL Staff writer
“We’re first cousins,” Simmons said, gesturing to Robinson. “Our auntie worked here, and we’ve been here ever since. It’s always been family.”
This month, Savoie’s celebrated its 70th anniversary with an employee appreciation day, serving food, prizes and honors to workers at the company’s St Landry Parish headquarters. Employees like Sandra Simmons and Shirley Robinson received the biggest rounds of applause as they were celebrated for their years of service. Robinson has been with the Savoie’s packing department for 48 years, and Simmons has worked in the stuffing room for 47 years — and now, her grandson works there with her
Savoie’s marketing manager, Michelle Bergeron, said loyalty is at the heart of the brand’s legacy As the company grew in the 1960s and ‘70s, Eula Savoie was known for investing in better machinery and more efficient processes, while insisting that they would never grow by replacing the people at the heart of the business.
of the low-income apartments on Martin Luther King Jr Drive complained of health and safety problems at the 136unit government-subsidized complex that they say were not addressed.
City inspectors in 2024 found 132 city code violations, including mold and leaking plumbing. An
“We have employees that have been here for 20, 30 and 40 years,”
From nursing school to doctorates, couple graduates together
BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer
Higher education weaves tightly through Marti and Jake Andries’ relationship. The couple met at Louisiana College while studying biology and then together enrolled in the University of Louisiana at Monroe’s accelerated nursing school program
After separately receiving their nurse practitioner degrees and working in their careers, the couple decided
to return to school together in 2022 to earn their doctor of nursing practice degrees from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. They walked across the stage together Saturday as Dr Marti Andries and Dr Jake Andries
“Jake is a great teammate,” Marti Andries said. “I just love doing life with him, so doing school is just an extension of that.” Taking care of people is in Marti Andries’ DNA. Her father worked at a hospital in Mamou, where she grew
up, and everything fell into place when she started nursing school. Jake Andries, who grew up in Lecompte, was first interested in hospital administration. He earned a master’s degree in business administration and was a nursing manager but realized he preferred providing care and being with patients. He returned to school to be a nurse practitioner, continuing to work in the emergency department.
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Marti and Jake Andries last week earned their doctor of nursing practice degrees from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
PHOTOS By ROBIN MAy
Sally Richard, left, and Eva Darbonne, a longtime employee of Savoie’s Foods, open Savoie’s products on Thursday in the original kitchen used by Eula Savoie when she started the company in 1955.
Ship underway less than 5 minutes before crash
The Mexican navy tall ship that struck the Brooklyn Bridge had departed less than five minutes before its masts crashed into the historic span, according to a timeline laid out by investigators Monday Less than a minute before the Cuauhtemoc training vessel sped backward into the bridge on Saturday, a radio call went out asking for help from any additional tugboats in the area.
Brian Young, the National Transportation Safety Board’s chief investigator of the deadly crash, said the ship had reached 6 knots by the time is struck the bridge, which is roughly 6.9 mph. The call asking for assistance from other nearby tugboats was made approximately 45 seconds before the crash.
Officials didn’t say where the call asking for assistance from other boats came from.
It also remains unclear whether a mechanical problem, weather or any other issues played a role NTSB officials said they have not yet been granted permission to board the ship and they have not yet interviewed the captain or the tugboat and harbor pilots who were on the scene during Saturday’s crash.
“This is a start of a long process. We will not be drawing any conclusions. We will not speculate,” said NTSB member Michael Graham.
Many crew members on the tall ship have flown home from New York, officials said Monday
Train strikes family on railroad bridge, killing 3 FREMONT Ohio Two women and a 5-year-old girl died after a train struck the family members while they were on a railroad bridge over a northern Ohio river, authorities said Monday Crews equipped with sonar had been scouring the Sandusky River through the night before they found the girl’s body Monday near the bridge, said Fremont Mayor Danny Sanchez.
The family from Fort Wayne, Indiana, had been on a fishing trip along the Sandusky River, and they were on the bridge Sunday night when the train came onto the span, Sanchez said. A 1-year-old girl was rescued and was in critical condition, city officials said Monday
It’s not clear whether the train hit all four or whether some may have jumped or were thrown into the river to avoid the locomotive, Sanchez said.
The details of what happened were still under investigation, Sanchez said.
The railroad bridge is not meant for pedestrians and was marked with no trespassing signs, the mayor said. He said he did not think the family was fishing off the bridge at the time the train approached.
City officials identified the victims as Ram Masan, 50; O Ny Zar, 34; and Intisar Mi, 5; all of Fort Wayne. The two women who died were a mother and her adult daughter the mayor said.
Man avoids jail for trying to sell stolen gold toilet
LONDON A man who tried to help a burglar cash in from the theft of a golden toilet valued at $6.4 million was spared jail on Monday after a British judge said he had been taken advantage of by the thieves.
Frederick Doe, 37, also known as Frederick Sines, was given a suspended sentence at Oxford Crown Court for his role in helping to sell the 18-carat gold fully functioning toilet which was taken in 2019 from Blenheim Palace — the country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born.
“Those responsible for this audacious heist, five individuals could be seen on CCTV, were clearly intent on disposing of their ill-gotten gains quickly,” Judge Ian Pringle told Doe. “You foolishly agreed to assist.”
The toilet was part of a satirical art installation, titled “America,” by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, whose work of a banana duct-taped to a wall was sold in 2024 for $6.2 million at auction in New York. The toilet weighed just over 215 pounds.
First aid trucks enter Gaza Strip
But allies threaten Israel with sanctions, urge more
BY TIA GOLDENBERG, SAMY MAGDY and WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press
TEL AVIV, Israel The first few aid trucks have entered Gaza following nearly three months of Israel’s blockade of food, medicine and other supplies, Israel and the United Nations said Monday, as Israel acknowledged growing pressure from allies including the United States.
Five trucks carrying baby food and other desperately needed aid entered the territory of over 2 million Palestinians via the Kerem Shalom crossing, according to the Israeli defense body in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza, COGAT.
The U.N. humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, called it a “welcome development” but described the trucks as a “drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed.”
Food security experts last week warned of famine in Gaza. During the latest ceasefire that Israel ended in March, some 600 aid trucks entered Gaza each day
Fletcher said an additional four U.N. trucks were cleared to enter Gaza. Those trucks may enter Tuesday COGAT said.
Fletcher added that given the chaotic situation on the ground, the U.N expects the aid could be looted or stolen, a growing problem as resources became increasingly scarce.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his decision to resume “minimal” aid to Gaza came after allies said they couldn’t support Israel’s new military offensive if there are “images of hunger” coming from the Palestinian territory
Shortly after Israel announced the first trucks entered Gaza, the U.K., France and Canada issued a sharply worded joint
statement calling the aid “wholly inadequate.” They threatened “concrete actions” against Israel, including sanctions, for its activities in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, calling on Israel to stop it “egregious” new military actions in Gaza.
There was no immediate Israeli comment.
Israel over the weekend launched a new wave of air and ground operations across Gaza, and the army ordered the evacuation of its second-largest city, Khan Younis, where a massive operation earlier in the 19-month war left much of the area in ruins.
Israel says it is pressuring Hamas to release the remaining hostages abducted in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war Hamas has said it will only release them in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.
Netanyahu repeated Monday that Israel plans on “taking control of all of Gaza.”
He has said Israel will encourage what he describes as the voluntary emigration of much of Gaza’s population to other countries — something that Palestinians have rejected.
In a video statement, Netanyahu said Israel’s “greatest friends in the world” had told him, “We cannot accept images of hunger mass hunger We cannot stand that. We will not be able to support you.”
The Trump administration, which has voiced full support for Israel’s actions and blames Hamas for deaths in Gaza, has expressed growing concern over the hunger crisis President Donald Trump — who skipped Israel on his trip to the region last week — voiced concern, as did Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Netanyahu’s video statement appeared aimed at pacifying anger in his nationalist base at the decision to resume aid. Two far-right governing partners have pressed Netanyahu not to allow aid into Gaza.
Trump looks to unite GOP before key votes on tax cut bill
BY KEVIN FREKING, LISA MASCARO and LEAH ASKARINAM Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump will look to build momentum for his sweeping tax cut and immigration bill on Tuesday, taking a trip to Capitol Hill to address House Republicans as they try to work out their differences before a planned floor vote later this week.
Trump will attend the GOP’s weekly conference meeting, according to a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans not yet made public
Republicans can afford only a few defections to get the bill through the House, and it’s clear differences remain. Some deficit hawks are insisting on quicker cuts to Medicaid and green energy programs before giving their full support. Others are seeking a large increase in the state and local tax deduction.
Trump has been pushing hard for Republicans to unite behind the bill, which would enact many of his campaign promises. The bill carries his preferred title, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
House Republicans narrowly advanced the sprawling 1,116-page package in a rare weekend vote late Sunday, but just barely as GOP leaders promise more negotiations ahead.
“The bill does not yet meet the moment,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a leader of the House Freedom Caucus, in a social media post immediately after the late-night session. “We can and must do better before we pass the final product.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday it’s “absolutely essential” that Republicans unite and pass the bill so that Trump can deliver on the
agenda.
Leavitt said Americans gave Republicans a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity to “course correct our country” and “there is no time to waste.”
Republicans criticizing the measure argued that the bill’s new spending and tax cuts are front-loaded in the bill, while the measures to offset the cost are backloaded. In particular, they are looking to speed up the new work requirements that Republicans want to enact for able-bodied participants in Medicaid. They also want to more quickly end tax breaks for green energy projects being used nationwide
Majority Leader Steve Scalise said on CNBC Monday that work requirements for some Medicaid beneficiaries would begin in early 2027, a big change from the 2029 start date that is currently in the bill.
Scalise, R-Jefferson, said GOP leaders are looking to give the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr Mehmet Oz, the time he needs to implement the work requirements, but would be “moving that date up dramatically.”
Late last week, the House Budget Committee failed to advance the package when four conservative Republicans objected. But it was able to do so Sunday on a vote of 17-16, with the four holdouts voting “present” to allow it to move ahead, as talks continue.
Speaker Mike Johnson, who met late Sunday with lawmakers ahead of voting, indicated he wants to impose the work requirements “as soon as possible” but acknowledged it may take states longer to change their systems.
“There will be more details to iron out and several more to take care of,” Johnson, R-Benton, said outside the hearing room.
Justices let Trump strip protections from Venezuelans
350K with Temporary Protected Status could face deportation
BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to strip legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelans, potentially exposing them to deportation.
The court’s order, with only one noted dissent, puts on hold a ruling from a federal judge in San Francisco that kept in place Temporary Protected Status for the Venezuelans that would have otherwise expired last month. The justices provided no rationale, which is common in emergency appeals.
The status allows people already in the United States to live and work legally because their native countries are deemed unsafe for return due to natural disaster or civil strife.
The high court’s order appears to be the “single largest action in modern American history stripping any group of noncitizens of immigration status,” said Ahilan Arulanantham, one of the attorneys for Venezuelan migrants.
“This decision will force families to be in an impossible position either choosing to survive or choosing stability,” said Cecilia Gonzalez Herrera, who sued to try and stop the Trump administration from revoking legal protections from her and others like her “Venezuelans are not criminals,” Gonzalez Herrera said.
“We all deserve the chance to thrive without being sent back to danger,” she said.
The ramifications for the hundreds of thousands of people affected aren’t yet clear, Arulanantham said.
“The Trump administration is reinstituting integrity into our immigration system to keep our homeland and its people safe,” said spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.
The case is the latest in a string of emergency appeals President Donald Trump’s administration has made to the Supreme Court, many of them related to immigration and involving Venezuela. Last week, the government asked the court to allow it to end humanitarian parole for hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, setting them up for potential deportation as well.
The high court also has been involved in slowing Trump’s efforts to swiftly deport Venezuelans accused of being gang members to a prison in El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law called the Alien Enemies Act.
The complex economic and political crisis in Venezuela has driven more than 7.7 million people to leave the South American nation since 2013. Venezuela’s most recent economic troubles pushed year-overyear inflation in April to 172%. The latest chapter even prompted President Nicolás Maduro to declare an “economic emergency” last month. Maduro, whose reelection last year to a third term has been condemned internationally as illegitimate, also has cracked down on his political opponents.
A federal appeals court had earlier rejected the administration’s request to put the order on hold while the lawsuit continues. A hearing is set for next week in front of U.S District Judge Edward Chen, who had paused the administration’s plans. In a statement, Homeland Security called the court’s decision a “win for the American people and the safety of our communities” and said the Biden administration “exploited programs to let poorly vetted migrants into this country.”
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Displaced Palestinians flee Monday from Khan younis, Gaza, amid the ongoing Israeli military offensive in the area.
Trump: Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks to start
President speaks to Putin, Zelenskyy in separate calls
BY ZEKE MILLER, JOSH BOAK and KATIE MARIE DAVIES Associated Press
WASHINGTON Russia and Ukraine will “immediately” begin ceasefire negotiations, President Donald Trump said Monday after separate calls with the leaders of both countries meant to spur progress toward ending the three-year war The conversations did not appear to yield a major breakthrough. It was not clear when or where any talks might take place or who would participate. Trump’s announcement came days after the first direct engagement between Russian and Ukrainian delegations since 2022. Those negotiations on Friday in Turkey brought about a limited exchange of prisoners but no pause in the fighting. Ahead of the calls, the White House said Trump had grown “frustrated” with both leaders over the con-
tinuing war. Vice President JD Vance said Trump would press Russian President Vladimir Putin to see if he was truly interested in stopping the fighting, and if not, that the U.S. could disengage from trying to stop the conflict. Trump later told reporters that he believed Putin was serious about wanting peace
“The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of,” Trump said in a social media post.
Trump said the call with Putin was “excellent,” adding, “If it wasn’t, I would say so now, rather than later.”
Trump has struggled to end a war that began with Russia’s invasion in February 2022, a setback for his promises to quickly settle the conflict once he was back in the White House, if not before he took office
“He’s grown weary and frustrated with both sides of the conflict,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday before the calls “He has made it clear to both sides
that he wants to see a peaceful resolution and ceasefire as soon as possible.”
The Republican president is banking on the idea that his force of personality and personal history with Putin will be enough to break any impasse over a pause in the fighting. He dangled the prospect of reduced sanctions and increased trade with Russia should the war end.
After the call, Putin said Russia was ready to continue discussing an end to the fighting after a “very informative and very frank” conversation with Trump. Putin
said the warring countries should “find compromises that would suit all parties.” Moscow, he said, will “propose and is ready to work with” Ukraine on a “memorandum” outlining the framework for “a possible future peace treaty.”
But indicating that little had fundamentally changed about his demands, Putin said: “At the same time, I would like to note that, in general, Russia’s position is clear The main thing for us is to eliminate the root causes of this crisis.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said
Monday that he reaffirmed to Trump that Ukraine is ready for a full and unconditional ceasefire. He urged the international community to maintain pressure on Moscow if it refuses to halt its invasion.
“Ukraine doesn’t need to be persuaded — our representatives are ready to make real decisions. What’s needed is mirrored readiness from Russia for such result-oriented negotiations,” Zelenskyy said.
Russian presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov, who previously served as Russian ambassador to the U.S., described the conversation
as friendly with Trump and Putin addressing each other by their first names.
“Trump said, ‘Vladimir, you can pick up the phone at any time, and I will be happy to answer and speak with you,’” he said.
Ushakov also said Trump and Putin could meet faceto-face at some point, but no timeline was set.
Putin and Trump also talked about a Russia-U.S. prisoner exchange, which Ushakov said was “in the works” and envisioned Moscow and Washington releasing nine people each. Ushakov did not offer any other details.
Speaking before the call, Vance said Trump could walk away from trying to end the war if he feels Putin isn’t serious about negotiation.
“I’d say we’re more than open to walking away,” Vance told reporters before leaving Rome after meeting with Pope Leo XIV Vance said Trump has been clear that the U.S. “is not going to spin its wheels here. We want to see outcomes.” Zelenskyy, who spoke to Trump one-on-one before the Putin call and then jointly with European leaders after, told reporters that he emphasized to Trump that no decisions should be made about Ukraine without involving Kyiv He also said that he discussed the potential for “serious sanctions” on Russia.
More storms possible after deadly weather slams central U.S.
BY BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press
LONDON, Ky. Forecasters warned Monday that more tornadoes and storms were possible in the central U.S. as people from Texas to Kentucky cleaned up from severe weather that has killed more than two dozen people in four days.
In St. Louis, where officials estimated a tornado Friday damaged 5,000 buildings and may cost well over $1 billion, the mayor warned Monday that federal assistance could take weeks. Kentucky has been hardest hit by the storms. A devastating tornado late Friday into early Saturday damaged hundreds of homes, tossed vehicles, left many homeless and killed at least 19 people, most of them in southeastern Laurel County In London where the dev-
astation was centered, the small airport became a beehive of cleanup work after it took a direct hit from a tornado. Officials were using it as a base to get water, food, diapers and other supplies out to the community
“We have 1,001 things going on. But we’re managing it. And we’re going to get it all cleaned up,” said London Mayor Randall Weddle said. Officials in Kansas and Texas also were evaluating damage from late Sunday storms. Tornados could be possible in an area centered in eastern Oklahoma on Monday with the risk of severe storms moving into Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. The Kentucky storms that killed 19 people were part of a weather system that caused seven deaths in Missouri and two in northern
Virginia, authorities said. Lonnie Nantz hid in a hallway with his wife, two daughters and a grandson as the one-story brick home they bought near London in 1977 was destroyed around them They were trapped in rubble for about 20 minutes in the midnight darkness before they were rescued unharmed. “I don’t know why this happened. I’ve tried to live a good life all my life. I’ve still got the faith,” said the 77-year-old who went to church as always on Sunday London city worker Ashley Taylor was back on the job Monday loading doughnuts to take to a hospital and dispatch center even though there was a tarp on her roof. She was lucky — the houses across her street were destroyed late Friday night
She survived the storm with nine other people and three dogs in the crawl space
U.K., EU hail new chapter, sign deals
BY SYLVIA HUI Associated Press
LONDON Britain and the European Union hailed a new chapter in their relationship Monday after sealing fresh agreements on defense cooperation and easing trade flows at their first formal summit since Brexit Five years after the U.K. left the EU, ties were growing closer again as Prime Minister Keir Starmer met European Commission Pres-
ident Ursula von der Leyen and other senior EU officials in London for talks. The deals will slash red tape, grow the British economy and reset relations with the 27-nation trade bloc, Starmer said while von der Leyen called the talks a “historic moment” that benefits both sides.
“Britain is back on the world stage,” Starmer told reporters. “This deal is a win-win.”
He hailed Monday’s agree-
ments — the third package of trade deals struck by his government in as many weeks following accords with the U.S. and India — as “good for jobs, good for bills and good for our borders.”
But Britain’s opposition parties slammed the deals as backtracking on Brexit and “surrendering” anew to the EU. “We’re becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again,” Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said.
of a neighbor’s home,
“We prayed like never before — and just thankful for everything God did for us,” Taylor said.
In surrounding Laurel County first responders were mourning one of their own.
Fellow firefighters found the body of Laurel County Fire Major Leslie Leatherman on top of a woman he was shielding from the storm’s fury as he answered calls during the worst of the storm. The woman was yelling for help and they were in a field across from a destroyed subdivision. The injured woman turned out to be Leatherman’s wife and officials aren’t sure if he knew who he was protecting in all the darkness and chaos, the fire department said on social media.
of
Forecasters on Sunday night issued a tornado emergency for Greensburg, Kansas, which had 12 people
SPUTNIK PHOTO By VyACHESLAV PROKOFyEV
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks Monday to journalists at the Sirius Park of Science and Art outside Sochi, Russia, after his phone call with President Donald Trump.
Trump
Zelenskyy
FAMILY
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said Bergeron. “And it’s also been 70 years of loyalty from our customers, who have made our food a staple in their households for a very long time.
“We’re now in our third generation, and it’s still all about bringing authentic, real Cajun food to households. Now it’s been passed on to Ms. Eula’s daughter, and hopefully on to her granddaughter and their grandchildren after that. And so, the focus on what it means to be family, and be authentic, has stayed the same — and we’re very proud of that.”
Savoie’s newest products are an offshoot of the company’s core line, which includes jarred roux, smoked meats and rice dressing mixes. Now they offer smoked chicken andouille sausage, chicken tasso and a Cajun chicken dressing alongside longtime brand favorites like smoked pork and beef sausage, and light, dark and instant roux.
“I’m very, very grateful,” said Messner, after handing out gifts to every employee, with the help of her assembled grandchildren “A lot of production has changed from when my mom butchered the first hog, but the seasoning and recipes have not changed. And this company wouldn’t be what it is without the help from our employees.”
Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.
rational,” he said. “You will forever stay in my heart.”
national search for a permanent president, LSU officials said.
On Monday, Rutgers’ governing board appointed Tate as the public university’s new president beginning July 1. The board chair called Tate “a scholar, an innovator and a transformative force,” while New Jersey Gov Phil Murphy called him “the ideal leader and educator for the job.”
“It’s an honor to be in this position,” Tate told the Rutgers board Monday, adding that he would not be there “if it was not for an opportunity at LSU.”
In a statement shared by LSU, Tate said it was “a distinctly difficult decision” to leave the university he’s led for the past four years He previously was the provost at the University of South Carolina for less than a year
“LSU, its students, faculty, staff, and supporters are all incredible and inspi-
COUPLE
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Marti Andries has worked as a nurse practitioner for 16 years, working with geriatric patients. She’s always loved teaching and giving people hands-on experience in the nursing field Pursuing her doctorate of nursing practice will allow her to teach future nurse practitioners in a more formal setting. And her husband realized the same thing.
“We enjoy passing on that knowledge and precepting,” he said, “whether it’s at the bedside with the elderly or in emergency medicine.”
They looked at several different programs before deciding to enroll in UL’s, encouraged by the faculty’s belief that the program
HIMBOLA
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by Foresight Asset Management. The owners were warned they would be assessed additional fines on a daily basis for problems that were not corrected by Jan. 31.
A March 27 inspection by the city’s community development and planning department found 39 violations remained, Jamie Boudreaux, spokesperson for Lafayette Consolidated Government, said Monday
As a result, American Agape has accrued an additional $41,977 in fines, she said, which will increase daily until the violations are remedied.
The remaining violations include: n Structures shall be kept free from insects and rodents.
n Every unit shall contain a bathtub or shower, lavatory, toilet and kitchen sink in sanitary and good working condition.
Several other top LSU administrators have recently stepped down, the Louisiana Illuminator has reported, including Provost Roy Haggerty, whom Tate hired early on as his de facto second in command Gov Jeff Landry suggested on Monday that Tate also had been considering leaving LSU for awhile.
“This is evidently something that President Tate has been looking at for sometime,” he said in a statement. “I thank him for his service and wish him well at Rutgers!” Tate arrived at LSU at a precarious moment for the university, as it grappled with the fallout of the COVID pandemic and accusations that it mishandled sexual assault allegations. He quickly made it a goal to expand LSU’s research activity and five focus areas for research: food production, health, the coast and climate change, defense and energy The gambit appeared to work The university led a coalition that
wasn’t just about earning a degree but about being able to make changes throughout the community
The biggest challenge for the couple was balancing the program with their personal lives and careers. They have three children who are still in secondary school, are members of First Baptist Church and opened their own business. And both have full-time jobs: Marti Andries at a rehab and retirement facility and Jake Andries in the emergency department of a Lafayette hospital.
All of that pushed them to keep focused on the program and earn their doctorates in about three years.
“Everything has been all in the whole time,” Jake Andries said. “I really feel like that made it much more rewarding because we know the effort that it takes to be
n All mechanical equipment, including cooling and cooking appliances, shall be properly installed and maintained in a safe working condition.
n All plumbing fixtures shall be properly installed and maintained in a safe, sanitary and functional condition.
n Every bathroom shall comply with the ventilation requirements for habitable spaces.
n Every habitable space in an apartment unit shall contain at least two separate and remote receptacle outlets, with laundry areas and bathrooms containing ground fault circuit interrupters.
n Interior surfaces shall be maintained in good, clean, sanitary condition, with peeling, chipping and flaking paint to be repaired or removed, along with cracks or loose plaster decayed wood and other defective surfaces, and holes in interior walls.
n Interior doors shall fit reasonably within their frames, and shall be capable
nabbed a U.S. National Science Foundation grant last year worth up to $160 million the largest ever awarded by the federal agency And it recently announced that research activity at LSU surpassed $540 million last academic year, a record amount that was nearly $200 million higher than in 2020.
LSU has also shattered enrollment records during Tate’s tenure, reaching nearly 42,000 students last fall across its eight campuses and online. The university has heavily recruited students from other states as a way to broaden its pool of high-achieving applicants, raise revenue and boost the school’s national profile.
Some Louisiana lawmakers have raised concerns that local students will be crowded out, but Tate has argued that out-of-state students, who pay higher tuition, help subsidize financial aid for Louisiana residents while expanding the state’s future workforce.
“What I always say is we’re the biggest in-migration tool in the state of Louisiana,” he
successful with it.”
Their children were “so ready for us to be done,” he said joking. It means more time together and no more presentations given from the quiet refuge of the car
They’ll both continue to work at their respective jobs.
Jake Andries was promoted recently and now leads the advanced practice providers. He said he’d eventually like to ease into education.
Marti Andries will begin passing on her knowledge to UL nursing students in the fall.
“I love my little nursing home, folks, my geriatric community I can’t leave that,” she said. “But if I can help with education, that’s what I would like to do.”
Email Ashley White at ashley.white@ theadvocate.com.
of being opened and closed and secured properly
n Exterior surfaces, including doors, window and door frames, porches, trim, balconies, decks and fences, shall be maintained in good condition.
n All siding and masonry joints, including those between the building envelope and perimeter of windows and doors, shall be weather resistant and watertight.
n The roof and flashing shall be sound, tight and not have defects that admit rain. Roofs must prevent dampness or deterioration in walls or interior parts of the building.
n No building or structure shall be demolished, erected, altered, repaired or relocated until a building permit is issued.
Eric Pullen, a Texas attorney for Foresight Asset Management and Agape Himbola Manor did not immediately respond Monday to an email requesting comment on this story
Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.
said last month.
Meanwhile, Tate had to navigate dramatic policy shifts after Landry a hardright Republican, became governor last year and President Donald Trump returned to office this year
Landry and Republican lawmakers prodded the state’s public universities to dismantle programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, and to end what Landry called the silencing of conservative voices on campuses. Last year, LSU removed some diversity messages from its website and renamed its “inclusion” office.
Those pressures have intensified under Trump, who has sought to slash highereducation funding, crack down on campus protests and eliminate diversity programs. Earlier this year, Tate enacted a universitywide hiring freeze and other belt-tightening measures, citing “unpredictable and unprecedented federal fund-
ing changes.” The university also has had to make offers to graduate students contingent on adequate funding.
“That’s a very precarious situation because you’re talking about the most talented students in the country,” Tate said last month “You’re basically telling them they have a conditional opportunity to go to our school.”
Despite the challenges, Tate has maintained the support of LSU’s Board of Supervisors, even after Landry replaced most of its members.
“We are saddened by President Tate’s departure but grateful for the deep and meaningful impact his leadership left on the LSU enterprise over the last four years,” board Chair Scott Ballard said in a statement.
“We wish him well on his journey and will always consider him a Tiger.”
Tate’s interim successor will step in July 1. Lee, who is also dean of LSU’s agriculture college,
oversees agriculture research and education at the college and the university’s AgCenter He previously held several leadership positions at LSU, including interim executive vice president and provost.
With a doctorate in sociology from LSU, Lee is a criminologist and public health expert specializing in rural crime and community development. Prior to LSU, he was on the faculty at Mississippi State University, where he was affiliated with the Rural Health, Safety, and Security Institute.
“Matt’s long-term commitment to LSU, paired with his research and leadership expertise, made him the obvious choice to lead the LSU enterprise through this transitional phase,” Ballard said, adding, “I can’t imagine a better person to steer us through this time.”
Email Patrick Wall at patrick.wall@theadvocate. com.
PHOTO By ROBIN MAy
Not much has changed inside the original Savoie’s Sausage company general store in Opelousas where Eula Savoie started the company in 1955.
BY CARLA K. JOHNSON Associated Press
Former President Joe
Biden’s office said Sunday that he has beendiagnosed withaggressive prostate cancer and is reviewing treatment options with his doctors.
Biden, 82, was havingincreasing urinary symptoms and was seenlast weekby doctors who found aprostate nodule. On Friday,hewas diagnosed with prostate cancer and the cancer cells have spread to the bone, his office said in astatement.
Biden’ssuddenprostatecancerdiagnosis alltoo common
urine and semen out through the penis.
Howserious is Biden’scancer?
Biden’scancer has spread to the bone, hisoffice said. That makes it more serious than localizedorearly-stage prostatecancer
Outcomes have improved in recent decades andpatientscan expect to live with metastatic prostatecancer for four or five years, Smith said.
“It’sverytreatable, but not curable,” he said.
What are the treatment options?
score. The scores range from 6to10, with 8, 9and 10 prostate cancers behaving more aggressively.Biden’soffice said his score was9,suggesting his cancer is amongthe most aggressive.
Shouldolder men getscreened?
Screening with PSA blood tests can lead to unnecessary treatmentwithsideeffects that affect quality of life. Guidelines recommend against PSA screening for men70and older
biopsy; overdiagnosis and overtreatment; andtreatment complications, such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction.”
“It’savery common scenario,” said Dr.Matthew Smith of Massachusetts General Brigham Cancer Center Men can “feel completely well and adiagnosis of metastatic prostate cancer could come as quite asurprise.” Guidelines recommend against prostate cancer screening for men 70 and older so Biden may not have been getting regular PSA bloodtests,Smith said. What’smore, while the PSA test can helpflag somecancers in some men, it does not do agreat job of identifying aggressive prostate cancer, Smith said
tate cancer,according to the American Cancer Society
Here are some things to know about prostatecancer thathas spread.
What is the prostate gland?
When caught early, prostate cancer ishighlysurvivable, butitisalsothe second-leading cause of cancer deathinmen. About one in eight men will be diagnosed over their lifetime with pros-
The prostate is part of the reproductive system in men. It makes fluid for semen It’slocated below thebladderand it wraps around the urethra, thetube thatcarries
Singer says Combsthreatenedher life aftershe sawhim beat Cassie
BY MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRYNEUMEISTER
Associated Press
NEW YORK SingerDawn Richard told jurors at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial on Monday that the hip-hop mogul threatened to kill her if she told anyone she saw him physically abusing his longtime girlfriend. Richard testified that Combsmade thethreatthe dayafter shewitnessed the Bad Boy Records founder punch and kick Casandra “Cassie” Ventura after taking aswing at her with askillet. Richard said he told her and another woman who saw the attack that “we could go missing” if they didn’tstay quiet.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitzi Steiner asked Richard what she took “we could go missing” to mean.
“That we could die,” Richard responded, saying she was shocked becauseall of this happenedjust as she was beginning to record with Diddy -Dirty Money,amusical trio with Combs and another R&B singer
Richard disclosed the alleged threat as shereturned to thewitness stand to kick off thesecondweekoftestimonyin Combs’ sex trafficking and racketeering trialin Manhattan federal court. Combs, 55, is accused of exploiting his entertainment power brokerstatus to abuse women, including Cassie, throughthreats andviolence fortwo decades from2004 until his arrest last September. He has pleaded not guilty Hislawyers argue that prosecutors compiledproof of domestic violence, but notthe federal crimes he’scharged with. Before day’send, Cassie’sbestfriend of 17 years and aformerpersonalassistant to Combs testified that she felt trapped as prosecutors tried to uncover proof that Combs wasoperating acriminalracketeering organization that relied on employees to help himcontrol Cassie and other women in his life.
Testimony about Combs’ beatings of Cassiecamewithhardly amentionof the drug-fueled“freak-offs”that dominated testimony last week,when Cassie explainedoverfour days how her wish
Prostate cancer can be treated withdrugs that lower levels of hormones in thebodyorstopthemfrom gettingintoprostatecancer cells. The drugs can slow down thegrowthofcancer cells
“Most men in this situation would be treated with drugs andwould notbeadvisedto have either surgery or radiationtherapy,” Smithsaid.
What is aGleason score?
Prostate cancersare graded for aggressiveness using what’sknown as aGleason
Dawn
es Monday in Manhattan federal courtduring the sex trafficking and racketeering trial of Sean‘Diddy’ Combs.
fora loving relationshipwith Combs led instead to her weekly sexualperformances with male sexworkersthat left her too exhausted to pursueher musical career Richard, who began her testimony Friday and concluded Monday,said she witnessed Combs attack Cassie multiple times, including during avisit to Combs’ home recording studio in 2009, when Richardsaidshe andanother woman saw Combs hit Cassie “onthe head and beat her on the ground” after Cassie deflected aswipe at her head by askillet
The PSA test looks for high levels of aprotein that may mean cancer butcan also be caused by less serious prostate problemsoreven vigorous exercise.
For men aged 55 to 69 the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says screening “offers asmallpotential benefit of reducing the chance of death from prostate cancerinsomemen.” Thetask force adds that“many men will experience potential harms of screening, including false-positive results that require additional testing and possible prostate
Is late-stagediagnosis morecommon in older men? Yes. Of allmen diagnosed with prostate cancer between 2017 and 2021 whose cancer staging was recorded, men75and older were more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage diseasecompared to those younger than 75. One in five men75and older with prostate cancer were diagnosed with cancer that had metastasized, compared to just 6.3% of menunder 75, according to an AP analysis of federal data from the U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group.
Between 2017 and 2021, 90,551 menwere diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer,representing around 8.8% of prostate cancer diagnoses. More than 40% of them were 75 or older AP data journalist Kasturi Pananjady contributed to this report.
BY NICOLE WINFIELD and JACQUELYNMARTIN Associated Press
ROME Vice President JD Vanceextended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit the UnitedStates during a meeting at theVatican on Monday ahead of the U.S.led push for ceasefire negotiations in Russia’swar in Ukraine
Vancegavethe first American pope aletter from U.S. President Donald Trump and the first lady inviting him.The Chicagoborn pope took the letter and put it on his desk and was heard saying “at some point,” in the video footage of themeeting provided by Vatican Media. Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, also gave the Augustinian pope acopyoftwo of St.Augus-
tine’s most seminal works, “The City of God” and “On ChristianDoctrine,” the vicepresident’s officesaid. Another gift: AChicago Bears T-shirt with Leo’s name on it.
“As you can probably imagine,people in the United States areextremely excited about you,” Vancetold Leo as they exchangedgifts. LeogaveVance abronze sculpture with the words in Italian “Peace is afragile flower,” and acoffee-table sized picture book of the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace. Leo noted that Francis had chosen not to live in them andadded, “And Imay live in, but it’s not totally decided.” Vance led the U.S. delegation to Sunday’sformal Mass opening the pontificateofthe first American pope.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By GERALD HERBERT
Former President JoeBiden’soffice said Sunday that he has been diagnosed with aggressiveprostate cancer and is reviewingtreatment optionswith his doctors.
PROVIDED IMAGE By ELIZABETH WILLIAMS Witness
Richard testifi
La.billwould allowabortiondruglawsuits
Lawmakersseektotargetmedical providers
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
Pregnant women in Louisiana and some of their family members would be allowed to sue anyone who helps provide drugs meant to induce an abortion undera proposal being considered by the Legislature.
It’spart of alarger effortbyantiabortion lawmakers to limit the use of drugssuch as mifepristone and
Entergy wins access battle
Public Service Commissionends yearslongdebate
BY SAM KARLIN Staff writer
Entergy successfully beat back an effort Monday to invite more competition into Louisiana’spower sector,capping ayearslongfight with petrochemical companies that have raised concerns abouta spate of planned projects settocost billions.
The Louisiana PublicService Commission, which regulates power companies in most of thestate, ended the long-running debate Monday in a4-1 vote. The commission has spent years debating whether to allow full —ormore realistically, limited —“retail access” in the power sector. The petrochemical companies supportingithave saidthat if they’re allowed to get more power without going through Entergy,they could save everyone money Agroup representing some of Louisiana’sbiggest petrochemical companies warned at the meeting that Entergy is set to heap huge rate increases on customersinthe coming years. Entergy is retiring aseries of power plants builtinthe 1960s and ’70s at the same time that it’s courting power-hungry data centers andasthe state’spetrochemical sector grows.
ButEntergy countered that inviting in other providers would hurt the state’sability to attract newcompaniesseekinglow-cost power from existing utilities
AndRepublican Commissioner Eric Skrmetta accused the other electricproviders pushing for more access to the market of greed, saying they would cost regular residents money if big companies were allowed to exit the Entergy system.
The commission’sstaff hasn’t yetdone afull data analysisto see whether that’strue.Lane Sisung, consultant for the PSC, said the docket being debated hinges on whetherindustrial customers could go around Entergy withoutcosting othercustomers moremoney.Ifthe docket had been allowed to go forward,staff would have collected data over thecoming months to evaluate whether costs would rise for other customers.
“I can’tsit here today and give youananswer one way oranother,” Sisung said.
Former Commissioner Craig Greene, aBaton RougeRepublican who stepped down last year, setthe debate in motionin2019, when he argued that offering customers more options could reduce costs.
CommissionerDavante Lewis, aDemocrat, was the only mem-
misoprostol for abortionsinLouisiana Supporterssay the legislation would provide more toolstopursue out-of-state doctorswho prescribe drugsfor abortion, which is illegal in Louisiana. But opponents are worried it could lead to messy litigationweaponized againstpregnant or previously pregnant women House Bill 575 would give the mother of an unborn child, the bio-
logical father andgrandparents legal standing to file acivil lawsuit against “any person or entity who performs, causes, or substantially facilitates an abortion …regardless of whether the abortion resulted in the death of the unborn child.” It would prohibit thefather from bringing suit,however,“when the father impregnated the mother of theunborn child through an act of rape,sexual assault,orincest.”
Plaintiffs would have up to 10
yearsafterthe termination of the pregnancy to sue.
And they would be entitled to recoverstatutory damages of “not lessthanone hundred thousand dollars,” as well as punitive damages anddamages for monetary losses and for pain and suffering.
The legislation defines the phrase “substantially facilitates” as “administering, prescribing, dispensing, distributing, marketing, advertising, promoting, or selling an abortion-inducing drug.”
It would exempt from liability pharmacists who were filling pre-
scriptions legally,licensed Louisiana health care providers whowere trying to save the lifeofamother or childduringdelivery, andmental health professionals andadvocates, so long as they weren’t promoting abortion.
The pregnant woman herself would also be exempt fromliability Themeasure,which advanced out of theHouse last week, is sponsored by Rep.Lauren Ventrella,R-Central, andwould be calledthe Justicefor Victims of AbortionDrug Dealers
‘FUTURELEADERS’
St.Landrymiddle schoolersfeted with lunch
BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer
Bailey’sTandoori Grill was filled with special guests Monday morning —nearly 30 studentsfrom Creswell Middle School honoring their good behavior throughout theschool year
Thefifth and sixth grade students had zero infractionsfor theyearand showed positive behavioral traits inside and outside the classroom,mathand French teacher Ousmane Maiga said.
Fifthgrader Parker Gauthier was
New Iberia police arrested a woman accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a student.
Hailey Gros, 31, faces one count of indecent behavior with ajuvenile, according to a New Iberia Police Department statement. Theincidentoccurred on Saturday andinvolved an inappropriate relationship between the substitute teacher and astudent,police said. An investigation is ongoing. Gros is being held at the Iberia Parish Jail.
10 poundsofmeth seized in Lafayette
Lafayette sheriff’s deputies arrested aman after10pounds of methamphetaminewere found in ahome.
excitedabout thelunch,which he said was at the fanciest restaurant he’d ever eaten at, because it recognized his hard work and that he’dstayed out of trouble.
“I want people to recognize that the Creswell Tigers areconfident, brave and respectful,”hesaid.
It’sthe third year theschool hascelebratedatBailey’s on Johnston Street. It’sanincentive for thestudents to stay focused throughout theyear
“Weusually tell them,‘Whenyou behave,you work better anditwill pay off,’ ”Maigasaid. “This is the payoff. They arebeing rewarded for beingresponsible, forworking hard andfor being well-behaved kids.”
The celebratory meal was chicken tenderswithfrench fries and chocolate cake for dessert.
LeeAllen Gary Jr., 32,faceone count of possession with the intent to distributemethamphetamine, possession of afirearm in the presence of drugs,possession of afirearm by aperson with protectiveorderagainst them,monies derived from drug proceeds and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office announcement.
On Thursday,deputies executed asearch warrant on ahome in the 2100 block of West Willow Street. Deputies discoveredaround 10 pounds of methamphetamines, a gun,ahydraulic brick pressand morethan $5,000. Thecaseremains under investigation.
Gary is being held at the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center Manrobbed at gunpoint of graduation money
Police areinvestigating an armed robbery in Euniceover theweekend in whicha man
The Creswell Middle students weren’t the only Acadiana students to have their hard work recognized at Bailey’sthis spring. Preschool students from J.W. Faulk Elementary practiced their etiquette skills, million-word readers from Prairie Elementary were honored, and morethan 70 students from Broadmoor Elementary were recognizedfor making the principal’slistfor theentireschool year
Ema Haq,the restaurant’sowner,has been helping schools highlight students’ achievement since 1994. He saidit’san honor to host the festivities and make the students feel seen.
“These are our future leaders. We need to encourage them,” he said. “This is away for them to feel like someone cares.”
was robbed of his graduation money, cellphone and driver’s license.
Just before 2:30 a.m.Saturday, Eunice police responded to a report of aman running with a firearm on SouthSecond Street. Upon arrival, officerswereapproached by aman who said he hadbeen robbed at gunpoint by two men. The officers were able to obtain video of the incident from a local business.
Police said the video showed two men—one wearingawhite shirt,pants, black shoes and holding what appeared to be afirearm, and the other wearing ablack jacket,whiteshirt, pants and black shoes with whitelaces —approach the victim. The men appear to dig into the pockets of the victim,and police saythey removed his cellphone, driver’slicenseand graduation money —approximately $800 in cash —beforepointing the fire-
arm at his chest but not firing. The menthen ranfromthe area, heading north. There were no reported injuries. It is still under investigation. Anyone with information is urgedtocontact the Eunice Police Department or St. Landry CrimeStoppers.
Crowleywoman dies in fieryvehicle crash
ACrowleywoman diedina fiery single-vehicle crash in Kaplan on Saturday night, according to Louisiana State Police. Troopers identified the victim as Sommer Simon, 40. The crash took place on La. 335 near TecheRoadjust after 10 p.m.Saturday.Police said Simon was driving a2017 Ford Mustang when it veered off theroad, hitseveral trees and caught fire.Simondied at the scene. The investigation into the crash is ongoing.
BLOTTER Advocate staff reports ä See ABORTION, page 4B
STAFFPHOTO By BRAD KEMP
OwnerEma Haq serveslunches to students from Creswell Middle School at Bailey’sTandoori GrillonMonday in Lafayette. The students were rewarded for reading and good behavior during the school year
Abrazen jailbreak, outrageand asearchfor answers
Outrage doesn’tbegintodescribe the reaction from NewOrleaniansand people aroundthe state to theshocking mass breakout from theOrleans Justice Center,run by the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Tenmen —including five charged with either murder or attempted murder —madewhatappeared to be an easy escape from the 9-year-old facility early Friday morning, slipping out of aloading dock in full view of avideocamera,dodging late-night Interstate 10 traffic and disappearing into the city’sneighborhoods hours before their absencewas detected.Asofthis writing, just four have been recaptured.
The big question before us —how on earth could such athinghavehappened? —is actually aseries of smaller questions that demand answers: Why did nobody seethe escape or evenrealize it had happened for so long? With the loneemployee chargedwith watching the unit on ameal break, theinmates were able to tamper with alocked cell door and then get out through ahole behind atoilet shortly after midnight Friday,and thenscalean outerwalljustoverahalfhourlater,according to theSheriff’sOffice and the New Orleans Police Department. Their absence, incredibly,wasn’tdiscovereduntil 8:30 a.m. during aroutine headcount. Why did the Sheriff’s Office waituntil9:30 a.m. to notify state and local federal partners, 10:30 a.m. to notify NOPD and 10:50 a.m. to alert the public?
If the inmates indeed hadhelp from theinside —asboth Sheriff Susan Hutson and theevidence suggest —how many employees were involved? Andwhatisthe sheriff, who is planning to runfor reelection this fall, doing to make sure heremployees are on the right side of the law?
How does the fact that some prisoners awaiting trial and sentencing serve long stints atthe jailaffect overall security? What role did chronic overcrowding and understaffing play?
It’snot as if there hadn’tbeen warningsbefore. Issues including laxsecurity checks havebeen documented by federal monitors overseeing the consentdecree meanttocorrect rampantproblems at thejail. Hutson herself has pointedto malfunctioning locks and difficulty in hiring and properly paying qualifiedemployees.
Those long-simmering challenges have brought us to an all-hands-on-deck moment.
We appreciate Gov.Jeff Landry,AttorneyGeneral Liz Murrill, theCity Council and all theother officials who arestepping up, offering resources, proposing policy changes anddemandinganswers. We also urge everyone involved to keep accusatory political rhetoric to aminimum,particularly while the situation remains dangerous.
It’sashame that this black eye comesasNew Orleanshas been making significant progress in reducing crime, in no small part becausestate and local authorities have put aside their differences and pursued the common goal of keepingthe city, itsresidents and itsvisitors safe.
After the disgraceful events of late last week, we need that now more than ever
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE
GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence
TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters arenot to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com.
Statemustdomoretoliftchildrenfrompoverty
It’stime for anew direction in public policy,one that assistsfamilies in crisis work their way from poverty to the American dream of peace and prosperity Decades of failed policy that discourages self-reliance and encourages dependency have diminished theincentivefor abetter life through education and astrongwork ethic. An example of public policy that could pushback on this trend was published in The Acadiana Advocateon April 23 featuring proposed legislation by Rep.Barbara
Freiburg to addresshigh rates of student absenteeism in Louisiana’spublic schools This legislation, which would have based state minimum foundation funding for public schools on daily student attendance versus annual school enrollment numbers, was recently pulled from consideration amid fearsthat theschool districts with the highest rates of student absenteeism would lose funding needed to address theissues of poor academic achievement, increased school violence, and theresulting critical shortageof
certified teachers in the most at-risk schools. This is aclassic case of protecting asystem that for decades has repeatedly failed children whose misfortune is being born into afamily in crisis.
Currently existing state social service and health agencies, state and local education systems, law enforcement and the judicial system, and nonprofits, including church and civic organizations working in acollaborative effort can save the lives of thousands of children. There are twoexisting
Consultant recommendationsfor port misrepresented
My company,Martin Associates,conducted the “Cargo MarketAnalysis and Strategy for the Lower Mississippi RiverPorts” for the World Trade Center New Orleans
Ihave read severalletters to the editor that suggest that thereportdismissesthe development of adownriver container terminal, suchasthe Louisiana International Terminal. In fact,the report strongly recommends the development of adownriver terminal.
The following excerpt is directly from our report “Without moving the container terminal downriver, the LMR portregion will be blocked from serving the majority of theworld container fleet and will clearly not be able topenetrate
current potential markets, as well as expand market reach though theintermodal access to themidwesterndiscretionary container market
“Whendeveloping the container terminal down river, accesstothe six Class Irailroads will be critical. While it has been demonstrated that penetrationinto thecentral and upper midwesterndiscretionary container market is challenging for an LMR container portgiven the current local limited local market, the ability to attract lower time sensitive containersmoving into the midwestern states from Asia will be an important marketing tool for the growth of adownriver terminal. It has further been shown thatanLMR port to
serve awest bound container market such as Dallas for Transpacific cargo is at acompetitive disadvantage compared to intermodal service via Los Angeles/ Long Beach and truck service via Houston.
“With the development of anew terminal downriver, theexisting Napoleon Avenue ContainerTerminal will be available to serve containermarkets served by smaller vessels such as theCentral American container market, as well as utilize the area for project cargo, and cargo requiring outside storage.” Hopefully this will clarify therecommendations of thereport regarding the development of adownriver terminal.
state programs to facilitate the collaborative effort by these currently available resources. “FamiliesinNeed of Services,” or FINS, and the “Truancy Assessment Services Centers,” or TASC, programs are currently underfunded and consequently underutilized.
The Legislature’s critical first steps should include providing additional funding sufficient for FINS and TASC to implement pilot programs to determine the most effective path forward.
LAWRENCE
T. DUPRÉ Lafayette
Americaneeds asocietalshift
It is time that we no longer trust that juries can determinethe extent of mental illnessincluding schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress syndrome based on “expert” testimony. Neither should we expect juries to alwaysbeable to distinguishfirst-degree murder from second-degree murder or manslaughter Mostcrimes have extenuating circumstances which
are seldom black or white. Is aperson with an IQ of 80 intellectually challenged whereas aperson with an IQ of 81 is not?
The solution is simple. Juries should only determine if theperson committed the criminal act.
For seriouscrimes, committees of rotatingexperts can evaluate the person who committed acrime and determine the bestcourse
JOHN MARTIN owner,Martin
Associates
Juries should notbeexpectedtoweigh allaspects of criminal justice
of action for the accused and the welfare of the community.They could also determine if ayoung person would be better served in a facility for juveniles.
Probation should not depend on the feelings and opinions of others but should be determined by acomputer program that predicts the likelihood of recidivism JAYWIERIMAN NewOrleans
No matter our ZIP code, how we got to America, our color, our preferences, there is a concerning movement away from empathy and compassion to one of division, hostility and alack of understanding among individuals and communities. To foster abetter society,we must get back to caring forall lives and embrace the teachings of Jesus. We must resist the prejudices of an authoritarian strongman approach and instead movetowards a democracy that nurtures and supports its citizens with diversity,equity and inclusion. This shiftinperspective can lead us back to the American values that inspired the Civil Rights Movement, social justice reform, and overall prosperity foreveryone. SCOTT LEBLEU Lafayette
Cartoonissadly accurate
The Advocate’s“May Day” cartoon from Walt Handelsman’sisthe perfect epitaph for the Trump administration. Unfortunately it’snot funny It should be reprinted weekly to remind everyone to the abyss in which the country has been plunged.
PAUL CONZELMANN Lafayette
COMMENTARY
Jailbreakhas leaderspointing fingers
I’m not going to lie
Will Sutton
Iknew the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office and the cityjail have had ongoing maintenance and staffing issues before and since former Sheriff Marlin Gusman’s 18-year tenure, but it wasn’tuntil Iattended one of the sheriff’s millage town hall meetings in Algiersthat Irealized how bad things are.
Iwatched as the sheriff andher team gave anumber of reasons the millage should be renewed, including areferencetojaillocks that don’twork. The description,the detail was unnerving. Lots of locks meant to keep inmates in weren’t doing the job.
How’d thathappen?
Sheriff Susan Hutsonsaid it’s because the office doesn’thave enough moneyand the millage renewalwould help. I’m gladvoters passed the measure by twovotes, but is this amatter of howthe officespends the money it has?
Louisiana had one of if not the largest jailbreaks in history Friday and we all have reason for concern. TenOrleans Justice Center inmates escaped. Four havebeen recaptured.
BRETTDUKE
STAFF PHOTO By
Orleans ParishSheriff Susan Hutson speaks to members of the mediaFriday after 10 inmates escaped theOrleans Justice Center early that morning
That leaves seven outthere, somewhere, as of early Monday afternoon.With aseven-hour head start, one or more of them could be in northernLouisiana,western Texas or evenMiami or New York City by now.
In thedark of the night, sometime after midnight, agroup of Orleans Parish jail inmates managedtohidetheirtoiletwalland security bar dismantlement, starting their fast-break to the outside about1 a.m They jimmied acellblock door that clearly needs repair then ran off to freedom through an unguardeddelivery door,running like hell for I-10 and wherever they could go asfast as they could —withoutanyone seeing them.
WHO was responsible forwatching the outside cameras?
How’d that happen?
Just abouteveryone hasseen the photos andvideos released by the Orleans Parish Sheriff’sOffice. Look againatwhathappenedas inmates enlargeda hole behind a toilet wall andjimmied ajaildoor
Theyweren’t wearing the orange jumpsuits inmates usually wear during their stay at thejail. They were wearing street clothes and sneakers. Ican’t tell whether any of them hadNike Air Jordans, Converse ChuckTaylors or Dollar General discount sneaks.
How’d that happen?
It’snot thefirst suchjailbreak There have been quite anumber, even from this “new” jailthat wasn’t supposed to see escapes. The jailbreakhas shaken Hutson andall of theOrleans Parish, Louisiana andfederal justice andlaw enforcementofficials whowork hard to maintain lawand order while keeping ourcommunities safe.
Deputiesrealizedthe inmates were gone during aroutine 8:30 a.m. headcount check.The sheriff was notified about9a.m. The public andthe news media were notified after 10 a.m.
How did any of this happen?
Though it was alate start, Hutson immediatelyopenedan
UNO’sResearch Park gives fitting tributeto BobLivingston
Bob Livingston is finally starting to get his due.
investigation,suspending at least three OPSO employees.But taking no responsibility. The New Orleans Police Department joined the investigation andthe search The Louisiana State PoliceTroop NOLA joined. Other parish, state andfederal law enforcementpartners added theirears, eyes and skills. No real justificationsyet. Hutson andLouisianastate correctionsofficials owe us more explanations. The recaptured inmates were sent to Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. For whatever reason, dozens of other inmates were moved elsewhere after the jailbreak, relieving pressure on the understaffedOPSO. If they could move them that quickly,why couldn’tthey move them in the days andweeksbeforethis happened?
Sundaynight,Gov.JeffLandry opened his investigation,ordering Attorney General LizMurrill to conduct ajailaudit andtolook at whyOrleans Parish criminal courts are slowtobring cases to conclusions,inferring that those charged are guiltyand need to be in prison.
Last time Ichecked,wehavea U.S.Constitution guaranteeing fair trials, even for thosechargedwith violent crimes. Prosecutorsalone cannotdetermine howquickly a
casemoves through thesystem. Defense attorneys have aright to askfor continuances or delays as apartofconstitutionallegal guarantees.Judgescontrol thedockets Lordknows while Iexpect the guiltytobepunished, Idon’t want to seeaninnocentpersonconvicted In 2024, theDistrictAttorney’s Officeconducted 145 jury trials. Howmanydid theLouisiana AttorneyGeneral’s Officeconduct? One, andthatresulted in ahung jury There areseveral investigations. Hutson’s. Landry’s. NOPD’s.State Corrections. Andthe New Orleans CityCouncil andits Criminal JusticeCommittee areholding a special meeting to look at thejailbreak Tuesday. U.S. DistrictJudge Lance Africkhas been responsible forthe federaljailconsent decree since2013. How’dithappenthatthese things weren’tfixed?
Auditsand investigationsare necessary,but Landry made this apolitical matter when he blamed Hutson, DistrictAttorneyJason Williams,CriminalCourt Chief Judge Tracey Flemings-Davillier andothers. That’snot agood way to seek cooperation andresolutions.
Email Will Suttonatwsutton@ theadvocate.com
Behold,Trump,the artful dealmaker, working hismagic on Putin
Quin Hillyer
On Monday,the longtime former congressman was told that the Universityof New Orleans will name the East Campus of the UNO Research Park in his honor Granted, I’m biased, because Livingston is my formerboss; but just about anyone of good sense would say this recognition is richly deserved.
Livingston, who chaired the House Appropriations Committee from 1995 through 1998 and served on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee for 14 years, spent tremendoustime and effort for eight years to consolidate the U.S. Navy’snationwide information systems into two buildings, 100,000 square feet each, at UNO’sResearch and Technology Park.
The direct funding for the projectamounted to $220million, and aUNO study shows the ongoing, operationaleconomic impact to Louisiana has topped another $350 million. This wasn’tjust some sort of local“pork” spending; instead, it met an urgent nationalneed. (About which, more momentarily.)
This project was typical for Livingston, who (while cutting federalspending overall) arguablybrought home more money to Louisiana than anyone in the state’shistory
Even as he did, in almost every instance his modusoperandi —asI saw personally in five years on his Capitol Hill staff —was notjust to lard up spending bills with purely localprojects. Instead, he would identify existing funding streams or demonstrably national needs and then match those streams or needs with Louisiana’scapabilities.
If the federal government was building interstate highways, Livingston made sure sound barriers protected nearby neighborhoods from roadway noise.
Because grant money already existed for urban transportation and historic preservation, Livingston directed it, withassiduouspersonal attention, to expandNew Orleans’ streetcar lines. As flood protection already was anational priority,Livingstonworked to use it not just against storm surge but to stem urban flooding in southeast Louisiana. Avondale Shipyards, the Naval Air Station in Belle Chasse,
Former U.S. Rep. Bob Livingstonspenttremendous time and effort for eight yearstoconsolidate the U.S. Navy’snationwideinformation systems into twobuildings, 100,000 square feet each, at the University ofNew Orleans’ Research and TechnologyPark.
TheNational WWII Museum, the Mandeville seawall, Formosan termiterelief, the Big BranchNationalWildlife Refuge and the hurricane air reconnaissance flights from neighboring Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi: Allowed much of their success, or even their very existence, to Livingston’swork. Thesame went for other Louisiana interests beyond his district,such as funding for Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City
TheNavyinfo-tech headquarters at UNO,though, stands out.Toquote from the UNO resolution honoring Livingston, “Following the 1990-91 Desert Storm Gulf War, theNavy identifiedcritical deficiencies in its abilitytotimely and effectively deploy active duty and reserve personnel due to hundreds of disjointed information systems and disconnected data bases.”
In other words, this was a major problem for national defense. Livingston, seeing this problem and already being a champion of the Naval Reserve headquarters in New Orleans, sprang into action. As there was an unambiguous national need and alocal capability, Livingston matched them up. If the Navy needed to consolidate its infosystems anyway,bygosh, that consolidation should occur in Louisiana.
ThroughLivingston’swork on the Appropriations Committee, so it was.
“The valuable work being done at the tech park at UNO would not even exist if not for Bob Livingston’svision and tenacity,” saidHouse Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who represents the same First Congressional District Livingston
did. In other states, all sorts of buildings and projectsare named for members of Congress. In Alabama, there’sa running jokethat universities may have trouble finding enough studentstofill all the college buildings named after former Sen. Richard Shelby Here in Louisiana, thename of the recentlydeceased Sen. BennettJohnston already graces awaterway,aSouthern University at Shreveport video-conferencing room and a Tulane University quadrangle, among other things. To be sure, manyofusare wary of naming too many things after politicians.It’sour taxpayer money,not their own, that they are distributing. I long have thought there should be arule of thumb that no project secured with taxpayer funds should be named after a pol until at least ten yearsafter thepol’sretirement. There shouldn’tbeincentives for lawmakerstouse tax dollarsto feed theirown egos. Then again, once thepolitician is long out of power,if local committees wantto surprise him (as was thecase here) withanhonor for exemplarypublic service —and when, indeed, the work being honored was admirable and noteworthy —then it’s great to see recognition come due. Bob Livingston was aforce for good government nationally,and aforce for the good of Louisiana. The UNO campus shouldn’tbethe lastthing his name adorns
QuinHillyer can be reached at quin.hillyer@theadvocate. com.
So this is “the art of the deal.” The author of the book with that title is illustrating the subtleties of dealmaking in negotiations about Ukraine. First, flatter the person with whom you are negotiating, calling him a“genius,” “savvy” and “very smart.” Disregard Franklin D. Roosevelt’s1940 warning that“no man can tameatiger into akitten by stroking it.” Donald Trump began his charm offensive at a2018 meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. There Trump accepted Putin’sdenial of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Trumpthereby repudiated U.S. intelligence agencies, which he has subsequently called “our ‘intelligence’ lowlifes.”
Second, emphasize that your diplomacy is uninfected by normative judgments about the origins of the conflict.Contrast yourself with finicky people who moralize against using violence to redraw European borders. On Feb. 22, 2022, when (Trumphas subsequently said) Ukraine “started” awar against Russia,Trump saw on television many Russian tanks (rolling defensively?): “I said, ‘This is genius.’ …Putin declares abig portion of the Ukraine …asindependent. Oh, that’swonderful …Isaid, ‘How smartisthat?’ He’sgoing to go in and be apeacekeeper.…That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. Therewere more tanks than I’ve ever seen. They’re going to keep the peace, all right.”
Third, signal eagerness to end the conflict.You can do this, as Trump did, by vowing to end it “before I even take office,” or “on day one,” or “within 24 hours,” whichever comes first. To further underscore your eagerness to settle, and hence your willingness to settle on almost any terms, select as your vice president someone who says: “I don’treally carewhat happens to Ukraine.” Then have him tell aEuropean securityconferencethat the biggest threat to European security “is not Russia.” (Whatis? Europe’sinternal rot.)
Fourth, appoint as your chief peace negotiator Stephen Witkoff. He has amind so open that amazing thoughts stride in: “I don’tregard Putin as abad guy” and “It wasgracious of him to accept me,tosee me.” Having never spent aday in diplomacy,Witkoff can amiably negotiatewith that gracious scamp Putin, forgiving his fibs about pausing attacks during Easter,and against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Witkoff’s othercredential is praise from one of the president’schildren. Donald Trump Jr.says Witkoff “is
aborn winner.” Areal estate dealmaker,Witkoff will see the problem of ending the warthrough the lens of areal estate transaction, disregarding international law,history, nationalism, ethnicity,religion and other distracting facts.
Fifth, begin negotiations about Ukraine’s dismemberment and survival without the involvement of Ukrainian negotiators. They are unhelpfully biased —against their nation’sdismemberment, and for their nation’ssurvival.
Sixth, make Ukrainians malleable by telling their president, in the Oval Office, that “you should have never started” the war. And call the president a“dictator,” at the risk of reinforcing Russia’sdemand for “de-Nazification” of Ukraine Seventh, streamline the negotiations by eliminating contentious topics that require negotiating.
Promise U.S. acceptance of Putin’s 2014 seizure of Crimea, and U.S. acceptance of Russian possession of the approximately 20% of Ukraine it has seized. Promise that Ukraine will neverbeamember of NATO, and therefore will remain vulnerable to athird Russian invasion (2014, 2022, whenever) at Putin’s convenience.
Eighth, when Putin responds to this rain of unilateral U.S. concessions by continuing to rain destruction on Ukraine, flexthe American eagle’srazor-sharp talons. On Truth Social, Trump artfully pleaded: “Vladimir,STOP!” Putin launched ballistic missiles; Trump fired back not only asalvo of CAPITAL LETTERS but also an exclamation point. Putin must be shaken, not having foreseen quite this level of U.S. escalation.
In Foreign Affairs, Alexander Gabuev, of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin, writesthat “Putin has made confrontation with the West the organizing principle of Russian life.” Social media are the sinews of America’snegotiating strength.
Ninth, an artful dealmaker will issue severe warnings. Trump says that if Putin protracts the negotiations, the United States might walk away.Tountrained minds, this might seem to proclaim minimal U.S. interest in the outcome, encouraging Putin to prolong the war,and pressuring Ukraine to make concessions quickly,lest the eventual deal get worse as timegoes by If, however,dealmaking is an art, perhaps the dealmaker’sartfulness can be understood only by connoisseurs. What, however,ifthere is an asymmetry? What if Trump wants to get to “yes” but Putin wants to get to Kyiv?
EmailGeorge Will at georgewill@ washpost.com.
George Will
STAFF FILE PHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD
Act.
Ventrella said the bill will allow the family members listed “to pursue an action against amedical provider who prescribes abortion drugsinviolation of Louisiana law.”
Last year,lawmakers added mifepristone and misoprostol to the state’s list of controlled dangerous substances. They also created the crime of “coerced criminal abortion,” when someone gives apregnant woman an abortion-inducing drug without her consent.
This year’slegislation is needed, Ventrellasaid, because there’sa“loophole” in state law that allows outof-state doctors to prescribe abortion drugs for pregnant women in Louisiana.
Ventrella referenced the case of New York Dr.Margaret “Maggie” Carpenter,who earlier this year faced indictment by aWest BatonRouge Parish grand jury and felony charges for prescribing abortion drugs that resulted in thetermination of aPort Allen teenager’spregnancy
That case against Carpenter is at astandstillbecause New York Gov.Kathy Hochul has blocked Louisiana’s attempts to extradite her
“The overall purpose of this legislation is to send a message that we in the state of Louisiana are pro-life,”
Ventrella said of this year’s effort. “And if doctors to come to our state and harm our people and our unborn children who we do recognize as life, then they need to think twice about coming into our state.”
Attorney General Liz Murrill is backing House Bill 575.
“There are activists who areintent on sending these pills to people through the mail,” Murrill said during a public hearing on the measure.
“This bill provides for civil liability and allows another mechanism —it is another tool in the toolbox for people who are harmed by somebody whoisintent
on violatingour laws.”
Legalprovisions
But during debate over the legislation on theHouse floor,some lawmakers raised concerns
Rep. Candance Newell,DNew Orleans, askedVentrella about the possibility of a mother’smedical records being subpoenaed during court proceedings.
Ventrella, who is an attorney, said it was unlikely that amother’smedical records would be subject toa subpoena if she’snot apartyto thelitigation
“The judge is not gonna rule that medical records should be brought into the suit if there’snot aneed forthem,” Ventrella said.
“That’s whyweelect good judges in this state.”
Newell, alsoanattorney, said shewas worried the newrulescould invite frivolous lawsuits.
Rep. Stephanie Hilferty R-Metairie,called herself a “pro-life legislator” and noted that she“voted to criminalize the selling of these abortion pills.”
But said she was concerned aboutthe prospect of “multiple other family members gettinginvolved.”
Hilferty gave the example of awoman whohad multiple miscarriages through no fault of herown, and said circumstanceslikethat could “pull this woman and her medical records into a
potential lawsuit.”
“That’swhere my fear wouldbe,” she said.
Ventrella responded: “You can’tjust go suing people because you thinksomebody killed your unborn child Frivolous lawsuits every day are dismissed.”
Rep. Brian Glorioso, RSlidell, an attorney whodescribed himself as “pro-life,” said he was worried thelaw would create asituation of absoluteliability,inwhich aplaintiff is not required to prove the defendant is at fault to collect damages.
“This bill is so legally atrocious that it is hard for me to go into allthe reasons,” said stateRep. MandieLandry, D-NewOrleans.“This is a plaintiff’s attorney dream bill, because you don’thave to prove anything.”
She described ahypothetical example wherea woman’sex-boyfriend —or his mother —decides to hire an attorney to sue his former girlfriend over an allegedly terminated pregnancy
Landry asked her colleagues: “How is he going to prove it washis, because it’s gone? The evidence is gone.
TheHouse approvedthe bill on 59-25 vote, with 20 members absent during the vote. The legislation will be considered by the Senate next.
Email AlysePfeilat alyse.pfeil@theadvocate. com.
berwho voted to keep the docket open, saying he wanted to see the commission evaluate allofits options.
“I have not drawn any large conclusions in this docket because we simply don’tknowwhatwedon’t know,” Lewissaid. “Now, we’re beingasked to stop ourworkbecause of what it might find.”
Entergy hadasked the commission to consider ending the docket earlier this year
The vote Mondayclears the way for Entergy to continue as thedominant electric provider for Louisiana’s massive industrial sector,which consumes huge amounts of electricity and creates huge amounts of emissions
TheLouisiana Energy Users Group, which represents petrochemical companies seeking the ability to buy powerfrom other providers, was the main driver of the push to invite in competition. It has long said that if the commission doesn’t evaluate other options, both commercial andresidential userswill be stuck with huge Entergy bills in the coming yearsasthe companyadds billion-dollar,gas-fired power plants to its inventory,driving up rates. Thegroupispartly animated by adesire to more quickly build clean energy to make their products more attractive
18, 2025
overseas
“Entergyispursuingunprecedented spending and rate increases,” said Randy Young, head of LEUG.
Skrmetta, whosided with Entergy, launched into alengthy attack on agroup of powercompanies who have backed alobbying campaign to evaluate more options.
The companies,including Calpine, Constellation and NRG, wantmoreopportunities to enter Louisiana’s market and formed Amplify Louisiana, which has runTVads encouraging the PSC to continue looking at retail access. Exelon, which previously owned Constellation, was implicated in abribery schemeinIllinois several yearsago.
“These are top-tier corporate tycoons who want to come to Louisiana and operateoutside thelaw,” Skmretta said.
Gordon Polozolo, arepresentative of Amplify, argued that there was no harminsimply evaluating whether the commission could find abetter path forward for industrial customers.
“Ifthe commission ultimately finds the status quo is fine, keep the status quo,” he said.
JessieF.Silvas, 92. Visitation will be at FountainMemorialFuneral Home on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, from 11:00 am until7:00 pm andwill resume on Thursday, May 22, 2025, from 8:00 am untilthe Catholic Funeral Service at 10:00 am. Online obituary andguest book may be viewed at www.fountainm emorialfuneralhome.com. FountainMemorialFuneral Home andCemetery,1010 Pandora St.337-981-7098 is in charge of arrangements.
224, 331 MillStreet,Eunice, LA 70535, (337) 457-7716, until 10:00 am,Tuesday June 3, 2025, forthe 2024 CFPModernization Pro‐ject Reroofing At Sites LA-25-3D (N 12thStreet) andLA-25-3E (MLK Site), Eunice HousingAuthor‐ity, (BA2504) Bids shallbesubmitted ina sealed envelope withthe followinginfor‐mationplainly marked onthe outsideofthe en‐velope: 1. Bidfor Eunice Housing Modernization Reroofing 2024 CFP 2. Name of Contractor and 3. LicenseNumberof Contractor.
tractor will notdiscrimi‐nateagainst anyem‐ployeeorapplicantfor employmentbecause of race, creed,color,sex age,ornationalorigin. Contract,ifawarded,will beona lump-sum basis toa Bidder licensed under theprovisionsof
Note to ProspectiveBid‐ders: Bidders arere‐quested to payparticular attentiontoHUD Docu‐ment5370 (11/2006)re‐lated to Section40“Em‐ployment, Training,and Contracting Opportuni‐tiesfor Low-Income Per‐sons, Section3 of the Housing andUrban De‐velopment Actof1968.” Biddingdocuments
withBARRASARCHI‐TECTS,921 Harding Street,Lafayette Louisiana 70503, phone 337-267-3400. Bidding material will
ANEW START
Cajuns putdisappointing season in past to focusonthe now
When Saturday’sfinalregular-season game ended at Russo Park, an awfullot was going on for theULRagin’Cajuns.
BY MATTHEWPARAS Staff writer
When he first heard that Derek Carr had ashoulder injury, Drew Brees didn’t hesitate to reach out.
Brees, after all, knew athing or two aboutovercoming such an ailment. He offered to be asounding board, and Carr made sure to reply.The two had formed afriendship over the last few years, with their bond of being the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints serving as the bridge.
But less than amonthlater,Brees found out the34-year-old Carr chose to retire from the NFLafter 11 seasons. And, like practically everyone else, the former Saints great didn’tsee Carr’sdecision coming.
“Obviously,abit surprising, just being so early in his career,” Brees said.
Brees said Saturday that he thought Carr’sbest footballwas ahead of him, pointing to his own experience of “entering your prime”inyourearly 30s.But Brees added thatheunderstands if the severity of Carr’sinjury factored into his choice, comparing it to Andrew Luck’s shocking retirement from 2019.
“Look, there’slife after football,” Brees said at theopening of SurgeEntertainment,his latest business venture in Metairie. “There’sthat second chapter It seemslike(Carr andhis family) really put down roots in Vegas. Iknow he’sgot aspirations to perhaps build aschool, a church, pastor that. He’sobviously very involved in the church, his community “Soattimes, youjust feel calledto do other things. And football was that unique chapterinyour life, but there’s so much moreafter football. It seemed like he was ready to take that next step.”
With Carr no longer playing for the Saints, Brees weighedinonthe current quarterback situation. He praised rookie TylerShough, but he made clear he’s looking forward to seeing acompetition unfold for the starting job.
Brees called the Saints’ forthcoming battle “pretty unprecedented.” And that’snot an exaggeration for afranchise that has not started arookie quarterback to open the season since 1971.
Among Shough, second-year passer SpencerRattler andthird-year signalcallerJake Haener,the Saints don’thave aquarterback on the roster who has won an NFL game as astarter
On the surface, therewas thehere and now.The 8-6 win helped coach Matt Deggs’ club avoid adeflating home sweep against Arkansas State heading into theSun Belt Tournament It also allowed the Cajuns to finish in atie for fourth place in the league standingsand claim a spot against Marshall in the7:30 p.m. game Wednesday in Montgomery,Alabama.
The win also was theproperresponse to apair of pretty intense meetingsfor the Cajuns. Friday night’s postgametalk wasinthe dugout andmuch more of a
ä See UL BASEBALL, page 3C
New-look interior crucialfor LSUwomen
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
“Having recruited (Koval) out of high school. We are very aligned in ourvision for her personaldevelopment and the impact she can have on our program. Tigerfans willlove the skill, physicality and passion that Kate willbring with her to Baton Rouge.”
MULKEy,LSU coach
KIM
This offseason has brought the LSU women’sbasketball team as much roster turnover as it’s ever experienced in the four years since coach Kim Mulkey took over the program. In 2022, after her first season in charge, nine players moved on. This time, eight players leftthe Tigers because they either exhausted their eligibility or decided to transfer.LSU so far has added eight new contributors—five freshmen and three transfers —to replace the ones it lost. Thelatest to sign is Class of 2025 freshman Meghan Yarnevich, a6-foot-2 forward who committed to theTigers last week after she backed off of a pledge to Georgia. Mulkey and her staff caughttwo big fishinthe transfer portal(MiLaysia Fulwiley andKateKoval), then watched another (former Wisconsin star Serah Williams) takethe bait ofadifferent top program (UConn) NowLSU canbegin imagining howits revamped supporting cast will coalescearound itstwo returning stars, Flau’jae Johnson
and Mikaylah Williams.
What role is right for Fulwiley? No question is morecompelling than the one surrounding her surprisedefection from her hometown SouthCarolina team to its rival in Baton Rouge.
Butjustasmuch intrigue lies in the LSU frontcourt,especially afterMulkey and her staff fell short in their pursuit of Williams. Is Koval ready to start at center? Who will begin gamesinthe post alongside her —highly touted freshman Grace Knox or experienced East Carolina transfer Amiya Joyner? Andcan combinations of those projected contributors replace theall-important rebounding production the Tigers received last season from Aneesah Morrow and Sa’Myah Smith?
ä See LSU WOMEN, page 3C
“(Coach) Kellen Moore has proven to be agreat developerofquarterbacks where he’sbeen over the last six years,” Brees said. “I think we all really respect the system and his wayofcoaching and developing. I’msurehe’sexcited to mold these young guys. I’m really excited to see what this offense looks like.”
As forShough, Brees likes what he has seen. Brees admitted he hasn’tdone adeep dive of the quarterback’scollege film,but said his experience with coach Jeff Brohm at Louisville and his history of overcoming adversity were “impressive.”
Shough played for three different schools (Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville)and dealtwiththree season-ending injuriesbeforehaving astandout year
STAFF PHOTOSByBRAD KEMP
UL left fielder Conor Higgs had twohitsand three RBIs in the critical seventh inning Saturdaytohelpthe Cajuns head to the Sun Belt Tournament in abetter frame of mind.
UL player DrewMarkle returned to the starting lineup on Saturdayafter not starting the first twogames of the series against Arkansas State.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO CHUCK BURTON California guard KaylaWilliams drivesagainst Notre Dameforward Kate Koval, right, during the quarterfinalsofthe AtlanticCoast Conference Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., on March7
Kevin Foote
ä See SAINTS, page 3C
Eagles
coach Sirianni has contract extended
The Philadelphia Eagles have signed Super Bowl championship coach Nick Sirianni to a multiyear extension.
Terms of the contract announced Monday were not revealed Sirianni had one year left on his existing contract.
Sirianni is 48-20 and has made the playoffs in all four seasons with the Eagles. He led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in the 2022 season where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Stars coming into their own
BY CLIFF BRUNT AP sportswriter
OKLAHOMA CITY — Two years ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves met in the play-in tournament to determine which would get the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
Now, they’ll face off for a trip to the NBA Finals. Minnesota won that play-in game in 2023, but that was in Minneapolis. Oklahoma City has home court in this series and will host Game 1 of the Western Conference
Tuesday
The Thunder earned the top seed in the playoffs after posting a franchise-best 68-14 record in the regular season. Minnesota is seeded sixth, but the Timberwolves closed the regular season by winning 17 of 21 games. The teams are 2-2 against each other this season, with each claiming a win on the other’s home floor
This is Oklahoma City’s first trip to the conference finals since 2016. The Timberwolves reached the Western Conference finals last season and lost to the Dallas Mavericks.
“Certainly last year’s experience helps a ton, and that’s what really this is all about — layering these experiences on top of each other so you can draw from them time and again and gain confidence,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said.
The ascent of both teams has coincided with the rise of their superstars — Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points in a Game 7 victory over the Nuggets in the conference semifinals and has averaged 29.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists in the playoffs Edwards is averaging 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists in the postseason.
Neither player has reached the NBA Finals. Gilgeous-Alexander said Oklahoma City’s approach won’t change just because the team has reached new ground.
“Just trying to be where our feet are in the moment, see what’s in front of us and try to attack it, come out on the right end of it,” he
said “I think that’s why we’ve gotten this far in the season and we’re going to continue to do so.”
‘Legend killer’
Pro wrestling star Randy Orton has recognized Edwards as the “Legend killer” for sending some of the league’s royalty packing early the past two years.
Orton, who has long had the gimmick in World Wrestling Entertainment for defeating and sometimes embarrassing older stars, acknowledged Edwards on a post that has garnered more than 11 million views on X. In a cartoon of the two, Orton is handing Edwards a gold chain with a large pendant shaped into the words “Legend killer.”
Edwards has earned the recognition. Last year, his Timberwolves knocked out Kevin Durant’s Phoe-
nix Suns in the first round and Denver’s Nikola Jokic in the second. This year, it’s been Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James and Luka Doncic in the first round and Golden State’s Stephen Curry in the second.
Gilgeous-Alexander, a two-time
finalist for MVP who put Jokic out this season, could be next Family matters
Gilgeous-Alexander will have to face Minnesota’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker, his cousin and teammate on the Canadian national team.
“If you know how close we are, he’s literally like my second brother,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
“He’s been through every stage of life with me, picking up a basketball to going to prep school to making the NBA. Like we’ve gone through every situation together For us, for both of us to be where we are is special.
“To compete against each other
is even more special. But I am trying to take his head off for sure.”
Randle’s rhythm
The Timberwolves took a while to adjust to the arrival of Julius Randle, and vice versa, but after finding his groove down the stretch of the regular season, the veteran power forward has reliably provided an old-fashioned power game in the paint and some well-timed 3-pointers throughout the playoffs.
This is his third postseason appearance in 11 years in the NBA and first trip to the conference finals. Randle said Finch has made the transition easier
“He’s done an amazing job of allowing me to use all my tools,” Randle said. “I don’t necessarily want to just be a scorer or a rebounder or whatever it is. He puts me in positions to be multiple different things, many different things, on any given night He’s really opened up my game.”
Sirianni and the Eagles won the rematch against Kansas City in this past season’s Super Bowl.
Sirianni, who turns 44 next month, is the first coach in NFL history to earn four playoff appearances, two conference titles and a Super Bowl within his first four seasons as head coach.
San Francisco LB Warner gets lucrative extension
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers locked up another core player with a lucrative extension, agreeing to a three-year extension with All-Pro Fred Warner that makes him the highestpaid off-ball linebacker in NFL history
A person familiar with the deal said the sides reached an agreement on the contract worth $63 million that keeps Warner locked up through the 2029 season. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the deal.
ESPN first reported the extension and said it includes more than $56 million in guaranteed money
Braves remove pitcher
Strider from injured list
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves reinstated right-handed pitcher Spencer Strider from the injured list on Monday
Strider, a former Major League Baseball strikeouts leader in 2023, has made only one start this season because of a right hamstring injury that occurred during a warm-up session in mid-April. Strider’s next start will be just his fourth since the beginning of the 2024 season. He was limited to two starts in 2024 by elbow surgery to repair an ulnar collateral ligament injury
He made his first start in a year on April 16, a 3-1 loss at Toronto, before hurting his hamstring. He pitched a simulated game last week, after which he said he felt ready to return.
Cabrera rallies to win first senior major title
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Angel Cabrera has gone from first-time PGA Tour Champions winner to first time senior major champion.
The big Argentine won the rainy Regions Tradition with a birdie on the last hole.
BY KYLE HIGHTOWER
AP sportswriter
BOSTON The past 72 hours since the Boston Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs have been a vortex of emotions, conversations and lack of sleep for Brad Stevens. The team’s president of basketball operations is fully aware there are a lot of questions for him and the front office as the Celtics embark on an offseason that will be replete with challenges that were both expected and unexpected entering this season He also wants to make it clear that they don’t plan to rush any decisions that lie ahead for the team.
“I know there will be a lot of questions about what’s next,” Stevens said during his seasonending news conference on Monday. “At the end of the day I think that will all be driven by the same thing that’s always driven us and that’s ‘How do we get ourselves in the mix to compete for championships best?’ I think that will get more clarity as we take a deep breath, get a little more sleep than we have the last three nights.” Those three sleepless nights have included coming to terms with the end of their run as reigning NBA champions, star Jayson Tatum’s devastating torn Achilles tendon injury and impending rehabilitation that will take up most of next season, and upcoming payroll decisions and potential roster moves that will affect how competitive Boston is in the immediate future With Boston’s payroll for next season on track to come in around $225 million, next year’s tax bill would be at almost $280 million
The combined potential $500 million total price tag would be a league record under the restrictive Collective Bargaining Agreement. It is unclear whether the team’s incoming ownership will want to keep paying those hefty penalties after agreeing to a purchase in March expected to have a final price of a minimum of $6.1 billion. “The north star is to have a championship contender, right?
So you have to do what’s best to give yourself the best opportunity to do that when you can do that,” Stevens said. “And so, we just have to decide how feasible that is on any given year and make sure we are making the decisions accordingly.”
Stevens mostly declined to provide detail about what will go into that process, saying he would have more to say on it around the NBA draft. But he did acknowledge that it’s unclear whether socalled championship windows are becoming smaller because of the current CBA.
“That’s a good question. I don’t know,” Stevens said. “I think certainly it is more challenging in certain circumstances for sure.”
He also was clear that even though other factors like Jaylen Brown managing what Stevens confirmed is a partially torn meniscus in his right knee, or Kristaps Porzingis dealing with “post-virus syndrome” didn’t prevent Boston from avoiding becoming the sixth straight reigning champion not to make it out of the second round the following season.
“I’d rather talk about the CBA and all that crap,” Stevens joked. “The reality is we blew the first two games (against New York), and that’s why we put ourselves in a tough spot.
Cabrera shot a 64 to rally from three shots behind against Jerry Kelly Kelly shot 68 and would have needed eagle on the last hole to force a playoff. Cabrera and Kelly were tied for the lead with a few holes left when they had to stop because of darkness. The final round had been delayed by heavy rain. Y.E. Yang finished third at Greystone. Cabrera is a two-time major champion the U.S. Open at Oakmont in 2007 and the Masters in 2009. He joins Miguel Angel Jimenez as the only multiple winners on the PGA Tour Champions.
Former Nuggets coach Malone to work for ESPN
NEW YORK — Michael Malone, who was fired by the Denver Nuggets with three games remaining in the regular season, will join ESPN for its coverage of the Western Conference finals.
The series beginning Tuesday night matches the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who eliminated Malone’s former team in seven games in the second round. Malone led the Nuggets to their first NBA title in 2023 and is the franchise’s career leader in wins. But they made the surprising decision to part ways with him and general manager Calvin Booth in the final week of the regular season. Malone will work on the “NBA Countdown”
and
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABBIE PARR Minnesota Timberwolves guard
Edwards goes for a shot against Golden State’s Buddy Hield, left, and
Loomis: Can’t ‘complain’ about prime-time snub
BY MATTHEW PARAS AND LUKE JOHNSON Staff writers
Mickey Loomis is entering his 24th season as the general manager of the New Orleans Saints, but this is the first season of his tenure in which the Saints are not scheduled to play in prime time.
“That’s what the league thinks of us,” Loomis said. “That’s fine.”
Speaking to reporters Monday at the Saints’ annual Hall of Fame celebrity golf tournament, Loomis said the team “can’t really complain” about the lack of prime-time games after the Saints finished 5-12 in 2024. But the shift is abrupt for a franchise that regularly played night games in the Drew Brees era And even after the quarterback’s retirement in 2021, the Saints still were featured fairly regularly in marquee slots.
“It surprised me,” Loomis said. “Yeah, I think it surprised me a little bit.”
Loomis said he likes the Saints’ schedule otherwise. And he said that New Orleans could use the lack of prime-time games as motivation. When the Saints last failed to have a night game in 2000, New Orleans surprisingly went 10-6 in coach Jim Haslett’s first season.
“We have to go out and perform and earn those opportunities,” Loomis said.
This year, the Saints are also entering a new era They hired coach Kellen Moore in February and drafted quarterback Tyler Shough in April ahead of Derek Carr’s retire-
UL BASEBALL
Continued from page 1C
scream session that undressed the squad after getting run-ruled 13-3.
By Saturday morning, Deggs had calmed down enough to take a more positive approach toward the future.
“I’m proud of them,” Deggs said after Saturday’s win. “It was very Cajun of us. We had a good talking-to last night and again (Saturday) morning. It was like, ‘Hey man, let’s start this season on the last day of the season ’
“If you get through this one day and get in that tournament and make it your goal to be the last team in your hotel, anything’s possible.”
Despite the disappointment of a 26-29 regular-season record, the conference tournament affords this type of opportunity to a team.
That every-day-is-a-new-day mentality is a gift baseball coaches can use more than coaches in any other sport.
“We talked a bit (Saturday) about restarting,” senior pitcher Dylan Theut said. “We hadn’t had the season we wanted to have to this point, but it was a brand-new day We had a brand-new opportunity to go out and play baseball.
“Who knows how much we’ve got left, but the message was restart and let’s flip the page. Why can’t our season start on the last game of the year?”
For veterans such as Theut and
SAINTS
Continued from page 1C
that led the Saints to draft him with the 40th overall pick.
“Honestly, (there’s) a lot of similarities to Taysom Hill,” Brees said, referring to his former teammate who is still with the Saints. “Taysom Hill is one of these guys coming out of college who spent four or five years in college and had some major injuries. But man, whenever he played, he played really, really well. Look, we’ll see how this thing shakes out
“I’m not giving anybody the job right now I know we went out and drafted Tyler Shough in the second round, but I’m sure Haener and Rattler have something to say about that. Competitions bring out the best in everybody.”
Brees also has seen the way Shough appears to be integrating into New Orleans. The rookie’s first meal in the city was at Drago’s and he already got a flat tire when driving over a pothole.
“It’s extremely important (to get to know the city),” Brees said, “especially if you plan on being here for a long time. I think it’s a must. Look, I think from everything I’ve seen, he’s doing everything the right way
“And now for him, he’s got his sight set on being the starting quarterback on this team — just like the other two guys are.”
Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com
Fast forward a month: Carr retired, the Saints did draft a potential successor in Shough and Rattler is firmly in the competition to take over the reins as the starting quarterback.
“It wasn’t surprising to me,” Rattler said to reporters Monday at the golf tournament. “I knew with Derek possibly retiring we needed another guy But you can’t control that.”
Rattler is one of three young quarterbacks whom the team is intending to have compete for the starting job at training camp this summer, along with Shough and third-year player Jake Haener All three have been drafted by the Saints in the last three years.
the team four quarterbacks with a combined total of 267 NFL pass attempts in its quarterback room Rattler handled the bulk of that work last year his rookie season, when he started six games and completed 130 of his 228 attempts with four touchdowns and five interceptions.
As for the competition, Rattler said, “You can’t put too much pressure on yourself. It’s Year 2, a great opportunity ahead of me. I’ve just got to keep working, keep my head down and give it what I’ve got.”
Brees’ wish
If it were up to Brees, the Saints would add a veteran quarterback to be a mentor next season, given the age of the rest of the group.
ment. Carr retired in May with a shoulder injury
“I’ve been around a long time, so there haven’t been many things I haven’t seen,” Loomis said when asked whether Carr’s retirement was one of the “unique” situations he’s dealt with in the NFL. “You have injuries that come up and things that you might not think are that serious at one time that end up becoming serious.
“From that aspect, I would say,
ALL-SUN BELT BASEBALL TEAM
Player of the Year —
Nick Monistere, Southern Miss Pitcher of the Year —
Jacob Morrison, Coastal Carolina Newcomer of the Year —
Kaleb Freeman, Georgia State Freshman of the Year —
Tyler Lichtenberger App State
Tony Robichaux Leadership Award
Carson Paetow, Southern Miss Coach of the Year —
Kevin Schnall, Coastal Carolina
Conor Higgs, getting swept would have been an awful way for their time at Russo Park to end. In their minds, the loyal UL fans weren’t treated to a proper effort in the first two games of the series.
“These people, they deserve more than we could ever give them,” Theut said “It’s just nice on the last time I get to be out on that field, we win. The future is bright for this program as it’s always going to be, but it’s awesome to finish strong at home and go into the tournament with some momentum.”
The nostalgia was certainly thick in the finale for Higgs, who took a long, slow stroll around the park Saturday morning “remembering the memories of all the friends I’ve made through the years here and the memories I’ve had playing this game here.”
A young fan told Higgs he was
it’s not rare. But it doesn’t happen very often. Listen, there are curveballs in this game all the time, and it’s one that we have to deal with.”
Rattler not rattled
After news broke last month that Carr was dealing with a shoulder injury that left him with an uncertain future, Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler figured the team would take another quarterback in the draft.
All-Sun Belt first team
P Cameron Flukey, C. Carolina, So.
P Jacob Morrison, C Carolina, RS-So.
P JB Middleton, Southern Miss, Jr.
RP Colby Allen, Southern Miss, Jr.
C Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina, Jr.
1B Blake Cavill,Troy, Sr.
2B Nick Monistere, Southern Miss, Jr.
SS Tyler Lichtenberger,App State, Fr.
3B Jesse Donohoe, Georgia State, Sr.
OF Josh Tate, Georgia Southern Jr OF Conor Higgs, UL, RS Sr OF Carson Paetow, Southern Miss, Sr.
DH Kameron Miller,App State, So.
UT Austin Eaton,Texas State, RS Sr
his favorite player as he signed the kid’s shirt and hat.
“At one time in my life — one time in all of our lives we were that little kid that had a favorite player,” Higgs said. “I honestly don’t have the words for a kid coming up to me and saying that I’m his favorite player That just means the world to me, it really does.”
The comeback win Saturday also may have ended some internal strife that likely contributed to the first two losses in the series. Deggs posted unusual starting lineups because of several players being in the “doghouse” for unspecified reasons.
While Deggs didn’t reveal the names, Owen Galt and Drew Markle were back in the starting lineup Saturday, and “the guys who had kind of been put in the doghouse a little bit came out and
Those three will take their first on-field steps toward competing for that job this week when the Saints hold a voluntary OTA (organized team activity) practice, though Moore — who will be the team’s play-caller — said Monday that this week will be more about the process than the results for his young quarterbacks.
“There’s not much competitiveness,” Moore said. “We will do some seven-on-seven but a lot of it is their understanding, taking it from the classroom to the field for the first time. Most of the decision-making factors will come in training camp and preseason football.”
New Orleans also signed undrafted rookie Hunter Dekkers after a rookie minicamp tryout, giving
All-Sun Belt second team
P Griffin Miller, Marshall, So.
P Mitchell Heer, South Alabama, Sr.
P Garrett Gainous,Troy, Sr.
RP Dominick Carbone,C Carolina,So.
C Brooks Bryan,Troy, Jr.
1B Matthew Russo, So. Miss, Jr.
2B Kaleb Freeman, Georgia State, Sr.
SS Ozzie Pratt, Southern Miss, Sr.
3B Chase Mora,Texas State, Jr.
OF Sean Smith, Geo. Southern, Sr.
OF Isaiah Walker, ULM, Sr.
OF Jake Cook, Southern Miss, RS So.
DH Caleb Stelly, UL, Jr.
UT Tyler Figueroa,App State, So.
responded.”
Baseball is such a mental game that such mind games can work and have been utilized effectively over the years.
For it to work in a big away in Montgomery this week, a lot of things will need to take place.
For starters, the banged-up starting pitchers who have been limited to three or four innings in recent weeks likely will need to go six or seven in the tournament.
The relief pitchers also will need to throw strikes.
Hitters with mediocre batting averages and/or RBI totals will need to get bunts down when asked, instead of popping them up or fouling them off.
The hitters with run-producing potential will need to execute more often.
All of the hitters need to be more competitive at the plate.
LSU WOMEN
Most of the questions hinge largely on the development of Koval, a 6-5 center from Ukraine who enrolled at Notre Dame in 2024 as one of the top recruits in the country. She’s the tallest, strongest player on the Tigers’ roster and the top candidate to anchor both the starting and closing lineups
“Having recruited (Koval) out of high school,” Mulkey said in an April news release, “we are very aligned in our vision for her personal development and the impact she can have on our program. Tiger fans will love the skill, physicality and passion that Kate will bring with her to Baton Rouge.”
Koval started the first 10 games of last season, then moved to the bench after Fighting Irish starter and 2025 WNBA draftee Maddy Westbeld returned from a foot injury. As a starter, Koval tallied 7.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 43% from the field Once she lost her spot in the starting lineup, those numbers dipped as her playing time declined. She saw 29 minutes per game across the season’s first 10 contests, then played only 13, on average, across its last 22.
“I’ve always been a believer that, especially for young quarterbacks, it’s great to have a veteran quarterback as well that’s in the room that has some experience, that knows how to prepare, that knows how to develop a process (that) can help you,” Brees said over the weekend. “Also (he can be) somewhat of a buffer between you as the starting quarterback and the coaching staff, because honestly, you need that You definitely need that.
“We’ll see how that plays out. If there was one other thing to do, it would be go out and get a veteran guy who could not only push the young guys but also be a great resource for them.”
Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com
There were far too many easy outs last weekend.
“It’s obviously a big win and a much-needed win after dropping five in a row,” Deggs said. “We went through a little adversity with some guys, and hopefully that makes us stronger heading into this tournament.”
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.
Koval figures to find more consistent court time on an LSU team that will need her to rebound and protect the rim. The good news for Mulkey and her staff is that the former high-profile recruit excelled in both of those areas in the limited action she saw for the Fighting Irish. Only six high-major post players blocked shots at a higher clip last season, per Bart Torvik, than Koval, who also cleaned the offensive glass at a rate on par with ones posted by freshmen such as Duke’s Toby Fournier, South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards, North Carolina State’s Tilda Trygger and UConn’s Sarah Strong — all key contributors on teams that reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Koval swatted away 3.8 shots per 40 minutes last year Only one ACC player who appeared in at least 10 games Florida State star Makayla Timpson — recorded blocks at a higher rate. A frontcourt featuring Koval, Joyner and Knox has size, athleticism, versatility and untapped potential. But can it help LSU become one of the nation’s best rebounding and defensive teams like each of Mulkey’s last three squads?
After an offseason of heavy turnover, that’s a question the
PHOTO By JEFF DUNCAN Former Saints quarterback Drew Brees, center, and Derek Carr pose for a photo with a volunteer during the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans pro-am tournament on April 24, 2024,
STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
Saints coach Kellen Moore, left, chats with New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars, right, and Saints general manager Mickey Loomis during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Gayle and Tom Benson Ochsner Children’s Hospital on April 29. Loomis is entering his 24th year leading the Saints.
Gauraisasuperstar in
pollinator gardens. Here’s howtomakeit thrive in your yard
Lots of people want to plant gardens that attract and nurture bees, butterflies and other pollinators
Fortunately,many plants that are pollinator magnets also provide beauty and interest. Even better? Anumber of native plants, which are pros at handling our challenging Louisiana growing conditions, are beloved by pollinators.
Not your garden variety GARDEN
One plant that meets all these criteria is gaura. It’s such agreat plant that the LSU AgCenter has named it a Louisiana Super Plant for 2025.
Gaura (Oenothera lindheimeri) is aperennial that consists of dense foliage at its base and tall, wispy spikes of flowers that move with the breeze —which is whyit’s sometimes called wandflower
Another nickname for gaura is bee blossom, anod to itssuperstar status in the world of pollinator plants.
Because gaura is native to Louisiana, it thrives in our heat and humidity with few maintenance requirements Like most plants, gaura needs regular watering when it’s first planted. Once established, though, gaura is remarkably drought-tolerant thanks toa prominent taproot that reaches deep into the soil to providethe plant with moisture.
LSU AGCENTERPHOTO By OLIVIA McCLURE
Gaura has dense foliage at its base and tall, delicate stems that bear small flowers. Steffi Dark Rose gaura features pink flowers on shorter plants.
Gaura can reach 2to4feet tall and 1to2feet wide. It has an upright growth habit. It can tolerate partial shade but should be planted in full sun for maximum flower power and pollinator visits. Blooms, which measure about an inch across, appear from early spring to midsummer.Plants can become abit leggy in the summer,and trimming back this excessgrowth and spent flowers can encourage asecond round of blooming in the fall.
There are many gaura cultivars out there—including shorter plants with pink blooms such as Bellezaand Steffi Dark Rose. Whirling Butterflies has white flowersand hints of pink on taller stems. Many unnamed, wild gauras have tall bloom spikes as well. In its natural setting, gaura is known for readily reseeding itself and spreading. But popular cultivars you’re likely to find at the garden center don’treseed as much —aplus for those hoping to keep atidy
ä See GAURA, page 6C
TheWagersboughttheir
agowhentheyrelocated
front porch covers the widthofthe home.
OUTSIDE &INSIDE
Theglory
of ascreened-in porch:
‘Thisroomisanextension
BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer
Ascreened-in porch delivers on serenity and curiosity, whether porch-sitters are watching birds, flowersorthe neighbors. Formany,acup of coffee on a screened-in porch hearkens back to aslower and simpler time. Whetherit’svisiting with aneighbororafamily member,the conversation seems sweeter when accompanied by nature’ssights and sounds. In Louisiana, the bestpart of ascreened-in porch is enjoying theviews withoutpests likeflies andmosquitoes
Patented in 1868, the original windowscreen became popular in the 1870s to keep out dust and pests. By the late 19th century,the screenedin sleeping porch came alongto maximize cool air in the summer eveningsbyincreasingair circulation. As central air conditioning became moreavailablebythe 1950s, the sleeping porch was no longer needed for many families. The screened porchspace transitioned into aplace of leisureand relaxation instead of sleeping. Over time,the screen materials have improved to be moreweather
of ourhouse’
‘It’ssuch aprivate place. And what Ilove,too, about it is that youcan be apartofnature without intruding in on the animals,’saidJudyWager
resistant. Screenedporcheshave waxedand waned in popularityin home building, but theycontinue to provide an outdoor extension of living space for families
Extensionofthe home
Judy Wagerand herhusband bought their homeonthe LSU Lakes four years agowhen they relocated from Memphis. The home was designed by A. Hays Town, an architect famousfor his South-
ern style. Wager fell in love with the home the first time she saw it. Built in 1951, the house’sscreenedin front porch covers the width of the home.
“When Isaw that this wasanA Hays Town house, Ithought, ‘Oh my gosh, it just really ticks all the boxes,’”Wager said.
Last year,the Wagers hadthe screens replaced andthe frames
ä See PORCH, page 6C
Consider native plants forspringtimegarden
BY HANNAH LEVITAN Staff writer
Though Louisiana’swarm andhumid climateisoptimal for gardeners year-round, spring presentsample opportunity forresidents to cultivate
sion agentAnna Timmerman said. The most common flowers,though,includeswamp mallows, Louisiana iris, coreopsis, rudbeckia and Texas star hibiscus. Forexperienced or entrylevel gardeners, Timmerman said plant-lovers can choose from
of flowers at
shop. But before heading
recommends
about certain flowers, since it’sthe only waygarden centers know to order them from wholesale nursery growers. Gardeners can easily have up to 60 different flower species in their gardens, Timmermansaid. That’sbecause of the variability in native plants. “Wecan kind of
See NATIVE, page 6C
STAFF PHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS
home on the LSU Lakes four years
from Memphis. Built in 1951, the house’sscreened-in
Cookingwithout plastic
Dear Heloise: Ilove to cook with fresh food, and Iamnot afan of plasticsinmykitchen. They are totally unnecessaryand not healthy
n Hint 1: Save your taller thin glass jars for spring onions or herbs like cilantro or parsley
Rinse them, pat the tops dry,and put the bottoms in their jar with just enough watertohydrate them. They willlast for longer n Hint 2: Instead of wrapping or bagging cut onions, fruits and citrus, cut just what you need and set the remaining of it face down on aceramicorglass prep dish. It will keep well.
chop.Yuck! —Jean Wight, via email
Two-in-one hint
Hints from Heloise
Dear Heloise: Idon’teat much bread. To keep it from spoiling, Iwrap sets of four slices in a paper towel, place them in aquart-sized plastic bag, andput them in the freezer.When Ineed bread, Ipullout one bag out, thaw it, and store it in therefrigerator
No onewants to attend agraduationceremony
Ionly use wooden cutting boards that are well-cleaned because the synthetic materials in the marketed cutting boardsactually become apart of what you
Thereare some household tasks thatIonly do every few months. Iwriteeach of them on asmall sticky note and put them in my desk calendar on the dates they are due to be done. Once completed,I move the sticky note to the next date. —Donna, in Iowa
Send ahint to heloise@heloise. com.
TODAYINHISTORY
By The Associated Press
Today is Tuesday,May 20, the 140th day of 2025. There are 225 days left in the year
Todayinhistory
On May 20, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, which was intended to encourage settlements west of the Mississippi River by making federal land available for private ownership and farming. About 10% of the land area of the United States (270 million acres) would be privatized by 1934.
On this date:
In 1927, Charles Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, aboard theSpirit of St. Louis on his historic solo flight to France.
In 1932, Amelia Earhart departed from Newfoundlandinan attempt to become the first woman to fly solo acrossthe Atlantic. (Becauseofweather and equipment problems, Earhart landed the following day in Northern Ireland instead of her intended destination, France.)
In 1956, the United States exploded the first airborne hydrogenbomb over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.
In 1961, aWhite mob attacked abusload of Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Alabama, prompt-
NATIVE
Continued from page5C
landscapes alittle and get away with planting alot of different ecotypes into the garden,” Timmerman said.
But if you’re just getting started, the best native options include coreopsis, crimson-eyed rose mallow, cardinal flowers and rudbeckias. These are relatively easy to find in garden centers and require little maintenance. Some are even drought-tolerant.
Tips on planting native flowers
Usually,most garden stores offerapalette of native flowers for customers to choosefrom. Experts can also provide valuable gardening advice, especially regarding the best flowers to plant together
But the most important thing to consider, Timmermansaid, is timing.
“If you’re gardening natives, especially from the seed, you want to mimic what’shappening in nature, so that’swhen the seed heads are drying out in the fall,” Timmermansaid. “They’re dropping over the winter,getting cold exposure and then they germinate in the spring, so fall is really the best time to seed alot of our natives.”
But transplanting flowers, a process of rerooting them, can be done anytime in the spring or fall, since they are not in the early stages of growth. They tendto do well over winter because of their adaption to the climate. Before planting, consult your local gardening expert about proper soil type and drainage.
If you don’thave agreenthumb, Timmerman recommendsbeginnersplant tickseed(coreopsis)
GAURA
Continued from page5C
gardenappearance.
ingthe federal governmentto send in U.S. marshals to restore order
In 1969, U.S.and South Vietnamese forces captured Ap Bia Mountain,referred to as “HamburgerHill” by theAmericans, following one of thebloodiest battles of theVietnamWar
In 1985, Radio Marti, operated by theU.S. government,began broadcasting. Cuba responded by attemptingto jamits signal.
In 2015, fourofthe world’s biggestbanks —JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup’s banking unit Citicorp,Barclaysand the Royal BankofScotland—agreed to paymore than $5 billion in penalties andplead guilty to rigging thecurrencymarkets
Today’sBirthdays: Japanese baseball star Sadaharu Oh is 85. Singer-actorCheris79. Actor-comedianDaveThomas is 76. Sen. Mike Crapo,aRepublican from Idaho, is 74. Political commentator Ron Reagan is 67. Musician Jane Wiedlin (The Go-Go’s) is 67. Actor Bronson Pinchot is 66. TV personality TedAllen is 60. Actor Mindy Cohn is 59. Actor Timothy Olyphant is 57.Former racing driverTonyStewart is 54. Rapper Busta Rhymes is 53. Actor Matt Czuchry is 48. Actor-singerNaturi Naughtonis41. CyclistChris Froome is 40. Country musician Jon Pardi is 40.
and coneflowers (rudbeckia), which are good for entry-level planters. They are lowmaintenance andrequire little effort.
“Always shop small, independent local garden centers, if possible,” Timmerman said. “Most of them will set aside anative plant sectionintheir nurseries, especially in theNew Orleans area.”
Snow’s impact
Eventhough Louisiana’srare snowfall in January was tough on tropical plants, natives did well duetothe additional atmospheric nitrogen from thesnow
“Snow contains alot of air by volume,soit’skindoflike laying athickblanket over our gardens anditdoescontain some atmospheric nitrogentoo,soit’slike a little boost in freefertilizer,”Timmerman said.
Many native plants, especially perennials, can grow further north, allowing them to adapt to a range of environments and tolerate colder weather
The snow’sinsulative qualities allowed native plants to thrive more than tropical plants,Timmerman said.
Benefits of native species
According to Timmerman,incorporating native species into your garden has numerous ecological benefits.
“They attract alot of pollinators andbeneficial insect species that helpusinour garden, doing some naturalpest control and boosting our production,” she said.
Native flowers can fit into any landscapeorgarden and integrate well.
For those interested in attracting hummingbirdsand butterflies to their yards, consider planting coral honeysuckleorTexas star hibiscus.Timmerman recommends these for school gardens.
Gaura can usually survive Louisiana winters, and its foliage is sometimes evergreen. New stem and leaf growthon some cultivars is avibrant shade of red. Gaura and other Louisiana SuperPlants have been thoroughly vetted by AgCenter scientists. Plantsthatearn this title are both toughand attractive. To learn more about theprogram, visitwww.LSUAgCenter.com/ SuperPlants.
Dear Miss Manners: My son is graduating withhonors from a very selective university. My husband wantstoinvite family from bothsides to attend, which would require everyone to travel out of statetoavery expensive city Initially,wewere going to host anice party after the ceremony.Now it’scompletely off, due to volatilityinmyhusband’s job.Hestill wants to invite everyone, but let them know we can’thouse them or provide any celebration outside of the graduation ceremony Ithink this is incredibly ill-mannered, and that we should just have our immediatefamily there. Ifind it offensive toask family members to pay for airfare, expensive hotels and food while we provide nothing. Some relatives would likely inviteusto eat at anice restaurant, at their expense, to celebrate. They can afford this, but it’s not their place. Through theyears, we have known someofour relatives to look down on us. Ifeel horrible; I’m not trying to makemyhusband’slife harder,ormost importantly,disappoint my son. He already expressed his desire to
have abig party,and now we have to tell him it’soff.
formygraduation announcements. I’dlike to use Ms., but what exactly does it stand for? Please let me know which is mostappropriate.
Gentlereader: Here is another argument against inviting the extended family to agraduation: Graduation ceremonies can be meaningful to the graduates and their immediate families, but you will perhaps forgive Miss Manners for saying that they are not sources of general entertainment. Even if thereare mesmerizing speakers, which is not always the case, mostofthe ritual consists of watching strangers walk across a stage. When issuing invitations, one is supposedtoconsider the possible enjoyment one is offering the prospective guests. In this case, it is so minimalthat anyone without a deep emotional attachment to your sonwould be foolish to accept.
As for your son himself,surely he is grown-up and intelligent enough to have sympathy forthe family’sfinancial constraints, rather than resentment.
Dear Miss Manners: I’ma37-yearold woman who hasnever been engaged, married or hadchildren I’ll be graduating soon,and am not sure which title, MissorMs., to use
Gentle reader: It stands for“Ms.” It is so useful that Miss (sic) Manners cannot understand the prejudice somepeople have against it. Asmall history lesson: Centuries ago, the all-purpose female honorific was Mistress, and it was as devoid of marital status as Mister So those who object to Ms. being too new aterm are quite wrong. Mistress wasabbreviated as Ms. It wasonly later that the word acquired separate versions —Miss and Mrs. —todenote marital status. Abad idea. Worse, theterm “mistress” pickedupaless-than-respectable meaning. Femaledesignations tend to do that, while male ones do not —“sir” as opposed to “madam,” for example.HostilitytoMs. seemsan example of that prejudice.
Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.
PORCH
Continuedfrom page5C
repainted, but they kept it periodappropriatewiththe original terrazzo floors and amix of midcentury furniture.
“This room is an extension of our house. The views are just amazing,”Wager said. “Because not only do we have the garden, but we have thelake and the beautiful trees.”
While manypeople think of screened-in porchesasa way to keep theannoying parts of nature out, Wagerviews herporch as away to be with nature but not disturb it.
“It’ssucha private place,” said Wager.“Andwhat Ilove, too, about it is thatyou can be apart of nature without intruding in on the animals.”
An escape from therealworld
Amy Jones and her husband purchased their raised home in 2017 after it flooded in 2016. They were nearing their closing date when the home flooded, and they took their name out of the hat. Then six months later,aRealtor calledand asked if they were still interested. Planning on starting from scratch anyway,the couple agreed, bought the homeand gutted it.
One thing that drew them to the rebuild was the screened-in front porch. Jones says the space is ideal for relaxationand entertainment Located at theend of Hoo Shoo TooRoad, the only thing the family hears are the birds and the Amite River passing by “Becausewe’re araised house, it’salmost like atree house for us,” she said. “I’m up in the oak trees and looking down on our big lawn, andit’sthe most peaceful andtranquil place to escape from the real world. It just feels like you’re out looking at nature, in with thebirds andthe squirrels —and it’samagical place.”
With awicker sofa, aporch swing, rocking chairs anda couple tables, Jones has ample room for accommodatingher large family,which includes12kids and22grandchildren. They all fit on the porch for holidays and family reunions. They
Abunnytopiary sits nearbyaside table in the Wagers’ screened-in porch.
spend their Christmasevenings on the porchincandlelight andalso use the front porch as the perfect venue for guitar sessions andsing-a-longs Slow dancing on the screened porch and sitting cozy during rainstorms are pastimes that both Jones and Wager share. For Wager, she hasevenfound solace during a hurricane.
“During thehurricanethatwe hadlast year,itwas so crazy because Icame outhereand Ifelt protected.Itreally is alovely time to watch just about everything and still be protected from the elements,” saidWager Must-haveelements
Billy Como of Como’sHome Improvementisa 20-year veteran carpenterinBaton Rouge who installs about five screened-in porches ayear.Hesaysa screened-in porch’sbestfeaturesare obvious —shade andnobugs.
Como says thatceiling fans are amust-have in ordertocirculate theair,cool offthe area andhelp control mildew.Headded that insulatingthe roof drastically helps with the heat. Porch overhangs may help with heat reduction, but not much, says Como.Overhangs helpout morewith water diversion than providing shade. The ideal size of an overhang is between 12 and 16 inches to keep the water from hit-
ting the porch structure.
When it comes to orientation, porches that face east and west will get either morning or evening sunlight, which isn’tashot as midday sun. North and south-oriented porches will get middaysunlight and lots of heat.
Thetypeofflooring in ascreenedin porch can also help with cooling. Comosays that flooring depends on the aesthetic preference and porch height —ifa porch is low enough, concrete flooring is cooler and doesn’tlet bugs or humidity linger under the porch. However, if ahouse is 6inches above ground level, the porch will need to be supported by pier and beam, which opensupmore optionsfor flooring. In termsofsizing, if ascreenedin porch is too small, the space can feelclaustrophobic. Como recommends aporch that is about160 square feet.
Como built ascreened-in porch forhis own house that includes removableglass windowsthat canbe changed dependingonthe season and the weather “Wedoalot of alot of things outside,” Como said. “Weusually eat our breakfast out there and sit out there in the evenings. My wife grows plants out there. It gave us a whole new dynamic to our home.” Email Joy Holdenatjoy.holden@ theadvocate.com.
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
STAFF PHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS
Last year,the Wagers had the screens replaced and the frames repainted,but theykeptitperiod-appropriate withthe original terrazzo floors andamix of midcenturyfurniture.
TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Clear a space to accommodate something you enjoy doing. Declutter and rethink your spending habits and what's important to you. Spend time nurturing relationships dear to your heart and consider a lifestyle geared toward promoting health and happiness.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Interact with people you respect and trust to tell you the truth. Participate in events that can expand your outlook and offer a different perspective regarding how you use your attributes to your advantage.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Set high standardsanddon'tbudgeregardlessofwhat others do or say. The future looks bright if you follow your heart and do what excites you. Express yourself through action.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Put your head down and push forward. Refuse to let anyone interfere with your plans or throw you off guard with their lofty dreams. Don't let your generosity be your downfall; it's time to prioritize your needs.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Simplify matters by refusing to overload your plate to please others. Rethink your lifestyle and how it represents your needs, and revamp your routine to ensure you refuel.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Sift through information. Broaden your horizons and set your sights on what matters to you. A cause will heighten your awareness and motivateyoutodosomethingthatmakes you feel good about yourself.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Decipher how to have the most impact and put your plan in action. Direct communication is the best route forward. Don't lose sight of your long-term goals.
sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Hold on to your morals, beliefs and money. Refuse to give anyone the right to take advantage of you or tempt you with nonsense or false prospects. It's your turn to stand up for your beliefs.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Review your budget and put a financial plan in place that willhelpyouachieveyourobjective. Life is too short to take risks for someone else. An innovative approach involving discipline and hard work will pay off.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Expand your interests and make room for new beginnings. Show off your skills. Take the time to fine-tune your life to suit your desires.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Useyourenergy wisely. Miscalculation will set you back. Take the time to rethink your plans. Trust your gut to lead you in the right direction.
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Revamp your resume to suit your plans. Seek out skills and knowledge that can help you head in a direction that motivates you. Invest time and money in what matters to you most.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
ToDAy's cLuE: G EQuALs K
CeLebrItY CIpher
For better or For WorSe
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
bIG
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword
THewiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS CurTiS
By PHILLIP ALDER
Aristotlesaid, “All humanactions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions,habit, reason, passion, desire.”
At the bridge table, you desiretomake or break thecontract, using reasoning and various habits—hopefully allgood. Andsometimesyou have to go forany chance thatyou have.
In this deal, West has to decide what to dowhendefendingagainstoneno-trump He leads his fourth-highest diamond. Southtakes East’s nine with his king and plays thespade queen. West ducks, but is inwithhisaceattrickthree.Whatshould West do now?
An aggressiveEastwould havemade athree-club weak jump overcall on the first round. Then South wouldprobably have made anegative double, giving North aheadache. The winning action would have been to pass, which would have netted100 or 300.
IfEasthadbalancedoveroneno-trump withatwo-clubbid,Southwouldpresumably have continued with two spades, which would have probably ended down oneafter thediamond-nine lead from East. Who has the diamond jack?
Each Wuzzle is awordriddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying,
Previous answers:
word game
InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3 Additional words
or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed ToDAy’s WoRD WoEFuLLy: WOH-fuh-lee: With sadness or grievance.
Average mark 16 words Time
Can you find 22 or morewords in WOEFULLY?
yEsTERDAy’s WoRD —GRATuITy
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C. PiCKles
BRIEFS
SouthernGlazer’sopens
Geismar operation
Southern Glazer’s, the largest wine and spirits distributor in the country,has opened anew distribution center in Geismar
About 120 peoplework at the 375,000-square-foot distribution center at 6602 IndustrialDrive. It consolidated operations at Southern Glazer’sLafayette and St. Rose distribution centers into one location that will service the entire state.
The center will allow Southern Glazer’stoserve all of its Louisiana customers with next day delivery,Ron Flanary,senior vice president of national operations said in astatement.
Southern Glazer’sisthe 10th largest private company in the U.S., with 24,000 employees and $26 billion in revenue for 2024 according to Forbes.
The company distributes 8,600 brands with3,000 trucksinits fleet, according to acompany fact sheet. And it orchestrates 7.1 million customer deliveries annually to more than 250,000 customers.
Capital Onecompletes
$35B Discoverpurchase
Capital One finalized its $35.3 billion purchase of Discover on Sunday,completing acredit card mega-mergerannouncedmore than ayear ago. Nothing will immediately change for Discover customers, according to anews release issued Sunday by Capital One. In fact, people with Capital One credit cards will likely see theearliestimpacts.Previously, Capital One has partnered with Visa and Mastercard, which are almost universally accepted. However,those cards are expected to switch to Discover. Though Discover has expanded its reach, particularly in the U.S., it is still not accepted in all the places that take Visa and Mastercard.
“At this time, Capital One and Discover customer accounts and banking relationships remain unchanged,” Capital One said in anews release. “Customers will be provided with comprehensive information in advance of any forthcoming changes.”
Capital One and Discover announced the deal in February 2024, with Capital One purchasing all outstanding shares of Discover stock for aslight premium.
CBS News CEO quits as Trump suit deal looms CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon said Monday that she is resigning after four years, the latest fallout at thenetworkas its parent company considers settling alawsuit with President Donald Trump over a“60 Minutes” interview with his former political opponent.
McMahon, who has led both the network news division and news for the CBS-owned stations, said in an email message to staff that “it’sbecomeclear that thecompany and Idonot agree on the path forward. It’stime to move on and for this organization to moveforward with new leadership.” McMahon hasmade clearshe opposessettling with Trump justlike“60 Minutes”executive producer Bill Owens, who quit last month.
McMahon is aNew Orleans native who graduated from LSU in 1996 withabachelor’s degreein mass communication.
Trump has sued CBS, alleging it edited an interviewwith 2024 Democratic opponent Kamala Harris last fall to benefit her.CBS News hasdeniedthat. CBS’ parentcompany,ParamountGlobal, is in talks to potentiallysettle Trump’slawsuit. At the same time, ParamountGlobal is seeking administration approval of a merger with Skydance Media. In addition to the tussle with Trump, Paramount’scontrolling shareholder,Shari Redstone, has expressed unhappiness over some network coverage of Israel’swar in Gaza,including a“60 Minutes” piece this winter. Paramount began supervising“60 Minutes” stories in new ways, including asking former CBS News President Susan Zirinskytolook over some of its stories before they aired.
AAA predicts over 45 million people —1.4 millionmore than last year —will venture at least 50 miles from their homes overMemorial Dayweekend,with the vast majority going by car.The holiday’sprevious domestictravelrecord wasset 20 years ago.
Value drifts for U.S. dollar
BY STAN CHOE AP business writer
NEW YORK Afterrecoveringfrom an initial jolt, U.S. stocks, bonds and the value of the U.S. dollardrifted througha quietMonday following the latest reminder that the U.S. government maybehurtling toward an unsustainable mountain of debt. The S&P 500 edged up after Moody’sRatings became the last of the three major credit-rating agencies to say theU.S.federal governmentnolonger deserves atop-tier “Aaa” rating. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite also inched up.
Moody’spointed to how the U.S. government continuestoborrow more and more money to pay for its expenses, with political bickering making it difficult to either rein in Washington’s spending or raise its revenueinorder to getits ballooning debt under more control. They’re serious problems, but nothing Moody’ssaid is new,and criticshavebeen railing against Washington’s inabilitytocontrol its debt formanyyears. Standard & Poor’slowered itscredit rating for the U.S. government in 2011. Because theissuesare so well knownalready,investors have likely alreadyaccountedfor them, according to Brian Rehling, head of global fixed income strategy and other analysts at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. They’re expecting “limited additional market impact” following the initial reactions to the Moody’s move.
Despiteeconomicconcerns,Americans areset on gettingawayfor Memorial Dayweekend
BY JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press
DALLAS Whether it’sa road trip to anearbylakeorjumping on a plane to explorea big city,Americans are expected to get away in recordnumbersover thelong Memorial Day weekend even as economicand technical worries rattle the U.S. travel industry
Over 45 million people —1.4 million more than last year will venture at least 50 miles from their homes betweenThursday andMonday,with thevast majority going by car,auto cluborganization AAA predicts. The holiday’sprevious domestic travel record was set 20 years ago.
AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said the analysts who prepared the forecast weren’tsure when theystartedtheir research if concerns about theeconomy would cause fewer U.S. residents to plan getaways for the unofficial start of summer,but it doesn’tseem to be the case.
“People are still feeling pretty good about travel,” Diaz said, addingthat some households and individuals may just opt tospend
less money on their trips.
Like last year,about 87% of travelers are driving to their Memorial Day destinations, AAA said. About 39 million people, or 1million morethan last year,are expected to takeroad trips, which Diaz noted many familiesfind easier and cheaper than flying.
“You leave whenever you want,” she said. “You can pack as much as you want in the car,make stops along the way.”
AAA’s fuel tracker shows motorists can expect to pay less for gasoline this year; the average price in LouisianaonSunday was $2.72 for agallon of regular gas compared with $3.13 ayear ago.
Rentingavehicle andstaying in ahotel also may cost less, accordingtothe most recent Consumer Price Index.
In 2024, theFriday beforeMemorial Day was amongthe record-setting days for thenumber of airline passengers screened at U.S. airports. While airports shouldbebusyagain this Friday, the outlook forair travel this year is unclear Air safetyhas been on the minds of travelers after the dead-
ly midair collision in January of a passengerjet anda U.S. Army helicopter aboveWashington, D.C. In recent weeks, flight delays and cancellations stemming from an air traffic controllershortageand equipment failures at afacility that directs aircraft in and out of the Newark, New Jersey,airport have also madesomepeople wonder whethertoget on aplane.
Most major U.S. airlines said they planned to reducetheir scheduled domestic flights this summer,citing an ebb in economy passengers booking leisure trips. BankofAmerica reported this monththatits credit card customers were spending less on flightsand lodging.
Butananalysis by aviation data providerCirium of Memorial Day weekend tickets bought through online travel sites found an increaseofabout3%acrosstwo dozenU.S.airportscompared with last year
Bookings were down 10% for flightsatWashington Dulles International Airport and down9% forflights at NewarkLiberty InternationalAirport,according to Cirium’sdata.
The move by Moody’sessentially warns investors globally not to lend to theU.S.government at suchlow interest rates, andthe yield on the 10-year Treasury briefly jumped above 4.55% early Monday morning. That number shows how much in interest the U.S. government has to pay in order to borrow money for10years,and it wasupsharply from4.43% late Friday. But it later regressed to 4.45% as more calm returned to the market.
Theyield on a30-year Treasury bond briefly leaptabove 5% before likewise receding, up from less than 4% in September
Thedowngradeaddstoalong list of concerns that have already weighed on the market. Chief among them is President Donald Trump’strade war, whichitself has forced investors globally to question whether the U.S. bond market and the U.S. dollarstill deserve their reputationsassome of the safest places to park cash during acrisis.
The U.S. economyseemstobe holding up OK so far despite the pressures of tariffs, and hopesare high that Trump will eventually relent on his tariffs after striking trade dealswith othercountries. That’sa major reason the S&P 500 has rallied back within 3% of its alltime high after falling roughly 20% below that market last month. But big companies have been warning recently they’re uncertain about the future.
BY MICHELLECHAPMAN Associated Press
Biotechnology company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is buying 23andMe for $256 million, two months after the genetic testing company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In March 23andMesaid that it was looking to sell “substantially all of its assets” through acourtapproved reorganization plan. Its co-founder andCEO Anne Wojcicki also resignedfromthe toppost, but remained as aboard member 23andMehas faced an uncertain future for some time. Beyond battles to go private, the company struggled to find aprofitable business model sincegoing public in 2021. Privacy concerns related to customers’ genetic information
havealsoemerged,notably spanning from a2023databreach— alongwith questions around what new ownership could mean for users’ data.
The proposed transaction with Regeneronincludes23andMe’s personal genome serviceand total health andresearch services It does not includethe Lemonaid Health subsidiary,atelehealth services providerwhich 23andMe plans to wind down.
“Webelieve we can help 23andMe deliverand build uponits mission to help people learn about their own DNA and howtoimprove their personal health, while furthering Regeneron’sefforts to improve the health and wellness of many,” Regeneron co-founder, boardco-chair and Chief Scientific Officer GeorgeYancopoulossaidin
astatement. Regeneron said Monday that it will comply with 23andMe’s privacy policies andapplicable law, processall customer personal data in accordancewith the consents, privacy policies and statements, termsofservice,and noticescurrentlyineffect and have security controlsinplace designedtoprotect such data.
“Weare pleased to have reached atransaction that maximizes the value of the business and enables the mission of 23andMe to liveon, while maintaining critical protections around customer privacy, choice and consent with respect to theirgenetic data,” said Mark Jensen, chair and memberofthe special committee of 23andMe’s board. Regeneron will be keeping all of 23andMe’semployees, Jensen
added. As part of the court-supervised sale process, 23andMe required all bidders to guarantee that they will complywith its privacypolicies and applicable law
Regeneron said that its proposed deal aligns with 23andMe’sprivacy statement, but that acourt-appointed, independent consumer privacy ombudsman will also examine the transaction and any potential impact on consumers’ privacy.The ombudsman will presenta report to the court by June 10. Acourt hearing to consider approval of the transaction is currently scheduled for June 17. The deal, which still needs approval from the U.S.Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri,isexpected to close in the third quarter
