The Advocate 05-23-2025 by The Advocate

Senate passes car insurance bills

Contentious legislationbacked by governor

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Gov.Jeff Landry showed who’s theboss at theState Capitol when he rammed acar insurance bill throughthe Senate late Wednesday night over the vehement objections of Insurance Commissioner TimTemple and business trade groups.

“What just passed out of the Senate, and if passed into law, would be the most comprehensive insurance reformin Louisiana’s history. These changes are geared toward addressing the unaffordable car insurance crisis in Louisiana.”

SEN. PATRICK McMATH, R-Covington

House Bill 148 would grant the insurance commissioner greater authority to reject “excessive” rate increases,which Landry has said several times would prompt him to blame Temple if rates remain high With alastminuteamendment soughtby the governor, HB148 also would require insurancecompanies to make their rate ﬁling requests public. They say this could force them to expose trade secrets. But balancing out the scales, the Senate also passed ﬁve bills that affect who can sue and how much they can collect measures that Temple, theinsurance industry and their business allies say would reduce payouts and thus reduce rates. The Senate passed thebills over the oppositionoftrial lawyers and their Democratic allies.

“What just passed out of theSenate, and if passed intolaw,would be the most comprehensiveinsurance reform in Louisiana’s history,” said Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington. “These changes are geared toward addressing the unaffordable car insurancecrisis in Louisiana.”

Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, offered adifferent take.

ä See SENATE, page 9A

Above average activity

BY KASEY BUBNASH Staff writer

Anotherabove-average hurricaneseason is in store for the U.S., federal hurricane forecasters announced Thursdayfromthe NewOrleans area, but the outlook isn’tquite as grim as it was this time last year

National Oceanic andAtmosphericAssociationofﬁcials presented their 2025 outlook from theJefferson ParishEmergencyOperationsCenter in Gretna, ahead of the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.They touched on lessons learnedsince the devastating 2005 storm, andpraised Jefferson Parish in particular for itsstormpreparations.

NOAA is predicting 13 to 19 named storms this year,thankstowarmtemperaturesin the AtlanticOcean anda lack of wind shear Of those, six to 10 are expected to become hurricanes, and three to ﬁve of those areexpected to become major hurricanesofCategory3strengthormore.

An average season ends with 14 named storms, seven hurricanes with three major hurricanes.

“Warmsea surface temperaturesare probably the No. 1contributor to the whole thing,” NationalWeather ServiceDirector KenGraham said, because theyprovide the fuel tropical storms need to form and grow

House passes

‘One Big, Beautiful Bill Act’

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON —Louisiana’sfour House Republicanshelpedpass the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” early Thursday morning by one vote, while the state’stwo Democratic members voted no. HouseSpeaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, held the voting machine open forafew minutes and the bill passed on a215-214 vote. The bill cuts Medicaid and food stamp spending, as well as phasing outBiden-era clean energy incentives. It includesmuchof President Donald Trump’sdomestic legislative agenda, including extending tax cuts fromhis ﬁrst term andfunds forbuildingthe wallalong the Mexican border Ofﬁcially titled the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” the measure now heads to the U.S. Senate, where somesenators already have said they plan a massive rewrite.

Abuoyant SteveScalise,R-Jefferson andthe Housemajority leader,told reporters moments after the vote: “With this One Big, Beautiful Bill, House Republicans are answering that mandate and implementing President Trump’s America First agenda, delivering

Thousandsof La.studentscould have to repeat thirdgrade

Newlaw affects pupils farbehind in reading

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

Nearly aquarter of Louisiana third graders are ending the school year far behind in reading, the state Education Department said Thursday.Under anew state law, some of those students will have to repeat third grade. About 23% of third graders

scored “well below” target reading levels on arecent end-of-year assessment, thestate said, indicatingtheyfacea high risk of reading difﬁculties. Nearly 12,000 third graders couldfall in that category, based on enrollment numbers. Those students can retake the literacy test two timesunderthe 2023 law,which took effect this school year and only applies to traditionalpublic schools. If their scores don’tadequately improve and they don’tqualify for an exemption,such as being diagnosed with dyslexia,then they cannot move to fourth grade.

StateofﬁcialssaidThursdaythat they expect theshare of third graders who are held back to be much smaller than the 23% who scored at the lowest level on the reading test, called DIBELS. The law alsoexemptsstudents with certaindisabilitiesand those learning to speakEnglish, as well as studentswho scored at the “mastery”level or aboveonthis year’s state English test. Third graders at risk of being held back can retake the DIBELS test once beforethis school year ends and again after

ä See STUDENTS, page 10A

ä See ACTIVITY, page 10A

STAFF FILE

PHOTOByHILARy SCHEINUK

About 23% of Louisiana third graders scored ‘well below’expected reading levels on an end-of-year assessment.

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Russia says no new Ukraine talks scheduled Russia and Ukraine have no direct peace talks scheduled, the Kremlin said Thursday, nearly a week after their ﬁrst face-toface session since shortly after Moscow’s invasion in 2022 and days after U.S. President Donald Trump said they would start ceaseﬁre negotiations “immediately.”

“There is no concrete agreement about the next meetings,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “They are yet to be agreed upon.”

During two hours of talks in Istanbul on May 16, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each, in what would be their biggest such swap. Apart from that step, the meeting delivered no signiﬁcant breakthrough.

Several months of intensified U.S. and European pressure on the two sides to accept a ceasefire and negotiate a settlement have yielded little progress Meanwhile, Russia is readying a summer offensive to capture more Ukrainian land, Ukrainian government and military analysts say Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this week that Moscow would “propose and is ready to work with” Ukraine on a “memorandum” outlining the framework for “a possible future peace treaty.” Putin has effectively rejected a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine has accepted.

Tenn. man executed for killing wife, her sons NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee inmate Oscar Smith was executed by lethal injection on Thursday morning for the 1989 murders of his estranged wife, Judith Smith, and her teenage sons, Jason and Chad Burnett. Smith was pronounced dead at 10:47 a.m. after a lethal injection of the barbiturate pentobarbital. The 75-year-old had maintained his innocence. In a lengthy ﬁnal statement, he railed against the justice system, saying it “doesn’t work,” echoing sentiments expressed in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

Speaking of Tennessee Gov Bill Lee, Smith said, “He has the last word and is the last person who can give justice where justice is needed.” There are more men waiting to die at the prison, he said. “I’m not the ﬁrst, and I’m not going to be the last.” Smith was strapped to a gurney and had an IV in his right arm. It was attached to a long tube that ran into a different room where the lethal injection was administered. Witnesses saw no obvious sign that the injection had begun after his final statement, but Smith’s speech became labored as he spoke with his spiritual adviser Witnesses heard him say, “I didn’t kill her.” He appeared calm and did not appear to struggle as visible signs of respiration stopped

Man admits role in theft of body parts

SCRANTON, Pa. — A former Harvard Medical School morgue manager has admitted his role in the theft and sale of human body parts — including hands, feet and heads.

Cedric Lodge, 57, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Pennsylvania to interstate transport of stolen human remains, federal prosecutors said. He could face up to 10 years in prison.

The thefts from the morgue in Boston occurred from 2018 through at least March 2020, prosecutors said. Authorities have said Lodge, his wife and others were part of a nationwide network of people who bought and sold human remains stolen from Harvard and a mortuary in Arkansas.

Denise Lodge and several other defendants have pleaded guilty to various charges stemming from the scheme. Prosecutors have said she negotiated online sales of several items, including two dozen hands, two feet, nine spines, portions of skulls, ﬁve dissected human faces and two dissected heads. Authorities have said the dissected portions of cadavers donated to the school were taken without the school’s knowledge or permission.

Man charged with killing Israeli Embassy staffers

Court documents: Suspect told police ‘I did it for Gaza’

BY ERIC TUCKER, MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

WASHINGTON The man accused of fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington outside a Jewish museum told police after his arrest, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” federal authorities said Thursday in announcing charges in the killings they called a targeted act of terrorism.

Elias Rodriguez, 31, shouted

“Free Palestine” as he was led away after his arrest according to charging documents that provided chilling new details of the Wednesday night attack in the nation’s capital that killed an American woman and Israeli man who had just left an event at the museum. They were set to become engaged.

The stunning attack prompted Israeli missions to beef up their security and lower their ﬂags to halfstaff. It came as Israel pursues another major offensive in the Gaza Strip in the war with Hamas that has heightened tensions across the Middle East and internationally, and that law enforcement ofﬁcials have repeatedly warned could inspire violence in the U.S. Rodriguez faces charges of murder of foreign officials and other crimes and did not enter a plea during a perfunctory court appearance. Additional charges are likely, prosecutors said, as authorities continue to investigate the killings as both a hate crime against the Jewish community and terrorism.

“Violence against anyone based on their religion is an act of cowardice. It is not an act of a hero,” said Jeanine Pirro, the interim U.S attorney for the District of Columbia. “Antisemitism will not be tolerated, especially in the nation’s capital.”

The two people killed were identiﬁed as Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, and Sarah Milgrim an American. They were a young couple about to be engaged, according to Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Friends, colleagues and former professors paid tribute to the pair Thursday as having dedicated themselves to promoting peace

and aspiring to bridge cultural and religious divides.

“Sarah and Yaron were stolen from us,” said Ted Deutch, the chief executive of the American Jewish Committee, which organized the event. “Moments before they were murdered, they were smiling, laughing and enjoying an event with colleagues and friends. We are in shock and heartbroken as we attempt to process this immense tragedy.”

An FBI affidavit made public Thursday presents the killing as calculated and planned, with authorities alleging that Rodriguez ﬂew to the Washington region from Chicago on Tuesday with a handgun in his checked luggage. He purchased a ticket for the event about three hours before it started, the afﬁdavit said.

The couple were leaving the Capital Jewish Museum when the suspect, who witnesses said had been behaving suspiciously by pacing outside the museum, approached a group of four people and opened fire. Surveillance video showed Rodriguez advancing closer to the two victims as they fell to the ground, leaning over them and ﬁring additional shots. He even appeared to reload before jogging off, the FBI said.

After the shooting, the suspect went inside the museum and stated that he “did it.” He was no longer armed by the time he was taken into custody according to the afﬁdavit.

“I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed,” he spontaneously said. He also told detectives that he admired an active-duty Air Force member who set himself on ﬁre outside the Israeli Embassy in February 2024, describing the man

Trump administration bars Harvard from enrolling foreign students

BY COLLIN BINKLEY and MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trump administration revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students in its escalating battle with the Ivy League school, saying thousands of current students must transfer to other schools or leave the country

The Department of Homeland Security announced the action Thursday, saying Harvard has created an unsafe campus environment by allowing “antiAmerican, pro-terrorist agitators” to assault Jewish students on campus. It also accused Harvard of coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party saying it hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as 2024.

“This means Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,” the agency said in a statement

Harvard enrolls almost 6,800 foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, accounting for more than a quarter of its student body Most are graduate students, coming from more than 100 countries.

Harvard called the action unlawful and said it’s working to provide guidance to students.

“This retaliatory action threatens seri-

ous harm to the Harvard community and our country and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission,” the uni-

as “courageous” and a “martyr,” court documents said. Investigators said they were still working to corroborate the authenticity of writings purported to be authored by Rodriguez, an apparent reference to a document circulating online that expressed outrage over Israel’s conduct in the war The FBI is also contacting associates, family members and co-workers.

Rodriguez appeared in federal court in Washington in a white jail suit and listened impassively as the charges and possible punishments, which include the death penalty, were read. At a home listed in public records for Rodriguez’s mother in suburban Chicago, a sign taped on the door Thursday afternoon asked for privacy

The shooting followed the Jewish advocacy group’s annual Young Diplomats reception at the museum, which the couple had attended.

Yoni Kalin and Katie Kalisher were inside the museum when they heard gunshots, and a man came inside looking distressed. Kalin said people came to his aid and brought him water, thinking he needed help, without realizing he was the suspect. When police arrived, he pulled out a red kefﬁyeh, the Palestinian headscarf, and repeatedly yelled, “Free Palestine,’” Kalin said.

“This event was about humanitarian aid,” Kalin said. “How can we actually help both the people in Gaza and the people in Israel? How can we bring together Muslims and Jews and Christians to work together to actually help innocent people? And then here he is just murdering two people in cold blood.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

The Trump administration revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students in its escalating battle with the Ivy League school.

versity said in a statement.

The dispute stems from an April 16 request from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The letter demanded that Harvard turn over information about foreign students that might implicate them in violence or protests that could lead to their deportation.

In a letter to Harvard on Thursday, Noem said the school’s sanction is “the unfortunate result of Harvard’s failure to comply with simple reporting requirements.” It bars Harvard from hosting international students for the upcoming 2025-26 school year

Noem said Harvard can regain its ability to host foreign students if it produces a trove of records on foreign students within 72 hours. Her updated request demands all records, including audio or video footage, of foreign students participating in protests or dangerous activity on campus.

“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” Noem said in a statement.

The action revoked Harvard’s certiﬁcation in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which gives the school the ability to sponsor international students to get their visas and attend school in the United States.

CALIFORNIA

Authorities: Multiple people killed in private jet crash

Music talent agent among the dead

BY JULIE WATSON Associated Press

SAN DIEGO A private jet carrying a music talent agent and ﬁve others hit a power line in foggy weather early Thursday and crashed into a San Diego neighborhood slamming into a home and killing multiple people on the ﬂight.

With the home engulfed in ﬂames and jet fuel rolling down the streets, half a dozen vehicles ignited while residents in the neighborhood of U.S. Navy-owned housing were shaken awake just before 4 a.m. by the thunderous crash and subsequent explosions Out their windows, they saw a wall of ﬁre.

“I can’t quite put words to describe what the scene looks like but with the jet fuel going down the street, and everything on ﬁre all at once, it was pretty horriﬁc to see,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said.

No one in the neighborhood died, but eight were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation and injuries that were not life-threatening, including a person who was hurt climbing out a window, police ofﬁcer Anthony Carrasco said. Dave Shapiro, co-founder of Sound Talent Group, and two employees were among those killed, the music agency said in a statement. Sound Talent Group has represented artists including American pop band Hanson, American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton and the Canadian rock group Sum 41. Hanson is perhaps best known for its earworm 1990s pop hit, “MMMBop.” Shapiro also owned Velocity Records.

“We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends. Our hearts go out to their families and to everyone impacted by today’s tragedy,” the agency said. Six people were on board the plane, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Authorities were still combing the scene and recovering the bodies before releasing an ofﬁcial number and identifying the dead, though there were not believed to be any survivors aboard the ﬂight.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ROD LAMKEy

Law enforcement members work the scene Thursday after two Israeli Embassy staff members were shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.

Childmalnutritioncases overwhelmGazahospital

BY MOHAMMED JAHJOUH, WAFAA SHURAFA, SARAH EL DEEB and SAM MEDNICK Associated Press

KHANYOUNIS,Gaza Strip Grabbing her daughter’sfeeble arm, Asmaa al-Arja pulls a shirt over the 2-year-old’s protruding ribs and swollen belly.The child lies on ahospital bed, heaving, then wails uncontrollably,throwing her arms around her own shoulders as if to console herself

This isn’t the first time Mayar hasbeen in aGaza hospital battling malnutrition, yet this 17-day stint is the longest. She has celiac disease, an autoimmune disorderthatmeans shecan’t eat gluten and requires special food. But there’s little left for her to eat in the embattled enclaveafter19 monthsofwar and Israel’s punishing blockade, and she can’tdigest what’savailable

“She needs diapers, soy milk and she needs special food. This is not availablebecause of borderclosures. If it’savailable, it is expensive, Ican’tafford it,” her mother said as she sat next to Mayar at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

Mayar is among the more than 9,000 childrenwho have beentreated formalnutrition this year, according to the U.N. children’s agency,and food security experts say tens of thousands of casesare expected

in the coming year

Experts also warn the territory couldplunge into famineifIsrael doesn’tstop its military campaign and fully lift its blockade— but the World Health Organization said last week that people are already starving

“Everywhere you look, peopleare hungry They point their fingers to their mouths showing that (they) needsomething to eat,”said Nestor Owomuhangi,the representative of the United Nations Population Fund for the Palestinianterritories.

“Theworst has already arrived in Gaza.” For more thantwo months, Israel has banned allfood, medicine and other goods fromenteringthe territory

Iran says it maytake ‘special measures’to defend nuclearsites

BY JON GAMBRELL

Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates

Iran’stop diplomat warned Thursday that his country would take “special measures” to defend its nuclear facilities if Israel continues to threaten them,raising the stakes further aheadof anew roundoftalks with the United States.

The comments by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi offered no speciﬁcs on what Tehran would do, but international inspectors already have seentheir accesslimited to Iran’sprogram. That’s even as Tehran enriches uranium to 60% purity,a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

“I have called on the international community to take effective preventive measures against the continuation of Israeli threats, whichifunchecked,will compel Iran to take special measures in defenseofour nuclear facilities and materials,” Araghchi wrote on the social platform Xafter sending letters to United Nations ofﬁcials.

“The nature, content and extent of our actions will correspond and be proportionate to preventive measures taken by these

international bodies in accordance withtheir statutoryduties and obligations.”

Iran’s missiontothe United Nationslater posted Araghchi’s letter online, which included awarning to the U.S. as well.

“Weare likewise of the firm conviction that —in the event of any attack against thenuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Zionist regime —the government of the United States shall bear legalresponsibility, having been complicit therein,” the letterreads.

It addedany change involving Iranian nuclear sites would be communicated to the International Atomic Energy Agency,the U.N.’snuclearwatchdog.

Araghchi’sremarks followaCNN report Tuesday that described the U.S. as having “new intelligence suggesting that Israel is making preparations to strike Iranian nuclearfacilities.” Israel has not acknowledged any preparations, thoughofficials up to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have repeatedly threatenedto strike Iran’s nuclearsites to prevent it frombeing able to obtain anuclear weapon, should it choosetopursue one.

thatishome to some 2million Palestinians,asitcarries outwaves of airstrikes andground operations. Palestinians in Gaza rely almost entirely on outside aid to survive because Israel’s offensive has destroyed almost all theterritory’sfood production capabilities.

Afterweeks of insisting Gaza hadenough food,Israel relentedinthe face of international pressure and began allowing dozens of humanitarian trucks intothe territory this week —including some carrying baby food

“Children arealready dyingfrom malnutritionand there are more babies in Gaza now who will be in mortal danger if they don’t getfastaccess tothe nutri-

tionsupplies needed to save theirlives,” said Tess Ingram of theU.N. children’sagency. But U.N. agencies say the amount is woefully insufﬁcient,comparedtoaround 600 trucks aday that entered during arecentceaseﬁre and that are necessary to meet basic needs. And theyhave struggled to retrieve the aid anddistributeit, blaming complicated Israeli military procedures and the breakdown of law and order inside the territory.

On Wednesday,a U.N. ofﬁcial saidmorethan adozen trucks arrived at warehouses in central Gaza. The ofﬁcial spoke on condition of anonymitybecause they were not authorized to talk to the press. That appeared to be

MahmoudKhalilallowed to hold sonfor ﬁrst time despiteobjection of feds

By The Associated Press

NEWYORK Detained Palestinianactivist Mahmoud Khalil was allowed to hold his 1-month-old son for the ﬁrst time Thursday after a federal judge blocked the Trumpadministration’seffortstokeep the father and infant separated by aplexiglass barrier

The visit came ahead of ascheduled immigration hearing forKhalil, alegal permanent resident and Columbia University graduate who has been detained in a Louisiana jailsince March 8.

Khalil was the ﬁrst person arrested under President Donald Trump’spromised crackdownonpro-Palestinian protesters andisone of thefew who hasremained in custody as his case winds its way through both immigration and federal court.

Federal authorities have not accused Khalil of a crime, but have sought to deport him on the basis that hisprominent role in protestsagainst Israel’s war in Gaza may have undermined U.S.foreign policyinterests.

Hisrequest to attend his son’s April21birth was denied lastmonth by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The question of whether Khalil would be permitted

to hold his newborn child or forcedtomeethim through abarrierhad sparked days of legal ﬁghting, triggering claims by Khalil’sattorneys thatheisbeing subject to political retaliation by the government

the ﬁrst aid to actually reach adistribution point since the blockade was lifted. Israel accusesHamas of siphoning off aid, without providing evidence, and plans to roll out anew aid distribution system within days. U.N. agencies and aid groups say the new system would fall far short of mounting needs, force much of thepopulation to flee againinorder to be closer to distribution sites, and violate humanitarian principles by forcing people to move to receive the aid rather than delivering it based on need to where people live.

On top of not being able to ﬁnd or afford thefood that Mayar needs, hermother said chronic diarrhea linked to celiacdiseasehas kept the child in and out of hospital allyear. Thetoddler —whose twopigtailsare brittle, asign of malnutrition —weighs 15 pounds, according to doctors. That’s about half what healthy girl her age should.

But it’sgetting harder to help herassupplieslikebaby formula are disappearing, say health staff.

Hospitals are hanging by a thread,dealing withmasscasualties from Israeli strikes. Packed hospital feeding centers are overwhelmed with patients.

“Wehavenothing at Nasser Hospital,” said Dr Ahmed al-Farrah, who said his emergency center for malnourishedchildren is at full capacity.Suppliesare running out, people are living off scraps, and the situation is catastrophic for babiesand pregnant women, he said.

In the feeding center of thehospital,malnourished mothersconsoletheirhungry children —some so frail their spines jut out of their skin, their legs swollen from lack of food.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classiﬁcation, a leading international authority on the severity of hunger crises, has warned that there could be some 71,000 cases of malnourishedchildren between now and March. In addition, nearly17,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women will need treatment foracute malnutrition in the coming months.

Noticeishereby given pursuant to Article 7, Section 23(C)ofthe LouisianaConstitution and R.S. 47:1705(B) that apublic hearing of Town of Livingston of the Parish of Livingston will be held at the regular meeting place, Town Hall, locatedat, 20550Circle Dr Livingston,Louisiana, on Thursday,July 10,2025at6:00p.m.toconsider levying additionalorincreased millage rates without further 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 increaseis$18,865.47.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABDEL KAREEM HANA

MayarAl-Arja, 2, right, and 5-month-old yousef al-Arja, both suffering from malnutrition,are caredfor by their mothersWednesdayinaclinic in Nasser Hospital, Khan younis, Gaza

Justices’ tie vote dooms taxpayer funded Catholic school

BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Thursday effectively ended a publicly funded Catholic charter school in Oklahoma, dividing 4-4.

The outcome keeps in place an Oklahoma court decision that invalidated a vote by a state charter school board to approve the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which would have been the nation’s ﬁrst religious charter school. But it leaves the issue unresolved nationally The one-sentence notice from the court provides an unsatisfying end to one of the term’s most closely watched cases.

The Catholic Church in Oklahoma had wanted taxpayers to fund the online charter school “faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ.” Opponents warned that allowing it would blur the separation between

church and state, sap money from public schools and possibly upend the rules governing charter schools in almost every state. Only eight of the nine jus-

tices took part in the case. Justice Amy Coney Barrett didn’t explain her absence, but she is good friends and used to teach with Notre Dame law professor Nicole

Supreme Court declines to reinstate independent agency board members

workforce

Garnett, who has been an adviser to the school.

The issue could return to the high court in the future, with the prospect that all nine justices could participate.

The court, following its custom, did not provide a breakdown of the votes. But during arguments last month, four conservative justices seemed likely to side with the school, while the three liberals seemed just as ﬁrmly on the other side.

That left Chief Justice John Roberts appearing to hold the key vote, and suggests he went with the liberals to make the outcome 4-4.

The case came to the court amid efforts, mainly in conservative-led states, to insert religion into public schools. Those include a challenged Louisiana requirement that the Ten Commandments be posted in classrooms and a mandate from Oklahoma’s state schools superintendent

that the Bible be placed in public school classrooms.

St. Isidore, a K-12 online school, had planned to start classes for its first 200 enrollees last fall, with part of its mission to evangelize its students in the Catholic faith.

A key unresolved issue is whether the school is public or private. Charter schools are deemed public in Oklahoma and the other 45 states and the District of Columbia where they operate. North Dakota recently enacted legislation allowing for charter schools.

They are free and open to all, receive state funding, abide by anti-discrimination laws and submit to oversight of curriculum and testing.

But they also are run by independent boards that are not part of local public school systems.

Proponents of publicly funded religious charter schools were quick to point out that the decision was lim-

ited to Oklahoma.

“Oklahoma parents and children are better off with more educational choices, not fewer While the Supreme Court’s order is disappointing for educational freedom, the 4-4 decision does not set precedent, allowing the court to revisit this issue in the future,” said Jim Campbell, who argued the case at the high court on behalf of Oklahoma’s charter school board. Campbell is the chief legal counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal organization that appears often at the court in cases on high-proﬁle social issues.

On the other side, the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which are among groups representing parents and other opponents of the school in a separate lawsuit, applauded the outcome for preserving public education.

Officials were fired by

Trump

BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Thursday declined to reinstate independent agency board members ﬁred by President Donald Trump, endorsing a robust view of presidential power But the court suggested that it could block an attempt to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who Trump has complained has not cut interest rates aggressively

The court’s action essentially extended an order Chief Justice John Roberts issued in April that had the effect of removing two board members who Trump ﬁred from agencies that deal with labor issues, including one with a key role for federal workers as Trump aims to drastically downsize the

Neither agency has enough appointed members to take final actions on issues before them, as Trump has not sought to appoint replacements.

The decision Thursday keeps on hold an appellate ruling that had temporarily reinstated Gwynne Wilcox to the National Labor Relations Board and Cathy Harris to the Merit Systems Protection Board.

While not a ﬁnal ruling, the court said in an unsigned order that the Constitution appears to give the president the authority to ﬁre the board members “without cause.”

The court’s three liberal justices dissented. “Not since the 1950s (or even before) has a President, without a legitimate reason, tried to remove an ofﬁcer from a classic independent agency,” Justice Elena Kagan wrote, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

The court refused to re-

instate Harris and Wilcox while their cases play out in the courts over warnings from their lawyers that their action would signal that Trump is free to ﬁre members of every independent agency, including the Federal Reserve Board.

“That way lies chaos,” lawyer Neal Katyal wrote in a high court ﬁling on behalf of Harris.

Defending Trump at the Supreme Court, Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the justices that firing Fed governors was a “distinct question” that is not presented in this case.

Trump has mused about ﬁring Powell and his remark in April that the central bank leader’s “termination cannot come fast enough” caused a stock market sell-off. Trump then said he had no plans to ﬁre Powell.

The conservative justices appeared to agree, noting that the Federal Reserve “is a uniquely structured, quasiprivate entity.”

Judge blocks authorities from revoking international students’ legal status

BY JANIE HAR Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO A judge in California blocked the Trump administration Thursday from terminating the legal status of international students nationwide while a court case challenging previous terminations is pending. The order by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White in Oakland bars the government from arresting, incarcerating or moving students elsewhere based on their legal status until the case is resolved. Students could still be arrested for other reasons and their legal status can still

be revoked if they are convicted of a violent crime carrying a prison term of more than a year.

Most courts hearing these types of cases have granted protections to the person suing, but White said the government’s actions “wreaked havoc” not only on the lives of plaintiffs but other nonimmigrants in the U.S. on student visas. White, who was nominated by President George W. Bush, a Republican, issued the nationwide injunction sought by attorneys for about two dozen students who sued after their legal status was abruptly terminated in early

April by Immigration and Customs Enforcement

More than 4,700 international students had their permission to study in the U.S. canceled this spring, with little notice or explanation, as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrants and foreign nationals. In court hearings, Department of Homeland Security officials said they ran the names of student visa holders through an FBI-run database that contains the names of suspects and people who have been arrested, even if the charges were dropped or they were never charged with a crime.

BY MARY CLARE JALONICK and SOPHIE AUSTIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Senate voted on Thursday to block California’s ﬁrst-in-the nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, moving to kill the country’s most aggressive effort to transition toward electric vehicles as President Donald Trump’s administration has doubled down on fossil fuels.

The measure overturning the rule now goes to the White House, where Trump is expected to sign it, along with two other resolutions that would block California rules curbing tailpipe emissions in certain vehicles and smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution from trucks.

All three measures were approved by the Senate on Thursday and by the House earlier this month.

California Gov Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, and state air regulators say that what Congress is doing is illegal and they will sue to keep the rules in place.

“This is not about electric vehicles,” Newsom said at a news conference while the Senate was still voting on the measures. “This is about polluters being able to pollute more.”

Senate Democrats charged that Republicans are acting at the behest of the oil and gas industry and they say California should be able to set its own standards after obtaining waivers from the Environmental Protection Agency

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the state plans to sue over the way that Republicans passed the measures blocking the emissions rules. Senate Republicans established a narrow exception to the ﬁlibuster Wednesday to clear the way for the votes. The GOP effort could have a profound impact on California’s longtime efforts to curb air pollution California makes up roughly 11% of the U.S. car market, giving it significant power to shape purchasing trends especially because about a dozen states have already followed California’s lead. Vehicles are one of the largest sources of planet-warming emissions.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By SUSAN WALSH

The Supreme Court on Thursday effectively ended a publicly funded Catholic charter school in Oklahoma, dividing 4-4

Rare Maynor’easterdrenchesNew England

BY PATRICK WHITTLE and ISABELLAO’MALLEY Associated Press

SCARBOROUGH,Maine An unusual May nor’easter soaked New England on Thursday and threatened to bring snow to higher elevations as the states prepared for the MemorialDay holiday weekend.

Nor’eastersusually arrive in the end of fall and winter andbring high winds,rough seas and precipitation in the form of rain or snow.This week’snor’easter could bring wind gusts over 40 mph and more than 2inchesofrain in some areas. Forecasters said snow was possible in the mountains of Maine and New Hampshire.

The storm broughtdark skies to New England during atime of year usually reserved for sunshine and cookouts. It was also unseasonablycold, with temperatures below 50 degrees in Portland, Maine; Providence, Rhode Island;and Montpelier, Vermont. The storm was expected to linger into Friday

Anor’easter is an East Coast storm that is so named

As rainfroma nor’easter falls on the pavement, vehicles roll north ThursdayonInterstate 93 in Londonderry,N.H., during thestart of the Memorial Dayholiday travel.

because winds over the coastal area are typically from the northeast, according to the NationalWeather Service.The storms can happen at any time of the year, but they are at their most frequent and strongest betweenSeptemberand April, accordingtothe service

Thestorms have caused billions of dollars in damage in the past. They usu-

ally reach the height of their strength in New England and eastern Canada. The storms oftendisrupt trafficand power grids andcan cause severe damage to homes and businesses.

“Wehave astronger jet stream,which is helping intensify alow pressure system that just happens to be coming up thecoast. And so that’show it gotthe

nor’easter name,”said Kyle Pederson, ameteorologist at the National Weather Service in Boston.

The storm hit Bostonwith heavy rains and stiff wind starting Thursday morning Southern Massachusetts was also dealing withheavy rains thatmade for messy morning and evening commutes.

The heaviest rain was expected tofall in Rhode Islandand southern andeastern Massachusetts, Pederson said. Localized nuisance flooding and difficult driving conditions were possible Thursday, but catastrophic flooding was not expected.

Providence was hit with wind andsteady rains by midafternoon. Further north, in CapeElizabeth, Maine, lobster boatsshook on the water as high winds brought choppy seas

More than 60 ﬂights were canceled ThursdayatBoston

Logan International Airport, wherethere were also more than 300 delayed ﬂights. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shut downthree commuter ferries because of rough seas.

There were other cancellations and service disruptions in some coastal areas, includinga shutdown of theBlock Island Ferry because of adverse sea conditions.

Coastal flood advisories andgalewarnings were issued for many coastal areas of New England andNew York on Thursday

The storm was then expected to pass, leaving light rain andpatchydrizzle,on Friday

“It’s just really anicedose of rain for the region —not expecting muchfor flooding,” Pederson said.

Snowwas expected to be conﬁnedtomountainous areas, but accumulations there

were possible. Nor’easters are usually winter weather events, and it is unusual to see them in May. They typicallyform when there are large temperature differences from westtoeast during winter when there is cold air over land and the oceans are relatively warm. But right nowthere is a trafﬁc jam in the atmosphere becauseofanareaofhigh pressure in the Canadian Arctic that is allowing unusually coldair to funneldown over the Northeast. Thelow pressure system off the East Coastisbeing fueledbya jetstream that is unusually south at the moment.

“It really is akind of awinter-type setup thatyou rarely see this late,” said Judah Cohen, seasonal forecast director at the private ﬁrm Atmospheric and Environmental Research.

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRYNEUMEISTER Associated Press

NEWYORK Rapper Kid Cudi

testiﬁed Thursday that Sean “Diddy” Combs broke into his Hollywood Hills home in 2011 after ﬁnding out he wasdatingCombs ex-girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, and said he was sure Combs was behind the firebombingof his car weeks later

Speaking at Combs’ federal sex traffickingtrial in Manhattan, Cudi said that whilehe and Cassie were briefly dating, he tookher to aWest Hollywood hotel in order to get her away from the seething Combs. Whilethere, he said he got acall from Combs’assistantCapricorn Clark. She told himCombs andanaffiliate were in Cudi’shouse and she had been forcedtogo with them.

leather interior scorched and burned,witha hole apparently cut in the fabric roof. A Molotov cocktail wasfound on the passenger seat, Cudi said Cassie, whoselegal name is CasandraVentura,testiﬁed lastweekthatCombs threatened to blow up

Cudi

Cudi, whose legal name is Scott Mescudi, said he called Combs whiledriving home and asked why he was in his house. He said Combs calmly replied, “I want to talk to you.” But Combs wasn’tthere when he arrived, Cudi testified. Instead, he found that someone had openedChristmas presents he’d bought for his family and locked hisdog in abathroom. Cudi wasn’t sure what was going on, so he called the police. Afew weeks later, Cudi testified, his Porsche 911 convertible was damaged by firewhile parked in his driveway.Cudi said he was at a friend’shouse when his dogsitter called and told him his car was on fire. Jurorswere shown photos of the car’sred

Cudi’scar and hurt himafter he learned she was dating the GrammyAwardwinningrapper Cudi said he didn’t have conﬂicts atthe timewith anyone other thanCombs

“I knew he had something to do with it,” Cudi said, leadingCombs’ lawyers to object. Jurors weretoldtodisregard the remark.

Cuditold jurors he met withCombs thenext day at

aLos Angeles hotel to try to smooththings over “Afterthe ﬁre, Isaid this is getting out of hand. Ineed to talk to him,” Cudi said. At the endofthe meeting, as theystood and shook hands, Cudi said he asked Combs:“What arewegoing to do about mycar?” Cudi said Combs gave him a“very cold stare”and responded, “I don’tknowwhatyou’re talking about.”

Cudi thought “he was lying” but let it go, and there were no more episodes at his house. A few years later,Combs apologized “foreverything” when they ran intoeach other at a hotel, Cudi testiﬁed.

Combs seemed subdued as Cudi testified.Althoughhe looked towardthe witness stand, neither man seemed to react to theother

Notice is hereby givenpursuanttoArticle 7, Section23(C) of theLouisiana Constitution andR.S.47:1705(B) that apublic hearingofthe City of BakerSchool District in East BatonRouge Parish will be held at its regularmeetingplace, in theboardroom of theCityofBaker School BoardOfﬁce, locatedat14750 PlankRoad,Baker,LAon Tuesday, July 1, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. to considerlevying additional or increasedmillage rateswithout furthervoter approval or adopting theadjustedmillage ratesafter reassessmentand rollingforward to rates nottoexceed theprior year’s maximum. Theestimated amount of taxrevenuesto be collected in thenextyearfromthe increasedmillage is $2,623,169.75, andthe amount of increase in taxesattributable to themillage increase is $275,920.30.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By CHARLES KRUPA

Feds releaseRFK Jr.’scontroversial MAHA report

BY AMANDASEITZ and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

WASHINGTON Agovernment report released on Thursday covering wide swaths of Americanhealth and wellnessreﬂects some of the most contentious views on vaccines, the nation’sfood supply,pesticides and prescription drugs held by Health and Human ServicesSecretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr

The much-anticipated “Make America Healthy Again” report calls for increased scrutiny of the childhood vaccine schedule, areview of the pesticides sprayed on American crops and adescription of the nation’schildren as overmedicated and undernourished.

“Never in American history has the federal government taken aposition on public health like this,” Kennedy told agroup of MAHA supportersduring an event unveiling the report on Thursday

While it does not have the force of alaw or ofﬁcial policy,the 69-page report will be used over the next three months for the MAHA commission to fashion aplan that can be implemented during the remainder of President Donald Trump’sterm.

SpeakingtoMAHA supportersatthe White House on Thursday,Trump praised the report.

“There’ssomethingwrong and we will not stop until we defeatthe chronic disease epidemic in America,” Kennedy refused to provide details about who authored the report.

Vaccines

Increased scrutiny of childhood vaccines —credited with saving millionsof people from deadly diseases —figures prominently in the report. It poses questions over the necessityof school mandates that require children to get vaccinated foradmittance and suggestions that vaccines should undergo more clinicaltrials, includingwith placebos.

Kennedy,alongtime vaccine critic, has raised doubts about the safety of shots even as ameasles outbreak has sickened more than 1,000 Americans. This week, Kennedy’shealth department moved to limit U.S.access to COVID-19 shots.

The report does not provide any evidence that the childhood vaccine schedule, which includes shots for measles, polio andthe chickenpox, is to blame for rising obesity,diabetesor autism rates, said Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physicianatJohns Hopkins University

“It’snot as if they’re positing any kind of causal link,” Adalja said, adding that Kennedy is “is trying to de-

and chemical research results, fundedbycorporations and industry,being skewed.

But the MAHA commission’scallfor moreneutral research comes as sweeping budgetand staffcuts propelledbyTrump’sDepartment of Government Efﬁciency have resulted in 20,000 jobs lost at the nation’shealth department andbillions of dollars rescinded forresearch studies. The Trumpadministration also gutted the Environmental Public Health Tracking Programinits cuts of health-tracking programs.

The report also raises concerns about the lack of physical activity among children and their prescription drug use, including antibiotics and medications used to treatattentiondeﬁcitdisorders.

ment have raised concerns aboutoffering medications, even over-the-counter drugs like pain relievers, to children. But Trumpspent 10 minutes duringThursday’s eventtelling MAHA supporters how he’sworking to lower the cost of prescription drugs. TheEastRoom crowd, packed full of MAHA supporters that offeredapplause for Trump’scalls to investigate chronic disease in children, responded mildly —and eventually stopped clapping entirely —ashe continued to talk aboutlowering drug costs.

valuevaccines in the minds of Americans.”

Farmingchemicals

Parts of the report highlight growing factions within the Trump administration’sMAHAmovement, even as the report strained toappease opposing forces within the politicallydiverse coalition that Trump and Kennedy have fostered.

Thereport makes dozens of references to dietary guidelinesand standards in Europe, but Environmental Protection Agency headLee Zeldinpromised it would not yield more rigorous regulations.

“This cannot happen through aEuropean mandate system that stifles growth,” Zeldin said in acall with reporters.

Despite numerous studies and statementsthroughout theMAHA report that raise concernsabout American food products, Trump Cabinet officialsinsisted during acall withreporters on Thursday that thenation’s food supply is safe.

The report mentions that glyphosate, acommonly used chemical sprayed on crops, may causeserious healthproblems, including cancer.The World Health Organizationhas saidthat the chemical is aprobable carcinogen to humans, although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said it is unlikely.

Farmers, who —alongside Republican lawmakers —hounded theTrump administration leadingupto the report’srelease,swiftly criticized thereport’scommentsonthe chemicals.

“The Make America HealthyAgainReport is ﬁlled with fear-based rather thanscience-based informationabout pesticides,” theNational Corn Growers Association said in astatement

But Kennedy’sMAHA supporters were also disappointed, saying thereport didn’tgofar enough when it came to chemicals used on crops.

“If theTrump WhiteHouse and Republicans don’ttake pesticidesand glyphosate’s link to humanhealthissues seriously,itwill cost them

the MAHA voteinthe midterms,” said Dave Murphy,a former Kennedy fundraiser who spearheaded apush for the issue to be addressed in thereport.

Talkingabout thereport on Thursday,Trump reiterated his “love” for farmers.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollinsacknowledged the tight rope Trump ofﬁcials are walking to keep farmers, manyofthem in Republican-leaning states, happy while also working to satisfy Kennedy’seclectic and health-conscious following.

“Doall of us agree on everything? Of course not,” Rollinssaid.“Butthe place that we have landed,which is,I think allofusagree, is thatthis is not abinary choice betweenanindustry, agriculture and health.”

Ultraprocessed foods

The report comes out stronger,however, against ultraprocessedfoods—industrially made products high in reﬁned grains,sugar, saturated fats and additives like artiﬁcial dyes that now make up two-thirds of the diet for U.S. teens and children. Such productshave been linked to ahost of poor healthoutcomes, though documenting how they cause those problems has been notoriously difficult and time-consuming.

TheMAHA commission report “is apretty accurate depiction of the nutrition crisis facing ourcountry,” said Dr.DariushMozaffarian, an expert in nutrition and policy at TuftsUniversity.

Thereportfocuses not only on ultraprocessed foods,but also on how too fewfruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seedsand ﬁsh arepresent in U.S.diets, he noted. But the report leaves out excess salt, which causes harm, even in young children.

TheMAHAreportcalls on the National Institutes of Healthtoexecutesweeping, nationwide studies of ultraprocessed foods, even as the White House hascalled for $18 billiontobeaxed from the agency’sbudget.Anextra$500 million has been requestedfrom Congress for Kennedy’sMAHA initiative.

“I thinkit’sgoing to go down as oneofthe most importantthings we’ve ever down because drug prices aregoing to go down,” he said, as Kennedy looked on. Associated Press writer JoNel Aleccia in Temecula, California, contributed to this report.

Someinthe MAHA move-

The reportraises concerns about other environmental

Trump hosts dinner for top investors in his meme coin

Some industry leaders fear he’s putting personal profits first

BY WILL WEISSERT and ALAN SUDERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump rewarded top investors in one of his cryptocurrency projects with a swanky dinner on Thursday night, an event that showed the ascendance of an emerging financial industry — and also the president’s willingness to mix public office with personal profit.

Some 220 of the biggest investors in the $TRUMP meme coin were invited to Trump’s luxury golf club in Northern Virginia, where they dined on filet mignon and halibut According to participants’ posts on social media Trump spoke for about half an hour before dancing to the song “YMCA.”

Despite the White House insisting that Trump would be attending the event “in his personal time,” he stood behind a lectern with the presidential seal as he touted an industry that’s generating profits for his family business.

After feeling unfairly targeted under President Joe Biden, the crypto industry has quickly become a powerful political force, donating huge sums to help Trump and friendly lawmakers The U.S. Senate is advancing key pro-crypto legislation while bitcoin prices soar However, even some proTrump crypto enthusiasts worry that the president’s personal involvement may be undermining their efforts to establish credibility and stability for the industry.

“It’s distasteful and an unnecessary distraction,” said Nic Carter a Trump supporter and partner at the crypto investment firm Castle Island Ventures, who said the president is “hugging us to death” with his private crypto businesses. “We would much rather that he passes common sense legislation and leave it at that.”

As the president uses crypto as a platform to make money for his brand in unprecedented ways, it’s also creating an opportunity for potentially shadowy buyers

During his ﬁrst term, Trump posted in July 2019 that cryptocurrencies were “not money” and had value that was “highly volatile and based on thin air.”

“Unregulated Crypto Assets can facilitate unlawful behavior, including drug trade,” he added then. Even after leaving ofﬁce in 2021, Trump told Fox Business Network that bitcoin, the world’s most popular cryptocurrency, “seems like a scam.”

lionaire Elon Musk, helped further push his embrace of the industry Sacks is now the Trump administration’s crypto czar, and many Cabinet members including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — have long been enthusiastic crypto boosters.

“I don’t have faith in the dollar,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a 2023 interview “I’m bullish on bitcoin.”

Sun, a China-born crypto entrepreneur, and his company engaged in market manipulation and paid celebrities for undisclosed promotions. Sun, who once paid $6.2 million for a piece of art involving a banana taped to a wall, and then ate the banana, helped the Trumps start World Liberty Financial with an early $75 million investment.

to use the anonymity of the internet to buy access to the president. The lack of transparency was evident on a poster board at the dinner where participants signed a ranking of top investors. Some used their real names; others used pseudonyms

No media was allowed into the dinner, and the president was at his golf club for only about an hour Protesters gathered outside the club holding signs that said “stop crypto corruption” and “no corrupt fools.”

Trump said the event was “good, very good” as he returned to the White House.

Three days before Trump took ofﬁce on Jan. 20, he announced the creation of the $TRUMP meme coin at the fancy Crypto Ball held down the street from the White House. He described it as a way for his supporters to “have fun.”

Meme coins are the crypto sector’s black sheep. They are often created as a joke, with no real utility and prone to extremely wild price swings that tend to enrich a small group of insiders at the expense of less sophisticated investors.

The president’s meme coin is different, however, and has a clear utility: access to Trump. In addition to Thursday’s dinner, the top 25 were invited to a private reception with the president, with the top four getting $100,000 crypto-themed and Trumpbranded watches.

Trump’s meme coin saw an initial spike in value, followed by a steep drop. Its creators, which include an entity controlled by the Trump Organization, have made hundreds of millions of dollars by collecting fees on trades.

First lady Melania Trump has her own meme coin, and Trump’s sons, Eric and Don Jr who are running the Trump Organization while their father is president announced they are partnering with an existing ﬁrm to create a crypto mining company

The Trump family also holds about a 60% stake in World Liberty Financial, a crypto project that provides yet another avenue where investors are buying in and enriching the president’s relatives. World Liberty has launched its own stablecoin, USD1. The project got a boost recently when World Liberty announced an investment fund in the United Arab Emirates would be using $2 billion worth of USD1 to purchase a stake in Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.

Stablecoins have values pegged to fixed assets like the U.S. dollar Issuers proﬁt by collecting the interest on the Treasury bonds and other assets used to back the stablecoins.

Crypto is now one of the most signiﬁcant sources of the Trump family’s wealth.

“He’s becoming a salesman-in-chief,” said James Thurber, an American University professor emeritus who has long studied and taught about corruption around the world. “It allows for huge conflicts of interest.”

“I’m a big crypto fan,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One during last week’s trip to the Middle East. “I’ve been that from the beginning, right from the campaign.”

That wasn’t always true.

Trump began to shift during a crypto event at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in May 2024, receiving assurances that industry backers would spend lavishly to get him reelected. Another major milestone came last June, when Trump attended a high-dollar fundraiser at the San Francisco home of David Sacks.

Those close to Trump, including his sons and bil-

Many top crypto backers were naturally wary of traditional politics, but gravitated toward Trump last year They bristled at how Biden’s Securities and Exchange Commission aggressively brought civil suits against several major crypto companies.

Since Trump took office, many such cases have been dropped or paused, including one alleging that Justin

Sun has disclosed on social media that he is the biggest holder of $TRUMP meme coins and is attending Thursday’s dinner

“I’m excited to connect with everyone, talk crypto, and discuss the future of our industry,” Sun said in advance. He posted a video of Trump entering the private reception.

“Did you get to see the helicopter?” Trump said.

“Yeah! Super cool,” Sun responded.

BY DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press

WASHINGTON Hackers working for Russian military intelligence targeted Western technology and logistics companies involved in shipping assistance to Ukraine, the U.S. National Security Agency said. The hackers were trying to obtain details about the type of assistance entering Ukraine and, as part of the effort, sought access to the feeds of internet-connected cameras near Ukrainian border crossings, according to the NSA’s report on the cyberattack, which was issued late Wednesday The cyber campaign sought to penetrate defense, transportation and logistics companies in several Western countries, including the U.S., as well as ports, airports and rail systems The report didn’t specify which types of aid Russia was surveilling but Ukraine’s allies

have contributed signiﬁcant amounts of military and humanitarian assistance since the war began. More than 10,000 internetconnected cameras were targeted, including private devices and public traffic cameras near critical transportation points, such as ports, rail hubs or border crossings. Most were in Ukraine, though some were in Romania, Poland and other eastern or central European countries.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ROD LAMKEy

Demonstrators protest Thursday near Trump National Golf Club Washington, D.C., before the arrival of President Donald Trump in Sterling, Va

BRIEFS FROM STAFFAND WIRE REPORTS

April home sales slow, put chill intobuying

Salesofpreviously occupied U.S. homes fell in April, as elevated mortgagerates and rising prices discouraged prospective homebuyers during what’straditionallythe busiesttime of the year for the housing market.

Existing home sales dropped 0.5% last month, from March, to aseasonally adjusted annual rate of 4million units, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday.The sales decline marks the slowestsales pace for the month of April going back to 2009 in thewake of the U.S. housing crisis. March’ssales pace was also the slowest forthat month going back to 2009.

Sales fell 2% comparedwith April last year.The latest home salesfell slightly short of the 4.10 million pace economists were expecting,according to FactSet.

New Orleans and Baton Rouge also saw adrop in home sales during April. Sales were 10.3% lower in metro New Orleans last month, when compared to ayear ago, with 1,015 houses changinghands, according to numbersfromthe New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors.Metro Baton Rouge had a 2.5% drop in sales in April when compared to April 2024, with 796 closed sales, accordingtothe Greater BatonRouge Association of Realtors.

Home prices increased on an annualbasis forthe 22nd consecutivemonth, although at the slowest rate since July 2023. The nationalmedian sales price rose 1.8% in April from ayear earlier to $414,000, an all-time high for the month of April. Median sale prices were up 0.7% in New Orleans, but down 1.4% in Baton Rouge when compared to ayear ago.

Mercedes-Benz will establish HQ in Georgia

Mercedes-Benz announced Thursdaythat it plans establish its North American headquartersinmetro Atlanta, where the automaker will expand itsexisting U.S. corporate hub by adding hundreds of jobs relocated fromother cities

The change will add about 500 jobs to the Georgia facility that has served as Mercedes-Benz’s U.S. headquarters since 2018.It employs about800 people currently. The German automaker said in anews release thatitalso plans to add anew,multimilliondollar research and developmentcenternearby

Most of the additional jobs coming to Sandy Springs north of Atlanta are being moved from the Detroit area, where Mercedes-Benz is closing its ﬁnancial services headquarters. Mercedes-Benz saidthe headquartersexpansion in Georgia should be completed by August 2026. Porsche also has itsNorth American headquarters outside Atlanta.

FTC dismisses lawsuit against PepsiCo

The Republican-controlled Federal Trade Commission voted Thursday to dismiss a lawsuit against PepsiCothat theprevious commission ﬁled in the waning days of the Biden administration.

The lawsuit, ﬁled in January, alleged that PepsiCo wasgivingunfair price advantages to Walmart at the expense of other vendors and consumers. The lawsuit had relied on the rarely enforced 1936 Robinson-Patman Act, which it said prohibits companies from using promotional incentive payments to favor large customers oversmaller ones.

Whenthe lawsuit wasfiled, Democrat Lina Khan wasthe FTC’schairwoman, and she was joined in support of the lawsuit by DemocraticCommissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya.Atthe time, RepublicanCommissioners Andrew Fergusonand MelissaHolyoak dissented.

Ferguson, who is now the chairman of the FTC, said Thursday that the PepsiColawsuitwas a“dubious partisan stunt” and FTC staff had more important work to do.

Stocksdrift to amixed

BY DAMIAN J. TROISE Associated Press

NEW YORK Stocks drifted to a mixed close on Wall Street Thursdayinwhathas been arocky week so far

Trading remained choppy throughout most of the dayfollowingWednesday’sbig slumpfor the S&P 500. The S&P500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Averagefell sightly.The Nasdaqcomposite had amodestincrease.

Technology stocks did most of the heavy liftingfor thebroader market. The majority of stocks within theS&P 500 lost ground, but gains for technology companies with outsizedvalues offsetthose losses.

Google’sparentAlphabetjumped 1.4% and Nvidia rose 0.8%.

The choppy trading this week andsharp decline for stocks on Wednesday follows several weeks of mostly gains that have brought theS&P 500 backwithin5%ofits all-time high. TheS&P 500 is potentially heading towardits worst week in the lastseven.

“We’ve hadagood bounce here, but themarket is looking for some excusetotake some money off the table,” said Scott Wren, seniorglobal market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

Treasury yieldshelda bitsteadier in thebondmarket, butonlyafter oscillating earlier in the morning after the House of Representatives approveda bill that would cuttaxes and could add trillions of dollarsto the U.S. debt.

The House’smultitrillion-dollar spending bill, which aimstoextend some $4.5 trillion in tax breaks from President DonaldTrump’s ﬁrst term while adding others, is expected to undergo some changes when it gets to the Senate for avote.

Thelegislation also includes a speedier rollback of production taxcredits forclean electricity projects, which sent sharesofsolar companies tumbling. Sunrun dropped 37.1%,Enphase Energy fell 19.6% and First Solar slid 4.3%. Health care stocks were also falling early Thursdayafter the Centersfor Medicare &Medicaid Servicessaid it was immediately expanding its auditing of Medicare Advantage plans. UnitedHealth Groupfell 2.1% andHumana lost 7.6%. Wall Street hadseveral economic updates on Thursday

The number of Americans ﬁling unemployment claims last week fellslightly. Thebroaderemployment market has remained strong, though businesses remain worried aboutthe economicuncertainty amid atrade war.

The market had briefly turned higherearlierinthe dayfollowing abetter-than-expected report on manufacturing and services in the U.S. The surveyfrom S&P Global showed growth for both areas in May following asluggish April.

“Business confidence has improved in May from the worrying slumpseen in April,with gloom about prospects for the year ahead lifting somewhatthanks largely to the pause on higher rate tariffs,” said ChrisWilliamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEWYORK Wall Street’squiet corner is makingnoise again.

While the bond market is typically seen as slower moving, it can pack aheavy punch whenit’salarmed. And right now, it’s getting worriedabout howmuchmoreWashingtonis preparing to pile onto itsspiraling mountain of debt becauseofits desire to cuttaxes.

In the past, angry reactions from the bond market have been so strong that they’ve forcedgovernmentstobacktrack on policies andeven led to theousterofsomepolitical leaders. To be sure, manyveteran investors sayitwouldbeoverblown or at leastpremature to say “bond-market vigilantes” are rounding up this time around, because yields have not jumped high enough to indicate a crisis. But the higher yields will nevertheless have wide-reaching effects

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN and ALAN SUDERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trumpadministration says making centsdoesn’t make sense anymore. The U.S.Minthas made its final order of penny blanks and plans to stop producing the coin when those run out, aTreasury Department official confirmed Thursday.This move comesasthe costofmaking pennies hasincreased markedly,by upward of 20% in 2024, according to the Treasury By stopping the penny’sproduction, the Treasury expects an immediate annual savings of $56

“I wouldn’tlook at this from an apocalyptical dynamic, but thereare real ramiﬁcations,” said NateThooft,asenior portfolio manager at Manulife Investment Management. “Look at mortgage rates.”

The centerpiece of the U.S. bond market is the10-year Treasury,and its yield has climbedto4.54% from4.43% at the end of last week and just 4.01% early last month. That’sa notable move for the bond market, which measures things in hundredths of percentage points That yieldshows roughly howmuch in interest the U.S. government needs to pay investors to getthem to lend it cash for10 years. Washington needs that cash because it consistentlyspendsmore than it takes in through taxrevenue. And when bond investors aremorewaryoflending to the U.S. government,yields for Treasurys rise.

The moves have been sharpest for the longest-termbonds. The yield on a30-year Treasury has topped 5% andisgetting close to whereitwas before the 2008 ﬁnancial crisis wiped out interestrates Bond investors hate inflation because it

means the future payments thatbonds will give them won’tbeable to buy as much stuff. Worries are rising about the potential for higher inﬂation for acouple reasons. On one hand are President Donald Trump’stariffs, whichcould push up prices forall kinds of products. Abigger,more long-term concern is how muchdebt the U.S. government is building up.

Those debt concerns gained momentum at the endoflastweek after Moody’sRatings becamethe last of the three majorrating agencies to saythe U.S. government no longer deserves atop-tier credit rating because of itstroubleskeepingits debt in check. The worries then built through this week as the House moved forward on its tax-cut bill that it approved early Thursday

Other factorshavealso been pushing yields up recently,including increasing hopes that the U.S. economywill not fall into arecession after Trump delayed many of his stiff tariffs, particularly againstChina. In the past, the bond market has recoiled at policies that it’s found distasteful. Sometimes, the reactionis violent enough to scare politicians.

million in reduced material costs, according to the ofﬁcial,who was notauthorized to discuss thematterpublicly and spoke on condition of anonymitytopreviewthe news.

In February,President Donald Trump announced that he hadorderedhis administration to cease production of the 1-cent coin.

“Forfar too long the United States hasminted pennieswhich literally costusmore than 2cents. This is so wasteful!”Trump wrote at that time in apostonhis Truth Social site. “I have instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stopproducing newpennies.”

Thereare about 114 billion penniescurrently in circulation in the United States —that’s $1.14 billion —but they are greatly underutilized, according to the Treasury Thepenny was oneofthe ﬁrst coins

made by the U.S. Mint after its establishment in 1792. Advocatesfor ditching the penny cite its high productioncost —almost 4cents per penny now,according to the U.S. Mint —and limited utility.Fans of the penny cite its usefulness in charity drives and relative bargain in production costs compared with the nickel, which costs almost 14 cents to mint.

Zagorsky,who recently publisheda book called“The Power of Cash:Why Using Paper Money is Good forYou andSociety,”said otherwise simply ditching the penny will only increase demand for nickels, which are even more expensive, at 14 cents to produce. “Ifwesuddenly have to produce alot of nickels—and we losemore money on producing every nickel —eliminating the penny doesn’t makeany sense.”

Pennies are themostpopular coin madebythe U.S. Mint, which reported making 3.2 billion of themlastyear.That’smore than half of allthe new coins it made last year Congress,whichdictatescurrency speciﬁcations such as the size andmetalcontent of coins, could make Trump’s order permanent through law.But past congressional efforts to ditch the penny have failed. Jay Zagorsky,professor of markets, public policy,and law at BostonUniversity,said thatwhile he supports the movetoend penny production, Congress must include language in any proposed legislation to require rounding up in pricing, which will eliminate the demand forpennies.

on our promises and providingrelief to American families who’ve been struggling for too long.” Johnsonsaid, “It revives our economy.Itwilldeliver historic tax relief. It will make the largestinvestment in our bordersecurity in ageneration. It will unleash affordable American energy again, restorecommonsense to government, secure generational savings and strengthen our national defense.”

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge, passed along his congratulations via X. “Now the Senate must deliver on apackagethat meets President Trump’sgoal of addressing the debt, keeping the American Dreamalive,and unleashing American energy.” La.delegation’svotes

Johnson; Scalise; Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette; and Rep. Julia Letlow,R-Start, joined every Republican but three in approving the legislation.

“I voted yes,” said Letlow,“because of the lower taxes this bill provides to Louisiana’sworking families—specifically ahigher standard tax deduction,amore generous child tax credit, and an elimination of taxes on both tips and overtime.”

House Freedom Caucus leader Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., voted present, thereby changing the numbers needed for amajority.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, joined every Democratic member in voting no on the bill. Rep. Troy Carter,D-New Orleans, and Rep Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, voted against the legislation.

SENATE

Continued from page1A

“We’re just taking away more people’srights, and rates won’tgodown,” he said, adding that the Senate’srush to approve bills with late changes “leadsto badlegislation.”

Temple supported the proinsurance industry bills that passed but slammed the rate increase bill.

“It’safalse claim that rates arehigh because the commissionerdoesn’thave some magical power,” he said. “It doesn’taddress the fundamentalproblemin Louisiana —bodily injury and legal abuse.”

In sum, senators said, Landry emerged as the big winner politically, while Temple and the insurance industry appear to have had mixed results, with trial lawyers seemingly on the losing end.

Wednesday’slatenightaction sets up Landry to sign araft of car insurance bills as early as Wednesday next week, legislative sources said.

He will sign all ﬁve bills passed by the Senate on Monday night, the Governor’sOfﬁce said Thursday, although whether all five bills will have won final House approval by thenis not clear

The ﬁght overhow to address high car insurance rates hasbeen the highest proﬁle political battle since

Democrats argued thebill gutted the social safetynet for lowerincomeAmericansinorder to pay fortax breaksthat mostly helped those with higherincomes

“Yes, we were outvoted —by just onevote,” Carter said. “ToeveryAmerican watching, know this: We will not back down …Wewill continue to ﬁght for whatisright, what is just, and what is humane.”

“There is nothing beautiful about abill that could strip vital health care andfood assistance from millionsofAmericans, in addition to taking away critical federal fund-

ing from states like Louisiana,” Fields said. “If this budget gets passed into law as it is currently written, Louisiana stands to lose morehealth care funding than any other state.”

Carter andFields have repeatedly pointed out thatLouisiana has one of the highest percentages of residentsonMedicaid. Louisiana health care leaders have been scrambling to understand how exactly the GOPplan, which has been open tochange over the past fewweeks, would affect thestate’s healthcare system.

What thebilldoes

Johnson and Scalise, the top two leaders in theHouse,won over key Republican holdouts with an assist by Trump.

Thepresident,joinedbyJohnsonand Scalise, met in theWhite House with right-wingers whohad opposedthe thousand-plus-page bill.Fiscalconservatives argued that cuts to Medicaid and other social safety netprogramsweren’t deep enough, while the tax breaks and increased immigration and military spending would add $3.8

trilliontothe nation’s$36 trillion debt.

The deﬁcits has grown geometrically since Trump’sﬁrst term.The U.S. now pays moreoninterest than it does on the military Trump, Johnson, Scalise and GOP leaders argue thatthe cuts in socialsafety netprograms, tax breaks, immigration restrictions, andother portionsofthe legislation will supercharge the nation’s economy, generating more tax revenue.

“President Trump’sOne Big Beautiful Bill unleashes Louisiana energy and increases the cap on GOMESA from $500 to $650 million/year.Itlowers taxes for Louisiana familiesand allows us to properly secure the border,” Gov. Jeff Landry texted soon after the vote. “It’sexactly why Louisiana voted forPresident Trump, and Speaker Johnson and Majority Leader Scalise did a greatjob gettingittothe ﬁnish line —delivering win after win for Louisiana.”

GOMESA refers to theGulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, which determines how much money states receive oil production in federal waters off their shores. The new higher caps mean Louisiana could get $50 million more ayear forcoastal protection and restoration.

Greater Lafourche Port CommissionExecutive Director Chett Chiassonsaidinastatement: “I’m pleased to seeAmericanenergy become anational priority once again with the One, Big Beautiful Bill that not only raises the revenue sharing amount ourstate receivesfor coastalrestoration butalsomandates 30 newGulf of America lease sales to ensure there arefuture GOMESA dollars to go to the states.”

the legislative session began in mid-April.

Landryand legislators have been pulled by both sidesthroughout,withTemple and his business allieson theoffensive and triallawyers andtheirallies playing defense.

The governor has repeatedly positioned himself in the middle, saying he doesn’tlike billboard lawyers (although he went turkey hunting in Texas with several prominent trial attorneysjustbeforethe session began) but also believes that insurance companies areearning bigprofitsin Louisiana.

In aspeechThursday in NewIberia,Landrysaid astudy by the National AssociationofInsurance Commissioners shows that Louisiana is anoutlier on one key metric:“Ourminor injuryclaimsare double the national average,”hesaid.

Temple has saidLouisiana has had twiceasmany minor injury claims as New York even though that state counts fivetimes as many residents.

Senate President Cameron Henry has been talking with Landry andSenatecolleaguesfor days about how to handle the nearly 20 proinsurance industrybills that passed the House.

Henry,R-Metairie, outlined his plans to Republican colleagues Wednesday afternooninaprivate meetingin the Senatediningroom: The Senatewould approve five bills.

House Bill 450 by Rep.Michael Melerine, R-Shreveport, would require someone whosuedover injuriesina car accident to showthat the injuries actually occurred during the accident. HB450 goes to Landry for his signature.

House Bill 434 by Rep.Jason DeWitt, R-Alexandria, would disallow adriver without car insurance from collecting an awardfor bodily injury medical expenses for anyamount below $100,000, up from $15,000 today.HB434 also goes to Landry for his signature.

House Bill 431 by Rep. Emily Chenevert, R-Baton Rouge,would bar driversresponsible for at least 51% of an accident from receiving a damage award to cover their injuries. Under current law, adriver responsible for,say, 51% of the accident can collect apaymentequalto49% of the overall damage award.

Because of an amendment added to the bill, HB431 needsHouse approval before it can become law

House Bill 436 by Rep. GabeFirment, R-Pollack, would prohibit undocumented immigrants who are injuredincar accidents from collecting general damages. HB436 requires the House to accept the Senate changes to thebill.

Senate Bill231 by Sen. MikeReese, R-Leesville, would allowlawyers forinsurancecompanies to tell jurorshow muchpeople injuredinwrecks actually pay in medical bills. Under cur-

rent law,jurors hear the total amount billed, regardless of whatthe plaintiff paid. A House committee is slated to takeupSB231 next week.

TemplesaidHB431, HB450 andSB231 would “move the needle forward.”

Senate Democrats argued against the ﬁve bills,saying theLegislature has passed ahost of pro-industry bills over theyears, yetrates never comedown.

Luneau, Sen. Sam Jenkins, of Shreveport,and Sen. Royce Duplessis, of New Orleans,all offered amendmentstothe Republican-sponsored bills that, if passed,would mandatea 2% reduction in rates.Republicansrejected those amendments on each bill.

Democrats also pointed to an April report by the National Association of Insurance Commissionerswhich saidthat in 2023, insurance companies in Louisiana had thethird highest underwriting proﬁt, the fourth lowest loss ratio and the ﬁfth highest return on net worth.

As partofHenry’s plan, the Senate also would adopt HB148— themeasurethat Landry mostwanted and thatTempledidn’twant after it had been amended.

HB148 is the only bill Landry testiﬁed in favor of during thelegislativesession, saying last monththat Temple should want to have greater authority to hold down rates.

Senators expressed reluctance privately in recent days to advance thebill be-

cause it didn’trequire the commissioner to cite actuarial data in rejecting proposed rate increases.

But Landry lobbiedhard to get them to approve it Monday night, senators said Thursday. The amendedversionnow includesactuarial language.

Sen. Kirk Talbot, aRiver Ridge Republican anda close friend of Henry’s, pushedthe bill through the

Senate. That task fell to Talbot even though he hasbeenone of the insurance industry’s strongest allies. Talbot didn’treturn a phone call Thursday HB148 returns to the House forapproval of the Senate changes.

Email TylerBridges at tbridges@theadvocate. com.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, left, is joined by Rep.Mark Green,R-Tenn.,

Speaker of the House MikeJohnson, R-Benton, right, during anewsconference at the

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

AP economics writer

BANFF,Alberta Topﬁnance ofﬁcialsfrom the world’sseven wealthiest democracies set aside stark differences on U.S. tariffs and agreed to counter global “economic imbalances,” aswipe at China’s trade practices.

In acommuniqué issued Thursday,the Group of Seven ﬁnance ministers and central bank governors, meeting in the Canadian Rockies, left out their traditional defense of free trade and toned down their references to Russia’s war in Ukraine compared with last year.But they did agree that further sanctions on Russiacould be imposed

if the twocountries don’t reacha ceaseﬁre

The communiqué said the G7 memberswouldcontinue to monitor“nonmarketpolicies andpractices” which contribute to imbalances in global trade. Thestatement did not mention China but nonmarketpoliciestypically refer to that country’s export subsidies andcurrencypolicies thatthe Trump administration charges gives it an advantageininternational trade

Thecommunique’scallto address global imbalances and nonmarket practices was akey goal of the Trump administration leading up to the meeting.

Thehigh-proﬁle gathering of officials from the United States, Canada,United Kingdom, Japan, Germany France, and Italyappeared to be more congenial than an earlier meeting of G7 foreign

ministers in March. Yetthat meeting, also in Canada, occurred as President Donald Trumpwas in themidst of threatening stiff tariffs on Canada and suggesting it could become the 51ststate Canada is president of this year’sG7and the sessions this week are intended to lay thegroundworkfor ameetingofthe headsofstate on June 15-17 in Kananaskis, Canada. TheWhite House said ThursdaythatTrump will attend that gathering.

“Throughout our G7 presidency,the toneofthe discussions hasbecomeprogressively more constructive,” Tiff Macklem, governorof the Bank of Canada, said at a news conference at the conclusion of the summit

Yetthat unity appears to have been achievedbyjettisoning manyitems that in the past had been agreed toby the G7 countries.Inaddition

to return to the G7 core mission, restoring global growth and stability,” said FrancoisPhilippe Champagne, Canada’sﬁnance minister.

to leaving outany mention of trade, thecommuniqué dropped sections on combating climatechange and coop-

erating on international tax policy,issues the Trump administration has dismissed.

“This year ourfocus was

The shift comes as Trump hasslappedwidespread tariffs on imports, including a10% global duty on all goods, even those from the other G7 allies. Trump has alsoimposed 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum,and cars, and on April 2imposed much steeper tariffs on about60nations, whichhe then paused until early July Valdis Dombrovskis, European Union Trade Commissioner,said that trade was “obviously adifﬁcult topic” during the negotiations. The EU, whichparticipates in the G7 but doesn’tserve as one of the rotating presidents, pushed forstronger language that would have highlighted the economic harms from tariffs.

Groups sue over air pollution law

tions

BY JOSIE ABUGOV | Staff writer

A group of environmental advocacy organizations across Louisiana ﬁled a federal lawsuit against the state on Thursday over a law that they say “effectively bans”

community groups from publicly sharing their air pollution monitoring ﬁndings or advocating for redress. Filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana in

munity air monitoring programs does not meet the standard alone to show that an industrial facility is violating a rule or permit, according to the state law

‘REST WELL, KIP’

STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS

The Rev. John E. Montgomery II praises God while giving his eulogy for the former East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Melvin Lee ‘Kip’ Holden during his funeral at Greater King David Baptist Church on Wednesday Holden, Baton Rouge’s first Black mayor, died last week at the age of 72. Holden lay in state on the ground floor of City Hall as the public former colleagues and other officials gathered to pay tribute to a man elected mayor three times, and who represented Baton Rouge at the State Capitol as a legislator for nearly two decades. ‘He fought for what he believed was right. He ran his race with endurance, and he kept the faith in God,’ former Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome said ‘Rest well, Kip. your race is finished your service complete and your reward eternal,’ she added. TOP: Mourners dance and sing along with worship songs during the funeral for Holden on Wednesday

Deputy still with Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office after OWI citation

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD | Staff writer

A Livingston Parish deputy who was cited after allegedly operating a boat while intoxicated in March is still working for the Sheriff’s Office, according to a department spokesperson Major Paul Brignac was cited March 22 for misdemeanor first-offense operating a vessel while intoxicated after Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries officers reported he was driving a pontoon boat with several open beer cans on board on the Amite River Brignac oversees LPSO’s training division and is still employed with the Sheriff’s Office, LPSO spokesperson Lori Steele confirmed.

LDWF ofﬁcers reported Brignac’s boat, which had multiple passengers on board,

Supporters of the law argue that it centralizes air monitoring standards, but opponents say it limits community groups from publicly discussing the data they collect from cheaper devices for fear of hefty ﬁnes.

Report: Haphazard route tracking adds to bus woes

BY CHARLES LUSSIER | Staff writer

Despite the purchase of advanced routing software, the true routes along which many school buses in Baton Rouge take children to and from school each day are far too often known only by the people driving them. Prismatic Services, hired to scrutinize student transportation in the Capital City, delved into this problem recently when it found that routes detailed in BusPlanner — software the district purchased in September 2023 often don’t match the route drivers actually follow While this unwritten system is not a problem for day-to-day bus drivers, Prismatic says it causes big problems when substitute drivers work or if a bus breaks down and a backup, or “trail,” driver has to ﬁnish a route.

Some groups, for instance, have stopped publishing their findings on social media due to these

They say requirement to use EPA equipment violates speech ä See GROUPS, page 3B

Plans for new LSU arena move forward

New sales tax subdistrict created

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

Long-standing plans to build a new $400 million arena on the LSU campus took a step forward Thursday, with the creation of a new subdistrict that would collect a 1-cent tax on sales at the facility LSU Foundation President and CEO Robert M. Stuart Jr and LSU Economic Development District legal counsel Charles Landry are still mum on the developer chosen, but the new “athletic” subdistrict allows for a tax to be collected at the arena.

“From the standpoint of the developer, it’s as if the developer is levying a tax on itself,” Landry said.

The 1-cent tax within the subdistrict would almost entirely apply to sales at the arena. A separate 1-cent sales tax would be collected within a broader LSU economic development district, which will contain the athletic subdistrict.

But neither would be used to pay for the arena. The revenue from the sales tax would go to the operation of each district, Stuart and Landry noted.

The arena is expected to host live events and music concerts in addition to LSU basketball, gymnastics and other sports.

The arena will be owned by the developer who builds it, while LSU will retain usage rights, Stuart said. Its construction will be largely privately funded, though the builder may request some local public funding from the cityparish.

“The developer, not LSU, may go to the city and ask for a contribution,” Stuart noted.

If a ﬁnal deal with the unnamed developer is reached, the arena would be constructed “generally across from the baseball stadium on Gourrier” Avenue, Landry said, near the LSU golf course.

Both of the sales taxes each development district plans to levy would go into effect on October That date would have been sooner, but the city-parish asked the development district to delay it until Oct. 1.

“We were happy to accommodate that,” Landry said.

City-parish ﬁnance director Angie Savoy said that given the current timeline and related requirements for advertising, “the next reasonable time to add a new tax” would be Oct. 1.

Emails obtained by The Advocate last year at the time identiﬁed Oak View Group and ASM Global as the two developers in the running to design and build

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE A recent report

Sheriffasked to turn over evidence in N.O. jailbreak

Inquiryfocusing on delayin notification, sourcessay

BY JOHN SIMERMAN and MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

Orleans ParishSheriff

Susan Hutson facedanew round of criticism Thursday over last week’sbrazen jailbreakand her response, this time fromDistrict Attorney Jason Williams,asthe manhunt for ﬁve remainingescapeesslowed with none captured in two days. In apair of letters Thursday,Williams asked Hutson to turn over any ﬁngerprints orDNAthathadbeen collected for jail employees andcontractors, and to preserve all evidence related to the escape. Williams asked Hutson to save emails, text messages andother messaging, as well as surveillancevideo, visitorlogs and other data.

Williams said. “We’re just collecting as much information and evidence as we can so we can ﬁgure out who all is involved in this.”

Williams, whosupported Hutson when she ran four yearsago asanunderdog, is now backing challenger Michelle Woodfork, aformer city police captain who held thepost of interim police chief. Hutson, who already faced arocky reelection yearbefore the escape, has suspended her campaign.

Louisiana State Police, meanwhile, is the lead agency in a sprawling manhunt that ended its first weekonThursday with half of theescapees still onthe lam.

Murrill, whovisited the jail earlier this week with Williams, said Thursday that herinvestigation and thedistrict attorney’swereseparate.

alreadyconvicted of murder

Authorities portray Sterling Williams as awillful participant who helpedclear thepath to one of the biggest jailbreaks in city history,after inmates ripped atoiletsink combo from acell wall and escaped through ahole, over afence andacrossthe interstate.

Williams’ attorney described him Wednesday as something else: afall guy in a“well-coordinated plan” involving aclogged toilet in an unusedhandicappedcell.

Kennedysaidthe deputy on the pod asked Williamsto look at the overﬂowing toilet,despite not having put in aworkorder.Williams obliged, assessingthe situation and turning off water

Kennedy said Williams is a George WashingtonCarver High School graduate with no criminal past and aclean employment history over ﬁve years at the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

Arrest made in 2022 fentanyl death

Victim’s aunt asked police to reopen case

BY BOBWARREN Staff writer

After reopening their investigation into the 2022 drug overdose deathofa Ponchatoula man at the urging of arelative, the TangipahoaParish Sheriff’s OfﬁcesaidThursday that detectives have bookeda man withsecond-degree murder in connection with thecase. DeandreDominique Wheeler,30, of Ponchatoula, wasarrested Wednesday andwas also booked on drug charges,including distributionoffentanyl, the Sheriff’s Ofﬁcesaid in anews release.

said. Authorities investigated thedeath formorethan ayear,but the investigation eventually went cold, according to the news release.

But following amurder arrest last April in an unrelated drug overdose death, Reynier’saunt implored the Sheriff’sOfﬁce to revive her brother’scase.

The Sheriff’s Ofﬁce said narcoticsdetectivestook another look and after a month of investigationconfirmed that Wheeler had sold Reynierthe drugs that led to his overdose.

Williams wrote that his officewas investigatingthe jailbreak by 10 inmates,as well as allegations of an inside job. Aspokesperson for Hutson’soffice did not respond to requests for comment, nor did the ofﬁce issue any news releases as of late Thursday afternoon.

The letters from Williams add to aparadeofinvestigativebodies nowlooking under the hoodofHutson’s office in the aftermath of the mass escape, which has drawn anational spotlight on New Orleans and its justice system.

Attorney General Liz Murrill’sofﬁce also is investigating.And on Wednesday,Gov Jeff Landry issued an executive order calling for ahostof audits and reforms.

At anewsconference outside the jail Thursday,Williams declined to provide details of his inquiry while he criticized Hutson for failing to ask the New Orleans Police Departmenttoprocess the escape route as acrime scene. Williams said that effortonly beganThursdayat his direction.

“We’re just doing our job,”

“But Ibelieve there will be alot of work to go around onthis matterand expect that we will be able to coordinate in away that furthers each of our goals,” Murrill said. “Obviously my most important concern is that his effortsnot interfere with our current process.”

Some of the inquiry,accordingtosources, appears focusedonadelay between the time thatHutson said jail staffﬁrst learned of the mass escape, about 8:30 a.m. Friday,towhen other law enforcementagencies and the public were ﬁrst alerted later that morning. For the public, the delay exceeded two hours. Hutson said shealerteda member of her staff who serves on a U.S. marshals task force before then.

Jail worker makesclaims Officialssaidthe escape happened about 1a.m., aided by aSheriff’s Ofﬁce maintenance man, 33-year-old SterlingWilliams, whohas been arrested. According to police, Sterling Williams wasseen in video speaking with inmates Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves beforehand.Groves, Massey and three others remained at large Thursday

Several of the escapees who found their way out of the 9-year-old building, including Groves, were accused or

“Myclient is beingused as ascapegoat so that Sheriff Hutson and her department can try to minimize theshameand their own culpability on adepartment that, let’sface it, can’thandle much more shame at this point,” Kennedy’sstatement read.

Bondsissued

Amagistratecommissioner set bail for Williams at $1.1 million. Twootherswho were arrested for aiding inmates in their ﬂight also received seven-ﬁgure bails on Thursday Slidell resident Corvanntay Baptiste,38, received a$1 millionbail, andNew Orleans resident Cortnie Harris, 32, was given a$2.5million bailamountasalleged accessories after the fact Court documents show Harrisisaccused of helping still at-large escapees Leo Tate andJermaine Donald. Louisiana State Police say she transportedthem to multiple locations in the cityand used aphone to stay in contact withanescapee before thejailbreak.

Baptiste is accused of being in contact with 19-yearold Corey Boyd before he fled the jailand of helping him get food while he was in hiding.

Boyd was recaptured Tuesday night,the mostrecent of ﬁve escapees to return to jail, ofﬁcials said.

Indictment of Montoucetdetails wildlife agency kickback scheme

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

More details emerged Thursday about akickback scheme allegedly involving former Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Jack Montoucet of Scott, former LDWF Commissioner Dusty Guidry of Youngsville and Lafayette businessman Leonard Franques Montoucet, aformer state representative, wasindicted Wednesdaybya federal grandjury in Lafayette on five felony counts, including one count of conspiracy to commitbribery and wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

He is scheduled to appear for arraignment June12in federal court in Lafayette. Don Cazayoux, an attorney representing Montoucet, did not immediately returna message seeking comment. Guidry andFranquespreviously pleaded guilty in connection with thescheme. They face sentencing in October Under the scheme, Montoucet and Guidry allegedly gave Franques’ company, DGL1, the upper hand in competing for acontract to provide online educational courses through the LDWF to boatersand hunters applying for licenses or required to take the courses because they were

issued citations. The conspiracy,accordingtothe indictment,ran from aroundMay 2020 until June 2022. Itallegedly involved others not named in the indictment, including acompanyreferred to as CompanyA,a software development business in Baton Rouge.

Company Aallegedly providedonline paymentprocessing and collected proceeds for Franques’ DGL1 and remittedthe money to thebank account of another Franques business, LWF LLC, registered with the Louisiana Secretary ofState in June 2020. Between Nov.10, 2021, and June 10, 2022, $122,507 in kickbacks was withheld for Montoucet until heretired as LDWFsecretary,a Justice Departmentnews release on Wednesday stated. The indictment released Thursday,however,shows at least three payments comprisingthe three wire fraud charges: Nov.10, 2021, $53,085; Dec. 15, 2021, $103,302; and Jan. 14, 2022, $57,951, for atotal exceeding$200,000.

After Montoucet’sretirement, Franques was supposed to hire himand pay him a“signing bonus” that consisted of thewithheld kickbacks.

Montoucetwas planning to retire at the endof formerGov.JohnBel Edwards’ term in office in January

2024. He instead resigned in April2023 after the indictment of Guidry revealed a scheme in which aLDWF official allegedly entered into acontract on Oct. 8, 2021. Montoucet was the only LDWF ofﬁcial to sign the contract,the agency recordsshow Federal investigators used wiretaps tolisten in on conversations amongthe co-conspirators. Theindictment cites an Oct. 4, 2021, conversation in whichMontoucet allegedlytoldGuidry that he “can’t have no …record”ofkickbacks.

Montoucet, Franques andGuidy allegedlymet in Scott, whereMontoucet hasaresidence, andagreed Franques wouldholdMontoucet’sshareofthe kickbacks until he retired, the indictment states.

Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.

Thecounts againstWheeler stem from the overdose death of 19-year-old Louis Reynier.Deputiesresponding to areportofanunresponsive person in aPonchatoula home on July 22, 2022, found Reynier,who was sufferingfrom adrug overdose.

An autopsy revealed that Reynier hada significant amount of fentanyl in his system, the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce

The arrest follows arecent trend of murderarrests stemming from overdose deaths acrossthe northshore. In March, northshore District Attorney Collin Sims gathered with northshore law enforcement representatives during anews conference to announce a task force, the Opioid Initiative, that had been launched in July 2024.

Sims and others noted several large-scale drug seizuresaswellasa growing numberofmurder arrests stemmingfromdrug overdose deaths.

During the news conference Simstouted amurder indictment stemming from

the overdose death of a Washington Parish School Board member as wellas the second-degree murder conviction last December of aSt. Tammany Parish woman who stood trial in the death of ateen. Wheeler was arrestedat his home in the Ponchatoula area. Investigators found counterfeit Xanaxpills suspected to containfentanyl, as well as marijuana, digital scales andpackaging materialsinsidethe house, the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce said. Tangipahoa Parish SheriffGerald Sticker,who took ofﬁce last July,saidhehas challenged the agency to reconsider casesthatremain open.

“Thisteamhas donethat, time and timeagain, despite budgetary and stafﬁng deficiencies, by providing a fresh pair of eyes andperspectives, not only on facts, but on principles,” Sticker said in the news release. The TangipahoaParish Sheriff’s Ofﬁcesaiditparticipates in theOperation Angel program,which provideshelp, free of charge without fear of consequence, to people fighting drug addiction who seek treatment.

PLANS

Continued from page1B

which wouldreplace LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center LSU PresidentWilliam Tate, who recentlyannounced he is departing for Rutgers University, said that beyond economic development,the project would increase safety and bring “regulatory framework” to an area in need.

“I’m hopeful it will happen, because Ithink it would makeLSU amuch, much better place,” Tate said.

Hutson

Williams

There is no meaningful way to pass the differences in the route to a substitute on short notice,” the consulting ﬁrm found.

Consequently, stand-in drivers end up following the out-of-date routes in BusPlanner, leading to parent complaints These drivers told Prismatic they often end up talking to students to learn the routes they are really supposed to run.

Under the microscope again

Prismatic’s review is the latest of multiple inquiries into the East Baton Rouge Parish’s transportation system.

That system cratered in August 2023 when it began the 2023-24 school year with a severe shortage of drivers and working buses, leading to many children being stranded or delayed in getting to and from school.

Drivers staged a two-day sickout, joined on the second day by similarly discontented cafeteria workers, forcing the cancellation of classes.

It is a complicated system even when it is working right.

The school system, home to about 40,000 students, gives families lots of choices of where they can send their children to school. Prismatic reports that only about 60% of East Baton Rouge students attend schools in their attendance zone. The rest

GROUPS

Continued from page 1B

penalties, according to a news release from the Environmental Integrity Project.

“This new law is a blatant violation of the free speech rights of community members to use their own independent air pollution monitoring to raise alarms about deadly chemicals being released into their own homes and schools,” said David Bookbinder, the policy and law director at the Environmental Integrity Project.

The Louisiana Chemical Association argues that the law does not prevent community groups from collect-

DEPUTY

Continued from page 1B

was moving at a “relatively high rate of speed” that created a substantial wake in the “No Wake Zone” on the river before slowing down near the Clio Bridge, according to a report.

After the boat slowed, Brignac appeared disoriented and unaware the craft was in reverse and about to hit a wooden barrier, the report states. He was then instructed to kill his engine, but he said he couldn’t because his batteries were dead.

During this conversation ofﬁcers reported that Brignac had a strong alcohol odor and that his speech was slurred and uneven. The report states multiple beer cans were strewn across the boat’s deck and near the operator’s helm. The LDWF agent asked if he had been drinking alcohol.

“Yea, about four Natural Lights,” Brignac said, according to the LDWF report.

After going to shore at the Riverscape boat launch, LDWF ofﬁcers said Brignac was walking slowly and unsteadily He then refused multiple opportunities for ﬁeld sobriety tests and later refused using a Breathalyzer, according to the report Brignac self-reported the incident to the Sheriff’s Office the night that it happened, LPSO said.

Wildlife and Fisheries is handling the investigation, not LPSO, after issuing Brignac the citation. He has a court date in June, according to the LDWF report.

Email Claire Grunewald at

transfer to magnet, gifted, alternative and other boutique educational programs spread across the parish

Fixing transportation

Prismatic, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, was hired earlier this year to gauge the feasibility of changing school start times.

First bell at middle and high schools sounds at 7:10 a.m.

Following the firm’s recommendations, the school system is planning this fall to pilot new start times at several yet-to-be-named schools. It recently rehired

Prismatic, at a maximum cost of $245,000, to manage this start time transition between now and January

The ﬁrm is recommending that middle and high schools push back the start of school until at least 8:30 a.m., and that elementary schools start earlier, around 8 a.m.

A key to successfully changing start times is fixing what Prismatic describes as “egregious bus stops and routing errors present in the system.”

“Removing unnecessary stops and non-riding students from existing runs is a crucial ﬁrst step in improving the efﬁciency of EBR’s transportation system,”

Prismatic concludes in its report. “By consolidating the riders onto fewer runs, some drivers and buses can be freed up to handle different start time tiers or to improve the efﬁciency of less effective runs.”

Prismatic personnel spent a lot of time this spring with the Transportation Depart-

ing or sharing their data.

“Community members are fully free to raise concerns, publish ﬁndings, and engage with the public or agencies to promote awareness,” said David Cresson, president and CEO of the LCA. “This law ensures that any information used for formal action comes from certified, calibrated equipment and follows standardized procedures.”

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality said it does not comment on pending litigation. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill did not respond to a request for comment.

Ignoring advancements

The community organizations come from across the

ment. The ﬁrm came away with some good things to say about bus operations, suggesting much progress since the worst days of August 2023:

n Only one out of 56 buses observed at 11 schools arrived late to school.

n The three transfer points worked largely as planned.

“Your buses are generally on time,” Tatia Prieto, Prismatic’s president, told the School Board during a May 1 presentation.

However the consulting ﬁrm, which focuses on K-12 education operations, found a lot of room for improvement.

Some problems arise from the incomplete implementation of BusPlanner, software that Prismatic says is two or three generations more advanced than what it replaced.

“The greater sophistication of BusPlanner compared to the previous software provides EBR with the ability to greatly improve the efﬁciency of its routing,” Prismatic found. “However the Transportation Department is only beginning to realize that opportunity.”

Even after 20 months of use, BusPlanner still has missing pieces. It does not include afternoon bus routes or “non-transportation zones” — areas within a mile of each school when bus service is not normally provided. Routes for special education students are still added manually And nightly data updates in BusPlanner still aren’t ﬁnding their

state but are mostly clustered in the area between New Orleans and Baton Rouge often dubbed “Cancer Alley” due to its high levels of air pollution and associated health risks. The groups are represented by two national organizations: Environmental Integrity Project and Public Citizen Litigation.

According to the advocacy groups, the EPA-approved air monitors permitted under Louisiana law can be thousands of times more expensive than more accessible models that still provide accurate data. Community groups often use a monitor to measure particulate matter that costs around $300 per

way into the district’s student information system, JCampus.

“As a result, parents may see bus stop information in JCampus that is outdated by a year or more,” Prismatic found.

Planned vs. actual Prismatic analyzes at length the disconnect between planned and actual bus routes. Here are some problems highlighted:

n BusPlanner is often not updated when students leave the school district. As a result, it continues to show stops that are now empty. Drivers update their routes, but often fail to inform their bosses: “Drivers are tasked with performing student counts by stop on a monthly basis, but the routing department indicates the student count reports are rarely turned in.

n Special ed routes are the most inaccurate. Unlike regular routes, they are rarely reviewed for accuracy As an example, Prismatic highlights a special ed route where the ﬁrst eight stops no longer have riders, yet those empty stops have not been removed from BusPlanner The planned route starts at 4:19 a.m yet in truth it starts 50 minutes later

n Drivers sometimes add stops without informing their bosses. The ﬁrm calls these “courtesy stops,” or stops “established through informal agreements between drivers and families.” Prismatic shares a map of an elemen-

unit, while a particulate matter monitor that qualiﬁes under the law is nearly $59,000.

Peter DeCarlo, a professor of environmental health and engineering at Johns Hopkins University, argued that new technologies used by scientists “offer faster more accurate and more sensitive measurements of chemicals in the air we breath.” Sharon Lavigne, who runs the plaintiff organization RISE St. James, has relied on his research in her advocacy work.

“Limiting the use and sharing of data generated by these advanced measurements ignores scientific advancements and limits

tary school route where the driver added two new stops while dropping eight stops, leading the driver to skip an entire neighborhood None of these changes is reﬂected in BusPlanner

n EBR school buses have GPS locaters, but they don’t always work. Sometimes that is due to technical reasons; sometimes that is because drivers unplug them or fail to use them. BusPlanner software “has the ability to show planned versus actual but must receive GPS data in order to do so.”

But without the GPS feed, wrong routes stay wrong. Periodic route reviews with drivers are undermined since supervisors “are dependent on drivers providing accurate and detailed information regarding how they drive them.”

n The Transportation Department routinely adds unnecessary stops to routes when a parent complains, even though there are stops already close by That is especially true if a School Board member passes along the complaint. The consulting firm urges the board to approve a policy outlining how close stops can be to one another

n The Transportation Department has a problematic organizational culture, including “lack of consequences for poor driver behavior.” Also, drivers are often not at work, either because they take “all available leave” or they are “taking leave without pay without adequate advance notice.” For their part,

the protection of community health,” DeCarlo said in the news release.

The Inflation Reduction Act, former President Joe Biden’s flagship climate legislation, allotted $81 million nationwide for community air monitoring efforts “to ensure the sustainability of national air quality monitoring networks as a public asset.” Louisiana advocates say the state law counters the IRA’s work.

Micah 6:8 Mission, one of the plaintiffs in the case, has been monitoring pollution in Sulphur near the Westlake chemical plant after purchasing an emissions device through an EPA grant. The organization found that the area

drivers say “they are not highly valued or supported by school or central ofﬁce staff,” that they “are the last to know about things impacting them,” and that internal communications are “neither regular nor transparent.”

Possible solutions

Prismatic offers several recommendations of how to improve transportation: n Identify staff at school sites to collect daily, “unbiased” transportation data rather than relying solely on drivers “who have little incentive to report accurate numbers.” n Revive “opt-in” bus registration this summer but only for the 40% of students attending schools outside their attendance zone. A districtwide “optin” process in 2023 was blamed for some of the problems that year, because many parents failed to register before school started and consequently were not assigned a bus.

n Create more “express routes” and “collection points” to reduce the number of students who need to use the three transfer points.

n Form a small working group of drivers to help implement change. These drivers would be paid for the added work. Among other things, they would test proposed bus runs before they go live.

Email Charles Lussier at clussier@theadvocate. com.

had unhealthy levels of particulate pollutions on most days, but has stopped posting their data on social media.

“Louisiana wants to silence us for doing what the state refuses to do — tell people what’s in the air they breathe,” said Cynthia Robertson, the executive director of the organization, according to the news release.

Penalties for violating the law can exceed $32,000 per day and an additional $1 million if the violation is deemed “intentional willful, or knowing.”

Email Josie Abugov at josie.abugov@ theadvocate.com.

at 1p.m

Gomez, Sheila Most BlessedSacramentCatholic Church,15615 JeffersonHighway,at11

a.m.

Heltz,Michael

St.GeorgeCatholic Church at noon.

Melancon, William Holy Rosary Catholic Church in St Amantat11a.m

Muller, Deborah Harry McKneely& SonFuneral Home, 100 W. Magnolia St Ponchatoula, LAat 10am.

Ramer, George ResthavenGardens of Memory & FuneralHome, 11817Jefferson Hwy BatonRouge at 9am. Richardson, Gail Greenoaks FuneralHome, 9595 FloridaBoulevard, at noon.

Weaver,Burton Weaver United Methodist Church in Flora, Louisianaat11am.

Obituaries Bell, Larry 'Tweetie Bird

Larry “Tweetie Bird”Bell departedthislifeonMay 15, 2025, at ThibodauxRe‐gionalMedical Center.He was 74, anativeand resi‐dentofNapoleonville,LA. VisitationonFriday, May 23, 2025, at Williams & SouthallFuneralHomeFu‐neral Home from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. Visitation on Sat‐urday,May 24, 2025, at ShekinahGlory Christian FellowshipChurchfrom 9:00amtoreligious ser‐vices at 11:00am.Inter‐mentShekinahGardens Cemetery. Arrangements byWilliams& Southall Fu‐neral Home,5414Hwy 1, Napoleonville,LA70390 (985)369-7231. To sign the guest book or offercondo‐lences, visitour websiteat www.williamsandsouthall funeralhome.com.

Bercegeay Jr., Arthur

Arthur Bercegeay Jr., a lifelong resident of Dutchtown, La, passed away on Sunday, May 18, 2025, surrounded by his loving family. He was 88 years old. Arthur was aproud graduate of Dutchtown High School and Delgado Community College. He was a lab tech for the federal government for 25 years and the operator of ablind vending stand at Allied Signal/Honeywell for 27 years. Adevoted fan of Louisiana sports, he especially enjoyed cheering for the New Orleans Saints and LSU baseball. He is survived by his beloved wife of 64 years, Wanda Faye Braud Bercegeay;two daughters, Becky Connor (Robert) and Bonnie Waguespack (Rodney); five grandchildren, Zoe' Waguespack, Mya Waguespack, Mary Grace Connor, Elijah Connor, and Gabi Connor; his brother, Bernard Bercegeay;and numerous nieces and nephews. Arthur was preceded in death by his daughter, Brenda Bercegeay; his parents, Arthur Sr. and Ellen Kling Bercegeay; his brother, Andre Bercegeay; and his sister, Margaret Arnold. Visitation will be held on Saturday, May 24, 2025, from 9a.m. until the funeral service at 11 a.m. at Ourso Funeral Home, 13533

AirlineHwy,Gonzales, La. He will be laidtorestat Hope HavenMausoleum, 37577 DuplessisRd, Prairieville, La. In lieu of flowers, the familyrequest that donationstobemade to the charity of your choice. Arthur's memory willliveonin the heartsof those who knewand loved him.

Brignac, Hubert Joseph

Hubert Joseph Brignac, a native of Gramercy and residentofLutcher, Louisiana,passedawayon May 20,2025, at theage of 91. At 19, Hubert proudly servedasa U.S. Army Para‐trooper andlater in the ArmyReserves, achieving the rank of Sergeant.He built acareerasa skilled mechanicatKaiserAlu‐minum,earning thenick‐names “The LilGeneral” and “Sarge”. He also had the abilityto ﬁxanything and everything.Hecher‐ished time with family and friends,especiallyatthe LPG HuntingClubalong Blind River.Heislovingly rememberedbyhis de‐voted wife of 68 years, MargieMichelBrignac who affectionatelycalled him “Baby”; hischildren AngelaB.(Ross)Duhe,Carl (DorisP.) Brignac, CheriB Farmer, Todd (LaurenS.) Brignac,and ChantelB (Angel) Soriano; hisgrand‐childrenJenna Sauber, Seth(Jennie)Brignac,Tay‐lor (Shayla) Brignac, Collin (Alex)Farmer, Jourdan (Katie) Farmer,Quentin Duhe,Alexander,Jonathan, and AndreSoriano;and his great-grandchildren Grayson andBlaineFarmer, along with Emilyand Olivia Brignac.Heisalsosur‐vived by hissiblingsJoyce Ann B. (Gary) Cazenave and Melvin (Cynthia) Brignac,aswellashis sis‐ters-in-law JoyceBrignac, Betty Amato, andJudy Michel. Hubert waspre‐ceded in deathbyhis par‐ents, NormanSr. andBeat‐riceHymel Brignac; hisinlawsNoemie Michel (Lester) andWallace Gau‐the;his sonDarrylJ Brignac;his granddaughter Raini N. Scioneaux; andhis siblingsMildred B. (Onez‐ime) Lear,NormanBrignac Jr.,Norris(Ruth)Brignac, Carolyn B. (Allen) Grob along with hisbrothers-inlaw ValfredAmato andEarl Michel. Visitation will be heldatSt. Joseph Catholic Church in Paulina, Louisiana,onSaturday, May 24,2025, from 8:30 AM until theMassofChristian Burialat11:00 AM,fol‐lowed by entombment in St. Joseph Mausoleumwith fullmilitaryhonors. ArrangementsbyRose LynnFuneral Home.To vieworsignthe online guest book,pleasevisit www.roselynnfuneral home.com

Dunphy,LoriLeigh Pierce

Our belovedLoriLeigh Pierce Dunphy, age 64, passed away on Sunday, May 18, 2025. She wasborn in Baton Rouge and attended publicschools through highschool. She obtained adegree in Finance from LSU. After ashort break, she packed twosuitcases borrowed some money from her mother, along with theWallStreet Journal,and headed forNew York. She gotanapartment witha friend in Spanish Harlem and then she hitthe pavement.She quicklybecame abroker, witha stintinone of the TwinTowers. She spent just over halfa decade in NewYork and then went intothe banking industry in Houston,TX. Thiseventuallyled to her stay at the Louisiana Treasury Department,where she handled investmentsand other mattersuntil her retirement.During her retirement,she traveled,gardened and spent most of her time doing activities with her son. She was adevotedwife,mother and friend who will be missed by many. Lori is survived by her husband, James Dunphy; son, Pierce ;three sisters,Karen, Gwynne and Janice; brother, Brent and alarge number of relatives and friends.She is preceded in deathbyher parents, Katie and Charles (CB); several auntsand uncles and adearfriend,Ferbe. A visitationwillbeheldon Sunday, May 25 at Rabenhorst FuneralHomeon Government St.from1PM to 3PM; with afuneralservice beginning at 3PM. Burial willtakeplace at Greenoaks Memorial Park on Tuesday, May 27 at 1PM. In lieu of flowers, please donatetoyourfavorite charity.

Visitation services FridayMay 23, 2025 at A. Wesley'sFuneral Home 10810 VentressDr. Maringouin, La from5 to 8pm. Religious services Saturday May 24, 2025 at NewLight Baptist Church 76765 Cedar St.GrosseTete, La at 1:30 pm. Conducted by Rev. Clyde E. McNell, Sr.Thailan Favroth was anativeof Rosedale, LA.Heaccepted Christ at an earlyage and was baptizedatthe Old Mt.Olive Baptist Church and attended NewLight Baptist Church in Grosse Tete, LA.Heattended MSA and Plaquemine High School, where he was active in allsports and graduated in May of 2019. He was currently employedat Church's Chicken in Port Allen, where he tookgreat pride in his workand truly valuedhis coworkers. Left to cherish Thailan's memory are his loving and devoted mother Trimica Favroth, theapple of his eye his grandmother Sharon Favroth;and his grandfather,Leroy Favroth,Sr. His right-hand man, hisbrother and nephew, Tredrian Favroth,Sr. and Tredrian Favroth II;his favoriteTeeTee,Lamonica Favroth; and histwin, his heart and "2-bit change," his beloved son, Cruz Amir, and his mother, Jaliyah Parker

versityand A&M College Survived by her daughter, AliciaL.FordofBurtonsville,MDand ahost of family and friends. Visitation Saturday May 24, 2025, 9:00 AM until Mass of ChristianBurial at 11:00 AM, ImmaculateConception CatholicChurch, 1565 Curtis St Baton Rouge, LA celebrated by Rev. Thomas F. Clark, SJ.Entombment willfollow at Heavenly Gates Mausoleum, 10633 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Baton Rouge,LA70807.

Harris, Jermaine Services forJermaine HarriswillbeheldSatur‐day,May 24, 2025 at Jordan Stone BaptistChurch,8523 ThelmaRd. Apublicvisita‐tionwillbeheldfrom9:00 a.m.until 10:00 a.m. with religious services begin‐ningat10:00 a.m. Inter‐ment: Private. Professional servicesentrusted to Charles Mackey Funeral Home.

Hebert,Chrystal Hampton

Chrystal Hampton Hebertentered into eternal restatOur Lady of the LakeRegionalMedical CenteronMay 15, 2025 She wasa native andresi‐dentofBaton Rouge, Louisiana.Viewing at Greater Mt.CarmelBaptist Church on Saturday,May 24, 2024 at 9:00 am until Celebration of Life Service at11:00 am conductedby Rev.CleeLowe; interment atSouthernMemorialGar‐dens. Survivorsinclude her mother, Audrey Hampton; other relativesand friends; precededindeath by her husband,Raymond Hebert; daughter, TonyaHebert; and father,AlbertHamp‐ton.Arrangementsen‐trusted to Miller &Daugh‐ter Mortuary

Adonis “Doodie”Kyrrce Hodge passedawaypeace‐fully on May10, 2025, at CovenantHealthHobbs HospitalinHobbs,New Mexico. He wasa beloved 5-month-old resident of Hobbs,New Mexico.Visita‐tionwillbeheldonSatur‐day,May 24, 2025, at St James United Methodist Church,140 LA 998, Belle Rose, LA from 10:00am to religious services at 11:00am.Interment will be private.Arrangementsare byWilliams& Southall Fu‐neral Home,5414 Hwy1, Napoleonville,LA70390.

Victoria TilleryDorsey departedthislifeonMay 7, 2025, at theage of 93 Viewing will be held on Saturday, May24, 2025, at TurnerChapelA.M.E Church,874 Turner Chapel Rd.,Greensburg, La.70441 at9 am until thereligious service at 11 am.Interment willbeinthe church ceme‐tery. Arrangements en‐trusted to MJRFriendly Service FuneralHome. Johnson,Arthur'Ike'

vicesat10am. Conducted by Pastor KevinMorris, Interment churchcemetery

Johnson,MelvinJ.

Melvin J. Johnsonde‐partedthislifeonMonday, May 12, 2025, at Thibodaux RegionalMedical Center Hewas 84, anativeand residentofThibodaux,LA. VisitationonFriday, May 23, 2025, at Williams & SouthallFuneral Home from4:00pmto6:00pm. VisitationonSaturday, May 24, 2025, at Mt.Zion Baptist Church from 9:00 amtoreligious services at 11:00 am.Interment in Allen Chapel Cemetery ArrangementsbyWilliams & Southall FuneralHome, 1204 ClevelandSt.,Thibo‐daux, LA 70301. To sign the guest book or offercondo‐lences, visitour websiteat www.williamsandsouthall funeralhome.com.

AaronKeith Joseph,Sr. departedthislifeonSun‐day,May 11, 2025, at Our Ladyofthe Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge,LA. He was67years old anda native andresi‐dentofConvent,LA. Visita‐tionwillbeheldonSatur‐day,May 24, 2025, at Mt Calvery BaptistChurch,lo‐cated at 8969 Highway18, St. James, LA,from9:00am until thereligious services at11:00 am.Interment will followinthe church ceme‐tery. Arrangements are being handledbyWilliams & Southall FuneralHome, 101 Loop 945, Donald‐sonville, LA 70346.

William“Bill” Johnson entered eternalreston Saturday, May17, 2025, surrounded by love and peace with hiswifebyhis side. Born in Woodville Mississippi,and raised in Zachary,Louisiana.A proud U.S. Army veteran, Billservedcourageouslyin the VietnamWar.In1973, hemadehistory as the firstAfrican American po‐liceofficerinthe City of Zachary,where he served withdistinction until retir‐ing as Captain. Hislegacy ofservice extended be‐yondthe badge—he wasa proud graduate of theFBI Academy,a member of the MagnoliaState PeaceOffi‐cer Association, the Zachary Men’sClub, and the Lion’s Club.Bill’sfaith was thefoundationofhis life. As adedicated deacon and member of NewPil‐grimBaptist Church,he servedfaithfullythrough the Evangelist andOut‐reach Ministry,always leading with humility and love. Whetheratthe church,inthe community, orinhis ownbackyard tending thebarbecue, Bill brought people together withkindness, wisdom and warmth.Forever cher‐ished by hislovingwife, GloriaH.Johnson;daugh‐ter,Zindy Laursen-Johnson (Denmark);bonus children, Kerry (Wathlene) Gosa Gregory (Gail) Gosa,and Karen Breaux;grandchil‐drenand great-grandchil‐dren; sisters, Dorothy(Wel‐don)Armwood andDaisy (Scottie) Carson;a host of niecesand nephews, in‐cluding hisspecial niece JaniceJohnson-Dunn; god‐sons, extended family, and dearfriends.PublicView‐ing will take placeMonday, May 26, 2025 from 4:006:00pmatMiller &Daugh‐ter Mortuary.Celebration ofLifewilltakeplace on Tuesday, May27, 2025 at

Bernard "JB" Juneau,83, passed away peacefully on May20, 2025, in Baton Rouge,Louisiana. Born on September 17, 1941, in Cottonport, Louisiana, he lived alife marked by devotion to family, faith, andservice Julius wasthe beloved husband of Elaine Roy Juneau anda proudfather to threesons: Micheal Juneau (Cindy), Brian Juneau (Wendy), andEric Juneau (Carolyn). He was also acherished PawPaw to fivegrandsons: Joey Juneau (Ching), Richard Juneau,Travis Juneau, Chase Juneau,and Zachery Juneau.His sister Florence Rabalaisalso mournshis passing.Julius wasprecededindeathbyhis parents, Bernard andThelma Juneau Aman of deep faith, Julius was adevoted memberofSt. Alphonsus Catholic Church.His spiritual life guided him throughout theyearsand served as afoundation for thelove and care he extended to those around him. Julius proudly served hiscountry in theUnited States Army. Histimein themilitaryreflected his strongsense of duty and commitment—values that remained withhim throughout hislife. He was also amember TheKnights of ColumbusStAlphonsus Ligouri KC#2807 and a proudmember of theCOA Baton Rouge Knownaffectionately as JB by manywho knew him, he retiredfromSonitrolsecurity systems in 2008 with 32 years of service.Julius foundpeace andpurpose in nurturing life from the soil after he retired. More than anythingelse,he treasured spending time with familyand friends. Hishomewas often filled with laughter, stories shared across generations, and thewarmth of togeth-

Juneau, Julius Bernard JB

Julius

Johnson,William 'Bill'

Faroth, Thailan

Hodge, Adonis Kyrrce 'Doodie'

erness. On June 7th,2025 at St. Alphonsus CatholicChurch in Greenwell Springs, LA.

visitation will begin at 11:30am then Mass will follow at 1:00pm. After Mass areception will be held at the Knights of ColumbusSt Alphonsus Ligouri

KC#2807, 6923 Oak Cluster Dr. Greenwell Springs LA 70739. Julius Benard Juneau leaves behind alegacy of love, strength, and unwavering dedication to those he held dear. May his memory bring comfortto all who knew him.

Millien, Vernon 'Bunch'

Vernon “Bunch” Millien departedthislifeonSatur‐day,May 10, 2025,atThe Sanctuary at Passages Hospice in NewOrleans, LA. He was79, anativeof Donaldsonville, LA and res‐ident of Gretna,LA. Visita‐tiononFriday, May23, 2025, at Williams & SouthallFuneral Home, Napoleonville,LAfrom4:00 pmto6:00pm. Visitation onSaturday, May24, 2025 atSt. CatherineofSienna Catholic Church from 9:00 amtoreligious services at 10:00 am followed by Mass ofChristian Burial at 11:00 am. Intermentinthe Pearly Gates Cemetery.Arrange‐ments by Williams & SouthallFuneral Home 5414 Hwy. 1, Napoleonville, LA, (985)369-7231. To sign guest book or offercondo‐lences, visitour websiteat www.williamsandsouthall funeralhome.com.

Moore, Girlean Slaughter

It is with profound sorrow and solemn reverence that we announce the passing of Ms. Girlean S. Moore, who departed this earthly life on the 15th of May, in the year of our Lord 2025, at the distinguished age of 77. Apublic viewingshall be held in her honoronSaturday, the 24th of May, commencing at 9:00 AM at St. John Community Church-Baptist, 531 St. John Street, Marksville, Louisiana, where family and friends may gatherto pay their final respects. A Celebration of Life shall follow at 11:00 AM. Her earthly remains shall be laid to rest at the St. John Community Church Cemetery in Marksville Louisiana. The distinguished &solemnarrangements have been entrusted to the care of Winnfield Funeral Home of Baton Rouge &C.D.Slaughter, FDIC.

Antoinette Rita Scardina Neck, affectionately known as Rita to friends and family, departed this world peacefully at home on May 20, 2025, at the age of 91. Born on March 3, 1934,in Baton Rouge, LA, to Jack and Lena Monachello Scardina, Rita lived afull and vibrant life in the same city where she was born.

Rita was the beloved matriarch of alarge and loving family. She is survived by herdevoted children, Kristopher Neck (Renee), Keith Neck, Karl Neck, Kerry Neck (Kim),

and Kathleen Verbois (Nathan). Herlegacy continues through hersiblings, Mary andJackie Scardina, and herbrother A.J.Scardina(Nettie),who willhold her memoryin their hearts. Rita'sjoy was multiplied by hergrandchildren, Billyand Kenny Neck, Brittany Picou (Derek), Trent Neck (Brandon), Alex Neck, Alaina Calmes,Brooklyn Bowers (Jacob), DarianMadere Brandelyn Nagy,Zane,Lex, and JensenVerbois.Her great-grandchildren, Kaylynn and Emilee Neck, Nash Henderson, Kynlee and Dawson Picou,Charles and JamesRau, Bryler, Jay, and Kenzie Bowers, Baxter and Stormy Harton, will grow up hearing stories of their great-grandmother's love and kindness. Rita was preceded in deathby her infant son Kenneth LouisNeck, herloving husband LouisF.Neck, Jr her parents, and her sister Gloria Denicola

Throughout herlife, Rita was adedicated homemaker,a roleshe took great pridein. She created awarmand welcoming home where allwereinvited to share in herfamous cooking and experience the comfort of herpresence.Rita'slove forcooking was only matched by her love for reading and traveling. She found joyin the pagesofa goodbook and thrills in the adventures of travel,exploring new places.

Those who knewRita woulddescribeher as loving,generous, and selfless. Shehad atalent formakingeveryone feel special and valued, and herkindness knew no bounds.Rita'sgenerosityextended beyond her family, touching the livesofmany in her community

Rita's lifewas one of quiet dedication and tireless devotion toher family Herchildren,grandchildren, and great-grandchildrenwerethe center of her universe, andshe cherished every moment spent with them. Rita'sguidance and wisdom have leftan indeliblemark on herfamily, and herspiritwilllive on in the valuesshe instilled in them.

As we saygoodbye to Rita, we celebrate alife thatwas rich in love and joy. Her memorywillcontinuetoinspire those who werefortunateenough to know her.Rita's passing leaves avoid in the hearts of many, but her legacyof love and selflessness will endure

Visitationwillbeheldon Friday May23, 2025, 4pm8pm at Central Funeral Home 9995Hooper Rd BatonRouge.A visitation will be held on SaturdayMay 24, 2025, 12 pm-1pm at St Alphonsus Ligouri Catholic Church13940Greenwell Springs Rd. with amassof Christianburial tofollow. Interment to follow at Resthaven Gardens of Memory 11817 Jefferson Hwy, Baton Rouge, where she willbelaidtorestbesideher beloved husband Louis, wherethey shared many happy years together Rita'slifewas atestament to the power of love andthe importance of family. As we reflect on her journey, we are reminded to cherish the time we have with our loved ones, justasRita did with every dayshe was given.

Ourso, Lynnette DeLaune

Lynnette DeLaune Ourso,75, of BatonRouge, passedawaypeacefully on May 20,2025. Born and raisedinBaton Rouge, she graduated from Baton Rouge High andretired fromthe LouisianaState Police. Lynnette wasthe beloved wife of Bobby Ourso for56years andthe devoted mother of Robbie (Gretchen), Amber(Jimbo), Juddand Sharon Jones, who shealsocherished as one of herown. Shewas the proudgrandmother of Phil, Saylor,Bailey, Maggie, and Jamie. Shewas pre‐ceded in deathbyher par‐ents, Lionel “Jack” and Louise DeLaune; sister Peggy Poche; brother-inlaw,Jay Benard;and niece, Heather Matthews. Sheis survivedbysiblings, LJ De‐Laune (OlaKay),Margaret Matthews, Jeff Delaune (Francie) Maureen Bernard,GabePoche;as wellasninein-laws,their spouses, andmanynieces

andnephews who will feel her absencedeeply.Lyn‐nette hada rare gift—she lit up thepeoplearound her.She made everyone feel welcome, valued,and athome. Herhomewas al‐waysopen, always warm, and always ﬁlled with laughter, good food,and love. Shehad a ﬂairfor decorating, apassion for cleaning, anda heartfor storytelling. Herfavorite wordwas “precious,”and that’sexactly howshe madeothersfeel.Visita‐tionwillbeSacredHeart Catholic Church in Baton Rouge on Saturday,May 24 from9:00a.m.until Mass ofChristian Burial at 11:00 a.m., celebrated by Rev. JoshJohnson.Burialwill followatResthaven Gar‐densofMemoriesonJef‐fersonHighway.The family asksthatyou honorLyn‐nette by making someone feel welcomed today—give a compliment,share a story,cook ameal, or sim‐ply listen.Justlikeshe would have.Pleaseshare memoriesatwww.wilbert services.com.

Mary Elizabeth Wilkins Spencer "Lizzie" went to be with her Lord and SavioronMay 13, 2025, at the ageof102. She wasbornin Monroe, Louisiana, on May 12, 1923, to parents Roy Allen WilkinsSr. and Floyce Lucretia Brown Wilkins. Mary Elizabeth graduated from Tallulah High School in 1940 and attended Northeast Junior Collegeinclerical studies. AftermovingtoBaton Rougeatthe age of 19, she worked at theLSU School of Journalism,Louisiana State Capitol,and Exxon. She married Everett Heath Spencer Sr.onAugust 7, 1948, andtogether they raised four children.She found great joyinsinging in theFirstBaptist Church choir and playingthe piano,aswell as various other church and missionactivities. Mary Elizabeth waspreceded in death by her parents, her loving husband, sonRichard Mark Spencer Sr.; three brothers, RoyAllen WilkinsJr., George C. Wilkins, and EdwinNormanWilkins, and sister KatherineVirginia WilkinsRush. Mary Elizabethissurvived by daughters Barbara Jane Spencer Reese (Robert), Mary Katherine SpencerRobertson(Richard), and sonEverettHeathSpencer Jr (Ann), as well as abrother Charles Elam WilkinsSr., nine grandchildren,15 great grandchildren,one great-great grandson, and numerous nieces and nephews. Pallbearers will be Mark Spencer, Heath Spencer, Chris Robertson, Andrew Robertson, Briton Whitfield,and Randy Wilkins. Honorary pallbearers are Charles E. Wilkins Sr Robert Reese, and Richard Robertson. AcelebrationofMary Elizabeth's life will be heldonSaturday, May24, 2025, at Greenoaks Funeral Home in Baton Rouge. Visitation will be from 12-2p.m.followedbya service at 2 p.m. officiated by Reverend Larkin Harris.

Reverend Albert L. Turner, Sr., beloved Pastor of Mt.ZionMissionary Baptist Church, Zachary, Louisiana, peacefully transitionedonSaturday, May 10, 2025, at ClarityHospice of Baton Rouge,surrounded by his loving family and friends. He was 69 years oldand aproud native of Zachary, Louisiana. He is survivedbyhis devoted wife, Paula Bell Turner; daughter, AeleciaTurner; son, Albert L. Turner, Jr. (Brittney); threecherished grandchildren, Brandis

Lee, Al'Laija Turner, and Albert Turner, III. Visitation is Friday, May 23, 2025, Hall's CelebrationCenter,9348 Scenic Highway, Baton Rouge, LA., 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Visitation continues, Saturday, May 24, 2025, NewLight Missionary Baptist Church, 650 Blount Rd.Baton Rouge, LA from 9:00am until religious service at 11:00am. Pastor Melvin L. Carter, Officiating.Entombment Heavenly Gates Cemetery of Baton Rouge, LA.FuneralServices are Entrusted to Hall Davis and Son.

Whitaker,MarleiRose

Marlei Rose Whitaker entered into eternalrest onMonday, May19, 2025 in Zachary,Louisiana.She was afouryearold native and resident of Solitude Louisiana.Visitationat Greater NewCanaan Bap‐tistChurch on Saturday, May 24, 2025 at 8:00 am until CelebrationofLife Service at 9:00 am con‐ductedbyRev.Larry Pate, Jr.;interment church cemetery. Survivorsin‐clude hermother, Felicia Dunn; father,Delvin Whitaker;sisters,Kalli Dunn andDemiWhitaker; Solitude; grandparents, Leola Dunn; Angela Whit‐ﬁeld, allofSolitude; Steven McQuirter,Woodville,Mis‐sissippi;Perry Dunn, Jack‐son,Louisiana;great grandparents, Carrie Bur‐rell; Etheland Nathaniel Whitﬁeld, allofSolitude; Ellaand Willie McDonald, Woodville; bonus grandfa‐ther, LeroyMcKinsey, Soli‐tude; otherrelatives and friends.Arrangementsen‐trusted to Miller &Daugh‐ter Mortuary

Betty and husband Chris Henry; andLinda Hawley; nephew,Johnand wife Joan Hatmaker;fourgreat nieces, fivegreat nephews, four great-great nieces, andsix great-great nephews. Shewill be missed by all whom she came in contact with.Visitationwill be held at St Francis Episcopal Church 726 Maple Street, Denham Springs, on Saturday, May 24, from 9a.m. until the service at 11 a.m. with Rev. Maggie Sullivan,officiating. Serving as Pallbearers are Ed Ballew,Jim Bruce, JerryGill, ChrisHenry, and Gene Knecht.Honorary Pallbearers are Roger de Gruyand Mike Stafford. Entombment will follow at ResthavenGardens of Memory Mausoleum. The familyisgrateful to CardinalHospice of Baton Rouge andKim andMelissa of MaisonDeFleur Assisted Living Home for the excellent care given to our aunt. The familywould also like to thank Judy Knecht,Janie Rainey, andDolly Williams fortheir love, friendship support, andthoughtfulness whichtheysoselflessly and faithfullyextended to ouraunt. Please share your condolencesat www.sealefuneral.com.

Alice Funeralservicesfor Alice Wooders will be held Saturday, May24, 2025 at RoseHillMissionaryBap‐tistChurch,3213 Groom Rd A public visitation will be heldfrom10:00 until11:00 a.m.withreligious services beginning at 11:00 a.m. In‐terment:SouthernMemor‐ial Gardens. Professional servicesentrusted to Charles Mackey Funeral Home.

Nancy Alice Lipp Wolford,age 92, of Denham Springs, passedawaySunday, May18, at MaisonDe Fleur Assisted Living Home. Shewas born in Portland, Oregon and was agraduate of Kelso High School in Longview, Washington.She was amember of St.FrancisEpiscopal Church andfaithfully served for over fiftyyears as residentofECW,chair of theUTO campaign,and on thevestingand music and hospitality ministries. Nancy started Hannah's Hands, anon-denominational knitting/crocheting group that supplied caps, gloves, andotherclothing items for Diocesan Seaman's Institute.She wasalso active in knitting groups with the Broadmoor Methodist ChurchinBaton Rouge and First United Methodist ChurchofDenhamSprings donating theirknitting projects to theneeds in theircommunity. Shewas an Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana Honored Woman in 2015. Sheretired in 1991 from DowChemical after 24 years of distinguished service managingthe affairsofthe Sales Office. Shethenworked at the Baton Rouge Advocate forten years andwas known throughout theFuneral Industry for herworkasa writerand herdedication to theObituary Department. Nancy was an active member in the American Business Women'sAssociation for most of hercareer,and she also provided enthusiastic assistance with theprojects and activities of theLions Club. Preceded in death by husband of 27 years, L. William (Bill) Wolford, Jr.; parents, John and Alice Lipp;parents-in-law, Lester and Giulia Wolford; sister and brother-in-law, Donnaand CarlHatmaker;nephew-in-law,Rev Charles Castles Survivedbythree nieces, Debbie Castles

Wolford, Nancy AliceLipp

Spencer, MaryElizabeth Wilkins 'Lizzie'

Wooders,

Neck, Antoinette Scardina Rita

OPINION

Mesothelioma registry is long overdue

In America, asbestos usage reached its peak after the Second World War, whenover 1,400 million pounds were used for civilian and military purposes.

The U.S. military,inparticular, had astrong afﬁnity for asbestos, using this material in virtually any army installation, in its famous Liberty ships from World WarII, as well as in tanks and airplanes.

However,asbestos is highly toxic. As this mineral causes chronic effects, such as cancers even decades after exposure,it took almost half acenturyfor health authorities to make this connection and eventually lead to aban on asbestos.

Unaware of any health dangers, people working with asbestos from the mid-1950s up until the 1970s had no protection against

these toxic ﬁbers. Today,cases of lung cancer,asbestosis and mesothelioma from asbestos exposure occurringatthistime arestill being diagnosed. Among these conditions, mesothelioma is themost complicated todiagnose and treat With under 3,000cases diagnosed annually in America, research efforts to develop bettercarepathwaysare minimal.

The Centersfor Disease Control andPreventionproposed aNational Mesothelioma Registry to addressthis problem. Cases recorded in theregistry aim to enhance researchers’access to patients and thus prompt the development of better diagnosis methods and treatments that would prove to be curative.

Nonetheless, sixyearshave passed since this proposal, and the registry has notbeenimplemented.Inthe meantime, people witha diagnosis face limited prospects. Mesothelioma is highly prevalent amongveterans. This popula-

tioncarries asubstantial risk of developing mesothelioma, not only because of their service in the U.S. military but also because of industrialexposure, as many were employed in asbestos-related industries after service. Forthese people, anational registry can signiﬁcantly improve detection rates, prompt research on developing better therapies and create asystemfocused on arare but deadly disease.

Although asbestos-related diseases affected veterans across America, people living in coastal statesand working in theNavy have asix times higher risk of developing mesothelioma. This elevated risk is mainly due to the extreme conditions aboardnaval ships, whereasbestos was heavily relied upon for insulation and fireproofing. Boiler rooms, engine rooms and other confined spaces werepacked with asbestos materials to manage the intense heat and prevent fires, two constant threats

Kratom hasbeneﬁts,likehelping veterandealwithpain, PTSD

In war,there are explosions. In peace, there is the silence that follows, often harder to endure.

For many veterans, that silence is ﬁlled with pain, not just physical but systemic. Not just personal but political.

in maritime environments. As acoastal state, Louisiana has astrong link with the asbestos industry,but also with other industrialtoxic chemicals. Its long environmental exposure history led to what is nowknown as Cancer Alley, an 85-mile stretch along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, densely packed with petrochemical plants and industrial facilities.

This region suffers from some of the highest cancer rates in the U.S., mainly due to decades of toxic emissions, environmental pollution and hazardous workplace exposures like asbestos. In light of this history,between 1999 and 2017, Louisiana recorded 5,092 asbestos-related deaths, including 927 from mesothelioma and 491 from asbestosis.

In East Baton Rouge Parish alone, an estimated 395 asbestosrelateddeaths were reported during this period. Today,Louisiana is home to over

211,000 veterans, many of whom served during the peak years of asbestos use in the military following the 1940s. These veterans carry an even greater risk of developing mesothelioma, yet they remain chronically underserved by the current health care and reporting systems.

Delays in diagnosis, limited access to specialized treatment and the absence of acoordinated tracking network continue to hinder their chances of receiving timely and effective care. Advocacy for implementing aNational Mesothelioma Registry is necessary to close this gap. Without decisive action, countless veterans will continue to slip through the cracks of abroken system, facing adevastating disease without the support they deserve.

Jonathan Sharp is theCFO at Birmingham-based EnvironmentalLitigationGroup, P.C.

La.’scoast needsunified voice, commitment

to science

In 2012, after twotours in Iraq and an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army,Imoved to Thibodaux. Iwas seeking stability and education. Instead, Ientered anew battleﬁeld shaped by injury,bureaucracy and pharmaceutical dependence.

While serving in Iraq, Iwas injured by an improvised explosive device. The blast left me with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury

The physical toll got worse. In 2015, I suffered aspinal injury.In2018, acar accident made it worse. Offshore rig work deepened the damage. Chronic pain set in. Like many veterans, Iturned to the system we were promised would care for us. The Department of Veterans Affairs has long relied on opioidsfor pain. Iwas no exception.

When Isought help at arespected pain clinic near Baton Rouge, Iwas told they focused on holistic therapies. Instead, after one appointment,Ileft with 90 hydrocodone pills and no referrals. Over time, the dosage escalated. Hydrocodone became oxycodone. My wife andIbegged for ataperingplan. We were ignored. In late 2019, Inearly died In January 2020, Ientered rehab at the VA’s Gulfport-Biloxi facility and began medically supervised detox. I was put on Suboxone. It numbed me but didn’thelp me recover.Iwas discharged with 90 tablets and anew dependency

That’swhen Ifound kratom. Kratom, aplant from Southeast Asia, is used by millions in the U.S. to manage pain and opioid withdrawal. Veterans in rehab whispered about it. Some used it to taper off stronger drugs.

In February 2020, Ibegan tapering off Suboxone using kratom. Withintwo weeks, Iwas off pharmaceuticals. Ihad symptoms, sweats and chills, but no agony. Icould think. Icould function. I could live. Ihave been sober ever since. Kratom isn’tamiracle or acure. It’s atool that helped me reclaim control.It relievedpain without stealing my clarity or identity.Unlike opioids, it didn’t make me feel less like myself. Now,Louisiana may criminalizeit. Senate Bill 154 by Sen. Jay Morris, R-

PROVIDED PHOTO

Kratom,anherbal supplement, has been listed as adrugorchemical of concernby theDrugEnforcement Administration.

West Monroe, would classify kratom as aSchedule Idrug, alongside heroin and LSD. Thatdesignation is for substances with no medical use and ahigh potential for abuse. That is not supported by science or lived experience.

If SB154 becomes law,itwon’tjail trafﬁckers. It will jailpeople like me. It will criminalize working people in pain. It will pushkratom underground, replacing regulation with risk.For veterans, it will makesobriety harder and relapse more likely

When Itestiﬁed before the House Healthand WelfareCommittee this spring, Ishared my story.Others did too. We were ignored. The bill advanced. Once again, veterans werehonored in words butdismissed in policy

We are not rare. Thousands in Louisiana and millions nationwide share this experience. Some live withpain. Others with panic. Many with both. We’re not asking for pity.We’re asking for options

Today,Ivolunteer with my church, help the unhoused, and serveinVFW Post 3784 and American Legion Post 38. My life is grounded in service, but Ihad to rebuildit, andkratom helped. Isupport responsible regulation: age limits, labeling and quality standards Butcriminalization is not regulation. It is abandonmentdisguised as policy To lawmakers in Louisiana: Reject SB 154. If we are called heroes, honor us with more than words. Honor us with a policy rooted in truth,compassion, and dignity

MarlonChouccoliisa U.S. Army veteran and lives in the BatonRouge area.

Today,the mightyMississippi River carries morethan amillion cubic feet of waterthrough ourstate every second. It is a force of nature unmatched, unstoppable anddeeply wovenintothe story of Louisiana.

This powerful river and the coast it built brought ourancestors here.Itgivesuslife, sustains ourlivelihoodsand deﬁnesour culture.

aconstitutional amendment to dedicate those revenues to coastal restoration. At the sametime, we reformed our levee boards, uniﬁed coastal planning and developed ascience-based master plan that has becomeaglobal model forcoastal protection.

But20years ago, our human failures turned anatural disaster into a catastrophe. Hurricane Katrina did not just expose our vulnerability to wind and water —itlaid bare the consequences of our inaction

As alifelong resident of New Orleans and adedicated public servant, Ialways knew Katrina would come. It was never amatter of if —only when. Like many other leaders, Ipleaded with presidents, senators and anyone who would listen to grasp what was truly at risk: one of the world’smost unique cultures, our nation’senergy supply and the river that opened America’s expansion and prosperity.Looking back, I am proud —not just of how we endured, but of how we responded. Louisiana’scoastalcrisis did not begin withKatrina.The seeds of that disaster weresown decades earlier —quietly, steadily —through decisions that unraveled the natural defenses that once protected us.Levees werebuilt to shield communities and support navigation, but they choked off the river’slife-giving sediment.

Canals carved for oil and gas —vital to our economy —becamesilent conduits for saltwater intrusion, poisoning freshwater marshesand accelerating land loss. Somewherealong theway,weforgot that this great deltawasn’tjust aplace to be tamed, but aliving landscapebuilt by the river itself.

Our future, like our past, depends on letting thatriver do what it was born to do

We werewarned. Asearly as the 1960s coastalscientists told us we were losing our coastatanalarming rate, and only by reconnecting theriver to its wetlands could we hope to reverse that loss. It took time, tragedy and the ﬁerce advocacy of many, but their proven science eventually becameour road map

In thewake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, we responded with clarity and purpose. We created the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and passed theGulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA), securing along-overdue share of the oil and gas revenues produced off our coast

The voters overwhelmingly approved

As acongressional delegation, we spoke with one compelling voice to the rest of the nation: We can be trusted with the federal resources needed to restore and protect our coast. It is an awesome responsibility earned through science-based planning, transparent decision-making and robust public input.

Governor after governor took up the mantle. Dozens of elected ofﬁcials, business leaders and everyday citizens joined the cause. The resolve born of disaster prepared us forthe challenges to come —more storms, adevastating oil spill, a broken ﬂood insurance system and rising seas. Speaking with one voice remains essential to demonstrating that Louisiana’s coast is anational asset —central to America’senergy security,economic vitality and environmental resilience. Despite herculean efforts since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the oil spill, Louisiana still receives only asmallfraction of the hundreds of billions in offshore oil and gas revenues that pass through our coast.

We struggle under an arbitrary funding cap and are required to share this limited revenue with three other energy producing states and the Land and Water Conservation Fund, anational program that already has permanent full funding.

The ﬁght is farfrom over,and Iam proud of our governor and congressional delegation forcontinuing the effort to secure the funding needed to preserve this critical landscape forgenerations to come.

We must summon the sameresolve we found after Katrina and Rita. This legacy must not be taken forgranted. In the years ahead, we will need morefederal support, public buy-in and innovation to preserve our state in the face of rising seas and stronger storms. We have spent generations building the momentum and expertise to succeed —if we stay the course. Together,wehave changed Louisiana’sreputation from laggard to leader and charted apath that other coastal states now follow Icall on today’sleaders to show the samecourage and commitment to the inclusive and science-based approach that has served us so well —and may be our only hope.

Mary Landrieurepresented Louisiana in theU.S. Senatefrom 1997 until2015.

Mary Landrieu GUEST COLUMNIST

ROOM FOR DEBATE FORMERPRESIDENT BIDEN

Former President JoeBidenrevealed earlierthisweekthat he has been diagnosed with an aggressiveprostate cancer.The news cameasDemocratsweregrappling with newrevelations aboutBiden’smental and physical decline before he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. Some sayinorder for the DemocraticParty to move forward, it must finally answerwhy so many were unwilling to admitthe presidentwas unfittorun forreelection until very late in the campaign. But does Biden’sdiagnosis complicate that reckoning?Here are twoperspectives

Biden cover-up reminiscent of anothertimeinhistory

The massive cover-up of Joe Biden’smental and physical decline, which is onlynow being revealed by certain media types who were part of it, reminds me of asimilar event more than acentury ago. President Woodrow Wilson suffereda stroke on Oct. 2, 1919, leaving himbarely able to work. First Lady Edith Wilson moved quickly to shield her husband’scondition from thepress and public. Historians say she took on so many of his responsibilities that she functioned like apresident. Edith Wilson went so far in her scheming that she covered Wilson’s left side with ablanket to hide his paralysis. Even Wilson’sdoctor was part of the cover-up. As described in Rebecca BoggsRoberts’ book “Untold Power:The Fascinatingand Complex Legacy of Edith Wilson,” members of Congress werefrustrated when they were prevented from seeingthe president. ASenate delegationwas assembled and atop White House aidewas informed they were coming to the White House to see Wilson that veryday.Edith andsome of Wilson’sstaff staged a“dress rehearsal” before the meeting that they hoped would allow thepresident to seem articulate and engaged. There was even talk of propping him up in abeach chair,but they settledon elevating him in bed. The publicist forthe Democratic Party was broughtintohelp stage thecharade Fortunately for the conspirators, Wilson washaving one of his “good days” when the senators arrived. He engaged with the visitors, even indulging in humor.When one of them said “Wehavebeen praying for you, Mr.President,” Wilson replied, “Which way?”

ploying euphemismsthat might resonate today with Biden, Edithclaimed she did not make decisions for her husband, but that she was only a“steward.”

Soul-searching demanded of Democrats, media

Those who colluded in thecover-up of Joe Biden’s cognitive decline are eagerto put it behind them. The election is over, so why dwell on the past? Why not focus on moreimmediate problems, such as President Donald Trump’scontinuing offenses againstthe civic order?

Cal Thomas

If this sounds familiar in amodern context, it should. With afew changes, it resembles the script used for the cover-up of Joe Biden’smental and physical decline,the conspiracy by someof histop staff members who helped orchestrate it and the denial by thehelpful media that there was anything seriously wrong with the president.They all promoted the ﬁction that Biden was “sharp as a tack” and “fully engaged.” Democrats now realize they are caught in atrap of their own making, so their response is to tell reporters they don’twant to talk about the past,but “move on” toward thefuture. Republicans should not allow that to happen. Democrats wouldn’t if theroles were reversed, and indeed, Democrats impeached Donald Trump twice during his previous administration over what amounted to nothing.

TheHouse Oversight and Accountability Committee has announced it will hold hearings on thesuspected cover-up. Co-conspirators must be called to testify about what they knew, when they knew it and why they lied. This should include former First Lady Jill Biden, who could be called the Edith Wilson of our time.

Youcan’tblame themfor hoping, Isuppose. But we can’tsimply ignore such ashocking institutional failure. Nor can we put off the reckoning in sympathetic deference to the recent announcement thatthe former president has aggressive metastatic prostate cancer

Edith Wilson in essence, if notinfact, became the ﬁrst female president of the United States. She controlled access to her incapacitated husband, made decisionson matters of state and essentially ran the executive branch for almost twoyears. Em-

Under oath they will be required to tell thetruth or suffer thepenalties that go with perjury.Why the25th Amendment wasn’t employed to removeBiden from ofﬁce might be one of the questions asked. The public deserves to hear thetruth and notjust read books from someofthose in themedia who were part of thecover-up andwho are now trying to washthe stain of deceit fromwhat reputations they have left.

Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub. com.

Bidenand his family have my best wishes as they embark on achallenging ﬁght.And oh, how Iwish this announcement hadn’tcome just before the release of JakeTapper and Alex Thompson’snew book, “Original Sin,” which offersa devastating account of Biden’s decline and the extent of the White House cover-up. Having read it recently,I’m convinced thatdeep institutional soul-searching is due in many quarters, and that this conversation is too important to delay,even at the risk of adding to the Biden family’s distress. It is impossible to read “Original Sin” —especially in concert with “Fight,” abook released by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes —without reaching ahorrifying conclusion: The most powerful nation in theworld and its nuclear arsenal wereleft in the hands of aman who could not reliably recognize people he’d known for years, maintain his train of thought or speak in coherent sentences. There’splentyofblame to go around, and no one should offer the excuse that the cover-up was toothorough for anyone to know.The signs were there, from the president’s curiously sparse public appearances to the videos of him acting confused. The gaslighting worked only because they hadcooperationfrom within the Demo-

cratic Party,and I’m sorry to say,from my own profession. Though Iaired concerns as early as 2022, Iinclude myself in this condemnation. Inoticed afew odd moments on the campaign trail in 2019 and 2020, along with ageneral air of frailty.Asasecond Biden term began looking more likely,I raised the issue in acolumn, asking whether the feeble man I’d seen on the stump wasreally up to a full campaign. But Ididn’task the question that was already forming in my mind: If Biden couldn’trun afull campaign, should he really be running the UnitedStates of America?

Ican offer no good excuse for this kidglove treatment. Iwas stupidly afraid to say anything that smacked of too much ageism,even though age obviously matters in such apitilessly demanding job. Well, now it’stime for all of us to grapple with those decisions because, as Thompson pointed out in aspeech at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, owning up to our collective mistakes is the only way to regain the public’strust. Unfortunately, Ifear that as aprofession, we,too, are giving in to the temptation to memory-hole our unpardonable lapse.

This omission smacks of my profession circling the wagons, creating yet another impenetrable bubble where we can reassure one another that whathappenedwas fine, aperfectly understandable mistake pretty muchthe excuses we made forJoe Biden himself. All that did was set him up for abigger disaster on the debatestage, and now we’re doing the samething to ourselves. The only way out is to face the truth. The president was not fine, was not even within shouting distance of fine and until we examine our own failure to report that fact, neither are we. MeganMcArdle is on X, @asymmetricinfo.

ega McArdle M n

ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO By BEN CURTIS

President JoeBiden walks out to speak in the Rose Garden of the White House in November.Biden revealedrecently that he has been diagnosed with cancer

SPORTS

Rattlermore comfortable heading into Year 2

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Spencer Rattlerisn’tdwellingonthe past

—the present has too much instore

Yes, he started six games at quarterback last yearasa rookie forthe NewOrleans Saints. Yes, he wasdealt an unfortunate hand in those games as injuries ravagedthe offensive roster around him. And yes, the Saints went 0-6 in those games. But things have changed.The Saints have anew head coach and offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, and Rattler is no longer competing to be the backup quarterback. Thursday,atOrganized Team Activities, Rattlertookhis turn operatingthe firstteam offense with the full complement of players around him.

“It’sinthe past. It’sover with now,”Rattler said of his rookie season. “Wewent through it, we got through it healthy,thank God. We put some good stuff on tape, butsome stuff on tape that we need to clean up. Ithink you justput it in the past and moveon.

“Whoever you have outthere, youwant to succeed and you want to win games. Obviously we didn’tdoenoughofthatlastyear Thegoal is to win games this year.”

Moore cautionedagainst puttingtoo much emphasis on Rattler getting his turntooperate the first-team offense Thursday.It was the third OTApractice of theweek, and Moore said Tyler Shough and Jake Haener alsotook ﬁrst-teamsnapsin thedaysthat were not open to media viewing

But Moore also spoke aboutRattleras someone who has alegitimate shot at winning acompetition to become the team’s starter,and part of thatisbased on what he saw last season. There were rough patches, to be sure. Rattler took 22 sacks and threw ﬁve interceptions. He had drastic ﬁrst- and second-half

LSUstarpitchersAnderson, Eyanson‘driveeachother’

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

HOOVER,Ala.— How would LSU replace Gage Jump and Luke Holman?

Amongthe plethora of questions facing the Tigers last offseason, that was arguably thegreatest one. The top starting pitchers were the engine that vaulted LSU from 3-12 in Southeastern Conference play to aclub thatwas awin away from hosting asuper regional.

Jump ﬁnished the seasonwith a3.47 ERA and didn’t allow more than three runs in his last seven starts. Holmanhad a2.75ERA and allowed no morethan four runs in just one start all year They were arguably themostfeared 1-2 starting pitching combo in the nation. Bothstarters were selected in thesecond round of last summer’s MLB Draft

“(We) playedgreat on theback endofthe SECschedule, they’re off to agreat start in the postseason,” Johnson said after LSU’swin over Kentucky in the SEC Tournament last year.“Anda lot of it has to do with those two guys settingthe tone.”

In theend, LSUhas had no trouble in ﬁnding Jump

andHolman’ssuccessors. Sophomore left-handerKade Anderson andjunior right-hander Anthony Eyanson became one of the top pitching duos in the nation during the regular season, guiding the Tigers to No. 1inthe polls nationally and the third best record in the SEC.

They’ll look to lead LSU to an SEC Tournament championship starting on Friday whenAndersonand the No. 3seed Tigers take on No. 14 Texas A&M in the quarterﬁnals (6:30 p.m., SEC Network).

“Kadeand Anthonyhavepitched deep into thegame just aboutevery week becausethey’ve been good,” Johnson said. “Great, not good.”

It’shard to ﬁnd another pitching duo in the nation that’s been as good as Anderson and Eyanson. Against the toughest conference in college baseball, they’re both in thetop-8 in ERA among SEC starters and the only teammates that have cracked the top-10.

“I think we’ve learned alot from each other,”Andersonsaid. “That’sthe thing that’sbeen our biggest help, continuing to drive each other.I think no one’sever satisﬁed.”

Change removesautomatic byes fortop league champs

BY EDDIE PELLS AP national writer

The College FootballPlayoff willgoto amore straightforward wayofﬁlling the bracket next season, announcing Thursday that it will place teamsstrictlyon wheretheyare rankedinstead of moving pieces around to reward conferencechampions.

Tenconference commissioners and Notre Dame’sathletic directorcame to theunanimous agreement they needed to shift the model that drew complaintslast season.

Thenew format will no longerguarantee an opening bye week for the four highestranked league champions,reserving that benefit for the four top-rankedteams in general.The change was widely expected afterlastseason’s jumbledbracket gave byestoBig 12 champion Arizona State and MountainWest champion BoiseState, even though they were ranked 12th and ninth,

respectively,bythe playoff selection committee.

That system made the rankings andthe seedingsinthe tournament two differentthings andresultedinsomematchups —for instance, thequarterﬁnalbetween top-rankedOregon and eventual national champion Ohio State —that cameearlier than they otherwise might have.

“After evaluating theﬁrstyearofthe 12team Playoff, theCFP Management Committee feltitwas in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment,” said Rich Clark, executive director of the CFP

The ﬁve highest-rankedconferencechampions will still be guaranteed spotsinthe playoff, meaning it’s possiblethere could be arepeat of adifferent sort of shufﬂing seen last season when CFP No. 16 Clemsonwas seeded 12thinthe bracket afterwinning the Atlantic Coast Conference. That ended up costing 11th-ranked Alabamaaspot in the playoff.

Gettingpaid

Underthe new arrangement, the four

STAFF PHOTOBySOPHIA GERMER

Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler runs a drill during Organized Team Activities at the team’spractice facility on Thursday.

Anthony Eyanson Kade Anderson

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS

French Open brings uncertainty

Tournament up for grabs without Nadal

BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

PARIS For quite some time, there’s usually been a sense of certainty at the French Open

That was particularly so on the men’s side, with Rafael Nadal ruling over the red clay of RolandGarros the way no one has dominated any tournament in tennis history He would go there, he would win nearly every match he played

— how’s 112-4 for a career record?

— and he would head home with another trophy, 14 in all.

Simultaneously simple and spectacular So, too, albeit over a much shorter span, is Iga Swiatek’s recent control over the women’s event, claiming four of five championships, including the past three. And now? As play begins Sunday things are less clear and not just because the 38-year-old Nadal is no longer competing and will be honored that day at Court Philippe-Chatrier The owner of 22 Grand Slam titles retired last season, playing for the final time at the Davis Cup. His final French Open ended with a loss to Alexander Zverev last May and his final Roland-Garros appearance ended with an exit in singles against Novak Djokovic at the Summer Olympics, followed by an exit in doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz.

New champions at French Open

“Will it be very interesting? I think so,” said Grigor Dimitrov, a quarterfinalist at last year’s French Open and previously a semiﬁnalist at the other majors. “Could we see potentially some

different winners and different results? Absolutely.”

He was speaking specifically about the men’s bracket. But he could have been talking about the women, too.

“There’s 20 different people that you wouldn’t be surprised if they end up winning the tournament,” said Madison Keys, the American whose ﬁrst Slam trophy arrived at the Australian Open in January “Part of it is because we’ve kind of lost some of our legends, obviously Like, there’s no longer Serena Williams in every draw, where you just assume she’s going to win.”

Swiatek, 23, did hold that status for a while but she’s been through a trying spell since last year’s triumph in Paris Not only hasn’t she

lifted a trophy since then, but she hasn’t reached a ﬁnal — and even clay presents problems She was eliminated by Danielle Collins in her second match at the Italian Open, after a 6-1, 6-1 loss to 2023 U.S. Open winner Coco Gauff at the Madrid Open, where she also dropped a 6-0 set to Keys. And that’s to say nothing of the off-court matter of a doping case in which Swiatek essentially was cleared but did serve an oddly timed suspension

Doping cases

Ah, yes, doping. It’s a big topic in tennis lately in large part because of what happened with former No. 1 Swiatek — she’s now down to No. 5, behind Aryna Sabalenka, Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Jasmine Paolini and men’s

No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who served his own, much-scrutinized, threemonth ban.

The deal he worked out with the World Anti-Doping Agency after it appealed the 23-year-old Italian’s original exoneration allowed Sinner to play at the Australian Open, where he earned his third title in the past ﬁve majors, then return to competition at the Italian Open, where he was the runner-up to Alcaraz.

So Sinner is in the mix at the French Open, but a notch below defending champion Alcaraz, who dealt with muscle issues in both legs recently before looking in Rome like he is back to his best.

Still, he’s not a lock the way Nadal was, while three-time major ﬁnalist Alexander Zverev is as inconsistent as possible lately, and 24time Slam champ Djokovic ended a three-match losing streak this week at the Geneva Open tune-up event

No Nadal in Paris

“Kind of new reality for me, I have to say You know, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament. It’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis, so it’s kind of a challenge for me, mentally, to really face these kind of sensations on the court, going out early now, regularly,” Djokovic said after an opening exit in Madrid.

“But that’s, I guess, the circle of life and the career Eventually, it was going to happen. Grand Slams is where I really want to play the best tennis,” he added.

“I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do that in Roland-Garros, but I’ll do my best.”

For a change, no one can be sure what’s to come in Paris.

Scheffler ﬁve shots back at Colonial

BY SCHUYLER DIXON AP sportswriter

FORT WORTH, Texas Scottie Scheffler and John Pak enjoyed the same start to the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial with eagles on their respective first holes. The world No. 1 couldn’t keep up with the PGA Tour rookie from there. Four days after winning his third major at the PGA Championship, Scheffler opened his attempt at three consecutive victories with a 2-under 68 Thursday Pak shot 63 for a three-shot lead over nine players, J.J Spaun the highest-ranked among them at 27th Tommy Fleetwood and 2023 British Open champion Brian Harman were among a group of nine players four back of Pak, and Scheffler headlined the 15 players who were five strokes behind.

Defending champion Davis Riley, who is playing the first two rounds with Scheffler, had two double bogeys on the front nine and shot 3-over 73 on the cozy course made famous by Ben Hogan, the only player to win Colonial in consecutive years (1946-47 and 1952-53). Riley is coming off a runner-up finish to Scheffler at the PGA.

The others at 4 under with Spaun were Patrick Rodgers, Ryo Hisatsune, Matti Schmid, Beau Hossler, Bud Cauley, J.T. Poston and Ben Grifﬁn. Jordan Spieth, Scheffler’s fellow hometown favorite and former Texas Longhorn, shot 69 with birdies on two of his final four holes.

Schefﬂer opened the second of what he considers his hometown events by holing a putt for eagle from off the green on the par-5

ﬁrst hole and a 23-footer for birdie on No. 2.

The Dallas resident played the ﬁnal 16 holes in 1 over, missing enough fairways and greens to prevent a run at Pak, who ﬁnished several hours earlier

The ﬁrst of Schefﬂer’s consecutive wins came three weeks ago at his hometown CJ Cup Byron Nelson, which he led wire-to-wire for an eight-shot victory while tying the tour scoring record of 253.

Scheffler will have to come from behind this time, just as he did in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, where he faced the same first-round deficit before surging into the lead in the third round and repelling a Sunday charge from Jon Rahm.

Scheffler skipped some of his prep work in the interest of rest and recovery, then showed up on the eve of Colonial at Game 1 of the NHL’s Western Conference final The Dallas Stars beat Edmonton 6-3 with a big third-period rally

“It was fun going to the hockey game last night,” said Schefﬂer who will have an early tee time Friday. “I was able to still get home and get a decent amount of rest. Waking up the time I’m going to be waking up tomorrow I’m going to need a little bit of extra rest. Just get home and get ready for tomorrow.”

Schefﬂer hit just ﬁve fairways on a warm and windy afternoon, and even found trouble with one of those when he delicately tried to shoo a bug off his ball at the par-4 15th after caddie Ted Scott’s towel-waving attempt to create enough breeze didn’t work. Scheffler’s approach landed 30 feet away and he two-putted for par “On a day where I didn’t hit a lot

Scheffler hits out of a bunker on the 18th hole during the first round of the

of fairways on a golf course where you have to hit a lot of fairways, I posted a decent score,” Schefﬂer said. “Anything under par around here in these conditions isn’t a bad score. Obviously, I wish it was a little bit lower, but overall I feel decent about the position I’m in.”

Starting on the par-4 10th, Pak holed a 147-yard approach. He added five birdies in a bogey-free round. The 26-year-old Korn Ferry Tour graduate, and one-time winner on the PGA Tour Canada, is the fifth rookie to hold a firstround lead in an individual event this year The New Jersey-raised Pak found all the motivation he needed when his New York Knicks blew a 14-point lead in the final three minutes of a 138-135 loss to the

Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference ﬁnals.

“I’m a die-hard Knicks fan and that was historically one of the worst losses I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Pak, who has one top-25 finish among seven made cuts in 12 events this year “There was a fire lit under me, yeah, this morning. I was a little (mad) about that.” Joel Dahmen made a hole-in-one on the 186-yard 13th when his tee shot stopped about 25 feet behind the hole, spun back and went in. The 37-year-old’s first career ace was followed by seven bogeys as he shot 74. “Nine years out here, that’s a lot of par-3 attempts,” Dahmen said. “A lot have looked good, and to finally go in was pretty cool.”

Pulisic among other U.S. starters to miss Gold Cup

NEW YORK Christian Pulisic is among a slew of starters who will be missing when the United States plays in next month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, another blow for a team coming off dismal performances at the Copa America and CONCACAF Nations League.

Pulisic, the top American player, asked to be left off the roster for the last competitive matches before the 2026 World Cup in order to rest after playing about 120 games over two seasons. Yunus Musah also asked out, Antonee Robinson was dropped because he has been playing with an injury, and Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Gio Reyna were blocked because FIFA gave the expanded Club World Cup priority over national teams.

Djokovic beats Arnaldi to advance at Geneva Open

GENEVA Novak Djokovic advanced to the semifinals at the Geneva Open on his 38th birthday Thursday, beating the opponent who eliminated him at the Madrid Masters last month.

Djokovic rallied in the second set for a 6-4, 6-4 win over 39thranked Matteo Arnaldi in their quarterﬁnals match. The second-seeded Djokovic had smashed his racket into the ground behind the baseline after his serve was broken to trail 3-1 in the second set, when he sent a backhand long.

He clinched his first match-point chance when Arnaldi hit a wild forehand from behind the baseline. Djokovic’s semifinal opponent Friday will be the winner of the late match between Alexei Popyrin, the fifth-seeded Australian, and another qualifier, Cameron Norrie.

Warriors guard Moody has surgery on thumb

SAN FRANCISCO Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody underwent surgery on his injured right thumb and is expected to be fully recovered by the start of training camp Moody, 22, started the first two games of the playoffs in the first round before coach Steve Kerr tweaked Golden State’s starting lineup Moody struggled with his shot in the postseason, shooting just 35% from the field before requiring surgery on his thumb.

The Warriors said Moody had the operation on Wednesday in Los Angeles to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb. Moody is coming off his most productive season since being drafted 14th overall in 2021. He averaged 9.8 points and 2.6 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game.

Chicago Blackhawks hire Blashill as head coach

CHICAGO The Chicago Blackhawks hired Jeff Blashill on Thursday, giving him a second chance to prove himself as a head coach in the NHL.

Blashill, a 51-year-old Michigan native, coached the Detroit Red Wings for seven seasons. He was let go after the team went 32-40-10 during the 2021-22 season. While Blashill had an underwhelming stay with Detroit ﬁnishing with a 204-261-72 record, he has a player development background that likely was appealing for the rebuilding Blackhawks He has coached in the AHL and USHL, along with the college ranks. The previous four coaches for Chicago — Anders Sorensen, Luke Richardson, Derek King and Jeremy Colliton had never been an NHL head coach when they got the job with Chicago.

Red Sox’s Hendriks calls out ‘vile’ social posts

Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks took to social media Thursday to express his displeasure about death threats he says he received following Boston’s loss to the New York Mets. In an Instagram post, Hendriks said comments were directed at both him and his family

“Just as an FYI: Threats against me and my wife’s life are horrible and cruel. You need help,” Hendriks wrote in the post. “Leaving comments and telling me to commit suicide and how you wish I died from cancer is disgusting and vile.” Hendriks, a 36-year-old reliever who previously battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma has appeared in 11 games this season. He’s 0-1 with a 5.56 ERA.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO MICHEL EULER

Spain’s Rafael Nadal bites the trophy after beating Norway’s Casper Ruud to win the French Open on June 5, 2022, in Paris.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LM OTERO

Scottie

Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club on Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas.

Vaughnscommits to LSUbasketballteam

BY TOYLOYBROWN III

Staff writer

Marcus Vaughns is the ﬁrst commitmentthe LSU men’s basketball teamhas earned in the 2026recruiting class. Vaughns announced his commitment to the Tigers on social media.

The 6-foot-8,215-pound

Australia native is aversatile small forward who last played at the prestigious NBA Global Academy.He received an offer from the Tigers on Oct. 24.

Vaughns took an ofﬁcial visit earlierthis year and attended the Tigers’ 8167 win over South Carolina on Feb. 18atthe Pete MaravichAssembly Center

Theathletic forward chose to play in theSoutheastern Conference rather playing professionally in Australia in the National Basketball League.

LSU has recently found added talent from Vaughns’ native countyinits signing of Portland transferMax Mackinnon. Therising se-

nior for the 2025-26 season averaged 14.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.2 assistslast season.

LSU coach MattMcMahon andhis staffaddedeight new players for the upcoming season, highlighted by sophomorepoint guardDedan Thomas of UNLV. LSU’s only returners will be junior Jalen Reed,who only played eight gamesafter tearing his ACL, and freshman Robert Miller

The Tigers finishedlast season 14-18 overall and 3-15 in the SEC.

Haliburton maybeseizing reputation as NBA’stop closer

BY BRIAN MAHONEY

AP basketball writer

GREENBURGH, N.Y. Jalen

Brunson has the award vot-

ed to the NBA’s best clutch player and landedthe endorsement of Reggie Miller, oneofbasketball’sfamed ﬁnishers. He had earned the reputation as the league’s top closer in this postseason.

Tyrese Haliburton might be seizing that the same way the Indiana Pacers seized Game 1ofthe Eastern Conference ﬁnals away from the New York Knicks.

With three memorable shots in nearly impossibleto-imaginecomeback victories, Haliburton has become the heir apparent to Miller as the Pacers’ man of the (last) moment and has them three wins from the NBA Finals.

“He’saspecial talent, he’s aspecial person and he continues to amaze me every time,” Pacers teammate Aaron Nesmith said.

Game 2isFriday night, whenBrunsonand the Knicks will have to show they can come back from thetypeofdevastatingdefeat that Milwaukee and Cleveland couldn’tinthe previous two rounds. New York led by 14 points with 2:45 remaining in regulation Wednesday.The Pacers rallied to tie it on Haliburton’slong 2-pointer that bounced high off the back off the rim and fell in as time expired, ashot he initially thought was awinning 3-pointer when he ran toward the crowd and emulated the choke signalMiller ﬂashed to Spike Lee three decades earlier duringan Indiana playoff victory

Teamsleading by at least 14 points in the ﬁnal 2:45of the fourth quarter had been 994-0 in the postseason since detailed play-by-play began being kept in 1997-98. But no lead seems safe against

ä Pacers atKnicks

7P.M. FRIDAy,TNT

these Pacers, no matter what history says. They trailed Milwaukee 118-111 with 40seconds leftinGame 5inthe first round,onlytopull out a 119-118 series-ending victory on Haliburton’s layup with 1.4 seconds remaining. They fell behindCleveland 119-112 with 48 seconds to play, but stunned the top seeds120-119 in Game2 of that serieswhen Haliburton grabbed therebound of hisown missed free throw, dribbled back behind the arc and nailed a3-pointer Teams trailingbyseven or more in the ﬁnal50 seconds of the fourthquarter or overtime in theplayoffs are 4-1,702 inthe play-by-play era. Haliburton has led the Pacers to three of those wins in the last month. “I think for me the biggest thing is Ialready have the conﬁdence to takethe shot in that moment, but I have the confidencefrom my group,” Haliburton said. “My group wants me to take those shots, my coaching staff wants me to take thoseshots, Ithink ourorganization wants me to take thoseshots. Ithink now we’re at thepoint where our fans want me to take that shot.”

That’sthe way theKnicks andtheir fans feel about Brunson.Heled the NBA during theregularseason in basketsduring clutch situations —defined as when the score differentialiswithin five or fewer points, and the game is in either the final fiveminutes of the fourth quarter or in overtime and has scored aleague-high 96 points inthe fourth quarter during theplayoffs. He had just made abasket during the finalperiod with the Knicks trailing Boston in

Game 2ofthe second round when Miller, calling the gamefor TNT,immediately said theCeltics needed to be concerned because it was Brunson’stime of thegame as the NBA’s best closer

“I think Reggie wasright on that,” Knicks forward Josh Hart said.“Ithink he’s themostclutch player in the NBA right now andwe’re happy he’sonour team.”

Miller always wanted the ball late and hiseight points in nine seconds to steal Game 1ofa1995 series against the Knicks is oneofthe highlights of the teams’rivalry.Haliburton is on apostseason rollnow, but needs afew of themto sit next to his Hall of Fame predecessor in Pacers’ lore.

“I mean, Reggie’scareer waslegendary.Plus, Reggie’s just gotahugepersonality,”said Stan VanGundy, Miller’sfellow TNT analyst for theseries.

“You love himifhe’son your side when he was playing and you love to hate him if he’s on theother side, and he embraced the back-andforth withthe crowd and everything else.SoIdon’tknow if Haliburton’s gotall that. He tried lastnight, but he diditona tiegame, so Idon’t knowifthat’sthe time to do it. But look, Ithink Indiana fans think he’sthe guy.It’s whetherthe nationwidefans start to lookathim that way.”

Nesmithwas under the basket as Haliburton’sshot went through. The forward had sparked thecomeback by going 6for 6from 3-point range andscoring20ofhis 30 points in theﬁnal 4:46 of regulation. Mighthehave wanted thefinal shot that went to Haliburton?

“Little bit. Little bit,” he said. “Be lying if Isaid I wasn’t, but big-time players make big-time plays and that’swhat he continues to do on adaily basis.”

Staley talksFulwiley’s stunning move to LSU

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley discussed MiLaysia Fulwiley’sdecisiontotransfertoLSU on Thursday in an appearance she madeonThe Breakfast Club radio show to promote her memoir Fulwiley,anative of Columbia, South Carolina, surprised the women’scollege basketball world on April 25, when sheannounced she was leaving her hometown Gamecocks for one of their chief rivals.

As they discussedthe book Thursday, host Lenard “Charlamagne Tha God McKelvey asked Staleyif she was surprised that Fulwiley transferred.

“Surprising?” Staley said “No. Ithink, being in the space, you become to expect theunexpected, right? Istill have much lovefor MiLaysia. Like, much love. Iwant her happy.” Staley thendetailed how Fulwiley informed hershe was transferring.

Fulwileysat down with hermother,she recalled, and saidshe “thinks she wants to enter thetransfer portal.” Staley then asked herifshe thought she wanted to transfer or if she knew.When Fulwiley said she knew,Staley told her that she “only wants her (to

BY JENNA FRYER AP auto racing writer

INDIANAPOLIS Roger Pen-

ske personally told Will Power about the firings of Team Penske’stop three executives —adecision Power said his boss made after a sleepless night contemplating how to handle acheating scandal ahead of the Indianapolis 500.

“I know it was very tough for him. He said that. He said he didn’tsleep the night before because he had to make avery hard decision,” PowersaidThursday, one day after the shock dismissals of team president Tim Cindric, IndyCar managing directorRon Ruzewski and IndyCar general manager Kyle Moyer Penske cleanedhouse after the cars for both Power and two-timedefendingIndianapolis500 winner Josef Newgarden failed inspection ahead of Sunday’s ﬁnal round of qualifying. The

cars were foundto have modiﬁed aspec part —the rearattenuator is asafety part and IndyCarsaidithas found no evidence theTeam Penske ﬁllinga seam on it providedacompetitive advantage. Newgardendeclined to discuss thesituation Thursday. “I don’t wanttodisappointor offend anybody. I’mhere to talk about the race. I’m here with my team.I’m ready to go racing,” he said. “I love this race. My goodness, I’ve beenenjoying being here this wholetime. Ilook forward to it every year,aswe alldo. Ready to go to work with our group. Proud of everything that we have done up to this point. Ready to go racing. So that’swhat Igot to say.” It was thesecond majortechnical violation for Team Penske in just over ayear.The team lastyear was foundtohaveillegal

access to its push-to-pass systemattimes thedrivers should nothave been able to gain the additional boost of horsepower.Newgarden was stripped of last year’s season-opening victory once IndyCar discovered theteam was illegally using thesoftware. Power expressed sympathy for Penske, whoowns the three-car race team IndyCar,the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500. Penske confirmed to newtelevision partner Fox Sportsthat IndyCarisexploring an independent governing body that does not consist of Penske employees. “I feel bad for him. He’s in avery tough spot in that situation,” Power saidofPenske. “You could tell it was heavy on him. Tough, tough for him to have to do that.

be) happy.”

Staleytoldthe show that she wantsher players to decide forthemselves what’s best forthem.Speaking up, she said, is “half the battle.”

“You know how hard it was for her to do that?” Staley said. “Really hard.”

In hertwo seasonsat South Carolina,Fulwiley proved that she was one of the most talented players in the country.Yet she never cracked Staley’s starting lineup.Instead, she begangames on the benchand played, on average, only 19 minuteseach night. Last season, seven Gamecocks, including three veteran guards, saw more run. Fulwiley could’ve stepped into alargerroleasa junior.

But thisoffseason,South Carolina added former Florida State guard Ta’Niya Latson —the nation’sleading scorer and the top player in the transfer portal and retained seniorguard Raven Johnson, all but cementing Fulwiley’s role as abench player

Nowthe rising junior’s development is in thehands of LSU coach Kim Mulkey, who can slot her next to Flau’jae Johnsonand Mikaylah Williams in astarstudded backcourt.

“I thought MiLaysia was getting better,” Staley said. “I saw awhole lotofgrowth,

on and offthe court. LSU’s gonna get the best of her now.Wewent through the hard part of just smoothing somerough edgesand getting her to create good habits. Idothink habits are the thing that allows you to elevate.

“So Ithink what we’ve given her,and what she’s givenus, will allow herto have muchbetter days, much moreconsistent days thanshe hadwithusather next stop.”

This offseason, LSU had about as much roster turnover as it’s experienced in four years under Mulkey Eight contributorsleft the program, either because they ran out of eligibility or transferred, and eight are joining it. Three of those newcomers are transfers.

None, however,made a moreintriguing decision than Fulwiley,who added even morespice to the LSU-South Carolina rivalry when she decided to leave Staley’sGamecocks.

“I do think she’sagenerational talent,” Staley said. “That will never leave. She does things on abasketball court that I’ve never seen a woman do, andshe’ll continue to do that, andwe’ll continue to be happy for her,except the one or two times that we have to play them.”

ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO NELL REDMOND

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley talks to guard MiLaysiaFulwileyonJan. 28, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. Fulwileyannounced she is transferring to LSU.

Star receiversOlave, Shaheedlookhealthy

SAINTS OBSERVATIONS

As much as was new aboutthe New Orleans Saints at Thursday’sorganized team activity practice, what stood out was the old. Sure, the new coaching staff was in place. And aquarterback competition was underway.But for the ﬁrst time in months, since injuries derailed their season, the Saints had a mostly healthy roster —and what adifference that canmake. If Kellen Moore’s offense is going to succeed in 2025, speed ﬁgures to be acrucial part. And on this roster, there’sarguably no one faster than Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave Thursday’soffseasonworkout was asharp reminder of that.

“Chris just told me, ‘Yep, (you’ve) got all of us out there now,” quarterback Spencer Rattler said.

As apair,Olave and Shaheed hadn’tbeen out on the ﬁeld together since last October.That was before Shaheed suffered a season-endingmeniscus injury andOlave was sidelined with a concussion. Both appeared to be fully healthy on Thursday— to the quarterbacks’ beneﬁt. Rattler went 8of8during the Saints’ reps of 7-on-7, while second-round quarterback Tyler Shough went 7of8.For the latter,Shough connected with Shaheedonadeep ball down the sideline —with Shaheed beating his matchup with adouble move while Shough bought time with apump fake.Rattler also looked crisp, hitting Olave decisively over the middle.

In the session, Rattler worked with the ﬁrst-time offense while Shough worked with the backups. Moore told reportersthat theplan is to rotate them by the day andthat each quarterback hasgottenstarting reps.

Here’s what else stood out about Thursday’sOTA session, the ﬁrst practice open to reporters this year

Newoffensive line

The biggest developmentwas that the offensive line looked completely different,inpart becauseofseveral position trainings. Trevor Penning, last year’s right tackle,got work at left guard. Taliese Fuaga, last year’s left tackle, took Penning’sold spot on the right side —moving the 2024 ﬁrst-round back to his college position.

Kelvin Banks, this year’sﬁrstrounder,worked at left tackle after rotating several spotsduring rookie minicamp.

“Continuity is areallyimportant aspect for those guys, but we’ll play with some different personnel packages, justmoving thoseguys around,” Moore said

“Ultimately,inseason, there will bethingsthatcome up and you have to have guys that have playedother thingsand have had different exposures.

Defensiveversatility

To getaglimpse of the versatility of defensive coordinator

Brandon Staley’s scheme, check outthe way the Saints used rookie defensive lineman Vernon Broughton

In their base look, theSaints usedthe third-rounder as adefensive end next to Cam Jordan. Then in nickel, when only four defensivelinemen wereonthe ﬁeldinstead ofﬁve,Broughton kicked inside to defensive tackle. The Saints staff already had familiarity with Broughton upon drafting him, as defensive line coach Bo Davis was his position coach at Texas for three seasons.

Cornerback AlontaeTaylor also was asked to doseveral different things. After moving back outsidelast season following the MarshonLattimore trade, Taylor took hisﬁrst reps in 7-on-7 on the inside.

Taylor wasalsousedasa blitzer,gettingaclean lane at Rattler —before pulling up since there’snocontact allowed. That’s an effectiveuse of thecornerback’s skill set as Taylor had the fourth-most sacks(four) withthe Saints last season

Andinbase, Taylor was also used on theoutside

Tightend shallow

Though theSaints mainly were healthy across the roster,New Orleans looked alittle short at tight end. MooresaidTaysom Hill and Foster Moreau are recoveringfrom major knee injuries andwon’tbeavailable until at least trainingcamp, while Dallin Holker is sidelined with a minor injury. That creates an opening for the other tightendsbeyond starter Juwan Johnson.The Saintsdrafted MolikiMatavao in the seventh round, while Jack Stoll, Michael Jacobson and Treyton Welch are also in themix.

Voluntaryabsences

The workouts this time of the year are voluntary,but that said, theSaints had some notable absences. Hill, TyrannMathieu, AlvinKamara, J.T.Gray,D’Marco Jackson, Demario Davis,Davon Godchaux and Chase Young were amongthe veterans absent Thursday Kamara, who typically misses these sessionsand trains on his own until mandatory minicamp, tweeted that he was traveling to Jordan

Email Matthew Parasatmatt paras@theadvocate.com

QB Haener settomiss

rest of OTAs with injury

BY LUKE JOHNSON and RODWALKER Staff writers

Jake Haener,who is expected to competefor theNew Orleans Saints starting quarterback job this summer,suffered an injury after an OrganizedTeam Activity practice that will force himtomiss several weeks Haener injured his oblique while gettingsome additionalwork in after Wednesday’spractice, an injurythat will force him to miss the remainder of OTAs, whichrun through thestart of June.

“Thisisthe ﬁrst time I’ve ever had asoft tissue deal popup,” Haener said Thursday.“Just tryingtomonitor it. It’s notgoingto be something that keeps me out for camp or anything like that.

“Unfortunately I’ll be down for OTAs, which obviously sucks. But I’m not going to sit here and feel sorry for myself. I’ll get better,do therehab, go through theprocess and I’ll be readytogofor camp.”

Afourth-round pick in 2023, Haener appearedineight games with onestart for the Saints last season.Hecompleted 18 of his 39 attempts (46.2%)for 226 yards, throwing one touchdown and one interception.

While his injury is asetback in his pursuitofthe starting job, coach Kellen Moore said he did not believe it will eliminatehim from thecompetition. During his remarks Thursday, Moore repeatedly said the OTAsessionsare more about teaching and learning than on-ﬁeld performance.

“No one wants to miss time, but for Jake in this situation, there’s still amental component that he’scapitalizing on,”Moore said. “He’sright there with the QBs, he’ll be there through the whole offseason process. Idon’t think it’s adrastic missed opportunity,he’ll have plentyofopportunities as we go to training camp to compete.”

While the Saints have not given any indication whether any of their young quarterbacks have an advantage in the competition, Haener figured to havethe longest odds.New Orleansinvested

SAINTS NOTEBOOK

asecond-round pick in Tyler Shough, and 2024 ﬁfth-rounder Spencer Rattler started six games last season. Moreau aheadofschedule

It’sbeen alittle over 41/2 months since Foster Moreau hadtobecarted off the field at Raymond James Stadium in theloss to theTampa BayBuccaneersinthe seasonﬁnale.

The Saints tight end isn’tpracticingyet but was in attendance at OTAs this week as he continues the rehab process.

“The knee is doing great and I’d have to say we are ahead of schedule,” Moreau said after Thursday’s practice. Howfar aheadofschedule remainstobeseen. Will he be ready for training camp? Will he be ready shortly before thestart of the regular season?

“I’dbepretty happy with atimeline thatgets me back in either one of those spots,” Moreau said.

Moreau, aNew Orleans native who starred at Jesuit High School and then LSU, is coming off one of thebest seasonsofhis six-year NFL career

He finishedthe year with 32 catches for413 yards and five touchdowns. The ﬁve touchdowns tied his career high from his rookie season when he played with the then-Oakland Raiders. The receptions and yards in 2024 were the second-most he’s hadina season in acareer Moreau is hoping to improve on thosenumbers even more under Moore.

“You’ve seen it in Kellen’spast,” Moreau said. “He’sdeﬁnitelyfeatured tightends in thepast, and I think we’ve got apretty good room of guys who can get some juice into theoffense.”

Butfirst things first: just getting back onto the field. Moreau is one of two tight ends recovering from kneeinjuries. Taysom Hill is theother Push notification

TheSaints were one of 10 NFL

“This is the firsttimeI’ve ever had asofttissuedeal popup. Just trying to monitor it. It’s not going to be something that keeps me out forcamp or anything like that.”

JAKE HAENER, Saintsquarterback

teams who did notvote to banthe so-called “Tush Push” made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles, allowing the Eagles —oranyone else —tostill run the play this season

The playisa variationofthe quarterback sneak, in which several players behind thequarterback push him over thelineto gain in short-yardage situations. While severalotherteams have tried to deploy it, nobody has had thesame successasthe Eagles. Moore saidhedisagreed with themainarguments against it —thatitwas an unsafe play thatslowedthe game down because there wasnorealdata to support thoseconclusions. He also shot down acounter proposal that bannedoffensive players from pushing because it affected severalother plays.

Moore has first-hand experience with the play and what it takestorun it well, having spent time on Philadelphia’s staff last season “I feel like it’sa playthatone team or acouple teams have investeda tonoftime into,put alot of work into it, and they’ve been able to capitalize on it,” Moore said. “But just like every other play, it’savailable to everyone.” Whichofcourse,begsthe question:Would theSaints try to run it?

Certainly I’ve hadgreat experience withit, but it’saninvestment,” Moore said. “It’saplay Philadelphia has done agreat jobofinvesting alot of timeinto, spending alot of timeembracing thatplay. So there’sa skill component to it as well.”

EmailLuke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

Continued from page 1C

top-ranked conference champions will still receive $8 million for their leagues —representing the $4 millionthey earn for making the playoff and $4 million for advancing to the quarterﬁnals.

“That was the commissioners’ way of —atleast for this year —holding to the commitment that they have made ﬁnancially to those teams, those conference champions in particular, that would have been paid those amounts under the former system that we used lastyear,” Clark told ESPN Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey was among those who pushed for the change in the upcoming second year of the 12-team playoff, thoughheremained cautious about it being approved because of the unanimous vote needed.

Smaller conferenceshad a chance to use the seeding issue

as leveragefor thenextset of negotiations,which will come after this season andcould include an expansion to 14 teams and more guaranteed bids for certain leagues. The SEC and Big Tenwill have the biggest say in those decisions.

As it stands, thiswillbethe third different playoff system for collegefootball in the span of threeyears. Forthe 10 years leadingintolast season’s inaugural 12-team playoff, the CFP wasa four-team affair.The seeding change wasﬁrstreported by ESPN, whichlastyear signed asix-year,$7.8 billion deal to televise the expanded playoff.

The playofffor the upcoming season begins Dec. 19 on the campuses of the teams ranked 5-8. All games beginning with thequarterﬁnals will be at neutral sites, ending with the title game on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium outside Miami

What mighthavebeen Alook at possible ﬁrst-round matchups had straight seeding been inplay last season. (with

result of actual matchup in parenthesis):

 No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Notre Dame. The Tigersstill would have gotten in despite being ranked 16th. NotreDame, ateam without aconference, could beneﬁtfrom this new arrangement because it is now eligiblefor abye.(No.5Texas 38, No. 12 Clemson 24).

 No. 11 Arizona State at No. 6 Ohio State. The Sun Devils face a juggernaut instead of receiving a ﬁrst-round bye. (No. 6Penn State 38, No. 11 SMU 10).

 No. 10 SMU at No. 7Tennes-

see. Yes, Alabama, 11th in CFP’s ﬁnal ranking, still would’ve been theodd man outbecause of Clemson. (No. 7Notre Dame 27, No. 10 Indiana 17).

 No. 9Boise State at No. 8Indiana. It could’ve been Ashton Jeanty vs. the Hoosiers in amatchup of twoofthe season’sbeststories. (No. 8Ohio State 42, No. 9Tennessee 17).

BYES: No. 1Oregon, No. 2Georgia, No. 3Texas, No. 4Penn State. CouldTexas or Penn State have gone further without having to play that extra game?

SAINTS

Continuedfrom page1C

splits, with a103.3 passer rating in theﬁrst half of games he played in anda 46.5 rating in the second half, suggesting he struggled to adjustasthe game shifted off script. But there were moments thatpopped off the screen when Moore watched.

“You’rereally looking at the context,and you’re lookingatthe process of the player,” Moore said. “Results are obviouslyvery,very important,and it’s ultimately how you’re evaluated, but when you’re lookingatitindividually,you’ve got to look at their process and see they’re goingthrough theright process.Ithought he had somereally,really good ﬁlmontape.”

Moore saidhewas especially impressed with Rattler’sability to deliver throwsunder pressure.

“I thinkthat’sabig thing, having quarterbacks whohave the courage to know I’m going to get hit here,but I’mgoing to make a throwthat is going to impact this game and impact the team,”Moore

said. “You saw anumber of those by Spencer that got me ﬁred up.” Speaking generally,Moore said there’sa reason players experience ajump in production whenthey enter their second year in the NFL.

Rookiesgodirectly fromthe collegefootballseason to theNFL draft process, and then they’re dropped right back into afootball environment where they have to learn how to be professionals.

“The ﬁrst year,there’salittle bit of swimming,” Moore said.

The second year is where aplayer can apply the lessons learned from Year 1, using the offseason to trainaccordingly while understanding the ebbs and ﬂows of the pro game. So while Rattlerhas moved on from last year,itdoesn’t mean he hasn’tbeen pulling from the experience as he’s entering Year 2. The biggest difference for him at this stage is comfort. He has been through it,and he nowgets to build upon it.

“You could say Iama little more comfortable nowgoing into Year 2,” Rattler said. “Nowhere near where Iwant to be, but Ifeel good right now.”

HINTON

Saints quarterback JakeHaener greets offensivetackleNick Saldiveri during apractice at the Saints’ practice facility on Thursday

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIAGERMER

Saints receiverRashid Shaheed, right, stretches with teammates during an organized team activities at the Saints’ practice facility on Thursday.

Matthew Paras

WholeBahlofwax

Nebraska superstarisa forceinthe circle andatthe plate

BY ERIC OLSON AP sportswriter

LINCOLN, Neb. It’snot just the dominance she’sshown in the circle, the power she’sﬂashed at the plate or Nebraska’srun to its first NCAA super regionalin more than adecade that told Jordy Bahl she made the right decision to come home after she won two national championships at Oklahoma It’sall that and more, like being 45 minutes away from her tight-knit family in Papillion, forging bonds with teammatesand representing the state she loves.

“When Isee picturesfrom the heat of the battle,” coach Rhonda Revelle said, “her eyes look happy,and Ilike that, and Ilike that for her.”

There’salot to be happy about forBahl and the Cornhuskers (42-13), who open a best-of-three super regional at No. 7seed Tennessee (4314) on Friday

Bahl is the first player to sweepBig Tenpitcher and playerofthe yearhonors, a finalist for national playerof the year and afirst-team AllAmerican for the third time.

She’s25-6 witha1.50 ERA and ranksinthe top 10 nationally in eight pitching categories.Her 270 strikeouts areacareer high.

LSU

Continued from page1C

“Beingthe leadersonthe staff, that’skind of what you’ve got to do.”

The driving force behind their excellence is howgood they’ve beenatgenerating whiffs.They’re No.1 and No. 3inthe SEC in strikeouts againstconferencecompetition, respectively,while being the top two pitchers in strikeouts looking. For the season overall, Anderson is second andEyanson is third in the country in strikeouts. They only trail Tennessee left-handerLiam Doyle who has four more punchouts than Anderson

“I think just really the way(Eyanson) goes about his business has been nice (towatch),” Anderson said. “And Ithink that through that, it’sbeen helpful to kind of learn through his failures as well. Because honestly,I think experience (is something) you only learn from failure.”

Like with Holman and Jump, both Eyanson and Andersonare projected to be selected in the ﬁrst couple rounds of this summer’s draft. Anderson is the No 7overall player in ESPN’s rankings and Eyanson is at No. 49.

Tennessee right-hander Marcus Phillips and Doyle, and Arkansas right-hander Gage Wood and left-hander Zach Root werethe only other pair of teammates in the rotation to crack the top-50. “I thinkthe funny thing

“Itdoesn’t matterifit’sup, down, in, out, hard or soft, it’s going to be tattooed. So good luck figuring that out. That’ssomebody else’sproblem now.”

SoutheasternLouisiana coach

RICK FREMIN,

She’s fifth in the nation with a.475 averageand seventh with aschool-record 23 home runs.Of her 76 hits, 41 have gone forextrabases.

She’sthe fifth player in NCAAhistory to record at least 20 pitching wins and 20 homers in the same season.

“I know the Lord is the author of my life,” Bahlsaid, “and there are just so many surreal moments lately where Ijust step back and I’m like, ‘Wow, I’m so undeserving. Just tobeabletoexperience this andtohavethese amazing teammates to do itwith makeitall thesweeter.”

Bahlwas the2021 national high school player ofthe year at Papillion-La Vista High and passed on an offer from Nebraska to join an Oklahoma program that had, at thetime, won ﬁvenational championshipsunder Patty Gasso.

Twomorenationaltitles followed with Bahlgoing acombined 44-2 with 397 strikeouts andan0.99 ERA in 2882/3 innings.Bahl was the mostdominant pitcher in the nationwhenshe left

WHO: LSU(42-13) vs.Texas

A&M (30-25) WHEN: 6:30p.m., Friday

WHERE: Hoover Metropolitan Stadium

ONLINE/TV: SEC Network

RADIO: WDGL-FM, 98.1 (Baton Rouge); WWL-AM, 870 (NewOrleans); KLWB-FM, 103.7 (Lafayette)

RANKINGS: LSUisNo. 1by

OU after the2023 season. She hadjust gone through theNCAA Tournament with a7-0 record and0.18 ERA. In the WCWS alone, she threw 242/3 shutout inningsand was voted MostOutstanding Player But the pull of home kept tugging at her. She wears herheart on herright bicep, where there’satattoo of theoutline of thestate of Nebraska. Shesaidshe felt called to help grow thesport in thestate, andthe Huskers have drawn theirlargest crowds over the past two seasons.

This year Bahl hasled the teams’ onslaughtonschool offensive records. The Huskers are just the 11th team in NCAA history to record at least 100 doubles and 100 home runs in aseason. Theirmomentumcarried into thepostseason. They’re the first unseeded team to win each of itsNCAA regionalgames by the run rule.

Bahl started all three games in Baton Rouge, last week, and allowed one run

ON DECK

D1Baseball; TexasA&M is not ranked PROBABLE STARTERS: LSU TBA; TexasA&M —TBA PREGAME UPDATES: theadvocate.com/lsu ON X(FORMERLYTWITTER): @KokiRiley

WHATTOWATCH FOR: LSU has not announced astarter but it’sfairtoassume that it

of guys like that as well.”

Anderson and Eyanson bothmade All-SEC teams They weregettingtheir weekly massages at Trifecta Sports Therapywhenthe news broke.

Anderson was aﬁrst-team selectionbut Eyanson only madethe second team despiteleading the conference in ERA during SECplay. The award was “a pretty big deal” to Anderson, but no honor can validatehis and Eyanson’sstatus as arguablythe best pitching duo in thenation.

Southern rallies to stay alivein SWAC tourney

BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer

is, you would never know whether (Eyanson) hada greatweekend or not,” Anderson said. “AndI think that’ssomething thatyou look back with like Holman andJump. They were kind

“Where we were short? Elite pitchers,” Johnson said, calling back to where the programwas on the moundafter hisfirst season in 2022. “And wow, what arun of that with Paul (Skenes), Ty (Floyd), with Luke, with Gage, with Kade, with Anthony.Like I’m notapitching coach,but I’m really proud of getting those caliber of pitchers here.”

Email Koki RileyatKoki Riley@theadvocate.com

and two hits with 16 strikeoutsover 12 innings. In two games against regionalﬁnalist Southeastern Louisiana, she struckout 13 of 29 battersover nine innings.

“Jordy is something ﬁerce in the circle,”Lions coach Rick Fremin said.“We faced her afew years ago. She was tough then and she’seven toughernow in adifferent uniform.”

Bahl homered in each of her first four at-bats at the regional and finished5 for 5with seven walks, eight RBIs andseven runs scored No pitchingstrategyworked against her “Itdoesn’t matter if it’sup, down, in, out, hard or soft, it’sgoing to be tattooed,” Fremin said. “So good luck figuring thatout. That’s somebody else’sproblem now.”

Bahl’soffensive prowess hasbeeneye-opening.She didn’t getmanyopportunities at theplateinher two years at Oklahoma. She bats leadoff at Nebraska.

“I couldhavetoldyou herfreshman yearinhigh school she was this kind of offensiveplayer,” Revelle said. “If she never would have pitched, sheprobably could have been an All-American second baseman with hittinglike this,or wherever she played.”

will be sophomore left-handed aceKade Anderson on normal rest.The Aggies have already used top starters JustinLamkin and Ryan Prager to reach the quarterﬁnals, meaning that junior left-hander Myles Patton is likely their bestoption to startagainst the Tigers.

Koki Riley

The baseball sailedover Ranard Grace’shead. By theend of thesecond inning, Southern’sstarting left-handed pitcher had given up asecond home run and aseventh run. The moment, while deflating, didn’tdefine his team’s Southwestern AthleticConference Tournamenthopes. Grace andthe rest of the team maintained theircomposure and No. 7-seeded Southern (24-26) rallied to beat No.4 Arkansas-Pine Bluff17-11 on Thursday at RickwoodField in Birmingham,Alabama. Arkansas-PineBluff (1934) scored itsfirst runafter Grace walked abatter with the bases loaded. The next batter,JesusRiera,drilled theballover theleft-field wall for agrand slam, givingthe Golden Lionsa 5-0 lead in the first inning. Southern trailed7-0 by the end of the secondinning after aGavin Terry’s two-run leadoffhomer

TheJaguars’ragged start didn’tquell theirdetermination to survive another dayinthe elimination game. They didn’ttake long to respond,tallying ﬁveruns in the third inning.

Freshman Benny Bikarand juniorCardell Thibodeaux, theSWAC Player of the Year,each had RBI singles downthe right side.

Senior TajBates followed Thibodeauxbyhammering athree-run homer to left ﬁeld. Southern trailed 7-5 by the end of the third inning, forcing UAPB to bring in anew pitcher Southern knotted the gameat7-7 in the top of thefourthinning after a groundout by Bikar and an RBI single to center by KJ White.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff recaptured an 8-7 advantage in the sameinning. The Jaguars againrefusedtoquit. After a RBI single from the Thibodeaux, Bates nailed adouble deep in left ﬁeld corner,giving Thibodeaux the chance to showcase his speed as he raced home from ﬁrst base.

The GoldenLions made one more attempt at a comeback with threeruns in the seventh inning, but that wasn’tenough.The Jaguars delivered ﬁve runs in the last twoinnings to eliminate UAPB. Southern will try to keep its title hopes alive against the loser of Thursday’s Florida A&M-Grambling gameat6p.m. Friday

MAJORLEAGUEBASEBALL

Giants placewinless Verlanderonthe IL

By The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO TheSan Francisco Giantsplaced winless right-hander Justin Verlander on the 15-day injured list Thursday with astrainedright pectoral muscle.

Verlander left his most recent start on Sunday against the Athletics early after struggling with his velocity and command because of discomfort. He threw on the side on Wednesday and still had issues, so he was placed on theinjured listbefore the team begins aroad trip on Friday in Washington.

Themove is retroactive to Monday and the Giants are hopeful Verlander will be back after 15 days and missing only twostarts.

Verlander said the issue wasn’t related to the neck problems that sidelined him formuchofthe 2024 season. The 42-year-old Verlander has struggled in his ﬁrst season with the Giants and is still searching for his ﬁrst winafter 10 starts. He is 0-3 with a4.33 ERA.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO SanFrancisco Giants pitcher Justin Verlander throws against the Athletics on SundayinSan Francisco.

The three-time AL Cy Young Awardwinnerand 2011 AL MVPhas 41 strikeouts and21walks forhis worst ratio since2008 and is allowing the most baserunners per inning (1.404) of any season with morethan twostarts.

Verlanderhas acareer record of 262-150 with a 3.31 ERA in 536 starts. The Giantshavenot decided on who will take Verlander’splace in the rotation on Saturday at Washington.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU pitcher Kade Anderson deliversapitch against Mississippi State in the third inning of agame on March 27 at Alex Box Stadium

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATTHEWHINTON

Nebraska pitcher Jordyn Bahl celebrates with teammates after hitting atwo-run homerun against UConn in theBaton Rouge regional on FridayatTiger Park. Nebraska went on to win the regional and will playTennessee in thesuper regionals

GOODBYE, ‘GOLDEN’

It’sthe last weekend for the LSU Museum of Art’sexhibition,“GoldenLegacy: Original Artfrom80years of Golden Books.”It features 60 original illustrations that have captivatedgenerations. Catch the vibrant and nostalgic showfrom 10 a.m.to5p.m. Friday-Saturdayand 1p.m. to 5p.m. Sundayat100 Lafayette St. lsumoa.org

BUY LOCAL

Meet and greet Baton Rougeauthors at Authors Rowfrom 10 a.m. to 4p.m. Saturday at Jones Creek Regional Branch Library, 6222 Jones Creek Road.Discover newliterature and supportlocal writers. Books will be availablefor purchase and signing,plusthere will be awriters’ workshop. Register at ebrpl.co/events.

DODGE, DUCK, DIP

…

BREC’sDodgeball Showdown is a

N.O. ﬁlm series brings audiences together

BY LESLIECARDÉ

Contributing writer

If you long for the days when watching amovie was acommunalexperience —withaudiences laughing, crying and cheering along in theaters —here’ssome good news.

On Wednesday,the New Orleans Museum of Art kicked off aseries that will bring 150 people together to watch fourclassic films over a four-week period. The viewings, however, will come with a twist.

“We’re doing this in conjunction with Café NOMA, where the Brennan’s-owned restaurant at the museum will have special food and drinks to accompany the ﬁlms,” explained Susan Taylor, the Montine McDaniel Freeman director of NOMA.

“For instance, our secondﬁlm screening is ‘CinemaParadiso which will be showninNOMA’s Besthoff Sculpture Garden along withAperol spritzers. Mostimportantly,witheach film,there’sa conversation afterward with key peopleinvolved in each production.”

First film wassell-out

The first film in the Producer’s Choice Film Series —which sold out —was “The Talented Mr.Ripley,” and the conversation wasbetweenactorJude Law (one of the stars of thefilm) and the co-president of productionfor theformer Miramax Films,producer Meryl Poster, who is curatingthis series for the museum. In her 16-year role at MiramaxFilms, Posteroversaw more than 60 films. She was executive producer of the Academy Award-winning “Chicago” and the Academy Award-nominated “The Cider House Rules” as well as “Chocolat.” Her intimate knowledge of some of the world’smost critically acclaimed films is the reason that NOMA’s Taylor reached out to Poster to curate this series.She askedthat theyinitially be films Poster had workedon.

“I wanted to include films which peoplehave apassion for,” recounted Poster,now president and founder of Superb Entertainment. “Allthe ﬁlmshave apainterly quality,and by that, Imean their lighting and composition mean you could take scenes from these movies and turn them into paintings. They are visually stunning.”

Styleand substance

These four ﬁlms are atribute to ﬁlms that have both style and

FOSTER FUN

TBY JUDYBERGERON| Staff writer

he Cajun Country Jam Memorial Day Festival signed on alast-minute addition to its music lineuponTuesday —ayoung, up-and-coming artist many have heardalot about lately Does thename John Foster ringabell? Foster,18, of Addis, just ﬁnished secondin “American Idol’s”23rd season.

CAJUN COUNTRYJAM

Friday-Sunday l PARDS North Park, 30372 EdenChurch Road, Denham Springs l $75, threedaygeneral admission; $125, three-daypit pass; $300, threedayall-star experience and VIP parking pass; parking pass, $30. Half-price ticketsalso areavailable by using the coupon code “THEADVOCATE” at checkout l thecajuncountryjam.com

As aﬁnalist on theABC singing competition series, the LSUstudent wastreated to ahero’swelcome home last week in Louisiana beforereturning to Hollywood for Sunday night’s “Idol” ﬁnale. Cajun Country Jam event producer Scott Innes said Tuesday night thathehad texted Foster earlier in the day asking himtoattend this weekend’sthree-day festival. During alengthy follow-upphone call, Foster accepted the invitation, Innes said.

Newimprovementsontap forJambalaya Festival

Curly Leveron separates portions of chicken from therice while cooking during the 2024 Jambalaya Festival in Gonzales.

BY DARLENE DENSTORFF Community news editor

Changes arecoming to this year’sJambalaya Festival, running through Sunday. Anew location, admission, added cooking contest, expanded food offerings andconvenient parking will make this year’sJambalaya Festival different from past fests, but organizers say thestars of the show

won’tchange

“We’re still cooking jambalaya

PROVIDED PHOTOS

John Foster,from left, Craig Morgan, DylanScott and Frank Foster are among the performers for the upcoming Cajun CountryJam Memorial DayFestival.

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday, May 23, the 143rd day of 2025. There are 222 days left in the year

Today in history:

On May 23, 1934, bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were shot to death during a police ambush in Bienville Parish.

On this date:

In 1915, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary, aligning with the Triple Entente of Russia, France and the United Kingdom

In 1984, Surgeon General C. Everett Koop issued a report saying there was “very solid” evidence linking cigarette smoke to lung disease in nonsmokers.

In 2013, the Boy Scouts of America announced it would remove membership restrictions based on sexual orientation, while maintaining a ban on openly gay Scout leaders. (The ban on gay Scout leaders and organization employees was lifted

two years later.) In 2015, supporters of marriage equality in Ireland celebrated as referendum results showed a constitutional amendment in favor of recognizing same-sex marriage passing by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.

In 2018, NFL owners approved a new policy allowing players to protest during the national anthem by staying in the locker room but forbidding players from sitting or taking a knee if they’re on the ﬁeld

Today’s birthdays: Actor Joan Collins is 92. Tennis Hall of Famer John Newcombe is 81. Chess grand master Anatoly Karpov is 74 Comedian-TV host Drew Carey is 67. Comedian-actor Lea DeLaria is 67. Author Mitch Albom is 67. Actor Melissa McBride is 60. Singer-songwriter Maxwell is 52. “Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings is 51. Singer-songwriter Jewel is 51. Filmmaker Ryan Coogler is 39. Singer-songwriter Sarah Jarosz is 34.

FILM

Continued from page 1D

substance. They also have a psychological component to them

Whether it’s “The Talented Mr Ripley” which involves identity theft and murder, and probes the bounds of sociopathy, or “The Wings of the Dove” which explores the corruption of love by greed, these are ﬁlms that make you think.

Although “Cinema Paradiso” is a poignant tribute to childhood, it is also the story of lost love and the transformative power behind the magic of cinema.

As for the whimsical “Chocolat,” at its heart, the ﬁlm’s premise is about the courage to embrace change.

Making sense of a film

“When you leave a movie theater with friends, you have this debrief moment of making sense of what you saw,” said Charlie Tatum, NOMA’s director of marketing and communications.

“So, we’ve paired these films with a more formalized, deeper conversation,” he said. “It’s about connecting with fellow ﬁlmgoers, and even getting some of your questions about a ﬁlm answered by the principals involved with them.”

Producer Poster tells inside stories about the behind-the-scenes adventures involved in making movies.

“Johnny Depp arrived on the set

of ‘Chocolat’ with a kind of crazy hairstyle that ﬁrst day of shooting,” said Poster. “I hated the way it looked, all wild We had a short amount of time, just hours, to convince him to go with a slicked back ponytail.

“And then there was the story of Anthony Minghella (director and screenwriter of “The Talented Mr. Ripley”) when he cast Law as one of the leads.

“I asked him how he knew if Jude could sing, and his answer to me was that if Jude was a good enough actor, he could act singing.”

What’s next?

For this spring series, apart from “Cinema Paradiso” in the sculpture garden, the remaining ﬁlms will be screened in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts.

“But we will soon be thinking about our next series of ﬁlms in the fall,” said Taylor “We’ll be contemplating a theme, and how we can leverage this next installment

“Meryl will again curate it, but we will expand past the ﬁlms she’s produced. We want to create a conversation around these features.

“So, joining the conversation could be a ﬁlm historian, an actor, a critic, an academic, or a director Anything that gets people talking.”

For a complete schedule of the series, and to buy tickets, go to noma.org.

Contact Leslie Cardé at lesliecardejournalist@gmail com.

COUNTRY JAM

Continued from page 1D

“He’ll hang out all weekend, and get up on stage with several of the artists,” Innes said, with times to be determined post-presstime.

“It’s like a backyard party just a little bit exaggerated,” Innes said Monday about the event, celebrating its 10th year

The guest list for the big bash also features: Dylan Scott, Craig Morgan, Frank Foster, Chris Cagle, Kendall Schaffer, Wayne Toups, Chase Tyler Ben Ragsdale, Thomas Cain, Nashville South, Sam L. Smith, Parish County Line, Connor Martin and Lauren Lee.

“Craig Morgan, who’s one hit after another and then what, eight consecutive No 1’s for Dylan Scott, who’s a Louisiana native,” Innes said.

“Then there’s Chase Tyler Chase is, you know, Louisiana Music Hall of Fame He knows his stuff. He sings pop, rock. I bet the guy could do polka. People would love it, you know?”

Tyler plays host for the FridaySunday event at PARDS North Park in Denham Springs again this year DJ will be Dylan Wayne.

“So we’re excited about it, man,” Innes added. “You know, the one thing we really take pride in is we give a stage to the local artists. Their fans come out in droves and it’s a party,” he said.

It’s going to be a hot one, with highs of 90 and sun forecast all weekend. Innes advises festivalgoers to bring small umbrellas. Chairs and blankets also are an option Those unsure of what is or isn’t allowed in the park can go to thecajuncountryjam.com for a complete list.

Ticket prices are as follows: $75, three-day general admission;

JAM FEST

Continued from page 1D

from its longtime location along Irma Boulevard, and admission will be charged for the ﬁrst time in the festival’s history

“It’s something we’ve been talking about for a long time, and lots of things went into the decision,” Gonzales said. “This year, we’re doing it. There will be lots of parking and air-conditioned music venues.”

Gonzales said availability to the space used for carnival rides and the possibility of losing eight cooking stations due to construction in the cooking area forced them to start looking for another location.

“You won’t have to park at Rouses and walk on Cornerview to get to the festival,” Gonzales added. “You won’t have to search for parking.”

Admission is $5 on Friday and Sunday and $10 on Saturday A three-day pass is $15. Children under 12 are admitted free.

The jambalaya cooking contests start at 8 a.m. Friday and the mini-pot Champ of Champs contest is at 6 p.m. Saturday, a new contest for ages 12 to 17 starts at 1 p.m.

The ﬁnal heats of the ﬁrst round of cooking start at 8 a.m. Saturday and the Champ of Champs cooking contest kicks off at 2 p.m.

The mini-pot contest is from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Gonzales said he’s excited to see what the young cooks produce. They’ll cook ﬁve pounds of rice

MUSIC SCHEDULE

$125, three-day pit pass; $300, three-day all-star experience and VIP parking pass Half-price tickets also are available by using the coupon code “THEADVOCATE” at checkout.

Innes reminded everyone that each driver also must have a parking pass ($30, general admission; $60, VIP).

Look for lots of typical festival

using a propane burner instead of the larger pot-dishes prepared over wood ﬁre by older cooks.

For the main cooking contest, cooks prepare 25 pounds of chicken and 10 pounds of rice for the preliminary round; 37.5 pounds of chicken and 15 pounds of rice in the semifinals; and 50 pounds of chicken and 20 pounds of rice in the finals. And all is cooked over a wooden fire.

The new cooking stalls will be under Barn 6. Gonzales said the larger covered cooking area will mean cooks won’t get wet if a thunderstorm rolls through, a common occurrence during hot May days. That’s something reigning champ Tyler Billingsly is looking forward to

“It will be more comfortable for the cooks, with more space for us to go in and out,” Billingsly said. “Deﬁnitely more convenient.”

Billingsly, who owns Tee Wayne’s Cajun Cooking, learned how to cook jambalaya from mentor the late Tee Wayne Abshire, a former cooking champ. His love of cooking was born as a youth when he’d cook the squirrels and rabbits he hunted with his cousin.

“The rule was we had to eat what we killed, so my dad would help us cook what we shot,” he said.

All cooks are given the same ingredients — yellow onions, garlic, green onions, red pepper Red Hot Sauce, bell peppers, celery salt, black pepper and cooking oil.

It’s all about technique and the taste and texture of the rice.

That’s how it’s been since the beginning when a non-Gonzales na-

food, as well as Louisiana Creole fare.

“It’s just really great when you look out in the crowd and you see everybody just partying and their hands up and they’re dancing,” Innes said.

“It’s just a good feeling.”

Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.

tive wanted to ﬁnd a way to promote the city A committee was formed to get the festival up and running. They got the governor to proclaim Gonzales the “Jambalaya Capital of the World.”

That ﬁrst festival had 13 cooks and this year’s festival has more than 90 cooks signed up, the largest number since the festival returned after a two-year break during the COVID pandemic Another addition this year is multiple food vendors selling Louisiana favorites. In the past, festivalgoers could choose from jambalaya and carnival treats, Gonzales said.

In addition to jambalaya, the festival is known for its band lineup, and Gonzales promises this year’s music includes some of the best around including Saturday night’s performance by Easton Corbin. Musicians will perform on two air-conditioned stages — with the Swamp Pop stage inside the Trade Mart building and other musical genres inside the Rev center

The festival also features carnival rides, an expanded vendor area, car show, pageant, and 5K and 1-mile run.

The World Champion Jambalaya title announcement is expected after 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Organizers are encouraging festivalgoers to enter the festival through Edenborne Parkway For a complete schedule of events, visit www.jambalayafestival.net/copy-of-full-eventschedule.

Email Darlene Denstorff at ddenstorff@theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Actor Johnny Depp and producer Meryl Poster talk between takes on the set of the award-winning film, ‘Chocolat.’

PROVIDED

FRIDAY

FRIDAY NIGHT LECTURE:

7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., BREC’s Highland Road Park Observatory, 13800 Highland Road Skygazing tips, physics phenomena, space programs and famous events are covered. For ages 14 and older. Free. hrpo.lsu.edu. Also, evening sky viewing 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

“CATS”: 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m and 6 p.m. Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Shaver Theatre, LSU Music and Dramatic Arts Building, Dalrymple Drive. A Christian Youth Theatre production. $16-$22. cytbatonrouge.org.

SATURDAY RED STICK FARMERS MAR-

KET: 8 a.m. to noon, Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations breada.org.

FAMILY HOUR STARGAZING:

10 a.m., Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S River Road. Learn about the stars and constellations in the local nighttime sky, followed by an all-ages show. lasm.org.

GREATER BATON ROUGE

MODEL RAILROADERS:

10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Republic of West Florida Historical Museum, 3406 College St., Jackson. Electric trains of all sizes will be running on ﬁve different layouts. Free admission and parking. greaterbrrailroaders.com.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

BASF’S KIDS’ LAB: 11 a.m.,

1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday, Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Explore the science of chemistry during 45-minute hands-on workshops for scientists ages 6-12 and their accompanying adults This month’s theme: “Happy Hands!” lasm.org.

MONDAY

BATON ROUGE CONCERT

BAND MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT: 7 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Featuring a moving selection of music including patriotic songs, stirring marches and somber tributes that reﬂect the signiﬁcance of the day. Free. ebrpl.com.

TUESDAY RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 3 p.m.-6 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org

“LOUISIANA SNAKE ID”: 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m., Beverly Brown Coates Auditorium, LSU Hilltop Arboretum, 11855 Highland Road. Featuring the Hood Family. $10, students and members of Hilltop and/ or LMNGBR; $15, non-members. www.lsu.edu/hilltop FLEX AND FLOW YOGA: 6:30 p.m., Jolie Pearl Oyster Bar, 315 North Blvd. Rotating instructors and a variety of techniques. Free.

TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m., Burgersmith, 18303 Perkins Road. Collect your team and jockey for ﬁrst place. loom. ly/y-CKtQ4.

WEDNESDAY

TEEN SUMMER KICKOFF PARTY: 2:30 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Celebrate the start of the best time of the year with games, crafts, snacks and more. ebrpl.com.

TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m., Burgersmith, 27350 Crossing Circle, Suite 150, Denham Springs. Collect your team and jockey for ﬁrst place. loom.ly/y-CKtQ4

THURSDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MAR-

KET: 8 a.m.-noon, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Road. Farmfresh produce, goods and more. facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket. SUMMER READING KICKOFF PARTY: 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Music, magic, community booths and more. Special performances by Lady Chops at 10 a.m. and noon, and Tim the Magician at 11 a.m. ebrpl.com.

TRIVIA NIGHT: 7 p.m., Jolie Pearl Oyster Bar, 315 North Blvd. Test your trivia skills with your friends and family Free.

ONGOING

ART GUILD OF LOUISIANA: Independence Park Theatre, 7800 Independence Blvd. Upcoming workshops at Studio in the Park, 2490 Silverest Ave., are as follows: Larry Downs — Drawing 3: Putting It All Together, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays, June 5-26; Roberta Loﬂin — Watercolor Basics — Focus on Perspective with City Scenes, 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturdays, June 7-28. (225) 773-8020 or artguildlouisiana.org.

BATON ROUGE GALLERY CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART: 1515 Dalrymple Drive. Group exhibit by Edgar Cano Lopez, Liz Lessner, Brandon Surtain and John Isiah, through May. Free. batonrougegallery.org.

CAPITOL PARK MUSEUM: 660 N. Fourth St. “Billy Cannon: They Called Him Legend,”

through Jan. 10. (225) 3425428 or louisianastatemuseum.org.

ELIZABETHAN GALLERY: 680 Jefferson Highway. Spring group show. Call (225) 9246437 or follow the gallery’s Facebook page. IN DEMAND ART STUDIOS: 5800 One Perkins Place, Suite 5D. “This is Our Garden,” featuring the work of eight Baton Rouge-area women artists.

LOUISIANA ART & SCIENCE

MUSEUM: 100 S. River Road. “Discoveries on the Nile: Exploring King Tut’s Tomb and the Amin Egyptian Collection,” through Oct. 31. (225) 344-5272 or lasm.org.

LSU MUSEUM OF ART: Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. “Golden Legacy: Original Art from 80 Years of Golden Books,” through Sunday. “In Focus: Artwork by LSU Faculty,” through Aug. 3. (225) 389-7200 or lsumoa.org.

LSU TEXTILE & COSTUME

MUSEUM: Human Ecology Building, Tower Drive, LSU campus. “Color Me Fashion,” more than 45 looks with related accessories spanning approximately 100 years of fashion history from c. 1890 to 1990. Exhibit runs through Aug. 15. (225) 578-5992 or email textile@lsu.edu.

MAGNOLIA MOUND MUSEUM + HISTORIC SITE: 2161 Nicholson Drive. Guided and self-guided tours. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. brec. org/facility/MagnoliaMound.

OLD GOVERNOR’S MANSION: 502 North Blvd. Open for tours. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Free admission. oldgovernorsmansion.com.

OLD STATE CAPITOL: 100 North Blvd. “America’s Sacred Freedoms in the First Amendment,” yearlong exhibit. Free admission. louisianaoldstatecapitol.org.

USS KIDD VETERANS MUSEUM: 305 S. River Road. Displays of a variety of artifacts that celebrate veteran and naval military history. Note: Vessel is in Houma for drydock repairs. usskidd.com.

WEST BATON ROUGE MUSEUM: 845 N. Jefferson Ave., Port Allen. “Radbwa ê tire tik-layé: The Art of Jonathan Mayers,” through Oct. 12. (225) 336-2422 or westbatonrougemuseum.org.

Compiled by Judy Bergeron. Have an open-to-the-public event you’d like to promote? Email details to red@theadvocate.com. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday for the following Friday’s paper

FRIDAY

ORIGINAL MUSIC

GATHERING: La Divina Italian Café, 6 p.m.

CORDON BLUEZ BAND: Blue Iguana, 6 p.m.

ERIC BASKIN DUO: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 6 p.m.

MICAH LIPSMEYER: Galvez Seafood, Prairieville, 6 p.m.

BARRETT MORGAN: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

EDDIE SMITH: El Paso, Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

UNITED WE JAM: Pedro’sSiegen, 6:30 p.m.

MATT TORTORICH: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7 p.m.

CAKE MIXX: Bin 77, 7 p.m.

CYNDER ROAD BAND: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

KIRK HOLDER: Pizza Art Wine, 7 p.m.

SOUTHFIELD DUO: Crowne Plaza, 7 p.m.

CAJUN COUNTRY JAM: North Park, Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

HENRY TURNER JR. & ALLSTARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

PHIL CHANDLER: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8 p.m.

CHRIS OCMAND: Spanky’sSherwood, 8 p.m.

LOOSE CHANGE: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 8 p.m.

PRESS 1 FOR ENGLISH: Icehouse Tap Room, 8 p.m.

AFTER 8: The Edge Bar at L’Auberge, 9 p.m.

CORNERPOCKET: Churchill’s, 9 p.m.

DOWNBEAT LOUISIANA: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 9 p.m.

LUCY YOES: Jack’s Place, Port Allen, 9 p.m.

ON TAP: Fred’s on the River, Prairieville, 9 p.m.

THE DUPONT BROTHERS: The Vineyard, 9 p.m.

TITANIUM RAIN: Big Mike’s Sports Bar & Grill, Denham Springs, 9 p.m.

SATURDAY

ANNA CLAIRE & BRADY

GEORGE: Leola’s Café, 11 a.m.

SHANE MADERE TRIO: Fred’s on the River, Prairieville, 2 p.m.

CAJUN COUNTRY JAM: North Park, Denham Springs, 3 p.m.

OPEN JAM SESSION: The Smokey Pit, 4 p.m.

IAN WEBSTER DUO: Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 5:30 p.m.

CORDON BLUEZ BAND: El Paso-Sherwood, 6 p.m.

DERRICK LEMON: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

FLOYD BROWN BAND FEATURING JODY MAYEUX: Pedro’sSiegen, 6:30 p.m.

ROCKIN’ ROUGE: T’Quilas, Zachary, 6:30 p.m.

STONE SOBER: El Paso, Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

FLORIDA STREET BLOWHARDS: Curbside Burgers, 7 p.m.

CAREY HUBBARD: 18 Steak at L’Auberge, 7 p.m.

CHRIS OCMAND: Pizza Art Wine, 7 p.m.

DAMON KING & BO JAMISON: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

PERIQUE: Bin 77, 7 p.m.

THE SPRING CHICKENS: Sullivan Theater, Central, 7 p.m.

ACOUSTIC NIGHT W/HENRY

TURNER JR.: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8 p.m.

BUBBA PLAUCHÉ: Riverbend Terrace II at L’Auberge, 8 p.m.

GROOVE FACTOR: Churchill’s, 9 p.m.

JOEL COOPER ROCK SHOW: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 9 p.m.

MIKE HOGAN: The Vineyard, 9 p.m.

PEYTON FALGOUST: Fred’s on the River, Prairieville, 9 p.m.

RIVER RAIN: Moonlight Inn, French Settlement, 9 p.m.

WEREWOLF: Icehouse Tap Room, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY

JUSTIN BURDETTE TRIO: Superior Grill MidCity, 11 a.m.

ROBERT CALMES: Cocha, 11 a.m.

RACHAEL HALLACK: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 11 a.m.

TAYLOR NAUTA: Leola’s Café, 11 a.m.

BRYCE BROUSSARD: Pizza Art Wine, 11:30 a.m.

CAJUN COUNTRY JAM: North Park, Denham Springs, 3 p.m.

JOEL COOPER & SCOTT

JORDAN: Icehouse Tap Room, 3 p.m.

PBR PLUS: Fred’s on the River, Prairieville, 3 p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: Fat Cat Saloon, Prairieville, 7 p.m.

MONDAY VICTOR, SKIP & CARRIE: Phil Brady’s, 6 p.m.

RHETT GUILLOT: Superior Grill MidCity, 6 p.m.

BATON ROUGE CONCERT BAND: Main Library at Goodwood, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY

BRANDON NICHOLSON: Superior Grill MidCity, 6 p.m.

REVEREND HORTON HEAT WITH NATHAN AND THE ZYDECO CHA CHAS: Mid City Ballroom, 9 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

CHRIS ALLEN & DAKOTA

CIVELLO: Galvez Seafood, Prairieville, 5:30 p.m.

JEFF BAJON PROJECT: BLDG 5, 5:30 p.m.

AMBER RAE DUO: Superior Grill MidCity, 6 p.m.

CAM PYLE: Pizza Art Wine, 6 p.m.

MIKE ESNEAULT: Stab’s Restaurant, 6 p.m.

KIRK HOLDER: Bin 77, 6:30 p.m.

PHIL CHANDLER: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.

SONGWRITERS OPEN MIC W/ HEATH RANSONNET: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 7 p.m.

ANDY PIZZO TRIO: Hayride Scandal, 7:30 p.m.

DIXIE ROSE’S ACOUSTIC

CIRCLE: Teddy’s Juke Joint, Zachary, 8 p.m.

EDDIE SMITH BAND: La Daiquiris, 8 p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: Brickyard South, 8 p.m.

BRIAN RITTENHOUSE: Wicked Daiquiris, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY KYBALION: El Paso-Sherwood, 6 p.m.

WILL WESLEY: Mike Anderson’s, Gonzales, 6 p.m.

OPEN MIC W/AMANDA JO HESS: Istrouma Brewing, St. Gabriel, 6 p.m.

BRIAN RITTENHOUSE: T’Quilas, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

BRYCE BROUSSARD: Top Notch Seafood, Gonzales, 6 p.m.

DON POURCIAU & KONSPIRACY: Pedros-Juban, Denham Springs, 6 p.m.

FATHER RON AND FRIENDS: La Divina Italian Café, 6 p.m.

HANNA PK: Thai Kitchen, 6 p.m.

MATT HOLT: Pedro’s-Siegen, 6 p.m.

RHETT ANTHONY: Superior Grill MidCity, 6 p.m.

ASHTON GILL: Bin 77, 6:30 p.m.

FLOYD BROWN BAND FEATURING JODY MAYEUX: El Paso, Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m. IAN WEBSTER & ANNA WALLACE: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m. THE BISHOP ELLIS TRIO: Hayride Scandal, 7 p.m. THE STARDUST BOYS: The Brakes Bar, 7 p.m. ENUFF: Swamp Chicken Dai-

Reverend Horton Heat, along

Chas, play Mid City Ballroom

GEMINI(May 21-June 20) Reconnect with people from your past. Reviving memories will alsobringback olddreams that may notfeel unattainable anymore.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Refrain from sharing your secrets.Avoiddiscussing the changes youwant to makeuntil you have everything in place. Refuse to let emotionally manipulative people stand betweenyou andyour goals.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Gather information and formulate aplantohelpyou advance. Refuse to let thechoices others make influence you. Put your energy intoachievingsomethingthatpushesyou closer to your goal

VIRGO (Aug.23-Sept.22) Ask questions, attend talks and stay informed. Knowledgeisthefastestwaytogetahead.Staying on top of trends will help you make betterchoices.Don't be afraidtochange your mind.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Putyourenergyto gooduseandtidyupunfinishedbusiness. Fixingupyoursurroundingsandpreparing for something you wanttopursue or an event you wish to host will lift your spirits. Partnerships with unique individuals will offermental stimulation.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Take care of your responsibilities before you move into partymode. Mixing business with pleasurewill encourage better work relationships and helpyou push your agenda forward.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Putsome thought into creative endeavors and maintaining ahealthy lifestyle. Share

your feelings aboutsharedexpensesand responsibilitieswiththerelevantparties. Romance is favored CAPRICORN (Dec.22-Jan.19) It's best to observe, listen and analyzesituations fromadistance. Gather information, consider the possibilities andinitiate changesthatsuit your needs. Refuse to gettrapped in someone else's dream.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Refuse to let the decisions others makeinfluenceyou Concentrate on your earning ability and self-improvement. Keep an open mind, network andtry something new PISCES (Feb.20-March20) Lift barriers andspeak your mind. You cannotmake headwayifyou aren't upfront aboutyour intentions.Talktothepeoplemostaffected by your choices, and you'll receive the input yourequire ARIES(March 21-April 19) Putmoretime and effortinto presenting yourself to others. An honest portrayalofyourself and what you offer will help cut to the chase, making life choices easier and more successful. Love whoyou are.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Set goals and take steps to encourage your peace of mind. When uncertainty prevails, say no. Youneed to easestress and lower debt. Decide whatgivesyou purpose andmeaning, andplanyourroutine and upcoming schedule accordingly.

AndrewsMcMeel Syndication

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms arecreated from quotations by famouspeople, past and present. Each letter in thecipherstands foranother

TODAy'S CLUE:E EQUALS W

CeLebrItY CIpher

SALLYForth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon

bIG

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

BY PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Carey Mulligan,anEnglishactress who madeher Broadway debut in “The Seagull” in 2008, maintained, “I never said Iwanted to be alead actress; Inever saidIwanted to be afilm actress. This need to trump everyone bewilders me I’monly 25. I’m not better than anyone. I justwanttowatchotherpeopleandlearn to be good.”

That is agreat attitude for up-andcomers in anything, including bridge But at timesthere is aneed to trump everyone with atrump card. In this deal, South is in four spades. Westleads the diamond king. Howshould East plan the defense?

If you have adopted two-over-one game-force, North would rebid two spades. Then South, with that unappealing singleton club,would probably jump to four spades. But if he settles forthree spades, North should be happy with four spades. Despite hisgood-looking heart honors, his trumps are poor and he has onlyone ace.

Yes, thisdeal is acomplement of yesterday’s. First, Eastsignals enthusiastically withhis diamond nine. Westcontinues with his queen, thenleads his third diamond. After winning with hisace, what should East do next?

As Ihave been stressing all week, East should check the points. Westhas produced five, the dummy has 14, and East holds six. That leaves 15 points unaccounted for. If West had theheartace, he should have cashed it before playing the third diamond. So the defenders cannot have another side-suit trick. East should lead his last diamond. Here, that promotes a trick forWest’s spade jack.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzleisa word riddle which creates adisguised word,phrase, name, place, saying,

Previous answers:

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters

toDAY’sWoRD

Average