Mayor’s Office orders more patrols in Melrose East after two bodies found in abandoned buildings
BY PATRICK SLOAN TURNER, QUINN COFFMAN and AIDAN MCCAHILL Staff writers
In just over a month, two bodies were found in separate abandoned Baton Rouge apartment buildings
a few hundred feet apart
Authorities say they have no reason to think the homicides are connected.
But the killings underscore the connection between crime and blight, even as a push is underway to change how the city handles abandoned homes and buildings.
Hillar Moore, East Baton Rouge Parish’s district attorney, said abandoned properties “give the space” for crimes to take place undetected.
Moore said the two homicides have caught people’s attention.
“We need to look to see what’s happening in that area and what’s going on with the blighted property,” he said Moore said he’s been in contact with Mayor-President Sid Edwards about the issue, specifically in the Melrose East neighborhood.
Falon Brown, spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office, said “blight and crime go hand-in-hand, and we’re committed to addressing both with urgency.”
The Mayor’s Office said they have directed law enforcement to increase patrols in Melrose East.
The killings come as some local business and political leaders are backing a package of bills in the state Legislature to change how vacant, rundown property is handled by the Metro Council.
ä See BLIGHT, page 7A
LAID TO REST
Steven Richardson, flanked by his wife Robin and brother Jimmy, is presented an American flag by a uniformed service member during the funeral of his father, Gail Woodrow Richardson, at Greenoaks Memorial Park and Funeral Home on Friday. Gail Richardson, a Gozales resident, was the oldest World War II veteran in Louisiana before passing away at the age of 105. He served with the Army in the medical corps, working in a hospital unit overseas before moving to the infantry. Story, Page 1B
Foxworth-Roberts faces commission in misconduct hearing
BY ANDREA GALLO Staff writer
Baton Rouge Judge Tiffany Foxworth-Roberts said Friday that she should not be stripped of her judgeship even as she acknowledged failures in judgment and admitted to some allegations that she embellished her military service as well as other lapses.
Foxworth-Roberts spent Friday fielding questions from Louisiana’s Judiciary Commission, which will recommend what kind of discipline she should face in her misconduct case. The state’s Office of Special Counsel has asked that Foxworth-Roberts be booted off the bench, a rare step that has not been taken against a Louisiana judge in more than a decade. Foxworth-Roberts’ pattern of lies and obfuscation make her
Roberts ä See JUDGE, page 6A
Trump threatens to raise tariffs on EU, smartphones
BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Friday threatened a 50% tax on all imports from the European Union as well a 25% tariff on smartphones unless those products are made in America. The threats, delivered over social media, reflect Trump’s ability to disrupt the global economy with a burst of typing, as well as the reality that his tariffs have yet to produce the trade deals he is seeking or the return of domestic manufacturing he has promised voters.
The Republican president said he wants to charge higher import taxes on goods from the EU, a long-standing U.S. ally, than from China, a geopolitical rival that had its tariffs cut to 30% this month so Washington and Beijing could hold negotiations. Trump was upset by the lack of progress in trade talks with the EU, which has proposed mutually cutting tariffs to zero even as the president has publicly insisted on preserving a baseline 10% tax on most imports.
Speaking later in the Oval Office, Trump stressed that he was not seeking a deal with the EU and might delay the tariffs if more companies invested in the United States.
“Our discussions with them are going nowhere!” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025. There is no Tariff if the product is built or manufactured in the United States.”
“I’m not looking for a deal,” Trump told the reporters. “We’ve set the deal. It’s at 50%.”
The EU’s top trade official, Maros Sefcovic posted on the social media site X that he spoke Friday with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
“The EU’s fully engaged, committed to securing a deal that works for both,” Sefcovic posted.
ä See TARIFFS, page 6A
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
The body of Shaquinnta Scott was found dead on the second floor of this abandoned apartment complex on Monet Drive.
Foxworth-
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
Woman arrested in knife attack in Hamburg
BERLIN A stabbing attack at the busy central train station in the German city of Hamburg left multiple people injured, some of them in life-threatening condition, authorities said. A woman was arrested as the suspect.
The attacker targeted people on the platform between tracks 13 and 14 in the station at around 6 p.m., according to police.
Late Friday evening, Hamburg’s fire service said that 17 people were hurt in total four of them with life-threatening injuries, another six with serious injuries and seven with light injuries, German news agency dpa reported.
Police said a 39-year-old woman, a German national, was arrested at the scene without putting up resistance and that they believe after watching video footage that she acted alone. They secured the knife.
Investigators were looking into whether the suspect may have been mentally ill, police spokesperson Florian Abbenseth said.
FEMA disaster relief approved for 8 states
JACKSON, Miss. — President Donald Trump green-lit disaster relief for eight states on Friday, assistance that some of the communities rocked by natural disasters have been waiting on for months.
The major disaster declaration approvals allow Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas access to financial support through the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Several states requested the aid in response to damage from a massive storm system in midMarch.
“This support will go a long way in helping Mississippi to rebuild and recover. Our entire state is grateful for his approval,” said Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, whose state experienced 18 tornadoes between March 14 and 15.
Mississippi residents in hardhit Walthall County expressed frustration earlier this month over how long they had been waiting for federal help The county’s emergency manager said debris removal operations stalled in early May when the county ran out of money while awaiting federal assistance.
Kardashian’s robbers found guilty in Paris
PARIS — A Paris court on Friday found the ringleader and seven other people guilty in the 2016 armed robbery of Kim Kardashian, but did not impose any additional time behind bars for their roles in what the U.S celebrity described as “the most terrifying experience of my life.”
The chief judge, David De Pas, said that the defendants’ ages — six are in their 60s and 70s — and their health issues weighed on the court’s decision to impose sentences that he said “aren’t very severe.”
He said that the nine years between the robbery and the trial — long even by the standards of France’s famously deliberate legal system — were also taken into account in not imposing harsher sentences. The court acquitted two of the 10 defendants.
Aomar Aït Khedache, 69, the ringleader, got the stiffest sentence, eight years imprisonment but five of those were suspended. Three others got seven years, five of them suspended. Three more got prison sentences ranging from five to three years, mostly or completely suspended, and an eighth person was found guilty on a weapons charge and fined.
With time already served in pretrial detention, none of those found guilty will go to prison and all walked out free. The trial was heard by a three-judge panel and six jurors.
Kardashian’s testimony earlier this month was the trial’s emotional high point. In a packed courtroom, she recounted how she was thrown onto a bed and had a gun pressed to her “I absolutely did think I was going to die,” she said. She said she pleaded: “I have babies. I have to make it home. They can take everything. I just have to make it home.”
Action against Harvard blocked
Trump administration trying to revoke its ability to enroll international students
BY COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press
WASHINGTON A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from cutting off Harvard’s enrollment of foreign students, an action the Ivy League school decried as unconstitutional retaliation for defying the White House’s political demands.
In its lawsuit filed earlier Friday in federal court in Boston, Harvard said the government’s action violates the First Amendment and will have an “immediate and devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.”
“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,” Harvard said in its suit. “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”
The ruling from U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs puts the
sanction against Harvard on hold, pending the lawsuit.
The Trump administration move has thrown campus into disarray days before graduation. Harvard said in the suit. International students who run labs, teach courses, assist professors and participate in Harvard sports are now left deciding whether to transfer or risk losing legal status to stay in the country, according to the filing.
The impact would be heaviest at graduate schools such as the Harvard Kennedy School, where about half the student body comes from abroad, and Harvard Business School, which is about onethird international. The move also would block thousands of students who were planning to come for summer and fall classes.
Harvard said it immediately puts the school at a disadvantage as it competes for the world’s top students. Even if it regains the ability to host students, “future applicants may shy away from applying out
of fear of further reprisals from the government,” the suit said.
If the government’s action stands, Harvard said, the university would be unable to offer admission to new international students for at least the next two academic years.
Schools that have that certification withdrawn by the federal government are ineligible to reapply until one year afterward, Harvard said.
Harvard enrolls almost 6,800 foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Most are graduate students and they come from more than 100 countries.
The Department of Homeland Security announced the action Thursday, accusing Harvard of creating an unsafe campus environment by allowing “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to assault Jewish students on campus. It also accused Harvard of coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party, contending the school had hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as 2024.
Russia, Ukraine swap hundreds of prisoners
BY SAMYA KULLAB and HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press
CHERNIHIV REGION, Ukraine Russia and Ukraine began a major prisoner exchange Friday, swapping hundreds of soldiers and civilians in the first phase of an exchange that was a moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire in the 3-year-old war
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the first phase brought home 390 Ukrainians, including soldiers and civilians, with further releases expected over the weekend that will make it the largest swap of the war Russia’s Defense Ministry said it received the same number from Ukraine “It’s very important to bring everyone home,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram, thanking all who worked to secure their return and pledging to continue diplomatic efforts to make more exchanges possible.
Dozens of relatives of prisoners cheered and chanted “Thank you!” as buses carrying the freed captives arrived at a medical facility in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region.
The men, some with expressionless faces and others unable to contain their emotions, got off the buses wrapped in Ukrainian flags for joyful reunions.
Kyiv and Moscow agreed in Istanbul last week to the exchange of 1,000 pris-
oners from each side in their first direct peace talks since the early weeks of Russia’s 2022 invasion. That meeting lasted only two hours and brought no breakthrough in U.S.-led efforts to stop the fighting.
The swap took place at the border with Belarus in northern Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly
The released Russians were taken to Belarus for medical treatment, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The exchange, which would be the latest of dozens of swaps since the war began and the biggest involving Ukrainian civilians at one time, didn’t herald any halt in fighting.
Russia launched two ballistic missiles at infrastructure targets in the southern Ukrainian port of Odesa, killing two workers and injuring eight others, according to regional Gov Oleh Kiper Moscow’s forces attacked settlements in the Kherson region with artillery, mortars and drones throughout the day, killing three civilians and injuring 10, according to the Kherson Regional Prosecutor’s Office. They also shelled Kostyantynivka with artillery, killing one civilian, said Serhii Horbunov, head of the city’s military administration.
Pentagon lost contact with Army helicopter on flight near D.C. airport
BY TARA COPP Associated Press
WASHINGTON Military air
traffic controllers lost contact with an Army helicopter for about 20 seconds as it neared the Pentagon on the flight that caused two commercial jets to abort their landings May 1 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the Army told The Associated Press on Friday Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman, the head of Army aviation, told the AP in an exclusive interview that the controllers lost contact with the Black Hawk be-
cause a temporary control tower antenna was not set up in a location where it would be able to maintain contact with the helicopter as it flew low and rounded the Pentagon to land. He said the antenna was set up during construction of a new control tower and has now been moved to the roof of the Pentagon. Braman said federal air traffic controllers inside the Washington airport also didn’t have a good fix on the location of the helicopter The Black Hawk was transmitting data that should have given controllers its precise location,
but Braman said FAA officials told him in meetings last week that the data the controllers were getting from multiple feeds and sensors was inconclusive, with some of it deviating by as much as three-quarters of a mile. “It certainly led to confusion of air traffic control of where they were,” Braman said. The FAA declined to comment on whether its controllers could not get a good fix on the Black Hawk’s location due to their own equipment issues, citing the ongoing investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Harvard President Alan Garber earlier this month said the university has made changes to its governance over the past year and a half, including a broad strategy to combat antisemitism, He said Harvard would not budge on its “its core, legally-protected principles” over fears of retaliation. Harvard has said it will respond at a later time to allegations first raised by House Republicans about coordination with the Chinese Communist Party The threat to Harvard’s international enrollment stems from an April 16 request from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who demanded that Harvard provide information about foreign students that might implicate them in violence or protests that could lead to their deportation.
Harvard says it provided “thousands of data points” in response. Noem’s letter Thursday said Harvard failed to satisfy her request, but the school said she failed to provide any further explanation.
Ex-Ga. man charged with wife’s killing in cold case
BY RUSS BYNUM Associated Press
SAVANNAH, Ga. Investigators first believed Doris Worrell was killed in a botched robbery after her husband found her fatally shot at the South Georgia business they ran in 2006. When suspicion later turned toward Worrell’s husband, he fled the U.S. to live in Costa Rica with the couple’s live-in nanny Nearly 19 years later, Jon Worrell was jailed on murder charges Thursday in rural Coffee County, where the sheriff said authorities never gave up on the cold case. They got a big break in April, when investigators traveled to Costa Rica and found the nanny willing to talk after her relationship with Worrell had ended.
Doris Worrell had worked as a teacher and an interior designer before deciding stay at home to raise three children. She and her husband operated a recreation business, Jon’s Sports Park, in the small community of Douglas.
Worrell called police from the business on Sept.
20, 2006, saying he had returned from running errands to find his wife’s body
“Many believed he was a grieving husband and his wife was the victim of a robbery gone wrong,” Jason Seacrist, an agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, told reporters. Theories about Doris Worrell’s killing evolved as investigators gathered more evidence. Seacrist said investigators learned that Worrell had been having an affair with the nanny at the time of his wife’s death.
“Jon was concerned that if he divorced Doris, he would lose his children,” Seacrist said. “And it’s those thoughts that led him to begin recruiting someone to murder his wife.” He said Worrell fled to Costa Rica, where he and the nanny spent years living together while raising the Worrells’ children. Then investigators learned that the relationship had ended and Worrell had returned to the U.S. Worrell was arrested Tuesday in Mayfield, Missouri, north of Kansas City
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EFREM LUKATSKy Family members of Ukrainian prisoners hold photos of service members in captivity during a POW exchange Friday between Russia and Ukraine, in Chernihiv region, Ukraine.
Shooting suspectrailedagainst war in Gaza
BY MICHAEL BIESECKER and JIM MUSTIAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON In the years before he was accused of killing two Israeli Embassy employees, the suspectin the fatal shootings was an active participant in Chicago’sleft-wing protest scene, speakingout against police violence and aproposed Amazon headquarters. Then the war in Gaza ignited his fury into violence.
Elias Rodriguez, 31, was charged Thursday with themurder of foreign officials and other crimes in connection with the deaths of Israeli citizen Yaron Lischinsky and SarahMilgrim, an American, as they left an event at aJewish museum. The couple had plans to become engaged.
He told police after his arrest, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” according to court filings.
Rodriguez lived in amodest 850-square-foot apartment on Chicago’snorth side andworkedasanadministrativeassistant at amedical trade group. He had no apparent criminal record. In his activism, he protested police violence against minorities and the power of corporations.His online posts had recently become fixated on the war in Gaza, calling for retaliation against Israel.
“Wereject any attemptto associate the PSL with the DC shooting,” the group said in astatement. “Weknow of no contact with (Rodriguez) in over 7years. We have nothing to do with this shooting and do not support it.”
As recently as this week, the group’s Xfeed posted pro-Palestinianstatements calling for an end to the war in Gaza and characterizing Israel’sattacks on Palestinians as genocide.
Family members of Rodriguezand his defense attorney,Elizabeth Mullin, did not return messages seeking comment.
The FBIdid not respond to questions about whether he was on the bureau’sradar before theshooting.
years on theIsraelibombing campaign andground invasion in Gaza, which hasresulted in the deaths of more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’sHealth Ministry,whichdoesnot differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count.
An account on Xthat used avariation of ascreen name Rodriguezhad used on other sites, along with his given name and photo, frequently featured pro-Palestinian posts, including avideo fromanOctober 2023 protestindowntownChicago against U.S. aid to Israel.
the shooting in Washington on Thursdaynight, the X account posted, “Escalate ForGaza, BringThe War Home,” along with screen grabs of anearly 1,000word essay signed with Rodriguez’sname. It wasnot immediatelyclear whether Rodriguez, who wasinpolice custody at the time, had used afeature on Xtoschedule the release of the post in advanceorifanotherperson might have hadaccesstothe account.
In thewindow of his apartment hunga photo of Wadee Alfayoumi, a6-year-old Muslim boy killed in astabbing in Chicago shortly after thestart of thewar,which wassparked by theOct.7, 2023, attack bythe Palestinian militantgroup Hamas that resulted in the deaths of some 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians,and the abductions of 251 others.
Aneighbor told reporters that Rodriguez and awoman who lived with himappeared to be “very sensitivepeople, especially aboutthe issue of Palestine.”
Suspectprotested in Ill.
An October 2017article
in Liberation, the online newspaper for theParty for Socialism andLiberation, quoted Rodriguez as amember of the group participatinginaprotestoutside the Chicagohome of thenMayorRahmEmanuel over the police shootingofBlack teenager Laquan McDonald and the city’sbid to be the sitefor anew Amazon headquarters.
The organization denied Thursday that Rodriguez was an active member, though it acknowledged a“briefassociation” in the past. Thegroup also scrubbed the2017 article identifying Rodriguez as a member from its website.
Joel cancelsall upcoming concerts,including in N.O.
BY KEITHSPERA Staff writer
Billy Joel has called off all upcoming concerts, including his Oct. 18 show with Stevie Nicks at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
The Piano Manissuffering from abrain disorder called normal pressurehydrocephalus, or N.P.H.
“This condition has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision, and balance,” said a stateme nt posted Friday to Joel’s social media accounts.
“Under his doctor’s instructions, Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has beenadvised to refrain from performing during this recovery period.
Billy is thankful for the excellent care he is receiving and is fully committedto prioritizing his health.”
Joel, the statement said, “looks forward to the day when he can once again take the stage.”
Ticketmaster will automatically issue refundsfor the New Orleans show Joel fell onstagewhile performing in Connecticut in February.Hesubsequently
postponed his scheduled shows through June to deal with a“medicalcondition.”
Now he hascanceled every date on his calendar
The effectsofN.P.H., which involves abuildup of excess cerebrospinal fluid in the brain’sventricles, can include problems with talking, bladder control and memory loss andother cognitive impairment. The symptoms are sometimes reversible with surgery and therapy Joel, whois76, is allowing himself alongrecoveryperiod. In total, he has called off 17 stadium showsthrough early2026. At each, he wouldhaveperformedwith Nicks, StingorRod Stewart.
Fromhis 1971debut album, “Cold Spring Harbor,” through 1993’s“River of Dreams,” Joel churned out perfectly crafted,melodicallyunassailable singles that soundedgreat on the radio.
He’sonly released one new pop song in the past 30 years —2024’s“Turn the Lights Back On” —but fans still turn out in droves to hear him and his band playthe old hits and cover songs.
He stepped away from performing for threeyears in the early 2010s, but has consistently filled arenas and stadiums againfor the past decade.From January 2014 through July 2024,
he sustained asold-out, once-a-month residency at New York’siconic Madison Square Garden. Throughout his career,he’sheadlined the venue atotal of 150 times. In recent years, he’sperfected amodel of co-headlining stadiumswith aclassic rock peer Joel last performed in New Orleans on Feb. 10, 2017, at the Smoothie King Center.Because hisstage was open on all sides, tickets were sold around the arena’s entire circumference. The 16,000-plus in attendance that night was one of the largest concert crowds in theSmoothie King Center’s history
Beforethat, he delivered a well-received set at the2013 New Orleans Jazz& Heritage Festival. That lovely afternoon made up for his notorious 2008 Jazz Fest performance in the midst of amonsoon.
Joel would later describe that2008 gig at the Fair Grounds as the worstweather he’dever performed in.
TheSuperdome wasslated to host two concerts in three days in October.With the loss of Joel and Nicks on Oct. 18, theDome is left with just one concert that week: contemporaryR&B singer Chris Brown on Oct. 16.
Email KeithSpera at kspera@theadvocate.com.
Online focusonGaza
Social media accounts tied to Rodriguezsuggest he had becomeincreasingly focused over the last two
Last October,the account also reposted two videos of speeches by Hassan Nasrallah, aLebanese cleric and aformer leader of Islamic militant group Hezbollah. Nasrallah hadbeen killed twoweeks earlier in an Israeli airstrike.
Less than an hour after
In thepiece, Rodriguez railed against the mounting death toll in Gaza, saying Israel “had obliterated the capacity to even continue counting the dead, whichhas servedits genocide well.” He sought to justify what he called“the morality of armed demonstration.”
“The atrocities committed by Israelis against Palestine defy descriptionand defy quantification,” he wrote.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By JOSE LUIS MAGANA People gathertolight candles in amakeshift memorial outside of the White House in Washington on Thursday to honor yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, whowere killed as theyleft an event at the CapitalJewish Museum in Washington.
“EU-US trade is unmatched & must be guided by mutual respect, not threats. We stand ready to defend our interests.”
Trump’s tariffs against Europe had been preceded by a threat of import taxes against Apple for its plans to continue making its iPhone in Asia. Apple now joins Amazon, Walmart and other major U.S. companies in the White House’s crosshairs as they try to respond to the uncertainty and inflationary pressures unleashed by his tariffs.
“I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone’s that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,” Trump wrote. “If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.”
JUDGE
Continued from page 1A
unfit to keep serving, the special counsel argued. The Louisiana Supreme Court will ultimately decide on how to impose discipline.
Foxworth-Roberts called herself a veteran of three wars in campaign materials in 2020, saying she served in Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan. She also previously testified in a sworn statement that she attained the rank of captain.
But Foxworth-Roberts never was promoted to captain, and she was 16 years old during Desert Storm She served stateside during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but she never served in combat, despite campaign ads showing her in military gear while she said, “I am no stranger to being on the front lines during the call of duty.”
John Fitzmorris Jr., an attorney and Judiciary Commission member pressed Foxworth-Roberts on whether she understood the concept of stolen valor and whether she agreed that her campaign statements amounted to it. Foxworth-Roberts agreed.
And 3rd Judicial District Judge Bruce Hampton, the commission’s
Trump later clarified his post to say that all smartphones made abroad would be taxed and the tariffs could be coming as soon as the end of June.
“It would be also Samsung and anybody that makes that product,” Trump said “Otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair.”
The statements by Trump are critical in that he suggests the company itself would bear the price of tariffs, contradicting his earlier claims as he rolled out a series of aggressive tariffs over the past several months that foreign countries would shoulder the cost of the import taxes. In general, importers pay the tariffs and the costs are sometimes passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices.
In response to Trump’s tariffs on China, Apple CEO Tim Cook said earlier this month that most iPhones sold in the U.S during the current fiscal quarter would come from India, with iPads and other devices being imported from Vietnam After Trump rolled out
chair, asked if Foxworth-Roberts agreed that her campaign ads gave the impression that she was a combat veteran. She said she could understand why they’d be perceived that way
“How can anyone expect you to be fair if you won your office unfairly?” he asked
Foxworth-Roberts said she’s been fair from the bench and had no complaints from litigants in her courtroom. She also said she’s started working with a mentor judge and pledged to improve herself in the future.
“I could have done better and I have the ability to do better,” Foxworth-Roberts told commission members. “This is not the sum total of who I am.”
And an attorney for FoxworthRoberts, Clare Roubion, acknowledged that the judge made missteps, but said she has not mistreated litigants or manipulated judicial proceedings to help her friends.
“Failures in judgment, not failures in character,” Roubion said.
But other Judiciary Commission members questioned how the public would react to appearing before a judge with Foxworth-Roberts’ past.
“As a citizen, I would be appalled by some of this information, knowing that I have to go before a judge
tariffs in April, bank analysts estimated that a $1,200 iPhone would if made in America jump in price anywhere from $1,500 to $3,500.
Stocks sold off after Trump’s postings, with the S&P 500 index down roughly 0.67%. The markets have developed a hair-trigger sensitivity to the U.S. president’s statements, often slumping when he announces high tariffs and rallying when he retreats from those threats.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent provided some clarity on Trump’s postings in a Friday interview on the Fox News show “America’s Newsroom.”
Bessent said the EU has a “collective action problem” because its 27 member states are being represented by “this one group in Brussels,” such that the “underlying countries don’t even know what the EU is negotiating on their behalf.”
The Treasury secretary said he was not in a White House meeting this week that Cook attended, but he also spoke with the Apple CEO
who has engaged in some of this,” said Lloyd Clark, a citizen member of the commission.
Still, Foxworth-Roberts defended some of her past statements.
Though she did not deploy during Desert Storm, she said she is still considered a Gulf War veteran because she played a supporting role by treating Gulf War veterans in the early 1990s at the Walter Reed Medical Center
She said she never went before the promotions board, despite her military paperwork saying she was honorably discharged after being twice non-selected for the rank of captain. She also indicated that she had not received full discharge paperwork from the military
“The reason you were discharged from the military is that you were passed over twice for captain?” Fitzmorris asked.
Foxworth-Roberts agreed.
And while the OSC said Foxworth-Roberts repeatedly rebuffed their attempts to receive her military records, delaying their investigation into her, she said she had reservations about handing them over because she was sexually assaulted in the military
Foxworth-Roberts also defended herself over insurance claims that she submitted about being bur-
this week. Bessent said the goal was to have Apple bring more of its computer chip supply chain into the U.S. The core of Trump’s argument against the EU is that America runs a “totally unacceptable” trade deficit with the 27 member states. Countries run trade deficits when they import more goods than they export.
From the vantage point of the EU’s executive commission, trade with the U.S. is roughly in balance if both goods and services are included. As a global center for finance and technology, the U.S. runs a trade surplus in services with Europe. That offsets some of the trade gap in goods and puts the imbalance at $54 billion.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the EU’s executive commission has his country’s full support in working to “preserve our access to the American market.”
“I think such tariffs help no one, but would just lead to economic development in both markets suf-
glarized in 2020 while on the campaign trail.
The special counsel said Foxworth-Roberts misled the police about the burglary, which she told them happened in her driveway, though she reported to her insurer that it happened while she was campaigning in Baton Rouge’s Sherwood Forest neighborhood.
She said $40,000 worth of jewelry and other goods she left in her car’s center console had been taken. And she moved her car back to her home before calling police, she said.
Attorney John Sinquefield asked why she’d leave such valuable jewelry in her car and then not immediately report it being stolen to police.
Sinquefield is one of several new Judiciary Commission appointees since voters agreed late last year to change the commission’s makeup, as all members used to be appointed by judges. Gov Jeff Landry appointed Sinquefield, while the Legislature now has appointments as well.
“That’s what I wear on a daily basis,” Foxworth-Roberts said, adding that she did not think it was appropriate to wear the jewelry while campaigning there. The OSC compared Foxworth-
fering,” Wadephul said in Berlin.
“So we are still counting on negotiations, and support the European Commission in defending Europe and the European market while at the same time working on persuasion in America.”
Trump aides have said the goal of his tariffs was to isolate China and strike new agreements with allies, but the president’s tariff threats undermine the logic of those claims. Not only could the EU face higher tariffs than China, but the bloc of member states might have been better off by establishing a broad front with China and other countries against Trump’s trade policy, said German economist Marcel Fratscher
“The strategy of the EU Commission and Germany in the trade conflict with Trump is a total failure,” Fratscher, the head of the German Institute for Economic Research, said on X. “This was a failure you could see coming — Trump sees Europe’s wavering, hesitation and concessions as the weaknesses that they are.”
Roberts to another judge who the Supreme Court kicked off the bench in 2003, C. Hunter King in Orleans Parish. The court held in that case that “honesty is a minimum qualification expected of every judge.”
King was accused of forcing former staff members to sell fundraiser tickets to wipe out campaign debt. He pleaded guilty in 2007 to conspiracy to commit payroll fraud in a plea deal that later allowed him to expunge the conviction.
The last time the Louisiana Supreme Court kicked a judge off the bench was in 2009. Former Jefferson Parish Judge Joan Benge was removed over her role in an FBI corruption investigation into the courthouse called “Wrinkled Robe,” though Benge was not charged criminally She has since disputed the high court’s decision to remove her Foxworth-Roberts said she believed voters did not elect her by mistake, and that she had committed her life to service. The OSC agreed that voters did not elect her by mistake, but argued voters selected her based on lies. “Her misrepresentation worked,” said Michelle Beaty, the special counsel.
On April 21, Shaquinnta Scott, a 34-year-old mother of four, was found dead by maintenance workers on the second floor of an abandoned apartment complex at 763 Monet Drive.
Her mother last saw her at a family gathering on March 30. Scott posted to her Instagram on April 4, a video of herself playing a guitar
On May 19 the body of Timothy Jarrell, 53, was found in another abandoned apartment complex, at 854 N. Donmoor Ave.
The buildings sit about 300 feet apart, with Harry Drive between them, each with doorways and windows boarded up.
Parish records list Baton Rouge Multi-Family Holdings LLC as the owner of the properties. Both have been adjudicated by the Sheriff’s Office for unpaid 2022 property taxes.
Police estimate Scott was dead for weeks before being found. The Coroner’s Office hasn’t ruled yet on a cause of death.
Jarrell’s death also is being treated as a homicide by Baton Rouge police. The Coroner’s Office noted multiple trauma injuries No arrests have been made.
The properties
In total, ten properties in Melrose East are — or were previously — owned by Baton Rouge Multi-Family Holdings LLC, including the two where the bodies were found.
All are in the same stretch near Monet Drive and Donmoor Avenue.
Business filings list Isaac Perlmutter as the company’s officer, and the business is registered in Union City, Georgia, and Delaware.
Shantae Johnson worked out of the 763 Monet building as a property manager for Baton Rouge MultiFamily Holdings from 2022 to 2024. Johnson said Perlmutter
purchased the buildings together in 2022 with the intention to renovate them. Almost all were already abandoned, and many were never made livable, she said. Johnson said she routinely checked the buildings she managed for vagrants, and saw Scott several times.
In the past four years, officers have responded to at least 16 incidents at 854 N. Doonmoor in which a homicide, assault, battery, theft or burglary were reported, according to BRPD data. Officers have responded to at least 17 incidents in the same category at 763 Monet Drive over that time.
Baton Rouge-based developer Brian Brousseau, who owns many rental units in Melrose East, says he had been interested in buying the properties that Baton Rouge Multi-Family Holdings LLC eventually purchased Brousseau and two other developers with properties in Melrose East, Carlos Kerrick and Tom Demars, said they’ve seen a pattern of outof-state developers buying empty properties in the area and failing to remodel them.
“We’ve seen the same merry-go-round going on
for years and years, this is just the biggest one,” Brousseau said.
Five of the properties owned by Baton Rouge Multi-Family Holdings, including 854 N. Donmoor and 763 Monet, were seized by the Sheriff’s Office and put into adjudication for unpaid 2022 taxes.
Perlmutter, reached briefly by phone for comment about the properties, said “these belong to a bank.”
On April 10, about six weeks before Jarrell’s body was found, a state district judge ordered Baton Rouge Multi-Family Holdings LLC to turn over control of the 854 N. Donmoor, 763 Monet and four other properties to the owner’s mortgage lender
The court ordered the owner to pay the lender more than $14.5 million in unpaid mortgage balances and other fees.
While the bank is in control of the currently abandoned property at 854 N. Donmoor Ave., where Jarrell was found, it is still owned by the company, city-parish officials said Wednesday Records show city-parish officials recommended the building for condemnation
last year A public hearing on the matter was set before the Metro Council last August, but it was deleted from the meeting’s agenda and was never held.
The mayor’s office said it was removed due to a sheriff’s sale.
The Donmoor property was the second owned by Baton Rouge Multi-Family Holdings LLC to avoid a scheduled condemnation hearing last year
At a Metro Council meeting in February 2024, a hearing on an apartment building at 6748 Rembrandt Ave. was deleted from the agenda by the council.
Metro Council agendas note the district and corresponding council member for each listed condemnation. Metro Councilman Cleve Dunn Jr — who represents District 6, where the properties are did not respond to requests for comment.
Changes sought
Since 2016, East Baton Rouge has logged 64,000 blight-related service calls. Last year about half of the 354 properties recommended for condemnation last year were approved, with
each deferral requiring a new inspection.
During this spring’s legislative session, three bills to alter how the city addresses such properties were introduced, though one has already been shelved and another’s fate remains uncertain.
Senate Bill 236, sponsored by Rick Edmonds, would let an administrative “blight court” handle condemnations instead of the Metro Council. The Mayor’s Office and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber say the shift in authority would reduce political interference that contributes to the backlog, while still allowing property owners due process and appeals.
But some Metro Council members argue it would simply transfer decisionmaking to the Mayor’s Office.
“It still allows the can to be kicked down the road if the wrong person is sitting in that seat,” he said.” said District 5 Council member Daryl Hurst.
The bill passed the Senate 29-8 and heads to the House next week.
Meanwhile, House Bill 247 would have let the city to expropriate condemned
land that is tax delinquent and return it to commerce, mirroring a process used by New Orleans. But it was narrowly defeated over concerns about eroding due process rights, with several lawmakers arguing it would target poorer landowners.
“You have several council members that have some problems with your bill,” said Rep. Edmond Jordan. “What this does is set up a process where your private property can be taken for any reason.”
The chamber, which authored the bills, has indicated it will propose amendments to HB247 before it is possibly reintroduced to the House floor
A nearly identical bill granting the same expropriation powers to Baton Rouge’s redevelopment authority was withdrawn.
Dario Scalco, director of public policy for the chamber notes that thousands of buildings across the city remain abandoned as the Legislature considers the fate of the remaining two bills.
“If one or two of them pass, it opens up the door to progress,” Scalco said. “If none of them pass, Baton Rouge will not be more safe than it is today.”
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 Plank Road,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.
Saturday shouldremainmostlydry,and most neighborhoodswill have lows in thelow 70s and highsinthe low90s.The numbers will be 1-2degrees higher on Sunday as moisture and humidityramp up even more.Thiscouldalsoleadtoisolatedafternoon showersor thunderstorms,especiallylateinthe day. With acontinuedramp-up
BY MATTHEW DALY and JENNIFERMcDERMOTT Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump signed executive orders Friday intended to quadruple domestic production of nuclear power within the next 25 years, a goal experts say the United States is highly unlikelyto reach.
To speed up the development of nuclear power,the orders grantthe U.S. energy secretary authority to approve some advanced reactor designs and projects, takingauthority away from the independent safety agency that has regulated the U.S. nuclear industry for five decades.
The order comes as demand for electricity surges amid aboom in energy-hungry data centers and artificial intelligence. Tech companies, venture capitalists, states and others are competing for electricity and straining the nation’selectric grid.
“We’vegot enough electricity to win the AI arms race with China,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said. “What we do in the next five years related to electricity is going to determine the next 50” years in the industry Still, it’sunlikely the U.S. could quadruple itsnuclear production in the time frame the White House specified. The United States lacks any next-generation reactors operating commercially and only two new large reactors have been built from scratch in nearly 50 years. Those reactors, at anuclear plant in Georgia, were completed years late and at least $17 billion over budget.
The nation’s94nuclear reactors supply about 19% of U.S. electricity,compared to about 60% for fossil fuels and 21% for renewables, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Trumpisenthusiastic
At the Oval Office signing, Trump, surrounded by indus-
Trumpsigns executiveorders to boostnuclear powerinU.S.
VUCCI
ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By EVAN
President DonaldTrump and Defense SecretaryPete Hegsethlisten as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum,center speaksFriday in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.
try executives,called nuclear a“hot industry,”adding, “It’s timefor nuclear,and we’re goingtodoitvery big.” Burgum and other speakers said theindustryhas stagnated and has been choked by overregulation.
“Mark this day on your calendar.Thisis going to turn the clock back on over 50 years of overregulation of an industry,” saidBurgum, who chairs Trump’snewly formed Energy Dominance Council
Theorderswouldreorganize theindependentNuclear Regulatory Commission to ensure quicker reviews of nuclear projects, including an 18-month deadline for theNRC to act on industry applications. The measures also create apilotprogram intended to place three new experimental reactorsonline by July 4, 2026 —13months from now —and invoke the Defense Production Act to allow emergency measures to ensure the U.S. has enough uranium and other reactor fuel for amodernized nuclear energy sector. The ordersalso callfor the Energyand Defense departments to assessthe feasibility of restarting closed nuclear power plants and explore sitingreactors on federal lands and military bases.
Nuclear reactors generate
electricity without emitting greenhousegases. Trump said reactorsare safe and clean, but did not mention climate benefits. Safety advocates warn that nuclear technology still comes with significant risks that other low-carbon energy sources don’t, including the danger of accidents or targeted attacks, andthe unresolved question of how to storetens of thousands of tons of hazardous nuclear waste.
Criticshavetrepidations
Critics say the White House moves could compromisesafety and violate legalframeworks such as theAtomic Energy Act. Gregory Jaczko, who led theNRC under President Barack Obama, said Trump’s executive orderslook like someone asked an AI chatbot, “How do we makethe nuclearindustry worse in this country?”
He called the orders a “guillotine to the nation’s nuclear safety system” that will make thecountry less safe,the industry less reliable andthe climate crisis moresevere.
The NRC is currently reviewing applicationsfrom companies and autility that want to buildsmall nuclear reactorstobegin providing power in theearly 2030s.
Ozone
Legacy of La.’s oldest WWII veteran honored
BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer
On Friday afternoon in Baton Rouge, an Honor Guard performed a three-volley salute by firing three rounds of blanks and a military bugle call was played to signal the death of the oldest living World War II veteran in Louisiana.
Gail Woodrow Richardson died May 19 at 105 years old. The
Gonzales resident was born in St. Amant. He served with the Army in the medical corps, working in a hospital unit overseas before moving to the infantry
G. Richardson
Nearly 100 people, including family members, local law enforcement and Louisiana veter-
POLLEN POWER
A honeybee harvests pollen from a bright lantana bloom in Baton Rouge on Tuesday
Baton Rouge police arrest man on attempted murder count
A man has been booked on counts of attempted first-degree murder and assault by drive-by shooting after he allegedly fired into another car from his own and injured the driver, Baton Rouge police said. The incident happened Thursday in the 9988 block of Florida Boulevard Police said that, after a verbal altercation, Stefan Scott, 21, left his vehicle with a long gun and threatened another driver and his passenger
As the two victims drove away, Scott returned to his vehicle and pursued them, police said. He then allegedly drove beside the victims’ vehicle and discharged
a single shot into the passenger side, critically striking the driver Scott fled west on Florida Boulevard, where he crashed with two vehicles.
Officers already in the area rapidly responded to the situation and arrested Scott after collecting witness statements from the area during the incident. The man who was shot was transported to a hospital in critical condition. The passenger, a woman, was not injured during the incident In addition to the above counts, Scott was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on illegal use of weapons, police said.
BR woman arrested in fentanyl overdose
A Baton Rouge woman has been arrested on a count of second-degree murder after allegedly supplying fentanyl that lead to the overdose death of another woman. Mackenzie Corkern, 28, was arrested on a count of second-degree murder for her role in the overdose, according to the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office. On Jan. 21, deputies with the Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported overdose at a residence on River Landing Drive in Prairieville. On arrival, they located a woman who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The opioids the woman took were later identified as fentanyl, and Corkern was identified as the person who supplied the drugs.
On Wednesday, sheriff’s detectives arrested Corkern in Baton Rouge, with assistance from the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division. She was then booked into the Ascension Parish Jail. Man wanted in death of Baton Rouge woman
A suspect in a Baton Rouge homicide who was arrested in Cincinnati has been extradited back to Louisiana and booked into the
ans, gathered at Greenoaks Funeral Home and Memorial Park in Baton Rouge to celebrate the man known for serving the country and his family Gail Richardson was not only known for
Judge: Inmates must be protected from heat
Angola officials must issue alerts when heat index exceeds 88 degrees
BY ANDREA GALLO Staff writer
A federal judge ruled Friday that officials at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola must again take special precautions to protect inmates who work in the
fields during high temperatures, rebuking a new state policy that raised the temperature necessary for inmates to receive such measures.
U.S. District Court Judge Brian Jackson of the Middle District of Louisiana issued a temporary restraining order Friday that requires prison officials to issue a “heat alert” when the heat index at the prison exceeds 88 degrees. The order also requires prison staff to monitor the heat index every 30 minutes for the farm line at Angola, in which inmates perform grueling manual labor in the prison’s sprawling fields.
The ruling followed an order Jackson issued last July, which directed Angola officials to do more to protect inmates from extreme heat. He had ordered them to address problems on the farm line, where workers lacked shade, sunscreen and relief from the heat. During heat alerts, prison staff were supposed to provide the workers with more frequent water, ice and breaks. But three months after the order last year the state raise the threshold necessary to trigger a heat alert — from 88 degrees to 91 degrees.
“Incredibly, although the Court found that Defendants’ proposed remedies to address the threat to human health and safety on the Farm Line ‘border(ed) on bad faith,’ Defendants nonetheless chose to raise the Heat Alert threshold,” wrote Jackson, who was appointed to the bench by former President Barack Obama.
Voice of the Experienced, a nonprofit that represents people who were formerly incarcerated, asked the courts to toss out the state’s new policy raising the heat threshold. Jackson held a hearing on the issue last month.
“This ruling affirms a basic truth: The men we represent are human beings who deserve dignity, safety and protection from extreme heat,” said Samantha Pourciau, an attorney at the Promise of Justice Initiative, who is also involved in the case.
“This second temporary restraining order is a necessary next step to protect the constitutional rights and basic human dignity of our clients.”
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
members fold an American flag before presenting it to Gail Woodrow Richardson’s surviving sons at Greenoaks Memorial Park and Funeral Home on Friday. Richardson was the oldest World War II veteran in Louisiana before his
A22-year-old prisoner whoescaped from the Tangipahoa Parish Jail twice in oneyearwas recaptured Friday night, the Sheriff’s Office said. Few details were made available in an email sent out just before 9 p.m.. The Sheriff’sOffice thanked Louisiana State Police for its assistance with the search and arrest.
Aphoto provided by the Sheriff’s Office showed Tra’Von Johnson being taken into custody on Bennett Road in Amite.
Four jail workers have been placed on administrativeleave
HEAT
Continued from page1B
The Louisiana Department of Public Safetyand Corrections will comply with the order,said Tiffany Dickerson, aspokesperson forSecretary Gary Westcott. She said they could not comment further because of ongoing litigation.
The department had argued in legal filings that the plaintiffs were trying to hold them to higher standards than agricultural workers around the country,and that the farm line serves alegitimate purpose by harvesting fruits andvegetables to feed the prison population.
Attorneys forthe state saidthey increased the threshold for heat alerts to 91 degrees basedonadvice from Dr.Carl Keldie, aphysician and health care consultants for prisons who they retained as an expert witness.
Jackson, however,wrote in his order that Keldie was “wholly uncredible”and that he had no expertise in heat-relatedmedical care. The judge instead leaned on testimony from an expert witness for the plaintiffs, Dr.Susi Vassallo, a physicianand expert on thermoregulation. Vassallo testified that the risk of heat stroke and other heatrelated disorders rises substantially at aheat index of 88 degrees.
BLOTTER
Continued from page1B
related to Johnson’sjailbreak. Johnson, who was awaiting trial for his alleged role in a2022 home invasion in the Hammond area that killedaman and injured theman’s child, “took advantage of avulnerable moment”atthe jailinAmite, Sheriff Gerald Stickersaid. The escape in Tangipahoa comes around aweek after 10 prisoners fledthe jailinNew Orleans in abrazen but unrelated jailbreak that has dominated news coverage.A small armyofsearchersfrom multiple agencies continues to rundown clues to find five escapees still on the run as of Friday afternoon. Several people have been arrested in connection with the New Orleans jailbreak, accused of either helping in the jailbreak or aiding theescapees In Tangipahoa,Stickersaid work-
ers were dispatched to clean up water in aflooded cell around 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. After the cleanup, possibly due to amiscommunication, Stickersaid, thebackdoortothe jail that leads into the yard was opened for around aminute and during that time Johnsonand another man incarcerated at thejail, Trevon Wallace, were able to slip out
Once outside, Wallace gave Johnsonaboost to help himoverthe fence, Stickersaid. They appeared to lay down atowel or blanket acrossthe razorwireonthe outer fence, he said. Wallace, whether because he could notget over the fence without help or because he was just there to help Johnson, then returnedtothe jail, Sticker said. Once inside, adeputy encounteredhim and escorted
An honor guard firesblanks during athree-volleysalute during the funeral ofGail WoodrowRichardson at Greenoaks Memorial Park andFuneral HomeonFriday.
LEGACY
Continued from page 1B
than 80 years. He is survived by histwo sons,13 grandchildren, 34greatgrandchildrenand eight great-great-grandchildren. His two sons, Jimmie Gail and Stephen Richardson, remember their father as someone who could be stern but also jovial. They also describedhim as someone wholoved to make jokes. They said he disliked talking abouthis time in the Army
“One of the kindestmen I’ve ever been around,” Stephen Richardson said. “He likedtojoke untilitwas turned aroundonhim.”
Gailadded that if someonedidn’tknow hisfather personally,they would think he wasdeadserious when he
was joking around.
But both said he was ready to go at 105 years old. Gail said he is wherehewould want to be: “lying beside my mother.”
“The worldjust lost a beautifuland very exceptional man,” the brothers said.
The Patriot Guard Riders of Louisiana presentedhis family with an angelcoin during apresentation at the funeral.
“He served us alltokeep America free,” saidRoland Sanchez, captainofthe Patriot Guard Riders of Louisiana.
Robin Richardson, Gail Richardson’sdaughter-inlaw,said thegrandchildren hadasked whatwas Gail Richardson’sfavorite color She told them she thought it was red, white and blue, the colors worn by most of the
him backtohis cell, Sticker said. At that point, he said, staffshould have conducted ahead count, but did not.
Instead, it would be around six hours before jailers realized Johnson was missing. When they conducted ahead countaround 6p.m., they counted everyone as present, even though after reviewing video evidence, Stickersaid, that wasnot thecase.
“They didnot do aproper count,”
Sticker said. It was notuntil aperson anonymously called around 10 p.m. to ask whether Johnson was still in custodythat they realized he was gone,Sticker said.
Sticker said Wallace has been charged with simple escape and principal to simple escape. Johnson was oneoffour people who escaped from thejailinMay
2024 before Sticker becamesheriff, according to Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Ashley Rodrigue. After that escape, Johnson was found within 24 hours, Rodrigue said, while one of the four was not found until November
The Sheriff’s Officeand other agencies were out until 3a.m.Friday morning, Sticker said, responding to acall about an individual who matched Johnson’sdescription, though they did not find the individual. He said they have also received multiple calls and tips on Friday
Sticker apologized forthe escape.
“I’m sheriff of this parish, Iown this,” he said, adding that during his 10 months as sheriff, he has sought to stop staffattrition, improve leadership and address deficiencies at the jail.
funeral attendees on Friday
“He hung his flag every day at hishouse. That was part of his routine,” she said.
“He was always very disappointed when it was arainy day.”
She said his favorite quote was:“Idon’tknow what tomorrow holds, but Iknow who holds tomorrow.” Comparatively, shesaid, hisworst curse wordwas “dangnabit.”
Gail Richardson’sage and time in the military even caught the eye of thosewho didn’tknow him.
Nancy Watson, of Baton Rouge,did not know Richardson, but heard abouthis funeralinthe news andat-
tended the service. Her father and brother both served in the military
“I didn’tknow asoul here,” Watson said. “A nice thing to do since it’sMemorial Day weekend.”
GailRichardson loved to travel and go camping. His favoritespottocamp was Clear Springs in Mississippi, according to his family Afterthe Army,Richardson spent time working in his carpentry shop and was involved in the church.
He was adeacon at Brooktown Baptist Church in Baton Rouge and then attended First Baptist Church of Gonzales.
casket at Greenoaks Memorial Park and Funeral Home on Friday
Pastor Jarrod Lamberth, of First Baptist Church of Gonzales, led aprayer at the funeral service and spoke about how Gail Richardson wasone of the senior men in the church who made ahuge impact on him over the past fewdecades. From the beginning when Lamberth joined the church as ayoung student, Gail Richardsonmadehim feel welcome andathomeinthe church, he said. “I was16, he was 16 at heart,” Lamberth said. Email Claire Grunewald at claire.grunewald@ theadvocate.com.
working life,through employer-provided benefits.When those benefits endwithretirement, paying dental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock,leading people to put off or even go without care
East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, police said. Richard Stinson, 68, was booked Thursday on counts of first-degree murder and home invasion in the April death of Rose Davillier,68. He was arrested by U.S. marshals on April 25. Davillier was found unresponsive and battered on April 14 in the 4100 block of White Sands Drive. EMS workers performed lifesaving measures on her,but she was pronounced dead at the scene,police said. During the course of the investigation, detectives learned Stinson gained entryto Davillier’shome and attacked her,according to police. Thesuspectfled the scene before police arrived Man identified in fatalBRshooting
rived on scene, they found two victims withgunshot wounds. Jackson died at the scene, while afemale victim was transported to ahospital with life-threateninginjuries, policesaid. Herstatus is unknown. No suspects or motive have been identifiedinthis shooting.
Aman killed in double shooting Thursday morning at the Avalon Apartments on Florida Boulevardhas been identified,accordingtoBaton Rougepolice. Kevin Jackson, 26, was killed in ashootingthat took place around 5:30 a.m. Thursdayinthe 13000 block of FloridaBoulevard When Baton Rouge Police Department officers ar-
LOTTERY
THURSDAY, MAY22, 2025
PICK 3: 3-6-6
PICK 4: 8-6-4-4
PICK 5: 9-0-3-4-9 Unofficial notification, keep your tickets.
Simply put— without dentalinsurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcare coverage.
Medicare doesn’tpay for dental care.1
That’sright. As good as Medicare is, it wasnever meanttocovereverything. Thatmeans if you wantprotection,you need to purchase individual insurance.
Early detection canprevent small problems from becoming expensive ones. The best waytopreventlarge dental bills is preventivecare. TheAmerican Dental Association recommends checkups twice ayear.
STAFF PHOTOSJAVIERGALLEGOS
Patriot Guard Riders Ronald Sanchez, left, and Sidney Galesalute GailWoodrow Richardson during hisfuneral as pallbearers carryhis
4B
■ Saturday,May24,2025
■ theadvocate.com
■ TheAdvocate
Bessent,Richard
Senecharles, Fritzner
NewOrleans Area Deaths ginningat1:00p.m.E.J FieldingFuneralHomehas been entrustedwithfu‐neral arrangements.The Bessent family invitesyou toshare thoughts,fondest memories, andcondo‐lencesonlineatE.J.Field‐ing FuneralHome Guest Book at www.ejfieldingfh com
Swan,Russell
NewOrleans
Swan,Russell TeapoJr.,Frank Wortmann, Wayne Parker,Kim
Charbonnet
TeapoJr.,Frank
DW Rhodes
Senecharles, Fritzner
St Tammany
EJ Fielding
Bessent,Richard Swan,Russell Wortmann, Wayne
Obituaries
Bessent,Dr. RichardOcie
Dr.Richard Ocie Bessent passedawayonThursday May 22, 2025. He wasa beloved doctor andresi‐dentofthe GreaterNew Orleans area formorethan 40wonderful years. He is survivedbyhis wife,Susan MacalusoBessent;his chil‐dren, CharlesTownsend Bessent andRichard Olivier Bessent.Heisalso survivedbyhis sister Char‐leneBessent andhis motherVonnieBessent.He was preceded in death by his father RayBessent and his brotherJohnBessent Richard wasborninJack‐sonville, FL on February 14 1953 to Rayand Vonnie Bessent who raised himas a hard workingfarmboy and avid outdoorsman.As the firstpersoninhis fam‐ily to receivea collegeedu‐cation, Richardattended Vanderbilt University on academicscholarship where he graduatedwith honorsfromthe School of Medicinein1979.Hefol‐lowed Vanderbilt with an Internship at Baylor School ofMedicineand eventually a ResidencyinOphthal‐mology at Tulane Univer‐sity. RichardfellinLove withNew Orleans, along withVirginiaProvosty, re‐sulting in thebeginning of a familyand thedecision tomovetoCovington, Louisiana.Richard served his community as aBoard Certified Ophthalmologist opening Surgical EyeAsso‐ciatesalongside hispart‐ner Steven R. Meyer, M.D. in1984.Hewas belovedby his patients andstaff, re‐maining adedicated and ever-availabledoctorand surgeon until astroke forcedretirementin2021 Hegavethe gift of sight daily,averaging over 4000 cataractsurgeries ayear duringhis impressive and fruitfulcareer.Nomatter the necessity, no matter the hour he wasalways justa phonecallaway. He was as comfortableona tractor as he wasinthe op‐erating room.His friends willrememberhim as a loyal andfaithfulcompan‐ion .Hewas an avid out‐doorsman,a voraciousstu‐dentofthe world, reader, scientist,deep thinkerand conversationalist.Above all,heloved to laugh. If you had thepleasureofbeing inthe room,oreventhe adjacentroom ,his infec‐tious bellow washeart‐warming,and impossible tomistake.His love of medicineand dedication to his career wassuperseded onlybythe love he hadfor his familyand dearest friends.The manhad abig beautiful heart–asup‐porterofvaliant causes and aconsistentadvocate for theunderdog. He will besorelymissedbyhis familyand hismemory lives on in oftenretoldsto‐riesheloved to elaborate tothe delightand amuse‐mentofthe hearer .His legacyrests in thesimple factthathehelpedhis pa‐tients, familyand friends see this beautifulworld withclearer vision anda lighter heart. In lieu of flowers, thefamilyasksfor donations in memory of Dr Bessent be made to the charity of your choice.Rel‐ativesand friendsare in‐vited to attend thememor‐ial services at St.Joseph Abbey, 75376 RiverRoad, St. Benedict,LA70457 on Thursday,May 29, 2025, at 2:00p.m.withvisitationat theAbbeyonThursday be‐
On Tuesday, May20, 2025,Kim Parker, age 62, Loving mother, grandmotherand sister passed awaypeacefully at home surrounded by her family aftera short fight with brain cancer. Kim was born on July 31, 1962 in NewOrleans, La. Shegrewup in the Irish Channel, went to grade school at St. Alphonsus, attended Redemptorist High School and then Graduated fromGrace King.Kim also attendedHelena Hosch School of Dance from the time she was old enough to begin herfirst year until she later becamea graduate. Shereceivedcollege degrees in Phlebotomy, Accounting and Computer Science. She workedfor many yearsasanaccountant forher family'srental business as well as the tourism and hospitalityindustries.
Kim was an avid reader &devoted catholic,loved the Smokey Mountains, camping, dancingand most of all, spending time with her children &grandchildren.
Kim is survived by her 3 children, Alissa, Anthony Jr.& Adam Grandolfo;6 grandchildren, Dre, Cruz, Thomas, Adam, Liliana & Eli; brother, Patrick Jr.and sisters Stephanieand Patricia; as well as her best friend of many years, Kimberly; many nieces and nephews and countless friends.
Shewas precededin death by her parents Patrick Sr. and Beverly; and her loving grandparents whom raisedher, Adam and Irene. Kimwas alwaysthere when we needed her,she was afriend to many and she willalwaysberemembered byher beautiful smile, alwaysbeingfullof love and laughterand for her resilience. She touched thelives of allwho knew her Alissa &Adam would personallyliketoexpress theirdeepestgratitudeto everyone forall theirkind words and prayers as well as to St. Catherine's Hospice for the incredible compassionand comfort they provided to their motherduring her final weeks. No serviceswillbeheld, as perKim's request.
Senecharles, Fritzner
With sadnessweshare the passingofFritzner Senecharles,onMonday, April 28, 2025. Please visit www.RhodesFuneral.com to view serviceinforma‐tion,signonlineguest‐
book,send flowersand share condolences. FrankTeapo;proud father ofTravisHenderson,Frank Henderson,Frankeitha Tiffith,Donisha Tiffith,De‐vonte Frederickand Trejon Bridges;beloved brotherof Eronica Teapo, thelate Giselle Teapoand Donnie Teapo.His memory will live oninthe hearts of allwho knewhim,a reminder of a lifewell-livedand deeply loved.A Celebrationser‐vicehonoringthe life and legacyofthe late Frank Teapo,Jr.,willbeheldin the Chapel of Charbonnet Labat GlapionFuneral Home, 1615 St.Philip Street,New Orleans, LA 70116 on Friday,May 23, 2025 at 10 am.Interment RestHaven Cemetery,10400 Old GentillyRoad, NewOr‐leans,LA. Visitation 9am inthe chapel.Pleasesign onlineguestbook at www charbonnetfuneralhome. com. Charbonnet Labat Glapion,Directors (504) 581-4411.
RussellSwanpassed awayonTuesday,May 20 2025 in Covington, LA.He was theson of IreneSan‐talucitoand Philip F. Swan, Sr. He is survived by his wifeMartha“Marty” Kemp Swan; hischildren, Char‐maine Swan Rich (Ray), April Swan Rosney (Mark), Dr. Chad R. Swan (Kelly) and MandyKatherine Swan; grandchildren, MitchellSwan, ChaseRich, LoganRich, Katherine Swan, Samantha Swan and Charlotte Swan;and brother,PhilipSwan, Jr.He attendedschool at Holy Cross, NewOrleans,St. Joseph’sSeminaryinCov‐ington, Tulane,U.ofIowa and UNO. He received an AAinLiberal Arts from St JosephAbbeySeminary, BAinEnglish from Tulane and an MA in Englishfrom UNO in NewOrleans.He workedasa technical writerand editor for: Chryslerand Boeing at Mi‐choud Assembly Facility in New Orleans; forNASAat Stennis,MS; Computer CenterinSlidell where he receivedthe Silver Snoopy Award;and forthe Navy at UNO,New Orleans. He taughtEnglish at Delgado inSlidell as an adjunctin‐structorfor 15 years. Mr Swanwas afounding memberofSt. Luke’s Catholic Church in Slidell where he wasa lector,in chargeofaltar serversand MCfor Triduum services for 27 years. He wasMC and lector for2 yearsat MostHolyTrinity in Cov‐ington. He wasa volunteer porterand tour guideatSt. JosephAbbeyinCoving‐ton.Russell wasa soccer coach foryouth soccerin Slidell. He wasa runner and raninthe Crescent CityClassic for34years straight. He wasanavid readerand chessplayer havingplayedinmany local andregionalchess tournaments.Relatives and friendsare invitedto attendthe Memorial Mass atSt. Joseph Abbey, 75376 River Road,St. Benedict,LA 70457 on Friday,May 30 2025, at 2:00 p.m. with visi‐tationatthe AbbeyonFri‐day beginningat1:00p.m IntermentwillfollowinSt. JosephAbbeyCemetery. E.J.FieldingFuneralHome has been entrustedwith funeralarrangements. The Swanfamilyinvites youto share thoughts,fondest memories, andcondo‐lencesonlineatE.J.Field‐ing FuneralHomeGuest Book at www.ejfieldingfh com
TeapoJr.,Frank
FrankTeapo Jr., peace‐fully ascended on Sunday May 11, 2025 at theage of 59, leavingbehinda legacy ofstrength, love anddevo‐tiontohis family. Born on July26, 1965, Mr.Teapo was aman of quietdignity, who touchedcountless lives with hiskindheart and unwavering presence Frank is thebeloved hus‐bandofShantellTeapo; cherished sonofJeanann Washington andthe late
Wortmann, Wayne Joseph 'Joey'
WayneJoseph“Joey Wortmannpassedaway peacefully on Sunday,May 18, 2025, from Progressive SupranuclearPalsy (PSP). Hewas preceded in death byhis parents, Arthur C. WortmannSr. andLeah GlaserWortmannand his brother,RodneyWortmann Sr. Joey is survived by his lovingwife, Dollie Bridges Wortmann, hischildren, Heather Maheu(Mike), Wayne Joseph Wortmann Jr. (Jeana), GretaCiervo (Tony), Kira Wortmann and Matthew Wortmann, his seven grandchildren, Dr Wayne Joseph “Trey” Wort‐mannIII, KassidyWort‐mann, AnthonyCiervo,
Owen Charton, Kayden Wortmann, Nova Charton and GreysonWortmann. He isalsosurvivedbyhis sib‐lings,ArthurCharles “Mickey”WortmannJr. and Joyce Broussardand ahost ofniecesand nephews. A special thanks to Pelican Homes andSouthernGrace Hospice forthe loving at‐tention andgreat care they provided. Relativesand friends of thefamilyare in‐vited to attend theMassof Christian Burial on Wednesday,May 28, 2025, at2:00pmatSt. Joseph Abbey, 75376 RiverRoad, St. Benedict,LA70457. The visitationwillbegin at 1:00 pmuntil servicetime, and burialwillfollowinSt. JosephAbbeyCemeteryin St. Benedict,LA. In lieu of flowers, donationsmay be madetoCurePSP,www psp.org or Massespre‐ferred. E.J. Fielding Funeral Homehas been entrusted withfuneral arrangements Pleasesignthe guestbook atwww.ejfieldingfh.com
BUSINESS
BRIEFS
Red River Bank to repurchase $5.1M stock
Red River Bank said it has reached adeal to buyback $5.1 million in company stock.
The Alexandria-basedbank announced after the marketclosed Thursday it had agreed to buy back 100,000 shares from astockholder.That price represents a discount;sharesofRed River closed at $55.38 Thursday
The purchase comes on top of Red River Bank’spreviously announced plans to buy back $5 millioninshares by the end of the year.AsofThursday,Red River said it has about$4.7 millionremaining in the buyback program. Boeing to avoid prosecutionovercrashes
The JusticeDepartment has reached adeal with Boeing that will allow the airplane giant to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading U.S.regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed andkilled 346people, according to court papers filed Friday.
Under the “agreement in principle,” which still needs to be finalized, Boeing would pay and invest more than $1.1 billion, including an additional $445 millionfor the crash victims’ families, according to the Justice Department
In return, thedepartment hasagreed to dismiss thefraud chargeagainst Boeing, allowing themanufacturer to avoid apossible criminal conviction that could have jeopardized the company’sstatus as afederal contractor,according to experts.
“Ultimately, in applying the facts, the law,and Department policy,weare confident that this resolution is the most just outcome withpracticalbenefits,”a Justice Department spokesperson said in astatement.
“Nothing will diminish thevictims’ losses, but this resolution holds Boeing financially accountable, provides finality and compensation for the families and makes an impact for the safety of future air travelers.”
Many relatives of the passengers who died in the crashes, which took place off thecoast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia less thanfivemonthsapart in 2018 and 2019, have spent years pushing for apublic trial, the prosecutionofformercompany officials, and more severe financial punishment forBoeing.
Trump says U.S. Steel to keep HQ in Pa
President Donald Trump said Fridaythat U.S. Steel will keep its headquarters in Pittsburgh as part of what he called a“planned partnership” between the iconic Americansteelmaker and JapanbasedNippon Steel, whichhas sought to buy it.
Nippon Steel’snearly $15 billionbid to buy U.S. Steel was blocked by former President Joe Biden and, afterTrump became president, subject to another national security review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.
What Trump called a“planned partnership” will create at least 70,000jobsand add $14 billion to the U.S. economy, he said,althoughitwasn’tclear what the terms of the dealwould be or who wouldown U.S. Steel under the arrangement.
McDonald’sisclosing its CosMc’srestaurants
McDonald’ssaid Friday that it’s closing down CosMc’s,anew restaurant format it began piloting in the U.S. last year
McDonald’sannounced in late 2023 that it wanted to test asmallformat store with customizable drinks and treats that would appealtoafternoon snackers—and potentially grab sales from rivals like Starbucks and Dutch Bros. McDonald’swound up opening one CosMc’slocationnear its headquarters in Chicago and seven in Texas. McDonald’ssaid CosMc’sallowed it to experiment with bold flavors and different technologies, like drive-thru lanes that manage traffic based on the complexity of orders.
Tariff threatsknock stockslower
S&P500 closes worstweekin past seven
BY STAN CHOE Associated Press
NEWYORK— U.S. stocks fell
Friday after President Donald Trump threatened 50% tariffs on theEuropean Union that could beginina littlemore than aweek.
The S&P500 dropped to close out its worst week in the last seven. The Dow JonesIndustrial Averageand theNasdaqcomposite also sank.
Trump threatened the tariffs before the U.S. stock market opened,sayingonhis Truth Social platform that trade talks with theEuropeanUnion “weregoing nowhere” and that “straight 50%”tariffs could go into effect on June 1. The European Union is one of the United States’ largest
trading partners.
Stocksfell immediately afterward in Europe, with France’s CAC40index losing1.7%. The U.S. market also took aquick turn lower,and futures for U.S stock indexestumbled after earlier suggesting only modest moves at the open of trading.
The S&P 500 lost as much as 1.3% shortly after trading began, but it pared its loss as traders weighed whether Trump’s latest threats were just negotiating tactics aimed in hopes of getting adeal or something more Apple dropped 3% and was theheaviestweightonthe S&P 500 afterTrump went after the company specifically.Hesaid he’s been pushing Apple CEO TimCook to move production of iPhonestothe United States, and he warned atariff“of at least 25%mustbepaidbyApple to the U.S.”ifitdoesn’t Trumplater clarifiedhis post
to saythat all smartphones made abroad would be taxed and the tariffs could be coming as soon as the endofJune.
Trump has been criticizing companies individually when he’s frustrated with how they’re acting because of his tariffs and because of the uncertainty his trade war has created. He earlier told Walmart it should “eat the tariffs,” along with China, after the retailer said it would likely have to raise prices to coverthe increasedcostof imports.
DeckersOutdoor,the company behind the Hoka and Uggs brands, became one of the latest companies to sayall theuncertainty around theeconomy means it won’toffer financial forecasts forthe full upcoming year.Instead, it gave forecasts
only forthe upcoming quarter and they fell short of analysts’ expectations for revenue and profit.
That sent its stock down 19.9%, even though thecompany reported astronger profit and revenue for the latestquarter than expected.
Ross Stores fell 9.8% after it pulled itsfinancial forecasts for the full year,citing how more thanhalf thegoods it sells originate in China. “As such, we expect pressure on our profitability if tariffs remain at elevated levels,” CEO Jim Conroy said.
On thewinning side of Wall Street was Intuit, which rose 8.1% after the company behind TurboTax and Credit Karma reported astronger profit for the latestquarter than analysts expected. Perhaps moreimportantly,Intuitalsoraisedits forecasts for revenue and profit over its full fiscal year
Homeownersspend on improvements
Trendcomes amid uncertain economy, higher prices
BY ALEX VEIGA Associated Press
LOS ANGELES— U.S. homeownersare spendingmore on home renovation projects, bucking abroaderpullback by consumers amid diminished confidence in theeconomy Sales at building materials and garden supply retailers rose 0.8%lastmonth from March, the biggest gain since 2022, and were up 3.2% fromApril last year At the sametime, U.S. retail sales overall rose 0.1%, asharp slowdown from March
Thetrend comesevenaspricesfor home improvement products have beenrising. Thecost of home repairsand remodeling climbed by nearly 4% in the first quarter fromayearearlier,according to Verisk’s Remodel Index.The strategic data analytics firm tracks costs for more than 10,000 home repairitems,from appliances to windows
Recent priceincreases appear to be drivenprimarily by labor costsand don’t appear to reflect the ongoing tradewar that the Trump administration is engaged in with major U.S.trading partners like Mexico, China and Canada.
“Wehaven’tseen panic buying from contractors or investors concerned about the impact tariffsmight have on future costs, or labor rates being driven up by stricterenforcement of immigration policies,” Greg Pyne, vice president of pricingfor Verisk Property Estimating Solutions, said in areport earlier this month.
Home Depot said Tuesdaythat it doesn’t expect to raiseprices because of tariffs, saying it has spent yearsdiversifying the sources forthe goods on its shelves. However,executive Billy Bastek said some productsnow on Home Depotshelves may disappear
He alsonoted that thechain is seeing fewer customers taking on large home improvement jobs like kitchen and bath remodels, because highinter-
BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer
Tulane VenturessaidFridayit will lead a$1million investment round in NewOrleans education softwarestartup Hilight,which has developedanapp to help schools evaluate teachers with theaim of betterstaff retention. Theventurefund, whichispart of TulaneUniversity’sInnovation Institute, said it will directly invest $250,000 in thecompany, whichwas founded threeyears ago by Claire Smith, aformer St.Bernard Parish middle school math teacher Smith said she developed the
estrates maybedissuadinghomeowners from borrowing money to finance such projects.
Spendingonhome renovations hasremained resilientaselevated mortgage rates and skyrocketing home prices have frozen out many would-bebuyers. That’s kept U.S. home sales in aslump, limiting the market for homeowners who want to sell.
Many homeowners also boughtorrefinancedtheirmortgagewhenthe average rate on a30-year home loanwas below 3% or 4% in thefirst couple of yearsofthe pandemic. That’s made them reluctant to sell now, whenthe averagerateishover-
app after shesaw area schools losing teachersinthe wake of the pandemic.
“After COVID,the profession felt impossibly difficult due to safetyconcerns, stressed students and parents, and staff burnout,”she said in astatement. “I kept thinking there must be abetter way to celebrate the positive moments that happen daily in schools instead of dwelling on the problems, to support and retain talented educators.”
Smith contacted formercollege roommate and softwaredeveloper,Krissy Taft, to initially create atool for peer-to-peer reviewing and information sharing. They jointly foundedHilight and have developed andgrowntheir online tool, which they say cansave schools up to $25,000 to replace lost staff.
ing near 7%.
In response,manyhomeownershave opted to invest in sprucinguptheir home rather than sell andtakeona mortgage with asharply higher interest rate.
Ashortfall in new home construction more than adecade in the making has kept people living in older homes longer
Nearly half of the owner-occupied homes in the U.S. were built before1980 and have amedian age of 41 years, according to an analysis of census databythe National Association of HomeBuilders. That aging stock of homes hashelpedfuelthe need for repairsand improvements
What began as asimple tool forrecognition at the St.Bernard Parish school whereSmith wasworking hasevolved into “a multipurpose,easy-to-useplatform offering strategic insights and operational intelligence to school district leadersand principals,” according to Tulane Ventures
Hilight has been in “bootstrap mode”since it wasfounded, getting by with investment from their ownsources as well as friends and family.The app is now in 135 schools across adozen statesand the money raised will be used to hire sales staff to expand into all 50 states over the next two years, Tulane said.
Kimberly Gramm, managingdirector of Tulane Ventures, said the progress the startup had made in ashort time was
impressive. “The combination of strong early traction, aclear market need and measurable impact made it acompelling choice forustolead this (investment) round,”said Gramm, who is also Tulane’s Davidand Marion Mussafer chief innovation and entrepreneurship officer
Studenthelp
Students taking the venture investing course at Tulane’sA.B. FreemanSchoolofBusiness conducted the due diligence and presented the investment to the venture fund, according to the university
The Tulane Innovation Institute was founded three yearsago as part of its growing downtown campus, with the aim of raising up to $100 million from alumni and other sources to support investments in entrepreneurship.
Many thoughts rumbledfor space in my head as Iwatched the media’srelentless updatesabout the flames slowly engulfing thehistoric Nottoway Plantation in White Castle.
First, Ithought it was interestingthat it was a plantation burning. That was astrategy ofthe Union army in the Civil War, to burn downplantations that could provide food forConfederate soldiers. That thought was thenovertaken by my knowledge thatNottoway was knownasaplantation that kickedthe human horrorsofits origins under its grand sofas. In my mind, the destructive yellow and orange flames became emblematic ofthe federal and state governments’ current efforts to minimize or destroy informationabout the sufferingthat happened at places like Nottoway
In the news accounts, some spoke glowingly of Nottoway.After all, it is described as thelargest survivingantebellum plantationhome in theSouth Written descriptions saiditwas a53,000-squarefoot Greek Revival and Italianate-stylemansion. (I dunno what that means, but Iwas borninto athreeroom house, no hot water,notub and no toilet.I think it was Black Church Revival Shotgun-style.)
But, while adjectives overflowed about Nottoway among reporters, IswearIcould hear thefaint sounds of slaves,human beings forced to work home construction, tend sugar cane fields andsupply the plantation owner the broken-backworkneededto keep his family fed and rich.
Working sugar cane was the most brutal of plantation jobs. That, the heat and poor foodprobably shortened the life span ofmany slaves
Acommon phrase in the Blackcommunity whenI grew up was that those slaves, thenlater plantation workers, “worked from can’tsee (in themorning) to can’tsee (at night).”Theywere denied anyform of human dignity,asthe owners sippedmint juleps.
As Nottoway’sceiling fell, Icould imagine Black women wailing as theirchildren, eveninfants, were sold to other slaveownerslike horses andshoes. I could hear the frail,muffledsoundsofBlack women beingraped, while their families and friends could do nothing but accept the outcome.
As the fire continued itsslowmarch through Nottoway,itreminded me of the effort across thenation to burndown the history of my people. Like Nottoway, they want the cruelty done to Blacks and,in someinstances, eventhe heroismofBlack people lessened or swept away like ashes from afire. Young and old deserve to know the truehistoryof thiscountry,evenifthey must ask about an oldnewspaperphoto showing grandpa yelling atyoung Black people at alunch counter or walking to aclassroom Iwonder if Iwould have felt differently about Nottoway had its owners done what another plantation a few miles away has done.
In its online advertisement, the Whitney Plantation in Wallace has this interesting message: “Whitney preserves the history of those enslavedwith facts, testimonies, and memorials …Noone should let the currenttimes in theUnited States deter us from hearing and speaking the truth —here or abroad ” As Iusedtohear from an old historyteacher: “Write that down.”
But as the Whitney tellsitstraight, education and government officials here and across thenation, under the guise of protecting students, are fightingtoboard up the real history of the country. This includes bookbans,curriculum restrictions and state-level mandates intendedtodownplay or erase thestruggles,heroicresistance and contributions of Blackpeople. Well, justlike Nottoway Let me be clear.Ifthe ownersofthatplantation want to use it for anything, from adance hall to awedding facility to aplacefor country western bands, that’sall fine. But given the inhumanity that ruled the people who sufferedthere every day,they deserve to have some informationabout their unbelievablestruggle in that building and onthe website Now,doIhave any personalfeelingabout Nottoway burning? Isaw wheremanypeoplerejoiced, even posting “burn, babyburn” onsocialmedia. I think Iknow where they are coming from. Ibelieve sometimes things happen for areason,and I’ll leave it at that. Word has it that the ownermay rebuildthe site.If he does, it would be greatifheaddedinformation about the real history of Nottoway It would be the right thing to do, and Ihopetosee it Email Edward Pratt,a former newspaperman, at epratt1972@yahoo.com.
Iread the letter from Jane Hill of Slidell about immigration policy and Christianity.Apparently,Hill is not reading the sameBible Iread. In Matthew 22, Mark 12 and Luke 20, Jesus is tested about paying taxes. He asks which likeness is on thecoin, and thereply: “Caesar’s.” Jesus says, “Render untoCaesar,the thingswhich are Caesar’sand to God thethings which are God’s.” In Romans13, Paul instructs Christians to obey civilian authorities as adivine mandatebecause civilian authorities are placed in God’sservice to maintain order and justice. Hill’sletter suggests theTrumpadministration just madeupthese laws to start deporting people. Au contraire, the immigration laws have been in effect for over ahundred years passed by previous administrations,both Democrat and Republicans. The difference now is the Trumpadministration is actually enforcing the laws, which the Biden administration did not.
I’ll also point out the illegal immigrantswere deported to El Salvador,not aprison. The El Salvadoran authorities, however,put them in prison because they know what those tattoos mean, which, clearly,Hill does not.
Ichallenge Hill andanyone else who agrees with her to ask Laken Riley’s parentshow they feel about illegal immigrantsbeing allowed to stay in the USA? Ialso challenge Hill to illegally enter Mexico [also aChristian country] and ask for food, shelter,clothing, housing, medical and education benefits. Mexico will, indeed, provide those benefitswhile she finishes her 10-year prison sentence. Finally,many Christians, including myself, voted for President Donald Trumpbecause we wanted our lawsto be enforced. This does not constitute a “moral crisis,”but, rather,a“moral responsibility.”
DUDLEY GARIDEL Baton Rouge
After the first 100 days of thesecond Trump administration,it’stimetogive credit where credit is due.Ijust didn’t get it at first, but nowIsee howPresident Donald Trump andhis accomplishedcabinet is making us all greatand greater.To those whoclaim he is avindictive egomaniac with the attention span of agnat, I sayjust look at thewins so far Thanks to Trump’sfoxy choice to lead the Pentagon, we aresafer than ever. Aquick scan of my Signal App letsme know who we’re bombing and when. There’sno“real” danger in keeping friends and family and themedia in the loop —it’scalled transparency Thanks to Trump’sbrilliant “onagain, off again, oops again” tariff strategy, we’reall richer.We’ve cut trillions in liquidity from the world’sfinancial markets, thrown American leadership into question and made China look like a
My guess is our military rank and file would rather have athree-day pass than to be made to parade on President Donald Trump’sbirthday.Asa taxpayer,I am angry thatTrumpwould spend millions
stable,reliable partner. Guess Ineed to reread, “The Art of the Deal.”
Thanks to flag-waving, democracyloving Donny,we’ve done away with time-consuming due process, tried to intimidate free speech at universities and asked, “Why does everyone deserve ahearing at the Supreme Court?”
And lastly,thanks to Trump, we’re all healthier now thatwe’ve cut funding for science, questioned lifesaving vaccines and even figured howtoMake MeaslesA Threat Again.
And there youhave it. If after the first 100 days of life underTrump, you don’t feel richer, safer and more secure about America’sfuture, you obviously don’t seethe cunning in the chaos. We are winning. We should have aparade.
JOSH MAYER NewOrleans
of our dollarsonhis ego. As anation, we have always honored our veterans and always will, without Trump’shelp.
JOE BISHOP Abita Springs
Isupport Ukraine. Iamnot Ukrainian nor could Iname anyone whoisfrom that country.My sympathies lie squarely with this nation as avictim of Russia’sunprovoked invasion and its criminal targeting of civilians and their schools, churches and cities. Russia’sbloody action is based upon astarkly unbelievable assortment of lies: that Ukraine had attacked Russia first; that Ukraine is governed by Jewish Nazis; that Ukraine had been invited to join NATO; that Ukraine remained apart of Russia. The innate perjury of Vladimir Putin spins out such drivel that only his sycophants would digest.
Ukraine gained its independence in 1991 in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union nearly ten years before Putin’srise. In 2014, the country endured many civilian deaths while successfully protesting its pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. He abandoned office and fled to Moscow,thereby proving his stripe. Thus Ukraine has functioned as atruly independent country for barely ten years, the last three in warwith Russia.
This is the quagmire that President Donald Trumphas entered with the intent to gain peace. While Idid not believe his campaign boast that he could end the warwithin the first 24 hours of his election, Iback his efforts to end the war. But Idonot endorse Trump’sunprofessional and boorish treatment of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. His fantasy quips pulled out of thin air cause me to doubt his acuity.Mr. President, please remember that American voters overwhelmingly support Ukraine in this war by morethan a2-to-1 margin. Failure to address this problem with honesty and fairness will be obvious to us all. PETERM.MEISNER River Ridge
Edward Pratt
ACES OUT
PROVIDED PHOTO By LSUATHLETICS
LSUstartingpitcher Kade Anderson lookstothrowa pitch in the fourth inning of an SECTournamentgameagainst Texas A&M on FridayinHoover, Ala
LSUturns to both Anderson,Eyanson to getpastAggiesintourney play
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
HOOVER,Ala.— LSUhas never thrown its two best pitchers on the same day under coach JayJohnson. Oneofthem starts on Friday,and the other on Saturday. That’stypicallyhow it works.
But in asingle-eliminationformat at the SECTournament,and with there stillbeingaweekbeforethe start of the NCAA Tournament,Johnson wanted to make sure he got sophomore left-hander Kade Anderson and junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson somein-game repsbefore the big dance beginsinBaton Rouge next weekend.
Per usual, LSU started AndersononFriday. But for the first time all year,Eyanson came intothe game in the seventh inning in relief. With LSUupbyjust arun, it could use itsco-ace to try to close out the gamewhile guaranteeingtime for him on themound before the regional Johnson’sstrategy worked.Eyanson tossed three scoreless innings in relief of AndersonasNo. 3seeded LSU escaped with the 4-3win over No. 14 Texas A&M to advance tothe semifinals of the SECTournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium Anderson exitedfor Eyansonafter the sixth. In his first
See LSU, page 4C
COMMENTARY
NFLstars playingOlympic
BY JOE STARKEY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)
PITTSBURGH Please do thisbefore you form an opinion on NFL players playing flag football at the 2028 Summer Olympicsin Los Angeles (something NFL owners voted unanimously in favorofTuesday): Go to YouTube and find last year’s world championship final between the United States and Austria, thendecideifit’sagoodideatosic Lamar Jackson, Justin Jefferson, T.J. Watt andTyreek Hill on these dudes.
TheU.S. won, 51-23, even though its roster is notstocked with elite professional athletes. TheAustrian squad looked like apickup basketball team at your local YMCA, and not aparticularly good one. They played defense like theSteelersina playoff game. They looked like theguys who wear knee bracesand takecharges in playground basketball games. If that’s thesecond-best team in the world, and if theNFL has even afew guysonthe U.S. squad, Ifear we’re talkingscores of 200-0. We’retalking about
SGA, Jokic headline All-NBA teams
Lakers star James first 40-year-old to make an All-NBAteam
BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer
Oklahoma City’sShai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’sNikola Jokic and Milwaukee’sGiannis Antetokounmpo were theonly players to appear on every MVP ballot this season. It only madesense that they would be unanimous All-NBA picks as well. Gilgeous-Alexander —the league’sMVP —along with Jokic andAntetokounmpo were unveiledFridaynight as first-team AllNBA players, along with Boston’sJayson Tatum and Cleveland’sDonovan Mitchell. Tatum was another unanimous first-team pick. Mitchellmadethe first team forthe first time.
Antetokounmpo hasseven first-team selections and nine appearances on the All-NBA team overall. Jokic is afive-time first-teamer and seven-time All-NBApick, Tatum is first-team for the fourth time (fifth overall), Gilgeous-Alexander hasbeen first-team in all three of his All-NBAappearances, andMitchell is All-NBA for the second time in his career
Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander AP PHOTO
agamethat would make the 1992 Dream Team vs. Angola look like asqueaker (that one wound up U.S. 114, Angola 48). It would not be fun. Combine thecompetitive imbalance with theobvious injury risk, and it’shard to see where theNFL would look good here. If you watch the U.S.-Austria game, you’ll see inadvertenthead-on collisions, bodies twisting and turning to snatch flags, jumpball scrums, guys crashing into the backs of receivers’ legs, etc., which is whyI hear ProFootball Talk’sChris Simms when he
TRANSFORMING TRAUMA RECOVERY
says, “Ifsomebody calls the head coach or GM of (an NFLteam), and they’re like, ‘We’d like to have Tyreek Hill forour flag football team,’ I’dbelike, ‘No. Getthe hell out of here. You’re crazy.’” Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst feels the same. I’mbetting manyother NFLcoaches and executives feel that way, too, about ahigh-stakes competition that would happen during NFL training camps.
7
Griffin on verge of breakthrough
Fowler stalks;
Scheffler 10 shots back at Colonial
BY SCHUYLER DIXON AP sportswriter
FORT WORTH, Texas Ben Griffin could be on the verge of a breakthrough season on the PGA Tour
It’s more like a possible comeback for Rickie Fowler
Griffin shot a 7-under 63 in the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial on Friday and was tied with Matti Schmid for the second-round lead at 11 under, two strokes ahead of first-round leader John Pak and five ahead of Fowler, who made the turn in 29 before settling for a 64. Pak, the tour rookie who opened with a 63, birdied the par-4 18th for a 68 and was a shot ahead of Chris Gotterup, a one-time tour winner like Griffin. Gotterup was 8 under after a 65. Ryo Hisatsune, a 22-year-old from Japan, was another stroke back after a 67, tied with Akshay Bhatia (66).
LSU to retire No. 4 jersey of running back Alexander
Charles Alexander will become just the fourth LSU football player to have his jersey retired, the school announced Friday A twotime Heisman Trophy finalist, Alexander was first-team All-American running back in 1977 and 1978 and the first SEC running back to gain 4,000 career yards rushing.
The Galveston, Texas, native will join Billy Cannon (No. 20), Tommy Casanova (37) and Jerry Stovall (21) as the only LSU football players to have their jerseys retired.
The LSU Athletic Hall of Fame Committee unanimously approved the move. His No. 4 jersey will be retired at a football game this fall.
“Playing at LSU those four years, I never dreamed that one day my jersey would be retired and be on display in Tiger Stadium,” Alexander said.
Bregman leaves game with right quad tightness
Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman was removed in the fifth inning of Friday’s opening game of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles with right quad tightness, the team said.
Former LSU standout Bregman singled sharply to left field and made a wide turn before retreating to the first-base bag.
The two-time All-Star motioned to the Red Sox dugout, and Bregman didn’t bother checking the severity of the injury before heading down the stairs to get it checked out. A two-time World Series winner who spent the first nine seasons of his big-league career with the Houston Astros, Bregman signed with Boston in February He entered Friday with a .297 batting average with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs.
Cubs deny report that All-Star Game in Wrigley
Ben Griffin hits off the ninth tee during the first round of the Charles
at 11 under
Thursday
Fort Worth, Texas. On Friday, Griffin shot a 7-under 63 and was tied with
The 29-year-old has already matched his career best of five top10 finishes from last year, including a tie for fifth at the PGA. “I feel like I’ve kind of made good steps the last couple of years just kind of building to get to that first win,” Griffin said. “Now that I’ve got that first win, I feel like it’s really freeing me up to come out and be not necessarily more aggressive, but just feel more aggressive, feel like I’m trying to win more. It’s definitely been a breakthrough year but I think there’s more to come.”
Fowler has dropped to 127th in the world after being in the top 25 as recently as early 2024. The sixtime winner was solid in the $20 million signature Truist Championship two weeks ago but missed the cut at the PGA.
Scottie Scheffler, who won the PGA Championship last weekend, shot 71 and was 10 shots off the lead as the world No. 1 tries to become the first player since Dustin Johnson in 2017 to win three consecutive starts. Scheffler’s run started with a runaway three weeks ago, an eight-shot win at the first of his two hometown events, the CJ Cup Byron Nelson north of Dallas. It was close, but Scheffler made the cut with a shot to spare, which extended his streak to 55, second to Xander Schauffele’s 64. Both of Scheffler’s playing partners missed the cut, including Davis Riley The reigning champion shot a 69 while Daniel Berger, one of the eight top-25 players in the field, made an 83-foot putt from just off the green for birdie on the par-3 fourth hole in a round of 70. Both were at 2-over 142. A month removed from teaming with Andrew Novak to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Griffin made eight birdies — seven from inside 10 feet and saved par with a 12-foot putt from the fringe after his only bogey
The 36-year-old followed an opening 70 with six birdies before finishing even over his final nine holes.
“It’s definitely coming around,” said Fowler, who has just one victory since 2019, the Rocket Mortgage Classic two years ago. “I know it’s been slow last year and slow start to the year Body is starting to feel better, and the game (has) been in a good spot and not very far off. It’s a fine line out here. Nice to see things starting to come together a bit.”
Schmid, a 27-year-old German seeking his first tour victory in his 79th start has been bogey-free with 10 birdies over 24 holes since a double bogey on the par-4 12th in the opening round. Gotterup, who won the 2024 Myrtle Beach Classic and is in position to qualify for the $20 million signature event at the Memorial next week, had a bogey-free round. He
lives within driving distance of Colonial, known as Hogan’s Alley, after finishing his college career at Oklahoma. Gotterup took a week off at home during the PGA after playing four consecutive weeks and finishing.
After his first bogey of the week on the par-4 seventh, Pak got to 10 under with birdies on three of the next four holes. Consecutive bogeys dropped him into a tie with Gotterup before Pak made a 13-footer on 18.
Jordan Spieth, Scheffler’s fellow hometown headliner and former Texas Longhorn, birdied the 17th and made the cut on the number at even par Two holes earlier, the three-time major winner let a club fly out of his hands in disgust on an approach shot that was short and right, then covered his face with his hands when his par putt lipped out.
Pagdanganan among 4 tied for LPGA lead
ByTheAssociated Press
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico Bianca
Pagdanganan felt right at home in the stifling heat and humidity Thursday on the Yucatan Peninsula, using her power to set up a twoputt birdie on the par-5 18th for a 4-under 68 and a four-way share of the lead in the Mexico Riviera Maya Open. Pagdanganan, the 27-year-old from the Philippines, managed to hit all but two greens despite not spending much time in the fairway. Her two-putt birdie from 15 feet allowed her to join Chisato Iwai, Jenny Shin and Brianna Do. The wind was enough of a challenge on the El Camaleon course at Mayakoba. It was the heat index that became the biggest challenge and limited the scoring chances Shin was the first to reach 68, making seven birdies but slowed with a double bogey on the 16th hole. Asked about her good start, Shin replied, “I actually don’t remember because it’s so hot. I don’t remember the first birdie. But she remembered having a hot putter mostly for birdie and a few parts. Still, it was hard getting past the stifling conditions.
“I didn’t anticipate heat like this,” Shin said.
“I was really shocked when I got here. Definitely does feel like I’m in Southeast Asia. Been hydrating a lot. Drinking a lot of salted water. A lot of electrolytes. I haven’t really been practicing, so I’m going to head straight to the hotel room
after this.”
Chisato birdied two of her last five holes, while Do got off to a superb start and was 4 under through her opening five holes. She cooled after that, with one bogey and a birdie on the 18th to claim a share of the lead.
Five more players, including Hye-Jin Choi and Jenny Bae, were at 69.
Charley Hull, at No. 15 in the world the highest-ranked player in the final event before the U.S. Women’s Open, missed short putts down the stretch and had to settle for a 72. One of those misses came on the par-5 13th, when she hit her second shot to inside 3 feet
Pagdanganan felt at relative ease during the round.
“It felt like a pretty easy round, which honestly I haven’t felt that in a while,” she said. “To be able to have that out here feels really good. I hit a lot of greens — not a lot of fairways But I felt like it didn’t matter that much to me today I felt like I was swinging it pretty good. I had a pretty clear headspace.
“So I guess mentally and physically everything just lined up really well for me today.”
It was a tough day for two of the more prominent Mexican players.
Gaby Lopez, who played a role in getting the LPGA back to Mexico for the first time since 2017, had eight bogeys in her round of 79. Maria Fassi, a former NCAA champion at Arkansas, had two early birdies but struggled to a 75. Mayakoba previously hosted a
PGA Tour event, and then it had a LIV Golf event last year
PGA Senior Tour
Vijay Singh started thinking about what he might do with his weekend after bogeying the first three holes Friday at the Senior PGA Championship.
“Your mind just goes haywire,” he said. “But I’ve played long enough to know that there’s a lot of golf out there.”
Then, he showed it
After missing the Masters and PGA Championship this spring because of an undisclosed injury, Singh looked perfectly healthy the rest of the second round with seven birdies to surge to the top of the leaderboard at Congressional Country Club. Shooting a 4-under 68, the former top-ranked player was tied for the lead with Y.E. Yang (68) and Cameron Percy (71) at 6 under halfway through the PGA Tour Champions
major “I’ve been driving the ball good,” Singh said. “Just hung in there and started making a couple of birdies here and there, picked up the shots, and the back nine I played solid golf.”
The 62-year-old from Fiji is aiming for his first career victory at the course in the Maryland suburbs just outside of Washington, which he has played a handful of times, including the 1997 U.S. Open. He tied for 77th then and missed the cut in his last event at Congressional, Tiger Woods’ tour-
nament in 2014.
“I’ve always loved playing here,” Singh said, noting that much has changed from his previous tries.
“It’s totally a different golf course, totally new golf course. The greens are very challenging, to say the least.”
Singh, who spent 32 weeks atop the world ranking roughly two decades ago and was known for his rigorous practice habits, has cut that part of his routine in half.
“Once I get on the range and hit, it used to be I’d go out there and hit five, six good shots and I’d say, ‘OK, let’s see if I can do 20 of these ones,’” Singh said. “But now if I hit two or three good shots, I say ‘I’ve had enough, that’s it.’” Yang birdied four of his last five holes Friday With conditions changing throughout his round, Percy kept looking for the big American flag to see how windy it was at any given moment and credited growing up in Melbourne, Australia, for knowing how to handle it.
“I think the wind definitely helps me,” Percy said. “You get down in the tree lines and you can’t feel the wind, and then you walk 200 yards and it’s blowing like crazy.” Padraig Harrington headlined a crowded group two strokes back at 4 under Stuart Cink, Justin Leonard, defending champion Richard Bland and others were 3 under Ernie Els followed an opening 69 with a 75 to drop to even par He won the 1997 U.S. Open at Congressional.
The Chicago Cubs denied a report from their flagship radio station that the 2027 All-Star Game was coming to Wrigley Field, telling the Tribune “no decision has been made.”
WSCR-AM 670 reported Thursday that MLB has awarded the game to the Cubs, who have long sought the big event since a massive ballpark renovation in the 2010s. MLB tends to make its AllStar Game announcements at a mutually acceptable date to the club to get maximum publicity for its TV networks and corporate sponsors, so speculation that the decision has been made but was prematurely leaked seems plausible.
The Cubs have hosted only three All-Star Games at Wrigley and none since 1990.
FIFA fines and sanctions federations of six nations
FIFA fined six soccer federations $24,400 to $32,200 each for discrimination offenses at World Cup qualifying games in March.
Albania’s federation also was ordered to cut the capacity of its stadium by 20%, or fill the seats with “community and/or special interest groups.” Albania’s next home game is against Serbia on June 7. Ecuador, which hosts Brazil on June 5, must cut capacity by 25% or fill with community groups, FIFA said in published sanctions from its disciplinary panel. Paraguay, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Indonesia also were fined and ordered to reduce stadium capacity at their next home games in World Cup qualifying. The acts of discrimination were not specified by FIFA.
Berlin bids for Olympics; 100th anniversary looms
Berlin is making a bid to host the Olympics again, possibly 100 years after the city hosted the 1936 Games under the Nazis.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner is to present bid plans, with help from four other German states, on Tuesday at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.
The invitation sent on Friday to the presentation does not mention which Games the city is bidding for but the next available edition will be in 2036 — the 100th anniversary of the Berlin Games.
The German Olympic Sports Confederation has said a German bid for the 2040 Games is also possible. Los Angeles is hosting the 2028 Olympics and Brisbane the 2032 Olympics. The states of Brandenburg, Saxony and more would also host competitions as part of Berlin’s bid.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LM OTERO
Schwab Challenge on
in
Matti Schmid for the second-round lead
Conley during Game 2 of the Western Conference finals playoff series Thursday in Oklahoma City.
Relentless Thunder put T-Wolves in early hole
Minnesota trails 2-0 in Western Conference
BY DAVE CAMPBELL
AP sportswriter
MINNEAPOLIS The new-
est NBA MVP put his head down and dribbled toward the basket, an attempt by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to lunge past one of the league’s best perimeter defenders midway through the fourth quarter of another decisive victory by Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals.
After his right arm was subtly hooked by GilgeousAlexander at the beginning of the drive, Jaden McDaniels reached for the middle of his back and pushed Minnesota’s tormentor with enough force to send him stumbling to the floor on Thursday with the Thunder up by 16 points.
McDaniels got a Flagrant 1 penalty and shrugged off the significance of the shove afterward. He had fouls to give, he said, so he used one. But it was a clear sign of frustration for the Timberwolves, who have so far seen their championship aspirations overwhelmed by a well-constructed team chasing the title with a mix of poise, precision and relentlessness unseen anywhere else in these NBA playoffs.
“We’ve got to meet their aggression,” said Julius Randle, who had by far his worst performance of this postseason in Game 2 with just six points on 2-for-11 shooting and four turnovers.
The Thunder will take a 2-0 lead and a load of confidence and momentum into Game 3 on Saturday night at Target Center in Minneapolis.
“We’ve got to be desperate,” McDaniels said. “Every possession matters.”
NBA
Continued from page 1C
Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic, Antetokounmpo and Tatum were all first-teamers last season as well.
Second team
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is an AllNBA player for the 21st time in 22 seasons He made the second team. Also on the second team: Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, Cleveland’s Evan Mobley, Golden State’s Stephen Curry and New York’s Jalen Brunson. CurrymadeAll-NBAforthe 11th time, something only 21 players in NBA history have done. Edwards and Brunson aretwo-timeAll-NBAplayers, and Mobley made a team for the first time.
Third team Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, the Los Angeles Clippers’ James Harden, New York’s Karl-Anthony
ä Thunder at Timberwolves. 7:30 P.M.SATURDAy,ABC
One of the most discouraging developments for the Wolves from Game 2 was that they held the Thunder to 9-of-33 shooting from 3-point range and still lost by 15.
Deftly bucking the datadriven NBA trend away from midrange jumpers, the Thunder shot 63% on 2-pointers, many of them outside of the lane against a Wolves team that has established itself as big, fast and strong enough to consistently take away the rim and the perimeter
“We have to do just a better job of contesting that. We’re trying to take away a lot of things. They do a great job of getting into those spots,” said Mike Conley, who at plus-19 is the only net-positive player for the Wolves in the series.
The rest of the guards in their usual eight-man rotation have been badly outscored during their time on the court. Anthony Edwards is a minus-45, Donte DiVincenzo is a minus-47, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a minus-20.
Just as critical as tightening up the middle of their defense for the Wolves will be getting Randle going again. After averaging 24 points on 52% shooting over his first 11 games of the playoffs, including Game 1 of this series, his struggle against the Thunder’s intense ball pressure was so pronounced on Thursday that coach Chris Finch kept him on the bench for the entire fourth quarter
“Probably just standing and spectating too much,”
Towns and Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams were named to the third team. Harden is an eight-time selection, Towns is a three-time pick, Haliburton made a team for the second time and Cunningham and Williams both are All-NBA for the first time.
All 100 ballots
Eight players appeared on every ballot. Antetokounmpo, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic and Tatum all got 100 first-team votes. Mitchell got 61 first-team votes, 35 second-team and four third-team. Edwards got 11 first-team, 87 secondteam and two third-team. Curry got two first-team 68 second-team and 30 thirdteam. And Brunson got two first-team, 62 second-team and 36 third-team. James and Cunningham were on 99 of 100 ballots.
Giannis: People’s choice
For the eighth consecutive year, Antetokounmpo was listed on every All-NBA ballot. That’s the longest active run in the NBA. The last time an All-NBA
BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP tennis writer
PARIS Jannik Sinner
passed his first test back on tour after a doping ban — a run to last weekend’s final at the Italian Open, where his tennis felt good and looked good, and the statistics he studied afterward backed that up.
Now comes a whole new set of challenges for the 23-year-old Italian at the French Open, which begins Sunday: a crowd that could be pulling for his local opponents instead of for him; the extra rigors of best-of-five-set matches instead of best-of-three; the added pressure and importance of a major tournament.
“We have seen a couple of things where I can improve, and Grand Slams are just different. You have to be mentally ready Physically, too, trying to use the right energy It’s all about being consistent and solid,” Sinner said at a news conference at Roland-Garros on Friday
“Yeah,” he added. “Let’s see if I can do that.”
being investigated until an announcement that he was cleared shortly before the U.S. Open began in August.
The ruling accepted his explanation that two members of his team were to blame for accidentally exposing Sinner to the banned substance.
Randle said “I’ve got to get myself into actions, get myself on the move. We know what type of defense they are. They’re going to swarm you.”
Unfortunately for the Wolves, the Thunder got their wakeup call out of the way nearly three weeks ago when they wasted a 13-point lead midway through the fourth quarter and lost their second-round opener when Denver’s Aaron Gordon hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3 seconds left.
The Nuggets presented several defensive strategies that the Thunder ultimately figured out how to pivot away from on their way to winning the series in seven games.
The Wolves have done the same so far, emptying the playbook in an attempt to keep Gilgeous-Alexander’s slick-moving, smooth-shooting game in check and the role players from beating them beyond the arc.
But while the Wolves are superior defensively to the Nuggets, the Thunder used that experience to not practice the postseason art of quick adjustment and cut their teeth in some close games. They took plenty of tactical and mental momentum, into this matchup.
“We had our backs against the wall and had to respond multiple times in that series,” coach Mark Daigneault said. “And now we have a different challenge.
“We’re up 2-0 going into their place. We know they’re going to play very aggressively, hard, comfortably at home, and now we’ve got to have the mental toughness to go and rise to that challenge.”
ballot was sent to the league without Antetokounmpo’s name listed was 2017, when four of the 100 voters didn’t rank him among the league’s top players.
Since then: 799 ballots cast, 799 listing Antetokounmpo.
Jokic appeared on every All-NBA ballot for the fifth consecutive year; it would be six in a row if he hadn’t fallen one vote short of unanimous status in 2020. Jayson Tatum was on every All-NBA ballot for the fourth consecutive season.
LeBron: The first at 40
James is the first 40-yearold to make an All-NBA team — he turned 40 in December
James has 13 first-team appearances, four secondteam selections and four third-team nods. No other player has more than 15 All-NBA selections Kobe Bryant (11 first-team picks), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10 first-team picks) and Tim Duncan (10 first-team picks) are the other members of the 15-time club.
A year ago on the red clay in Paris, Sinner made it to the semifinals before blowing a two-sets-to-one lead and losing to his top rival, eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Despite that setback, Sinner rose to the top of the ATP rankings on the day after the French Open concluded, marking his first appearance at No. 1.
He’s still occupying that spot, maintaining his status even after not being allowed to play for three months while suspended. It was a unique case: After Sinner tested positive twice for a banned steroid in March 2024 — once at a tournament, once eight days later — no one knew he was
But the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed that exoneration, and Sinner agreed to serve a short ban that was timed in such a way as to allow him not to miss a Slam event or the Masters 1000 event held in his country Sinner has won three of the past five major trophies — two at the Australian Open, including this January, and at the U.S. Open last season and Alcaraz has grabbed the other pair in that span, at the French Open and Wimbledon in 2024.
“The goal (in Rome) was to win couple of matches, and I ended up in the final, which is a huge extra for me,” said Sinner, who was defeated by Alcaraz for the title there.
“Hopefully this can give me, then, some confidence for here in Paris.” His journey in the bracket will begin against a Frenchman, Arthur Rinderknech. Win that, and Sinner would face another player from the host country: Terence Atmane or Richard Gasquet, two wild-card recipients. Asked Friday about what sort of reception he expects from the spectators at Roland-Garros, as compared to in Italy, Sinner said: “It’s definitely going to be different. I know that.
“But I don’t think they have something against me. It’s right that they support the players who are from here.”
Last year’s runner-up to Alcaraz at the French Open, Alexander Zverev expects Sinner to be received warmly “Jannik is loved, and he will always be loved by tennis fans,” Zverev said, “so if I’m in his shoes, I’m not too worried about the crowd too much.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NATE BILLINGS
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pushes the ball up the floor against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
Jannik Sinner hits a shot back to Carlos Alcaraz during the Italian Open final on Sunday at the Foro Italico in Rome.
Texas Tech pitcher NiJareeCanadyscatteredthree hits ina 2-1win over Florida State to help theRed Raiders sweep Florida State in theTallahassee super regional on FridayinTallahassee, Fla.
nady scattered three hits for her second-straight complete game in less than 24 hours, pitching Texas Tech to its first Women’sCollege World Serieswith a2-1 win over Florida State on Friday After throwing atwo-hit shutout on Thursday night, Canady came back on Friday afternoon and blanked the fifth-seeded Seminoles until the seventh inning. Canady (30-5) walked her only batter of the game on fourpitches to lead off the top of the seventh. Michaela Edenfield followed with adouble to right center. Shelby McKenzie got the RBI with an infield chopper but Canady got the last two hitters to pop out tofirst basemanLauren Allred in foul territory The 12th-seeded Red Raiders (50-12) plated runs in thefirst, on asacrifice fly Alana Johnson, and in the fifth, on Demi Elder’ssingle up the middle. Both runs were unearned. FSU had four errors. Julia Apsel (12-2) tookthe loss for the Seminoles (49-12), Canady,the reigning National Player of the Year,transferred from Stanford, where she reached two WCWS, for areported $1 million in NIL money and promptly turned Texas Tech into acontender.She is oneofthree finalists for
LSU
Continued from page1C
relief appearance at LSU, the Tigers’ typical Saturdaystarter gave up aleadoff triple after theballgot past the dive of junior Chris Stanfield in center field.
But as he has on numerous occasions thisseason, Eyanson was able to get out of the jamwhile maintaining the Tigers’ lead.
He forced agroundout to third base that was initially ruled as an error on junior first baseman Jared Jones. But the call got reversed after LSU challenged the playand second baseman Ben Royo was called for runner’sinterference instead. Royo had clearly impeded Jones’ ability to catch senior thirdbaseman Michael Braswell’sthrow while running down the first base line. Eyanson cleanly fielded abunt for the second out beforegetting astrikeout and athunderous applause from the LSU faithful to end the inning. He then retired the side in order in the eighthbefore closing out the game in the ninth LSU’soffense started the night hot, scoring two runs in thefirst inning and two more in the third. JuniorEthan Frey hit adouble to right field to drive in theopening score before senior Luis Hernandez grounded out to shortstop to allow asecond run to come across and hand the Tigersa2-0 lead Frey’sprowess at the plate then continued in the third inning.He cracked atwo-run home run on an 0-2 count that doubled LSU’slead to four
Gramblingends Southern’s season with run-rule win
BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer
ChrisCrenshawhad to make a change on the mound.
Southern’sfourth-yearcoach tookout starting right-handed pitcher Kenneth Jackson, asophomore, afterheloadedthe bases in the fourth inning with only one out.
Junior righty Kiki Ford took his place, andonhis first pitch in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament,Grambling’s Trey Bridgesdelivered agrand slam
Bridges’ blast not only gave the Tigers aseven-run lead, but it alsoseemingly demoralized No. 7-seeded Southern, which wasn’t able to make ameaningful attempt at acomeback as itsseason came to an end.
TheJaguars were run-ruled, losing 16-2 in seven innings to archrival Grambling, theNo. 5 seed,onFriday at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. For thethird straight season, Southern (24-27) failed to reach theSWACchampionship game.
TheJaguars scored the first run in the first inning after JaylonLucky’sgrounder to the
ROUNDUP
thenational award again, sporting asub-1.00ERA.
No. 2OKLAHOMA 3, ALABAMA 0: In Norman,Oklahoma, KasidiPickeringhit atwo-run home runand SamLandry pitched acomplete game for Oklahoma and the Sooners beat Alabama in Game 1ofthe Norman super regional.
The Soonershavewon 17 consecutive games in super regional play.Landry (23-4),aULtransfer, allowed four hits with two walks, ahit-by-pitchand fivestrikeouts. Abigale Dayton drew alead-off walk in thethird and Pickering hit the next pitch over the wall in centerfield. JocelynBriski(17-13) gave up threerunsonsix hitsover fiveinnings forNo. 15 seed Alabama (40-22). TwoofOklahoma’s losses this season came against Alabama.
No. 3FLORIDA6,GEORGIA 1: In Gainesville, Florida, Reagan Walsh hita three-run homer in the first inning and Keagan Rothrock threw atwo-hitter to carry Florida over unseeded Georgia in the opening game of the Gainesville superregional.
Rothrock took ano-hitterinto thesixth,facing just onebatter over the minimum. She struck out seven, walked two and hit one batter.Ava Brownhit atwo-run
homer, her in seventh in thelast 11 games and 11th overall, and Kendra Falby had an RBI double.
OLE MISS 9, No. 4ARKANSAS 7: In Fayetteville, Arkansas, Ashton Lansdelldrove in three runs andOle Miss won its first super regional gameasArkansas stranded 13 runnersonbase. LexieBrady and Mackenzie Pickens doubled in runs in the third ahead of Lansdell’shome run. The start of thegame was moved up eight hours to avoid inclement weather No. 8SOUTH CAROLNA9,No. 9UCLA 2: In Columbia, South Carolina, Lexi Winters hada two-run home runin the first inning and drove in three runs, Sam Gressthrew three-plus innings of no-hit relief and South Carolina opened theColumbia super regional witharout.
Aleadoffwalkcame beforeWinters’ two-out blast to center field. Then Kaitlyn Terry (18-5) hita batter and Brooke Blankenship rippedanRBI double down the rightfield line. Arianna Rodi ropedatwo-run single in thesecond for the Gamecocks. AlexisRamierez andSophia Mujicahad RBI hits in the fourth for UCLA but Abigail Knight answered withatwo-run double in thefifth andand South Carolina wrapped it up with two runs in the sixth.Gress scattered four hitsin 31/3 innings.
Afterbeginning the year as a platoon player,Frey hasarguably beenLSU’sbest hitteroverthe last month. He’s 15 for 35 with four home runs and 12 RBIs overhis last nine games. Andersongot offtoaperfect to start forthe Tigers, retiring the first nine batters hefaced and recordingeightstrikeouts. ButAnderson ran intosome troublethe second time through theAggies’ order in thefourth. The first threebatters reached on awalk and two singles, resulting in arun thatcut LSU’slead to 4-1. The Aggies theneventually cut the Tigers’ advantage to two on asac-
rifice fly He got out of the inning with two more strikeouts to get up to 10 on the night before punching out another pair of Aggies in thefifth inning. However,the left-hander ran into more trouble in the sixth, surrendering two hitsand asacrifice fly thatscored arun and shrunk LSU’sadvantage to4-3. LSU will face OleMissinthe semifinals of theSEC Tournament on Saturday. The game will begin 30 minutes following the conclusion of Tennessee and Vanderbilt’s semifinalmatchup thatbegins at 10 a.m. Both games will be available to watch on SEC Network.
third base wasmishandled. They would add just one more run in the game and finish with four hits. Grambling starting pitcher Randy Reyes(3-4),agraduate student, was dominant. Reyes pitchedall seven innings, struck out four and allowed one earned run. The early mishap by Grambling (25-27) was not asign of things to come.
In the second inning, Jackson gave up four earned runs, including one after awild pitch. Southern gave up another fourrun inning after Jackson gave up asingle andhit two batters, with the last one resulting in his substitution after 31/3 innings pitched. On the other side, Grambling starting lefty pitcher Randy Reyes, agraduate student, was dominant. He pitchedall seven innings, struck out four and allowed four hits and one earned run.
Crenshaw had to go deep into hisbullpenashis teamplayed four relief pitchers.
Southern’sbatswerelargely quietafter athree-hit firstinning. Email Toyloy Brown III at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com.
MAJORLEAGUEBASEBALL
Ohtani to face hittersfor 1sttimeinpitchingrehab
BY MIKE FITZPATRICK AP baseball writer
NEW YORK Shohei Ohtani is scheduledtoface hitters Saturdayfor thefirst time in his recoveryfrom rightelbowsurgery
The two-waysuperstarwill throw live batting practice at CitiField before the Los AngelesDodgersplay theNew York Mets, manager DaveRoberts announced Friday
It’sthe next step for Ohtani as he works toward returning to the mound. He had surgery on Sept. 19, 2023, the second majoroperation on his right elbow since he arrived in the majors, and he hasn’tpitched in abig league game sinceAug. 23 that year for theLos Angeles Angels.
“It’s aprogression.Progress for Shohei,” Roberts said. “He doesn’ttip his hand very often, as far as emotions. But Idon’tsee howhecouldn’tfeel thatit’sstarting to becomemore realistic.”
Thereisnotarget date yet for Ohtani’spitching debut with the
Continued from page1C
So that’sthe downside.And that’sall Iwas goingtotalkabout until Ispoke withformer Pitt football playerChris Curdon Wednesday morning. Curd is the commissioner of the Pittsburgh FlagFootball League andexecutive director of the Pennsylvania FlagFootball Association.Heis also an international ambassador of the game, having just returned from an NFL-sponsored tripto Ghana to help grow thesport.
That’spart of the good side here: An NFL presence at the Olympicscould help grow whatisan extremely inexpensive and accessible sport worldwide, muchthe way theDream Team sparked an international basketball explosion.
“The Dream Team massacred everybody,but it lit afuse,” Curd says. “I think we’re onto football’sversion of that.” The NFL, of course, also benefits from apotential worldwide expansion of flagfootball, sparked by its players: More people becomeNFL fans, and that means more(and moreand more) money
Curd also said that sprinkling NFL players onto the U.S. team would be the best way to go, as opposed to completely stocking theteam with stars. We’ll see about that. I’mthinking the NFL —while limiting the number of professional players on the team —wouldn’twant to take any chances on getting upset on home soil in the biggest flag football event ever staged.
Dodgers, though expectations are it could come in July
“A lot of it is going to be contingent on how he’s feeling and then what the next step is,” Roberts said. “So, Idon’tthink anyone knows how the next couple months are going to go.”
Roberts wasn’tsure how many pitches Ohtani willthrow Saturday or which Los Angeles teammates he will face.
“I think that we’ve seen the bullpens for quite some time, so to see him going outthere and trying to get some major league hitters out, Ithink we’re all anxious forthat,” the manager said. Ohtani mixedinbreaking pitchesduring athrowing session Tuesday for the first time in his rehabilitation program. Before that, the right-hander had been limited to fastballs and splitters.
“The stuff looks good. It’seasy 94,95(mph)coming outofhis hand. It’s areally good throw,” Roberts said. “I think we’re all anxious to see how it looks to hitters.”
Curd agrees there, saying, “You don’twant to sell something this hard and then not win.”
Andthat bringsupanother point:Bymakingone playerfrom each team available, theleague actually is giving other countries achancetohaveanNFL playeror twoontheir team —and in a5-on5game, even oneguy could make ahuge difference.
Imagine if Nelson Agholor and several other NFL players of Nigeriandescent decided to play for Nigeria. Canada also could field an interesting team with players such as Josh Palmer, Chuba Hubbard and Chase Claypool (who could perform afirstdown celebration as Canada tries to execute alast-minute drive).
“Those guys that have international ties or citizenship opportunities to play foranother country,it’snodifferent than when Sidney Crosby plays for Canada and Victor Wembanyama for France,” Curd says. “And countries will have afew years to rampupfor this.”
Right,soI’m thinking places such as China might takethis very seriously andput together ateam with, say, an Olympic sprinter as itspass rusher(Curd tells me speed is the keythere,not strength, sincethere is no blocking). In other words, it probably won’t be the U.S. against a YMCA team forgold. It might be something quite different. Something much better,with asport the NFLsays already is played by 20 million people across 100 countries.
I’mnot sure anyNFL team will want to send asuperstar to L.A., but Curd sold me on thegeneral idea.
NFL
STAFF FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU pitcher AnthonyEyanson delivers apitch against Arkansas in the second inning of their game on May10atAlex Box Stadium.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By COLINEBRALEy
Sold-out Indy 500 packed with drama
BY JENNA FRYER
AP auto racing writer
INDIANAPOLIS There has been so much drama ahead of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 that Kyle Larson’s attempt to complete the 1,100-mile NASCAR double doesn’t even crack the top attention-getters. Roger Penske’s credibility was tested this week and he fired the top three executives of his IndyCar team because the cars of two-time defending race winner Josef Newgarden and Will Power failed inspection. The team had modified a spec safety part — something IndyCar insists provided no competitive advantage and it forced Penske to act.
The second major infraction in just over a year at Team Penske put The Captain’s reputation at stake. He owns his team but also IndyCar, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500 — the most important race in the world to him, and one that the 88-year-old Penske has won a record 20 times.
“We had an organizational failure not once but two times. It hurts me in my gut,” Penske told new TV partner Fox Sports. “There’s a certain amount of credibility you have to have. We let people down. We’ll move on and our goal is to win the race.” The grandstands are sold out for the first time since 2016 and the Indy 500 is slated to run hours before the Indiana Pacers host Game 3 of the Eastern Conference
finals a few miles away The speedway is expecting 350,000 people will attend
“The downside is that most of the talk going into our biggest race of the year is about that,” 2008 Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon said of the Team Penske scandal “There’s so many cool stories going into it.”
What about the Penske cars?
The three Team Penske cars did not participate in the final day of qualifying. Scott McLaughlin crashed earlier that day, before Newgarden and Power were disqualified, and his car did not have the illegally altered piece on it.
McLaughlin will start 10th and is motivated to help Penske repair the team image. Newgarden, seeking to become the first driver to win Indy in three consecutive years, will start 32nd and Power in the final spot following the penalties.
No driver has ever won from the last row but Newgarden believes it can be done. The field won’t be surprised
“The Penskes are freaking missiles,” O’Ward said. “It’s going to be fun watching Josef carve his way through traffic.”
O’Ward’s takeover
The Mexican driver has become IndyCar’s superstar, and he has twice had his heart broken at Indy with runner-up finishes. O’Ward’s
third-place starting position is the best of his career and momentum for a victory has been building. His energy vibrates around the speedway where his purchasing of a bomber jacket at the infield merchandise tent caused the item to sell out online and boost Indianapolis-brand Homefield to a national level. There were only five jackets, all size XL, still available Friday morning.
O’Ward also got the Indiana Dairy Association to bring a cow to the speedway Friday so he could milk it a rookie tradition at the Indy 500 that he missed because his first appearance was during the pandemic.
“We need more guys like Pato in NASCAR,” said Larson, his Arrow McLaren teammate at Indy
Hole in the resume
Alex Palou has won four of the first five IndyCar races this season but has flown under the radar this month. The Spaniard will start sixth. His best finish is second and he’s been inside the top nine the last four years.
Palou is the two-time reigning IndyCar champion and has three titles in the last four years. He admitted if he never wins the Indy 500, his career would not be complete — and the 14-race winner has yet to earn a victory on an oval.
“In that race, you don’t think about the championship at all,” Palou said.
“A third place is not good enough. A second place is not good enough. It’s only first that counts.”
BY DAVE SKRETTA AP sportswriter
INDIANAPOLIS Give the Borg-Wiener Trophy at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to the Wienermobile affectionately known as Slaw Dog.
In a down-to-the-wire race among the six iconic Wienermobiles that serve as goodwill ambassadors for Oscar Mayer the hot dog-on-wheels representing the Southeast proved to be the big dog on Carb Day ahead of Sunday’s running of the Indianapolis 500. It made a dramatic pass of the Wienermobile repping Chicago at the finish line to win the inaugural Wienie 500 on Friday
The margin was about a half a bun.
“You are standing in a moment in hot dog history right now,” Sarah Oney, who was co-piloting the
Wienermobile representing New York with Connor Wolff, told The Associated Press. “This is the first-ever time we have honestly had all six Wienermobiles together and especially at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”
It was the definition of a wiener-take-all race, too: The driver and co-pilot of the No. 3 dog, who managed to roast the rest of the Wienermobiles on a cool, sunny afternoon, got to stick around for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500.
The Wienermobiles have been around since 1936 as a promotional vehicle for Oscar Mayer — not to be confused with Louis Meyer, the first three-time winner of the Indy 500 They travel around the country logging about 20,000 miles annually, though none were probably as important to
the hotdoggers on board as the 5 miles they drove on Friday Oney and Wolff jumped into the lead when the green flag flew at the historic yard of bricks, and the six Wienermobiles slowly picked up speed until they reached about 65 mph. They were right in each other’s grills down the backstretch, and swapped the lead among themselves several times until the second of two laps, when the No. 4 dog led the field out of Turn 2. That’s when smoke began pouring from its rear, and that dog was cooked. The
The governor’spress room at the state Capitol transforms into asacredspace of praise, prayer andpreaching on Mondays during legislative sessions. For the second consecutive year,pastors Michael and Tara Wicker,ofLighthouse Christian Fellowship Church in Baton Rouge, are leading an inspiring series of weekly worship services on the Capitol’s fourth floor,mere steps away from Gov.Jeff Landry’soffice. The nine scheduled gatherings from 3:30 p.m. to 5p.m. started with the opening of this year’s legislative session on April 14 and will culminate on June12.
“One of the things that is most important to me is seeing Democrats, Republicans, Blacks, Whites coming together in that room with just one agenda: We needprayer.Weneed covering,” said Tara Wicker, the formerlongtime member of the Baton Rouge Metro Council. “It’sopen to anyone who is a part of that agenda.”
The service includes adiverselineup of speakers from across the state, live music and acomplimentary meal.
“Wetry to keep it areally mixed crowd and just let them know that we’re not goingto be segregatedinheaven,”
Michael Wicker said. “It’snot going to be aRepublican side of the hall and aDemocratic side of the hall; it’sgoing to be all about God. It’snot aboutbeing across party lines so much, but to really look at the heart of people and bring people together the way God wants to bring people together.It’s beautiful to see.”
Added Tara Wicker,“There’s always really great worship. There’salways an on-time word about connection andengagement. So it’sjust aperfect opportunity for people who want to have asafe place that they can come and worship and come and serve God.”
Al Moore, the pastor of Westgate Church in Port Allen, was honored this year to serve as one of the speakers.His message was titled “Lord, Revive Our Zeal” and encouraged attendees to embrace the zeal that God providesto speak on his behalf.
“Wehave this zeal to cause God’splan and purposetotake place in theearth,” Moore said. “It’sGod on the inside of us. It’saneagerness, excitement, adetermination, apassion,an enthusiasm, awitness,adevotion, afervor.” The speakers bring their worship bands or music and are encouraged to invite their church members.
“Welike it to be aflavor of what’sgoing on in their church service,” Tara Wicker said “Wehave different types of worship, and we want to be able to bring that into the Capitol house and get atasteof Louisiana from pastors.”
Tara Wicker expects to have aprominent national figure to conclude the worship services on June 12.
“Weusually use that as a culminating event to kind of celebrate the sacrifice of the ministers and intercessors and the people who have been there —and also to use it as alaunching pad to encourage people to stay involved and be connected in the next season,” shesaid The Louisiana worship services were established through
WOOD YOU BELIEVEIT?
His firstpassion wassports. Becauseofhis mom, this BatonRouge artist hashis ownstudio.
BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer
When Mitch Evans was young, his world revolved around football andbaseball. Though his mom supported his first love, theart teacher in her knew he needed to be morewell-rounded.
“I wasa typical12- or 13-year-old kidthat just loved football and loved baseball —mylife revolved around thosetwo sports,” Evanssaid. “One dayshe said,‘Hey, youknowwhat?
If you want to eat this week, if you want me to cook meals for you, I’m taking you out of your little comfort zone of football and baseball, and I’m taking you to an art class.’”
Beganwithart class
Looking back now,Evans pinpointsthat summerasthe beginning of hisown journey as an artist, one that’sled to his solo show,“Son of aSlovenian: Out of Sloveniana,” in the Manship Theatre’sJones Walker Gallery
The exhibit runs through Aug. 7in the gallery’shome at the Shaw Centerfor theArts, 100Lafayette St., Baton Rouge, and features 16 pieces of Evans’wood and resin pieces
This is what Evansdoesfor a living now.It’sbeen lucrative, but he’sthe first to admit thatthis wasn’this original life plan.
Of course, his motherbelieved differently,which is why he honors her Slovenianheritage by referring to himself as “Son of aSlovenian and his studio as “Sloveniana.” No, this isn’tatypobut acombination of Slovenia andLouisiana. Evansconsidershis art aproduct of both, though his family was living in Washington, D.C., at the time his mom started sending him
“Quite often, you startoff with abeautiful block of wood, and to create the final shape that you’re lookingfor,you have to subtract so much wood. … I finally made adecision to trysomething different and startexperimenting with a wood-resin process.”
MITCH EVANS
to artclasses. His dad later landed ajob in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, which eventually placed Evans in Baton Rouge, where he would marry,have two sons and become acontractor
Fascinationwithwoodgrain
Thencame his fascination with wood and its grains. The interest was sparkedinthe early 2000s, whilecutting down abeechtree with achainsaw to build atreehouse forhis sons.
BelovedBRbookstore opensnew location
OwnersJames and Tere Hyfield stand inside the newlocation for Red StickReads on Government Street in Baton Rouge.
BY SERENA PUANG Staff writer
STAFFPHOTO By ROBIN MILLER
Mitch Evans often findsthe wood for his artpieces in the Atchafalaya Swamp. He primarily works with pecky cypress.
PROVIDED PHOTOFROMMITCH EVANS
Mitch Evans stands in his Sloveniana Studio in
Upgradeyourdigital defense
Dear Heloise: Please tell your readers to be very careful about clicking “unsubscribe” in emails. We’ve all heard not to click anywhere insidean unsolicited email, and this includes the “unsubscribe” link. Youshould only click on alink if you’re sure that the email is from alegitimate source. You’re better off managing unwanted emails through the use of filters and rules
in your emailprogram. It takesalittle longertoset up arule, but you’re not exposing your device to malware. —MaryD., in Tucson, Arizona
them up and serve them along with your regular meals
Hints from Heloise
Veganvariety
Dear Heloise: Ihave ahint aboutprovidingvegan foods at aparty:Using aslow cooker,makelargequantities of vegan main dishesin advance andfreeze them. Then it’ssimple to warm
Addasalad and fruit for dessert, and there you are! Tofu is good to have on hand, as well as various beans, nuts, vegetable broth, mushrooms, and fresh, frozen or canned veggies.You might ask your vegan guestsfor alist of foods they like. —A., in Shepherdstown,West Virginia
Send ahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.
BOOKSTORE
Continued from page1D
games and more.
When it isn’trented out, the owners hope it’ll be a spacefor people to sit, read or study
As with any move, Red Stick Reads co-owners James and Tere Hyfield are still workinginphases to make the space feel like
MATTERS
Continued from page1D
aconnection between the Wickers and James Buntrock, apastor and executive director of the Houstonbased organizationMyGod Votes. The nonprofit, faithbased organizationaims to empower Christianstotake an active role in “government processes.”
After hearing Michael Wicker pray at ameeting afew years ago, Buntrock recognized his potential to facilitate My God Votes services in Louisiana. The group started in Texas before expanding to statehouses in Oklahoma and then Louisiana.
“The thing Ilike about My God Votes is that God really does vote because he uses people,” said Michael Wicker,who accepted the task after getting confirmation about aweek later through aprophet during a crusade.
Last year,the Louisiana services were held in a space provided by Attorney General Liz Murrill before
home.Phase two, James Hyfield said, is to work on outdoorseating,buy trailing plantsand maybe commission amural forthe exterior of thebuilding. He also wants to bring back the used books section andblinddatewithbooks. They’re actively working on getting permitting and inspections squaredaway for acoffee/tea bar and hope to have everything forthataspect of the shop completed
moving to the press room this year
“Werecognize that we still have limited space even in that location,” Tara Wicker said She said Buntrock has been amazed at thelevel of enthusiastic response from people across partylines.
“Wedidn’treally have an explanation.Wejust say it’s all God.That’show we gothere,” she said.“We’ve been an anomaly.”
Tara Wicker noted thatit’s been revealingthatlegislators’ prayer requests have focused on personal matters likefamily and peace rather than aspecificbill.
“It’sgreat to have godly policies and pray for that,” she said. “But those legislators —and being aformer elected official —I know what the pressure is of having to make decisions thatatsome point impact the livesofpeople. And that’salot of pressure without having prayer coverage.”
As bi-vocational pastors, MichaelWicker said the legislative worship services during thenine weeksof the session are asacrifice
When canfriendsand family usedoorcode?
Dear Miss Manners: Our houseuses an electronic door code instead of akey and lock. Ourrelatives know thecode, from times when they needed to access our home without us there —for instance, picking up supplies for us while we were in the hospital, or getting to thehouse before us for adinner when the weather was bad.
comes down andenters the room? Is it gender-specific? Say, the man comesdownstairs andthe woman is alreadythere, or viceversa?Or does thatevenmatter?
by theend of the month.
“Westill havea lotof dreams,”said Tere Hyfield. On May 24, RedStick Reads will host itsfirst authorevent in the new location.Local middlegrade author, Sarah Guillory,will visit the store and sign copies of her new book, “Gus and Glory.”
Email Serena Puang at serena.puang@ theadvocate.com.
that is well worth it for him and his wife. The Baton Rouge natives appreciate theopportunitytocontinue engaging in ministry as a family,including their six children.
Family is first and foremost, thecouple emphasized.
“For us to stay together and be an example and model of importance and stabilityofthe family to us, that is huge,”she said. “We don’ttake that lightly.We trytomake sure that example resonates in everything we do.
The high school sweetheartshave been married for more than 30 years.
“It meansa lot as aBlack family to stand before our community,especially, and be an example of how God really wants to use thefamily,” said Michael Wicker,who started Lighthouse Christian Fellowship Church in 2014. “We’ve got to be involved and engaged on all levels, but even more so spiritually.”
ContactTerry Robinson at terryrobinson622@gmail. com.
Judith Martin
MISS MANNERS
Outside of times such as those,when is it acceptable for them to usethe code?
Gentle reader: No time. Because they then transform from helpful relatives to scary intruders.
Dear Miss Manners: If someone comes downstairs in themorning, who should be theone to say “hello” (or “good morning,” etc.) first: theone already downstairs, or theone who
Gentle reader: It does not. There is no hierarchy to saying “good morning.” Ratheritis the responsibility of the first onewho notices the otherand preferably makes eyecontact Surprise greetings from behind whenone is making hotcoffee or bacon is not, Miss Manners assures you, as cute as youmay think.
DearMissManners: Iwas at work andIhad to go to the washroom in ahurry Ihappentohaveashy bladder.
Acolleague of mine notone I’m particularly closeto— stood outside
my stall andstarted telling me in detail about her latest medical issuesand prescriptions. Icould notproduce. This was extremely irritating. Ihad to wait until she finally left. Why do people do that? Seems to me silenceis goldenina public washroom, andprivacy is the orderofthe day. How would you have handled the situation?
Gentle reader: By saying, “Sorry,I’m having trouble hearing you. Iwill be betterequippedtolisten when Iamfinishedin here.”
Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www.missmanners. com; to heremail, dearmissmanners@gmail. com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.
STAFF PHOTO By HILARySCHEINUK
The newbuilding housing Red Stick Reads is almost twice the sizeofthe old location on Eugene Street.
Andascaptivating as the woodgrainwas, Evans wouldn’tturn it into art until 2013
“I was looking for something to supplement my incomeasacontractor,and Idid home remodeling for alongtime,” Evans said “ThenIstarted turning wood with lathe.”
It washerethatEvans beganincorporating the skills he learned while attending summer camps at the Arrowmont School of Arts andCrafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. These camps, of course, werehis mother’s doing. She sent him there for fourconsecutivesummers to learn avariety of art mediums. Working with alathe was one of them, and Evans used the skill to make what he estimateswere “thousands of bowls.”
“I finally got to apoint where it just was not checking all the boxes,” he said. “I was standing there watching wood flying off in ribbons and whatnot.Quite often, you start off with abeautiful block of wood, and to create thefinal shapethatyou’re looking for,you have to subtract so much wood.” Evans knew there hadto be something more than subtraction. He wanted to add the wood into something meaningful —something that showed the beautyhe sees in nature
“I finally made adecision to try something different and startexperimenting with a wood-resinprocess,” he said. “Now,working with resinis not something Iinvented. People have been working with itfor along time, but most are using an epoxy resin, which is very clear.” Evans’ resin, however isn’tclear.It’salso filled with bubbles,whichisanono among resin artists.
“But it just happenedto be the first resin that Itried in theexperimental process,” he said. “At first, I was freaking out, becauseI couldn’t getrid of the bubbles. But after making four or five pieces, Iembraced the bubbles.”
Resin fillsbackground
The resin fills the background behind the nature and Louisiana-themed scenes depictedthrough woodgrain in Evans’ pieces. None are titled, buteach is recognizable its ownway
Apiece Evans simply refers to as “the swamp bird” could easily be interpreted as agreat blue heron or egret. The inspiration for this, no doubt, comes from his many boat rides in the Atchafalaya Swamp in search of driftwood and piecesofcypress.
Pecky cypress, with its fungus-carvedholes, is his favorite.
“It’ssofragile because of the fungus, which gives
RELIGION
FROM STAFFREPORTS
Anointing of the Sick at St. Joseph
St. Joseph Cathedral, 401 Main St., Baton Rouge, will offer the Anointing of the Sick on Sunday following the 10:30 a.m. Mass. Catholics who are ill, preparing for surgeryor seeking spiritual healing are invited to receive the sacrament, whichincludes prayers, anointing with the Oil of the Sick and ablessing with relics of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos. The sacrament will be administered by the Rev.J Cary Bani, cathedral rector.This rite typically takes place after the 10:30 a.m Mass on the last Sunday of each month. For more information, contact CathedralPastoral Services at (225) 387-5928 or office@cathedralbr.org. Bible Institute ceremonies The St. John Bible Institute 2024-25 Graduationand RecognitionProgram will take place 11 a.m.Saturday June 7, at Mt. Pilgrim Family Life Center,9700 Scenic Highway,Baton Rouge. The speaker will be Dr Gil H. Wright, New Light Missionary Baptist Church. For more info,call(225) 774-1468.
By The Associated Press
Today is Saturday, May 24, the 144th day of 2025. There are 221 days leftinthe year
Todayinhistory:
On May 24, 2022, an 18-year-old gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 children and two teachers. The gunman, Salvador Ramos, aformerstudent at the school, was also killed. It was the deadliest shooting at aU.S. elementary school since the 2012 attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
On this date:
Facebook page under his name, Mitch Evans, but most prospectivebuyersget to know him and his work at art fairs throughout the country.It’shere where he makes one-on-one contacts, where people not only make purchasesbut commission special pieces.
All of which sends Evans back intothe swamptoseek out more wood, then into the studio to make something out of it.
In 1844, Samuel F.B. Morse transmitted the message “What hath God wrought” from Washington to Baltimore as he formally opened America’s first telegraph line.
In 1883, New York’s Brooklyn Bridge, at the timethe world’slongest suspension bridge, opened to traffic.
In 1935, thefirst Major League Baseballgame to be playedatnight took place at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field as theReds beat thePhiladelphia Phillies, 2-1.
Security Act of 1935. In 1941, during World WarII, the German battleship Bismarck sank the British battle cruiser HMS Hood in the North Atlantic, killing all but three of the 1,418 men on board. (The Bismarck would be sunk by British battleships three days later.)
In 1962, astronaut Scott Carpenter becamethe second American to orbit the Earth as he flew aboard the Aurora 7spacecraft. In 1974, American jazz composer and bandleader Duke Ellington, 75, died in NewYork.
it no structural integrity,” Evanssaid.“Butit’ssome of themost stunningwood I’ve ever worked with. I’ll find bits and pieces of it floating in the water,and it’s justfascinating.”
Alongprocess
Evans’ estimated process time is between 10and 14 days fora single piece.
“It’s really hard to put a time stamp on it,”Evans said.“First, youhavetofind the wood, and you have to lay it out andlet it dryand cure for whatever length of time is necessary.And when it’sready to go,I’m cutting everything in uniform, quarter-inch pieces.
Onceheshapes the wood into his envisioned image, he glues it on aplywood backer board then begins fillingin
thebackground with either white or black resin.
“I have some proprietary techniques, but Idon’t tell anyone what theyare,”he said. That makessense, as Evans’ entireprocessisselftaught witheach step developed through trialand error After all of thatwork, why divulge the secrets of his trade?
And make no mistake, his artwork hasbecomehis trade. His work is in such demand that he gave up contracting to work fulltime in his Sloveniana studio.
Even more surprising,especially in the digital age, Evans’internet presence is minimal.
He hasanInstagram page under thehandle @sonofaslovenianand a
Would this have happened if he hadn’tbeen the son of a Slovenian? Who knows?
But Evansdoes know, without adoubt, the Slovenian put him on the right path.
Email Robin Millerat romiller@theadvocate.com.
In 1937, in apair of rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Social
In 1994, four Islamic extremists convicted of bombing New York’s World Trade Center in 1993 were each sentenced to 240 years in prison. Today’sbirthdays: Comedian Tommy Chong is 87. Musician Bob Dylanis84. Actor Gary Burghoff is 82. Singer Patti LaBelle is 81. Actor Priscilla Presley is 80. Actor Jim Broadbent is 76. Cinematographer Roger Deakins is 76. Actor Alfred Molina is 72. Musician Rosanne Cash is 70. Actor Kristin Scott Thomas is 65. Author Michael Chabon is 62. Basketball Hall of Famer Joe Dumars is 62. Actor John C. Reilly is 60. Basketball Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady is 46.
PROVIDED PHOTO By MITCH EVANS
The imageofanoctopus is the main focus of this wood-and-resin artwork by Baton Rouge artist Mitch Evans. The piece is not featured in his current solo showatthe Manship Theatre’sJones Walker Gallery, butitshows the versatility of his work.
STAFF PHOTO By ROBINMILLER Mitch Evans referstothis piece simply as ‘swamp bird.’He intentionally does not title his pieces, leaving that to the eventual buyers. This piece is featured in his solo showin theManship Theatre’s Jones Walker Gallery.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) It's up to you to make things happen. Step up, take responsibility and stop second-guessing your every move. Uncertainty will lead to mistakes. Observe,size up your situation and talk to experts.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Spend more time on self-improvement and less time trying to change others. When something doesn't feel right, do what you can to fix it. Protect against health risks.
LEO(July23-Aug.22) Set your sights on what you want to achieve, and don't stop until you reach your destination. Check out available resources that can raise your profile or qualifications.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept.22) Embrace the future with enthusiasm and the willingness to try something new and exciting. Search for fun things to do that don't breakthebank.Engageinoutdooractivities.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Put everything in perspective before you proceed. You will encounter false information, making verification necessary if you want to implement new plans. Protect and nurture meaningful relationships.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Achange will help you see your options clearly and encourage you to hit the reset button and start something new. Discuss your concerns and intentions withsomeone you trust.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Stick with what and who you know. Put your energy into partnerships and joint ventures, whichwillhelpyouloweryouroverhead.
Learn from experience and reconsider how you want to use your skills.
CAPRICORN (Dec.22-Jan.19) Look for alternativeoptions.Meetinginthemiddlewill help keep the peace and allow you the freedom to engageinevents andactivities that bring you joy. Take responsibility for your happiness.
AQUARIUS(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Consider your spending habits and lock in to abudget and routine you can easily afford. Lowering debt will ease stress and help you save for something meaningful. Pool your resources and engage in joint ventures.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Push forward and don't look back. Asteady pace and a clear vision regarding what you want to achieve will help you bring about positive change and eliminate what is dragging you down.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Take control and use your talents, voice and connections tohelpbringaboutpositivechange.Don't let the small stuff get in your way. An adjustmenttohow you earn or handle your money looks promising.
TAURUS(April 20-May 20) Change your mind as often as necessary until you feel comfortable. It's your life, so don't allow anyone the option to speak or decide for you. Collect your thoughts and give your all.
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with 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 samenumber 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
NeilArmstrong,inagraduationspeech at the University of Southern California in 2005, said, “I hope you becomecomfortable with the use of logic without being deceived into concluding that logic will inevitably lead you to the correct conclusion.”
At the bridge table, the use of logic should lead to the correct conclusion.
In today’sdeal,South is in three notrump. West leads the heart seven: nine, ace, eight. What should East do next?
First, let’shaveEastcheck thehighcard points —our theme for theweek.
South showed 15 to 17, dummy has 10, and East holds nine. That leaves four to sixpoints for West.
Next, it is common in no-trump to return partner’s lead, and many players wouldlead back the heart jack without further thought. Here, South would gallophome with at least one overtrick. East shouldalsoread the lead; what can he learn about his partner’s heart holding?
“But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all thesethings shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C. PiCKles
GREENCRESTDR THEESTATEOFHOWARDH ADAMS, JR;ALTHEAJACKSON 10312 BIRCHWOOD DR CARRIET MCCOY 10426 ZERLEE ST CARL THIERRY 1144 STILTST DAVIDD.KINCHEN 4918 SHELLEYST WILVER F. OSORIO 9158 TRACYAVE TONY T. DO 5161 EBROOKSTOWNDR 555 RABBITPROPERTIES, LLC 141770-May19-25, 7t $3,700
ADMINISTRATIVE NURSINGFACULTY -SIMULATION [INSTRUCTORORASSISTANTPROFESSOR] NursingSchool-Administration LSUHealthNew OrleansSchool of Nursingisseekinga highly motivated individual to join ourfaculty as aschool of nursing excellencewithinanacade‐michealthsciencescenterenviron‐ment.Our nursingfaculty have theop‐portunity to educatefuturenursesat theBSN,MN/MSN, DNSand DNPlevel includingstate-of-art simulation labo‐ratories;conduct nursing & interdisci‐plinaryresearch; engage in faculty practice,including ournurse-run clin‐ics; pursue entrepreneurialand con‐sultativeactivities; andserve as anurs‐ingleaderand developmentofleader‐ship skillsthrough ourEmergentNurse Leader Program.Weinviteyou to sub‐mityourcurriculumvitae forthe fol‐lowing facultyposition: Simulation Faculty. Incumbentwillprovide in‐structionaland technicalsupport for theday-to-dayoperationsinthe human simulation educationallabora‐tories at ourOff Campus Instructional Site:Baton Rouge, under thedirection of ourNursing Skills& Technology Cen‐ter; support allclinicallearninglab and simulatedpatient care learning experi‐encestosuccessfully complete evi‐dence-basedlearningopportunities in simulatedpatient care environments This position is locatedatour ‘Off Cam‐pusInstruction Site:Baton Rouge’ in BatonRouge,LA. MinimumQualifications •Master'sDegreeinNursing or related field; DoctorateDegreerequiredfor As‐sistantProfessor •Abilitytoeffectively manage ahighly complexand high pacedlaboratoryen‐vironmentwithcareful attentiontode‐tailsand safety;Knowledge of com‐puterhardwareand software applica‐tionsrelevanttosimulation& learning labs;Ability to collaborate
[Off-CampusInstructional Site: BatonRouge]School of Nursing LSUHealthNew OrleansSchool of Nursingisseekinga highly motivated individual to join ourfaculty as aschool of nursing excellencewithinanacade‐michealthsciencescenterenviron‐ment.Our nursingfaculty have theop‐portunity to educatefuturenursesat theBSN,MN/MSN, DNSand DNPlevel includingstate-of-the-art simulation laboratories;conduct nursing &inter‐disciplinary research;engageinfac‐ulty practice,including ournurse-run clinics; pursue entrepreneurialand consultative activities;and serveas a nursing leader anddevelopment of leadership skillsthrough ourEmergent NurseLeaderProgram.Weinviteyou to submit your curriculum vitaefor the followingteachingpositions:Adult Health,MentalHealth, MedicalSurgi‐cal, Pediatrics,Community Health,Pri‐mary Care (FNP), andWomen’s Health Full-time[1.00FTE]
This position is locatedatour ‘Off Cam‐
pusInstruction Site:Baton Rouge’ in BatonRouge,LA.
PreferredQualifications •Doctorate •Candidatespursuinga career in Nurs‐ingResearch •AdvancedPracticeCertification (APRN)
To applytothisposting,click on the followinglink: https://lsuhsc.peopleadmin.com/ postings/19621
Comprehensivebenefitsare available to eligible employeesand theirdepen‐dentsincluding health,life, dental,and vision insurance; flexible spending ac‐counts; retirement plans; generous an‐nualand sick leave; 14 paid holidays per year;and an employee health primary care clinic.See following link formore detailsonour benefits offerings: https://www.lsuhsc.edu/administration/ hrm/benefits-about.aspx
Otheremployeebenefitsinclude afullservicecreditunion,wellnessbenefits featuringcomplimentary fitnesscen‐termembershipfor employees and theirspouses,employeeassistance program,campusassistance program andpet insuranceoption. More infor‐mation aboutthese benefits canbe foundonthiswebpage: https://www.lsuhsc.edu/administration/ hrm/addtlbenefits.aspx
Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of GraylinJackson andShirley Mae Williams Jacksonpleasecontact Atty.BenjaminBeychok at (225) 9060050. 142454-5/24-25-26-3t $97.00
Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of Isaac HenryMason Please contactAtty.BenjaminBeychok at (225) 906-0050. 142457-5/24-25-26-3t $85.00
Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of JamesGibbs,Jr.,registeredagent forThe RedTable,LLC,isrequested to contactAttorney RaushanahS Hunter in referencetoa pending legalmatterat(225) 356-5252. 142481-May24-26, 3t $109
Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of Nathan Thomas Gray III and Nathan Thomas Gray Jr please contactAtty.BenjaminBeychok at (225) 906-0050. 142446-5/24-25-26-3t $97.00
Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of RalphCarterpleasecontact Atty Benjamin Beychokat(225) 906-0050. 142450-5/24-25-26-3t $73.00
Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of RERO Acquisitions VLLC please contactAtty.BenjaminBeychok at (225) 906-0050. 142449-5/24-25-26-3t $85.00
Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of Rooseveltand WilhelmeniaGreen Thompson please contactAtty Benjamin Beychokat(225) 906-0050. 142424-May24-26, 3t $85
To applytothisposting,click on the followinglink: https://lsuhsc.peopleadmin.com/ postings/19623
Comprehensivebenefitsare available to eligible employeesand theirdepen‐dentsincluding health,life, dental,and vision insurance; flexible spending ac‐counts; retirement plans; generous an‐nualand sick leave; 14 paid holidays per year;and an employee health primary care clinic.See following link formore detailsonour benefits offerings: https://www.lsuhsc.edu/administration/ hrm/benefits-about.aspx Otheremployeebenefitsinclude afullservicecreditunion ellnessbenefits
LSUHealthNew Orleansseekscandi‐dateswho will contribute to aclimate wherestudents, faculty, andstaff of all identities andbackgroundshaveequi‐tableaccessand successopportuni‐ties.Asanequal opportunityemployer we welcomeall to applywithout regard to race,color,religion, age, sex, na‐tional origin,physicalormentaldisabil‐ity, genetics,protected veteranstatus, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,orany othercharacteristic protectedbyfederal,state,orlocal laws.LSU Health NewOrleans is also designated as aState As aState As a ModelEmployer(SAME)agencyand provides assistance to personsneed‐ingaccommodationsorwiththe ac‐cessibility of materials.Forthose seek‐ingsuchaccommodationsorassis‐tancerelated to this search,weencour‐ageyou to contactthe Office of Human Resource Management (HRMADA@ lsuhsc.edu)
youtocon‐tact theOffice of HumanResource Management(HRMADA@lsuhsc.edu)
for this grantinclude active registered non-profitor‐ganizations, educational institutions,faith-based organizations, andbusi‐nesseslocated in Louisiana. ApplicationProcess Applications aretobe submittedonlinethrough theofficial grantportal at brla.gov/grantportal Thedeadlinefor submis‐sion is 5PMonJune 9, 2025. Forany inquiriesregard‐ingthisNOFAguidance, please submit questions to OCD@brla.gov by June 5, 2025. Responseswillbe provided by June 8, 2025. We arededicated to en‐suring accessibilityin compliance with the AmericanswithDisabili‐ties Act(ADA) anden‐courageapplicants re‐quiringaccommodations to contactour office We eagerlyanticipate your innovative propos‐alsand appreciate your dedication to enhancing ourcommunity.For fur‐ther assistance,contact theOffice of Community DevelopmentatOCD@ brla.gov or call (225) 3893039. 142275-may24-1t $58.07
of third-partycybersecu‐rity expertsand coordi‐natedwithlaw enforce‐ment.The company has sincetaken stepstoen‐hancethe security of its systems. TCHN is notifyingrele‐vant patients andhas arranged to provide them with complimen‐tary credit monitoring andidentityprotection services.Patientswho receivea letter from TCHN aboutthisissue should refertothe letter foradditional informa‐tion andinstructions. Affected patients may contactTCHN regarding this matter at (833) 9187200, toll-free, Monday throughFridayfrom8am to 8pmCentral Time (ex‐cludingmajor U.S. holi‐days). Be prepared to provideengagement numberB144052. 142384-may24-1t $201.53
PERCYKeith STEWART,have been convictedof14:80
I, BryanAvery Dukes akaGlobe Dukes,have been convictedof14:81 -IndecentBehavior with Juveniles. Date Convicted: 1/7/2013. My Addressis: 5087 Bueche RdPortAllen, LA 70767, West Baton Rouge Parish
PUBLIC NOTICE SantaRosaPartnersLPis applying to theLouisiana HousingCorporation for 9% Low-Income Housing TaxCredits underthe 2025 housingcreditceil‐ing. Theproposedpro‐ject,Santa Rosa Heights, locatedonSanta Rosa Ave, BatonRouge,LA 70810, includes rehabili‐tation of 38 familyunits (15two-bedroom,15 three-bedroom,8 fourbedroom). Services in‐cludea community facil‐ity, andresidentser‐vices. Totalcost: $6,875,000 (including $5,000,000 in taxcredit equity,$1,240,000 loan $565,000 deferred devel‐oper fee).Contact:Santa Rosa HeightsPartnersII LP,Attn:JuneBritton 770-627-3048. 142164-may22-23-24-3t $255.97
ment to empowering localcommunities to drivemeaningfulchange throughcommunity-led projects
Recognizingthe vitalrole communities play in fos‐tering developmentand addressing localneeds this grantofferssupport forinitiatives focusedon youthprogramming, community service, workforcedevelopment, andtechnical assistance Projects arescheduled to take placefromJuneto August 2025. Visit www.brla.gov/com munitydevelopment to l i h
NOTICE TheCarpenter Health Network: HIPAAMedia Notification TheCarpenter Health Network(“TCHN”) deter‐minedonMarch 5, 2025 that,between February 4 and28, 2025, an unautho‐rizedthird partyac‐quired some patientin‐formationfromits IT sys‐tems.The affected pa‐tientinformation in‐volved included names, contactinformation (suchasphone numbers andpostaladdresses) datesofbirth,SocialSe‐curity numbers,medical information (suchas condition, diagnosis, treatment, physicianand medicalrecordnumber) andhealthinsurance in‐formation. Thetypes of affected informationvar‐iedbyaffectedindivid‐ual. Upon learning of theinci‐dent,TCHNpromptly launchedaninvestiga‐tion with theassistance
I, Terry CordellParker have been convictedof 14:78.1- Aggravated Incest.DateConvicted:
Race:Black Sex: Male Date of Birth: 7/15/1977 Height:6'2 Weight: 230 Hair Color: Black EyeColor:Brown I, Robert DennisGalvan akaRobbieGalvan have been convictedof 119911a2- 22.011(a)(2) -SexualAssaultofa Child Sexual Motivation.TEXAS Date Convicted: 11/13/1997. My Addressis: 2035 LIVEOAK DR BRUSLY LA 70719, West Baton RougeParish Race:White Sex: Male Date of Birth: 1/15/1978
