The Advocate 05-21-2025 by The Advocate

INSIDE TODAY’S ADVOCATE

Aspecial section celebratingour high school Star of Stars

Contaminationissue at CapitolLakes grows Homeowners grouppushesfor EPAinvolvement

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL

Staff writer

In 1983, state ofﬁcials posted advisories against eating ﬁsh from the Capitol Lakes in Baton Rouge, citing chronic toxic pollution.

After decades of inaction,federal regulators in 2023 declared the lakes a “Superfund” contamination siterequiring cleanup.

But negotiations over who is responsible and what should be done have yet to result in anywork —two companies involved deny responsibility,with one claiming the ﬁsh are safe enough to consume despite ongoing state warnings to the contrary

Now aBaton Rouge homeowners group says the U.S.EnvironmentalProtection Agencyshould step in and force the issue.

Litterpilesupalong

in astatement.

“This is not just historic —it’sa historic failure of environmental stewardship. In 2022, an EPAassessment found PCB concentrations in ﬁshwere high and widespread enough to declare the fishery contaminated,withsome samples just underthe maximum safe level. TheEPA also found pesticides andconcerning levels of heavy metals —arsenic, chromium and mercury —in theﬁsh.

Bill seeks to banDEI in state government

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Members of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus remained upset Tuesday after aRepublican lawmaker pushed abill through the House the night before that would ban diversity,equity and inclusion programsinstate government.

On Monday,inanunusual form of protest, twodozen Black Democrats and two White Democrats stood in solidarity in the front of the House to express their quietfury withthe bill, repeatedly calling it “divisive.” Debate over the bill lasted into the night.

“This is the most racially offensive piece of legislation that Ithink I’ve had to debate since Icame into ofﬁce,” said Rep. Candace Newell, DNewOrleans, theﬁrst of 10 members of the Black Caucus who denounced themeasure, House Bill 685 by Rep. Emily Chenevert, RBaton Rouge.

“This is the most racially offensivepiece of legislation that Ithink I’ve had to debate sinceI came intooffice.” REP. CANDACE NEWELL, D-NewOrleans

“This bill is about race, that’sall,” Rep. Ed Larvadain, D-Alexandria,said several minutes later Chenevert teared up brieﬂy as she defendedit, saying, “My desire is thatwe come together,and we not divide.”

Voting closely along party lines, the HousepassedChenevert’s bill by four votes, 57-32. No Democrats voted for the bill, while three Republicans voted against it. They were Rep. Vincent Cox, of Gretna; Rep. Beth Billings,ofDestrehan;and Rep.Jeff Wiley,ofGonzales.

Members of the Historic Spanish Town Civic Association say it’s time for the EPAtoissue a“unilateraladministrativeorder” to force work to begin on an area known since the early 1970s to be heavily polluted.

Bailey claims no substantial remediationofthe lakes hasoccurreddespite decades of legislativeresolutions and a1980s commission led by then-Gov. Buddy Roemer that recommended cleanup.

“Eight governors have resided along these shores while eight administrations have overseen this environmental disaster.The lakessit beside our State Capitol,State VeteransPark, and the historicSpanish Town neighborhood,” GreggBailey,the civic association’s point person on the Superfund site, said

“Our statemay champion industry, but allowing pollution to endanger the seat of ourgovernmentismorethan ironic —it’sunacceptable,” added Bailey,who worked on thecleanup of

ä See LAKES, page 6A

Likely indicating the political sensitivities,13memberswho votedonthe preceding bill were absent on HB685.

The bruised feelings remained on Tuesday.

“Wereceivednoanswerstoour questions of what the bill would do to speciﬁc programs that deal with racial relations and training,” Rep. Tammy Phelps, D-

ä See DEI, page 4A

BY LARA NICHOLSON, JUSTIN MITCHELL and MISSY WILKINSON Staff writers

Someone needed to turn offthe water

To execute Friday morning’s massivejailbreak from the New Orleans jail without ﬂooding the cell and setting off alarms, avalve in the “pump chase,” asupposedly secured area locatedbehind rows of cells, would need crankingoff.

According to authorities, Sterling Williams, a 33-year-old maintenance man who has worked for ﬁve years at the Orleans Parish Sheriff’sOfﬁce, N.O. jail worker accusedofhelping prisonersescape

ä See WORKER, page 5A

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

One month after outbursts in court by the suspect in aseriesof killings prompted thepostponement of his murder trial, ajudge declared the Clinton man mentally ﬁt Tuesdayand resethis trialtobegin in November Authorities say Ryan Joseph Sharpe, 43, shot and killed Carroll Breeden Sr.asthe 66-year-old BREC commissioner was doing yard work outside his rural Port Hudson-Pride Road home in September 2017.

The killing came during aseries of random shootings in East Felicianaand East Baton Rouge parishes that investigators connected to Sharpe. He wasconvictedof murderlast year in one of the East Feliciana killings, but he has yetto stand trial in Breeden’sdeath. Aftermorethanseven years of anticipation, Sharpe’strial was settobegin April 7inside the19th JudicialDistrictCourthouse. But on the opening day,before prospective jurors were brought into thecourtroom,Sharpe told

ä See TRIAL, page 4A

STAFF FILEPHOTO By BILL FEIG

Lawenforcement officials escortRyanSharpefrom the East Feliciana Parish courthouse in 2019

STAFF PHOTOSByJAVIERGALLEGOS

The state for decades has warned against eating fish from the Capitol Lakes in Baton Rouge, citing contamination by PCBs andother toxic pollution.

theshoreofCapitol Lake.

New salmonella outbreak tied to previous grower

U.S. health officials are investigating a new outbreak of salmonella illnesses tied to a Florida grower whose tainted cucumbers were linked to more than 550 illnesses last year

Cucumbers grown by Florida-based Bedner Growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales have been linked to illnesses in at least 26 people in 15 states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported late Monday. At least nine people have been hospitalized; no deaths have been reported

The cucumbers were sold to restaurants, stores and food service distributors between April 29 and May 19 and may still be within their shelf life this week Illnesses were reported between April 2 and April 28, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The outbreak was detected as part of a follow-up inspection in April to a 2024 outbreak that sickened 551 people and led to 155 hospitalizations in 34 states and Washington, D.C. In that outbreak, investigators found salmonella bacteria linked to many of the illnesses in untreated canal water used at farms operated by Bedner Growers and Thomas Produce Company In the current outbreak, ofﬁcials found salmonella bacteria from samples on the farm that matched samples from people who got sick.

Health officials are investigating where the potentially contaminated cucumbers were distributed. Several people who fell ill ate cucumbers on cruise ships leaving ports in Florida, according to the CDC. Organic cucumbers are not affected, ofﬁcials said.

Iran rejects U.S. stance on uranium enrichment

TEHRAN, Iran Iran’s supreme leader on Tuesday pushed back against U.S. criticism of the country’s nuclear program, saying that Tehran won’t seek permission from anyone to enrich uranium and calling American statements “nonsense.”

“They say, ‘We won’t allow Iran to enrich uranium.’ That’s way out of line,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said during a memorial for late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last year “No one in Iran is waiting for their permission The Islamic Republic has its own policies and direction — and it will stick to them.”

Khamenei’s remarks came as indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. reportedly continue, though he expressed doubt about their outcome.

“Yes, indirect negotiations were held during Raisi’s time too, just like now,” he said. “But they didn’t go anywhere — and we don’t expect much from the current ones either Who knows what will happen.” His comments reflect Tehran’s growing frustration with the stalled nuclear discussions, as well as the broader tensions that have deﬁned U.S.-Iran relations in recent years

Westminster Kennel plans for 150th show

NEWYORK It’s still just 21 in dog years. But the Westminster Kennel Club is gearing up for its 150th annual dog show next year and announced plans Tuesday for the milestone event, expected to draw about 3,000 champion dogs It’s slated to start Jan. 31 with agility and other canine sports, including the relay-race-style ﬂyball tournament introduced last year, at the Javits Center convention venue in Manhattan

The traditional breed-by-breed judging happens Feb. 2 and 3, with ﬁrst-round competition during the days at the Javits Center

The show moves in the evenings to nearby Madison Square Garden. U.S. dogdom’s most storied best in show trophy will be awarded late on Feb. 3 by David Fitzpatrick, who handled two of his Pekingese to Westminster wins in 2012 and 2021. The Westminster show began in 1877 and has been held every year since. In 2020, it happened about a month before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. New York shutdowns began soon after

Israeli strikes kill at least 85 in Gaza

BY WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY and TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel pressed ahead Tuesday with its new military offensive in Gaza despite mounting international criticism, launching airstrikes that health ofﬁcials said killed at least 85 Palestinians Israeli ofﬁcials said they also allowed in dozens more trucks carrying aid.

Two days after aid began entering Gaza, the desperately needed new supplies have not yet reached people in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade for nearly three months, according to the United Nations. Experts have warned that many of Gaza’s 2 million residents are at high risk of famine

Under pressure, Israel agreed this week to allow a “minimal” amount of aid into the Palestinian territory after preventing the entry of food, medicine and fuel in an attempt to pressure the Hamas militant group. U.N spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that although the aid has entered Gaza, aid workers were not able to bring it to distribution points where it is most needed, after the Israeli military forced them to reload the supplies onto separate trucks and workers ran out of time

COGAT, the Israeli defense body that oversees humanitarian aid, said five trucks entered Monday and 93 trucks entered Tuesday But Dujarric said the U.N. conﬁrmed only a few dozen trucks entered Gaza on Tuesday

The aid included ﬂour for bakeries, food for soup kitchens, baby food and medical supplies. The U.N. humanitarian agency said it is prioritizing baby formula in the ﬁrst shipments. But none of that aid actually reached

Palestinians, according to the U.N. Dujarric described the new security process for getting aid cleared to warehouses as “long, complex, complicated and dangerous.” He said Israeli military requirements for aid workers to unload and reload the trucks are hindering efforts to distribute the aid. COGAT did not immediately comment on the new procedures.

The United Nations humanitarian agency received approval for about 100 trucks to enter Gaza, spokesman Jens Laerke said, which is far less than the 600 that entered daily during the latest ceaseﬁre that Israel ended in March. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said dozens are expected to enter each day

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he decided to let in limited aid after pressure from allies, who told him they couldn’t support Israel while devastating images of starvation were coming out of Gaza.

But some close allies say the limited aid is not enough.

The British government on Tuesday said it was suspending free trade negotiations with Israel and was leveling new sanctions targeting settlements in the occupied West Bank. The move came a day after the U.K, France and Canada condemned Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza and its actions in the West Bank and threatened to take action.

“I want to put on record today that we’re horriﬁed by the escalation from Israel,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Parliament Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein called the new sanctions “unjustiﬁed and regrettable” and claimed Israel and the U.K. had not been talking about free trade.

New EU, U.K. sanctions target Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers

By The Associated Press

BRUSSELS The European Union on Tuesday agreed to impose fresh sanctions on Russia, notably targeting almost 200 ships from the shadow fleet illicitly transporting oil to skirt Western restrictions put in place over Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The 27-nation bloc targeted 189 ships in all, and imposed asset freezes and travel bans on several ofﬁcials as well as on a number of Russian companies. The measures were endorsed by EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that while President Vladimir “Putin feigns interest in peace, more sanctions are in the works. Russia’s actions and those who enable Russia face severe consequences.”

Russia uses its “shadow ﬂeet” of ships to transport oil and gas, or to carry stolen Ukrainian grain

The EU has now targeted almost 350 of the ships in total. The new measures are not obviously linked to Russian delays in agreeing to a ceasefire. Work on the measures began in the days after the last package was finalized three months ago Ukrainian officials have said that the shadow fleet involves around 500 aging

Man put to death in Indiana’s second execution in 15 years

BY SOPHIA TAREEN and ED WHITE Associated Press

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. — An Indiana man convicted in the fatal shooting of a police ofﬁcer in 2000 was executed Tuesday by lethal injection in the state’s second execution in 15 years.

Benjamin Ritchie, 45, had been on Indiana’s death row since 2002, when he was convicted of killing Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney during a chase on foot.

Ritchie was executed at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, according to Indiana Department of Correction officials. IDOC said in a statement that the process started shortly after midnight and Ritchie was pronounced dead at 12:46 a.m Ritchie’s last meal was from the Olive Garden and he expressed love, support and peace for his friends and family according to the statement.

Under state law, he was allowed ﬁve witnesses at his execution, which included his attorney Steve Schutte, who told reporters he had a limited view of the process.

“I couldn’t see his face. He was lying ﬂat by that time,” Schutte said. “He sat up, twitched, laid back down.”

The process was carried out hours after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take the case, exhausting all of Ritchie’s legal options to ﬁght the death sentence.

Dozens of people, both anti-death penalty advocates and supporters of Toney, stoodoutsidetheprisonuntil early Tuesday

Indiana resumed executions in December after a yearslong hiatus due to a scarcity of lethal injection drugs nationwide. Prison officials provided photos of the execution chamber before Joseph Corcoran’s execution, showing a space that looks like an operating room with a gurney, fluorescent lighting and an adjacent viewing room. They’ve since offered few other details.

Among 27 states with death penalty laws, Indi-

ana is one of two that bars media witnesses. The other, Wyoming, has conducted one execution in the last half-century The Associated Press and other media organizations ﬁled a federal lawsuit in Indiana seeking media access, but a federal judge denied a preliminary injunction last week that would have allowed journalists to witness Ritchie’s execution and future ones. The judge found that barring the news media doesn’t violate the First Amendment nor does it single out the news media for unequal treatment.

The execution in Indiana was among 12 scheduled in eight states this year Texas and Tennessee also plan to execute prisoners this week. Ritchie was 20 when he and others stole a van in Beech Grove, near Indianapolis. He then fired at Toney during a foot chase, killing him. At the time Ritchie was on probation from a 1998 burglary conviction.

Toney, 31, had worked at the Beech Grove Police Department for two years. The married father of two was the first officer of the small department to be killed by gunfire in the line of duty Relatives spoke at a clemency hearing last week in support of the execution. “It’s time. We’re all tired,” said Dee Dee Horen, who was Toney’s wife. “It is time for this chapter of my story, our story, to be closed. It’s time for us to remember Bill, to remember Bill’s life, and not his death.”

Ritchie’s attorneys fought the death sentence, arguing his legal counsel at trial was ineffective because his lawyers failed to fully investigate and present evidence on his fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and childhood lead exposure.

Current defense attorneys say Ritchie suffered “severe brain damage” because his mother abused alcohol and drugs during pregnancy and that he struggled with decisionmaking. He was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2005.

ships of uncertain ownership and safety practices that are dodging sanctions and keeping the oil revenue coming.

Ratings agency S&P Global and the Kyiv School of Economics Institute, a think tank, have put the number at over 400 ships that can transport oil, or products made from crude such as diesel fuel and gasoline.

Vessels from the shadow ﬂeet have also come under suspicion of damaging undersea cables, particularly in the Baltic Sea. Finnish police on Dec. 26 seized the Eagle S, a tanker they said was part of the dark ﬂeet, on suspicion it used its anchor to damage the Estlink 2 undersea power cable

that supplies electricity from Finland to Estonia.

The EU also said that it targeted people and companies, including an insurer that make it possible for the shadow ﬂeet to operate, hitting interests in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Hong Kong.

In parallel, the U.K. targeted the shadow ﬂeet in a raft of 100 new sanctions that it said are aimed at “ramping up pressure” on the Kremlin.

In a statement Tuesday, Britain’s Foreign Office said the sanctions will hit entities supporting Russia’s military, energy exports and information war, as well as ﬁnancial institutions helping to fund its war against Ukraine.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABDEL KAREEM HANA

Displaced Palestinians flee from Khan younis, Gaza, amid the ongoing Israeli military offensive in the area on Monday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VIRGINIA MAyO European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of EU defense ministers at the European Council building in Brussels on Tuesday.

Shreveport, said in an interview

Tuesday

Chenevert’s bill is part of a movement by conservative lawmakers in recent years to target DEI programs, particularly at schools.

In August, Gov Jeff Landry signed an executive order preventing the use of critical race theory in Louisiana’s K-12 public education system.

“Critical Race Theory (CRT) includes divisive teachings that instruct students to view life through the lens of race and victimhood,” Landry said in issuing the order

Chenevert’s bill prohibits state agencies from maintaining or initiating DEI programs, employing people to perform functions related to DEI or requiring any applicants or employees to provide a statement regarding DEI.

Her bill also prohibits “any preferential treatment based on race, color, ethnicity, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation in making decisions at public postsecondary education institutions on admissions, state-supported ﬁnancial aid, scholarships, or other services or beneﬁts.”

“This is not about taking rights away from anybody,” said Chenevert. “This is not divisive. This is about protecting every Louisianan. This is about equality for all.”

But Rep. Denise Marcelle, DBaton Rouge, echoing the views of other Democrats, said Chenevert’s bill would undermine efforts to overcome laws that have held back Black people and women

“Apparently, Rep. Chenevert does not know why it was created in the ﬁrst place,” Marcelle said.

“If we had equal opportunity to be at the table, there would be no need to create the program.”

Larvadain said HB685 might repeal a program that gives ﬁnancial need scholarships to one or two Black students each year to study at LSU-Alexandria.

In an interview Tuesday, Rep Adrian Fisher D-Monroe, said it could eliminate a program at the state Department of Agriculture that assists Black farmers.

Rep. Vanessa LaFleur, D-Baton Rouge, said it could kill courses on Black history or African-American studies that are mandated for a major

TRIAL

presiding District Judge Collette Greggs he wanted to ﬁre his defense attorney, Thomas Damico, and began making a number of bizarre claims.

He doubled down on the request to represent himself during a sanity hearing a day later and told Greggs a nonexistent FBI agent cautioned him against having an attorney He also claimed he was leaving Angola, the state prison where he has been housed since his conviction last year, and moving to another state.

Greggs pumped the brakes on the trial and established a sanity commission to test Sharpe’s competency. Breeden’s family and loved ones stormed out of

The bill bars institutions from mandating instructional content

“that relates to critical race theory, white fragility, white guilt, systemic racism, institutional racism, anti-racism, systemic bias, implicit bias, intersectionality gender identity, allyship, race-based reparations, or race-based privilege.”

It also forbids institutions from requiring “instructional content that promotes the differential treatment of any individual or group of individuals based on race or ethnicity, imputed bias, or other ideology related to diversity, equity or inclusion.”

The bill includes some exemptions, and it specifies that it is aimed at institutional mandates, not to “limit the academic freedom of any individual faculty member to direct the instruction of his own class, including the selection of instructional materials, classroom discussion topics, and assignments, nor to limit the discussion of ideas in a classroom setting.”

the courtroom in frustration as the judge made her ruling during the April 8 hearing. Sharpe appeared more subdued and remained largely silent at Tuesday’s hearing, as attorneys presented the findings of two doctors who evaluated him. Both found him competent to stand trial. The defendant and his legal team agreed to the findings without argument.

Greggs set the new trail date in East Baton Rouge Parish for Nov 17.

A unanimous East Feliciana Parish jury found Sharpe guilty of seconddegree murder at the end of his trial in August. He was convicted of killing Brad DeFranceschi, a 48-yearold Boy Scout leader, in October 2017. East Feliciana prosecutors alleged that Sharpe shot the father of two as DeFranceschi trimmed weeds outside a

But some Louisiana university professors have raised concerns that the bill could undercut their academic freedom and block them from teaching important concepts.

“This legislation would stiﬂe the ‘marketplace of ideas’ and infantize our students, forcing faculty to avoid concepts the legislature dislikes and presenting only those that have gained their favor,” wrote leaders of the Louisiana Conference of the American Association of University Professors in a letter to lawmakers. “This is antithetical to freedom in a democratic society and hurts our students as they transition into fully enfranchised citizens.”

After passage of the bill, HB685 heads to the Senate for consideration.

The racial debate that roiled the chamber might spill over and affect other legislative business, especially on bills where Republicans are divided and need Democratic support to win passage. That

La. 63 home on the Avondale Scout Reservation. A judge sentenced Sharpe to life in prison on Oct. 15.

A trial in 2019 ended with a jury convicting Sharpe of DeFranceschi’s killing by an 11-1 vote. But that conviction was thrown out in June 2020 after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed nonunanimous verdicts

Sharpe is also accused of fatally shooting Tommy Bass, 62, outside his East Feliciana residence on La. 960 in July 2017. He was charged with wounding Buck Hornsby after authorities said he shot that man outside his residence near La. 63 a week before Breeden’s death.

Sharpe told East Feliciana sheriff’s deputies that the motive of his killings was to ﬁll government-issued hunting “tags.”

Email Matt Bruce at matt bruce@theadvocate.com.

could affect bills supported by Landry, who backs the measure, according to Chenevert.

Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, D-Lafayette, cast doubt on whether the Senate will approve HB685.

“The Senate as an institution was built on trust and respect. That’s still in place,” Boudreaux said in an interview “There will be some conversations about, ‘What does this accomplish and are there other means to get there?’”

Racial issues periodically ﬂare up and divide legislators.

In 2021, anger by Black legislators over a White colleague’s “divisive comments” from teaching about race ignited a monthlong controversy In the end, the legislator, then-state Rep Ray Garofalo, R-Chalmette, was forced to step down as chair of the House Education Committee by then-Speaker Clay Schexnayder R-Gonzales.

On Monday night, Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge, said leaders such as P.B.S. Pinchback, the

state’s ﬁrst Black governor, during the Reconstruction Era, provided for public education.

“Then Jim Crow came in,” he said, adding, “Let me be frank. This is an anti-Black bill.”

After the Black Caucus members, Rep. Beryl Amedee, R-Gray, went to the well and spoke in favor of the bill.

Amedee called equity “a Marxist term. It’s an attempt by the government to force equal outcomes.”

She added, “What makes us strong is unity, unity around truth. We should recognize people for their strengths, for their talents.

There’s only one race, and it’s human. All are created in the image of God. I love you, my colleagues.”

Rep. Chuck Owen, R-Rosepine, defended Chenevert, saying she is a good, churchgoing woman. He expressed chagrin at the debate.

“I see us talking past each other,” he said. “I hear us talking past each other.”

wasthe man for the job.

An investigation by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation led to Williams’ arrest Monday on onecountof malfeasance and 10 counts of principal to simple escape. According to an afﬁdavit for his arrest warrant, Williams “willfully and maliciously” aided in the brazen early morning exodus.

An initial Sheriff’s Ofﬁce investigation found that the 10 inmates, fiveofwhom remained on the lam late Tuesday,did the rest. That review found they escaped “by removinga sink toilet combination unit from acell, then using an unknown apparatus to saw steel bars behind the cell room sink.

After bending the bars, the inmatesescaped to an outdoor unsecuredpipe walk area, before eventually scaling the jail wall to complete the escape.” ing ding persed autho of modern in peared ing istrate afternoon. Amanda maintenance no no complaint yea complicit Cannon liams th the door dock, rant ma Peter agents duress. on

TIMELINE OF THE PRISON ESCAPE

FRIDAY,MAY 16

12:23

8:30

9:30 a.m.:

10:50

2p.m.: NOLA Ready is informed of the escape.

7:30 p.m.: Asecond escapee, 21-year-old RobertMoody,isarrested in Central City.A third,DKennan Dennis, 24, is arrested shortly afterward

MONDAY,MAY 19

7:02 p.m.: State Police announce afourth inmate, 21-year-old Gary Price, was captured.

TUESDAY, MAY20

8:30 a.m.: Attorney General LizMurrill announces ajailmaintenance worker has been accused of aiding the escape.

be captured, Massey had a history of escape. Massey, 32, broke outof the Morehouse ParishDetention CenterinCollinston, 20 miles outside of Monroe, with another inmate on Aug. 26, 2019. The two ran out througha hole in the fenceand escaped in a rental car that hadpulledup nearby,according to Morehouse Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce Chief Criminal Deputy James Mardis. Mardis said surveillance footagetracked the car near theproperty night before.

Massey and the other inmate were recaptured that evening in Lancaster,Texas, about 300 miles away from thedetention center,according to aFacebook post from the Sheriff’s Office at thetime. The twowere taken intocustody at the Tri City Jail in DeSoto, Texas, and later extradited back to Louisiana.

Massey was booked in Marchoncounts of motor vehicle theftand domestic

abuse battery involving strangulation. Ajudge issued aprotective orderin OrleansParish, andMassey hadn’tentered apleabefore theFridayescape, according to court records.

Massey is also wanted in St. Tammany Parish on accusations of domestic violence with strangulation, second-degree kidnapping, second-degree rape and violation of aprotective order with battery involved, according to Suzanne Carboni, spokesperson for the St.Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce. He is accused of kidnapping awoman he knew in the Slidell area in November and bringing her to Orleans Parish, she said.

Masseywas laterarrested in Mississippi and booked into the OrleansParish jail. By the timeher office issued the warrants forhis arrest, Carbonisaid, Massey was alreadyjailedinOrleans. A hold wasplaced for theSt. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office’swarrants. Officials

have contactedthe victim, Carboni said. Williams is the first person arrested in the case outside of theescapees.Sheriff SusanHuston, whoput her reelection campaign on hold Tuesday night, said three Sheriff’s Office employees have been suspendedrelatedtothe jailbreak. Murrill did not disclose theroles and titlesofthe suspendedemployees. She said she’d be examining the facility’s conditions, court system backlogs andother broader contributing factors in the ongoing investigation. More arrests and upgraded charges couldbecoming pending its outcome. Five inmates have been capturedsofar,while five —including Massey and Groves— arestill on the run five days after the jailbreak. Theinmates still at large also include Lenton Vanburen, Jermaine Donald andLeo Tate

Staff writers John Simermanand Willie Swett contributed to this report.

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple notchedanimportant victory Tuesday

An effort to turn his job into an appointed position died inthe state Senate. Sen. Royce Duplessis, whosponsored the measure, withdrew SenateBill 214aftertelling his colleagues that he lacked the votes to pass it.

In an interview afterward, Duplessissaidhehad at least 20 votesbut not the26, or two-thirds, that he needed.

terview,“are more interested in the statusquo and pushing an agenda by Temple that defers solely to the insurance industry.”

As abackupplan, Duplessis, D-New Orleans, said he hoped to win approval to create acommission to study whether Louisiana ought to appoint its commissioner Temple was electedin 2023 without opposition.

Duplessis noted that 39 states have appointedinsurance commissioners, making Louisiana an outlier as ofﬁcials grapple withhow to address high carand property insurancerates.

Senators,Duplessis said in thein-

Temple is backinga number of measures supported by the insuranceindustry that he says would reduce claims, which he says is the key to reducing rates.

“I’m glad to see democracy prevail,” Temple said in an interview after Duplessiswithdrewhis bill.Hebacked an argument made to senators by Sen. Adam Bass, R-Bossier City, that voters should decide whosets insurance rates andregulates the industry,not someone appointed by the governor

If Louisiana wants to lower insurance rates, Temple added, “then we need to focus on the factors that makeLouisiana an outlier with excessive claims.This bill didn’tdo that.”

The bills favored by Temple are opposed by the trial lawyerassociation and legislators who support their position that giving the insurance industry what it wants won’t lead to lower rates.

Gov.Jeff Landry hastaken what he calls a“balanced approach” on car insurance issues, favoring bills supported by both sides.

He is also pushing House Bill 148 by Rep. Jeff Wiley, R-Gonzales, that would give Temple greater authority to reject rate increases.

That bill is up for ﬁnal passage in the Senate Temple strongly opposes the measure because he says it would allowthe insurancecommissioner to arbitrarilyreject rate increases, without relying on actuarial data. Temple says thiswould discourage insurance companies from operating in Louisiana. Anothermeasure,SenateBill 170, by Sen. RobertAllain, RFranklin, would also address the insurance commissioner’sratesetting authority in away thatopponents of Wiley’sbill say would be more palatable.

Email TylerBridges at tbridges@theadvocate.com.

Trumpsayshe’sselectedspace missiledefenses

BY TARA COPP Associated Press

WASHINGTON PresidentDonald

Trump announced Tuesday the concept he wants for hisfuture Golden Domemissile defenseprogram— amultilayered $175billion system that for the ﬁrst time will put U.S. weapons in space.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said he expects the system will be “fully operational before the end of my term,” which ends in 2029, and have the capability of interceptingmissiles “even ifthey are launched from space.” It’slikelier that the complex systemmay have some initial capability by that point,aU.S. ofﬁcial familiarwith the program said.

Trump also announcedthat Gen. Michael Guetlein, who currently serves asthe vice chief of space operations, will be responsible for overseeing Golden Dome’sprogress. Golden Dome is envisionedto include ground- and space-based capabilities that are able to detect andstop missiles at all four major stages of apotential attack: detecting and destroying them before a launch, intercepting them in their earliest stage of flight, stopping them midcourse in the air,orhalting them in the final minutes as

they descend toward atarget. For the last several months,Pentagonplanners have been developing options —which aU.S. ofﬁcial describedasmedium, high and “extra high”choices,based on their cost —that include space-based interceptors.The official spokeon condition of anonymity to detail plans thathave notbeen made public. The difference in the three versionsislargelybased on how many satellitesand sensors —and for the

Defense SecretaryPete

Hegseth speaks during an event with President DonaldTrump in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesdayin Washington.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

fore been accomplished by military spaceorganizations,” Gen.Chance Saltzman, head of the U.S. Space Force, told lawmakers at ahearing Tuesday China and Russia have put offensive weapons in space, such as satellites with abilities to disable critical U.S. satellites, whichcan make the U.S. vulnerable to attack. Butthere’s no money for the Golden Dome project yet, and the program overall is “still in the conceptualstage,” newlyconfirmed AirForce Secretary Troy Meink told senators Tuesday

While the president picked the concept he wanted, the Pentagon is still developing therequirements that Golden Dome will need to meet —which is not the way new systems are normally developed.

ﬁrst time, space-based interceptors —would be purchased.

The Congressional Budget Ofﬁce estimated this month thatjust the space-based components of the Golden Dome could cost as much as $542 billion over the next 20 years. Trumphas requested an initial $25 billion for theprogram in his proposedtax break bill now moving through Congress. The Pentagon has warned for years that thenewest missiles de-

velopedbyChina andRussiaare so advanced that updated countermeasures are necessary Golden Dome’sadded satellites and interceptors —where the bulk of the program’scost is —would be focused on stopping those advanced missiles early on or in the middle of their ﬂight.

The space-based weapons envisioned for Golden Dome “represent newand emerging requirements for missions that have never be-

The Pentagon and U.S. Northern Command are still drafting whatis known as an initialcapabilitiesdocument, the U.S. ofﬁcial said. That is howNorthern Command, which is responsible for homeland defense, identiﬁeswhat it will need the system to do.

The U.S. already hasmanymissile defensecapabilities, such as thePatriot missile batteries that the U.S. hasprovidedtoUkraine to defend against incoming missiles as well as an arrayofsatellitesinorbit to detect missile launches.

TrumpimploresGOP to unifybehindbill

BY LISA MASCARO, KEVIN FREKING, LEAH ASKARINAM and JOEY CAPPELLETTI Associated Press

WASHINGTON PresidentDonald Trump implored House Republicans at the Capitol to droptheir fights over his big tax cuts bill and get it done,usingencouraging words but also the hardened language of politics over the multitrillion-dollar package that is at risk of collapsing beforeplanned votes this week.

Duringthe more than hourlong sessionTuesday, Trump warned Republicans not to touch Medicaid with cuts, and he told New York lawmakers to end their ﬁght for a bigger local tax deduction, reversing his own campaign promise. The president, heading into the meeting, called himself a“cheerleader” for the Republican Party and praised Speaker Mike Johnson.But he also criticized at least one of the GOP holdouts as a“grandstander” and warned that anyone who doesn’t support the bill wouldbe a“fool.”

“Wehave unbelievable unity,” Trump said as he exited. “I think we’re going to get everything we want.” The president arrived at apivotal moment. Negotiations are slogging along and it’snot at all clear the package,with itssweeping tax breaks and cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs,has thesupport needed from the House’s slim Republican majority.Lawmakers arealso being asked to add some $350 billion to Trump’sborder security,deportation and defense agenda

Inside, he spoke privatelyinwhat one lawmaker called the president’s “weaving” style and took questions

The president also made it clear he’s losing patience with the various holdout factions of the House Republicans, according to asenior White House ofﬁcial who spokeon condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting.

But Trump himself disputed that notion as well as reports that he used an expletive in warning not to cut Medicaid. Instead, he said afterward, “That was ameetingof love.” He received several standing ovations, Republicans said. Yetitwas notatall clearthat Trump, who was broughtintoseal

the deal, changed minds.

“We’re still alongwaysaway,” saidRep. Andy Harris,R-Md., the chair of the House Freedom Caucus.

Conservatives are insisting on quicker,steeper cuts to federal programs to offset thecosts of the trillionsofdollars in lost tax revenue. At thesame time, acoregroup of lawmakers from New York and other high-tax states want bigger tax breaks for theirvoters back home. Worries about piling onto the nation’s$36 trillion debt are stark.

With House Democrats linedup against thepackage as agiveaway to the wealthy at theexpense of safety net programs, GOP leaders have almostnovotes to spare.A key committeehearing is set for the middle of the night Tuesday in hopes of aHouse ﬂoor vote by Wednesday afternoon.

“They literally are trying to take health care away from millions of Americansatthisverymoment in thedead of night,” said House Democratic LeaderHakeem Jeffries of New York.

Trump has been pushing hard for Republicanstounite behind thebill, which has been uniquely shaped in hisimageasthe president’ssignature domestic policy initiative in Congress.

Asked aboutone of the conservative Republicans, Rep. Thomas MassieofKentucky,Trump lashed

out.

“I think he is agrandstander frankly,” the president continued. “I think he should be voted out of ofﬁce.”

ButMassie, arenegade who often goes it alone and wears aclock lapel pinthattalliesthe nation’s debt load, saidafterwardhe’sstill anovote.

Also unmoved wasRep.Mike Lawler,one of the New York Republicansleading the ﬁght for a bigger stateand local tax deduction,known as SALT:“As it stands right now,Idonot support thebill. Period.”

The sprawling 1,116-page package carriesTrump’stitle, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” as well as his campaignpromises to extend the tax breaksapprovedduring his ﬁrst term whileadding newones, including no taxes on tips, automobile loan interest andSocial Security.

There’salso ahigherstandard deduction, of $32,000 for joint ﬁlers, and abigger child tax credit.

The Committee foraResponsible Federal Budget,anonpartisan ﬁscal watchdog group, estimates that the House bill is shaping up to addroughly $3.3 trillion to thedebt over the next decade.

Republicans criticizing the measure argued that thebill’snew spending and tax cuts are frontloaded,while the measures to offset thecost are back-loaded.

BY CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON In Joe Biden’s family,there’s asaying thatthe three worst words anyone can hear are “you have cancer.”

One decade ago, his son Beau died from abrain tumor.Several years later,his wife Jill had twocancerous lesionsremoved in her own brush with the disease. Now it is the former president’s turn. Biden’sofﬁce disclosedhis prostate cancer diagnosis over the weekend, saying it has already spread to his bones

ed to “channel his grief into action and ﬁgure out how we can do better” on treating cancer to “make sure that other people didn’thave to go through whathe went through.”

The effort wasformalized as aWhite House task force, with Biden in charge. After afew yearsout of ofﬁce, Biden reentered politics to campaign against Trump in 2020. The heartache from Beau’sdeath was neverfar from the surface though. His eldest sonhad been Delaware’sattorney general andoften viewedasBiden’s political successor.

Although the cancer can possibly be controlled withtreatment, it is no longer curable. The announcement is abitterrevelation that adisease thathas brought so much tragedy to Biden’slife could be what ends it.

“Cancer touches us all,” Biden wrote on social media. “Like so many of you, Jill and Ihave learned that we are strongest in thebroken places.”

Even before the diagnosis, Biden’spost-presidency was shadowedbyquestions about his health and whether he should have run for reelection.

As questionsabout hisfitness for office mounted, he abandonedthe campaign and Donald Trump retook the presidency by defeating Kamala Harris. As the 82-year-old Biden works to safeguardhis damagedpolitical legacy,he’ll also be fighting adisease that shaped thefinalchaptersof his decadeslong career Biden was serving as Barack Obama’svicepresident when Beau diedin2015. He decided not to seek the Democratic nomination the following year,which helped clear apath for Hillary Clinton, who losttoTrump in 2016. Valerie Jarrett, alongtime Obama adviser, said Bidenwant-

“Beau should be the onerunning forpresident, notme,” Biden said, athought he echoed on many occasions.

He made fightingcancer a focus for his presidency,resurrecting a“moonshot”initiative to increase funding forresearch and improve treatment. He unveiledthe initiativeatthe John F. Kennedy Presidential Library andMuseum in 2022, echoing the Democratic icon’sfamous speech declaring that “we will go to the moon”six decades earlier

“Beating cancer is something we can do together,” Biden said. By this point, he had already signed legislation known as the PACT Act to expand health care beneﬁts for veterans.

The law guarantees treatment for chronic illnesses blamed on burnpits, whichwereused to dispose of chemicals, tires, plastics, medical equipment and human waste on military bases.

Biden left no doubt that he believed Beau’sdeath resulted from his servicewith the National Guard in Iraq.

“When they came home, many of the ﬁttest and best warriors that we sent to war were not the same—headaches, numbness, dizziness, cancer,” he said. “My son Beau was one of them.”

Biden

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RODLAMKEy

President DonaldTrump, right, is joined by Speaker of the House MikeJohnson, R-Benton, as he arrives for ameeting with the House Republican Conference at the CapitolonTuesday in Washington.

George Wendt, who played beloved barfly

on ‘Cheers,’ dies at 76

BY MARK KENNEDY Associated Press

Musk to cut back on political

BY CHRIS MEGERIAN, THOMAS BEAUMONT and RYAN J FOLEY Associated Press

Wendt

NEW YORK George Wendt, an actor with an Everyman charm who played the affable, beer-loving barﬂy Norm on the hit 1980s TV comedy “Cheers” and later crafted a stage career that took him to Broadway in “Art,” “Hairspray” and “Elf,” has died. He was 76. Wendt’s family said he died early Tuesday morning, peacefully in his sleep while at home, according to the publicity firm The Agency Group.

“George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and conﬁdant to all of those lucky enough to have known him,” the family said in a statement. “He will be missed forever.” The family has requested privacy during this time.

Despite a long career of roles onstage and on TV, it was as gentle and henpecked Norm Peterson on “Cheers” that he was most associated, earning six straight Emmy Award nominations for best supporting actor in a comedy series from 1984-89.

The series was centered on lovable losers in a Boston bar and starred Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, Kelsey Grammer, John Ratzenberger, Kirstie Alley and Woody Harrelson. It would spin off another megahit in “Frasier” and was nominated for an astounding117EmmyAwards, winning 28 of them.

Wendt, who spent six yearsinChicago’srenowned Second City improv troupe before sitting on a barstool at the place where everybody knows your name, didn’t have high hopes when he auditioned for “Cheers.”

“My agent said, ‘It’s a small role, honey It’s one line. Actually, it’s one word.’ The word was ‘beer.’ I was having a hard time believing I was right for the role of ‘the guy who looked like he wanted a beer.’ So I went in, and they said, ‘It’s too small a role. Why don’t you read this other one?’ And it was a guy who never left the bar,” Wendt told GQ in an oral history of “Cheers.” “Cheers” premiered on Sept. 30, 1982, and spent the first season with low ratings. NBC president Brandon Tartikoff championed the show, and it was nominated for an Emmy for best comedy series in its first season. Some 80 million people would tune in to watch its series ﬁnale 11 years later Wendt became a fan favorite in and outside the bar — his entrances were cheered with a warm “Norm!” — and his wisecracks always landed.

“How’s a beer sound, Norm?” he would be asked by the bartender “I dunno.

I usually ﬁnish them before they get a word in,” he’d respond. While the beer the cast drank on set was nonalcoholic, Wendt and other “Cheers” cast members have admitted they were tipsy on May 20, 1993, when they watched the show’s final episode then appeared together on “The Tonight Show” in a live broadcast from the Bull and Finch Pub in Boston, the bar that inspired the series.

“We had been drinking heavily for two hours but nobody thought to feed us,” Wendt told the Beaver County Times of Pennsylvania in 2009. “We were nowhere near as cute as we thought we were.” After “Cheers,” Wendt starred in his own shortlived sitcom “The George Wendt Show” — “too bad he had to step out of Norm and down so far from that corner stool for his debut stanza,” sniffed Variety — and had guest spots on TV shows like “The Ghost Whisperer,” “Harry’s Law” and “Portlandia.” He was part of a brotherhood of Chicago Everymen who gathered over sausage and beers and adored “Da Bears” on “Saturday Night Live.” Wendt slipped on Edna Turnblad’s housecoat in Broadway’s “Hairspray” beginning in 2007, and was in the Tony Award-winning play “Art” in New York and London. He starred in the national tour of “12 Angry Men” and appeared in a production of David Mamet’s “Lakeboat.” He also starred in regional productions of “Death of a Salesman,” “The Odd Couple,” “Never Too Late” and “Funnyman.”

“A, it’s by far the most fun, but B, I seem to have been kicked out of television,” Wendt told the Kansas City Star in 2011. “I overstayed my welcome. But theater suits me.”

WASHINGTON Elon Musk, the richest person in the world and a key financial supporter of President Donald Trump, said Tuesday that he’ll be spending “a lot less” on political campaigns, a reversal that could be a setback for Republicans ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

Musk disclosed his decision via videoconference during a Bloomberg forum in Doha, Qatar It speaks to his possible disenchantment with politics after his tumultuous tenure as Trump’s pick to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, which has fallen far short of its goals for reducing federal spending Musk has scaled back his government role to spend more time at his businesses, including Tesla, which have seen intense blowback. Tesla reported a big drop in profits in the first quarter

“In terms of political spending I’m going to do a lot less in the future,” Musk said. Asked why, he responded that “I think I’ve done enough.”

Musk’s statement marks a reversal of the course he had set during the 2024 campaign — when he was among the very top political spenders — and immediately after Musk spent at least $250 million supporting Trump in the presidential campaign, as the main contributor to America PAC, a super PAC that was active in advertising and funding door-to-door canvassing groups across the seven most-competitive states in the November presidential election.

Musk relished in the publicity, campaigning alongside Trump at times and headlining some of his own campaign rallies on the GOP nominee’s behalf.

And while he took credit for helping Trump return to the White House, Musk suffered a public defeat in April, after he became deeply involved in a Wis-

Noticeishereby given pursuant to Article 7, Section 23(C)ofthe LouisianaConstitution and R.S. 47:1705(B) that apublic hearingof Town of Livingston of the Parish of Livingston will be held at the regular meeting place, Town Hall, locatedat, 20550CircleDr. Livingston,Louisiana, on Thursday,July 10,2025 at 6:00 p.m. to consider levying additional or increasedmillage rates withoutfurther voterapprovaloradopting theadjustedmillagerateafterreassessment and rollingforward to ratesnot to exceed the prior year’s maximum. Theestimated amount of taxrevenuestobecollected for General Alimonyinthe next taxyear from the increasedmillage is $101,110.47and the amount of increase in taxesattributable to the millage increase is $18,865.47.

consin Supreme Court campaign. Musk-backed groups America PAC and Rebuilding America’s Future spent more than $21 million on the April 1 election in support of the Republican-backed candidate Brad Schimel.

But Schimel’s defeat by 10 percentage points in Wisconsin, a state Trump carried just ﬁve months earlier, was a blow to Musk, who campaigned for Schimel in Green Bay the weekend before the election and had also pledged to enforce Trump’s agenda in the 2026 midterm elections.

A week after Trump’s November victory, Musk said the political action committees he supported would “play a significant role in primaries,” adding later that he might help finance Republican challengers to GOP members of Congress who did not support Trump’s nominees.

“How else? There is no other way,” Musk wrote on X, which he rebranded after purchasing Twitter, in response to the suggestion of supporting intraparty challenges.

An adviser to Musk’s PACs declined to comment Tuesday

Once Trump took office, Musk held a prominent role as an adviser and leader of DOGE. He and his acolytes in the department fanned out widely across the federal government to enact deep cuts to the workforce and spending, in some cases seeking to shutter entire agencies altogether

DOGE has pushed to ﬁre tens of thousands of workers in downsizing at agencies, ranging from the IRS to Health and Human Services, and pressured tens of thousands more to take buyout and early retirement offers. And they sought to

shut down agencies such as the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. With backing from DOGE, agencies have cancelled tens of thousands of government contracts and grants that they say do not align with the administration’s priorities. Some of those moves were done so quickly that they had to be reversed after pushback or court rulings ﬁnding that they were illegal.

Critics say it amounts to a reckless chain-saw approach that could destroy much of the nation’s apolitical civil service, impair services for vulnerable populations, and halt critical research. DOGE claims on its “Wall of Receipts” it has saved an estimated $170 billion, but those savings numbers have been shown to be ﬂawed and inﬂated in many cases.

continued from

New policy limits access to COVID vaccines

BY MATTHEW PERRONE and LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trump administration said Tuesday it will limit approval for seasonal COVID-19 shots to seniors and others at high risk pending more data on everyone else raising questions about whether some people who want a vaccine this fall will be able to get one.

Top ofﬁcials for the Food and Drug Administration laid out new requirements for access to updated COVID shots, saying they’d continue to use a streamlined approach to make them available to adults 65 and older as well as children and younger adults with at least one high-risk health

problem. But the FDA framework, published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, urges companies to conduct large, lengthy studies before tweaked vaccines can be approved for healthier people. In the paper and a subsequent online webcast, the FDA’s top vaccine official said still, more than 100 million Americans still should qualify for what he termed a booster under the new guidance.

Dr Vinay Prasad described the new approach as a “compromise” that will allow vaccinations in highrisk groups while generating new data about whether they still beneﬁt healthier people.

“For many Americans we

simply do not know the answer as to whether or not they should be getting the seventh or eighth or ninth or tenth COVID-19 booster,” said Prasad, who joined the FDA earlier this month. He previously spent more than a decade in academia, frequently criticizing the FDA’s handling of drug and vaccine approvals. It’s unclear what the upcoming changes mean for people who may still want a fall COVID-19 shot but don’t clearly fit into one of the categories.

“Is the pharmacist going to determine if you’re in a high-risk group?” asked Dr Paul Ofﬁt, a vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “The only thing that can come of this will make vaccines less in-

surable and less available.”

The nation’s leading pediatrics group said FDA’s approach will limit options for parents and their children.

“If the vaccine were no longer available or covered by insurance, it will take the choice away from families who wish to protect their children from COVID-19, especially among families already facing barriers to care,” said Dr Sean O’Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows more than 47,000 Americans died from COVIDrelated causes last year The virus was the underlying cause for two-thirds of those and it was a contributing factor for the rest.

N.J. representative charged with trying to stop arrest

BY MIKE CATALINI, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

Federal prosecutors alleged Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey pushed and grabbed officers while attempting to block the arrest of the Newark mayor outside an immigration detention facility, according to charges in court papers unsealed on Tuesday

In an eight-page complaint, interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba’s office said McIver was protesting the removal of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka from a congressional tour of the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark on May 9. The complaint says she attempted to stop the arrest of the mayor and pushed into agents for Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She faces two counts of assaulting, resist-

ing and impeding an ofﬁcer

McIver has denied any wrongdoing and has accused federal agents of escalating the situation by arresting the mayor She denounced the charge as “purely political” and said prosecutors are distorting her actions in an effort to deter legislative oversight.

Habba had charged Baraka with trespassing after his arrest but dismissed the allegation on Monday when she said in a social media post she instead was charging the congresswoman.

Prosecuting McIver is a rare federal criminal case against a sitting member of Congress for allegations other than fraud or corruption.

The case instantly taps into a broader and more consequential struggle between a Trump administration engaged in overhauling immigration policy and a Democratic party scrambling to respond. Within minutes of Hab-

ba’s announcement, McIver’s Democratic colleagues cast the prosecution as an infringement on lawmakers’ ofﬁcial duties to serve their constituents and an effort to silence their opposition to an immigration policy that helped propel the president back into power but now has emerged as divisive fault line in American political discourse.

Members of Congress are authorized by law to go into federal immigration facilities as part of their oversight powers, even without advance notice. Congress passed a 2019 appropriations bill that spelled out the authority

A nearly two-minute clip released by the Homeland Security Department shows McIver on the facility side of a chain-link fence just before the arrest of the mayor on the street side of the fence. She and uniformed ofﬁcials go through the gate and she

joins others shouting they should circle the mayor

The video shows McIver in a tightly packed group of people and ofﬁcers. At one point her left elbow and then her right elbow push into an ofﬁcer wearing a dark face covering and an olive green uniform emblazoned with the word “Police” on it.

It isn’t clear from bodycam video whether that contact was intentional, incidental or a result of jostling in the chaotic scene.

The complaint says she “slammed” her forearm into an agent and then tried to restrain the agent by grabbing him.

Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s top border adviser, said during an interview on Fox News Tuesday “she broke the law and we’re going to hold her accountable”

“You can’t put hands on an ICE employee. we’re not going to tolerate it,” he said.

away on May 19, 2025, at the age of 105. He was born in St. Amant on July 21, 1919, to parents James and Ada Richardson. Mr. Richardson loved to travel and go camping with his wife Patsy, having seen all 50 States, some multiple times and also including travels outside of the States, including Canada, Mexico and Jamacia. Working in his shop was a true love for him creating all kinds of things with wood as avery accomplished carpenter. He was an ardentsupporter of LSU Football, he spent his Fall weekends either at the home or away games. He was aDeacon at Brookstown Baptist Church, having been there from groundbreaking, until 1992. Upon movingtoGonzales he became amember of the First Baptist Church of Gonzales. He served proudly with United States Army during World War II and was theoldest living Veteran in Louisiana. He always said if he could have made alivingfarming with his dad, he would have continued in that field. Mr. Gail is survived by two sons, Jimmie Gail and Stephen Hilary Richardson; (Robin); 13 grand-children,34great grand-children, 8greatgreat- grandchildren and dear friends, Bill and Debbie Bliek.

Preceded in death are his parents, James Arthur and Ada Stella Harrel Richardson; wife of 81 years, Marjorie Naquin Richardson; daughter and son in law, Rosemary Richardson Parker and Floyd Parker; daughter in law, Beverly Clark Richardson; 3grandsons, 1great granddaughter; siblings, William (Bill) DeArmond (Cat), Delton Richardson (Lydia), Sammie Robbins (Leroy), Louis Richardson (Ruth), Vera Hebert (Henry) and Vergie Tanner (Ballard). Visitation will be held at Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA., on Thursday, May 22, 2025 from 5:00 pm8:00 am. Visitation will resume Friday, May 23, 2025, from 10:00 am until funeral service time of 12:00 pm. Interment will immediately follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park. Pallbearers will be, Travis Parker, John Parker, Jason Parker, Seth Richardson, Wyatt Whiddon andJeremy Girling-

Care for the loving

and support they gave to Mr. Gail.

Rogers, Brian Thomas Brian Thomas Rogers, 44, of Beaumont, Texas, died in amotor vehicle accident on May 16, 2025. He was born in Baton Rouge on March 9, 1981 to James and Betty Rogers. His father and his sister were his best friend. Brian earned his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from McNeese State University in 2009. Brian took pride in his role as the Major Projects Supervisor at ExxonMobil and providing for his family. Working for the company for over 13 years, his problem solving skills helped him to excel in supporting thestartup and commissioning of large capital investments across therefinery and chemical plant. Brian married Kristen Marie Allenday on December 17, 2011 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Brian valued the loyalty and dependability of his loving wife.Brian andKristen welcomed two lovely daughters, Olivia Marie and Julia Noelle. Brian felt most at peace when he was outdoors. He embraced every opportunity to connectwith nature. He loved to be in the woods more than anything else, day or night, hunting deer and hogs or just enjoying the peacefulsilence. Brian was an excellent storyteller and even though most details were possibly embellished, you felt like you were there. Brian's untimely departure has left a permanentvoid in the hearts of his family and friends. Brian is survived by his wife Kristen,daughters Olivia andJulia, parents Jim and Betty Rogers, and his sister Sarah Rogers. Visitation will be at Broussard's Mortuary, 1605 Major Drive,

N. Major Drive, Beaumont, Texas77713 on Thursday, May 22, 2025, from 5-8pm and again on Friday, May 23, 2025, from 9-11am, with aservice of worship at 11am. Graveside service and burial willtake place on Saturday, May 24, 2025, at 2pm at Resthaven Gardens 11817 Jefferson Hwy, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70816. In lieu of flowers, donationstothe American Cancer Society Hope Lodge (cancer.org/hopelodge)or America's Mighty Warriors (americasmightywarriors. org). These organizations were special to Brian because Hope Lodge has been so generous to Brian's father-in-law and Brian has always had aspecial place in his heart for veterans.

Turner Jr., John Thomas John Thomas Turner Jr 82, of Carlinville, Illinois, passedawayonFriday, May 9, 2025, at St.John’s hospitalinSpringﬁeld, Illi‐nois. John wasbornat Catching’sClinic in Woodville, Mississippi to JohnT.Turner, Sr.and Edna Earle (Taylor) Turner on June30, 1942. Hisparents ownedand operated Turner’sGulfGrill andSer‐viceStation whereJohn workedmanylonghours in the service/gasstation of the business. John gradu‐atedfromWoodvilleAtten‐dance Center in 1960. He continued hiseducation at the University of Southern Mississippi andearnedhis master’sdegreeinac‐countingin1967. After graduatingfromthe Uni‐versity of Southern Missis‐sippi,hewas hiredby Exxon Mobile in Houston, Texas.Johnbecame the Controllerofthe account‐ing and ﬁnancialdepart‐ments at Monterey Coal Company,a division of Exxon Mobile,inCarlinville Illinois.Heretired from MontereyCoalCompany in Decemberof2000 andre‐mainedinCarlinville,Illi‐noisuntil hispassing.John married Elizabeth"Cookie" Ann DenstelonMarch 3, 1967, at theWoodville Methodist Church,Missis‐sippi.Johnwas aman of humblebeginningsbut was rich in wisdom,in‐tegrity,kindnessand love Heloved unconditionally, gavegenerously, andfor‐gaveeasily. He knew the value of hard work,the im‐portanceofhonesty and the strength of humility Johnwillberemembered asa devotedand loving husband,father, grandfa‐ther, brotherand friend Thewisdomand friendship

will be deeply missed by those who hadthe plea‐sureofknowing him. John’scommitmenttofam‐ily andfriends wasunwa‐vering. John waspreceded indeath by hisparents brother JamesLeighton Turnerand sister,Gwen‐dolyn EarleTurner. John is survived by hisbeloved wifeof58years,Cookie Turner, daughter,Yvette DeniseTurner(Darrin Hart‐sook)ofCarlinville,IL; son, JohnThomas"Trey Turner, 3rd(Jolene Turner) ofChandler, AZ andfour grandchildren,Danielle Breanna Turner Westnedge (23),DawsonTurnerWest‐nedge (21),WaylonCage Turner(6),Margaux WeronikaTurner(3),and several nieces and nephews.A visitation will beheldonSaturday, May 24, 2025, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.atthe Woodville Methodist Church, Woodville, Mississippi.Fu‐neral andburialservicesto immediatelyfollow. John willbe buried at theEver‐green Cemetery in Woodville, Mississippi NewmanFuneralHomein chargeofarrangements. Memorials maybemadeto the Dementia Societyof America or theAlzheimer’s Association.Local memori‐als in Carlinville, Illinois may be made to theMa‐coupinCountyPet Shelter. Local memorialsin Woodville, Mississippi may bemadetothe Woodville MethodistChurch

It is with deepsorrow thatweannounce the passing of Burton D. Weaver,Jr.,a devotedhusband and lovingfather who passed awaypeacefully on May18th, 2025, surrounded by family. Burton recently celebratedhis 90th birthday. Burton was aproud lifetime residentofFlora, Louisiana,wherehefaithfully attended Weaver United MethodistChurch, advocated for Louisiana State University, and made alastingimpact through his workwith the LSU Foundation.

sionfor education,philanthropy, and community upliftment helpedshape countless opportunitiesfor studentsand faculty. Burton graduated from Flora HighSchool in 1953. After completing aBachelor'sinBusiness AdministrationatNorthwestern StateUniversity, he joined theUnited States Marine Corpsand was stationed in SanDiego,California. He served many years in the Louisiana National Guard While serving, Burton attendedLouisianaState University and earneda Bachelor of Science in Forestry. Burton spent his life in service to his family legacy as thegeneral partner and foresterofWeaver Brothers Land &Timber Company.

As amember of theFlora/Natchitoches community, Burton served in many leadership roles at the Weaver UnitedMethodist Church, theNatchitoches Parish Jaycees, as President of theNatchitoches Parish Chamber of Commerce, amember of the Tourist Commissionof Natchitoches, aMember of theExecutive BoardofExchange Bank, afounding boardmember forthe Natchitoches Academy, Inc.,a board member for St. Mary's School, and a40year member of the Natchitoches Parish LibraryBoard, serving as president formany years. Most notably, Burton was an earlymember of the Mystic Krewe de St. Denis, and served as Captainof theball. He was one of the earliest to be named King of theSt. Denis ArtLeague. In servicetoLouisiana StateUniversity, Burton was amember of theLSU Alumni Associationand theTiger AthleticFoundation. He was along-time member of theExecutive Boardofthe LSUFoundation, servingasPresident fortwo years.

In servicetothe state of Louisiana, Burton served theLouisianaForestry Association, theLouisiana Jaycees, and theLouisiana Alliance for GoodGovernment.Healso served as a member of the Louisiana AssociationofBusiness and Industry and was an officeronthe Public Affairs Research Council,serving as President for2 years. He also served in earlierdays on the Democratic State Central Committeeof Louisiana. Burton leaves behind alegacy of public serviceand dedication to his community.

Burton was, most of all, aquintessential gentleman. He was authentic, sincere, and first class in every way.A close friend once said that Burton was "completely without guile." He treated everyone he encountered with decency and respect, regardless of their station. An outside observer would see an ordinary life,made extraordinary by his incredible kindness, ability to listen, and interest in other people's lives, stories,and thehuman experience. He was one of the kindest people anyone ever met and was adevoted Christianofgreat faith Burton is survivedbyhis wife of 35 years, Sue Weaver. He leaves behind four children: Lois Patterson(James), Laurel Jones (Tom), Burton Weaver,III, andBoone Weaver,each of whomcarriesforward his legacy and that of the Weaver Family. He also leavesbehind three stepchildren, Susannah Craig(Stewart), Margaret Milam (Jason), and Marston Fowler (Jennifer), eight grandchildrenand twogreat-grandchildren throughout Louisiana, Arkansas, and California.

Burton is preceded in death by his latewife, Jerri Roberts,and his parents, Burton and Lois Weaver The family is very grateful forthe care and concern of The Hospice of Natchitoches and,morerecently,The Hospice of BatonRouge.They also appreciatethe dedication of many caregivers in the Natchitoches area. In lieu of flowers,the family requeststhat donations be madeinBurton's memory to Weaver United Methodist Church in Flora, Louisiana, or The Hospice of BatonRouge Visitation willbefrom 5pm to 7pm on Thursday, May 22nd at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home in Natchitoches, Louisiana. On Friday, May 23rd,visitation willcontinue at Weaver UnitedMethodist Church in Flora, Louisiana beginning at 10am, with services to follow starting at 11am.

Barbara M. Whitworth passedaway on Sunday, May18, 2025, at the age of 92. Shewas anative of Walker, LA, anda longtime residentofGreenwell Springs, LA. Shewas an excellentseamstress, an avid Chinapainter, andprofessional doll maker. Barbara, along withher husband, Larry,owned and operated Barbara's Doll Worldand Doll Hospital for20+ years. Shewas aloving wife and mother,and amentor for hergrandchildren. Barbara wasa loverofGod's word andimparted Bible'stoher lovedonesonmultiple occasions. Barbara is survivedbyher children, JamesMichael Whitworth (Judy), John Melvin Whitworth(Gail), DonnaWhitworthLeSage (Darrell),

andLarryRossWhitworth (Toni);16grandchildren;27 great-grandchildren;two great-great-grandchildren; anda host of otherloving familymembers. Sheis preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Larry Melvin Whitworth; grandchildren, JamesMicah Whitworth, MartinSharpe, andDaniel Knight;parents, John andMattie Minton; andsiblings, MildredPassman,Donald Minton, Kenneth Minton,and Gary Minton.Visitationwill be at Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge,LA, on Thursday, May22, 2025, from 10am untilthe funeral service at 12pm. Burial will immediatelyfollow at Greenoaks Memorial Park. Familyand friends are invited to sign theonline guestbook at www.greeno aksfunerals.com

Whitworth, BarbaraM.

Weaver, Burton Dewey

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St. George school bill deferred

Parish School Board opposes measure over legacy costs

BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer

Task force eyes scrapping FEMA

Trump group seeks to start over with agency

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON FEMA needs to be eliminated and reopened under a new name that better reflects a new role in handling disasters, Homeland Security Secretary

Kristi Noem said Tuesday to a new presidential task force charged with recommending changes in the Federal Emergency Management Agency

“The president has said to me many times that he believes that FEMA should be eliminated as it exists,” Noem told the FEMA Review Council’s inaugural meeting

“What that means is that I need you to reimagine this agency If we do what the president has tasked us to do, I believe this agency needs to be renamed,” Noem added. “Our goal is for states to manage their emergencies and we come in and support them.”

For instance, she said that, after major disasters, states should receive a set sum of money, called block grants rather than have most expenses paid by the federal government. State and local officials better understand needs and can get the money into the right hands much quicker Noem co-chairs the task force with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who did not attend Tuesday’s first meeting of the Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for an end to FEMA. He established what’s called the FEMA Review Council with an executive order on Jan. 24 — a few days after taking office. The future of FEMA is particularly important to hurricane-prone Louisiana. Since 2003, Louisiana has received nearly $47 billion for 28 disasters — more than any other state — that helped 3.5 million households and nearly 43,000 public assistance projects

Noem has agreed with Trump that the beleaguered federal agency is slow to deliver relief, costs federal taxpayers too much and operates under rules that clip state and local governments’ ability to handle relief and recovery after disasters such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildﬁres and the like.

In 2024 alone, FEMA responded to more than 100 disasters, including two catastrophic hurricanes, that required Congress in December to approve billions of dollars in additional relief funds. Over the past four years, FEMA has provided more than $12 billion to individuals and $133 billion to state and local governments, tribal nations, territories and some nonproﬁts to help in recovery efforts.

The council is to make recommendations for changes by summer “I don’t want you to go into this thinking that we’ll make a little tweak here, a little delegation of authority over here. That we’re going to maybe to cut some

Man found dead in abandoned complex

ELLYN COUVILLION and QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff

STAFF PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Shirly Powell waves to the crowd during Baton Rouge Community College’s 2025 Spring Commencement Ceremony on Monday at the Raising Cane’s River Center in Baton Rouge. ABOVE: Family and friends of

Woman accused of helping nephew elude police

A woman wanted by Baton Rouge police was arrested Saturday in Krotz Springs.

CRIME BLOTTER staff reports

Hazel Mancusi-Ungaro, 37, was arrested by Krotz Springs officers on an active warrant from Baton Rouge police for accessory after the fact of second-degree murder She is accused of helping her nephew avoid apprehension.

Her arrest follows the fatal April 7 shooting of 40-year-old Kevin Dale Evans in his residence on Geronimo Street.

Joshua Mancusi-Ungaro, 19, of Denham Springs, was

arrested April 16 and booked on a count of second-degree murder and illegal use of weapons in Evans’ death

Hazel Mancusi-Ungaro was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.

Child drowns in pool during graduation

A 4-year-old girl drowned Monday night in a community pool where a graduation party was being held, Zachary police said The child’s mother found her in the pool, pulled the little girl out and began CPR. Zachary Fire Department personnel were the ﬁrst on the scene at the Meadow View Subdivision commu-

nity pool and administered both CPR and defibrillator procedures.

Emergency Medical Services workers arrived next, administered lifesaving measures and transported the child to Lane Regional Medical Center

After an hour of lifesaving measures there, the girl was pronounced dead.

“This is a tragic incident that remains under investigation,” Zachary Police Chief Darryl Lawrence Sr said in the news release. “I extend my condolences and prayers to the family.”

Email Quinn Coffman at quinn.coffman@ theadvocate.com.

South Cameron High School had lone graduate

Region disrupted by hurricanes

BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN Staff writer

Only one student collected a diploma from South Cameron High School this year

The school in Cameron Parish in southwest Louisiana is used to having smaller graduating classes, ranging from eight to 14 students. However, this year Diana Lopez was the only student to walk across the stage and collect her certiﬁcate at the May 13 graduation ceremony

The region took a beating from Hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020. Many communities are still recovering, which Lopez points to as the cause for the nearly-empty class of 2025.

“Hurricane Laura hit in 2020, and it was very disastrous and completely took out the class that was supposed to be graduating (this year),” Lopez said. “A lot of them relocated to different schools, kind of more north, kind of away from all the hurricanes.” Knowing there was no senior class graduating in 2025 — and after a conversation

FEMA

Continued from page 1B

dollars from somewhere. No, FEMA should no longer exist as it is. He wants this to be a new agency,” Noem said.

Former Mississippi Gov Phil Bryant who serves as an assistant chair, told his panel colleagues that FEMA is “going to have to be torn down” completely and rebuilt. He said the council members should go into this exercise with thinking that differs from the traditional reliance on the federal government and reorient to something more akin to a partnership.

States, for instance, should tap their “rainy day” funds — created for down economic times — to help provide disaster relief for their citizens, Bryant said.

“FEMA is slow and clunky,” agreed Texas Gov Greg Abbott, a member of the council. “We have to streamline their effort.”

Trump has been moving toward a dramatic makeover of the agency since the campaign.

FOUND

Continued from page 1B

State Police Latent Print Division. No suspects or motives have been developed yet, police said Tuesday in a news release. The building where Jarrell was found is listed as Bon Carre Court apartments on Google Maps, but Asses-

with a friend during her 10th grade year — Lopez set up a meeting with her counselor to see if she could graduate a year early, making her the school’s entire class of 2025.

“I was able to kind of combine the two years taking dual enrollment classes, online classes, and just overall, having a full seven-hour schedule,” Lopez said “I was able to complete all the credits and graduate early.” In the fall, Lopez will attend Northwestern State University and plans to earn a nursing degree.

In fact, she got a “good offer” from the university when it came to ﬁnancial aid and she received most of the scholarships available in her community Lopez said “It was a lot of my inspiration for wanting to graduate early, coming from a single mom having to raise us, I wanted it to be simple for her to be able to ﬁnancially support me through college,” Lopez said. “A lot of the scholarships that I’ve gotten now, I’m saving them And I won’t be touching them until absolutely necessary.”

While knowing she would be able to get a lot of scholarships was a driver behind Lopez’s decision to graduate

The administration’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year cuts FEMA’s funding by $646 million. FEMA also has suspended or stopped taking applications for several programs aimed at mitigating disaster damage through infrastructure improvements, such as strengthening levees and raising structures.

The administration’s ﬁrst pick to run the agency, Cameron Hamilton, lost his job the day after he testiﬁed before a House subcommittee that FEMA should not be eliminated

The 2025 hurricane season begins June 1, and weather experts are predicting up to 18 named storms, 10 of which should be signiﬁcant and as many six hitting the U.S. mainland. FEMA was established in 1979 at the insistence of Southern governors who wanted a more coordinated federal relief effort. Almost from the beginning, Congress responded to complaints by noncoastal states by imposing tighter fiscal controls and expanding the agency’s mission. In addition to Abbott

sor’s Office records have Baton Rouge Multi-Family Holdings as the owner The building sits boarded up and abandoned. According to records from the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce Tax Collection Division, the property had unpaid 2022 taxes, which have since been adjudicated Both bodies were found in abandoned apartment buildings owned most recently by

SCHOOL

Continued from page 1B

Education Committee is not expected to meet again until early next week. The legislative session ends June 12.

The chain of events began 17 hours earlier at a hastily called meeting Monday night when a narrow majority of the parish School Board approved a resolution opposing the two St. George bills “as written,” saying the new district “would place unfair burdens on the remaining students and residents” of the parish school system.

The resolution urged the committee and full House to “delay any action on this bill until appropriate amendments can be made to address the above issues.” The board, however, says it does not oppose the proposed April 18 public vote to create the new St George school district. The referendum would need to pass both statewide and in East Baton Rouge Parish.

“I have met with multiple folks, and there is still work to do,” Edmonds told the committee. In deferring the bill, he said he was honoring a request from Rep. Barbara Freiberg, R-Baton Rouge, a member of the committee. Before she was elected to the Legislature, Freiberg spent six years serving on the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, three as its president.

Edmonds, however, successfully persuaded the committee Tuesday to not hold up SB25, the proposed constitutional amendment, saying that bill was not at issue. Edmonds also noted that SB25 and SB234 both need to pass in order for the new school district to head to voters.

“You have to have both.”

“It’s vice versa,” he said.

million in retiree health insurance costs that have accrued through the years

The resolution describes these legacy costs as an unfunded liability “created with the full knowledge and voice of the representatives of the voters of St. George through their duly elected Board members.”

early, she said it was not the only reason.

“I think the biggest reason was being able to prove that I could do a lot more than everything that I’ve done so far, and being able to push myself to be able to graduate (and) do all the things,” Lopez said. “It was a very stressful task. Going through all those classes and stuff was really difficult, but being able to do it and graduate early was proving not only to myself, but to other people, that I could go so much farther.”

As she starts her next chapter at Northwestern State University, Lopez is excited to meet new people and have new experiences. South Cameron is so small that everyone has known her since Pre-K However, she said it’s been sad to miss some of the high school senior experiences and graduate ahead of her friends.

“(It was) very bittersweet (to graduate early),” Lopez said. “It was exciting to graduate and kind of start my life early, but also scary to have to start, especially by myself.” Email Courtney Pedersen at courtney.pedersen@ theadvocate.com.

and Bryant, the council includes Mark Cooper, who was former chief of staff for Democratic Gov John Bel Edwards and director of the Governor’s Office for Homeland Security under Republican Gov Bobby Jindal.

Other members of the council include:

n Jane Castor mayor of Tampa, Florida.

n Rosie Cordero-Stutz, sheriff of Miami-Dade County, Florida.

n Robert Fenton Jr., Region 9 administrator and former acting administrator of FEMA.

n Evan Greenberg, CEO of insurance company Chubb Limited.

n Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

n W. Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

n Michael Whatley, chair of the Republican National Committee.

n Virginia Gov Glenn Youngkin.

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate. com.

Baton Rouge Multi-Family Holdings. The buildings are in the same area of Melrose East. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Baton Rouge Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit at (225) 3894869 or Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.

Email Ellyn Couvillion at ecouvillion@theadvocate. com.

The parish School Board approved the opposition resolution after two months of fruitless behind-the-scenes discussions with Edmonds and co-author Rep. Emily Chenevert, R-Baton Rouge, to try to get the legislation changed.

When it came time Tuesday for the House Education Committee to hear SB234, Edmonds asked the committee to defer the bill.

FIRE

Continued from page 1B

Mayor Leroy Sullivan, City Council Chair Charles Brown and acting Fire Chief Travis Cedatol did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday Lawsuit seeks return

Residents Daphanie LeBlanc, Rose Price and Iris Butler represented by attorney Patrick Pendley, filed the lawsuit on Friday in the 23rd Judicial District Court.

In their complaint, they write that the fee violates another provision of Louisiana law that requires fire district governing bodies to hold an election on charging fees before it can be implemented. Pendley wrote that the city did not hold an election before passing the ordinance.

The group is filing the complaint as a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all those charged a fee, which the document estimates is slightly less than 3,000 people.

The complaint seeks to end the service charge and have the city return all the funds. Based on the numbers estimated in the complaint, that could total hundreds of thousands of dollars.

If it comes to fruition, the new St George school system would be the ﬁfth public school district in East Baton Rouge Parish, joining Baker, Central and Zachary Its boundaries would match those of the city of St. George, and it would begin operations in July 2027.

Baker Central and Zachary were allowed to open without having to absorb legacy costs, despite complaints at the time that they should have done so.

The St. George school legislation has revived this debate.

In its opposition resolution, the parish School Board complains about the current legislation’s failure to cover St George’s share of an estimated $359

Economic conditions

As a city, Donaldsonville has tight financial constraints. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city had a poverty rate of just under 43% in 2023, more than double the statewide rate.

In the same estimates, the bureau said the median income in the city is a little more than $24,000.

The economic conditions make it more difﬁcult for many residents to pay city fees and constrain funding for services.

The city’s 2025 audit shows a revenue of around $7.5 million in 2024, and auditors wrote that the ﬁre fee was a major source of revenue for the general fund. In 2024, the city collected $231,173 from the fee.

Email Christopher Cartwright at christopher.cartwright@ theadvocate.com.

LOTTERY MONDAY, MAY 19, 2025 PICK 3: 5-4-6 PICK 4: 8-9-7-8 PICK 5: 9-4-4-4-9 POWERBALL: 13-1437-50-60 (11) Unofficial notification, keep your tickets.

The $359 million estimate for “post-employment benefits” comes from East Baton Rouge’s most recent annual audit, completed by the auditing ﬁrm EisnerAmper St. George would educate an estimated 16% of the students in the school system. Multiplying $359 million by 16%, the school system argues that a St. George would owe it nearly $60 million The school system wants the St. George legislation to establish a payment plan that would cover that cost, or a similar agreed-upon amount, over time.

Edmonds told House Education Committee members that he has spoken with a lot of people, including an actuary, to try to establish the true legacy costs at issue.

Committee member Rep. Rashid Young, DHomer, told Edmonds he is inclined to look at the St. George legislation as a local issue, but urged the senator to work with school ofﬁcials to address legacy costs. “They’re real concerns,” Young said. “That’s $60 million.”

Email Charles Lussier at clussier@theadvocate. com.

BRIEFS

Southwest to require chargersbekept out

Passengers on Southwest Airlines ﬂights willsoon be required to keep their portable chargers in plainsight while using them because of concerns about the growing number of lithiumbatteryﬁres in anew policy that other airlines may adopt Southwest announcedthe new policythat will go into effect May28and said passengers mayhave already seen notifications about the rule when using the airline’sapp.

WhileSouthwestisthe first U.S. airline to restrict theuse of portable chargers, several Asian airlines have taken action earlier this year after a devastating ﬁreaboard an Air Busan plane waiting to takeoff fromanairport in South Korea in January

There is growing concern about lithium-ion battery ﬁres on planes because thenumber of incidents continues to grow yearly,and devicespowered by those batteries are ubiquitous.There have already been 19 incidentsinvolving these batteries this year,following last year’srecord high of 89, according to Federal Aviation Administration statistics

Southwest said that requiring thesechargerstobekept out in the open when they are being used will help because “in therare event alithium battery overheats or catches ﬁre, quickaccess is critical and keepingpower banks in plain sight allow for faster intervention and helps protect everyone onboard.”

The airline will allow the chargers to be stored inside carry-on bags when they aren’t in use.

Honda pulls back on EV strategyfor now

Honda said Tuesday electric vehicle sales wereslowing in the U.S., prompting the Japanese automaker to scrap its previousgoal forEVs to be 30% of its global vehicle sales by 2030. Instead of the initial plan to invest $69 billion in an electriﬁcation strategy through theﬁscalyearendingin2031,Honda is reducing that investment to $48 billion.

Honda Motor Co. ChiefExecutive Toshihiro Mibecalled thedecisions “a switch inthe planned course,” while stressing thelong-term shift toward electrification remained unchanged, justpushed backin time Mibe didn’tmention U.S. President Donald Trump. But Trump’spolicies on tariffs, as well as his lack of enthusiasm for electric vehicles, have Japanese automakers scramblingto adapt.

Levi Strauss agrees to sell Dockers

Levi Strauss is settoﬁnally part ways with Dockers— inking adeal to sell its brand once credited with propelling the popularityof“Casual Fridays” to Authentic BrandsGroup. In an announcement Tuesday,the denim giant said it had agreed to sell Dockers toAuthenticfor up to $391 million. The transaction willstart at an initial value of $311 million, with thepotential of addinganother$80 million to the price tag based on business performance under the new ownership.

The sale arrives as San Francisco-based Levi Straussboosts itsfocusonthe chain’score Levi’sbrand —aswell as BeyondYoga, which the company acquired in 2021,asmore and more consumers continue to cozy up to athleisure wear. Levi Strauss launched Dockers back in 1986,and the brand soon became a“Casual Friday” staple. Many ofﬁce workers turned to Dockers’ khakis and looser button-downs in the place of more traditional business attire. While it was not the sole—orvery ﬁrst —creator of dressed-downoffice looks, Dockers has been widely creditedasan integral part to “Casual Friday’s”rise,particularly in the ’90s.

Home Depotdoesn’t expect hikes

Retailer:Diverse

sourcing offers some insulation from tariffs

BY MICHELLECHAPMAN AP business writer

Home Depot doesn’texpect to raiseprices because of tariffs,sayingithas spent years diversifying the sources for the goods on its shelves

Billy Bastek, executive vice presidentofmerchandising, said duringa conferencecallonTuesday that Home Depot’ssuppliers have shifted sourcing across several

countriesand that the company doesn’t expect any singlecountry outside of the U.S. will represent morethan 10% of itspurchases 12 months from now “Wedon’tsee broad-based price increases for our customers at all going forward,” he said.

Othercompanies, domestic and foreign, have warned customers thatpricehikes are on theway due to atrade war kicked off by the U.S. Walmart said last week thatit hasalreadyraised prices andwill have to do so againinthe near future. Late Monday, Subaru of America said it would raise prices on some of its mostpopular models

by as much as $2,000. President Donald Trumplambasted Walmart, saying on social media over the weekend that the retailgiant should “eat” the additional costs created by his tariffs As Trump hasjacked up import taxes,hehas triedtoassure thepublicthatforeign producers would pay forthose taxes and that retailers and automakers would absorb the additionalexpenses. Many economistsare skepticalof those claims and have warned that thetradepenalties would worsen inﬂation. Tariffs on materials like lumber arealso aconcern for both homebuildersand homebuyers. Ahome-

of reach formore

though Home Depotissomewhat insulated as it sources the majority of itslumberinthe U.S. Early last year,the company said that about17% of itswood is sourced from Canada. The company would not say Tuesday if those import levels have changed though after negotiations,Canadianlumberwas exempted from additional 25% U.S. tariffs

Google unleashesnew ‘AIMode’

Search engine gets makeover in latest overhaul

BYMICHAEL LIEDTKE AP technologywriter

GoogleonTuesdayunleashed another waveofartificial intelligence technology to accelerate ayearlongmakeover of its search engine that is changing the way people get information and curtailing the ﬂow of internet trafﬁc to websites.

The next phase outlined at Google’sannual developers conference includes releasinganew “AI mode” option in the United States. Thefeature makes interacting with Google’ssearch engine more like having a conversationwith an expert capable of answering questions on just aboutany topic imaginable

AI mode is being offered to allcomers in theU.S. justtwo-and-a-half-months after thecompany began testing with alimited Labs division audience.

Google is also feeding its latest AI model, Gemini 2.5, into its search algorithmsand will soonbegintesting other AI features,

such as the ability to automatically buy concert ticketsand conduct searches through live video feeds. In another exampleofGoogle’sall-in approach to AI, thecompanyrevealed it is planning to leverage the technologytoreenter thesmart glasses market with anew pair of Android XR-powered spectacles. The preview of theforthcoming device, which includes ahands-free camera and a voice-poweredAIassistant, comes 13 years after the debut of “Google Glass,” aproduct that thecompany scrapped after apublic backlashover privacy concerns.

Google didn’tsay when its Android XR glasses will be available or how much they will cost, but disclosedthey will be designed in partnership withGentle Monsterand Warby Parker.The glasses will competeagainst asimilarproduct already on themarketfrom Facebook parent Meta Platforms and Ray-Ban.

The expansion builds upon atransformationthat Google began ayear ago with the introduction of conversational summaries called “AI overviews” that have been increasinglyappearingatthe top of its results page and eclipsing its traditional rankings

of web links.

About1.5 billionpeople nowregularly engage with “AI overviews,” according to Google,and mostusers are nowentering longer and morecomplex queries.

Although Google executives predicted AI overviews would trigger moresearches and ultimately moreclicks to other sites, it hasn’t worked out that waysofar,according to the ﬁndings of searchoptimization ﬁrm BrightEdge.

Clickthrough ratesfrom Google’s search results have declined by nearly 30% during the past year,according to BrightEdge’srecently released study, which attributedthe decrease to people becoming increasingly satisﬁed with AI overviews.

Google’sreliance on more AI so far appears to be enablingits search engine to maintain itsmantle as the internet’smain gateway —aposition that’s mainreasonits corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., boasts a market value of $2 trillion.

During the year ending in March, Google received 136 billion monthly visits, 34 times more than ChatGPT’saverage of 4billion monthly visits, according to data compiled by onelittleweb.com.

Indexisstill within 3.3% of itsrecord

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK U.S. stock indexes fell on Tuesday,asmomentum slowed forWall Street after it rallied from adeep hole nearly all the way back to its all-time high set earlier this year. TheS&P 500 fell forits ﬁrst drop in seven days, but it’sstill within 3.3% of its record.The Dow Jones Industrial Averageand theNasdaq composite also slipped. Treasury yields and the value of theU.S.dollar heldrelatively

stablefollowing abriefjolt Mondaymorning after Moody’sRatings said theU.S.government no longer deserves atop-tier credit rating because of worries about its spiraling debt

Several of the U.S. stock market’s worst losses came from companies in the travel industry,as doubts continue abouthow much U.S. households will be able to spend on vacations. Airbnb dropped3.3%, Norwegian CruiseLine fell 3.9% and UnitedAirlines lost 2.9%. Viking Holdingsfell5%even though the company, whichoffers river cruises and other trips, reported stronger resultsthan analystsexpected for thelatest quarter

On thewinning side of Wall Street was D-WaveQuantum, which jumped 25.9% after releasing itslatest quantum computing system. The company says it can solve complex problems beyond thereach of classical computers. In thebond market, the yield on the10-year Treasury edged up to 4.47% from 4.46% late Monday The two-year yield, which more closely tracks expectations foraction by the Federal Reserve, edged down to 3.96% from 3.97%. Concern still remainsthat Trump’stariffs could pushthe U.S. economy into arecession, even if it’sheld up OK forthe timebeing. If arecession were to hit, the U.S. government may have less room

to offer support for the economy through big spending plans or direct stimulus checks to households than in prior downturns. That’s because the U.S. government’s debt is so muchhighernow,and it could be set to get even bigger with Washingtondebatingmore cuts to taxes. If the U.S. governmentcan’t offer as muchﬁscal support for the economy, that could make the next recessiondeeper andlastlonger, according to James Egelhof,chief U.S. economist andotherstrategists at BNPParibas. Thatcould put morepressure on theFederal Reserve to prop up the economy by itself through lower interest rates.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByJEFFCHIU

AlphabetCEO Sundar Pichai speaks Tuesdayata Google I/O event in Mountain View,Calif.

Baton Rouge, LA. Visitation is 9:00 am to 11:00 am prior to the start of

11817 Jefferson Hwy.Baton Rouge, LA at 2pm. Coniglio,Gus Joseph

Obituaries

Banks, Don 'Long Boy'

Entered into eternal rest on May 18, 2025 at the age of 75. Survived by his wife, Marion J. Banks; sons, Don R. Banks, Jr., and Brian L. Banks; sisters, Maryln Richard and Paula Davis; grandchildren, Dontrell Banks, Dajah Askins, Ja'Zephine Banks, Jahri Banks,Carson Sorrell, and Conner Sorrell. Visitation Thursday, May 22, 2025 Hall's Celebration Center, 9348 Scenic Highway, Baton Rouge, LA., 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Visitation continues, Friday, May 23, 2025 9:00 am until religious service at 11:00am. Interment Louisiana National Cemetery, Zachary, LA. Funeral Service Entrusted to Hall Davis and Son. www.halldavisandson.com

Marilyn

Marilyn Elizabeth Brown, 77, departed this life on May 13, 2025, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,following abrief illness. Born on April 18, 1948, in Bogalusa, Louisiana, Marilyn graduated Valedictorian of the Class of 1965 from Central Memorial High School

Following graduation, she attended Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Marilyn worked as an accounting specialist and supervisorfor more than 30 years for various companies and organizations, to include Louisiana Primary Care, PepsiCo, Louisiana Lottery, District of Columbia Government andCrown Zellerbach. She was preceded in death by her parents, Juanita and Lemuel Brown, Jr.,aswell as herbrother Lemuel Brown, III and sister Lydia Brown. She leaves to mourn one daughter Tamatha Brown, of Baton Rouge, LA and one brother, Thomas Brown (Sherry) of Lafayette, LA, and ahost of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Celebration of Life Services will be held Friday, May 23,2025 at 11:00 am, Wesley United Methodist Church, 544 Government Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.Interment Roselawn Memorial

Gus Joseph Coniglio passedawayonSaturday, May 17,2025, in Baton Rouge,Louisiana,atthe age of 95. He wasbornon September 20,1929 in Inde‐pendence, Louisianatothe lateLenaCanzoneri Coniglioand thelateSam JosephConiglio. He wasa resident of Holden Louisiana.Gus wasa UnitedStatesarmyveteran ofthe Korean War, where he served from 1952 to 1954 andreceived3 medals. He wasan18wheeler driver forMatlack Truckingfor 27 years. He loved to spendhis time ﬁshinginhis friendspond, watchingold western moviesand dancing. Gusis survivedbyhis daughters, LenaBryant& husband, James,DebbieLanglois& husband,David;brother, TonyConiglio& wife,Billie Jean; sister,Felicie Pas‐salaque;grandchildren Christina Lagarosse &hus‐band, Sean,Jason Schaefer & wife,Nicole, andDallas Johnson;great-grandchil‐dren, AbigailLagarosse AubrieLagarosse,Anna La‐garosse,IlianaSchaefer, and Elijah Crawford.Inad‐ditiontohis parents, Gusis precededindeath by his wife, ElsieConiglio;son Sam Joseph Coniglio; daughter, Patricia Lynn Johnson;and great-grand‐daughter, Courtney Marie Johnson.Relatives and friends areinvited to at‐tendthe visitation at Harry McKneely& SonFuneral HomeinHammond,2000 N. MorrisonBoulevard,Ham‐mond, Louisiana70401, on Friday, May23, 2025, begin‐ningat11:00 a.m. until the funeralservice begins at 1:00p.m.Interment will fol‐low in Colonial Cemetery Independence,Louisiana Arrangementshavebeen entrusted to HarryMcK‐neely& SonFuneralHome and CrematoryofHam‐mondand Ponchatoula. An on-lineguest book is avail‐ableat www.harrymcknee ly.com

Confirmedinthe Catholic faith and was amember of Most Blessed Sacrament Parish. She was an active member in St. Thomas More parish whileher threechildren attended school there. She volunteered formany hours preparing creativeactivities forMission Days and making delicious treats. Sheilatook herlove of cooking and cake baking to thenext levelbyteaching cake decorating classes and catering for friends. She eventually achieved her dream of opening a catering facility in 1980, Ashley Manor Reception Center. The success and popularityofthe "Manor" grew and theGomez's hostedmany weddings and otherevents for 20 years, includingthe very popular FoodFocus shows. During that time, Sheilabecame thefirst female Certified Executive Chefin Louisiana in 1990 and won thegoldmedal with her entry of "ChocolateBaskets" in theCulinary Classic Competition. She was a very talented chef, artist, decorator, and gardener She lovedworking in her flower beds, and painting with oils. She developed her love of everything artistic whileinelementary schoolatOur Ladyof Mercy. In highschoolshe proudly studied under Adelie BrendtatSt. Joseph's Academy where she graduated in 1962. She went on to study Artunder Paul Dufour at Louisiana StateUniversity. Sheilamarriedher first and onlyloveofher life,Elmo A. "Sonny"Gomez on January31,1964 and celebrated 61 years of marriage. Sheilawas diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2010. Sonny showed his love for Sheila every dayduring her last years as they faced thedifficult situationhead on. Sheila'slast triumphwas to complete acookbook of favoriterecipes fromfamily,friends, and Ashley Manor, named Scratch Cooking withMaw Maw Sheila. It is atribute to her tenacious spirit and determined personality. Sheila's creative ability and reputation as an astute business manager and chef will remain in the hearts of her family and all that knew her.

Sheilaispredeceased in death by her parents, John E. and Dorothy"Dot" Phillips Alleman, and her sister, CarlaDenise Alleman, as well as her loving grandmother,Martha "GaGa"Michael, and her brother-in-law, Herschel Hamilton.

Sheilaissurvivedbyher loving husband Elmo Anthony"Sonny" Gomez, Jr and theirthree children, Shawn Anthony Gomez, Corey JosephGomez (Tobi), and DanielleGomez Davis (Joel); grandchildren, Brenn Anthony (Rachael), Corey JosephJr.,Casey Luke, ChristianCael, Ryan Joseph, MasonCurt,Brady Tate, MiaReese; and three greatgranddaughters, Vera Louise, MargotEvelyn, and IslaJane. She willbe sorelymissedbyher grandchildrenwith whom she spent many memorable times. She also leavestomournher, asister, SharonRae and husband Richard "Dickie LaFleur, their daughter Brandi LaFleur and husband Dylyn Breust;and a brother, John Alleman.

Sheila'sfamily extends gratitudeand appreciation forthe services of St Joseph's Hospice,volunteers, caregivers, nurses, Most Blessed Sacrament Church, and thenumber of doctors who have helped her throughher medical difficulties. They give

notes of thanksto her friends and family who also helped in her care, especiallyher sisters-in-law Jeannie Miller, Cheryl Sanchez, and Charlene Hamilton; hercousin, Tara "Mrs, Terry" Messenger; and her special life-long friends Nancy Schwab, Marta Hernandez,and in memoriam Stella Guidroz. Relatives and friends are invitedtoattend a Mass of ChristianBurialofficiated by Father Todd Lloyd at Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 15615 Jefferson Hwy in Baton Rouge, on Friday, May 23, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. Avisitationwill be held at thechurch beginning at 9:30 a.m. Burial willfollow at Resthaven Gardens of Memory, 11817 Jefferson Hwy in Baton Rouge. Areception willfollowatResthaven Funeral Home after thecommittal service. In lieu of flowers,donations can be madeinher name to The Michael J. Fox Foundationfor Parkinson's Research. Eternal rest grantunto her OLord, and may perpetual help shine upon her

LeolaMorgan Havard went home to be with her HeavenlyFather on Monday, May 19, 2025, at the ageof96. She was anative of Clinton, LA and a resident of BatonRouge. Family and friends are invitedtohonorher life. Visitationwillbeheldat ElmGrove Baptist Church, 1069 North 38th Streeton Thursday, May 22, 2025 from8:00 am to 10:00 am. Religious servicetobegin at 10:00 am, conductedby theRev.Errol K. Domingue, Pastor.Interment in Gilbert's Memorial Cemetery.Services entrusted to Richardson FuneralHome of Clinton, 11816 Jackson

St,Clinton,LA. Thosewho remain to celebrate andcherish her beautiful memories includetwo grandchildren Crystallynne H. Carter (Milton)and ChadwickA Havard; two great grandchildren, Christopher Havard andDestiny Turner;three godchildren, MarthaRenee Coleman, RaShawn Grant and Justin Jackson;godparents, David andLaJoyceWilson; andmany loving anddevotednieces,nephews, cousins, friends andneighbors. Leola wasprecededin death by herloving husband, GradyHavard; parents, Archie Morgan, Sr andMary Magdeline Cain Morgan; son, Charles Adrain Havard; threesisters, Clytie M. Harris, Lutisha M. Dunn and Ida Belle M. Stepter Jackson; fourbrothers, David Morgan,Sr.,ArchieMorgan, Jr AdolphisMorgan and Charles Morgan. In lieu of flowers, donationsmay be made in her honor to the Elm Grove Baptist Church Scholarship Ministry.

Michael Kenneth Heltz 74, passed away on Saturday, May17, 2025, in Baton Rouge,Louisiana. He died peacefully, surrounded by hisentire family, following along journey with Parkinson's disease.Michael was born on June 4, 1950, in NewOrleans,Louisiana. He spent his childhood in St JamesParish andwas a graduate of LutcherHigh School, Nicholls State University, andLSU School of Law.Healso served honorablyfor six years in the United States Army Reserves. Michael practiced law in St.James Parish with hisfirm, Kliebert & Heltz, for 42 years, untilhis retirement. He wasa fierce advocate for hisclients in theirpursuit of justice,and wasaman of honestyand integrity, wholoved his familydeeply. He instilled in hischildrena deep love of family, sports, andtrav-

el.Hewas aloyal friend to many. Hisfavorite title was Dad, untilthe birth of his first grandchild, Marshall Thinking himself too young andtoo cool to be aGrandpa yet, he chose to be calledPop, andthisterm of endearment became his newname to all.Michael is survived by hisdevoted wife of 52 years, Mary "Libby" DicharryHeltz;his children andtheir spouses, AshleyHeltz Miller (Webster), Jonathan Michael Heltz(Hannah),and Jordan Oliver Heltz(Jeryn);his brother, BarryHeltz (Linda); hisgrandchildren, Marshall David Heltz (Kristie),Evelyn Lilith Miller,AndrewDavid Heltz, Samuel Joseph Heltz, CharlieAvieHeltz,Amalie Elizabeth Heltz, Lillian Isla Heltz, andRileyMarée Berry; andhis great-grandchildren, Andi JaneHeltz andWarren Michael Heltz. He is also survived by numerousother relatives, wonderfulneighbors, and dear friends whoenriched hislife. He is preceded in death by hisparents, Richard andWilhemina MartinHeltz;brother,Brian Joseph Heltz; andsister Mona Lynne Heltz. Visitation will take place at St George Catholic Church on Friday, May23, 2025, beginning at 10:30 AM untilMass of Christian Burial at 12:00 PM.Burial to follow at St George Catholic Church Cemetery.The familyexpresses special thanks to themanywonderfulcaregiverswho assisted Michael on hisjourney and became like familytous. Memorial donations may be made to theMichael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's ResearchorSt. Jude Children'sHospital.Family andfriends may sign the online guestbook or leave apersonal note to thefamilyatwww.resthavenbaton rouge.com.

Heltz, Michael K.

Havard, LeolaMorgan

Brown,

Former East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President MelvinL."Kip" Holden passed away on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at The Carpenter Houseof Baton Rouge, at the age of 72. He was born on August 12, 1952, in New Orleans, LA to the union of Curtis L. Holden, Sr. and Rosa Mae Rogers Holden. He was one of five children.

He was agraduateof ScotlandvilleHigh School, and he later went on to receive post graduate degrees from LSU and Southern University.

He was an Adjunct Professor of Law at Southern University Law Center,a Public Information Officer for the B.R. Police, anda reporter for WBRZ-TV, WWL-Radio, and the News Director at WXOK-Radio. Additionally, he served as amember of the East Baton Rouge Metro Council, the LA House of Representatives and the LA State Senate before becoming Mayor-President.

He worked to revitalize downtown Baton Rouge create an arts and entertainment district and market Baton Rouge to the film industry and so much more.

He is survived by his wife, Lois Stevenson Holden, and five children, Melvin L. "Kip" Holden, II, Angela S. Jackson, Monique L. (Jovon) HoldenCotton, MyronA.Holden, and Brian M. Holden;two sisters, Evelyn Joan Holden, and Brenda Faye Holden; three aunts; four uncles; six grandchildren; four greatgrandchildren; four sisters-in-law; two brothers-in-law; and ahost of nieces, nephews, relatives,and friends.

Funeral Services are scheduled for Thursday, May 22, 2025, at 11:00 a.m at Greater King DavidBaptist Church, 222 Blount Road, B.R., LA 70807with Rev. Dr. John E. Montgomery, II presiding. Visitation will be held from 8:00 a.m. until 10:45 a.m. at the church prior to service

On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, his body will lie in state from 4:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m., at City Hall, 222 St. Louis Street, B.R., LA 70802. Following abrief ceremony inside the lobby, City Hall will be open to the public to pay respects until 8:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to some of Kip's favorite charities: Alzheimer's Services of the Capital Area, Big Buddy Program, and the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.

Services entrusted to Hall Davis &Son Funeral Services, 9348 Scenic Hwy. B.R., LA 70807

Touanette Nicole “Netta Boo” Thomas Jonesde‐partedthislifeonThurs‐day,May 15, 2025, at her residence in BatonRouge LA. Shewas 49,a native of Thibodaux,LA. Visitation onWednesday,May 21, 2025, at Williams & SouthallFuneralHome from3:00pmto5:00pm. VisitationonThursday, May 22,2025, at Moses Baptist Church from 9:00 amtoreligious services at 11:00 am Intermentinthe church cemetery.Arrange‐ments by Williams& SouthallFuneralHome, 1204 ClevelandSt.,Thibo‐daux, LA,(985) 447-2513. To signthe guestbookand offercondolences,visit our website at www.william sandsouthallfuneralhome com.

JacquesJMajor, "Sonny", "Piny", "Papa"passed peacefully at home surrounded by his lovedones on May15, 2025 at the age of 93. He was born May5 1932 in New Roads, La to Jacquesand Isabel Major Preceded in deathbyhis wifeDelmaPugh Major of 54 yearsand partner Connie Bea Pendarvis of 15 years. He is survived by his children GregoryRandall Major (Brenda),RobinMajorVincent(Chip) and John Rhett Major (Cristina). Extended family Damon Pendarvis, Leisa Pendarvis. Grandchildren Ashlyn Major, Devin Major,Randi MajorMoser (Avery), Ashlyn Martin, JacquesNewsom (Hayley), Conley Leslie (Roxanne), DallasLeslie, Laynee Leslie, Kaylea Weatherford(Dalton), Mason Pendarvis,Ana Carolina Major,MarianaMajor and Gustavo Major.Great grandchildren Jenna, Luca, Jett,Colton, Wyatt, Kasen, Honey,Jones, Cash and Shepherd. He servedfour yearsinthe AirForce and was honorably discharged as aStaff Sergeant. He was apilotand aircraft owner. He was the founderand co -owner of C&M Propellor Repair in Denham Springs, LA. He wasa WeldingEngineer forEngineeredCasting Repair Service, Ohmstede,Inc., Delta Southern Company, SpiralPipe Manufacturing Co., and Armco Steel FabricationCompany. He was aCertified WeldingInspector, served on the IndustrialAdvisory Board at Baton Rouge Technical College, Vice Chairman and Program Directorfor American Weld-

ing Societyand was a Welding Metallurgist.He was theEngineerConsultant for Gaylord Paper Company, International Paper Company, Canal BargeCompany, Metalock Engineering Company, Vulcan Chemical Company, Allied Chemical Company, Union Texas Petroleum, Partco,CondeaVista Chemical Companyand International Gas Transmission Company. He was owner/operatorofAlloy WeldingServices in Denham Springs, LA from1978 to 2020. He was an avid Harley Davidson owner and rider, lovedtorockhis grandbabies, an amazing dancer and lovedhis family and life.Wewant to say averyspecial thank youto our caregivers Sheila Robertson,Anna Marshall and to PinnacleHospice. Services to be held at Seale Funeral Home in DenhamSprings, LA.Visitation Friday May 23, 2025 from 5pmto8pm and Saturday May 24, 2025 from 10am with services starting at 12pmwithReverend MarionLamm officiating Burial will follow at Seale Cemetery. Pallbearers includeCurtis Ingram, Greg Toney, Devin Major,Chip Vincent,DamonPendarvis, Jacques Newsomand Mason Pendarvis.Honorary Pallbearers willbeBobby Fruge, Ricky Vincent,Sam Kaiser, Jimmy Summers, Al Comeaux, Dalton Weatherford, Conley Leslieand Bryce Robertson.

William“Willie”Paul Melancon, January17, 1934 – May12, 2025. William “Willie”PaulMelancon, 91, ofSt. Amant, Louisiana, passedawaypeacefully on Monday, May12, 2025, in Katy, Texaswithhis daugh‐ter by hisside. Willie was borninWadesboro Louisiana to LydiaHebert and GustaveMelanconon January 17, 1934. Willie workedtirelesslyasa welderand insulatorat surroundingplantsnear Gonzales, LA.Heenjoyed dancing,gardening,music, and familythe most.Willie was adevoted Christian who lovedand believed in the Lord hisSavior. He is survivedbyhis children RodneyMelancon(Cheryl), DebbiePrejean (Kerry), grandchildren,Storm Melancon, Shianne Melan‐con,Candice Shoaf(Chris), and Adam Prejean. Greatgrandchildren,ZaraVia Grayson andDallasKayda Stepdaughters andstep‐son,Ted Ivy, KarlaAnder‐son (Gene),ConnieTullos (John Jr.),and Missie Braud.Stepgrandchildren Jason Anderson,Wendy Phillips(Scott),CodyBraud (Rheka),Beverly Andrews (VicenteDiaz),Ellen Toups (Trey), JoyBabin Mahan (Justin). Step great-grand‐children, Emeryand Hayes Phillips, Cain andCalli Braud,Nevaehand Spencer Diaz,Cohen,Eas‐ton,and Declan Toups, and Brennan Turman.Many nieces, nephews, great niecesand greatnephews Heisprecededindeath by his parents, Lydia(Hebert) andGustave Melancon

Siblings,Wilton(Boy) Melancon, WilmaSchum, MiltonMelancon, Mable Braud,Elizabeth (Betty) Hebert, Melvin Melancon, Angus Melancon,and DanielMelancon. Late wives:Shirley Thomassie Melancon, JenelleMoran and Jeanette Braud. Step‐daughterLinda (Chris)Ivy Funeralservice will be held atHolyRosaryCatholic Church in St.Amant, Louisiana,onFriday, May 23, 2025, with Father Matthew Lorrain. Burial service will follow mass at HolyRosaryCatholic Church Cemetery.Visita‐tionwillbeheldatHoly RosaryCatholicChurch on Friday, May23, 2025, 9am11am. AscensionFuneral Homewillbehandlingthe funeralarrangements. Pall Bearers areStorm Melan‐con,AdamPrejean,Chris Shoaf, Kerry Prejean, Ted Ivy. Honorary Pall Bearer willbeRodneyMelancon. Willie neverforgot to tell the people he lovedthathe loved them.Hewas agreat dancerand lovedlife! He had agreat andadventur‐ous life with lots of stories and memories we will all cherish.Special thanks to ChoiceHospice of Katy, Texas

GeorgeArthur Ramer, affectionately known by everyone he met as Chicken George, was born on July 12, 1947, in Plentywood, Montana to Haroldand BeverlyRamer. George's parents relocated to Louisiana whenhewas 6 months oldand eventually openedRamer's Grocery,a neighborhood storeonInniswold Road in Baton Rouge. Georgegrew up working in the storein multiple capacitiesbut what he lookedforward to themost were theopportunitiestocarry thegroceries home for one of the neighborhood girls who livedonly2 doorsdown

from him. George continuallysought to woohis childhood crush andwith thehelp of some friends eventually started dating her. He marriedBrendaArringtononDecember24, 1967. On theday of his passing,theyhad been marriedfor 57 years, 4 months, 3weeks, and 2 days andhewas still charming her! On oneparticular datetheywenton, he made an early prophecy that they wouldmake beautiful babiestogetherthey went on to have two daughters, Brenda Sueand Kimberly George.In1983, George &Brendarelocated to Florien, LA to purchase a chickenfarmwhere he picked up themoniker, ChickenGeorge.Inhis sparetime, he enjoyed working in hisshop-asa self-taughtcarpenter,he designed andbuilt numerouspiecesofbeautiful wood furniture that adornedtheir familyhome. Another favorite pastime washosting weinie roasts, completewith hayrides, for familyand friends and he wasalso an avidbird watcher.George lovedhis familyimmensely and displayed that daily in word andindeed,but hisdeepest devotion wastohis Lord& Savior, Jesus Christ Theman who, in 1973, did notwant acrossonhis headstone andinstead opted for afleur-de-lis turned into atrueservant of God. George nevermet astranger, and God used hisaffectionate spirit to bring others to Him. Peoplewerenaturally drawn to himand he graciously embraced everyone. George wascalledtoheaven on May17th. Those left to forever cherish his memory include hiswife,

hisdaughters, hisbonus daughter, 5grandchildren, 7great-grandchildren,his siblings, ahost of nieces & nephews, and numerous friends. He is preceded in death by his parents,his in -laws, his sister,and some of hisbest buddies.The familywould like to invite all whoknewand loved George to join them as we commemorate hislife. Serviceswill be held at ResthavenGardensof Memory &Funeral Home, 11817 JeffersonHwy.,Baton Rouge,onFriday May 23, 2025, at 9:00am until gravesideservicesat 10:00am, with avisitation to follow from 10:30am until12:00pm. Please visit www.resthavenbatonroug e.com, to sign the online guestbook or leave apersonal note to thefamily.

"Anearthly life well lived hasgoneontobea life lived in the presence of hisLordand Savior" Mr.Gail Woodrow Richardson, aresident of Gonzales, LA., passed

Jones, Touanette Nicole Thomas 'Netta Boo'

Ramer, George Arthur

MajorJr.,Jacques

Melancon,William Paul 'Willie'

OPINION

Coastal restorationis working;let’s notturnback

It’shard to imagine today,but thescope of Louisiana’scoastal land loss was onceanongoing crisis that received scant attention.Now,it seemswe have an alphabet soup of agencies to address coastal restoration Still, the state is losing theequivalent of a football field of wetlands every 100minutes, although the rate of coastal landlosshas decreased in recent years. That’s due toavariety of factors, but we cannot overlook how much a sustained, coordinated coastal restoration effort has contributed to our progress. Yet, we are beginning to see cracksinthat unified front. Disagreements over sediment diversions and pressuretocut fundingatthe federal level are threatening to undo decades of hard-wonprogressjust asweare starting to see significant results. We urge all who careabout thecoast notto let discord derailus.

If it’shard to measure how far we’vecome, Mother Nature has her own ledger: Brown pelicans returning to barrierislands. Endangered sea turtles onceagainspotted atthe Breton National Wildlife Refuge. Hundredsofacres of restored marsh thriving.And at the Wax Lake Delta, river sediment is actually building new land, providing aliving laboratoryfor an army of researchers studyinghow healthy wetlandsoperate.

We’ve arrived at this moment due to tireless work of coastal advocacy groups andthe bipartisanefforts of our elected ofﬁcials. We all owe them adebt of gratitude.

Seventy-three percent of statevotersin 1989 approved acoastal restorationtrust fund authored bystate Sen. Ben Bagert.Tofill the fund,the BreauxAct in 1990, spearheaded by Sens. John Breaux and J. BennettJohnston, provided thefirst dedicated federalfinancing. In the aftermath of HurricaneKatrina, Gov. Kathleen Blanco was instrumentalinestablishing the Coastal Protection andRestoration Authority to coordinate coastal protection efforts. In 2006, Sen. Mary Landrieupushed through the Gulf of Mexico EnergySecurity Act, or GOMESA, which gave Louisianaand other Gulfstates ashareinoil lease royalties foroffshoredrillingto address coastalissues. Afterthe Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, Gov.Bobby Jindalwas key to getting asettlement fromthe oil giant BP that would direct funding to coastal restoration andprotection. We see severalways for legislators to carry forward their vision and continue to attack what is an existential threat to ourway of life HouseMajority Leader SteveScalise,RJefferson,has inserted languageinthe budget bill being debated in Congress that would give Louisianaagreater share of money from offshore oil drilling, money that will become critical as BP settlementfunds end in2031. We urge our state’sdelegation to make sure this provision survives as thebill movesthrough the legislative process.

The latest annual plan from CPRA, which outlines spending on $2 billion worth of projects, has received approval from its board and now goes before the stateLegislature.Lawmakers should support it so work canmove forward.

As for the thorny issue of sediment diversions, we believe that experimentationwith new ways of rebuilding land along the coast is the only way ultimately to ﬁgureout how to not just stem, but reverse, coastal land loss. However,weagree that as we experiment, the voices of residents and commercial interests must be at the table

We know that coastal projectsare costly, but countless beneﬁts have alreadyredoundedto ourstatefrom theseendeavors. We’re mitigating our risk from storms, andwehavebecome leadersworldwide in coastalscienceand managing wetlands.

Restoring our coast was never goingtobe easy.But when we startedthis journey, we felt we owed it to future generations. Thathasn’t changed. Neither should ourcommitmentto preserving the rich land and legacyofcoastal Louisiana.

Respectimmigrantsifyou want them to respectlaws

Iwas excited to see contrasting columns on the case of Kilmar Ábrego García. Ihavetosay Iwas disappointed in both. Byron York raised thequestion of why this man is even in jail, but he did not follow up withthe obvious point that thereason we do not know is because of alack of basic due process. Cal Thomas,onthe other hand, decided to list all theaccusations against ÁbregoGarcía as if accusations excuse his accidental deportation,much less offer arationale to skip due process. If this guy is agang member,anabuser and ahuman trafﬁcker,you know what we do in theUnited States?Weprove that in court. This caseseems simple. Afederal court judge and then the Supreme Courthave saidtothe Trump administration: Youscrewed up. They ordered them to bring theguy back, and if he should be in jailinAmerica or

needs to be deported, then do it legally Isn’tthat always the mantra Ihear around immigration —doitthe legal way? To see President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi sit around with the authoritarian president of El Salvador and say,“See, we can’tget him back” is not only alie; it’s amiddle ﬁnger to the Supreme Court. The president just said in an interview that he could callupElSalvador and get ÁbregoGarcía back if he were anice guy.What?Ifheisabad guy deporthim or puthim in jail the right way.This isn’tabout if someone is a nice guy or not;it’sabout rule of law Time for the president to obey the Supreme Courtand if he doesn’t, time for Republicans in Congress to do something about it THOMAS SHEPLEY NewOrleans

Editorialonclosing Bourbon Street to vehicles missed themark

This is in response to therecent staff editorial on pedestrianizing Bourbon Street.Puttingaside security entirely, Bourbon should still be closed to vehicles

The editorial raises concerns for the livelihoods of residentsand business owners —aserious concern. However, existing pedestrianization efforts in other cities have resulted in morebusinessfor the pedestrianized area, not less.

On congestion concerns: Prior pedestrianization efforts show that pedestrianization can lead to less trafﬁc on adjacentstreets, as fewer people decide to drive to thepedestrianized area, instead opting for means of travel like bikes and public transit.

Getting delivery and emergency vehicle pastpedestrian barriers is a solved problem and is addressed in the Teneo report, through active barriers. The lack of other vehicles on theroad will quicken, not hinder,emergency responses —aphenomenon seen in other pedestrianized places

The most bizarre concern raised in theeditorial concerns the charm of

Bourbon. Has anyone ever thought to themselves,“that F150 crew-cab obscuring the historic buildings really ups thecharmaround here?” Motor vehicles —their noise,exhaust and tire debris —detract from the charm of the Quarter.The space vehicles take up would be better utilized as more walking space for pedestrians, aka potential customers, for local businesses. Finally,the editorial is concerned about Bourbon becoming “difﬁcult to access and cut off fromthe rest of the city.” Of all the visitors each day,few drive to andpark on BourbonStreet Mosteither parkfartherout, take a rideshare, take public transportation, walk or bike.

The city should absolutely get input from residents, but Iwould also urge consideration of the outcomes in previously pedestrianized places. Better to act on evidence than to suppose our fear of change is correct If we do nothing differently, nothing different will happen.

MATTHEW

JOHNSON NewOrleans

Ourleaders need to look outfor most vulnerable

Iamthe mother to abright, loving, daughter whohas multiple disabilities including autism and arare chromosome syndrome, so I’ve witnessed ﬁrsthand both the beauty of neurodiversity and the heartbreak that comes when our leaders fail to uphold their responsibilities to disabled Americans. My daughter deserves aworld where she is supported, understood and included —not sidelined by political agendas. Yettimeand again, administrations —past and present —have madepromises to protect the disability community,only to fall short. Whether it wasslashing funding to Medicaid programsthat provide lifelines to families like mine, failing to enforce education laws like IDEA or spreadingmisinformation about autism,these decisions have real consequences. Theydon’t just hurt policy; they hurtpeople

My daughter’sfuture depends on access to therapies, inclusive education,community supports andemployment opportunities. She depends on asociety that sees herasfully human, notasaburden or atalking point.Unfortunately, proposalsfrom current politicians like Robert F. Kennedy Jr.only add to this concern.Whenpublic ﬁgures cast doubtonscience or minimize thelivedrealitiesofpeoplewithdisabilities, they undermine theprogress so many of us have fought for. This isn’tabout partisanship. It’s aboutpeople. About ourchildren Aboutthe nearly61millionAmericanswithdisabilitieswhose lives are shaped by policiestoo often made without theirvoices at the table

We need leadershipthatprotects ourrights, funds ourfutures and listenstoour stories. My daughter is notastatistic. She is alearner,a light in this world, and she, like so many others, deserves better So in closing,ifwedon’tcare aboutour mostvulnerable,who are we as individuals? That’sthe real question?

CHRISTINA MARTIN Kenner

COMMENTARY

LA.ROOTS

When genealogist Jari Honora atThe Historic NewOrleans Collection madethe discovery thatnewly electedPopeLeo XIV’sfamily tree has abranchinNew Orleans, it set off awaveofinterest and introspection. Though thepope, formerly CardinalRobertPrevost, grew up in Chicago andspentmuch of his adult years in Peru,his mother’sfamilyhails from NewOrleans’7th Ward.Censusrecords showtheywereCreoles of color.Louisiana has long been home to amix of cultures from Africa, Europe, the Caribbean andmore. So, in many ways the pope’s storyisrelatable to many Louisiana families. Still, the ties to our state have promptedreflectionsfrom many quarters. Here are afew we want to share.

Pontiff’sgrandparentswere my ancestors’ neighbors

Closer connection demands action,not just history

My mother was already on herfeet, despite the ache of aging legs, gleefully watching repeated news clips aboutthe new pope. Then Ishowed her historian Jari Honora’spost connectingPopeLeo XIVtoNew Orleansand, well,the lid blewoff her boiling pot of joy Indeed, theappearance of an energetic, ﬁrst-ever U.S.-born pope mightelicit enthusiasm among folks anywhere invested in papal leadership. But for locals, the connection to New Orleans was nextlevel jubilance. My city’s connection to the Holy Father in Rome mightseem improbable. On its surface, New Orleans looks to be wholly unseriousabout anything unconnected to havinga good time.But New Orleans RomanCatholics have given so much of themselves to the church, taking very seriously their responsibilities as practitioners of their faith. After the cataclysm of Hurricane Katrina, apriority for many parishioners hurting from deep personal loss was: How can we get our churches back? Moreover,for New OrleansBlack Creoles like me, our familiesand teachers were very serious about demonstrating notonly how to be good Catholics, but how to be good and caringpeople. We made our way into acacophonousworld

prepared to live by thegolden rule work hard,mind your manners, meet high expectations,take care of family, serve yourcommunity

Thecity’sBlack Creoles have long had the church’s back. Over generations, many of ourfamily members, including several in mine, have devoted their lives to religiousservice in orders like the Josephites and the Sisters of Holy Family, as well as to lay ministry.Corpus Christi Church, the center of Black Creole spiritual life in the 7th Ward for generations, was at one time thelargest Black Catholicparish and school in the U.S. As well, the city is home to Xavier University of Louisiana,the only historically Black Roman Catholic university in theU.S With news of thepope’sfamily ties to the 7th Ward, the sense of pride is nearly overwhelming for those of us raised or schooled in that neighborhood. The pontiff’s grandparentswere my ancestors’ neighbors, were wed in achurch that was on Annette Street,ahalf-block from my childhood home. They were part of acommunity of New OrleansBlack Creoles —nurturing and supportive, encouragingand demanding —whose family legacies include brilliant artists, musicians,poets,writers, physicians, educators and civic leaders. Andnow, even apope.

Lynette Dolliole Johnson is aLouisiana cultural historian.

Treasure troveofchurch recordstrace papallineage

Beinganeighth generation Louisiana Creole who’sbeen researching and tellingthe story of my people since the 1990s, discovering that Pope Leo XIV shares apiece of ourgeographic and familial history feels quite normaland not out of the ordinary

In New Orleans, once upona time pre-Katrina youkneweverybody’s mama or who their people were. Many of us were Catholic; our grandparents spoke ﬂuent Louisiana Creole, and we ate gumbo for breakfast a time or two. Our heritage was molded out of athree-caste society among other things. We are unique.Wefeel connectivity

Ibelievethis is whysomany people are excited to bring him into the fold of what is left of us. It’sgood for other people to gain asense of hope through beingconnected to thenew pope. Ido feel he is far moreChicago than here. He was born andraised, like his mother, in Chicago. That is his lived experience aside from where he haslived as an adult. WhatheshareswithLouisiana is asomewhat distant connection.

My issue with thechurch and thoughts

overshadowing Pope Leo XIV’sconnection to Louisiana are with the treatment of abused children. The fact that there is so much wrong that has been historically happening, especially for Black Catholics, and so little being done about it all. Words and great sermons are only that. Ilook around and see churches being sold, senior citizen living complexes being sold, people possibly displaced against the backdrop of the stunning architecture, the gold and rich fabrics in the Vatican and wonder why.Isee people having faith in things that hurt innocent children and look the other way at the cover-ups.

The thing that came to mind most of all during all the Creole connection hoopla was the old WWJD acronym When will we get serious about that? No parades and parties and gumbo until the temple is cleansed. Where have we landed as asociety? We pummel others for their “sins” but don’teven stand up for our ownpeople, our children especially No, Ineed the pope to respond in an urgent, intentional way,then we can possibly break bread or share popcorn and pizza.

Dianne “Gumbo Marie” Honoré is an historicinterpreter

Family ties span centuriesand countries

From the moment Iﬁrst entered the archdiocesan archives, Iwas captivated by its rich history and abundance of records. With records dating backtobefore1718, each visit felt likea treasure hunt as Isought out the most remarkable documents in the collection. Little did Iknowthat arandom Thursday in May would lead me to one of my biggest discoveries as an archivist. Discoveringthe baptismal record of PopeLeo XIV’sgreat-grandmother was one of the most extraordinary ﬁnds ofmy career.His great-grandmother,Eugenie Grambois, was baptized in 1840 at St.Louis Cathedral. Learning that she was baptizedinthe oldest continuously operating cathedral in the United States is just the beginningofher family’sdeep connection to New Orleans We have traced Pope Leo’sfamily lineage back to the 1750s,with many of the sacramentsoccurring at St.Louis Cathedral.

St.Louis Cathedral is theiconic symbol of thecity and was founded in 1718. It hasendured numerous disasters yet has remained asteadfast beacon for thecity throughitall. Since the 18th century,St. LouisCathedral has united the people of New Orleans. It has stood as an icon of thecity through wars, catastrophes, diseasesand victories. Though itsfaçade haschanged over theyears, thestoryof the cathedral has remained the same. It is aliving symbol of acity that has witnessed over 300 years of history, showing thatthe church and the cityare interconnected from thebeginning of New Orleans’ establishment. The connection between thepope and St. Louis Cathedral brings local New Orleanians closer to both the church and the city once again.I am so excited to continue searching our records and fully trace the history of thepope’sfamily and their link to the city we alllove.

Katie Beeman is director of the Archdiocese of New Orleans Ofﬁce of Archives and Records

PopeLeo XIV and Iare fourth cousins. IamgratefultoJari Honora of The HistoricNew Orleans Collection for bringing Pope Leo XIV’sNew Orleans Baquié family roots to my attentioninthe newspaper OurBaquié rootsinNew Orleans go back to the early 19th century.My grandmother,Blanche Catherine Baquié,and Pope Leo’sgrandmother, Louise Baquié, were second cousins, both born in New Orleans. Through Blanche and Louise, Robert Prevost and Ishareacommon ancestor: Jean Pierre Baquié (b.1752 in Monein, France). Jean Pierre had at least two families. Onebranch (mine) producedJean Rose (b.1786, St. Domingue [Haiti]), his son Charles Eduard(b. 1816, Jamaica), and thedaughter of Charles, Blanche Catherine (b. 1844, New Orleans). Blanche Catherine Baquié was my grandmother After Jean Pierre Baquié’swife (Rose Blanchard) died in 1810, he hadtwo sons

with Marie Thérèse Rancuel. One was JosephAristide Fleury Baquié (b. 1811, Guadeloupe). His father (Jean Pierre) died when Aristide was 5yearsold. Aristide became part of the family of his much olderhalf-brother, Jean Rose (my greatgreat-grandfather) andwenttoNew Orleanswith the family some time in the 1820s or early 1830s. By 1835, Aristide was in arelationship with afreewomanofcolor in New Orleans, Celeste Lemelle.They had two sons. One,Ferdinand, wasborn in 1837. Ferdinand wasthe father of Louise Baquié (b. 1868),the grandmother of Pope LeoXIV Honora was quoted in the newspaper as joking that“now, every New Orleanianisgoing to be claiming to be cousins with the pope.” Many New Orleanians may have thatclaim. Ihope people are motivatedtolook at the complex family relationships thathaveenrichedour culture.

MaxReichardisaretired professorof history

Dianne Honoré GUEST COLUMNIST

Max Reichard GUEST COLUMNIST

ASSOCIATEDPRESS

PHOTOByDOMENICO STINELLIS

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV,left, formerly Cardinal RobertFrancis Prevost, appears May8onthe central loggia of St.Peter’sBasilica at the Vatican shortly after his election as the 267th pontiff of the RomanCatholic Church.

SPORTS

Southern takesaim at SWAC tourneytitle

Jaguarsopenagainst hotFAMUinBirmingham

BY TOYLOY BROWNIII

Staff writer

“Depth” was thebuzzword in the preseason for the Southern baseball team, describing arenewed roster with familiar andfresh faces. Now entering the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament, coach Chris Crenshaw reminded histeamofwhathe’stolditrepeatedly.

“It’s championship time,” the fourthyear coach said. “Wetalked aboutplaying for achampionship all year long.”

The path to glory begins at noon Wednesday when No. 7-seeded South-

ä Southernvs. FloridaA&M. NOON WEDNESDAy

ern (23-25, 15-13 SWAC) plays No 2-seeded Florida A&M (30-23, 24-6) RickwoodField in Birmingham, Alabama. Allgames in the double-elimination tournament are available on theSWACDigital Network YouTube channel until the championship game Sunday Seniorright-hander Nick Luckett will start for the Jaguars. Southern played the Rattlers once in the regular season andwon 17-1duringthe Andre Dawson Classic in Vero Beach,Florida, on Feb. 22. It ended up

Uncertaintimes

LSU president William F. Tate IV flashes an ‘L’sign after taking his turntocut the nets followingthe Tigers’102-85 victory overIowainthe NCAA women’schampionship game on April 2, 2023, in Dallas.

Isuppose in the endWilliam F. Tate

IV felt he was more urgently needed at Rutgers than LSU.

How do you not when your new basketball team has two NBA lottery picks and doesn’t even make the NCAA Tournament?

Tate’sdeparture as the LSUpresident after ahistoric four-yeartenure at the university— he was the ﬁrst Blackpresidentorchancellor of any Southeastern Conference school leaves abig leadership void to ﬁll in Baton Rouge. Not theleast of which is his support of, interest in and appreciation for asuccessful athletic program and what that canmean for auniversity’simage

Tate was anear omnipresent ﬁgure at major LSU athletic events and announcements.Hewas there in

the Jaguars’ second-biggest margin of victory and FAMU’s second-biggest loss of the season.

Crenshaw said that outcomewon’t have much bearing in the tournament since it occurred 88 days ago. The Rattlers are on an 11-game winning streak and have grownjust like Southern has since February

“Wegot to score early,” Crenshaw said about the key to the game. “If we get the momentum on our side, we can carry that the rest of the game.”

Any psychological boost Southern carriescomes from itsown closeto the season. The Jaguars wonaseasonbest eight consecutive gamesbefore dropping the ﬁnal two contests to No. 6-seeded Jackson State last weekend.

BY JIMKLEINPETER

Contributing writer

LSUsoftball coach BethTorina was still feeling the pain of last weekend’sstunning losses to Southeastern in theNCAABaton Rougeregional, calling them “unacceptable”and vowing to ﬁx the issues that led to the second regional ouster in three seasons by an in-state foe.

Herjob is going to be harder than expected with the apparent loss of right-handerSydney Berzon, the team’s ace the past three seasons and two-time All-American. The On3 websitereported two days ago that Berzon plans to enter the transfer portal.

Torina declined to comment specifically on Berzon’sdepartureTuesday after spending Monday conducting exit interviews. She saidshe and her staff will be active during the transfer-portal windows.

Despite some fans calling for her dismissal on social media after an eight-year absencefrom theWomen’s College World Series, Torina touted her body of work that includes four trips to the WCWS between 2012-17.

“I don’twant to make excuses for losses that shouldn’thave happened, but we’ve accomplished alot of things in our time here,” said Torina, the schools all-time winningestcoach (578253) in 14 seasons. “Wegraduated nearly the entirestarting lineup (from last year), including ﬁfth- and sixth-yearplayers. Somehow we still had ateam that won 40-plus games and ranked in the top 10 almostall year “Of coursewecan’tlose thosegames. We’re going to make adjustments to make sure that doesn’thappen again. Idon’twant to not take ownership for that because it’s not acceptable, but it’salso softball.”

See TORINA, page 4C

Scott Rabalais

December 2021, holding a“Win” bar replica withthen-new football coach Brian Kelly and athletic director ScottWoodward. He helped cut down thenets in April 2023 when LSU women’sbasketball trounced Iowa for its ﬁrstNCAA title(still thebiggest wininthe still simmering Angel Reese-Caitlin Clark feud). Hisface is even plastered next to Kim Mulkey’s on thewall of the women’sbasketball practice gym at the Pete Maravich

Assembly Center —Tate’swife Kim served as the team’schaplain. Whoever replaces Tate, one of the biggest questions inevitably will be how much does that person support athletics? In astate that ranks 50th forlivability,how much does LSU’s newpresident care about winning and striving to have achampionshiplevel athletic program across the board?

This is, of course, Gov.Jeff Landry’sdecision to make. Onecan expect the governor isn’tconsidering apro-sports(not professional sports) candidate as being aqualityatthe topofhis list. Nor should he. Butone questions how much Landry values a strong athletic program at the state’s

TRANSFORMING TRAUMARECOVERY

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Torina talks with third baseman Danieca Coffeyduring aBaton Rougeregional game against SoutheasternLouisiana on Friday at LSU.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Southerncoach Chris Crenshawwill face aFlorida A&M team thathas won11straightgames.

Knicks, Pacers set for Round 9

Winner of the two heads to Finals

BY BRIAN MAHONEY

AP basketball writer

GREENBURGH, N.Y Jalen Brunson

held a steel chair Tyrese Haliburton had brass knuckles.

As the star point guards glared at each other in a WWE wrestling ring last summer in Madison Square Garden, it seemed a ﬁtting next step in the rivalry between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks. It’s already featured headbutts and chokes, so why not weapons?

The teams go at it again starting Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Knicks’ ﬁrst trip to the Eastern Conference ﬁnals in 25 years, with the winner of their ninth playoff matchup headed to the NBA Finals.

ä Indiana at New York. 7 P.M. WEDNESDAy TNT

“It’s obviously a storied rivalry between the two franchises, so to add another chapter to it is going to be a lot of fun,” Haliburton said It sure was for Haliburton and the Pacers last year when the teams met in the second round. Indiana won Game 7 at Madison Square Garden against a Knicks team that was decimated by injuries, shooting an NBA playoff-record 67.1% from the ﬁeld in a 130-109 romp Haliburton scored 26 points and afterward wore a sweatshirt to his news conference with a picture of Reggie Miller making a choke signal toward Knicks fan Spike Lee on the sidelines during a playoff game three decades earlier

Haliburton returned to the Garden to troll New York fans again about a month later, attempting to interfere in a match on behalf of Logan Paul. Brunson, with a seat in the crowd near the ring, intervened and LA Knight pinned Paul. After the match Brunson grabbed the chair and entered the ring to protect the winner when it appeared Paul and Haliburton had him surrounded.

“I’ll be back! I’ll be back!” Hal-

iburton yelled toward fans after exiting the ring. Well, here he comes.

“It was obviously something that he wanted to do and the way he played last year in the playoffs, I mean, it was ﬁtting,” Brunson said. “And so, he played well in the Garden. Obviously Knicks fans and Pacers fans, they go back and forth. But I think he did a great job with it last year but now we’re moving on.”

A Knicks-Pacers series could be penciled into the spring schedule in the 1990s.

The teams met six times in an eight-year span, starting with a 1993 series that included John Starks getting ejected for headbutting Miller. Indiana won the last one in that stretch, a victory in the 2000 East ﬁnals the most recent time the Knicks advanced this far

This time, it’s a surprise. Cleveland and Boston ran away to the top two records in the East, but the Knicks ousted the defending champions and the Pacers blew away the top-seeded Cavaliers in

ﬁve games to set up this matchup between the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds.

Things are different now. Brunson and Haliburton are friendly, having been teammates in 2023 on the U.S. team that played in the Basketball World Cup. But Miller will be in the arena, working the games as an analyst for TNT, so there will be a reminder of the way KnicksPacers used to be.

“There was deﬁnitely a sense of hatred for each other So I think that makes a good rivalry,” Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said. “They have a history of ﬁnding a way to end each other’s season, so it’s up to us now to add our names into history and see what we do.”

The postseason history

The Pacers lead the series 5-3. When the teams have met in the East ﬁnals, the Knicks won in 1994 and 1999 — when they reached the NBA Finals as a No. 8 seed — and the Pacers won in 2000.

The 2024-25 history

The Knicks went 2-1 against the Pacers, with all the meetings before the All-Star break. Towns had 30.3 points and 12 rebounds per game for the Knicks, who averaged 124 points on 53.9% shooting.

A torrid Pace

The Pacers were just 10-15 after a loss to Charlotte on Dec. 8. Counting the playoffs, they are 48-19 since.

A June reunion?

An NBA Finals matchup between the Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves is a possibility after they made a blockbuster trade on the eve of the preseason. The Knicks acquired Towns by sending Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota Towns, the Wolves’ No. 1 pick in 2015, isn’t thinking about that yet.

“We’ve got to get there ﬁrst,” he said. “I ain’t going to worry about something that we’re not there yet. Step by step.”

Clark, Reese help WNBA to stellar ratings

BY DOUG FEINBERG AP basketball writer

It was a busy opening weekend for the WNBA with record-breaking performances and ratings as the league’s stars shined.

WNBA notebook

The game between Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever and Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky drew an average of 2.7 million viewers, which made it the most watched WNBA game on ESPN platforms. Clark posted a triple-double while Reese had 12 points and 17 rebounds in the blowout loss for Chicago.

The pair also had a moment on the court when Clark had a hard foul on Reese while she was going for a layup that ended up being a Flagrant 1 when it was upgraded by the ofﬁcials. Both players after the game said that it was just a basketball play

A day after the game, the league said it was looking into racial comments made towards Reese by fans. A person familiar with the situation conﬁrmed the details to The Associated Press on Sunday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the league had not publicly identiﬁed the subject of the taunts or who made the allegations.

Indiana said it would do what it could to help the league.

“I told the team, obviously, we’re going to cooperate fully with the investigation,” Fever coach Stephanie White said Monday “But there’s no place for that in

our league, whether it’s at home, whether it’s on the road. It doesn’t matter We want to encourage our players, our staff to bring recognition to it in real time if it’s heard, if it’s seen or anything of that nature.”

The two teams will meet again on June 7 in Chicago. It wasn’t just the ChicagoIndiana game that drew strong numbers. The opener Saturday between Las Vegas and New York had an average of 1.3 million viewers. Reigning MVP A’ja Wilson had a stellar performance in the loss. Last season’s runner-up for MVP also had a strong opening weekend as Napheesa Collier led

Minnesota to two victories. While Indiana, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York and Minnesota were expected to be in the WNBA spotlight this season not much was expected of Washington with a new coach, new general manager and a whole host of new players, led by rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen. The Mystics won their ﬁrst two games and now head out for a three-game west coast trip in Golden State, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

Sidelined

Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper underwent an arthroscopy on her left knee last week

Ex-LSU guard Givens transfers to Memphis

Former LSU point guard Curtis Givens is transferring to Memphis of the American Athletic Conference, he announced on social media Tuesday The 6-foot-3 freshman from Memphis, Tennessee, averaged 4.8 points on 26.9% shooting and 1.6 assists per game last season. He averaged 18.2 minutes and made 12 starts.

He entered the starting lineup for the ﬁrst time on Jan. 11 against Ole Miss, replacing fifth-year senior Jordan Sears. Of the seven players to leave coach Matt McMahon’s 2024-25 team, Givens was the last one to enter the transfer portal before the window officially closed April 22. Givens was the No. 65 player in the 2024 class, according to the 247Sports Composite, and chose LSU over Memphis as a high school recruit.

Former Arkansas standout Fland commits to Florida

Former Arkansas standout Boogie Fland, widely considered the top guard in the transfer portal, chose to play for defending national champion Florida on Tuesday Fland committed to coach Todd Golden following a two-day visit to Gainesville and posted his decision on Instagram.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Fland averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 21 games with the Razorbacks last season. The freshman from New York averaged nearly 32 minutes a game despite missing time with a right thumb injury that required surgery He returned for three postseason games before entering the NBA draft. He withdrew his name from consideration Sunday and made the visit to Florida.

All-Pro guard Thuney, Bears agree to extension

Two-time All-Pro guard Joe Thuney and the Chicago Bears have agreed to a two-year $35 million contract extension, agent Mike McCartney announced on Tuesday The extension is for $17.5 million per season. Thuney is due $51 million over the next three years with $33.5 million guaranteed, McCartney said.

General manager Ryan Poles said last month he hoped to get a deal done. Thuney was entering the ﬁnal season of a ﬁve-year, $80 million deal he signed with Kansas City The Bears acquired the 32-yearold Thuney from the Chiefs in a trade in March, one of several moves they made to overhaul a shaky offensive line and give Caleb Williams the protection he needs.

Hall of Famer Woodson joins Browns’ ownership

and will be out four-to-six weeks, the team announced. Copper is playing in her ninth season in the league and was the WNBA’s third leading scorer last year averaging 21.1 points a game in her ﬁrst season in Phoenix.

Power poll rankings

Minnesota and New York led the way in the ﬁrst regular season AP power poll tied at No. 1. The national voting panel chose Indiana third and Phoenix fourth. Las Vegas, Washington and Los Angeles were the next three. Seattle, Atlanta and Dallas followed. Chicago, Connecticut and Golden State rounded out the rankings.

Player of the week

Napheesa Collier had a strong opening weekend, averaging 28.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists to help the Lynx win their ﬁrst two games, both on the road.

Other players receiving consideration included Caitlin Clark of Indiana, Natasha Cloud of New York, Kelsey Plum of Los Angeles and Brittney Sykes of Washington.

Game of the week

New York at Indiana, Saturday The defending champion Liberty will visit Clark and the new-look Fever Indiana made a ton of offseason moves to bolster their roster, including signing DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard. It will be a chance for the team to see where it stacks up against one of the best teams in the league early in the season.

Former NFL great and Ohio native Charles Woodson has joined the Cleveland Browns as a limited partner, the club announced Tuesday The non-controlling minority interests were approved at the league’s spring meetings in Eagan, Minnesota. Jimmy and Dee Haslam are majority owners.

Woodson won the 1997 Heisman Trophy at Michigan, played 18 years in the NFL for the Raiders and Packers and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. He is an NFL analyst for Fox Sports and lives in Orlando, Florida, as an assistant on his son’s high school football team. Woodson, who grew up in Fremont, Ohio, said it was a dream come true to play in the NFL but he never expected to be part of an ownership group.

Indy 500 announces first sellout since 2016

The Indianapolis 500 has sold out its grandstands for the ﬁrst time in nearly a decade, and the local TV blackout that has been in place since 1951 has been lifted so fans in central Indiana will be able to watch the race live. Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles said Monday that while its roughly 230,000 grandstand seats had sold out, general admission inﬁeld tickets were still available. He expects a crowd of about 350,000 race fans or about 1 for every 1,000 people living in the U.S — will be at

The

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL CONROy

New york Knicks guard Jalen Brunson looks to drive past Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton during a playoff game on May 10, 2024, in Indianapolis.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By AJ MAST

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, left, battles for the ball with Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, center, during the season opener in Indianapolis on Saturday.

NFLgives OKfor Olympic flag football

BY DAVE CAMPBELL

AP pro football writer

EAGAN, Minn. NFLplayers in the past three Pro Bowls have hada taste of ﬂag football under thenew format for the all-stargame.

For aselect few,the Olympics could be next.

League owners unanimously have approved permission for players to participate in ﬂag football for the 2028 Olympics.

The vote at the spring meetings in MinnesotaonTuesday authorizedthe league to negotiate safety provisions and scheduling logistics with the NFL Players Association, the sport’sinternational governing body and the relevant Olympic authorities before it becomes reality during the next Summer Games in Los Angeles.

The excitement throughout the league and momentum in global growth of thegamehavemadethis aseemingly inevitable advancement.

“I think the world ﬁnally hasan opportunity to see the greatest athletes in the world participate,” league executive vice presidentof football operations Troy Vincent said.

The 10-player Olympic rosters will be selected by the national committee foreach country,with six teams each in separatetournaments for men and women. Only one player per NFL club would be allowed for eachcountry.The game itself is a5-on-5 competition

on a50-yard ﬁeld

With the 2028 Olympics scheduledfromJuly14-30, the ﬂag football goldmedal game could practically bestaged before teams report to training camp, aprovision that NFL executivevice president of clubbusiness andleague events Peter O’Reilly indicated already has received informal support.

Vikingswidereceiverand former LSU star Justin Jeffersonattended thenews conference along with teammateBrian Asamoah, abackup linebacker and specialteams ace whose parents were born in Ghana and potentially could play for his country of heritage.

While Jeffersonwould provide some seriousstarpower,players of hisstature mightnot be willing to risk injury rightbefore the season. He said he’d have to consider hisparticipation,but as one of the league’sglobal ambassadorsfor thesport, he’sa true champion of ﬂagfootball

“The Pro Bowl game was honestly waymorefun,” he said.“We felt like kids out there.”

The ﬂagfootball vote was agiven. The hardpart for league owners this week at the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel is determiningthe fate of thetush push

Aftertabling theissueseven weeks ago, avotewas expected Wednesdayonthe proposal by the Green Bay Packerstoprohibit the play popularized by the reigning SuperBowlchampionPhiladel-

phia Eagles. To enact the ban, 24 of the 32 teams must approve.

Commissioner RogerGoodell said last month he believes the ownerswill reach aconsensus on the issue that involves both competitive integrity andplayer safety.

The league released arevised proposalbythe Packers on Mondaythat broadensthe language to prohibit pushing, pulling, lifting or encircling arunner by any offensive player,not speciﬁc to quarterback assists.

This would put therule back whereitwas 20 yearsago, when aprevious such ban was lifted becauseofthe difﬁculty of enforcement.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has been leading thedefense of the play histeam developed with the coinciding arrival of strong-legged quarterback Jalen Hurtsin2020.

The NFL hasnoconclusive data supporting aconnection between thetushpushand an injury-risk increase, as Lurienoted at the previous league meetings in Florida.The BuffaloBills arealsoa frequent user and favor aban for safety, though, as head coach Sean McDermott said after thevote was tabled

The tush push not only assigns a playertopushthe backsideofthe quarterback for extra power behind atight nine-man line but also sometimes involves ablocker on theend pivoting to try to pull the ball carrier past the marker

Pelicans center Missigets

All-RookieNBA honor

BY RODWALKER Staff writer

New Orleans Pelicans center

Yves Missi proved to be one of the steals of the 2024 NBA Draft. That was validated further when Missi was named to the NBA All-Rookie second teamon Tuesday.Not bad for aplayer the Pelicans selected with the 21st overall pick last season.

Of the 10 players to make one of the All-Rookie teams, Missi was the second-lowest draft pick. Only Memphis Grizzlies guard Jaylen Wells, selected in the second round, was drafted lower than Missi. Missi wasasked at theend of theseason what it would mean forhim to make the All-Rookie team.

“Obviously,just knowingthat whatever Iwas doing out there was being acknowledged bythe NBAjurorswould be great,” Missi said.

Missi, draftedout of Baylor, was expected to be more of a project for thePelicans. Instead, he became one of the team’smore reliable players with the potential to become more.

Missi started ateam-high 67 games and played in 73. He averaged 9.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks.

He scored aseason-high24 pointsinalosstothe Phoenix Suns in February,and grabbed a season-best 15 rebounds in awin over the San Antonio Spurs

Missi earned Western Conference Rookie of the Month inDecember.Heﬁnished the season

dunks theball as Philadelphia 76erscenter Adem

Bona watches on March 24atthe

Smoothie King Center

with 14double-doubles foraPelicans team thatﬁnished 21-62, the second-worst record in franchise history

“As ateam, it wasn’tasgood,”

Missi said when asked whether he exceeded expectations this season. “But obviouslyfor me,individually,just being able to play and get on the court and get some experiencewas great.”

Missiwas selected to play in theRising Stars Game during NBAAll-Star Weekend, but he didn’tget to playafter hyperex-

tending his right knee against the Sacramento Kings in the game right beforethe All-Star break. Hisselectionwas an indication of just how much he had developed in the ﬁrst few months of the season “It’sacredittoYves and his persistence andhis ability to comeinasarookie and pick up allofthe concepts,” Pelicans coach Willie Green saidinFebruary “With everything that’sbeen goingaround, he’sbeen pretty consistent with hisabilitytostep on the ﬂoor and compete at ahigh level. Ithink that’sadmirable.”

The All-Rookie ﬁrst team consisted of Stephon Castle (Spurs), Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks), AlexSarr (Wizards),Zach Edey (Grizzlies) and Wells Joining Missi on the second team wereDonovan Clingan (TrailBlazers), Matas Buzelis (Bulls),Bub Carrington (Wizards) and Kel’el Ware (Heat). Missi is the eighthplayer in franchise history to make an AllRookie team.

Chris Paul (2005-06),Darren Collison (2009-10), Anthony Davis(2012-13), Buddy Hield (201617) and Zion Williamson (2019-20) all made the ﬁrst team as rookies. MarcusThornton(2009-10) and Herb Jones(2021-22)made the second team.

Missi’s goalsfor next season are to bulk up, work on his shooting touch aroundthe basket and improve his free-throw shooting.

“Keep working on my game and just come back strong and win some games,” Missi said.

Health is only half of this debate, however.Entertainment is the other

While theEagles nearlyhave perfected theplay forfourth and 1or1-yard-line situations with well-chosen personnel and wellrehearsed precision, it looks more like rugby than football.

The Packers have been among

several teamsvoicing their distastefor the evolutionofthe traditional quarterback sneak into an all-out scrum

“Itwas controversial when the forward pass came out,”Lurie said at the last league meetings. “I think aestheticism is very subjective. I’ve never judged whether a play looks OK.”

BY JOE REEDY AP sportswriter

CINCINNATI

Even though the relationship between Zac Taylor and Trey Hendrickson isn’tcordial at themoment, the Bengals head coach was happy to see his star pass rusher attend voluntary workouts last week.

Hendrickson showed up after Taylortextedhim that he would be ﬁned if he did not attend next month’s mandatory minicamp.

Besides receiving aﬁne warning, Hendrickson’sfrustration has increased aboutwhat he sees as alack of communicationon progress towarda newcontract or beingtradedsincethe NFL draft concluded on April 26.

Taylor said he putalot of time into thinking aboutwhentocommunicate to Hendrickson what he expected out of his star defensive player

“I thinkevery situation is unique so again, every personality is different. Every player is different. The timing, everything’sdifferent.You just adapt as you go with that stuff,” Taylor said.

Taylor also added that there weren’tany updates on talks be-

tweenHendrickson andthe Bengals. Hendrickson led the NFL with 171/2 sacks last season and was selected as an All-Pro. He is looking for anew contract that matches what top pass rushers are getting paid. Hendrickson is scheduled to earn $15.8 millioninbase salary and has acap number of $18.7 million.

Quarterback Joe Burrow,who talked forthisfirst time since offseason workouts started last month, remains hopeful thatHendricksoncan geta newcontract after the Bengalssigned wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to lucrative extensions in March.

“I thinkhe’sdoing what he thinks is best for his career and Isupport him in that,” Burrow said. “Trey’sasmartguy.Just like anybody,I’m sure there’sthings he’d like to have back.”

Hendrickson’s57sackssince joiningthe Bengalsin2021are third mostinthe league over the past four seasons. He signed with Cincinnati after four seasons with NewOrleans. The Bengals were 9-8 last seasonand missed theplayoffsfor the second straight season.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO

By CHRIS O’MEARA

AFC wide receiver and former LSU star BrianThomas of theJacksonville Jaguarsrunsawayfrom NFC return specialist KaVontae Turpinofthe Dallas Cowboys, right, during a flag football event on Feb.2 in Orlando, Fla

STAFF PHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD

NewOrleans Pelicans center

yves Missi

Minornamed newcoach at West Feliciana

Former Catholic coordinatortakes over at St.Francisvilleschool

BY ROBIN FAMBROUGH Staff writer

Think a29-year-old does not have enough experience to becomea headfootball coach on theClass 4A level? Terry Minor disagrees. And more importantly, so does West Feliciana.

The Saints announced Tuesday they have hired Minor as their new head coach. He was the offensive coordinator at Catholic High the past two years.

“I am just like these kids,” Minor said. “I actually grew up in this town (St.Francisville),and Ialso had the ability to develop outside of it.

“The most important thingI learned as time went on is that how we think about ourselves and what we are calledtodoisgoing to set the path for our life.

“It is going to be my task to de-

ALL-SWACTEAM

First team

C: BroedyPoppell, Florida A&M

1B: Juan Cruz,Alabama State

2B: Jesus Vanegas, BethuneCookman

3B: JayCampbell, Florida A&M

SS: Bryce Hughes,Texas Southern

DH: TajBates, Southern

OF: Cardell Thibodeaux, Southern

OF: AndreyMartinez, BethuneCookman

OF: Kameron Douglas,Alabama St.

SP: Eric Elliott, Jackson State

SP: KenneyFabian, UAPB

RP: Jean Carlos Zambrano,BethuneCookman

Second team

C: Chris Marcellus, Grambling State

1B: WilbertPerez, Jackson State

2B: AlexEspaillat,Alabama State

3B: KJ White, Southern

SS: Jeter Polledo, Bethune-Cookman

DH: Damian Garcia,Texas Southern

OF: Trey Rutledge,Alabama A&M

OF: DarrylLee, Bethune-Cookman

OF: Jordan McCladdie, Jackson State

SP: Jorhan Laboy,Alabama State

SP: Edwin Sanchez, BethuneCookman

SP: NickLuckett, Southern

RP: Ethan Bates, Grambling State

RP: Peyton Huff, Southern Coach of the Year: Jonathan Hernandez, Bethune-Cookman Playerofthe Year: Cardell Thibodeaux, Southern

Co-Hitter of the Year: Juan Cruz,Alabama St.

Co-Hitter of the Year: AndreyMartinez, Bethune-Cookman Pitcher of the Year: Eric Elliott, Jackson St. Relief Pitcher of the Year: Jean Carlos Zambrano, BethuneCookman Freshman of the Year: Garrett Workman, Florida A&M Newcomer of the Year: Cardell Thibodeaux, Southern

Continued from page 1C

flagship university.His interest in how LSU performs on thefield or court to this point has seemed minimal. LSU presidents and chancellors have, at times, injected themselves deeply into the expenditures, hirings and firings that comeaspart of the course charted by itsathletic directors. There was the point mannegotiating that former LSU chancellor andlater NCAA presidentMark Emmert did to hire Nick Saban in late 1999. And there was theroadblock to firing Les Miles at theend of the 2015 season by then-athletic director Joe Alleva, which came from Gov.Bobby Jindal’sadministration, facilitated by then-LSU president F. King Alexander

velop them (WestFeliciana players) well enoughsothat they are prepared to face life outside West Feliciana. Iwant them to understand there is greatnessinside of them.”

At West Feliciana,Minor takes over forDevin Ducote, who coached theSaints for two seasons before becoming head coach at his alma mater,Parkview Baptist, last month.

Minor lived in St.Francisville until sixth grade when his family movedtoZachary.Heplayed football underThe Dunham School’s NeilWeiner at Zachary and graduated in 2014. Minor served as Weiner’s offensive line coach at Dunham from 2014-18while attending LSU.

After spending18months in corporateﬁnance, Minor moved into coachingasanassistant to current Catholic head coach Hudson Fuller

at West Feliciana. He spent three seasons there and was the running gamecoordinator when the Saints lost to eventual Division II nonselect champion Lutcher in the semiﬁnals in 2022.

Minor followed Fuller to Catholic in 2023. The Bears were Division I select championsthatseasonand lost to eventual champion Karrin thesemiﬁnals last fall.

“Coach Minor is truly arelationships guy,” West Felicianaathletic director Shelley Genre said. “I am looking forhim to build strong connections within the entire athletic department, so thatwecan all work together to achieve our goals and build aculture of excellence.

“I feel he will bring freshenergy, anew vision and form meaningful relationshipswithinthe football team and coaching staff.”

Minoristhe thirdcoach with CatholicHigh connectionswhom

the Saints have hired. Fullerand Ducote also were assistants at Catholic. Ducote also had an assistantcoaching stint at West Feliciana.

Hall of fame stuff

TwoBaton Rougearea head football coaches, DavidBrewerton of Zachary and Thrive Academy’s Devon Breaux, are set fornotable hall of fame inductions.

Breaux is part of the 2025 Tulane Athletics Hall of Fameclass. The former Donaldsonville High star played football, ran track and was ajumps specialist forthe Green Wave.

Brewerton joins Catholic High’s Grizzly Greats Hall of Fame. He was apart of Catholic’sﬁrst Prep Classic football team in 1991 as a offensive lineman and was astate champion wrestler forthe Bears.

Email Robin Fambrough at rfambrough@theadvocate.com

TerryMinor spent the past two seasons as CatholicHigh School’s offensive coordinator

Southernleft ﬁelder Cardell Thibodeaux,leaping second from right, celebrates with Jaden Brasseaux after hittingatwo-run homerun against AlcornState on April 11 at Lee-Hines Field.Thibodeaux wasnamed the SWAC Player of the year

SOUTHERN

Continued from page1C

The Jaguars’ hot streak included three-game sweepsagainst Mississippi ValleyState and No 8-seeded Texas Southern, and two wins against Alabama A&M after the series opener was canceled because ofweather.

TheJaguars’ hitting prowess and speed on thebases have driventheir success, but they’ve won only four games with fewer than nine runs. Abig change duringthe winning streak was amore reliable defense catapulted by a changeinthe pitching rotation Crenshaw made Luckett his Friday starter and moved left-handed redshirt junior Ranard Grace to Saturday.

Luckett leads the SWAC in complete games (four) and innings

pitched(861/3), and is ﬁfth in ERA (5.00). Grace, apreseason AllSWAC second-team selection, is fourthinstrikeouts (80).

“Wejust got back to doing the basicstuff on thepitching side,” Crenshaw said. “Focusing on ﬁrstpitch strikes, gettingthem on and off in three pitchesorahead in (the count)inthree pitches,and they started executing.”

Sound pitching is what the Jaguars have needed to support their top-notch offense. They are second in the conference in batting average (.313) and slugging percentage (.502), and first in on-base percentage (.450)and stolenbases (183) Crenshaw’steam is led by Cardell Thibodeaux, whoishaving one of thebest hitting seasons in all of college baseball. The junior outfielder is first in the country in slugging percentage (.875), secondinbatting average (.438) and fourthinon-base per-

centage (.502). The UL-Monroe transfer also has68RBIs and18 home runs, which are fourth and second in the SWAC, respectively He was namedthe SWAC Player of the Year on Tuesday Southern also is buoyed by the hitting of seniorthird baseman TajBates, whohas the sixth-most RBIs (61) in the SWAC, and junior outﬁelder Jacoby Radcliffe, who has the ﬁfth-most stolen bases (33) and fourth-best on-base percentage (.506).

TheJaguars believe theypossess thepieces for theirfirst championship since 2021.

“Wejust gottacomeout and play our standard, andIthink if we play our standard and we play every game (how) we should, we should be here until Sunday,” Crenshaw said.

Email Toyloy BrownIII at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com.

That doesn’tmean that LSU’s new president,and by proxy Gov. Landry,will or will not take a more keen interestinthe future. How that will shape policy when it comes to laying out multi-million deals to hire coaches, or conversely ﬁre them, is abig question. Then there is the matter of Woodward. The LSU grad and Baton Rouge native’stenure predates Tate’sbytwo years, having been hired by Alexander under the governorship of John Bel Edwards. There has been atrend at LSU since Landrytook ofﬁce to sweep out pre-Landry administrative appointees. Will anew presidentput asimilartarget on Woodward —who has lost popularitywith more vocalsegmentsofLSU’s fanbase fornot retainingscandal-plagued

men’sbasketballcoach Will Wade andfor keeping his successor Matt McMahon—orwork with him? Muchmay be determined by how LSU footballdoes this season underKelly,ablockbusterhire Woodward madeand thatTate endorsed.

Kelly has spoken often about the “alignment” he sought with LSU’s athletic and academic administration.Whether that’ssomething that continues now that Tate is moving to New Jersey will becomeone of thenew LSU administration’smost closely watched issues.

TORINA

Continued from page1C

Torina took last year’s team to within onegame of the WCWS and lost six playerswho had started for at least three seasons. She signed athree-year extension to hercontract that pays her $455,000 through the 2028 season. The former Florida star pitchersaidthe team’s early success combined with its youth mayhavehad the team “a littleover their skis” when thebackloaded half of the schedule came around. LSU was 35-5 and 8-4 in conference play at one point but went 7-11the rest of the way

“Weneed people that can win us big games, pitch under pressure, execute plans,” shesaid. “People whocan win biggames when the lights are on.

“We’ve got to be tougher as awhole, top to bottom, in the organization. It’sone thing to be able to execute it in Tiger Park with no one in the stands on Tuesday afternoon at 2o’clock. It’s anotherthing to do it when somebody is pressing you with speed playersthat run alloveryou like Southeastern did. We need peoplewho can execute with pressure.” LSU tweaked its offensive attack afterthe departure of longtime assistantHoward Dobson and promotion of Bryce Neal, and the stats showed that it paid off. LSU set aschool record for onbasepercentage, and had the second-best batting averageand walktotals. LSU alsoset arecordfor the most mercy-rule winswith 19.

Torina said her staff will scour theportal for power hitters who can produce rightaway. Shewillalso have to look for immediate pitching help to replace Berzon, who was 18-8 with a2.46 ERA.

“Itwas arecord-setting offense, and we diditwithout theslug numbers,” Torina said. “Normally when you areinthe top 20 in scoring in the country it comes from doublesand homers. Butyou can’t ﬁndusinthe topfor that.Wejust didn’t have it.”

The recruiting class is led by outﬁelder Rylie Johnson, atop-25 outfield prospect from Fredericksburg,Virginia,and pitcherAshlin MowryfromLancaster Ohio, who has hit 73 miles per hour on the radar gun. Torina said she expects herteam to mature next season withonly twoposition starters out of eligibility

“Wehave areally good core of the offense,” she said. “It’sdevastating to lose thatway,but once you keep moving it forward it becomes exciting to think about what could be. As we start to put the pieces together with theportal and incoming freshmen, it becomes hopeful of what it could be in trying to ﬁndthe right answers.

STAFF FILE PHOTOByHILARy SCHEINUK

PROVIDED PHOTO

NewWest Feliciana footballcoach

Scheffler reviving GrandSlamtalk

The last chance for another career Grand Slam this year seemingly ended when Jordan Spieth missed the cut at thePGA Championship.

The next two days might have changedthe outlook.

Scottie Schefﬂerwon the PGA Championship with two stretches that were simply sublime. There was the closing ﬁve holes on Saturday that he played in 5-under par to build the lead, and the opening six holes on the back nine Sunday to stay there In both cases, he didn’tmiss ashot. Not one.

BY STEVE REED Associated Press

“I hit the important shots well this week, and that’swhy I’m walking away with the trophy,” Schefﬂer said.

“When Ineeded to, Ifeel likeI hit theshots.”

This was the epitome of execution, enough to wonder if he can win the U.S. Open and British Open over the next two months, the two majors he doesn’t already have.

Schefﬂer,with two Masters green jackets and the Wanamaker Trophy,now is halfway home to the career Grand Slam. He’s beenNo. 1inthe world for the last two years, and really golf’s best since 2022. He has been No. 1for 89% of the time since he ﬁrstgot to the top of the ranking.

Schefﬂer talked about the careerGrand Slam afew days afterRory McIlroy won the Masters forthe ﬁnal leg. As usual, he delivered adose of perspective.

“I’ve only won one,” he said, his two majors coming from Augusta National.“That’sthe other side of the coin. It’snot easy to geton the cusp, but it’salot easier to get on the cusp than to actually pull it off. I’ve been playingsome pretty good golf and I’m not even close.”

He is astep closer now,and the way he played at Quail Hollow might make itlook closer than it appears. This wasn’this best golfoverfour days, or even three days. It took him awhile to get going in his round the openingtwo days. His lifelong coach,Randy Smith, was with him on the range Friday evening, placing his hands on Schefﬂer’ships and crouched over to avoid being hit by the club, all to make sure his

hips wereclearing. But oh, those two stretches.

His 3-wood into the 304-yard 14th holewas theshot of the tournament, settlingjust under 3feet away that set off his eaglebirdie-par-birdie-birdie ﬁnish for athree-shotlead

Theonly par was a7-iron off a slightly sidehill lie to aright pin thatwas awkward. He hit it to 12 feet and called it his bestshot of the day.Schefﬂer doesn’t often rank shots. This was special.

That was to build alead. Tougher still was havingtohold it on Sunday with Bryson DeChambeaubriefly leading and Jon Rahmcharging, two daunting sights in amajor Scheffler wasstruggling, at least by his standards. On eight of nineholes on thefront nine, from either the tee or theapproach, themiss was to the left. He went from afive-shot lead to atie with Rahm. His caddie, Ted Scott, doesn’tget overly worried aboutmuch and suggested to him, “Maybe you’re aimed over there. Just try and hitalittle further right.”

Genius.

Schefﬂer hitevery fairway thebunkeronthe reachable 14th,

which should count given the ideal position —and was in the right spot on everygreen.

“I knew Ineeded nine really good holes,” he said. To hear him explain it was brilliant in its sheersimplicity.

“I hit agood shot on 10, good approach shot, and Iexecuted. From there, fairway on 11, really good iron shot. Fairway on 12, really good iron shot. Good iron shot on 13. Good tee ball on 14, good birdie there. Twogreat shotson15,”hesaid.

Rinse and repeat

“From 10 to 15, Ifelt like Iexecuted as good as Ihad almost all week,” Schefﬂer said. “That was avery important time in the tournament.”

Andthen it was over before it was really over,just like his other two major titles. He wears everyone down with near flawless execution, the hallmark of his game. Scheffler looked over from the 15th hole to see Rahmonhis way to makingbogey.DeChambeau had faded by then. Scheffler started the back nine in atie. He was up by six shots towardthe end. He becamethe first player since Tiger Woods in 2007 to

thanits current six teams

win by at least ﬁve shots in con-

secutive PGA Tour starts in the middle of the season. He wonin Dallas by eight, the PGA Championship by ﬁve, and now goes to Colonial with expectations higher than ever

Getting on the cusp of the career Grand Slam indeed is hard, and Schefﬂer is not there yet. But as many comparisons as there are with Woods, it’snot too much to thinkSchefﬂer can winatOakmontnext month and at Royal Portrush in July.

He’snot thinking that far ahead. Schefﬂer doesn’tset goals, he only appreciates winning. Gettingfrom the ﬁrst hole Thursday to the72nd hold on Sunday is what he enjoys.

Aperformance like that —bya player like that —makes it easy to forget McIlroy won at Pebble Beach,The Players Championship and the Masters. It wasa weird week forMcIlroy at Quail Hollow,mainly the Masters champion feeling above any obligation to speak to the media for four days, even the Irish who have documented him his entire career

The chase now falls to Schefﬂer.And all he cares about his competing.

CHARLOTTE,N.C. Given his resume, Kurt Busch knew it wasamatter of when, not if,hewould be selected into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Still, gettingvoted in on theﬁrst ballot on Tuesday wasahuge relief for Busch, who let out an emotional sigh of relief after hearing his named called at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

“I’mverygrateful andthankful that it happened this first time,” Busch said. “You want to have that answer as fast as you can.”

Ray Hendrickand Harry Gant were also voted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Tuesday,while executive Humpy Wheeler was namedthe Landmark Awardwinnerfor his contributiontothe sport. Aceremony will be held to ofﬁcially induct theClass of 2026 intothe Hall of FameinMarch.

The 46-year-old Buschheldoff Jimmie Johnson to winthe 2004 Cup Series championship and went on to win 34 Cup races, including at least one victory in 19 of his 21 fulltime seasons on the premier circuit before he retired in 2023.

Hisjourney to NASCARstardom beganin2000with aTruck Series rookieseasonthat foreshadowed greatness. His big breakthrough camein2004, whenhebecamethe ﬁrst driver to winthe titleunder NASCAR’s“playoff” system —a feat that proved both his excellence and adaptability

TheconsistentBusch ﬁnished in the top 10 in the Cup Series standings 10 times.

“Things happenedfastfor me in this sport and Idon’tknow how or why,”Busch said. “There was no template, there wasn’tthe ladder that these days you see the kids that have asystem where it is going to be this or that. For me it was being in the right place at the right time and the universe smiled down on me.”

BY DOUGFERGUSON AP golf writer

CHARLOTTE,N.C.— Twomonths after the inaugural TGL season, the indoor golf league has expanded. Motor City Golf Club representing Detroit will be the seventh team in TGL, the league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy as part of their TMRWSports entertainment company Motor City will not start playing until 2027. It will join teams that represent Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Boston,Atlanta and Jupiter,Florida.Atlanta, with Billy Horschel and JustinThomas, won the inaugural title. The Motor City ownership group is led by Middle West Partners.

The principals areMichael Hamp, Peter Hamp and Kevin Kelleher, all with Detroit roots. TheHamp family has been longtime co-owners of theDetroit Lions

Notebook

“This is agreat moment forDetroitsports and aproud moment formepersonally,” Michael Hamp said. “My grandfather,William Clay Ford Sr., was an avid golfer, andI believe bringing anew formatofthe game he loved would make him really proud.”

Theownership group includes DenverBroncos owner RobWalton andJordan Rose, president of Arizona-basedRoseLaw Group.

Eachteam features four players (Woods is with Jupiter,McIlroy with Boston). Agroup representing Dallaswas working on abid last month. With Detroitnot starting until 2027, it was unlikely for TGL to start next year with more

Hoganaward

Theamazing year of Luke Clantonhit another high notewhen the Florida State junior was selected for the BenHogan Awardasthe top college player basedonperformances in college, amateur and professional events. Clanton is theNo. 1player in the amateur ranking and No. 1inthe PGA Tour University, already securing aPGA Tour card after the NCAAs end next week.

Clanton already has two runnerup ﬁnishes on the PGA Tour,atthe JohnDeere Classic andthe RSM Classic, andhehas two other top 10s playing on sponsorexemptions. Not since Jack Nicklaus in 1961 hasanamateur hadatleast three top 10s on thePGA Tour in the same season. He has four wins

this year at Florida State, most recently at the NCAAregional. The NCAA Championship starts later this week at La Costa Resort north of San Diego.

Majorstreaks

Sergio Garcia took bogeyonhis ﬁnal hole of U.S. Open qualifying on Monday that cost theSpaniard aspot in what turned out to be a 7-for-1 playoff forthe last of seven spots at Bent Tree in Dallas. That ends astreak of 25 consecutive U.S.Open appearances forGarcia that began in 2000 at PebbleBeach. His streak nearly ended last year,but he got into the ﬁeld at Pinehurst No.2asan alternate. He had played in 82 consecutive majors— dating to 1999 —until he tested positive forthe coronavirus and missedthe 2020 Masters.

Hendrick, who died in 1990 at age 61, was the original “Mr.Modified.” He is one of the winningest drivers of all time, with more than 700 modified and late model sportsman wins between 1950-88. His success started in hishome state of Virginia,where his No.11was well known. He won five track championships at South Boston Speedway —four modified and one late model sportsman.

He was known as adriverwho waswilling to race “anywhere and everywhere.” He filledhis schedule with modifiedand late model sportsman races across the East coast. Hendrick wasknown best for hiswinsonshort tracks, but also produced victories at Talladega, Charlotte and Dover. Despite never winning aModified Division championship, Hendrick finished in the top 10 in the standings nine times from 1960-69.

The85-year-old Gant,known as the “Bandit” for his long-time sponsorshipwithSkoal Bandits, won 18 Cup Series races, including the Southern 500 in 1984 and 1991. From 1981-85, he finished in the top five in points four times, including arunner-up championship finish to Terry Labonte in 1984.

KurtBusch

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID J. PHILLIP

Scottie Scheffler hits from abunker during the final round of the PGAChampionship on Sunday at the Quail HollowClubinCharlotte, N.C

Doug Ferguson

Lauren Cheramie BONVIVANT

Newsummer specials

served up at RoccaPizzeria

Bon vi·vant /noun/ asociable personwho has cultivatedand reﬁned tastes, especially with respect to food and drink

Newfood,drinksonthe block

Rocca Pizzeria,3897 Government St., Baton Rouge, has severalnew specials on the menu, including the “Spinoso Bull” cocktail with bourbon, pear liqueur,strawberry puree, lemon, jalapeño and simple syrup, as well as:

n Salmon carpaccio, made with smoked salmon, fried capers, shishito pepper,shallot and lemon vinaigrettewith focaccia bread

PROVIDED PHOTO

Trythe salmon carpaccio at Rocca Pizzeria, made with smoked salmon, fried capers, shishito pepper, shallot and lemon vinaigrette with focaccia bread.

n House smoked wings, made with your choice of spicy bomba or garlic chimichurrisauce and served with house ranch or blue cheese vinaigrette

n Italian beef pizza, made with slow cookedbrisket,giardiniera, provolone and white sauce n Tamburo nero, made with wild caught black drum, orzo, aglio olio, charred broccolini and lemon butter sauce, served withaside Sensation salad

n Roasted ﬁngerling potatoes,made with garlic, grana cheese, herbs and aioli.

CC’sCoffee House,with multiple locations in BatonRouge, is also rollingout summer specials. Trythe lemon blueberry cookie or ashakenrefresher with notes of strawberry dragonfruit.

Wine andspirits

Maywine dinner:6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Carrabba’sItalian Grill, 7275 Corporate Blvd., Baton Rouge Immerse yourselfinItalian cuisine paired with cinemainspired wines from Francis Ford Coppola.The four-course dinner features tarragon shrimp bruschette paired with chardonnay,linguinesostanza paired witha red blend, Tuscan-grilled ﬁlet with crab scampi paired with apinot noir andachocolate walnut brownie with raspberries paired with acabernet sauvignon.

Tickets are $75 per person, available for purchaseatlocations.carrabbas.com/search

Food and wine pairing: 6p.m. to 8p.m. June 12 at Red Stick Spice Co., 660 Jefferson Highway,Baton Rouge Join Red Stick Spice with Martin’sWine &Spirits for a hands-on cooking class with wine pairings. The menu includes oyster mushroom pinxto paired with ColomeTorrontes, hot shrimp remoulade paired with Arca Nova Vinho Verde Rosé and more. Tickets are $165 per person, available

BREAKING THERULES

Experiment with theAmerican classicwith unconventional burgers

Staff report

Atraditional burger is an American classic, but an unconventional burger takes risks that surprise the tastebuds. When a restaurant isn’tafraid to break the rulesona burger,sometimes that meansswapping out beef for beansoradding pineapple, peanut butter or mac andcheese.

When it comes to makingan unorthodox burger that’ssatisfying, the best ones marry cultures Somehow the combinations seem to work out —they’re certainly never boring. Here are ﬁve nontraditional burgers in Baton Rouge. If you know one that we missed, email us

at lauren.cheramie@theadvocate. com.

Chow Yum’smonthly featured burger

n ChowYum,2363 Hollydale Ave., Baton Rouge

As an Asian fusion spot, one might not expect Chow Yumto have burgers, but every Wednesday,they roll out their monthly burger special. In monthspast, they’ve featured apho smash burger (with pho seasoning), a

Buldak burger,and The Chow Sui Burger which has pork belly

For the month of May,they have NewYork-inspired “Chopped Cheese” sandwiches. This isn’t technically aburger,but the grilled beef patty with melted cheese stuffed into ahoagie roll will satisfyany burger cravings.

The Chopped Cheese is huge, and the ﬂavor is great. Served with a side of Chow Yum’stater tots, it’s agreat meal for alovely evening.

—Serena Puang

Hawaiian burger,pizza burger at Our Mom’s

n Our Mom’s Restaurant and Bar, 250 W. LeeDrive, Baton Rouge

The Hawaiian burger at Our Mom’s called out to me with just twowords: grilled pineapple. The burger is an 8-ounce patty with smoked ham,agrilled pineapple, sweet and tangy homemade barbecue sauce, lettuce and tomatoes on asourdough bun. Each elementofthis burger added adifferent ﬂavorproﬁle,ablend of sweet, salty,savory andtangy

The ‘Cesar salad with skirtsteak from Modesto in Baton Rouge

Staff report ‘Cesar’ salad n Modesto,3930 Burbank Drive, Baton Rouge On this particular day,I was looking forsomething on the menuthat waslight and refreshing —something that wouldn’t makemefeel miserable after Iperused the menuatModesto and bypassed my usual taco order to ﬁnd the “Cesar” salad.

STAFFPHOTO By SERENA PUANG

The Chopped Cheese at Chowyum is servedwith aside of tater tots.

STAFF PHOTO By LAUREN CHERAMIE Lamb-I-Am burger from Curbside

This dish isn’tyour typical Caesar salad. Instead, it comes with romaine lettuce, black beans, cotija cheese, grilled corn, spicy caesar dressing and crispy tortilla strips with the option to add grilled chicken, shrimp, skirt

By The Associated Press

Today is Wednesday, May 21, the 141st day of 2025. There are 224 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On May 21, 1881, the American Red Cross was founded by nurse and educator Clara Barton in Washington, D.C.

On this date:

In 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh landed his Spirit of St. Louis monoplane near Paris, completing the ﬁrst solo airplane ﬂight across the Atlantic Ocean in 33½ hours

In 1932, Amelia Earhart became the ﬁrst woman to ﬂy solo across the Atlantic

Ocean as she landed in Northern Ireland, about15 hoursafter leavingNewfoundland. In 1941, aGerman U-boat sank the American merchantsteamship SSRobin Moor in the South Atlantic after theship’s passengers and crew were allowed to board lifeboats. In 1972, Michelangelo’s Pieta,inSt. Peter’sBasilica at theVatican, was damaged byahammer-wielding man. (Thesculpture went backondisplay10months later after its damagedelementswere reconstructed.) In 1979, former San Francisco City Supervisor Dan White was convicted of voluntary manslaughterinthe

slayings of Mayor George Moscone and openly gay Supervisor Harvey Milk. Outrage over White’slenient sentence sparked theWhiteNight riots that evening.

Today’sbirthdays: Baseball Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox is 84. Singer Ronald Isley (TheIsley Brothers) is 84. Singer Leo Sayer is 77. Actor Mr.Tis73. Actor Judge Reinhold is 68. Filmmaker Nick Cassavetes is 66. Actor LisaEdelstein is 59. Comedian-TV presenter Noel Fielding is 52. Actor Fairuza Balk is 51. Actor Da’Vine Joy Randolph is 39. Country musician Cody Johnson is 38. Actor Hannah Einbinder is 30.

that it would be good the next day,but it was! The tangy ﬂavorofthe dressing paired well with the salty cotija cheese, and the steak was cookedto perfection.

—Lauren Cheramie, features coordinator Massaman curry n Duang Tawan, 4850 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., Baton Rouge

fresh and delightfully sweet.

—Joy Holden, Louisiana Inspired coordinator Garlic Parmesan fries n Acadian Superette, 600 Lamar St Lafayette

Dear Miss Manners: Ihave a dear friend who occasionally attends functions with me wherefood is available —usually breakfasts. She invariably takes an item (a bagel, mufﬁnorcookie, say),breaks off the amount she wants and then puts the remainder back on theserving platter Ithink this is wrong, as she’stouching thefood with bare hands and returning it for others to eat. If it’sa casserole or somethingtobescooped up withutensils, that’s ﬁne, but not asingle-serving baked item that she’s touching. She thinksit’sa good

Pad thai is usually my go-to order at Duang Tawan restaurant, but for aFriday lunch, Iwanted something warmer withmore vegetables. Curry sounded just right. Ichose the Massaman curry with chicken, coconut milk, onions, bell peppers, potatoes and peanuts. For a lunch portion, the size was perfectfor me.The sweet spices like cinnamon, cardamom and nutmegﬁlled me up with cozywarmthon arainyday.Lunch specials at DuangTawan also come with aspringroll anda cup of TomYum soup. For dessert, Igot the Mango Sticky Rice, which was

BONVIVANT

Continued from page1vD

This platteroffries arethe kind thatyou keep picking at,long after realizing you’re toofull for one more bite. Heaps of fresh Parmesan and garlic are layered over crispy French fries,providing aperfect accompanimenttothe Superette’scelebrated line of sandwiches, burgers, po-boys and smoked meats. They are a bit pricey at $6 aserving, but theplatter is morethan big enough toshare witha friend while enjoying these French fryﬂavor bombs (with aside of the Superette’shouse made sauce.)

—Joanna Brown staff writer

is back at Perkins Rowe, rain or shine. From Barnes &Noble to Kendra Scott, food trucks will be lined up, and Derrick Lemon will provide live music. Someof thevendors include Capitol Seafood, Marble Slab Creamery,Ninja Snowballs, Vel’sMobile Cafe, Chris’s SpecialtyFoods and more.

Mark your calendar Food truck round-up:6 p.m.to 8p.m.June13atPerkins Rowe, 10001 PerkinsRowe, Baton Rouge Thefood truck round-up

for purchase at redstickspice.com. In theknow Local food influencer and business owner Jordan Basham was selected as one of five winnersfor the first HoneyBook Awards, which honor “exceptional entrepreneurs and creative professionals,” according to apress release. Basham uses hersocial media account,@wheretogeaux225, to uplift Baton Rouge businesses, particularly restaurants. Six months ago, she launched WheretoGeaux225 Social Media Services to further amplify local businesses.

If you have an upcoming food event or akitchen question, emaillauren. cheramie@theadvocate. com. Cheers!

practice to not waste food that she won’t eat and, if she just wants “a taste,” it’s OK forher to break off what she wants. Interestingly enough, when I bake an item for home, like brownies or apie or casserole, Itend to allow people to choose their own size/ portion. Yetifthis samefriend is present, she will grab aknife and cut the item into equal portions, despite being asked not to do so!

Is it me or is there aright answer?

Gentle reader: Your friend is apublic menace, isn’t she? The right answer is for

her to be agood guest, which meansnot trying to play hostess and keeping her hands off food meant forother people. At functions you are both attending, this also applies to you. In your own home, Miss Manners recommends walking the platter around, as that will limit her access to the serving knife—orat least to astable surface on which to employ it.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www.missmanners. com; to heremail, dearmissmanners@gmail. com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St Kansas City MO 64106.

Askabout thePremier

Continued from page1D

STAFF PHOTO JOyHOLDEN

Massaman curryatDuang Tawan

STAFF PHOTO By JOANNA BROWN An order of garlic Parmesan fries, with aside of spicy’rette sauce, from Acadian Superette

An upside-downhint

Dear Heloise: In response to Charlie M., what Ihave done in the past has helped stop the problem of spray-paint clogs. When you’re ﬁnished painting, invertyour can and hit the spray button forjust asplit second. Then you should see the nozzle clear up. I’ve done it for years, and it works for me. —Floyd R., via email Carsafetyconcern

Dear Heloise: Yourecently suggested to put keys in abowl or on akey holder by the door.This is not asmart idea! Iknow of afamily who got robbed when they were not home. Athief broke into their home, took the keys off the key holder,and drove off with the victim’scar full of the victim’s belongings. Abetter ideaisto hide the keys in asafe place where only family members knowthe location —and to also purchase asecurity system.

Hints from Heloise

Here’sanother suggestion: Keep blinds closed when you’re not at home in rooms like astudy where computers and other devices are kept. Don’tset purses, phones, laptops and other items on atable in frontofa window or glass doors! That’sjust common sense! We can never be too careful. Thank you! Ienjoy your column —Marie F.,inLancaster,California

Eating more fiber

Dear Heloise: My doctor said I needmore ﬁber in my diet,but I have no idea where to get ﬁber

Iknowsome foods have alot of ﬁber,but can you suggest afew foods for me? —TroyS in Wisconsin Troy,toget you started, there are booksonlineoratabookstore that go into detail about ﬁber and which foodsare best for you. But here are few ideas: n Beans: chickpeas, lima beans,

black beans and split peas.

n Whole grains: oatmeal (steelcut, not instant), quinoa, and brown rice.

n Fruit:all berries, apples, pears and bananas.

n Vegetables: spinach, Brussels sproutsand carrots.

n Nuts and seeds such as sunﬂower seeds. —Heloise Festivepacking material

Dear Heloise: When colorful gift wrap has seen better days, don’tthrow it away; reuse it in anew way.Put it through a paper shredder and store in a designated plasticbag to use as festive gift packing material. It’s colorful and economic, and it can be used morethan once. In its ﬁnal incarnation, it deteriorates more easily than mulch in your garden or landﬁll. —S.H., in Anaheim Hills, California

Send ahinttoheloise@heloise. com.

BURGERS

Continued from page1D

Thepizza burger also checks the box for unconventional with grilled pepperoni, fresh melted mozzarella, Mom’smarinara sauce and adelicious, well-seasoned patty on a sourdough bun. This burger tastes like biting into a meatball burger with fresh mozzarella and homemade tomato gravy,which really sets it apart. Somehow,it tasted nostalgic and homey even though it was the ﬁrst time I’d had it.

—Joy Holden

Lamb-I-Am burger from Curbside n Curbside Burgers, 4158 Government St.,Baton Rouge At Curbside in Mid City, the “Lamb-I-Am” burger is light, refreshing and puts a spin on the typical burger with alamb patty.The burger also includes feta cheese, pepper jelly, redonions and arugula on asoft, almost sweet, toasted bun

At ﬁrst bite, the feta meshes its tangy ﬂavor with the sweet-and-salty pepper jelly,offering akick to

thetastebuds. Thearugula balances the ﬂavorswhile addingaseparate peppery taste. I’d love to take the components and makea salad, and, lucky for me, customers can substitute anyburgerbun for alettuce bun atCurbside.

Overall, the “Lamb-I-Am” is azesty burger that surprisesyou.

—Lauren Cheramie Boudin burger from Elsie’sPlate and Pie n Elsie’s Plateand Pie,3145 Government St., Baton Rouge

Ordering theboudin burger mayseem daunting: ajuicy burger patty topped

with melted pepper jack cheese, afried boudin ball patty on top with smoked gouda and peach pepper jelly sandwiched between a butteryburger brioche bun. At ﬁrst glance, theburger may seem tobeheavy and dense, but thereality is the burger is hearty, yes, but also tangy and bright —an unexpected ﬂavor combination

The menuitem at Elsie’s Plate andPie gained much attention when two British inﬂuencers touring the stategave it atry in early May.The burger proves that fried boudin goes with anything.

—Margaret DeLaney

Dear Harriette: Throughout my entire pregnancy,mymom treated me badly.I was 18 when Ifound out Iwas pregnant, and she was not happy.Not only was Inot married, but Iwasn’tinaparticularly stable relationship either.She held agrudge, probablyout of shame or embarrassment. She barely spoke to me, and when she did, she was not kind. Eventually,Idecided to stop letting shame rule me, andthat’swhenthings got more combative between us.We’d argue because Ididn’t want to hear her shrewd comments allday.SoI moved out. My daughterisnow 5months old; my mom constantly calls and offers to help, but Istill have alot of resentment for how shetreated me during the pregnancy. Should Iforgive her and move forward forthe sakeofmydaughter? —Grandma’s Grudge

Harriette Cole SENSE AND SENSITIVITy

Dear Grandma’sGrudge: Youare probably right. It took your mother abit to get real about your situation. It can be hard foramother to witness what could be abig challenge forher daughter That said, it sounds like she is making the effort to come around. That’sa good thing. Youshould forgive her, as forgiveness frees you from pain. Youshould talk to her; let her know that she hurt you during that incredibly vulnerable time in your lifeand that you need to know that she will makethe effort to be kind and respectful if she gets involved in your life now.Ask her to promise you that. Then welcomeher into your family

Send questions to askharriette@harriettecole. com or c/oAndrewsMcMeel Syndication,1130 Walnut St., KansasCity, MO 64106.

STAFF PHOTOSByJOy HOLDEN

Pizza burger at Our Mom’sinBaton Rouge

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Take the stage, express your views and listen to the response you get. Putting yourself out there will give you a sense of whether you are on the right track.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Gather as much information as possible and thoroughly analyze what you discover. Understanding the problems and needs of others will help you know what you can do to improve things and find a valuable niche.

LEo (July 23-Aug 22) Stand up and do something that makes you proud. Broaden your awareness, learn from the best and help people. Spend your downtime with a loved one, and you will enhance your relationship.

VIRGo (Aug 23-sept. 22) Rethinkyoursituation. Don't stifle your emotions when you must face your feelings to get past what stands in your way. Reach out for help if you need it. LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Reflect on what you want to turn into a reality. Expand your interests, scout out new prospects andteamupwithpeoplewhounderstand you and what you want. Refuse to let emotions get in your way.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Outside interests will take your mind off your worries and give you a break. Distancing yourself from people who confuse you willallowyoutimetofigureoutwhatyou want and need.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Protectwhat matters most to you. Update your image orsurroundingstofitwhatyouaretrying

to achieve. It's up to you to take responsibility and create opportunities instead of waiting for them to come to you.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec 22-Jan. 19) You'll face opposition if you are too demanding or unaccommodating. Put more thought and energy into partnerships, equality and shared expenses. Balance the budget and divvy up duties fairly.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) You know the drill, so do your part. What you achieve will give you the confidence you need to do or try something you've been reluctant to pursue. Make your move and find out where you stand.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Pare down. Rid yourself of what you no longer use. Be true to yourself and the people you love. Reevaluate your situation and change what isn't working for you.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Think about what youwantandcandotogetahead.Participate in functions that can put you in contact with people who can provide insight into unique ways to put your attributes to good use.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Stick close to home and revise your routine to make your life less confusing or cumbersome. Use your energy to enforce positive financial change. Refuse to let outside influences interfere with your peace of mind.

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon

dooneSbUrY

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers1 to 9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER

Elizabeth Olsen, an actress and singer, said, “At New York University, I went to the Atlantic Theater Company, and they havetwomainpoints.Oneisalwaystobe active in something instead of just feeling it. And the other is figuring out your character.”

At the bridge table, be active in counting points and figuring out tricks, both yours and theirs.

In this deal, West is trying to defeat three no-trump. He leads the spade queen: five, two, king. South plays on clubs, putting West back in. What should he do next? What do you think of South’s one-notrump response?

I think it is better than raising clubs, which might be only a 4-3 fit. But if three no-trump is the best final contract, probably it would be preferable for the opener, with the stronger hand, to be the declarer. Some Souths would respond with an imaginative one diamond (and I might do that if the spades and diamonds were reversed).

Note South’s taking the first trick with the king. Usually declarer should win with the top of touching honors from the closed hand.

Trick one in no-trump can be an exception. If he wins with the ace, it advertises strength, because with only the ace, he would make the holdup play. East’s spade two denies a high honor. So South is marked with seven points in spades and, with the club ace out of the way, nine winners (two spades, three hearts and four clubs). There isn’t a moment to lose. West should go center stage and shift to the diamond queen, hoping East has at least A-J-10-x-x

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

CITY OF ST.GEORGE BY COUNCIL MEMBER EDMONDS:

ORDINANCE NO. 2025-022

TO AMEND CHAPTER 15 OF THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE

RELATIVE TO FLOODWAYS, FLOODPLAINS,DRAINAGE,AND

WATER QUALITY AND TO PROVIDE FOR RELATED MATTERS

WHEREAS, the Louisiana Legislature throughLa. R.S. 38:84, et seq. delegated the responsibility to local governmental unitstoadopt regulations designed to minimize flood losses grantingthe St.George Council the authority to “adopt such ordinances, rules, and regulations, includingzoning and land use regulations, as arenecessary to comply with the requirements” of the NationalFlood Insurance Act of 1968, 42 USC 4001 et seq. and the regulationsadopted pursuant thereto by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”);

WHEREAS, beforethe incorporation of the City of St. George, the properties within the unincorporated area weresubject to the Unified Development Code for the City of Baton Rouge andParish of East Baton Rouge (the “EBR-UDC”) and the related zoning map;

WHEREAS, on July 25, 2024, prior to issuing any buildingpermits or approving any development within St. George, the St. GeorgeCouncil, by Ordinance No. 2024-002, adopted theUnified Development Code for East Baton Rouge Parish, including Chapter 15 relative to Floodways, Floodplains, Drainage and Water Quality and Chapter 19, which defined certain terms therein;

WHEREAS, the enactment of Ordinance No. 2024-002 provides that regulation of development in areas with flood hazards remains subject to land use and control measures and effective enforcement provisionsconsistent with the criteria in Section 60 of the National Flood Insurance Program Regulations;

WHEREAS, St. George Code of Ordinances,Title 8, Section 8:70, adopted on August 24, 2024 through Ordinance No. 2024-015, provided for certain requirements in the event of flood hazardprior to the issuance of a building permit;

WHEREAS, by repealing and reenacting Title 8, Section 8:70 of the St.George Code of Ordinances, repealingand reenacting the Unified Development Code, Chapter 15, Floodways, Floodplains, Drainage and Water Quality and, amending the Unified DevelopmentCode, Chapter 19, Definitions, the City Council desires to adopt an ordinance to maintain in force, in those areas having flood hazards, adequate land use and control measures with effective enforcement provisions consistent with the criteria set forth in Section 60 of the National Flood Insurance Program Regulations for the City of St. George;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINEDbythe St.GeorgeCity Council, State of Louisiana, as follows:

Section 1. Amend and Re-Enact. St. GeorgeCode of Ordinances, Title 8, Section 8:70. Requirements in the event of flood hazardare hereby amended andreenacted to read as follows:

Title 8. BUILDINGS CHAPTER 1.BUILDING CODE PART VII. FLOOD HAZARD.

Sec. 8:70. Requirements in the event of flood hazard. Beforeabuilding permit or certificate of occupancy is issued, the floodplain manager shall ensurethat the applicable provisionsofthe St.George Unified Development Code, Chapter 15 Floodplain and Stormwater Management have been met.

Section 2. Amendment and Re-enactment Chapter 15 of theSt. George Unified Development Code, as adopted in Ordinance No. 2024-002, is hereby amended and re-enacted to read as follows: St. George Unified Development Code

CHAPTER 15. FLOODWAYS, FLOODPLAINS, DRAINAGE, AND WATERQUALITY

Section 15.1 Statutory Authorization, FindingsofFact,Statement of Purpose, General Provisions, and Amendments

Section 15.1.1 Statutory Authorization

The Legislatureofthe State of Louisiana has in Louisiana Revised Statutes 38:84 et seq. delegated the responsibility to local governmental units to adopt regulations designed to minimize flood losses. Therefore, the St. George City Council does ordain as provided this chapter

Section 15.1.2 Findings of Fact

A. The flood hazardareas of the City of St. Georgeare subject to periodic inundation which results in loss of life and property,health and safety hazards, disruption of commerce and governmental services, and extraordinary public expenditures for flood protection andrelief, all of which adversely affect the public health, safety and general welfare.

B. These flood losses arecreated by extreme weather events and the cumulative effect of obstructionsin floodplains that cause an increase in flood heights and velocities, andbythe occupancyof flood hazardareas by uses vulnerable to floods and hazardous to other lands becausetheyare inadequately elevated, flood-proofed to otherwise be protected from flood damage.

Section 15.1.3 Statement of Purpose

A. It is the purpose of this chapter to promote the public health, safety and general welfareand to minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions by provisions designed to:

1. Protect human life and health;

2. Minimize expenditureofpublic money for costly flood control projects;

3. Minimizethe need for rescueand relief efforts associated with flooding and generallyundertaken at the expense of the general public;

4. Minimize prolonged business interruptions;

5. Minimize damage to public facilities and utilities suchas water and gas mains, electric, telephone, and sewer lines, streets, andbridges located in floodplains;

6. Provide for the sound use and developmentof flood-proneareas in such amanner as to minimize future flood blight areas; and,

7. Ensurethat potential buyers arenotified that theproperty is in aFEMA Special Flood HazardArea.

Section 15.1.4 General Provisions

In order to minimize the adverse environmental impacts caused by increased run-off, urban heat island effects, and non-pointsourcepollution,Best Management Practices (BMPs) as described in Appendix Kshall be used as prescribed in this Chapter

Section 15.1.5 Amendments

The St. George City Council may amend this Chapter upon its own motion or upon petition without Planning Commission approval.

Section 15.2 Definitions

Definitions of terms used in this chapter may be foundinChapter 19.

Section 15.3 Establishment of Development Permit

Adevelopment permit shall be required to ensure conformance with the provisions of this chapter

Section 15.4 Compliance

No structureorland shall be located, altered, or have its usechanged without full compliance withthe terms of thischapterand other applicable regulations.

Section 15.5 Abrogation and Greater Restrictions

This chapter is not intended to repeal, abrogate, or impair anyexisting easements, covenants, or deed restrictions. However,where this chapter and another ordinance conflict or overlap whichever imposes themorestringent restrictions shall prevail.

Section15.6 Interpretation.

In the interpretation and application of this chapter,all provisions shall be considered as minimum requirements,liberally construed in favor of the governing body,and deemed neither to limit nor repeal anyother powers granted under State statutes.

Section 15.7 Basis for Establishing Special Flood HazardAreas

Theterm “special flood hazardarea(s)” shall hereon refer to both items written in this section unless specified otherwise.

Section 15.7.1 FEMASpecialFlood HazardAreas

TheFederal Emergency ManagementAgency (FEMA) special flood hazard areas (FEMA SFHA) identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in thecurrent scientificand engineering report entitled, “The Flood Insurance Study (FIS) for EastBaton Rouge Parish andIncorporated Areas,” dated June 19, 2012, with accompanyingFlood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for EastBaton Rouge Parish andIncorporated Areas dated May 2 2008 and revisionsasmade June 19, 2012, and any revisionstheretoare hereby adopted by reference and declared to be apart of this ordinance. As future studies based on morerecent data and methodology become available, including but notlimited to FEMA-approved data, this new data shall replace the older studies.

Section 15.7.2 Community Defined Special Flood Hazard Areas

TheCommunityDefined Special Flood HazardAreas (CD SFHA) estimate areas flooded during thefuture100-year stormevent and areidentified by East Baton Rouge Parish based on scientificand engineering analysis by themethodology described in theStormwater Management Plan Modeling Design Criteria document. The locationand extent of theCDSFHA, as well as Community Defined Flood Elevations (CD FE), aremaintained on the EBR GIS website. Theinitial CD SFHA and CD FE maps on theEBR GIS

website shallbedated APRIL 1, 2023 and haveaneffective date of APRIL 1, 2023. As future studies based on more recent data and methodology become available, including but notlimited to FEMA-approved data, this new data shall replace the older studies at the discretion of the Floodplain

Administrator

Section 15.8 Warning and Disclaimer of Liability

Thedegree of flood protection requiredbythis chapter shall be considered thereasonable minimum for regulatory purposes and is based on scientific and engineering considerations.Onrareoccasions, greater floods can and will occurand flood heights maybeincreased by man-made or natural causes. This chapter does notimplythat land outside thespecial flood hazardareas or uses permitted withinsuch areas will be free from flooding or flood damages. This chapter shallnot create liability on thepart of the community or anyofficial or employee thereof for any flood damages that result from reliance on this chapter or anyadministrativedecision lawfully made thereunder

Section 15.9 Designation of the Floodplain Administrator

TheDirector of Developmentishereby appointed theFloodplainAdministrator to administer and implement theprovisionsofthis chapter and relevant sections of 44 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) (Emergency Management andAssistance -National Flood Insurance Program Regulations) pertaining to floodplain management

Section 15.10 Duties and Responsibilitiesofthe Floodplain Administrator

Theduties and responsibilities of theFloodplainAdministrator shall include, but not be limited to, thefollowing:

A. Maintain and hold open for public inspection allrecords pertaining to the provisionsofthis chapter;

B. Review permitapplications to determine whether proposed building sites, including theplacement of manufactured homes, will be reasonably safe from flooding;

C. Review,approve, or deny allapplications for development permits requiredbythe adoption of thischapter;

D. Review permits for proposed development to assurethat all necessary permits have been obtained from those federal, State, or local governmental agencies (including permits issued under Section 404 of theFederal Water PollutionControl Act Amendments of 1972, 33 USC 1334) from which prior approval is required;

E. Make thenecessary interpretation, whereinterpretationisneeded as to theexact location of theboundaries of the special flood hazardareas FEMA SFHA andCDSFHA (for example, wherethereappears to be a conflict between amapped boundary and actual field conditions), as wellasStream Setbacks

F. Notify, in riverine situations, adjacent communities,and theState coordinating agency,the State Department of Transportation and Development, prior to any alteration or relocationofa watercourse and submitevidence of such notification to theFederal Emergency Management Agency;

G. Assurethat the flood-carrying capacitywithin thealtered or relocated portion of anywatercourse is maintained.

HG.Review and approve or denyall applications requiring an Offsite Drainage Assessment in accordance with Section 15.24, FloodplainConveyance Zones, to minimizeimpacts to the flood-carrying capacitywithin the altered or relocated portion of any drainageway;

IH.Obtain, review,and reasonably utilize any FEMA base flood elevation data and floodway data available from afederal, State, or other source and Community Defined flood elevation and floodplain conveyance zones in order to administer theprovisionsofSection 15.18, Flood Prevention, throughSection 15.23, Floodways, of this chapter when base flood elevation data has not been provided in accordance with Section 15.7, Basis for Establishing Special Flood HazardAreas;

JI.Requirethat no new construction, substantial improvements, or other development (including fill) be permitted within Zones A, Al-30, and AE on theFIRM when aregulatory floodway has not been designated, unless, it is demonstrated that the cumulative effect of the proposed development when combined with allother existing and anticipated development will notincreasethe water surface elevation of thebase flood morethan onefoot at anypoint within the floodplain;KJ. Apply fora conditional FIRMrevision throughFEMA under theprovisionsof44 CFRChapter 1Section 65.12 of theNational Flood Insurance Program Regulations,beforeapproving certain developments in Zones A1-A30, AE, and AH on the FIRMthat increasethe water surface elevation of the base flood by morethan onefoot;

LK.Provide a flood zonedetermination for thesiteofany applicationofa building or developmentpermit. This determinationwill provide the FEMA flood zonedesignation, FEMA base flood or adjacentbase flood elevation, CD SFHA designation, Community Defined Flood Elevation (CDFE), and recordinundationvalue for thesite; and ML.Review,approve or deny allapplications for awaiver of freeboardor variance of theNational Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements by theprocedures defined in Section 15.12, Variance Procedures, of this chapter

Section 15.11 Permit Procedures

A. An application for adevelopment permit shall be presented to the FloodplainAdministrator on forms furnished by him/her and may include but not be limited to plans in duplicate drawn to scaleshowing the location, dimensions,and elevationofproposed changes in topography or land alterations, existing and proposed structures, and the project location in relation to special flood hazardareas. Additionally,the following information is required:

1. Elevation (in relationtomean sealevel) of thelowest floor (including thebasement) of allnew and substantially improved structures;

2. Elevation(in relationtomean sealevel) to which any nonresidential structureshall be flood-proofed;

3. Acertificate from aregistered professional engineer or architect that thenonresidential flood-proofed structureshall meet the flood-proofing criteria of Section 15.21, SpecificStandards; and,

4. Description of theextent to which any watercourse or natural drainage will be altered or relocated as aresult of proposed development.

B. Approval or denial of adevelopment permit by theFloodplain Administrator shallbebased on allofthe provisionsofthis chapter and thefollowing relevant factors:

1. Thedanger to lifeand property due to flooding or erosion damage;

2. Thesusceptibilityofthe proposed facilityand itscontents to flood damage and theeffect of such damage on theindividual owner;

3. Thedanger that materials may be swept onto other lands and potentially injureothers;

4. Thesafety of access to theproperty in times of flood for ordinary and emergency vehicles;

5. Thecosts of providing governmental services during and after flood conditions including maintenance and repairofstreets and bridges, and public utilities and facilities such as sewer, gas, electrical, and water systems;

6. Theexpected heights, velocity, duration, rate of rise, and sediment transport of the floodwaters andthe effects of wave action, if applicable, expected at thesite;

7. Thenecessity to thefacility of awaterfrontlocation,where applicable; and,

8. Theavailabilityofalternativelocations, notsubject to flooding or erosion damage, for theproposed use.

Section 15.12 Variances and Waivers

A. TheBoardofAppealsshall hear and render judgmentonrequests for variances from therequirementsofthis chapter.Waivers of local freeboardrequirements shall be heardand may be granted by the FloodplainAdministrator

B. TheBoardofAppealsshall hear and render judgmentonanappeal only when itisalleged thereisanerror in any requirement, decision, or determinationmade by theFloodplainAdministrator in theenforcement or administration of this chapter.Variances shall be reviewed regularly twice amonth

C. Any person or personsaggrieved by thedecision of theBoardofAppeals may appeal such decision in thecourts of competentjurisdiction.

D. TheFloodplainAdministrator shall maintain arecordofall actions involving an appeal and shall report variances to the Federal Emergency Management Agency upon request.

E. Variances may be issued for thereconstruction, rehabilitation, or restoration of structureslisted on theNational Register of HistoricPlaces or theState inventory of historicplaces withoutregardtothe procedures

set forth in the remainder of thischapter

F. Variances may be issued for new construction and substantial improvements to be erected on alot of one-halfacreorless in size contiguous to, and surrounded by,lots withexisting structures constructed below the base flood level providing the relevant factorsfor the approval or denial of adevelopment permitinSection 15.11.B. have been fully considered. As the lotsize increases beyond one-halfacre, the technical just ficationrequired for issuing

will not preclude the structure’scontinued designation as ahistoric structureand the variance is the

necessarytopreserve the

character and designofthe structure. J. Variances from the requirements in 15.25, Stream Setbacks, may upon application be considered and approved, conditionally approved, or denied by the BoardofAppealsinaccordance with thisChapter; however,the following additional provisions shall apply: Wherea parcel was platted priortothe effective date of the ordinance from which the Stream Setbacks werederived, and its shape, topography,orother existing

An approval would allow the

of an activity that is not permitted within the zoning requirements of the site; (4) An approval is based solely on an economic gainorloss; (5) An approval is for ahardship which was self-created;or, (6) An approval would damage the rights and property values of adjacent properties.

3. Waiver of SpecificWater Pollutant Treatment by Best Management Practices Waivers of the requirement to treat specificwater pollutants using specificbestmanagement practices (BMPs) may be issued upon the developer providing documentation that proves the specificpollutant does not exist on the siteand will not be generated by specificactivities proposed to occur on the sitepostconstruction; and, the Department of Development concurs in the documentation.

4. Watershed SpecificMitigation Stormwater discharge, which is not practicable to fully treat as defined in thischapter and the Stormwater Management Manual,shall either be treated in an off-sitefacility or be given the option of paying astormwater off-sitemanagement fee. The Department of Development will employ a methodology for calculating the fee that is based on post-construction stormwater runoff, first flush quantities, and expected pollutants. The stormwater off-sitemanagement fee collected shall be placed in amitigation account to be used to mitigate the impacts in the same watershed as the development sitethat arise from off-site discharge of stormwater runoff. Information relating to sites that arepaying fees shall be evaluated in planning for capital improvement projects.

L. Variances may be issued for new construction, substantial improvements, and for other development necessaryfor the conduct of afunctionally dependent use provided that:

1. The criteria outlined in Section 15.12.K, Requirements for Granting Variances and Waivers, aremet; and,

2. The structureorother development is protected by methods that minimize flood damages during the base flood and create no additional threats to public safety

Section 15.13 Stormwater Management Plan

Section 15.13.1 Applicability

In order to comply with Federal and State regulations for urban stormwater, aStormwater Management Plan (SMP) will be requiredfor development and redevelopment projects that require demolitionorcomplete removal of existing structures or impervious surfaces at asiteand replacement with new development. Maintenance activities such as top-layer grinding and re-pavement as well as interior remodeling projects shall not be considered redevelopment for purposes of thissection. Utilitytrenches in streets shall not be considered redevelopment unless morethan 50 percent of the street width is removed and re-paved.

Section 15.13.2 Requirements

The developer shall prepareand submittothe Department of Development, an SMP that recommends specificdrainage and stormwater runoffquality improvements. The SMPshall be consistent withthe Drainage Impact Study (DIS) as described in Section 15.15, Drainage Impact Study, and/or the Water QualityImpact Study(WQIS) as described in

or aDIS.

A. Exemptions The following development activities shall be exempted from the requirement of preparing an SMP:

1. All development in dulyauthorized subdivisions and master planned developments created withanapproved SMPthat includes both a WQIS and aDIS, provided that they comply with the SMPprepared for the subdivisionormaster planned development at the time of the original approval.

2. All single-family residential development on existing lots of record within subdivisions created beforeApril 1, 2008.

B. Content The SMPshall include:

1. Amap of the location of the subject property and adjacent developments and infrastructure.

2. Adescription and map of existing siteconditions,including land cover,contours, soil types,estimated pollutant load, and existing sitedrainage patterns, including all drainage features, wetlands, and special flood hazardareas.

3. Adescription and

7. Example green infrastructure typologies and design considerations for transportation improvements can be foundinChapter 11 of the MOVEBR InfrastructureEnhancement and TrafficMitigation Program Design Guidelines: https://movebr.brla.gov/assets/documents/design-guidelines/ MOVEBR%20Design%20Guidelines%20Rev_1_Final_042920-web. pdf https://movebr.brla.gov/assets/documents/designguidelines/ MOVEBR%20Design%20Guidelines%20Rev_1_Final_042920-web. pdf.

8. Adescription of how the proposed drainageways and stormwater BMPs will be maintained Section 15.14 Drainage

Adequate provisions shall be made for themanagement of stormwater subject to the approval of the Department of Development.

A. Stormwater Management Plan As provided in Section 15.13,Stormwater ManagementPlan, the developer shall prepareand submit to theDepartment of Development aStormwater Management Planthatrecommends specificon-site drainage improvements to provide adequate capacity for a2-, 10-, 25-, and100-year (the fifty,ten, four,and onepercentannual-exceedance probability [AEP]) stormevents. TheSMP shall be consistent with the issues and recommendations presented in the DIS when it is required. All drainage improvements shall be planned in accordance with the criteria for drainage as specified by theDepartmentofDevelopment.

B. Drainage Ways

1. No person shall perform construction activity or deepen, widen, fill, reroute, or change the location of any existing drainage way without

first obtaining written permission from the Department of Development. Plans for such activity in any drainage way shall comply with thecriteria of the Department of Development and all State and federal regulations. At its sole discretion, the Department of Development may requirethat such plans be submitted to the Department for review.All work shall be approved by,and be subject to inspection by,the Department of Development.

2. Wherever drainage ways exist or areprovided within the development, rights-of-way or servitudes shall be dedicated on either side of such drainage waysfor maintenance andconstruction. Thewidth of such dedicated rights-of-way or servitudes shall be determined based upon established criteria after review andapproval by theDepartment of Development of the drainage requirementsofthe development and theSMP for drainage in consultation with the engineer designing the development. Lots created along drainage ways shall notencroach on drainage rights-of-way,and all rights-of-way shall be excluded from the lot area. Special servitudes may be required for outfall purposes.

C. Contour Map Acontour map shall be prepared for the area comprising the development andany additional area required bythe Department of Development. The additional area shall include all watersheds that drain into the property to be developed. The map of the additional area may be prepared from USGS datum or datum filed at the DepartmentofDevelopment, if it is available.

D. Drainage of Contributing Watersheds In the design of the drainage for adevelopment, provisions must be made to adequately convey water from contributing watersheds. All drainage ways shall be constructed to meet current drainage needs butshall have adequate servitudes for the futureneeds of contributing watersheds, as determined by the Department of Development. The Department of Development, at its discretion, may requirethatoverland flow checks be provided demonstrating no increase in the 2-, 10-, 25-, and100-year peak water surface elevations at all inflow locationstothe property.

E. Floodplain Management

All proposed developments shall be reviewed by the Department of Development such that:

1. All such proposals areconsistent with theneed to minimize flood damage; 2. All public utilities andfacilities such as sewer,gas, electrical, and water systems arelocated, elevated, and constructed to minimize or eliminate flood damage; 3. Adequate drainage is provided so as to reduceexposureto flood hazards; and,

4. All necessary permits required byfederal or Statelaws have been obtained, including those required bySection 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 USC 1334).

Section 15.15 Drainage Impact Study

The purpose of this section is to ensure that existingdrainage conditions at proposed sites areevaluated andthe potential impactsofproposed improvements to drainage in thevicinityare determined. To ensurethat this is done, two copies of the requiredDIS of the proposed development and surrounding affected areas shall be submitted to the Department of Development. The developmentmay not be approved until the DIS has been reviewed and approved by theDepartment of Development.

A. Exemptions. The followingdevelopment activities shall be exempted from the requirements of preparing aDIS:

1. Developmentona site in which the area of impervioussurface does notexceed 20 percent of the developed site area. Thetotal impervious area shall includeall buildings, driveways, sidewalks, streets, parking areas, lakes, ponds, and similar facilities. All undeveloped open spaces and common areas shall be clearly identified.

2. Additions or modifications to existingdevelopmentsthatresult in no morethan aten percent increase in existing impervious areas and which have existing engineered or subsurface (not natural) public storm drainage facilities designed to accommodate runofffromthe existing site.

B. Waivers. Developers mayrequest that theDepartment of Development approve awaiver of the DIS. If such arequest isgranted, nodetailed DIS shall be required for the development. Awaiver must be requested in writing and contain sufficientinformation regarding thespecificdetails of the proposed development. Awaiver may be considered for approval provided: 1. Sufficient information is submitted by the developer indicating that the runofffromthe proposed developmentisconsistentwith and discharges to apreviously approved developmenthaving adequate drainage facilities is part of an approved larger plan of developmentwith an approved drainage study,orisserved by anetwork of subsurface public storm drainage facilities engineered to accommodate the runoff from the developed site. C. Development Location and Description: TheDIS shall comply with the following minimum requirements: 1. Location. Describe thelocation of thesubject property Township and Range, identifying adjacentdevelopments, major drainage outfalls, streets, highways, lot, and block page number,and provideavicinity

watershed map. E. Hydrologic Design. 1. TheDIS shall indicate existing conditions for peak 2-, 10-, 25-, and 100-year flow rates at thedevelopment’sstormwater inflow and outflow locations.

2. TheDrainage Impact Study shallindicatepost-construction conditions for thepeak 2-, 10-, 25-, and 100-year flow rates at the development’sstormwater inflow and outflow locations

3. Thepost-construction peak flow rates at all stormwateroutflow points from theproperty shallnot exceed theexisting conditions peak flow rates for the2-, 10-, 25-, and 100-year stormevents.

4. If ponds or sub-surface detention systems areusedindesign for routing of flows, thepeak -2-, 10-, 25-, and 100-year stormevents(the fifty,ten, four, and onepercent AEP storms) shallbeusedinthe design of thedetention pond capacity and outfallstructure(s) to achieve no increase in thepeak flow rate for each event. The interiorsub-surface conveyance systemshall be designed for the ten-year storm. Storms that surcharge thesubsurface system, up to and including the10-year storm, shall be routed to thedetention pond. Detentionponds shallhave adesignated weirtodirect outflow for storms greater than the100-year storm.

5. Developments shallnot create anew point-source discharge or anew non-point sourcedischarge onto adjacentproperties of lower ground elevations withoutappropriate drainageservitudes.

F. Hydraulic Capacities

1. On-site capacity.Indicatethe capacityofany existing drainage outfallfacility (ditch, canal, culvert, bridge, or similar) within the proposed developmentsiteand therequired type, size, and capacity of any proposed outfallfacilities.

2. Off-site capacity.Determine thecapacity of existing downstream outfallfacilities (ditches, canals, culverts, bridges, or similar) that will be utilized to convey flow from thedownstream limits of theproposed development to the first public outfallasidentified on the EBR stream segment data layer maintained by the City-Parish Department of Information Services as part of theCity-Parish geographic information system. An inventory of downstream structures including thesize, type, invert elevation, and covertopping elevationshould be made. Channel cross-sectionsatthe upstream and downstream limits of theproposed development at structurelocationsand at intermediatecanal locations shall be requiredtoadequatelydefine existing channel capacities

Wherethe proposed development is located an extended distance from an indexed stream, the study maybeterminated at apoint wherethe total area drained exceeds theproject area by five times for singlefamily A1-zoned residential developments and ten times for allother developments

G. Special SiteConditions Special conditions that may existatthe proposed developmentsiteshould be clearlyidentified including but not limited to such itemsas:

1. FEMA SFHA (including Firm Zones Aand AE) andCDSFHA

2. Regulatory Floodways

3. FloodplainConveyance Zones

4. Drainage Servitudes

5. Stream Setbacks

6. Fill placement locations and mitigation requirements

7. Existing and Potential wetlandsites 8. Churches 9. Schools 10. Cemeteries 11. Landfills and hazardous waste sites 12. Parks H. Conclusions and Recommendations. TheDIS should clearly identify the resultsand conclusions of thestudy and provide recommendations of any requiredaction(s) so that surrounding properties experience no adverse impact.

Section 15.16 WaterQuality

Thepurpose of this section is to ensurethat water qual ty is not impaired because of development or redevelopment and that BMPsare implemented according to theSMP

A. StormwaterManagement Plan. Thedeveloper shall prepareand submittothe Department of DevelopmentanSMP that documents proposed specificon-sitewater quality improvements to treat or retain on-site all first flush stormwaterpollutantsthat originatefromthe site post-construction, or as otherwise required by Total MaximumDaily Loads (TMDLs) Stormwater PermitRequirements developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) andthe Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality(LDEQ). Allon-site water quality improvements shallbeplanned and maintained in amanner approved by theDepartment of Development.

B. Construction Phase SiteStormwaterControl. For alldevelopment activities,a Stormwater PollutionPreventionPlan (SWPPP)shall be submitted to theDepartment of Developmentfor review.The SWPPP shall describe thetypesand placement of BMPsthat will be utilized to retainsediment on site, to preventerosion andsedimentation as aresult of construction,and to control other sources of pollutionat the construction site that may causeadverse impacts on the quality of stormwater runofffromthe construction site.This plan shallalso describe how stormwaterwill be treated during theconstruction phase of theproject in order to preventpollution from entering any drainage ways or conveyances. This SWPP shallbeconsistentwithall federal and State requirements.

C. Post-Construction WaterQuality Management in New Development andRedevelopment. For alldevelopments or redevelopments that require demolitionorcomplete removal of existing structures or impervioussurfaces at asiteand replacement with new development, all first flush stormwaterpollutantsthat originatefromthe site postconstruction, shall be treated or retained on thesiteorasotherwise requiredbyTMDLs or stormwaterpermit requirements developed by the EPAand LDEQ. Allstormwater BMPsconstructed on-site must meet EPAstandards and specifications for implementation and maintenance.

1. TheSMP shall describe thetypesofBMPs that will be on the siteafterconstruction iscomplete with specificlocationsofeach and estimated capacity for pollutant load reduction.

2. TheSMP shall ensurelong-term operation andmaintenance of the BMPs that have been designed and implemented to minimizewater quality impacts from stormwater discharges from the project site.

3. An inspection report, prepared by alicensed professional engineer or other qualified person approved by theFloodplainAdministrator shall be provided to the City by the person(s) or entity(ies) responsiblefor the development on aschedule approved by theFloodplainAdministrator

Thereport shall be consistent with theSMP maintenance plan and describe theconditionsand recommended maintenance requirements of allcomponents of theSMP,including ponds, swales, and subsurface manufactured water quality features. It shall alsodescribe thecondition of theBMP and any proposed corrective actions required. Corrective actions shall be completed within 90 days of the submittal of the inspection report with evidence that the work has been completed and provided to theDepartment of Development.

Section 15.17 WaterQuality Impact Study

Thepurpose of this section is to ensurethat thepotential for waterquality impacts to existing surface water and/or groundwater resources are evaluated as part of anydevelopment or redevelopment project. Twocopies of therequired WQIS of theproposed development and surrounding affected areas shall be submittedtothe Department of Developmentreflecting the requirements of this section. Thedevelopment shall not be approved until the WQIS has been reviewed and approved by theDepartment of Development.

A. Exemptions.The following development activities shall be exempted from therequirements of preparing aWQIS, but shallcomplywiththe stormwater BMPsdescribed in an SMP:

1. Residential Sites with adeveloped area of lessthan oneacre.

2. Farming or agricultural activities.

B. Existing SiteConditions and Location

1. Site Location. Describe thelocation of thesubject property using the street address and thelatitude and longitude.

2. Watershed and Sub-watersheds. Describe thewatersheds and subwatersheds both on-and off-site.

3. Total MaximumDaily Loads List all TMDLsestablished by the EPAand LDEQ for applicable affected waterbodies. If TMDLshave not been established, all first-flush stormwaterpollutantsthat originatefrom thesitepost-construction shall be treated or retained on thesite. 4. Soils and Topography Provide the following:

f. Residential activities (organicmaterials, pesticides, herbicides, other chemicals); and, g. Light industrial (oil, grease, coatings, heavy metals, other chemicals).

D. ProposedWater QualityTreatment. Providethe following information to identify how stormwater will be treated to protect

Section 15.19 Methods of reducing flood losses.

In order to accomplish itspurposes, thischapter uses the following methods: A. Restrict or prohibituses that aredangerous to health, safety, or property in times of flood or cause excessive increases in flood heights or velocities;

B. Requirethat uses vulnerable to floods including facilities, which serve such uses, be protected against flood damage at the time of initial construction;

C. Control the alteration of natural floodplains, stream channels, and natural protective barriers, which areinvolved in the accommodation of floodwaters;

D. Control filling, grading, dredging, and other development which may increase flood damage; and

E. Prevent or regulate the construction of flood barriers that will unnaturally divert floodwaters or which may increase flood hazards to other lands.

Section 15.20 General Standards

In all special flood hazardareas, the following provisions arerequired for all new construction and substantial improvements:

A. All new construction or substantial improvements shall be designed (or modified) and adequately anchored to prevent flotation, collapse, or lateral movement of the structureresulting from hydrodynamicand hydrostaticloads including the effects of buoyancy;

B. All new construction or substantial improvements shall be constructed by methods and practices that minimize flood damage;

C. All new construction or substantial improvements shall be constructed with materials resistant to flood damage;

D. All new construction or substantial improvements shall be constructed with electrical, heating, ventilation, plumbing, and air conditioning equipment and other service facilities that aredesigned and/or located so as to prevent water from entering or accumulating within the components during conditions of flooding in accordance with Section 15.21.E, Minimum First Floor Elevation;

E. All new and replacement water supplysystems shall be designed to minimize or eliminate infiltrationof floodwatersinto the system;

F. New and replacement sanitary sewagesystems shall be designed to minimize or eliminate infiltrationof floodwatersinto the system and discharge from the systems into floodwaters; and

G. On-sitewaste disposal systems shall be located to avoid impairment to them or contamination from them during flooding.

H. All subdivisionproposals and manufactured home parks shall have public utilities and facilities such as sewer,gas, electrical, and water systems located and constructed to minimize or eliminate flood damage. Section 15.21 SpecificStandards

An applicant shall submitafee to the Department of Development Inspection Divisionfor a flood zone determination to be used in the preparation of the FEMA-approved certificate of elevation.

or in an existing manufactured home park or subdivision on which amanufactured home has incurred substantial damage as aresult of a flood, shall be elevated on apermanent foundation such that thebottom of the longitudinal structural Ibeam of the manufactured home is elevated to one foot or moreabove thebase flood elevation andsecurely anchored to an adequately anchored foundation system to resist flotation, collapse, andlateral movement.

3. Manufactured homes placed or substantially improvedonsites in an existing manufactured home park or subdivision within Zones A1A30, AH, and AE on the community’sFIRM that arenot subject to the provisions of paragraph (D)(2), above, shall be elevated so that either: a. The bottom of the longitudinal structural Ibeam of the manufactured home is at least one foot above the base flood elevation;or, b. The manufactured home chassis is supported by reinforced piers or other foundation elements of at least equivalent strength that arenoless than 36 inchesinheight abovegrade andsecurely anchored to an adequately anchored foundation system to resist flotation, collapse, and lateral movement.

4. All mobilehome park owners submittingconstruction documents foramobile home park shall, prior to approval, submit acommon certificate of elevation for themobile home park anda finalplat of the mobilehome park site. The finalplat shall show theelevation of each manufactured home pad and the required lowest floor elevation. As aprerequisite, the applicant shall submit afee to the Department of Development for the flood zonedetermination to be used in preparation of the certificateofelevation.

5. All manufactured homes placed or substantially improvedmust submit, prior to authorization of utilitiesand/oroccupancy,a completed official certificate of elevation pursuant to Section 15.21.E, Minimum First Floor Elevation.

6. Recreational vehicles placed on sites within Zones A1-30,AH, and AE on the FIRM shall either:

a. Be on the site for fewer than 180consecutive days;

b. Be fully licensed and ready for highway use; or,

c. Meet thepermit requirements of Section 15.11, Permit Procedures, and the elevation andanchoring requirementsfor manufactured homes. Arecreational vehicle may be considered ready for highway use if it is on its wheels or jackingsystem, is attached to the site only by quickdisconnect type utilities and security devices, and has no permanently attached additions.

E. Minimum First Floor Elevation.

1. All new residential andnonresidential development, as well as substantial improvements, in theFEMASFHA andCDSFHAshall have the lowest floor located at least one foot above the highest of the following: the FEMA BFE, CD FE, therecordinundation, the highest cross-sectional point at the lowest streetcross-section along the frontage of the property,orthe top of thelowest first upstream or downstream sanitary sewer manholes to theservice connection;

2. All new residential and nonresidential developmentinZones B, C, and Xshall have the lowest floor elevation located at least one foot above the highest of the following: the nearest adjacent FEMA BFE, the recordinundation, the highest cross-sectional point at the lowest street crosssection alongthe frontage of theproperty,orthe topofthe lower of the first upstream or downstream sanitary sewer manholes to the service connection;

3. The above requirements regarding elevationabove thehighest crosssectional point at the lowest street cross-section along the frontage of the property shall not apply when the approved drainage schematic demonstrates that: a. The street pavement will not serve as the drainage collector system; or b. Drainage will not be conveyed towardthe street;

4. Rather than the above requirements regardingelevation above sanitary sewer manholes the lowest floor elevation may be as low as six inches above the top of thelower of the first upstream or downstream sanitary sewer manhole providing that thefollowing requirements aremet:

a. Asanitary sewer backwater check valve and asewer clean out: (1)Isinstalled in the building sanitary sewer line and located on the applicant’sproperty but outside of the street rights-of-way and utility servitudes; and (2) The requirements of the State-mandated Plumbing Code are met.

b. The property owner shall be responsible for perpetually maintaining the sanitary sewer backwater check valve in proper operating condition.

c. The property owner shall sign awaiver of local freeboardthatshall serve to place on notice all future owners and shall make apublic recordofsuch waiver and the property owners’ assumption of all liability pursuant to thegranting of awaiverfor the requirements regarding sanitary sewer manholes. This agreement shall be recorded by the Clerk of Court in the conveyance records; and acertified copy,with recording data and filingdate, shall be furnished to the Department of Developmentbeforea building permit may be issued.

5. The lowest floor elevation may be lower than six inches above the top of the lower of the first upstream or downstream sanitary sewer manhole provided that the aboveprovisions aremet andapproval is granted by the Floodplain Administrator

F. Use of Fill Material Restrictions. Unless otherwise provided no fill shall be permitted in FEMA SFHAs and/or CD SFHAs unless the fill is mitigated by excavation and meets therequirements in this section.

1. Exemptions:

a. Building pads for slab on grade construction.Fill mitigation is not required if the combined area of all buildings on the lot is no more than 3,500 squarefeet and the average height of fill is no more than 24 inches or the distance between natural grade and higher of the FEMA BFE and CD FE Base FloodElevation.

b. Building pads for manufactured homes andpier/column construction. Fill mitigation is not required if theaverage height of fill for the buildingpad is no morethan18inchesabove natural grade under the elevated structure to facilitate drainage. The building pad shall be transitioned back to natural gradewithin five feet of the outside limits of the footprint of the elevated structure.

c. Fill restrictions shall not apply to improvementand reasonable transition grading on existing tracts or lots of five acres or less located within existingrecognized subdivisions that have not experienced any reported inundation of structuresconstructed after July 2, 1979.

2. Transition of driveways into carports or garages. The driveway from thestreet and driveway from the structureconnectionstothe start of transitionshall be constructed in such amanner that the finished driveway grade is at or below thenatural grade prior to construction. Appropriate drainage facilities shall be provided to prevent the redirection of runoffwater onto adjacent properties or theblockage of surface sheet runoff. Fill restrictions shall notapply to improvement and reasonable transition grading on existing tracts or lots of five acres or less located within existing recognized subdivisions that have not experienced anyreported inundation of structures constructed after July 2, 1979.

3. No encroachments, including fill for developmentorother purposes, newconstruction, substantial improvements, or other type of developments, will be allowed unless atechnical evaluation demonstrates that the proposed encroachments will notreducethe ability of the floodplain to storeorconvey stormwater.Additionally encroachment shall not increase the existing FEMA BFE and/or CD FE, whichever is higher.A technical evaluation shall include any one or acombination of the following methods:

a. For developments with proposed on-site fill andexcavation construction (no imported or

(1)

(6) For developments requiring imported or off-site fill in addition to theexcavation, grading, and fill requirements outlined above,an Offsite Drainage Assessment (See Section 15.24.B, Designation of FloodplainConveyance Zones)shall be performed to show no increaseinthe CD FE. (7) Use of off-site fill mitigation credits.Sites that havebeen graded andstabilized in amanner that provides additional floodplain storage may be approved by the Department of Development to establish fill mitigation credits that may be used by developments whereanOffsite Drainage Assessment (See 15.24.B) has been performed to show no decrease in theexisting flood volumestorage capacity below theFEMA BFEand/orthe CD FE,whichever is higher.Floodplainstorage volumeusedfor mitigation purposes shall be considered as athree-dimensional space between ground elevation(or staticwater surface elevation for awet pond) and theFEMA BFEand/orthe CD FE, that can be filled and emptied during flood events and used to offset fill placement between pre-development ground elevation and theFEMA BFEand/orthe CD FE. All sales of fill mitigation credits shall be recorded in theEast Baton Rouge Clerk of Courts Office and disclosed to theDepartment of Development prior to theissuance of permits. Theowner of the fill mitigation credits, through his licensed design professional,shall be responsiblefor tracking thebalance of credits. All fill mitigation credit areas shall be dedicated within aservitude which shall not be developed and shall be perpetually maintained to provide floodplain storage volume. Themaximum amount of time an excavated fill mitigation credit area established after March 1, 2018, may continue to sellcredits shallbe10years from therecordation of thesale of theinitial credits, or until anew effective FIRMbase flood elevation is established, whichever occurs first.

G. No building shall be constructed over an existing identified natural drain as determined by the Department of Development.

H. Thesurface of parking lots and streets in subdivisionsofmorethan five lots, shallnot be constructed lower than two feet below theFEMA BFE and/or CD FE,whichever is higher.Street curb elevations shall be no lower than thehydraulic grade line of theten percent storm. Parking spaces that areinexcess of the requiredminimum spaces that do not provide emergency vehicle accesstobuildingscan be built lower than thegrade requirements herein.

I. When thesubsurface stormwatersystems areavailable and designed to accommodate the flow of stormwater runoff:

1. Except in single-family residential developments,all paved parking areas shall be graded andslopedsothat thestorm water runoffis conducted to trench drains or catch basins that areconnected to the stormwatersystem.

2. No sheet flow from pavedparking areas on lots greater than one-third acre, but less than five acres, shall be allowed to draindirectly intothe street or street catch basins.

3. Sheet flow from pavedparking areas on lots greater than five acres in addition to the foregoing requirements, shall be directed into a stormdrain and catch basin systemdesigned for this area which shall be connected to the existing stormwatersystem, or if the aforesaidsystemisinadequate, it shall be designed to include an on-site detention/retention area for stormwaterrunoff.The design of stormwaterfacilities shall be submittedtothe Department of Development for approval

4. TheDepartment of Developmentmay granta waiver of theprovisions of this subsection when itisdemonstrated that theapplicable existing streets have been designed to accommodate thestormwater runoff from paved parking areas and adequatecatch basins and inlets are available.

J. For new development or redevelopment which incorporates aperimeter drainage systemthat is designed to interceptand redirect stormwater runoff away from adjacent properties, theperimeter drainagesystems shall be completelyconstructed andfunctional prior to the construction of other improvements within thedevelopment or redevelopment. The perimeter drainage systemshall be maintained to be fully functional for thedurationofconstruction

K. All drainage systems that aredesigned to convey stormwaterrunoff from public rights-of-wayorsignificant offsite areas (as determined by theFloodplainAdministrator) shall be dedicated to theCityfor public maintenance. Proposed public drainageimprovements shall be in the formofsub-surface stormdrain pipes, built in accordance with City standardspecifications and details.Noopen-channel conveyance systems shall be accepted for public maintenance.

L. Detentionponds shallbedesigned and constructed for ease of public maintenance access. Apublic drainageservitude throughthe center of thepondshall be provided for the City to ensurepositive drainage is maintained within theservitude. It shall be theresponsibilityofthe person(s) or entity(ies) responsible for thedevelopment to keep all other portions of theponds dredged, andthe banks maintained,inaccordance with therecommendations included in theStormwater Management Planapproved by the Department of Development.

M. All new developments shall pose no adverse impact by redirecting or increasing pre-development stormwater runoffintoadjacent properties. No permits for development shallbeissued until theDepartment of Development verifies the permitdocuments areaccompanied by a grading plan that addresses post-development stormwater runoff. Prior to theissuance of acertificate of occupancy for abuilding,orapproval of a final plat, the Department of Development shallverify the postdevelopment stormwater runoffplan has been implemented.

Section 15.22 Standards for Subdivision Proposals

A. All subdivision proposals including theplacement of manufactured home parks and subdivisionsshall be consistent with Chapter 15, Sections 15.1.2, 15.1.3, and 15.19 of this ordinance.

B. All proposalsfor thedevelopment of subdivisionsincluding theplacement of manufactured home parks and subdivisionsshall meet Floodplain Development PermitrequirementsofChapter 15, Section 15.3; 15.11; and theprovisionsofChapter 15, Section 15.20-21, of this ordinance.

C. Base flood elevation data shall be generated for subdivision proposals and other proposed development including theplacement of manufactured home parks and subdivisionswhich is greater than 50lots or 5acres, whichever is lesser, if nototherwise provided pursuant to Chapter 15, Section 15.7.1, or Chapter 15,Section 15.10 (H) of this ordinance.

Section15.232 Standards for Areas of ShallowFlooding (AO/AH Zones)

Located within theFEMA SFHAs areareas expected to experience shallow flooding during theone percent storm event. These areas, which are designated as AO or AH on the FIRM, havespecial flood hazards associated with base flood depthsofone to threefeet whereaclearly defined channel does not exist, wherethe path of flooding is unpredictable, and where velocity flow may be evident. Such flooding is characterized by ponding or sheet flow; therefore, thefollowing provisions shallapply:

A. All new construction and substantial improvements of residential structures shall have the lowest floor (including thebasement) elevated above the highest adjacentgrade at leastone foot above the highestof thefollowing at least as high as:

1. thedepth number specified in feet on theFIRM (at least two feet if no depth number is specified)

2. therecordinundation,

3. thehighestcross-sectional point at thelowest street cross-section along thefrontageofthe property,or 4. thetop of thelower of the first upstream or downstream sanitary sewermanholes to theservice connection.

B. Allnew construction and substantial improvements of nonresidential structures:

1. Shallhave the lowest floor (including basement) elevated above the highest adjacentgrade at leastone foot above the highestofthe following:atleast as high as thedepth number specified in feet on the community’sFIRM (at least two feet if no depth number is specified) therecordinundation, thehighestcross-sectional point at thelowest street cross-section alongthe frontage of theproperty,orthe top of thelower of the first upstream or downstream sanitary sewer manholes to theservice connection; or

2. Together with attendant utility and sanitary facilities, shall be designed so that below at least onefoot above the highestofthe following at least as high as:the FEMA BFE, CD FE, the recordinundation, the highest cross-sectional point at the lowest street cross-section along thefrontageofthe property,orthe top of thelowest first upstream or downstream sanitary sewermanholes to theservice connection the base flood level thestructureiswatertight with walls substantially impermeable to the passage of water and with structural components having thecapability of resisting hydrostaticand hydrodynamicloads and theeffects of buoyancy

C. Aregistered professional engineer or architect shall submitacertification to theFloodplainAdministrator that thestandards of this section are satisfied

D. Adequate drainage paths around structures on slopes to guide floodwaters around and away from proposedstructures shall be provided.

Section 15.243 Floodways.

Floodways located within FEMA SFHAs, aredesignated as regulatory

floodways. Since theseare extremely hazardous areas due to the velocity of floodwaters, which carry debris, potential projectiles, and erosionpotential, the following provisions shall apply:

A. Encroachments,including fill, new construction, substantial improvements, and other development,

B. If Section 15.23.A, above, is satisfied,all new construction and substantial improvements shall comply with all applicable flood hazardreduction provisions of Sections 15.18, Flood Prevention, through 15.23, Floodways.

C. Under the provisions of 44 CFR Chapter 1,

date of APRIL 1, 2023. The Floodplain Conveyance Zones areidentified using the Parish existing conditions 2D modelsasareas that arecritical to the conveyance and storage of flood discharges and which, for the 100-year event, have a flood depth of at least 0.5 feet and/or avelocity of at least 0.5 feet per second witha depth of at least 0.25 feet.

C. Offsite Drainage Assessment. For any proposed development within a Floodplain Conveyance Zone, the City shall performorhave performed an Offsite Drainage Assessment (ODA) to assess the proposed development’s flood impacts outsideofand beyond the proposed boundaries of the development. The proposed development shall demonstrate no increase in the existing peak water surface elevations for the 2-, 10-, 25-, and 100-year stormevents. No increase shall be defined as an increase in water surface elevation of less than 0.00 feet in the post-construction simulations as compared to the preconstruction simulations.

Section 15.265 Stream Setbacks The purposeofthese regulations is to protect natural and overland drainage ways by establishing abarrier between stream corridors and development to: protect the physical integrity of stream ecosystems; preserve habitats; improvewater quality; protect structures; control erosionand run-off; preserve the potential for recreational enhancements; and preserve space for futurechannel improvements, restoration, or naturalization activities.

A. EstablishmentofStream Segments and Stream Setbacks 1. Major Stream Segments. Stream segments shall includeall streams identified in the “Drainage and Stormwater” “Major Stream Segments” map on the EBRGIS Open Data website. 2. Stream Setbacks. Stream setbacksshall be established around all identified stream segments.Stream setback widths shall be determined by taking one-halfofthe average width from the top of the bank to the top of the bank,for the length of the stream segment running through the property,orits abutting property

that haveNoAdverse Impact on the stream corridor Improvements shall be related to recreation, public enjoyment, and protection of the stream corridor,including but not limited to the following: a. Conservation uses, wildlife sanctuaries, naturepreserves, forest preserves, fishing areas, and passive areas of parklands;

GIRLs + Boys AThLeTes

oF The yeAR, 3I, 7I

sPecIAL oLymPIcs AThLeTes, 5I

GIRLs + Boys coAches oF The yeAR, 8I, 10I

GIRLs + Boys TeAms

oF The yeAR, 11I

MICHELLE DAIGLE

St. Joseph’sAcademy •Cross country

Atwo-time All-Metro MVP and the2024 Gatorade LouisianaRunner of the Year,Daigle became theﬁrst Louisiana girl to break the 17-minute, 3-mile barrier since 2008. She didit three times to help theRedstickers win aninth straight LHSAA title.The LSU signee’sbest time was 16:56.7.

RYLEESIMONEAUX

Episcopal •Swimming

Simoneaux led Episcopal to the LHSAA Division IIItitle. TheHouston signee recorded the area’s best marks in her specialties, the 100-yardfreestyle and 100 backstroke, and was the MVPatboththe City and LHSAA meets. Simoneaux’stop times were 51.91 seconds in 100 free and 55.10 in 100 backstroke.

LAUREL CASSIDY

ParkviewBaptist• Volleyball

Cassidy led the Eagles to the LHSAA’sDivision IIIsemiﬁnalswith consistent all-around production. The LSU signeeis one of Louisiana’stop defensive players. As asenior,she ﬁlled out theentire statistics sheet with numbers forPBS –compiling 362 kills,314 digs, 111 assists and37service aces.

MIKAYLA BYINGTON

St. Amant •Girls wrestling

It’simpossible to beat perfection. Byington proved that by ﬁnishing 30-0inthe 100-pound weightclass in the LHSAA’s ﬁrst sanctioned girls wrestling season. Shepinned 23 opponents, most in amatter of seconds. Byington won three other bouts by technical falls. Only onecompetitor pushed Byington past two periods.

GIRLS SPORTS

ELLA KATE JOHNSTON

Parkview Baptist •Soccer

Johnston, the LSCA Division III MVP and All-MetroDivision III-below MVP,powered the Eagles to their third consecutiveLHSAADivision III title. The sophomore had 39 goals and 24 assists, proving she is adept at scoring the ball or passing it for one of Louisiana’stop teamsinany division.

SHAILA FORMAN

SouthernLab •Basketball

Forman was theClass 1A AllStateMVP and All-Metro MVP

She led SLHS to its third LHSAAtitle in four years. After missing her junior season with aknee injury,Forman averaged 22 points and 5rebounds per game. The Lamar signee was MVP of the title gameand LHSCA all-star game.

AVERYST. PIERRE

Lutcher •Powerlifting

St.Pierre, afreshman, cemented her place in Lutcher’s long line of championship lifters who have contributed to 18 state titles in arow,inabig way.She won the 132-pound weight class with athree-lift total of 820 pounds. St. Pierre’stotal also included a340-pound deadlift.

SYDNEY LEE

Dutchtown •Bowling

The Griffins advanced to theLHSAAfinals for athird straight season withLee, aStephen F. Austin signee, leading theway.She had a210 pins per gameaverage, atop game score of 267 and atop three-game series of 735. Lee also was an LHSAA tourney singles quarterfinalist

ELLA ODOM

Prairieville •Gymnastics

What Odom did in her first LHSAAstate gymnastics meet was not beginner’sluck. The freshman won an individual title for the Hurricanes. Odom tallied aLevel 8all-around score of 36.425, including a high markof9.650 in floor exercise. It was also Odom’s first high school meet.

ELLA MANCUSO

St.Joseph’sAcademy •Tennis

It wasaseason of perfection forMancuso and the Redstickers, whowon their ﬁfth straight LHSAA Division Iteam title in Monroe. She ﬁnished with a 17-0 singles record and again won the Division Isingles title as SJA swept singles and doubles titles at the LHSAA tourney

TRISTENHARRIS

West Feliciana •Track &Field

The South Carolina signee holds LHSAA’s indoor and outdoor records in the long jump and has morejumps over 20 feet than any Louisiana girls competitor.Harris was the Division Iindoor champion at 60 meters. She has the state’stop outdoor 200 meters timeand is No. 2inthe 100.

ABBY FROELICH

Dutchtown •Softball

Froelich was astandout in the circle and at the plate for the Division Inonselect runner-up Grifﬁns. She was 24-9 with 302 strikeouts and a1.72 ERA as apitcher.Atthe plate, the Rhodes signee was just as impressive, batting .353 with 6homeruns and 40 RBI.

SOPHIAMACIAS

Episcopal •Golf

The Tulane signee was the Metro tourney champion, an LHSAA regional champion and the LHSAA’s Division II runnerup. Macias also led her team to aDivision II runner-up ﬁnish in her ﬁnal prep season. She set acourse record with an 8-under-par 64 at the Metro tourney,another career highlight.

GIRLSATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

MICHELLE DAIGLE St.Joseph’sAcademy

Daigle, atwo-time All-Metro cross country MVP, was also one of Louisiana’stop performers in indoor/outdoor track.The LSUsignee became the ﬁrst Baton Rouge girls cross countrycompetitor in seven years to win the Gatorade LouisianaRunner of theYear award. Daigle helped SJA winits ninth straight cross country titleinDivisionI.Her success did not stop there. Daigle wonthe 1,600- and 3,200-meter races as SJA won the LHSAA’sDivision Iindoortrack title. Daigle then placed second in the 3,200 duringthe outdoor statechampionships as St. Joseph’sﬁnished second as ateam.

TRISTEN HARRIS West Feliciana

Over the last two seasons, Harris has illustrated how to run fast and jump far.The South Carolina signee holds the LHSAA’s composite/all classes record in the long jump. She has more jumps beyond 20 feet than any high school girlinLouisiana history.Her best 2025 mark this was spring 20 feet, 5inches. Harris is one of Louisiana’selite sprinters. She won theDivision I60-meter dash in 7.44 seconds and long jump in 20-21/2 at the Division Iindoor meet. Harris has Louisiana’stop timeof 23.87 seconds in the 200 meters and is second in 100 at 11.55.

Robin Fambrough

SHAILA FORMAN SouthernLab •Basketball

Itwas adevastatingmoment for

Shaila Forman

The star player who never shied away from carrying the Southern Lab girls basketball team wascarried off the court. Atorn ACL sufferedinasummerAAU showcase sidelined Forman forher junior season.

Forman could have been consumed with doubt. Instead, the stagewas set for an all-consuming comeback.

“The season met my expectations pretty well,” Forman said. “I don’tfeel like Istarted off that good, but over time, Iprogressed.”

Not only did the 5-foot-10 Forman progress, she excelled and established herself as one of Louisiana’s top players while leading the Kittens to their third Division IV select title in fouryears. Forman averaged22points, ﬁve rebounds and two assists per game while multiple major awards came along the way

The Lamar signee was selected as the Division IV select title-game MVP,the Advocate’sAll-Metro MVP and the LSWA’sClass 1A MVPfor the second time in three years. And shewas the MVP of theLHSCA all-

star game.

“There wasnever any doubt in my mind about Shay and what she would do,” SLHS coach Quianna Chaney said. “She put in the workto makeitback.

“Before she was cleared to practice or play,she wasalways in the gym,doing what she could. She was there forher teammates too, encouraging them.”

From time-to-time, Chaney had to remind Forman to put on her “other leg” —aknee brace —asshe progressed. If she wasn’tinagym with her team,Forman had the watchful eye of her father,former Southern Lab star Shannon Forman, nearby

“I knew she would come back strong,” backcourt mateAsia Patin said. “I saw her work. She’sthe sameplayer,but even better.”

Though Forman and Patin formed one of the state’stop guard duos, Chaney had adifferent plan for 2024-25. The SLHS coach had Forman play in the post at times to help offset alack of height.

Instead of looking on the outside in, Forman took on the inside-out role.

“Itwas an adjustment. But Ireally liked it because Isaw how it helped the team,” Forman said. “Sitting on the bench the year before showed me things Idid not see on the court. “Encouraging and helping my teammates mattered, too. It made me abetter player.”

Robin Fambrough

GIRLS SPORTS CONGRATULATIONS

SouthernLab wingShaila Forman, center,shoots over CedarCreek players in the firsthalf of the LHSAA Division IV select championship game on March 8atthe University Center in Hammond. STAFF FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Noone would’ve blamed Manny Williams had he decidedto step away from football. The day before he was supposed to beginhis senior season, acar crash threw far more important things —his health, his future, even his life —into question.

Williams, aCentral runningback, should’ve been ﬁghting for extra yards.

Instead, he began aﬁght forsomething greater.Williamsunderwent surgery.Then complicationsput himinto acoma and on aventilator,withacollapsed lung, alaceratedliver and broken bones in his hip, jaw and shoulder.

“There wasthis period of time,” Wildcatscoach DavidSimoneaux said, “where we were like, ‘Hey man, tohell withfootball. Is he gonna live?’”

Whathappenednext readslike aHollywood script.

Somehow—after Williams relearned how to walk, rehabbed his injuries and regained the 20 pounds he had lost doctors cleared himtoplay 15 snaps in Central’splayoff quarterﬁnal matchup with West Monroe. That miraculous recovery allowed himtoseal thegame with a29-yard touchdown run,inspiring what turned into the Wildcats’ ﬁrst

LHSAAtitle run in 58 years and completing a journey ﬁt for The Advocate’sStar of Stars Courage Award.

Williams accomplished it all within 90 days of thecrash.

“The way that he willed himself back into theﬁght,” Simoneaux said, “was such ametaphor and parallel to who our team was. Just the idea that he had to persevere through so much to get out there and even be on theﬁeld, much less score touchdowns and catch balls and add meaningful reps.”

In early September,while Williams was inthehospital,teammatestoldfolksaround schoolthatthey’dmakeadeepplayoffrun so their starting running back would have enough time to return to the ﬁeld.

Williams then wounduptaking a team-high 14 carries in the Division I nonselect title game– Central’srecordsetting 42-0 win over Ruston.

“No matter what happens in your life,” Williamssaid, “youcould really overcome anything if you just have God by your side and believe God’sword. Just keep your head on track, keep apositive mind, and you can ﬁght throughanything.”

Reed Darcey

RobertGravesuncovershistory For ahalfcentury,recordkeeping has been more than apassion for the soon-to-be 79-year-old. It’sa deed that transformed into alife’swork he largely devoted to high school football.

For Denham Springs, his almamater,Graves has scoured thenewspaper archives for game scores dating back to 1930. He’salso documented the down and distance of everyplay of 401 games from 1975-2012.

Theremarkable commitment is enhanced by the fact he tracked 397 football games in person. His mere four absences, whichstill haunt him, camewhile recovering after triple bypass surgery after a heart attack before the 2006 season.

“I was disappointedthe doctor wouldn’t letmegotothe game,” Graves said.

An unwavering dedication to serving not only Denham Springs but youth sportsasa whole is whyGraves is The Advocate’sStar of Stars Spirit Award winner for 2025.

The beginning of his life as achronicler came in 1975 as the statistician to former Denham Springs coach Harold “Butch” Wax.

Beforetaking on this role, he gradu-

and was

aLittle League Baseball umpire whosimultaneously kept stats.

Graves’ remarkable workasafootball statistician is also highlighted in the six-year period when his day job at Gulf States Utilities, now Entergy, relocated him to Beaumont, Texas, in 1994. Somehow,hedrove

Lee’sconfidence stems from Special Olympics

Passionate is one way to describe Caleb Lee’s feeling toward Special Olympic competition, which he began at 8years old.

What’smore apt is calling sports a way of life for the Live Oaks freshman who has used sports and physical activity to become awell-roundedperson.

Whether its how “free” he feels in track and ﬁeld or how swimming is “like avideo game”where you have to breathe in enoughair to moveforward, these sports and others have providedaway to be active and at ease with expressing himself.

“Special Olympics has deﬁnitely given him conﬁdence andtaught him to be competitive and make friends,” hismother,Amy Lee, said Caleb Lee’sannual commitment to sports is why he’sthe Star of Stars Special Olympics Boys Athlete of the Year for The Advocate.

His introduction to athletics came in elementary school as away forhim to improve his balance, mobilityand communication.

Lee is also eager to try different things. He most recently started doing archerysince entering Live

Oak and also enjoys bowling. Combat sports also hold a special place in his heartafter initially takingmartial arts classes.

“Watching ninja turtles and Karate Kid,” Amy Lee said of her son’sinspiration.“We went ahead and put him down in aclass that was suitable for him,and they really worked with him at his level, and he enjoyed it. Andthen that studio was shutdown, and he decided he wanted to trythe Tang Soo Do, and he was enjoying that.”

“(Martial arts) taught me to be conﬁdent and stand up for others and myself,” Caleb Lee said.

He has shown interest in starting his own ﬁghting style and has an element of ﬁghtingincluded in stories he writes for fun.

Lee is revving up for thestate competitions for the Special Olympics on May24, where he’ll compete in the softball throw,standing long jump and 50-meter run. Winning is the goal, but the competition allows himtobehis full self

“He’sa social butterﬂy,” Amy Lee said. “He makes friends wherever he goes.”

Toyloy Brown III

Winning. Competing While those aspects of sportsare important to Natalie McGlinchey,aSpecial Olympic athlete in track and ﬁeldand swimming since 2019, that’snot what keeps her coming back. The Brighton School freshman’s passion for athletics is rooted in alove of people. Camaraderie and teamwork are attributes that neatly pairwith thenatural enthusiasmshe brings to every room and athletic arena she enters.

“It doesn’tmatter if you place ﬁrst, third, whatever,just try your hardest,” she said.

McGlinchey’sheart is whyshe’s the Star of Stars SpecialOlympics Girls Athlete of the Year forThe Advocate.

“She makes you want to go to practice,” Brighton track and ﬁeld coach Tori Ingrassia said. “Shemakes me want to be abetter person. She’sjust one of those positive people that just encourages others around her to be more positive.” Whether it’srunning laps in practice or cheering swimmersinthe pool, McGlinchey’sencouraging voice resonates.

This continuously touches her mom, Caryn McGlinchey,who still recalls the time when her daughter’sapraxia

delayed her ability to say her ﬁrst words until kindergarten.

“Asmuch as she enjoys the competitiveness, she also enjoys standing on the side screaming for (and)cheering for that teammate,” McGlinchey said.

“Towatch her encourage others is justasrewarding as (seeing)her do the event because you know you somehow instilled something good (and) that she wants to help others participate in their event.”

When Natalie McGlinchey isn’t running or swimming, she plays on her school’s volleyball team.

On that squad, one of her favorite formsofgroup bonding is jamming out in warmups to pop music from artistslike Adele, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber

She’salso interested in teaching, speciﬁcally as ateacher at Brighton where students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences can learn at their own pace.

She’s currently ateacher’saide for a kindergarten class.

Thedesire to help people is intuitive forMcGlinchey,whose smile uplifts her teammates and coaches alike.

“She is one of those athletes that just make it really enjoyable toget away from thereal world for justan hour,” Ingrassia said.

Toyloy Brown III

AIDENMONISTERE

ParkviewBaptist •Cross country

Atop 25 ﬁnish at theNike NXRNational Meet capped off arecord-settingfall for Monistere, atwo-time All-Metro MVP and atwo-time LHSAA Division IIIchampion. He seta 3-mile course record at HighlandRoad Park with atimeof14:12.34, more than 13 seconds better than theprevious record

MATTHEWO’KONSKI

Dutchtown •Swimming

O’Konski kicked his performances up anotch thanksto offseason work toimprove theunderwater portion of his strokes. At the City Meet, he swam apersonal bestof1 minute, 54.40 secondswhile winning the 200-yardindividual medley,which incorporates all four strokes.Hewas the 500 freestyle champion with atime of 4:38.46.

ELIJAHHAVEN

Dunham •Football

The nation’s No. 1quarterback prospect for 2027 didnot disappoint. Haven was an AllMetro MVP andthe Class 2A MVP after leading Dunham to aLHSAA DivisionIII select runner-upﬁnish. He passed for 3,093 yards and had 925 rushing yards. Havencompleted 193 of 321 passes with 37 touchdowns.

KRISTIAN SCOTT

Catholic• Wrestling

After literally growingintoa newrole, Scott was dominant again for theBears. Following an LHSAA title at 132pounds as asophomore, Scott moved up to 157 pounds and dominated. He ﬁnished 44-2, won another LHSAA Division Ititle anddid not losetoaLouisianacompetitor.

BOYS SPORTS

JANKELL ARIAS

Denham Springs •Soccer

Arias’Yellow Jackets were thetop-rated LHSAA Division Iteam all year and enjoyed the best season in school history The senior rotated between the midﬁeld and forward this year The movewas agame-changer as Arias,the Division I-II MetroMVP,had 28 goals while leading the Yellow Jackets to the semiﬁnals.

MALEK ROBINSON

Liberty •Basketball

Robinson netted All-Metro MVPhonors and LSWA AllStatehonors for thePatriots (25-2), who won aDistrict 4-5A title, were theNo. 1playoff seed in Division Iselect and were asemiﬁnalist. He averaged 14.5 points, 8.1 steals and 7.7 assistsper game. Robinson ranked among thenation’ssteals leaders.

TRENT HARRISON

Denham Springs •Powerlifting

The concept of lifting heavy metal is simple for Harrison. He competed in the 220-pound weight class in Division Iand had thehighest three-lift total of 1,805 pounds for all divisions at the LHSAA meet. Harrison also won asecond LHSAA individual title. His lifts included a700-pound squat.

CHASE CAGNOLATTI

St. Amant •Bowling

It was abreakout season for Cagnolatti, ajunior whose regular-season average of 220 pins per gameranked among thestate’stop 10. He set the tonefor the Gators with abest single-gamescoreof278. Cagnolatti also had atop three-game series of 799 for St.Amant.

LOGAN PITTS

Catholic •Gymnastics

Pitts won theLevel 4competition at the LHSAAstate meet with an all-around total of 51.600. The eighth grader was dominant,recording top marks in ﬁve of six individual events. That included scores of 9.500 on thepommel horse, 9.100 on the vault and 9.000 on thehigh bar

CHARLIEDUBOS

Catholic •Tennis

DuBos helped the Bears win aregional championship and place third at the LHSAA’s Division Itournament. He ﬁnished the season with an 8-2 singles record that included a regional title. DuBos advanced to the quarterﬁnals at the LHSAA tourney before losing to eventual champion Alton Swan of Jesuit.

COOPER SMITH

LiveOak •Baseball

Acatcher whobats near the top of the order is rare, but Smith, aLouisiana Tech signee, excels in the role. He hit .353 with 8doubles, 8home runs, 23 RBI and 26 walks. Smith wona District 5-5A title and aquarterﬁnal playoffseries with walk-offhome runs.

JACK CARTER

ParkviewBaptist •Golf

It was quite ayear for Carter,who ranked among Baton Rouge leaders all season. He won the Metro tourney on aplayoff hole and then led the Eagles on an improbable charge that led to an LHSAA Division III runner-up ﬁnish. Carter placed third at the LHSAA Division III tourney

FERZELL SHEPARD

Scotlandville •Track &Field

Shepard established himself as one of the nation’stop jumps specialists before the outdoor season began. He then cemented that status with the nation’sbest triple jumpof 51 feet, 61/5 inches last month. Shepard’sbest long jump of 24-73/4 also is Louisiana’stop mark.

BOYS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

REID CHAUVIN

Episcopal

Looking for an athletewho canmakeaheavy impact in twosports? Chauvin mayjustbeyour guy. He earned All-District 8-2A honors as a running back for theball-control oriented Knights. Chauvin rushed for 1,412 yards and 22 touchdowns, averagingmore than 7yards per carry Episcopal advancedtothe LHSAA’s DivisionIII select quarterﬁnals last fall. Chauvin then led Episcopal to itsﬁrst LHSAA-era powerlifting title in Division IV.Itwas no surprise when Chauvin was voted Outstanding Lifter on the heavy platform. He had athree-lift total of 1,630 poundsin the198-pound weight class.

AIDEN MONISTERE

ParkviewBaptist

Monistere was considered to be among Louisiana’stop distance runners when the 2024-25 seasons began. Now,the Iowa State signee graduates as one of the state’sbest distance runners of all time. The two-time All-Metro MVPwon his second LHSAA Division III title and shattered the Highland Road Park cross country course record with a3-mile timeof14minutes, 12.34 seconds. From there, Monistere placed in the top 25 at the Nike NXC nationals. During the indoor and outdoor seasons, he traveled around the country to race and posted marks that rank nationally in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters.

Robin Fambrough

BOYS SPORTS

ATHLETE OF THEYEAR

ELIJAH HAVEN

Dunham •Basketball,football

Asasenior teammatein two sports, Eason Jarreau watched TheDunham School’sElijah Haven develop into astar from afront-row seat.

He could provide glowing stories about big plays, but Jarreau said something else makes the Tiger sophomore special.

“It’sbeen amazing to watch Elijah grow,” Jarreau said. “From the time he was in eighth grade and played varsity basketball with us, you could see he was astar

“Then he started getting all these honorsand awards.The morehonorshegets, the less he talksabout it. He’sgetting evenmore humble Notmany people are like that.”

Of course, not many athletes are like Haven on the football ﬁeld or the basketball court. Recruiting services lauded the 6-foot-6, 215-pound Haven as the nation’s No. 1quarterback for the Class of 2027 prior to the fall season. Instead of wilting under pressure, Haven thrived and led Dunham to itssecond LHSAA Division IIIselect runner-up ﬁnish in three years. He completed 193 of 321 passes for 3,093 yards and 37 touchdowns with

just seven interceptions. Haven also rushed for925 yards on 158 carries with 19 TDs. That’sa lot, even foratalented 16-year-old whoisa4.0 student.

“From afootball standpoint, he had asteady incline of growth between his freshman and sophomore year,” Dunham football coach Neil Weiner said. “He got bigger,faster and stronger.I think he worked intentionally to becomemore of a vocal leader.Asaplayer,heisso consistent.”

Haven agreed.

“One thing Ilearned from this year is you can never take anything forgranted,” Haven said. “There will be ups and downs in along season. Youhave to be consistent in preparation and effort. Helping my teamswin is the important thing for me …that motivates me.”

After earning District 8-2A, AllMetro Class 3A and below and Class 2A MVP honors, Haven moved on to basketball. He earned second team Class 2A all-state honors after leading the Tigers to the Division III semiﬁnals forathird straight year with averages of 13 points, eight rebounds and 4.8 assists agame.

“The thing that impresses me the mostisthe wayheconducts himself,” basketball coach Chad Myers said. “You would think he was in the band if you saw Elijah here at school, not the No.1player in the country.”

Robin Fambrough

Dunham quarterback Elijah Havensprints to the end zone for the touchdowninthe second quarter of the Division III select semifinal game against Bunkie on Dec.6 at ParkviewBaptist. STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

DAVID SIMONEAUX

Central High

Two seasons ago, David Simoneaux left his post at Catholic High for the top job at Central.

His gambit, from one District 4-5A school to another,was as audacious as it was surprising. Yet the move has so farpaid off, distinguishing the 41-year-old as one of the top prep football coaches in Louisiana The Wildcats went11-10 across thetwo seasonsbefore they pried Simoneauxaway from theBears. Since then, Central is 22-5 andthe reigning Division Inonselect champion TheLHSAA title it won in December was the ﬁrst it has claimed in over half acentury —akey reasonSimoneaux is The Advocate’s Star of Stars Boys Coach of the Year

“You can ask any guy onthe team,” senior running back Manny Williams said. “He preparedus for anything that we’regonna go through in life.

“He’snot gonna stop. When he sees potential in aguy,heain’t gonna stop. He’sgonna rideyour tail until you make aplay,until

you do the right thing, and it’sjust awesome.” At Central, he took over forSid Edwards, a200 wins coach who waselected Baton Rouge’smayor late last fall. Filling those shoes is achallenge. Engineering aquick turnaround? Then punctuating it with astate championship? Those tasksare even tougher, especially after aseriouscar crash injures three starters theday before a newseason kicks off. Simoneaux’s Central team could’ve lost itsfocus. Instead,itwon nine regular-season games andthree playoff matchups before it wallopedRuston 42-0inits state titleclash Simoneaux has now guided two teams —and two programs— to state championships in just the last four seasons.

In 2021, his Catholic squad won three one-score playoff games en route to the Division Ititle.

In 2024, his fourth-seeded Central team toppledNo. 1seed Neville on the road in the semiﬁnals, then limitedanexplosive Ruston offense to only 90 yards in the championship, setting aDivisionI/5A Prep Classic recordinthe process. Not abad way to start anew job.

“This is moreabout just trying to maximize human potential,” Simoneaux said, “and create champions on the ﬁeld and in life —and as a byproduct, hopefully we play some really good football.”

Reed Darcey

Central High coach David Simoneaux reacts

High School

GIRLS COACH OF THE YE

MARK LaHA

St. Joseph’s Aca

There are so many sure success and in 13 head coach, LaHaye che boxes. His St. Joseph’ won nine consecutive cross country titles in sion I — one of the longest streaks of consecutive all LHSAA sports.

LaHaye’s ability to the box when it comes motivation and training apart. SJA’s challenging includes top meets in are supplemented by other south region states. a large roster motivated varsity and junior varsit to separate varsity meet a young JV squad placed eventual Division II LH pion, E.D. White, in one LaHaye has won regional national coach of the and was recently inducted Louisiana Track & Field sociation’s Hall of Fame

BOYS Y

MARK HARPER

Episcop

Harper has been one most respected power coaches for several years, his knowledge of the sport and the work he does to manage strength and conditioning programs that are specialized for each sport at the Class 2A school. His teams have contended for LHSAA titles before and had runnerup ﬁnishes.

CA H RISING ST S

Like many other small schools, Harper relied on athletes he already supervised in other sports In late March, the Knights put it all together in a big way They ran away with the Division IV boys title, ousting traditional power Calvary Baptist of Shreveport by 19 points in the team standings at the LHSAA championship meet held at the Pontchartrain Center Harper’s Episcopal squad had three individual champions. One of his top lifters, 1,000-yard football rusher Reid Chauvin, was the 198-pound weight class champion and was the meet’s Outstanding Lifter on the heavy platform.

during the march to the LHSAA’s Division I nonselect title completed a comeback story After the Broncos sat out the 2023 playoffs and did not advance to the LHSAA tourney in 2024, skeptics questioned whether Zachary was in the elite Class 5A/Division I ranks to stay

But with a roster that included no player taller than 6-foot-4, McClinton turned in perhaps his most masterful coaching job to date. There were ups and downs, including a loss that gave rival Liberty the District 4-5A title in a league that also included state runner-up Central.

Zachary was ultimately the top seed in Division I nonselect and ﬁnished with a 28-6 record. The Broncos defeated Central 44-37 in the title game to claim their third LHSAA Class 5A/Division I nonselect basketball title over a span of ﬁve years.

Robin Fambrough

COACH OF THEYEAR

Itwas astorybookseason for Tami McClure andthe Zachary High girlsbasketball team

Sometimes, thestory behind the storyisbetter

McClure summed it up herself after the Broncos defeated Parkway in the Division Inonselect ﬁnal.Itwas the school’sﬁrst girlsbasketball title in 98 years. And more.

“I only have ason, so these are my daughters,” McClure said. “I’m tough on them. I’mold school. But Iwant them to be amazing women when they leave this school.

“I’ve done this before.So, I wanted this for them.”

In more than 20 seasons as a high school coach in the Baton Rouge area, McClure has 621 wins that also include LHSAA Class 4A titles at St. Michael in 2008 and 2009.

McClure made the leap from the parochial school system almost adecade ago. She was impressed by the school and intrigued by the challenge. McClure told players and parents to trust the process.

“It was changing the mindset,”

GIRLS SPORTS Invest In

McClure said. “The difference this year was that (quarterﬁnal) game with Mandeville last year is one we should have won. There was anew focus.”

There was anew focus for McClure and her assistants, who displayed their buy-in by doing offseason workouts alongside the players.

The approach, execution and success come as no surprise to those who know McClure. FormerLHSCA director Eric Held coached with McClure at St. Michael.

“She grew up the daughter of aformer MLB pitcher (Ken Reynolds), who also was aminor league coach,” Held said. “I believe that gave her alot of perspective.

“She realized everything that went into coaching at an earlier age. She knew what it took to be good and how to connect with the players.”

St. Thomas More coach Jeanne Kenney,one of McClure’sstar players at St. Michael who went on to play at LSU,offers acomplement to Held’sremarks and compliments for her mentor

“The special thing about high school coaches is how they adjust to each team they have,” Kenney said. “Tami does that exceedingly well.”

Robin Fambrough

Zacharycoach Tami McClure calls out to her team during an LHSAA Division I nonselect championship game against Parkway on March 8atthe University Center in Hammond. Zacharydefeated Parkway to win the state title. STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

TAMI McCLURE

Zachary

TEAM SPORTS

GIRLS TEAM OF THEYEAR

ST.JOSEPH’S ACADEMY Crosscountry

Dynastic. That’sone ofthe more appropriate ways to describe thedominance of St. Joseph’sAcademy girls cross country

CoachMark LaHaye presided over eight consecutive state championships entering the fall of 2024.

While the coach, who is in his 13th year, hasbeen blessed with speedy runners with strong wills, it’sreasonabletowonder how his team battles complacency

Their added motivation comes from knowing schools are aiming for what St. Joseph’shas

“I always tell them you’ve got to train like you’ve neverwon andcompetelike you’ve neverlost,” LaHaye said. “You can’tthink you’re on the top of the hill and nobody’strying totakeyour spot.”

St. Joseph’skept that mindset throughout the season andcaptured aDivision Ititle, earning thedistinction as The Advocate’sStar of Stars GirlsTeam of theYear

Achieving glory for aninthstraightseason was not aguarantee forSt. Joseph’s.

The team understood thegoal but didn’tknow which teammembers would be theonesitwould rely on the most. St.Joseph’swas amid atransition after graduating stars such as GraceRennhoffand Elise Brown, who arenow freshmen competing at LSU and Tulane, respectively

“Wewere just really stacked, reallyfast,” LaHaye said. “Wehad alot of slotstoﬁll thatpeople were gonna havetostep up.”

The one eliterunner he knew was up forthe task wassenior Michelle Daigle, an LSUsignee.

Three more seniors elevated their speed and put up strong times. That groupincludedEmmaline

TEAM OF THEYEAR FINALISTS

PARKVIEW BAPTIST Soccer

There are manywaysfor ahighschool program to validateits status as an elite program.The DivisionIII Eagles diditin a major wayby beatingDivision II powerSt.Thomas More in aearly season contest playedinNovember

STM was nationally ranked,and the win gave Parkview aboost in credibility in state and beyond.The Eagles built on that status throughout the season.Their lonelossesweretoDivision II Vandebilt Catholic and district rival University High.

Ritter,Sara Pasquier and Melia

“While Michelle was aminute to two minutes ahead of the wholepack,”LaHaye chuckled, “our pack through seven stayed together and ranreally well. OneofLaHaye’sfavorite moments was when he saw thebright future of his underclassmen ﬂash. At aregular season meet, the junior varsitygroup

MaceyTheriot scored twice from 30 yards out to help the Eagles claim a2-0 victoryoverU-High in the finale.Weeks later,Nunes and Parkviewreceived atop-10 ranking in anational poll.

ZACHARY Basketball

almost beat E.D. White’svarsity team, the eventual Division II state champions.

““They’re all excited about it,” LaHaye said. “The E.D. White coach is abuddy of mine, and he was like, ‘I thought y’all weregonna get us.’ ” Toyloy Brown III

Therewere othermilestones along theway forthe Broncos.They gave coachTamiMcClure her600th career win and advanced to theLHSAAtourneyfor the first time in nearly adecade.

Not manyteamsinLouisiana can saytheybrought home their school’s first titleina sportinnearly 100 years. That is akey part of the Broncos’ story. Avictoryovertwo-timereigning Division I nonselect champion Parkwayinthe title game gave Zacharyits first girls basketball titlein98years.

The Eagles of coach Raphael Nunes had a16-game winning streak and finished with a25-2 record. Parkviewavenged its loss to U-High in the LHSAA Division III final.

BOYS TEAM OF THE YEAR

CENTRAL Football

What started as abrush with tragedyended in amoment of triumph.

That’sthe story ofCentral football’s2024 team, agroup that wrestled with itsfair shareofadversity on itsway to the DivisionI nonselect championship —the program’sﬁrst LHSAAtitle in 58 years. TheWildcats feltitall. The fragility of life. The joys of football. Thereminder that fewthings aremorerewarding,yet more ﬂeeting,thanahighschool athletic career

Need anudge to make every momentcount? Look no further than coach David Simoneaux’ssecond Central squad, The Advocate’sStar of StarsBoys Team of the Year

“All you got to do is go outthere,”Simoneaux said, “and put your guts out there and letGod do the rest. Ifeel like this team was justthis symboloflife forthe cityofCentral.”

In September,aday beforethe Wildcatsbegan their season on the road against De La Salle, acar crash injured threeseniors. Quarterback Jackson Firmin andreceiver Kylen Thomas returnedtothe ﬁeldbyWeek 2, butrunning backManny Williams sufferedinjuriesthatrequiredsurgery.Complications then forced doctors to induce himintoa coma and hook himtoaventilator,lengtheninghis stay inside an intensive care unit

Williams eventually recovered, andCentralralliedaround him.

Firmin and Thomas connected on a49-yard touchdown in theirreturn—a31-6win over Denham Springs. Seven moreregular-season victories and aplayoff win followed, which allowed Williams to suit up for the Wildcats’ 21-7 quarterﬁnal victory over West Monroe— amatchup he

Acome-from-behind victoryoverNatchitochesCentralinthe quarterfinals pavedthe wayfor third-seeded Zacharytobeat secondseededWalker and No.1Parkway at theLHSAA tourneyinHammond. Zachary finishedwith a26-4 record that included somenotable victoriesovertop teams from otherclassifications.The list included wins over twoother statechampions —Division II selectVandebilt Catholic and Division IV select Southern Lab

Robin Fambrough

sealed with a29-yard touchdown run.

TheWildcats wentontoupsetNo. 1seed Neville 17-13 in the semiﬁnals, then routRuston 42-0 in thetitle game. Firmin, aNicholls signee, pointed outafter the win that the state championship marked the ﬁrst time all of Central’soriginal

starters had shared the ﬁeld.

“Itwas areally special, special moment,” Williams said. “Every time Italk about it, Iget chills because who thought this really could happen?”

Reed Darcey

Hooper

The St.Joseph’sAcademy cross countryteam poses for aphoto. PROVIDED PHOTO

Central players celebrate after shuttingout Ruston, 42-0, to win the Division Inonselect football state

Caesars Superdome. STAFFFILE PHOTOBySCOTT THRELKELD