The Advocate 06-08-2025 by The Advocate

BATON ROUGE SUPER REGIONAL GAME 1 LSU 16 l WEST VIRGINIA 9

POWER SURGE

Three homers, including two grand slams,

lift Tigers to victory

LSU players give right fielder Josh Pearson the celebratory thumbs up after he hit a grand slam in the sixth inning of the Tigers’ 16-9 win over West Virginia on Saturday at Alex Box Stadium. It was LSU’s second grand slam of the day, following shortstop Steven Milam’s blast in the fifth inning. Left fielder Derek Curiel got the Tigers scoring started with a three-run home run in the fourth inning. With the win in Game 1 of the super regional, LSU is now one victory away from returning to the College World Series. Game 2 against the Mountaineers is at 5 p.m. tonight on ESPN2.

ä COMPLETE GAME COVERAGE IN SPORTS, 1C

Louisiana teachers face pay struggles

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO

Melanie Cade wasn’t sure how she felt when the package arrived on her doorstep last year with a red DoorDash delivery bag inside. As a single mother of two and a special education teacher in Jefferson Parish, working for the

Scammers utilizing crypto ATM machines

BY AIDAN MCCAHILL Staff writer

Schemes to take victims’ money have become more sophisticated ä See SCAMMERS, page 8A

Challenges, opportunities await LSU’s next president

Board preparing to launch national search for new leader

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

online service would offer Cade a little extra cash — on top of her other part-time tutoring gig — to supplement her salary But it was also a reminder

recalled thinking.

As living costs continue to rise, Cade’s experience isn’t far from

Lawmakers debate raising educator salaries ä See TEACHERS, page 9A

William Tate IV’s ﬁnal months as president of LSU, leading up to his May announcement that he would step down to become president of Rutgers University, had been — to put it mildly — eventful.

Ballard

In January, LSU’s general counsel resigned and was soon followed by two more of Tate’s top lieutenants. In February, Tate testiﬁed in the high-proﬁle case of a law school professor who was suspended from the university after making crude classroom remarks about Gov Jeff Landry and President Donald Trump. In March, Tate enacted a systemwide hiring freeze due to “unpredictable” federal funding. Meanwhile, in April, Tate celebrated the university’s ”jaw-dropping” growth in research

ä See LSU, page 10A

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Melanie Cade, a special education teacher in Jefferson Parish and single mother of two, says she has to rely on family support and take on extra jobs like DoorDash to make ends meet.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Iran claims access to cache of Israeli files

Iran’s state television said on Saturday the country obtained a large trove of sensitive Israeli nuclear information.

The Islamic Republic’s intelligence services have acquired “thousands of files related to that regime’s nuclear projects and facilities,” according to the broadcaster

The report added that a mission to obtain the material — which it said contain extensive documents, images and videos — was carried out “a while ago,” without providing details on the ﬁles or how they were obtained

The claim comes amid renewed escalation of hostilities between Iran and Israel, two countries that came close to an all-out war last year amid the Gaza conﬂict and Israeli strikes on Iran-backed groups.

The Israeli government made no immediate comment on Iran’s claims.

Last month, reports emerged that Israel was weighing potential strikes on Iranian nuclear sites — a move that Iranian ofﬁcials have warned could trigger a proportionate response and derail the country’s ongoing negotiations with the U.S. Chicago police officer killed by friendly fire

CHICAGO A Chicago police officer was unintentionally shot and killed by her partner after they chased a suspect into an apartment and encountered another person with a rifle, officials said.

Krystal Rivera, 36, a fouryear veteran of the department is survived by a 10-year-old daughter

The partner was the only person who fired a weapon, and the “gunfire unintentionally struck Officer Rivera,” city police said in a statement Friday An autopsy showed she was shot in the back Rivera died at a hospital late Thursday, less than an hour after being shot.

Colleagues had brought her to the hospital in a squad car that crashed and caught on ﬁre due to a malfunction, according to Police Superintendent Larry Snelling. She was then transported in another squad car

The person who allegedly brandished the riﬂe was taken into custody, police said. They did not immediately say what charges the person would face.

The shooting occurred just before 10 p.m. on Thursday as Rivera’s tactical unit conducted a stop on someone suspected of having a weapon. A chase ensued that ended in the apartment Investigators later found three weapons at the scene, police said. Snelling called Rivera “young, vibrant and a hard worker.”

Her mother told The Chicago Sun-Times that she had dreamed of being a police ofﬁcer since she was young.

“For me, it’s a privilege,” Rivera told the Sun-Times when she graduated from the academy in 2021. “I come from a family of serving. To help people in need, that’s my calling.”

Salmonella outbreak in eggs sickens dozens

A salmonella outbreak linked to a large egg recall has made dozens of people sick in seven states in the West and Midwest, federal health ofﬁcials said Saturday

The August Egg Company recalled about 1.7 million brown organic and brown cage-free egg varieties distributed to grocery stores between February and May because of the potential for salmonella, according to a posted announcement Friday on the Food and Drug Administration’s website.

At least 79 people in seven states have gotten a strain of salmonella that was linked to the eggs, and 21 people have been hospitalized, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The recall covers Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington and Wyoming. A list of brands and plant codes or Julian dates can be found on the FDA and CDC websites.

95 people reported killed in Gaza

Israel says it retrieved body of Thai hostage

BY SAM MEDNICK and MOHAMMAD JAHJOUH Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel Israel said Saturday it retrieved the body of a Thai hostage abducted into the Gaza Strip during the Hamas-led attack that sparked the war, as Israel’s military continued its offensive, killing at least 95 people in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s health ministry Nattapong Pinta had come to Israel to work in agriculture. Israel’s government said he was seized from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed early in the war, which began on Oct. 7, 2023.

Thailand’s foreign ministry said the bodies of two other citizens were yet to be retrieved. Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive. Many lived on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, the ﬁrst places overrun in the attack. Forty-six Thais have been killed during the war, according to the foreign ministry Israel’s defense minister said Pinta’s body was retrieved from the Rafah area in Gaza. The army said he was seized by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group that also took two IsraeliAmerican hostages, Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai, whose bodies were retrieved on Thursday Israel’s military later said it killed the head of the Mujahideen Brigades, As’ad Aby Sharaiya, in Gaza City on Saturday

Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza. Israel says more than half are dead. Families rallied again Saturday evening in Israel, calling

for a ceaseﬁre deal to bring everyone home.

Hamas issued an unusual warning about another hostage, Matan Zangauker saying Israel’s military had surrounded the area where he’s held and that any harm that came to him during a rescue attempt would be Israel’s responsibility Israel’s military didn’t immediately comment.

“The decision to expand the (military) ground maneuver is at the cost of Matan’s life and the lives of all the hostages,” Zangauker’s mother, Einav, told the rally in Tel Aviv

Israel continues military offensive

A strike in Gaza City killed six members of a family, including two children, according to the Shifa and al-Ahli hospitals. Israel’s military said the strike targeted the Mujahideen Brigades leader “This is the real destruction,” a

man said as he carried the body of a small boy from the scene.

Four Israeli strikes hit the Muwasi area in southern Gaza between Rafah and Khan Younis.

In northern Gaza, a strike hit an apartment, killing seven people including a mother and ﬁve children. Their bodies were taken to Shifa hospital.

“Stand up, my love,” one weeping woman said, touching the shrouded bodies.

Israel said it was responding to Hamas’ “barbaric attacks” and dismantling its capabilities. It said it takes all feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm.

Reports: Dead tried to get food

Staff at Nasser hospital, which received the bodies of six people over the past 24 hours, said they were killed while on their way to get food aid. Much of Gaza’s population of over 2 million relies on

aid after widespread destruction of agriculture as well as a recent Israeli blockade. Experts have warned of famine.

Israel’s army has warned that the aid distribution area is an active combat zone during nighttime hours. It said several suspects attempted to approach troops operating in the Tel al-Sultan area overnight “in a manner that posed a threat.” The army said troops called out, then ﬁred warning shots as the suspects advanced.

Over the past two weeks, shootings have occurred frequently near the new hubs where thousands of desperate Palestinians are being directed to collect food. Witnesses say nearby Israeli troops have opened fire, and more than 80 people have been killed, according to Gaza hospital officials. Israel’s military has said it fired warning shots or, in some instances, at individuals approaching.

The hubs are run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a new group of mainly American contractors. Israel wants it to replace a system coordinated by the United Nations and aid groups.

A GHF spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with the group’s rules, said it didn’t feed Gaza residents on Saturday and blamed Hamas threats. There was no immediate Hamas response.

Separately, Palestinians lined up at a soup kitchen in Gaza City for handouts on the second day of Eid al-Adha.

“I have been standing here for more than an hour and a half. I feel I have a sunstroke, and I am in need,” said Farida al-Sayed, who said she had six people to feed. “I only had lentils, and I ran out of them.”

Trump warns Musk about backing Democrats

President not interested in fixing relationship

BY MICHELLE L PRICE and BILL BARROW Associated Press

BRIDGEWATER, N.J Presi-

dent Donald Trump is not backing off his battle with Elon Musk, saying Saturday that he has no desire to repair their relationship and warning that his former ally and campaign benefactor could face “serious consequences” if he tries to help Democrats in upcoming elections.

Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker in a phone interview that he has no plans to make up with Musk. Asked speciﬁcally if he thought his relationship with the mega-billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX is over, Trump responded, “I would assume so, yeah.” “I’m too busy doing

other things,” Trump continued. “You know, I won an election in a landslide. I gave him a lot of breaks, long before this happened, I gave him breaks in my first administration, and saved his life in my ﬁrst administration, I have no intention of speaking to him.”

The president also issued a warning amid chatter that Musk could back Democratic lawmakers and candidates in the 2026 midterm elections.

“If he does, he’ll have to pay the consequences for that,” Trump told NBC, though he declined to share what those consequences would be. Musk’s businesses have many lucrative federal contracts.

The president’s latest comments suggest Musk is moving from close ally to a potential new target for Trump, who has aggressively wielded the powers of his office to crack down on critics and punish perceived en-

emies. As a major government contractor, Musk’s businesses could be particularly vulnerable to retribution. Trump has already threatened to cut Musk’s contracts calling it an easy way to save money

The dramatic rupture between the president and the world’s richest man began this week with Musk’s public criticism of Trump’s “big beautiful bill” pending on Capitol Hill. Musk has warned that the bill will increase the federal deficit and called it a “disgusting abomination.”

Trump criticized Musk in the Oval Office, and before long, he and Musk began trading bitterly personal attacks on social media, sending the White House and GOP congressional leaders scrambling to assess the fallout.

Vice President JD Vance in an interview tried to downplay the feud. He said Musk was making

Bucharest gay pride march turns 20

BY STEPHEN MCGRATH and ANDREEA ALEXANDRU Associated Press

BUCHAREST, Romania Tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ supporters took to the streets of Romania’s capital Saturday for its annual gay pride parade, following a tense election cycle marked by an increase in hate speech against the community

Marchers of all ages walked through Bucharest’s streets and down the central Victory Avenue, as many waved colorful ﬂags, blew whistles and held placards that read: “Be proud, be bold, be you!”

Held since 2005, the event marked Bucharest Pride’s 20th anniversary

A highly divisive and chaotic election cycle in Romania saw a rise in support for far-right and conservative political ﬁgures and parties in the European Union member, one of the bloc’s most religious countries. Victor Ciobotaru, executive director of ACCEPT Association, an LGBTQ+ rights group, told The Associated Press that throughout the 2024-2025 election cycle, the organization registered “a huge increase” in hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community

“We had more people complaining about being harassed on the streets or being attacked,” he said. “This hate speech doesn’t remain without effect. We can feel the tension within the society We are going to continue to ﬁght for our

rights, no matter the political climate.”

Earlier on Saturday, right-wing groups who advocate for traditional family values and oppose same-sex marriage held an anti-LGBTQ+ countermarch in the capital, with many waving Romania’s tricolor national ﬂag and others holding placards depicting religious icons.

Before the parade, the ACCEPT association also reported a large “STOP LGBT” banner that had been draped over an abandoned Bucharest apartment building, which was later removed.

“These types of actions are now more legitimized by the hate discourse which was spread all during these years, during these electoral campaigns,” Ciobotaru said. “We will not be afraid to go on the streets.”

a “huge mistake” going after Trump, but called him an “emotional guy” getting frustrated.

“I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that’s not possible now because he’s gone so nuclear,” Vance said.

Vance called Musk an “incredible entrepreneur,” and said that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which sought to cut government spending and laid off or pushed out thousands of workers, was “really good.”

Vance made the comments in an interview with “mano-

Customer

sphere” comedian Theo Von, who last month joked about snorting drugs off a mixedrace baby and the sexuality of men in the U.S. Navy when he opened for Trump at a military base in Qatar The Vance interview was taped Thursday as Musk’s posts were unfurling on X, the social media network the billionaire owns. “This stuff is just not helpful,” Vance said in response to a post shared by Musk calling for Trump to be impeached and replaced with Vance. “It’s totally insane. The president is doing a good job.”

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

A man dances while holding a rainbow flag Saturday during the Bucharest Pride Parade in Bucharest, Romania.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEHAD ALSHRAFI

Displaced Palestinians carry wood and other items Saturday in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.

Russianattacks on Ukrainiancitykill4

BY SAMYAKULLAB and VOLODYMYR YURCHUK Associated Press

KYIV,Ukraine Russian attacks targeting the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed at least fourpeople and wounded more than two dozenothers on Saturday, officials said, as hopes forpeace dimmed further The first wave on Ukraine’ssecond-largestcity wasalargeRussian drone-and-missileattack in the early hours. It killed at least three people and wounded 21 others, according to local officials.In theafternoon, Russia dropped aerialbombs on the city center,killing at least one person and wounding five more, Kharkiv’smayor said. The warring sides also accused each other of trying to sabotage a plannedprisoner exchange, nearly aweek after Kyiv embarrassed the Kremlinwith asurprising drone attack on military airfields deep inside Russia.

Saturday’sbarrage —the latest in near daily widescale attacks on Ukraine —included aerial glide bombsthat have become part of a ﬁerce Russian onslaught in the allout war,which began Feb. 24, 2022. Residentsdescribe fierytrap As firefighters and emergency workers bustled around attack sites in Kharkiv,residents described the strikes that damaged their homes and nearly took their lives on Saturday morning.

Alina Belous said that she had tried to extinguish flames with bucketsofwater to rescueayoung girl trapped inside aburning building who had called out for help. “Wewere trying to put it out our-

selves with our buckets,together with our neighbors. Then the rescuers arrived and started helping us put out thefire, but there was smoke and they worried that we couldn’t stay there. When the ceilingstarted fallingoff, they took us out,” shesaid Local resident Vadym Ihnachenko saidthathethought at firstthat it was aneighboring buildinggoing up in flames.“But when we saw sparks coming from the top, we realized it wasour building,“ he said

Severalother areashit

Ukraine’sair force saidthatRussia struck with 215 missiles and drones overnight,and Ukrainian air defenses shot down 87 drones and seven missiles.

Severalother areas in Ukraine were also hit, including the regions ofDonetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and the city of Ternopil,

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in an Xpost.“To put an end to Russia’s killing and destruction, more pressureonMoscow is required, as are more steps to strengthen Ukraine,” he said. TheRussianDefense Ministry on Saturday said that its forces carried out anighttimestrike on Ukrainian militarytargets,including ammunition depots, drone assembly workshops,and weaponry repair stations.There was no commentfrom Moscow on the reports of casualties in Kharkiv Kharkiv’smayor,Ihor Terekhov, said that the strikes also damaged 18 apartment buildings and 13 privatehomes.Terekhov said that it was “the mostpowerful attack” on the city since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Children amongthe wounded Kharkiv’sregionalgovernor,

Oleh Syniehubov,said the morning’sattacks saw twodistricts in the citystruck with three missiles, ﬁve aerial glide bombsand 48 drones. Among the wounded were two children, ababy boy and a14-year-old girl, he added.

Six people are believed to be trapped underthe rubble of an industrial facility in Kharkiv’sKyiv district, The Kharkiv prosecutor’s ofﬁce saidinastatement on Telegram.Contact with thosetrapped was lost and rescue attempts have been ongoing since early afternoon, it said, without naming the facility On Saturdayafternoon,Russian aerial bombs struck Kharkiv again, killing at least one person and wounding five others, the mayor said.

The morning strikes also wounded two people in theDnipropetrovskprovincefurthersouth,according to local Gov.Serhii Lysak. Meanwhile, Russia’sdefense ministry saidthat its forces shot down 36 Ukrainian dronesovernight, over thecountry’s southand west including near thecapital.Drone debriswounded twocivilians in the suburbsofMoscow,local Gov AndreiVorobyovreported.

On Friday,Russiastrucksix

Ukrainianterritories, killing at least sixpeopleand wounding about 80. Among the dead were three emergency responders in Kyiv,one personinLutsk and two people in Chernihiv

AU.S.-leddiplomatic push for a settlement has brought two rounds of direct peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine, though the negotiations delivered no signiﬁcant breakthroughs. But both sides remain far apart on their terms for an end to the ﬁghting. Prisoner swap nowinquestion

Later on Saturday,Russia and Ukraine each accused the other of endangering plans to swap 6,000 bodies of soldiers killed in action, agreed upon during direct talks in IstanbulonMonda ythatotherwise made no progress towards ending the war.

Vladimir Medinsky,aPutin aide wholed the Russian delegation, said that Kyiv calleda last-minute halt to an imminent swap. In aTelegram post, Medinsky said that refrigerated trucks carrying morethan 1,200 bodies of Ukrainian troops from Russia had already reached theagreed exchange site at the border when the news came In response, Ukraine saidRussia was playing“dirtygames”and manipulating facts. According to the main Ukrainian authority dealing with such swaps, no date had been set for repatriating the bodies. In astatement Saturday,the agency also accused Russia of submitting lists of prisoners of war for repatriationthat didn’t correspondto agreements reached on Monday It wasn’timmediately possible to reconcile the conﬂicting claims.

Talibanleaderslams Trump’stravelban,calls U.S. an ‘oppressor’

The Associated Press

The top Taliban leader on Saturday slammed President Donald Trump’stravel ban on Afghans, calling the United States an oppressor, as Afghanistan’srulers seek greater engagement with the international community

The comments from Hibatullah Akhundzada marked the ﬁrst public reaction from the Taliban since theTrumpadministration this week moved to bar citizens from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, from entering the U.S. Trump’sexecutive order largely applies to Afghans hoping to resettle in the U.S. permanently,aswell as those hoping to go to America temporarily,includingfor university studies.

Since returning to power in Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have imposed harsh measures, banned women from public places and education for women and girls beyond the sixth grade. And though they have so far failed to gain recognitionas the country’sofﬁcialgovernment, the Taliban have diplomatic relations with several countries, including China and Russia.

Amessage from theleader Akhundzada released his message on the Islamic holidayofEid al-Adha, also known as the“Feast of Sacrifice,” from the southern

city of Kandahar,wherehe has set up base butisrarely seen in public. In a45-minuteaudio recording shared by Taliban spokesman ZabihullahMujahid onX,Akhundzada denounced the Trump administration for imposing “restrictions on people.”

“Citizens from 12 countries are barred from entering their land —and Afghans are not allowed either,” he said.“Why? Because they claimthe Afghan government has no control over its people and that people are leaving the country. So, oppressor! Is this whatyou call friendship with humanity?”

He blamed the U.S.for the deaths of Palestinian women and children in Gaza, linking this allegation to the travel ban. “You arecommitting acts that are beyond tolerance,” headded.

TheTrumpadministration says the measure ismeant to protect U.S. citizensfrom

“aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten ournationalsecurity espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigrationlawsfor malevolent purposes.”

It argues that Afghanistan lacksa competent central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and lacks appropriate screening and vetting measures. It also says Afghans who visit the U.S. have ahigh visa overstay rate.

Trump also suspended acore refugee program in January,all but ending support for Afghans who had allied withthe U.S. and leaving tens of thousands of them stranded.

TheTaliban offeramnesty

Also on Saturday,the Talibanprime minister said that all Afghans who ﬂed the country after thecollapse of the former Western-backed government are free to re-

turn home, promising they would be safe.

“Afghans who have left the country shouldreturn to their homeland,” Mohammad Hassan Akhund said.

“Nobody will harm them.”

“Comebacktoyour ancestralland and live in an atmosphere of peace,”the

Talibanprime minister said in amessage on Xand instructed ofﬁcials to ensure returning refugees were given shelter and support. He also used the occasion to criticize the media for making whathesaid were “false judgements”about Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers and their policies.

“Wemust not allow the torch of the Islamic system to be extinguished,” he said.

“The media should avoid falsejudgments andshould not minimize the accomplishmentsofthe system. While challenges exist, we must remain vigilant.”

Deported manbackinU.S., chargedwithhuman smuggling

BY BEN FINLEY Associated Press

12, the gang threatened to take him away until his father paidthem

Thefamily moved butthe gang threatened to rapeand kill Abrego Garcia’ssisters, court records state.The family closed the business andeventually sent Abrego Garcia to the U.S

The family never went to the authorities because of rampant police corruption, according to courtfilings

Thegang continued to harass thefamily in Guatemala.

was dismissed weeks later, according to court records Vasquez Sura said in a statement, after the document’srelease by theTrump administration, that the couple had worked things out “privately as afamily,including by going to counseling.” She addedthat “Kilmar hasalways been aloving partnerand father,and Iwill continue to stand by him.”

ment after the release that he sawnoevidenceofa crime in the footage.

only being disclosed now

Garcia

To hearthe Trump administration tell it, Kilmar Abrego Garcia smuggled thousandsofpeople across the country who were living in the U.S. illegally,including members of the violent MS-13 gang, long before his mistaken deportationto El Salvador.Inallegations madepublic nearly three months after his removal, U.S. ofﬁcials say Abrego Garcia abused the women he transported, while acoconspirator allegedhe participated in agang-related killing in his native El Salvador Abrego Garcia’swife and lawyers offera much different story.They say the now29-year-old had as ateenager ﬂed local gangs that terrorized his family in El Salvador for alife in Maryland.He found work in construction, got married and was raising threechildrenwithdisabilities before he was mistakenly deported in March

The fightbecame apolitical flashpoint in the administration’sstepped-up immigration enforcement. Now it returns to the U.S. court system, where Abrego Garcia appeared Friday after being returned from El Salvador He faces new charges related to alarge human smuggling operation and is in federal custody in Tennessee. Speaking to NBC’sKristen Welken in aphone interview Saturday President Donald Trump said it was not his decision to bring AbregoGarcia back. “The Department of Justice decided to do it that way,and that’s fine,” he said. “There are two ways you could have done it, and they decided to do it that way.” Trump said it should “be avery easy case.”

In announcing Abrego Garcia’sreturn Attorney General Pam Bondi called him “a smuggler of humans and children and women”in announcing the unsealing of agrand jury indictment. His lawyers say ajury won’t believe the “preposterous” allegations.

Gang threatsinElSalvador

Abrego Garcia grew up in El Salvador’scapital city, San Salvador,according to court documents ﬁled in U.S immigration court in 2019. His father was aformer police officer.His mother, Cecilia, sold pupusas, flat tortillapouches that hold steaming blends of cheese, beans or pork.

The entire family,including his two sisters and brother,ran the business from home, court records state.

Alocal gang, Barrio 18, began extorting the family for “rent money” and threatened to kill his brother Cesar —orforcehim into their gang —ifthey weren’tpaid, court documents state. The family complied but eventually sent Cesar to the U.S Barrio 18 similarly targeted Abrego Garcia, court records state. When he was

Life in theU.S

Abrego Garciaﬂed to the U.S. illegally around 2011, theyear heturned 16, accordingtodocuments in his immigration case. He joined Cesar, now aU.S. citizen,in Maryland and found construction work. About five years later, Abrego Garcia met Jennifer Vasquez Sura, aU.S.citizen, therecords say. In 2018, after she learned shewas pregnant, he movedinwith her and her two children In March 2019, Abrego Garciawent to aHome Depotseeking work as a laborer when he and three other men were detained by local police, court records say.They weresuspectedof beinginMS-13 based on tattoos and clothing

Acriminal informant told policethatAbrego Garcia was in MS-13, court records statebut Prince George’s County Police did not charge themen. The department said this year it had no further interactionswith AbregoGarciaor“any new intelligence” on him. AbregoGarcia has denied being in MS-13. Although theydid not charge him, local police turned Abrego Garcia over to Immigrationand Customs Enforcement. He tolda U.S immigration judge that he wouldseek asylum and asked to be released because Vasquez Sura was pregnant, according to his immigration case.

The Departmentof Homeland Security alleged AbregoGarcia was agang member based on thecounty police’s information,accordingtothe case.The immigration judge kept Abrego Garcia in jail as his case continued, the records show AbregoGarcia later married Vasquez Sura in a Maryland detention center, accordingto court filings She gave birthwhile he was still in jail.

In October 2019, an immigration judge denied Abrego Garcia’sasylum request but granted him protection from being deported back to El Salvadorbecause of a“wellfounded fear” of gangpersecution, according to his case. He was released; ICE did not appeal.

Abrego Garciachecked in with ICE yearly while Homeland Security issued himawork permit,his attorneys saidincourt ﬁlings. He joined aunion and was employed full time as asheet metalapprentice. In 2021,Vasquez Suraﬁled atemporary protectionorder against Abrego Garcia, stating he punched, scratched and ripped off hershirt duringan argument. Thecase

AtrafficstopinTennessee In 2022,accordingtoareport released by theTrump administration, Abrego Garcia was stopped by theTennesseeHighway Patrol for speeding.The vehicle had eight other people and no luggage, prompting an ofﬁcertosuspect himofhuman trafﬁcking, the report stated.

Abrego Garcia said he was driving themfromTexas to Maryland for construction work, the report stated. No citations were issued.

Abrego Garcia’swife said in astatementinApril that he sometimes transported groups of workers between job sites, “so it’s entirely plausible he would have been pulled over while driving with others in the vehicle. He was not charged with anycrime or cited for any wrongdoing.”

TheTennessee Highway Patrol released video body camera footage this May of the 2022 traffic stop. It shows acalmand friendly exchangebetween officers and AbregoGarcia as well as theofficers discussing amongthemselvestheir suspicions of human trafficking before sending him on his way.One of the officers said: “He’shauling thesepeople for money.” Another said he had $1,400 in an envelope.

An attorney for Abrego Garcia, Simon SandovalMoshenberg, said in astate-

Mistaken deportation

Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador in March despite the U.S. immigration judge’s order.For nearly three months,his attorneys have fought for his return in afederal court in Maryland.

The Trump administration described themistaken removal as “an administrative error” but insisted he was in MS-13.

The charges he faces stem from the 2022 vehicle stop in Tennessee but thehuman smuggling indictment lays out astring of allegations that date backto2016 but are

Aco-conspirator also alleged that Abrego Garcia participated in the killing of agang member’smother in El Salvador, prosecutors wrote in papers urging the judge to keep him behind bars while he awaits trial.

Theindictment does not charge him in connection with that allegation.

“This is what American justice looks like,” Bondi said in announcing Abrego Garcia’sreturnand theunsealing of agrand jury indictment. Speaking to NBC’sKristen Welker in atelephone interview President Donald Trumpsaid it was not his decision to bring Abrego Garcia back.

AbregoGarcia’sattorney disagreed. “There’snoway ajury is goingtosee the evidence and agree that this sheet metal worker is the leader of an international MS13 smuggling conspiracy,” Sandoval-Moshenberg said.

Abrego

Trumpdeploys National GuardtoLos Angeles

BY ERIC THAYER,MORGAN

LEE and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

PARAMOUNT,Calif. —Presi-

dent Donald Trump is deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops over the governor’sobjections to Los Angeles, where protestsSaturday led to clashes between immigration authorities and demonstrators

The White House said in astatement Saturday that Trump was deploying the Guard to “address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester” in California

California Gov.Gavin Newsom, aDemocrat, objected to the move and said in apost on Xthat the move from the Republicanpresident was “purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.”

The White House’smove to dramatically ratchetup the response came as protests in Los Angeles extended into asecond day where tear gas and smoke ﬁlled the air as protestersfaced off with Border Patrol personnel in riot gear

Trump federalized part of the state’sNational Guard under what is known as Title 10 authority,which places him, not the governor, atop the chain of command,Newsom told The Associated Press.

ernors of severalstatesto deploy their National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to quell protests that arose after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police ofﬁcers. Many of thegovernors agreed, sending troops to the federal district.

At the time, Trump also threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act forprotests following Floyd’sdeathin Minneapolis —anintervention rarely seen in modern American history.But thenDefense SecretaryMark Esper pushed back, saying the law should be invoked “only in the mosturgent and dire of situations.”

migrationdetentionsoutside HomeDepot stores and adoughnut shop. DHS said in astatement that recent ICE operations in Los Angeles resulted in the arrest of 118immigrants, including ﬁve people linkedtocriminal organizations and people with prior criminal histories.

Followingthe Friday arrests, protesters gathered in the evening outside afederal detention center,chanting, “Set them free, let them stay!”

WhiteHouse press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in astatement that thework theimmigration authorities were doing when met with protest is “essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the UnitedStates. In the wakeofthis violence, California’sfeckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens.”

Newsom said in his statement on social mediathat local authorities “are able to access law enforcement assistance at amoment’snotice,” and “there is currently no unmet need.”

are,” awoman said through amegaphone. “You are not welcome here.”

Trumpdid invoke theInsurrection Act during his ﬁrst term and did not invoke it Saturday,according to Leavitt and Newsom.

Thepresident’smove came shortly after he issued athreat onhis social medianetwork that said that if Newsom and LosAngeles Mayor KarenBassdidn’t“do their jobs,”then“theFederal Government will stepin and solve the problem, RIOTS &LOOTERS,the wayit should be solved!!!”

“This is thewrong mission and will erode public trust,” he added.

Border Patrol personnel in riot gear andgas masks stood guardoutside an industrial parkinthe city of Paramount, deploying tear gas as bystanders and protestersgathered on medians and acrossthe street.Some jeered at ofﬁcerswhile recording the events on smartphones.

“ICE outofParamount. We see you for what you

Onehandheld sign read, “No human being is illegal.” Smoke rose from burning shrubbery and refuse in the street, anddemonstrators kickedataBorder Patrol vehicle. Aboulevard was closedtotrafﬁcasBorder Patrolagents circulated through acommunitywhere more than 80% of residents identify as Latino.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted amessageonsocial media addressing “LA rioters” and warning that interference with immigration enforcementwill not be tolerated.

In 2020, Trumpasked gov-

Immigration and Customs Enforcementofficersexecuted search warrants at multiple locations Friday, including outside aclothing warehouseinthe fashion district. The action came after ajudge found probable cause that the employerwas using fictitiousdocuments forsome of its workers, accordingtorepresentatives for Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’sOfﬁce.

Atense sceneunfoldedoutside as acrowd tried to block agents from driving away Advocates forimmigrants’ rights saidthere were also

The immigration arrests come as PresidentDonald Trumpand his administration push to fulﬁll promises of massdeportations across the country MayorKaren Basssaid theactivitywas meantto “sow terror” in the nation’s second-largest city In astatement Saturday, ICEActing Director Todd Lyons chided Bass for the city’s response to the protests.

“Mayor Bass took the side of chaos and lawlessness over law enforcement,” Lyons said. “Make no mistake, ICEwill continue to enforce ournation’s immigration laws and arrest criminal illegal aliens.” Lee reported from Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Price from Bridgewater New Jersey.Associated Presswriter Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.

Democratic states resistingTrump’s immigrationenforcement

BY DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press

As PresidentDonald Trump’sadministrationtargets states and local governments fornot cooperating with federal immigration authorities, lawmakers in some Democratic-led states are intensifying their resistance by strengthening state laws restricting such cooperation.

In Californiaalone, more than adozen pro-immigrant bills passedeither the Assembly or Senate last week, including one prohibiting schools from allowing federal immigration officials into nonpublic areas without ajudicial warrant.

Otherstate measureshave soughttoprotect immigrants in housing,employment and police encounters, even as Trump’sadministration has rampeduparrests as part of hisplanfor mass deportations.

In Connecticut, legislation pending before Democratic Gov.Ned Lamont would expand alaw that already limits when law enforcement ofﬁcers can cooperate with federal requests to detain immigrants. Among other things, it would let “any aggrieved person” sue municipalities foralleged violations of the state’sTrust Act Twodaysafter lawmakers gave final approvaltothe measure, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security included Connecticut on a list of hundreds of “sanctuary jurisdictions” obstructing the enforcement of fed-

eral immigration laws. The list later was removed from thedepartment’s website after criticism that it errantly includedsome local governmentsthat support Trump’s immigration policies.

States splitonwhattodo

Sincetaking ofﬁce in January,Trump has enlisted hundreds of state andlocal law enforcement agencies to help identify immigrants in theU.S. illegally anddetain them for potential deportation.U.S. Immigration and CustomsEnforcement now lists 640 such cooperative agreements, anearly fivefold increase under Trump Trump alsohas lifted longtime rules restricting immigration enforcement near schools, churches and hospitals, andordered federal prosecutors to investigate stateor localofficialsbelieved to be interferingwith hiscrackdown on illegal immigration. The Department of Justice sued Colorado, Illinois andNew York,aswell as several cities in those states and New Jersey,allegingtheirpolicies violate the U.S. Constitutionorfederal immigration laws.

Just three weeks after Coloradowas sued,Democratic Gov.Jared Polis signed a wide-ranging law expanding the state’sprotections for immigrants. Among other things,itbars jails from delaying the release of inmates forimmigration enforcement and allows penalties of up to$50,000 for public schools, colleges,librar-

ies,child carecenters and healthcare facilities that collect informationabout people’simmigration status, with some exceptions.

Polis rejected the administration’s description of Coloradoasa“sanctuary state,” asserting that lawofﬁcersremain“deeply committed”to working with federal authoritiesoncriminal investigations. “Buttobeclear,state and local law enforcement cannotbecommandeered to enforce federal civil immigration laws,” Polis said in a bill-signing statement

Illinoisalsohas continued to press pro-immigrant legislation. Abill recently given ﬁnal approval says no child can be denied afreepublic education becauseofimmigration status —something already guaranteednationwide under a1982 U.S. Supreme Courtdecision. Supporters say the statelegislation provides abackstop in case court precedent is overturned.

The bill also requires schools to develop policies on handling requests from federal immigration officials andallows lawsuits for alleged violations of the measure.

Many formsoflegislation Democratic-led states are pursuing awide range of means to protect immigrants.

Anew Oregon law bars landlords from inquiring about the immigration status of tenants or applicants. New laws in Washington declare it unprofessional conduct for

bail bond agents to enforce civil immigration warrants, prohibit employers from using immigration status to threaten workersand let employees use paid sick leaveto attend immigration proceedings for themselves or family members.

Vermont last month repealed astate law that let law enforcement agencies enter into immigration en-

forcement agreements with federalauthoritiesduring state or national emergencies. They now need special permission from the governor to do so. As passed by theHouse, Maryland legislation also would have barred local governments from reaching immigration enforcement agreements with the federal government. That provision wasremoved in the Senate following pushback from some counties that currently have agreements. The final version, which took effect as lawatthe start of June,forbids public schoolsand librariesfrom granting federal immigration authorities access to nonpublic areas without a judicial warrant or “exigent circumstances.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERICTHAyER

Border Patrolpersonneldeploytear gasSaturdayduring ademonstration overthe dozens detainedin an operation by federal immigration authorities aday earlier in Los Angeles.

CONGRATULATIONS SENATOR CASSIDY,M.D.

We salute your unwaveringcommitment to puttinganend to Alzheimer’s.

Thankyou for your leadership in Congressand your signiﬁcant contributions to vital policies thatsupport those living with dementia andtheir caregivers.

On behalf of the over 7millionAmericans living with this disease, and their nearly 12 millioncaregivers, we thankyou, Senator Cassidy,for paving the way. Congratulations on this well-deserved award.

It wasn’tuntil the next morning that he began to feel uneasy.Bythen, athird of his life savings was gone, fedin$100bills througha machine.

“I was so upset that day I didn’tthink straight,” Foret said. “They were polished,I guarantee it.”

The use of cryptocurrencies —digital assetsthat operate on decentralized networks rather than regulated authorities —has exploded in recent years. So toohave their physical counterparts.

Thousands of crypto ATMs are popping up at gas stations, pharmacies and vape shops across the country.The companies that own them claimthe machines make it easier for the techunsavvy to invest in crypto. But many law enforcement officials arguethat same convenience allows criminalstoeasily scam people and laundermoney

“Right now,this is not a system that gives any conﬁdence to law enforcement that it’sbeing legitimately used,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said. “There are alot of smarter things these companies could do to make it alegitimate enterprise.”

TheFederal Trade Commission reports that fraud losses at crypto ATMs increased tenfold between 2020 to 2023, with $66 million reported in the ﬁrst six months of 2024. In Louisiana, as local law enforcement struggles to manage the new threat, legislationhas been introducedrecently that would force companies to help curtail criminals Crime’snew frontier

As the realization that he had been scammed dawned on Foret, he contacted Sgt. Gerard Lotz, who handles cyber fraud for the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’sOfﬁce and is also amemberof the Louisiana Cyber Crimes Division,a state-run program that collaborates with the U.S. Secret Service

“They needed someone to investigate crypto; Ijust happened to be standingin the hallway,” said Lotz, who admits most of what he initially learnedabout Bitcoin came from 12-year-olds on YouTube. “They say I’m the foremostexpertincryptocurrency in Lafourche Parish.”

Lotz first noticed crypto ATMs appearing in hismostly rural parish over the summer of 2023. Since then, he has come across30orsoof the machines in Lafourche. During the ﬁrst10months of 2024, Lafourche residents reported losing$1.6 million to cryptocurrency scams, with $657,000 fed solely through ATMs.

“If 2% of the population of Louisiana accounts for $1.6 million in cryptocurrency fraud, how much is it for the whole state of Louisiana?” Lotz said.

Many cases go unreported by both victims and law enforcement. When they are brought to light, resourcestrapped police departments rarely pursue them

sincethe investigationsare unlikely to end in arrests, Lotz said.

“The scam industry has evolved in thepastyears,” said Paul Sibenik, founder and CEO of Crypto Forensic Investigators, aprivate ﬁrm many people turn to when theirlosses exceed six ﬁgures. While 90% of his cases involve scammers operating fromoverseas —oftencalling fromcountrieslike Cambodia, Myanmar,and Laos Sibenik saidthe schemes are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Thegroups behind them are larger,more organized and frequently linked to transnational enterprises such as Chinese crime syndicates, or,inthe case of North Korea, statesponsored schemes.

Many scammers are often victims themselves, Lotz said. According to aUnited Nations Report,an estimated 220,000 people havebeen trafficked into Southeast Asiafor thesole purpose of conning people, forced to call aroundthe clock from industrial-scale compounds. Globally,The Economistreports that up to 1.5 million people—both coerced and voluntary —are involvedin theindustry

Despite his devastating loss, Foretexpressed some sympathy formanycaught up in the business. “I guess they almost have to do it,”hesaid. “That’s rough.”

Tricky tactics

Lotz andSibenik said getting people to the ATMs is made easier by personal informationposted on the darkweb by criminal hacker groups. Fraudsters pose as customer service representatives from banks or tech companies, develop business orromantic relationships, or impersonate localand federal government agents to convince victims theyowe bogus fines and fees —such as alleged Social Security overpayments or outstanding warrants. In three incidents in Lafourche, scammers targeted newer gasstation employees, posing as their

bosses and convincing them to transfer cash fromtheir ofﬁce’ssafe into theATMs, said Lotz. Others in the parish were victimsofa nationwide scheme run by aprison gang in Georgia, where cellmates introduced themselves as local law enforcement.

“One representedthemselves as our chief deputy, oneasthe detective captain,” Lotz said.

Themaingiveaway,he said, was that they called it “Lafourche County.”

After cash is convertedto Bitcoin —orany of the thousands of other cryptocurrencies —the funds aretypically sent to an online wallet controlled by thescammer By thetime victims realize they have been defrauded, thieves have usually already used “mixing services”— tools that combine stolen cryptocurrencywith funds from other sources and distribute it across multiple accounts to obscure theorigins of the scammed money

“It’s like starting arace 50 laps into the race,” Lotz said In rare cases where investigators identify awallet address, blockchaintechnology—apublicledger recording all cryptocurrency transactions —enables themtotrace funds between accounts.

“The problem is, you don’t know who is tied tothat Bitcoin,” Lotz said. “I can’tgive asearch warrant to Bitcoin becauseitdoesn’texist;it’s aconcept.”

So investigators monitor transactions but usually can’tdomuchuntil funds endupinanonline exchange. Analogoustotraditional banks, exchanges arelaw enforcement’sbest chance to recover funds because they provide an opportunity to freeze assets Butthatrequirescooperation,and most criminals use exchanges basedoutside theU.S. in countries like the Bahamasorthe Seychelles with weak regulationsand minimalidentificationrequirements.

“That way if awarrantis served from another countryoralaw enforcement agency,theycan say,‘Hey

Idon’t have any info on this person,’”headded.

Even if the exchange provides personal information, Lotz says, law enforcement sometimes has to wait days for search warrants to be processed by ajudge,by whichpoint thescammer hasusuallyoffloaded the funds back into cash. Private companies like Sibenik’s face similarrestraintsonce they locate stolen money “In order to recover funds that are frozen, pretty much every exchange wants alaw enforcement request,” Sibenik added. “This crypto can be very fast,and the legal system does not movefast.”

Lawmakersrespond CryptoATM companies saythey facilitateaccess to digital currency.Most machines charge between 15%and 30% in transaction fees.Bycomparison, major online exchangeslikeBinance, Coinbase, and Kraken charge 0.1% to 0.4% and allow users to convertcash to crypto from home.

“It begs thequestion why

anybody would put cash into amachine like this when they could do it adifferent way,”Murrill said.

In February,Athena Bitcoin, amajor Bitcoin ATM provider,was sued in Maryland forallegedly enabling elder financial abuse. The lawsuit claims the company allowed exploitationbyfailing to implement adequate safeguards.

Bitcoin Depot, thelargestBitcoin ATMnetwork in the world, received $5,418 from Foret’stransactions in February.Lotz says it has refused to return the money, despite law enforcement requests. In an email response to The Advocate, arepresentative forthe companysaid Bitcoin Depot was unable to comment on the story

“The most vulnerable people are being affected by the machines, and these companies are taking 30%,” Lotz said.

Reacting to the local cases,Lafourche Sheriff Craig Webre called the Attorney General’s Office to raise the alarm. The conversation

prompted the introduction of House Bill 483 during this spring’sstate legislative session.

SponsoredbyRep.Mark Wright, the bill would place newrestrictions on crypto ATMuse, including a$3,000 daily transaction limit, a mandatory 72-hour waiting period before transactions are processed,and awarning on each machine stating that“no state or government officialwill ever request that cash be deposited into a Crypto ATM.” Murrill said thethree-day transactionholdisintended to give lawenforcement a window to recover funds in cases of suspected fraud, citing incidents where Lafourche sheriff’s deputies were able to seize cash from an ATMmoments before it was collected by an armored truck.

The$3,000 daily cap also aims to deter moneylaundering, as current machines allow unlimited cash deposits—activitythatiflarge enough would automatically raisered ﬂags from theIRS in traditional banking systems.

Murrill says the bill wouldn’tinterfere much with the broader cryptoindustry.OnMay 12, it passed theHouse with a98-0vote, and the Senate is expected to vote on it Sunday After atraining course in Alabama with the National Computer Forensics Institute, Lotz was better able to wrap his head around the technology.Tracking software supplied by the federal government has also helped him trace about aquarter of Foret’sstolen funds to aUK-based exchange before they could be withdrawn. He expects Foret to recover that portion of his money any day,returned in the form of Bitcoin. Thanks to bullish markets, the value of his reclaimed funds has grown afew hundred dollars since they wereﬁrst stolen. As he waits, Foret’slast request wassimple. “Put it outthere andlet people know how they do it,” he said.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Rick Smithchecks out acrypto ATMataKangaroo Express on Friday

that of teachers across Louisiana. Many struggle to pay their bills and provide for their families, despite often having multiple degreesand frequently workingoutside of school hours to plan lessons and take care of students.

Lawmakers have long debated raising the pay of the state’spublic school teachers, who make about $5,000 less on averagethan their counterpartsinother Southern states and $15,000 less than the national average, according to data from the Southern Regional Education Board. This year,after voters rejectedaconstitutional amendment that included amechanismtofund permanentteacher raises, the Legislature appears likely to pass one-timestipends for the third year in arow to keep teacher pay at its current level.

From taking on additional duties at school to working second and even thirdjobs, teachers say they not only want and deserve raises they need them. If something doesn’tchange, and soon, many say they could be forced to leavethe profession, potentially worsening the state’steacher shortage and jeopardizing recent academic gains that ofﬁcials have described as “historic.”

Louisiana leaders —including Gov.Jeff Landry and state Superintendentof Education Cade Brumley are celebratingthose gains that they largely attribute to teachers’ hard work.

Increasing educator salaries would be “a muchdeserved win for our unsung heroes,” Landry said in November as he pitched the slate of constitutional amendments that included the raises.

But the gap between the praise for educators andthe reality of low pay has left some teachersfeeling frustrated and undervalued.

“I’m proud to teach, especially special education,”

Cadesaid. “Louisiana just doesn’t seem to want tohelp me back.”

An ongoing struggle

Cade savorsthe ﬁrstfew moments of the day when she’sstill in bed, eyes closed, before she’sreminded of thebills and responsibilities waiting for her

“It feels like Iwake upand hitthe ground runningand I don’tstop,”she said She tries to make her ranch-style home in St. Rose warm andwelcomingfor herchildren, Alura, 7, and Jack, 3. Nearlyevery inch is ﬁlled with remnants of old art projects and science experiments.

But everywhere Cade looks, she sees needed repairs: apicture window heavily damaged by termites, abroken fence, a nonfunctioning dishwasher

Acardboard box near the front door,whichher childrenhave turned into afort, held anew water heater that Cadebought after the family dealt with abroken one for six months.

“I couldn’t afford the $500 to ﬁx it,”she said. “I spend seven and ahalf hours every daywith nine autistic boys,

changing diapers, doing all thethings required of me, and beforeIleft for workeveryday,Iwas changing the bucket under theheater.”

Bornand raised in Metairie,Cade worked as ahairdresser until the2008 recession. Wanting morestability, she turned to theprofession of hertwo oldersisters: teaching

“I’d alwaysloved being around children,” she said. “I thought it was agood way to secure afuture.A salary,insurance, aretirement plan.”

Cade took classes for six yearswhile working parttime jobs andearnedher teachingdegree in 2014. She taught at acharter school in New Orleans and in the St. Charles Parish school systembeforereturning last year to teach in Jefferson Parish,where she lives.

Hercurrent salarybarely makes adentinher bills, she said. She relies on her parentstohelp pay for child care and other expenses.

“They do it with grace,” she said, “but it’s deﬁnitely ahuge struggle for them.”

Last year,three years after herroof was severely damaged during Hurricane

Ida, Cade received astate grant to repair it,but she still had to pay $2,500 out of pocket —asum she didn’t have. One of her sisters stepped in,giving Cadethe

$2,000 teacher-paystipend she had received from the state. Cade knows she’s fortunate —someofher colleagues’ ﬁnancialsituationsare more dire. And she’sproud to have provided for her children through it all. She’salso constantly exhausted.

It shouldn’tbethis hard to get by as ateacher,she said.

“I got acollege degree,” Cade said. “I’m doingwhat I’msupposed to do.”

Araise in thefuture?

It’s been morethan two decades since Louisiana last approved pay raises foreducators through the state’s school funding formula. MeganBoren,aproject manager with the Southern RegionalEducationBoard, said states that give districts less funding forteacher salaries generally shift the burden to school systems to make up the difference through their local tax base.

In December,Jefferson Parish voters shot down, by amargin 319 votes out of more than35,000 cast, amillage that would have raised local educators’ pay

by morethan $8,000. Last week, the district told staff that the Jefferson Parish School Board voted to increase pay by $1,200 for full-time certifiedemployees. That’sabout $50 more per paycheck before taxes.

“I appreciate it,” Cade said, “but it’snot enough.” If lawmakers fail once again to raise teacher pay, more educatorswill move to higher-paying districts or leave the profession altogether,someadvocateshave warned.

Back at Cade’shome, she, Aluraand Jack sitonthe ﬂoor in the front room playing with Violet, one of the family’stwo guinea pigs. Cade says Alurakeeps asking if the family can take abeach vacation soon. They’ve never been, but a trip isn’tinthe budget right now “One of thehardest parts of living paycheck to paycheck is you never get to plan,” Cade said. “We’re hoping maybe next year.”

Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate. com.

By Stevie Cavalier

“WithSon of aSaint,you neverreallygraduate from theprogram,instead youdevelop a newlevel of connection with thecommunity,” said MilesStewart,aSon of aSaint alumni whorecently graduatedfromthe U.S. Military Academy at West PointinMay 2025

Sonofa Saintisanon-proﬁtorganization that serves fatherless boys in NewOrleans throughaholistic approach to mentorship that hasbeenenrichingchildren’slives sinceitwas establishedin2011. Everyyear, newmentees betweenthe ages of 10 and12-years-oldare inducted andinvited into year-round opportunities that offer mentorship,education,recreation, camaraderie,culturalenrichment, and emotionalsupport.Today theprogram services 500young menacrossthe NewOrleans area

“InSon of aSaint,the olderthatyou get, you’ll start to have differentconversations with your mentorsand thereare differentroles foryou to play in helping andguiding thenew mentees,” said Stewart, whowas apartofthe inaugural cohort of boys in 2011.“Youstart lookingtoset agoodexample forthem.

Taking up themantleofrolemodel canbe adauntingtaskattimes,but Stewartstrives to create balanceand purposeinhis life as he continuestochart hiscareerpath. Beingable to help youngermentees seealargerpicture hasbeenmeaningfultohim

“I always say, ‘See thelight outsideofyour currentsituation.’ If youkeepgoing outofyour comfort-zone,you’llﬁnd somethingthatisfor you,”Stewart said Stewartgraduated with aBachelorofScience in Systems Engineering, andheiscurrently aLieutenantinthe US Army Engineer Regiment.Inthe fall,Stewart hasplans to return to NewYorktoworkfor 6monthsasanathletic intern coachingfootballatthe U.S. Military Academy PreparatorySchool, before heading to Fort LeonardWood, Missouri,toattendthe U.S. Army EngineeringSchool.

Stewart also recently spokeatSon of Saint’s 2ndannualsignature event, “A NightinNew

York”, on May21, 2025.“OurStory is in Every City”was theevent tagline, andStewart along with Sonofa Saintalumni, QuintenCrump Trey Hand,and AceNice, shared theimpact theprogram hashad on theirlives,encouraging theevent attendeestorecognize howasdonors, supporters,and friends of theorganization, they area part of thestory this organizationis writing. TheinﬂuenceSon of Sainthas hadon livesinNew Orleansisnow reaching farbeyond geographical city limits

“It’sgoodtosee howmuchSon of aSaint has grown. It’s affecting so many boys’lives,” said Stewart. “It’sgoodtosee everyone with aplan, andI thinkit’sreallyhelping NewOrleans little by little.Hopefully,itinspiresother people to pick up similarinitiatives.”

Everyyoung manwho is inducted into Sonofa Sainthas mentorswho stay with them throughout theirprogram journey, and forStewart thosementors have been Chris Muscoand Bivian ‘Sonny’Lee III, theCEO and FounderofSon of aSaint.Stewart’s graduation from West Pointisa source of prideand accomplishment, notonlyfor Stewartand hisfamily, butfor Leeand Musco, whowereinattendance forthe graduation.AsStewart expressed, the bondsformedwithyourmentors throughout theyears arenot ﬁnalized once yougraduate, insteadtheytakeona newcharacter.Stewart knowshis mentorsare only ever aphone call away “Graduationseasonisour victorylap foreach youngman whoexperiencesthismilestone.It’s proofthatour modeloflong-term mentorship andholisticservicesworks,” said Lee. “These youngmen aren’t just crossing astage,they’re stepping into theirpower as future leaders, changemakers,and maybeevenfuturementors ForSon of aSaint,it’safull-circle moment that reﬂectsthe heartofour mission, to invest in NewOrleans by investinginits sons.” To learnmoreabout Sonofa Saint, visit: www.sonofasaint.org

STAFF PHOTO By BRETTDUKE

Melanie Cade touches foreheads with her daughter,Alura, 7, as her son, Jack, 3, plays on thecouch in the background at their homeinSt. Rose on May29.

— the school spent a record

$543 million on research last year, a jump of nearly 70% from the $324 million secured during Tate’s first year. Yet even that win came with a caveat due to Trump’s threatened funding cuts

“Quite frankly,” Tate told LSU’s board of supervisors, “all of it is at risk right now.”

Now, as the board prepares to launch a national search for a new president, and with some possible front-runners emerging, the next leader of LSU will be tasked with taking on those challenges while seizing the opportunities created during Tate’s tenure.

By most accounts, he left LSU on strong footing. Partly due to a surge in out-of-state applicants, enrollment is at an all-time high, with more than 40,000 students across the system’s eight campuses and online.

The main campus in Baton Rouge is ranked 97th nationally among public colleges and universities, its athletic programs are world-class, and thousands of its graduates are succeeding upon entering the workforce each year.

“The institution touches every part of our state,” said state Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed. “The tentacles are vast and wide and the opportunity is tremendous.”

Precisely because LSU’s fate and Louisiana’s are intertwined and with national political debates keeping higher education in the spotlight — there is sure to be intense interest in the presidential search. Scott Ballard, the LSU board chair who will oversee the search, said he expects talented candidates from across the country to apply

“In my biased opinion,” he said, “it’s the best job out there.”

A high-profile search Tate was selected to lead LSU in 2021, becoming the ﬁrst Black president in the university’s history When he arrived, LSU was still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, racial justice protests and accusations that school ofﬁcials had mishandled sexual assault allegations LSU board member Lee Mallett warned Tate and other finalists for the job that they would need sharp elbows.

“It’s serious politics,” he said at the time. “They’ll knife you here.”

Tate avoided major missteps during his four-year tenure, earning accolades for his “scholarship first” agenda and embrace of LSU athletics. Yet when Tate accepted the job at Rutgers in New Jersey last month, Landry said he had “evidently” been eyeing the exit “for some time.”

LSU hasn’t started formally searching for his successor, and in an interview Friday, Ballard said the board wants to give interim President Matt Lee, a longtime LSU administrator

who most recently oversaw the school’s agriculture college, time to settle in. Lee said he’s been meeting with the school’s many stakeholders and quickly getting up to speed on dozens of ongoing projects.

for the permanent position, declined to say whether he plans to apply, adding that he’s focused on leading LSU through the transition.

term as governor in 2024, LSU removed some diversity messages from its website and renamed its “inclusion” ofﬁce.

Some LSU faculty say the scrutiny has had a chilling effect.

“We’ve been up to our eyeballs in brieﬁngs,” he said. Ballard, whom Landry elevated to board chair in January, said he expects to form a search committee next month that will include LSU board members, faculty members, alumni and industry leaders With the help of a consulting firm, the committee will start identifying candidates in August with the goal of selecting someone this fall, he said Already some potential candidates are being discussed One is Wade Rousse, president of McNeese State University in Lake Charles While Rousse has led the regional school for only one year, Mallett, the board of supervisor’s vice chair and a major donor to Landry told the Louisiana Illuminator that Rousse has “the ability to rise to the top” if he applies for the top LSU job. Mallett didn’t respond to a request for comment.

This week, Rousse met with Louisiana House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, who said in a Facebook post that Rousse is “exactly the kind of leader our state needs.”

“I think he would be a great candidate and a great ﬁt for LSU,” DeVillier said in a brief interview Rousse did not respond to a request for comment.

Lee, who also has been suggested as a candidate

“This is a very, very signiﬁcant responsibility,” Lee said. “Nobody in their right mind would take it lightly.”

Campus controversy

Higher education leaders have rarely faced a landscape as perilous as the current one.

Amid rising tuition and student debt, just 22% of U.S. adults say the cost of a four-year degree is worth it if someone must take out loans according to a Pew Research Center survey Meanwhile, conservatives have targeted some elite universities, calling them hotbeds of liberal indoctrination and antisemitism

The Trump administration has moved to slash research funding, ban diversity programs and eject some international students, including those who have expressed pro-Palestinian views.

“We are seeing an assault on universities,” said LSU political science professor Robert Hogan. “There’s no other way to put it.”

LSU has faced criticism locally At a hearing this year, Rep. Josh Carlson, RLafayette, questioned Tate on why some LSU departments still espouse diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI principles, pointing to a medical school statement that condemned racial bias and health care inequities.

In an interview, Carlson said he isn’t looking to limit academic freedom, but that lawmakers must hold public universities accountable.

“In my district, people do not want to send money to any university to promote DEI issues,” he said.

When Landry started his

Psychology professor Paul Frick said untenured colleagues have showed him lesson plans and asked, “Will I get in trouble?” Frick said he hopes the next president will make the case that principles like diversity “are not ‘woke’ political ideologies, but are critical for our mission.”

Open questions

Some big questions about the search await answers.

One is whether the board will search for a president in the current mold one leader who oversees the entire LSU system across the state as well as the ﬂagship Baton Rouge campus — or go back to the model last used in 2012 of a system president and a Baton Rouge chancellor

Mallett is reportedly pushing for a return to two separate roles while Ballard said he is undecided. Critics of the current system say the dual role divides the president’s attention and creates a conflict of interest when resources are allocated.

Claude Bouchard, a former executive director of LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, said he hopes for a return to two roles “so that the true coordinator and manager and leader of the system is independent of a given campus.”

Another question is whether the selection process will play out publicly or behind closed doors.

The search that led to Tate’s hiring in 2021 was conducted mostly in the open, including public interviews with the ﬁnalists.

But the previous search, before the board hired F. King Alexander in 2013, was kept secret, sparking a “no conﬁdence” vote by the faculty Senate and a lawsuit by news organizations that said

state law requires the public disclosure of candidates for public positions.

Ballard said the consulting ﬁrm will help ensure compliance with the law While he would like the search to be as open and transparent as possible, he added, he also wants to protect applicants who wouldn’t want their current employers to see their names in the news.

“The truth is, the best candidates are not going to take the chance of losing what they have if they have to be totally public about their interest,” he said.

Physics professor A. Ravi P. Rau, who has been at LSU for more than 50 years, said he hopes the board involves the faculty in a “real, national search” rather than “foisting” its favored candidate on the university “You have to have faculty and student buy-in,” he said. “Otherwise, it’s not going to work.” Staff writer Christopher Cartwright contributed reporting.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU President William Tate IV, center, announced in May that he was leaving to become president of Rutgers University Now, LSU’s board is preparing to a launch a national search for his successor

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Trump’s ‘big bill’ chips away at big Obama, Biden bills

Affordable Care Act, Inflation Reduction Act would be affected

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

WASHINGTON — Chiseling away at President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Rolling back the green energy tax breaks from President Joe Biden’s Inﬂation Reduction Act.

At its core, the Republican “big, beautiful bill” is more than just an extension of tax breaks approved during President Donald Trump’s ﬁrst term at the White House.

The package is an attempt by Republicans to undo, little by little, the signature domestic achievements of the past two Democratic presidents.

“We’re going to do what we said we were going to do,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, said after House passage last month

While the aim of the sprawling 1,000-page plus bill is to preserve an estimated $4.5 trillion in tax cuts that would otherwise expire at year’s end if Congress fails to act — and add some new ones, including no taxes on tips — the spending cuts pointed at the Democratic-led programs are causing the most political turmoil.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Ofﬁce said this week that 10.9 million fewer people would have health insurance under the GOP bill, including 1.4 million im-

meets with reporters Wednesday to discuss work on President Donald Trump’s bill of tax breaks and spending cuts at the Capitol in Washington.

migrants in the U.S. without legal status who are in state-funded programs. At the same time, lawmakers are being hounded by businesses in states across the nation who rely on the green energy tax breaks for their projects

As the package moves from the House to the Senate, the simmering unrest over curbing the Obama and Biden policies shows just how politically difficult it can be to slash government programs once they become part of civic life.

“When he asked me, what do you think the prospects are for passage in the Senate? I said, good — if we don’t cut Medicaid,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., recount-

ing his conversation last week with Trump. “And he said, I’m 100% supportive of that.”

Health care worries

Not a single Republican in Congress voted for the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, in 2010, or Biden’s inﬂation act in 2022. Both were approved using the same budget reconciliation process now being employed by Republicans to steamroll Trump’s bill past the opposition.

Even still, sizable coalitions of GOP lawmakers are forming to protect aspects of both of those programs as they ripple into the lives of millions of Americans.

Hawley, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and others are wary of changes to Medicaid and other provisions in the bill that would result in fewer people being able to access health care programs.

At the same time, crossover groupings of House and Senate Republicans have launched an aggressive campaign to preserve, at least for some time, the green energy tax breaks that business interests in their states are relying on to develop solar, wind and other types of energy production.

Murkowski said one area she’s “worried about” is the House bill’s provision that any project not under construction within 60 days of the bill becoming law may no longer be eligible for those credits.

“These are some of the things we’re working on,” she said.

The concerns are running in sometimes opposite directions

and complicating the work of GOP leaders who have almost no votes to spare in the House and Senate.

While some Republicans are working to preserve the programs from cuts, the budget hawks want steeper reductions to stem the nation’s debt load The CBO said the package would add $2.4 trillion to deﬁcits over the decade.

After a robust private meeting with Trump at the White House this week, Republican senators said they were working to keep the bill on track as they amend it for their own priorities.

The disconnect is reminiscent of Trump’s ﬁrst term, when Republicans promised to repeal and replace Obamacare, only to see their effort collapse in dramatic fashion when the late Sen. John McCain, RAriz, voted thumbs down for the bill on the House ﬂoor Battle over Medicaid

In the 15 years since Obamacare became law, access to health care has grown substantially Some 80 million people are now enrolled in Medicaid, and the Kaiser Family Foundation reports 41 states have opted to expand their coverage. The Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid to all adults with incomes up to about $21,500 for an individual, or almost $29,000 for a two-person household.

While Republicans no longer campaign on ending Obamacare, advocates warn that the changes proposed in the big bill will trim back at access to health care.

BY DAVID G. SAVAGE

Los Angeles Times (TNS)

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court cleared the way Friday for the DOGE team that had been led by Elon Musk to examine Social Security records that include personal information on most Americans.

Acting by a 6-3 vote, the justices granted an appeal from President Donald Trump’s lawyers and lifted a court order that had barred a team of DOGE employees of freely examining Social Security records “We conclude that, under the present circumstances,” the Social

Security Administration, or SSA,

“may proceed to afford members of the SSA DOGE Team access to the agency records in question in order for those members to do their work,” the court said in an unsigned order In a second order, the justices blocked the disclosure of DOGE operations as agency records that could be subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

The court’s three liberals — Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — dissented in both cases. “Today, the court grants ‘emergency’ relief

that allows the Social Security Administration (SSA) to hand DOGE staffers the highly sensitive data of millions of Americans,” Jackson wrote. “The Government wants to give DOGE unfettered access to this personal, non-anonymized information right now — before the courts have time to assess whether DOGE’s access is lawful.”

The legal ﬁght turned on the unusual status of the newly created Department of Governmental Efﬁciency This was a not true department, but the name given to the team of advisers led by Musk. Were the DOGE team members

Republicans argue that they want to right-size Medicaid to root out waste, fraud and abuse and ensure it’s there for those who need it most, often citing women and children.

“Medicaid was built to be a temporary safety net for people who genuinely need it — young, pregnant women, single mothers, the disabled, the elderly,” Johnson told The Associated Press. “But when when they expanded under Obamacare, it not only thwarted the purpose of the program, it started draining resources.”

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has said the changes are an Obamacare rollback by another name.

“It decimates our health care system, decimates our clean energy system,” Schumer of New York said in an interview with the AP

The green energy tax breaks involve not only those used by buyers of electric vehicles, like Elon Musk’s Tesla line, but also the production and investment tax credits for developers of renewables and other energy sources.

The House bill had initially proposed a phaseout of those credits over several years. But the conservative Freedom Caucus engineered the faster wind-down — within 60 days of the bill’s passage.

The bill proposes new 80 hours of monthly work or community service requirements for ablebodied Medicaid recipients, age 18 to 64, with some exceptions. It also imposes twice-a-year eligibility veriﬁcation checks and other changes.

presidential advisers or outsiders who should be not given access to personal data?

While Social Security employees are entrusted with the records containing personal information, it was disputed whether the 11 DOGE team members could be trusted with same material. Musk had said the goal was to ﬁnd evidence of fraud or misuse of government funds.

He and DOGE were sued by labor unions who said the outside analysts were sifting through records with personal information which was protected by the pri-

vacy laws. Unless checked, the DOGE team could create highly personal computer proﬁles of every person, they said.

A federal judge in Maryland agreed and issued an order restricting the work of DOGE U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander an Obama appointee, barred DOGE staffers from have accessing to the sensitive personal information of millions of Americans. But her order did not restrict the Social Security staff or DOGE employees from using data that did not identify persons or sensitive personal information.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Benton,

Search expands for ex-soldier accused of killing 3 daughters

BY GENE JOHNSON Associated Press

SEATTLE Authorities have closed a wide swath of popular campgrounds and backpacking areas along the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington as they search for a former Army soldier wanted in the deaths of his three young daughters.

Dozens of addi tional law enforcement officers from an array of agenc ies joined the investigation and search Friday for Travis Caleb Decker, 32, four days after the girls — 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker — were found dead at a remote campsite outside Leavenworth.

The girls’ mother reported them missing the night of May 30 when Decker failed to return them to her home in Wenatchee, about 100 miles east of Seattle, after a scheduled visit.

Gov Bob Ferguson announced Friday night that he was ordering the state’s National Guard to help with the search, saying “we will be providing helicopter transportation for law enforcement as they search in remote areas.”

“The brutal murder of these young children has shocked our state,” he added in a statement on social media. “I’m committed to supporting law enforcement as they seek justice for Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia.”

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that there were more than 100 ofﬁcers involved in the search, which covered rugged terrain in the Cascade Mountains of central Washington, and more than 500 tips had poured in from the public.

Decker was an infantryman in the Army from March 2013 to July 2021 and deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014, according to Army spokesperson

Lt. Col. Ruth Castro. From 2014 to 2016, he was an automatic rifleman with the 75th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington

Last September his exwife, Whitney Decker wrote in a petition to modify their parenting plan that his mental health issues had worsened and that he had become increasingly unstable, often living out of his truck. She sought to restrict him from having overnight visits with the girls until he found housing.

“He has made huge sacrifices to serve our country and loves his girls very much but he has got to get better,” she wrote. “I do not want to keep Travis from the girls at all. But I cannot have our girls staying in what is essentially a homeless shelter, at times unsupervised, with dozens of strange men, or staying in a tent or living in his truck with him both in extreme temperatures and unknown areas for their safety.”

An online fundraiser for Whitney Decker raised more than $1 million, and friends Amy Edwards, who taught the girls in a theater program called “Short Shakespeareans,” and Mark Belton thanked supporters during a news conference Thursday

“Their laughter, curiosity and spirit left a mark on all of us,” Edwards said. “They were the kind of chil-

dren that everyone rooted for, looked forward to seeing and held close in their hearts.”

Edwards and Belton said Whitney Decker hopes the tragedy prompts changes to the state’s Amber Alert system as well as improvements in mental health care for veterans. The night the girls were reported missing, Wenatchee police asked the Washington State Patrol to issue an Amber Alert but it declined, saying that as a custody matter without an imminent threat, the case did not meet the criteria for one. The patrol did issue an “endangered missing person alert” the next day, but those do not result in notiﬁcations being sent to mobile phones.

As searches expanded for the girls last weekend, a sheriff’s deputy found Decker’s pickup in the area of Rock Island Campground, northwest of Leavenworth. There were two bloody handprints on the tailgate. The girls’ bodies were discovered down an embankment nearby with evidence that they had been bound with zip ties, according to an affidavit filed in support of murder and kidnapping charges against Decker County Coroner Wayne Harris said Friday that his office was awaiting pathology results to determine when and how the girls were killed.

‘Devil in the Ozarks’ sent to Ark. SuperMax prison

BY JACK BROOK and JEFF MARTIN

Associated Press/Report for America

Convicted killer and recaptured prison

escapee Grant Hardin, known as the “Devil in the Ozarks,” has been transferred to the Varner SuperMax prison southeast of Little Rock, Arkansas prison authorities

announced Saturday

After a nearly two-week search in the rugged mountains of northern Arkansas, authorities recaptured Hardin on Friday 1.5 miles northwest of the prison from which he escaped. Hardin brieﬂy attempted to run from ofﬁcers when he saw them approach, but he was quickly tackled to the ground, said Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Arkansas prison system.

Authorities tried to track Hardin using drones, bloodhounds and a helicopter, but high water from heavy rains during the search raised the water level in creeks and streams around the prison. That likely limited his abilities — and also those of the searchers to move through the rugged terrain, Champion said.

“The direction he went, specifically around Moccasin Creek, saw high water due to the abundance of rain the last few weeks, which more than likely limited his options to get around the area,” Champion said. “Search teams had looked through this area before, but the high water previously limited their ability to fully investigate.”

Residents of the nearby town of Calico Rock, like Roger Simons, said they were surprised to learn that Hardin had stayed so close to the prison.

“None of us really thought he was still in the area,” said Simons, a local bartender “We thought he was long gone that’s what I would have bet my money on.”

Hardin had been held at the Calico Rock prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to ﬁrst-degree murder in a fatal shooting. He escaped by impersonating a corrections ofﬁcer “in dress and manner,” according

to a court document. A prison ofﬁcer in one of the guard towers opened a secure gate, allowing him to walk out of the facility Authorities say they are investigating why Hardin’s identity was not checked before he was allowed to leave.

Benton County Prosecutor Bryan Sexton, who oversaw Hardin’s convictions for murder and rape, said he had been in close contact with law enforcement ofﬁcials who were “consistent” with their belief that Hardin remained in northern Arkansas. Hardin is a former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border whose notoriety led to a TV documentary called “Devil in the Ozarks.” Sexton said his escape had signiﬁcantly disrupted the lives of trial witnesses and Hardin’s victims, whom he kept updated on the pursuit for the fugitive.

“Every one of them to a person informed me that they had to make changes in their lives because they had had concerns for their safety,” Sexton said.

After Hardin’s recapture, “they could get closure in their lives and secondly go back to their normal lives, which had been disrupted the whole time he was out,” Sexton said.

Cheryl Tillman, the sister of a man shot by Hardin in 2017, told The Associated Press that Hardin’s capture was a “big sigh of relief” for her whole family

“We don’t have to walk around, turning around all the time, thinking somebody’s on our back,” Tillman said, emphasizing her appreciation for the ofﬁcers who helped capture Hardin.

Sexton said he was more assured now that Hardin was being sent to a more secure facility

The Varner Unit, established in 1987, has the capacity to house 1,714 inmates.

“By reputation, Varner is the most secure prison in the Arkansas system,” Sexton said.

SeedsofConnection: Three GenerationsShare aLovefor Gardeningin Livingston

By Amanda McElfresh, amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

Livingston,LA–InLivingstonParish,April Smith’sgardenismorethanjustacolorfuland livelyspace;itreﬂectsthestrongbondsoffamily, wherethe shared love of threegenerations growsasbeautifully as herclimbingroses ForApril,every ﬂowerand carefullychosen plantconnectshertohermother’smemoryand apassion shenow shares with heryoung son.

April’sinterestingardeningstarted after hermotherpassedaway. “I startedafter my mompassed,”shesaysquietly.“Iwatchedmy momandwantedtoconnectwiththememory of hergardens.”She remembersher mother’s ﬂowersvividly,andrecreatingthatbeautyhas broughtcomfort ForApril,themostsatisfyingpartofgardeningisthe emotional connection.“Iknowthat ifshewashereandwouldseeit,shewouldsay, ‘You diditgood.’” This feelingmotivates her. Thegardenalsobringsjoy to others in the community. “Peoplepassing by take pictures with it,” Aprilsayswitha smile.

Likeanydedicatedgardener,April’sgardeninghas changedovertime. “Myveryfirst collection wasroses,” sheremembers.While shestilllovesroses–shegrowseightkindsof climbingroses–herinterestshavebroadened “Now I’mmovingintobulbs andvegetables, sheexplains,showinghergrowingconﬁdence Perennialﬂowersareespeciallyimportantto her,astheyreturnwithbeautyeachyear.“This

year,morecolors,”she adds,referring to the ongoingdevelopment of hergarden.

Forthose just starting theirown gardens, April’sadviceisstraightforward:“Just enjoy what plants youhave andare into,whatyou like,andfollowyourinterests.Enjoywhatyou lovedoing.”Herapproachemphasizespersonal enjoymentoverstrictrules,makinggardening more naturaland rewarding. Shealsoknowsthechallengesofgardening inLouisiana’sclimate.“TheheatinLouisiana isarealchallenge,”shepointsout.Hersolution is practical: “Planfor theheat. Shop localto make sure youare gettingvarieties that can handletheheat.Locally-ownedgardencenters knowwhatworks–askthepros.”Thispractical adviceisvaluablefornewgardenersinthearea Importantly,theloveofgardeningisalready growinginthe next generation.April’s eightyear-oldsonoftenvisitsthegardenandenjoys thebutterﬂies“Helovesthegardenandloves butterflies,”she says warmly.Thisshared interest hasinﬂuenced herplantingchoices Aprilplans to addmoreplantsthatattract butterflies andare native to thearea. This showshowthegardeningtraditioncontinues, passed from grandmothertomothertoson connecting them throughthe simplewonder of athrivinggarden.

SEATTLE TIMES PHOTO By NICK WAGNER

Pictures, flowers and candles mark a makeshift memorial Tuesday in Wenatchee, Wash., in honor of Olivia, Paityn and Evelyn Decker, who were found dead near Leavenworth after their father Travis Decker failed to return them after a scheduled visitation.

Decker

PHOTO PROVIDED By WHITNEy DECKER

Paityn, Olivia and Evelyn Decker

This articleisbrought to youbyLouisiana Nursery.

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

Republicansleanontax breakbenefits

WASHINGTON— Faced with criticism of President Donald Trump’ssignature “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” Republican leadership have focused their defense on how the tax breaks will boost the economy

Mark Ballard

The 1,037-page bill is chock full of increased spending for border security and the military, but the biggest ticket itemsare sweeping tax cuts that the White House says “means an extra $5,000 in Americans’ pockets” through decreases in tax bills. All of whichwould be paid for,at least partially,bycuts to Medicaid and food stamp spending.

The Congressional Budget Ofﬁce calculated that the bill’s$1.3 trillion reduction in spending doesn’tcover the $3.7 trillion cost of the tax breaks and other spending, meaning the bill would add $2.4 trillion over the next decade to the nation’s$36.2 trilliondebt.

Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, and other Republican leaders criticize the CBO, anonpartisan arm of Congress, for ﬁgures they say lowballs the legislation’s economic beneﬁts. (Tobefair: Lawmakers on both sides trash the CBO when its predictionsdon’t support their talking points.)

Behind the ﬁery rhetoric is an argument that the biggest portion of debt comes from extending Trump’s2017 tax break, which for the time being is current policy and therefore shouldn’tbecounted as future debt.

“If we do not get this bill done, the tax cuts of 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, will expire at the end of December.Every American will receive the largesttax increase in US history all at once,” Johnson said. “We’ve made the tax cuts permanent, and we’ve infused it with apro-

State Legislature barrels toward‘sine die’

The State Capitol will see a ﬂurry of activitythis week as legislators hurry to ﬁnish their work before “sine die,” the mandatory end of thesession at 6p.m. Thursday

CAPITOL BUZZ staff reports

collections would fall by about $2.2billionnationwide from this deduction.

Deductions basically lower a ﬁler’sadjustedgross income, which is the starting point on most state returns, meaning lowertaxes for the states.

The legislationalso exempts qualiﬁedtips andovertime pay from federal income taxation.

While good for individual workers, the overtime deduction could costthe Louisiana treasury about$101 million, according to the TaxFoundation.

Deductions for tips could cost Louisiana about$15 millionifthe Legislature doesn’tenact legislationthatwould offset the losses on astate level, estimates the TaxFoundation.

The bill also includes atemporary $4,000 bonus added to the $15,000 standard deduction for seniors.

The enhanced deduction is a substitute for Trump’scampaign promise to remove taxes on Social Security,which under longstanding federal law are funded by apayroll taxduring working yearsand is taxedagain as income when beneﬁts are paid.

The huge measure also includesa myriad of tax breaks for businesses.

Changes in wording to Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Code would credit large purchasesof equipment andsoftware up to $2.5millionona business’stax returns, andSection 168(k) would accelerate depreciation that can be deducted from taxes.

Both the House and Senate will meet Sunday The biggest remainingtask is to ﬁnish the state budget for next ﬁscal year

The House has already passed its version of the budget, but the Senate hasyet to approve the version on itsside. Once the Senate passesits version of the budget, the House must vote to concur before it can go to Landry for his signature. If the House does not agree

growth series of policies that will get the economy going again. It will be jetfuel to the economy.” Phenomenal economic growth will increase revenues and more thanoffset the cost of thetax cuts, he added. Not every Republican buys that theory Thefeud between Elon Musk and Trump, for instance, began with the billionaire’scontentions thatTrump’sbill would increase the deﬁcit and should be rejected.Some SenateRepublicans,

with changes the Senatemade, it will send the bill to conference committee. Several bigﬁscal questions have yet to be answered.For example: Will the Senate continue to blockGov.Jeff Landry’sefforts to increase funding for LA GATOR, the state program that helps parentspay for private school, to $94 million?How much money,if any, will lawmakers draw from the state RevenueStabilization Fund to spendonone-timeprojects likeinfrastructure? Meanwhile, after 6p.m. Monday, all bills will requirea two-thirds vote to pass either chamber,not counting concurrences, resolutions or conference committees. That means lawmakers will bepushing to get their priorities throughonSunday or early Monday,before thehigher threshold takes effect.

Unemploymentbenefits legislationpasses

TheLouisiana Senate on Mon-

such as Sen. RandPaul, R-Ky., have voiced similar fears. The cornerstoneofthe legislation —making the2017 Trump tax cuts permanent —would staveoff an increase in taxes that will occur next year if the bill is not enacted Marginal tax rates would lock in from 10% to 37% depending on income levels. Taxpayers won’tsee additional federal tax withholding from their paychecks. The bill alsomakes permanent

day gave final passagetoabill that would requireresidents collecting unemployment benefitsto do moretofind ajob.

Having already passedthe House, the bill now needs Gov Jeff Landry’ssignaturebefore becoming law Currently, theLouisiana Workforce Commission requires those collecting unemployment to performthree “work search actions” each week. HouseBill 153, by state Rep. Troy Hebert, R-Lafayette, increases that requirement to ﬁve and putsitinto state statute.

Awork search action could include ﬁlling out ajob application, interviewing for ajob, attending job fairs, attending networking events or doing mock interviews. Proponents of the bill saidit would help get more Louisianans back intothe workforce.

Critics saidthe measurewould set overly burdensome requirements, especially for those in rural areas with limited job opportunities

thecurrent higher standard deductions —$14,600 for individuals and $29,200 for married couples —and temporarily increases the amounts by $1,000 for single ﬁlers and$2,000 in joint returns. New tax breaks include adeduction up to $10,000 on loans to buy personalpassenger vehicles. That amount phases out for joint ﬁlersearning more than $200,000 annually.The TaxFoundation, apolicy think tankfounded in 1937, estimates thatstate tax

Mike Johnson caught up in Trump-Muskfeud

The donnybrook between President Donald Trumpand his former ally,billionaire Elon Musk, has expanded to include House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Musk asked Thursday on X: “Where is the Mike Johnson of 2023!?” referring to apost then in which the Benton Republican called aprevious national debt amount unsustainable Johnson ﬁredback Thursday on Xusing uncharacteristically terse language.

“The Mike Johnson of 2023 is the SAME Mike Johnson who has always been alifelong ﬁscal hawk —who now serves as Speaker and is implementing amulti-stage plan to get our country back to ﬁscal responsibility and extraordinary economic growth,” Johnson wrote.

“Yourlife will be dramatically betterbecause you’re going to have more moneyinyour pocket,” Scalise said. “Yoursmall business thatyou’re working for,orlarge business, is going to nowinvest more moneyinto the economy.”

The House-passedOne Big Beautiful Bill Act is beforethe Senate, where changes are likely Email Mark Ballardat mballard@theadvocate.com.

“The same CONSISTENT Mike Johnson who hasALWAYSsupported the America First Agenda.” Musk on Tuesday called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Johnson has spent months negotiating and got passed by asingle vote, a “massive, outrageous, pork-ﬁlled Congressional spending bill.” He said the bill would add to the nation’s$36.2 trillion debt and should be defeated.

The 1,037-page bill includes muchofTrump’sdomestic agenda, such as increased spending on the border and sweeping tax cuts, as well as reduced spending on Medicaid and food stamps.

The House-passed legislation is being considered by the U.S. Senate.

By Thursday,the feud between Trump and Musk devolved into mutualnamecalling.

Musk ended his role as Trump’s point mantoshrink the federal government over the weekend. Abillionaire, Musk donated $250 million to Republicans during last year’scampaigns.

Musk

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByJ.SCOTT APPLEWHITE

Speaker of the House MikeJohnson, R-Benton, talks Wednesday about his discussions with Elon Musk as he meetswithreporters to discuss work on PresidentDonald Trump’sbill of tax breaks and spending cuts at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

EDUCATION

Official helpsschools make stridesinreading

Q&A WITH SHANNA BEBER

DIRECTOR OF LITERACyFOR THELOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO

Staff writer

As the top literacy ofﬁcial at theLouisiana Department of Education, Shanna Beber has seen big changes in theway students learn to read.

Since 2021, state education ofﬁcials and lawmakershave enacted aseries of laws and policies centeredaround the so-called science of reading, aresearch-basedapproach to reading instruction that emphasizes phonics.

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley has credited the approach with driving Louisiana students’gainsonanational reading test.

The department’sexecutive director of literacy,Beber manages a17-person team that overseesliteracy andtutoring work throughout the state. Oneofthe team’sbiggest roles is to help educators learn how to apply the science of readingintheir lessons, and to help school leaders better support teachers in that work

Buildingrelationships with educators and school administrators is crucial, Beber said, so her team isn’tseen as statemonitors sent to check for compliance.

“If we want our educators to collaborate with us and value our guidance,” she said, “they needtosee us as partners in this work.”

Beber recently explained how Louisiana is trying to improve reading instruction.

The interview has been condensedand edited for clarity

Can you explain what your team does?

We use literacy data to determinetargeted areas. We alsohave school systems that will reach out to us to tellus they’re making strides in literacy,but maybe there’sone school that doesn’t seem to be improving.

They ask us to partner with them, look at our data and do walk-throughs in classrooms to look for patterns or trendsand come up with an action plan of support.

Sometimes, there’sa misunderstanding around the science of reading that it’sjust phonics or phonemic awareness.

Really,it’sa vast body of research over decades that really explains how the brain learns to read and what instructional practices are most effective for teaching reading, especially for struggling readers.

Unlike speaking, reading is not natural. Youhave to explicitly teach children how to read, and so you have toexplicitly teach them how sounds map to letters and how theintegration of word recognition and language comprehension is what’sneeded to becomeaskilled reader

How can schoolssupportteachers in making those changes?

By providing thetime and space for teachers to come together in what we call teacher collaboration. So, sometime within theschool day,bring teacherswho teach ELA together to dig into theirmaterials.

Onebeautiful thing about Louisiana is we’ve identiﬁed high-quality instructional materials, and our educators have access to those.

Butit’sreally about allowing them to have thetime to explore those materials, to determine what those instructional moves are and what is expected for students to learn.

what’sinthem,toget that training and also be able to dig into their own students’ work. They need timetolook at where their students are at, how they’re scoring on individual assessments, what additional interventions are needed, and how they can bring those skills they need into daily instruction.

We know that teachers teach from bell to bell, and it’savery valued profession that needs timetoensure instruction is highquality.Giving teachers the space to do that is always beneﬁcial.

Howdoyou measure the work that youdo?

Our team collects data in various ways. We collect anecdotal data as we’re out on site visits, and collect feedback from educators monitoring progress. We track our tutoring participation and those outcomes. But ultimately,the progress we pay closest attention to is our literacy outcomes, which have attracted national attention.

We’ve becomealeader of literacy work, and so when we receive our beginning, middle and end-of-year literacy screener data, we jumpright in. Fortunately,we’ve constantly seen growth there, but addressing (spots that need work) often looks like atiered approach.

It’sreally about building capacity in our literacy coaches and school leaderssothat they can continue to provide professional learning and support forour educators that’scentered around literacy best practices. It also gives us agreat opportunity to have conversations and listen totheir needs, which can alsobecome the next steps for us.

What changeshas the science of reading required forteachersinpractice?

Science of reading has brought back the importance of explicit, direct instruction.

Basically,how will I, as ateacher,teach and model this skill for them? How will I provide them the opportunity to practice, and then what academic feedback am I giving them on their independent work so that they can progress more?

It’sallowing teachers to havetimeto prepare for their daily lessonswhile also considering the students in their classroomsand what additional supports those studentsmay need.

What are somecommon themes —and challenges that come up when working with educators?

They need thetime and the training to be able to do it well. So, to takethe high-quality instructional materials to understand

WE’RE ASKING EXPERTSACROSSTHE STATEHOW TO TACKLE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACINGLOUISIANA SCHOOLS. HAVE AN IDEA?

For example, we’re currently looking at our K-3literacy screener results from the end of the year to see which school systemsmade progress and which ones didn’t. Then we target our support to those schools that need it most. We’ll do the same thing when the ELA LEAP data comes out later this summer so that we can track our secondary literacy efforts. Sometimes we’re able to go to schools making signiﬁcant gains and learn from them so that we can share their story and codifywhattheir process is to share with others.

And sometimes, it’scoming in and saying, “You’re not progressing with your literacy rates, and so we’ll partner with you to determine somenext steps and create an action plan fornext school year.”

Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@ theadvocate.com.

THE GULF COAST

Popular BR chef set to open restaurant in his hometown, Biloxi

BY LAUREN CHERAMIE Staff writer

Baton Rouge chef David Dickensauge is on

Pizza Art Wine, Bin 77 Bistro & Bar, Proverbial Wine Bistro, Tsunami, Zeeland Street, Library Wine and Provisions in Gonzales and, most recently The Colonel’s Club. Dickensauge says the move to Mississippi is a “farewell, but not a goodbye,” as he hopes to see familiar faces at his new venture Field’s Mediterranean by Chef David Dickensauge, in his hometown of Biloxi. “Baton Rouge made me who I am. There are a handful of restaurateurs who took me to the next level,” Dickensauge said. “I’ve been in Baton Rouge more than any city I’ve cooked in my life.”

Dickensauge also emphasized his gratitude for the diners in Baton Rouge who have supported him in his career, allowing him to become not only a great chef but a creator in his ﬁeld.

Formerly Field’s Steak and Oyster Bar, Field’s Mediterranean is part of the Nicaud Restaurant Group, which has opened new restaurants and hotels across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The new restaurant operates out of the historic Magnolia building at 119 Rue Magnolia, Biloxi, near the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino and Mary Mahoney’s Old French House.

While the concept will focus on Mediterranean cuisine, Dickensauge says the menu will also in-

The Colonel’s

clude dishes with Moroccan and African influences. He hopes to open the restaurant by the end of June.

Dickensauge added that his move to Biloxi was prompted by the opportunity to be closer to his family and have a stake in the restaurant.

“I’ve paid my dues being an executive chef for other people,” he said. “I wanted to do my own thing.”

In the next year, Dickensauge aims to bring Field’s Mediterranean to Baton Rouge.

“I love Baton Rouge, and I wasn’t looking to leave,” he said, “but it was a golden opportunity.”

Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie@theadvocate. com.

As Buc-ee’s opens on Miss. coast, prepare for delays

Expect heavy traffic, I-10 construction

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

The yearslong wait — consisting of notable road construction projects, multimillion-dollar investments and heavy anticipation from die-hard fans — will come to an end Monday

In the early morning hours, the Texas-based convenience chain Buc-ee’s will debut its ﬁrst Mississippi store in Harrison County, about a 75-minute drive from downtown New Orleans. At 74,000 square feet, the location will be one of the largest in the nation, offering Gulf Coast residents and travelers heaps of gas pumps, beaver-themed merchandise, fresh foods — and, most likely, an increase in trafﬁc.

The Menge Avenue exit off Interstate 10, where the store is located, has a daily average trafﬁc count of 53,000 vehicles, but Mississippi Department of Transportation spokesperson

Anna Ehrgott expects this number to quickly escalate once Bucee’s opens.

“We encourage drivers take an alternate route if possible, slow down and put away distractions as congestion is expected,” Ehrgott said.

She added that the Menge Avenue exit is within an active work zone, where crews are widening I-10 from four to six lanes between Diamondhead and Country Road Farm by Long Beach, thanks to MDOT receiving nearly $1.2 billion in funding for the project in 2023.

Ehrgott noted that the expansion, which is slated to be finished in 2027, has called for some

“We encourage drivers take an alternate route if possible, slow down and put away distractions as congestion is expected.”

ANNA EHRGOTT, Mississippi Department of Transportation spokesperson

lane shifts in the area, though road closures are not expected to happen once Buc-ee’s opens.

Because of its sprawling size, pristine bathroom stalls and fresh menu items made by employees in cowboy hats, Buc-ee’s has fans across the nation in a griphold.

The convenience store’s widespread appeal explains why some of its locations, particularly its ﬁrst out-of-state location in Rob-

ertsdale, Alabama, have experienced an uptick in trafﬁc

Aside from expanding its footprint across the Gulf Coast, the corporation built a store in Mississippi to help ease congestion at its Robertdale location. But drivers traveling from neighboring states like Alabama and Louisiana to visit the new Buc-ee’s suggests similar trafﬁc snarls in Harrison County

To prepare for increased traffic, contractors hired by Bucee’s expanded a two-lane bridge at the Menge Avenue exit to ﬁve lanes while Harrison County provided $15 million in funds for its construction.

The bridge, which hadn’t been touched since 1973, was completed in December

Email Poet Wolfe at poet. wolfe@theadvocate.com.

Film festival shows what AI can do on the big screen

BY WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS Associated Press

NEWYORK Artiﬁcial intelligence’s use in movie making is exploding. And a young ﬁlm festival, now in its junior year, is showcasing what this technology can do on screen today.

The annual AI Film Festival organized by Runway, a company that specializes in AI-generated video, kicked off in New York Thursday night with ten short ﬁlms from around the world making their debut on the big screen

“Three years ago, this was such a crazy idea,” Runway CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela told the crowd.

“Today millions of people are making billions of videos using tools we only dreamed of.”

The ﬁlm festival itself has grown signiﬁcantly since its 2023 debut

About 300 people submitted ﬁlms when it first began, Valenzuela said, compared to about 6,000 submissions received this year

The one and half-hour lineup stretched across a range of creative styles and ambitious themes — with Jacob Adler’s “Total Pixel Space” taking home the festival’s top prize. The 9-minute, 28-second ﬁlm questions how many possible images — real or not — exist in the digital space, and uses math to calculate a colossal number A stunning series of images, ranging from the familiar life moments to those that completely bend reality, gives viewers a glimpse of what’s out there.

Andrew Salter’s “Jailbird,” which snagged second place, chronicles a chicken’s journey — from the bird’s perspective — to a human prison in the United Kingdom to take part in a joint-rehabilitation program. “One,” a futuristic story by Ricardo Villavicencio and Edward Saatchi about interplanetary travel, followed in third place. The 10 films shown were finalists selected from thousands submitted to Runway’s AI Film Festival this year. The shorts will also be shown at screenings held in Los Angeles and Paris next week. How AI is used and executed is a factor judges evaluate when determining festival winners. But not every film entered was made entirely using AI. While submission criteria requires each movie include the use of AI-generated video, there’s no set threshold, meaning some films can take a more “mixed media” approach — such as combining live shots of actors or real-life images and sounds with AI-generated elements

“We’re trying to encourage people to explore and experiment with it,” Valenzuela said in an interview before Thursday’s screening.

Creating a coherent film using generative AI is no easy feat It can take a long list of directions and numerous, detailed prompts to get even a short scene to make sense and look consistent. Still, the scope of what this kind of technology can do has grown significantly since Runway’s ﬁrst AI Film Festival in

Runway’s

2023 and Valenzuela says that’s reflected in today’s submissions. While there are still limits, AI-generated video is becoming more and more lifelike and realistic.

Runway encourages the use of its own AI tools for ﬁlms entered into its festival, but creators are also allowed to turn to other resources and tools as they put together the ﬁlms and across the industry, tools that use AI to create videos spanning from text, image and/or audio prompts have rapidly improved over recent years, while becoming increasingly available.

“The way (this technology) has lived within film and media culture, and pop culture, has really accelerated,” said Joshua Glick, an associate professor of ﬁlm and electronic arts at Bard College. He adds that Runway’s film fest, which is among a handful of showcases aimed at spotlighting AI’s creative capabilities, arrives as companies in this space are searching for heightened “legitimacy and recognition” for the tools they are creating with aims to cement partnerships in Hollywood as a result.

AI’s presence in Hollywood is already far-reaching, and perhaps more expansive than many moviegoers realize. Beyond “headlinegrabbing” (and at times controversial) applications that big-budget ﬁlms have done to “de-age” actors or create eye-catching stunts, Glick notes, this technology is often incorporated in an array of postproduction editing, digital touch-ups and additional behind-the-scenes work like sorting footage. Industry executives repeatedly point to how AI can improve efﬁciency in the movie making process — allowing creatives to perform a task that once took hours, for example, in a matter of minutes and foster further innovation. Still, AI’s rapid growth and adoption has also heightened anxieties around the burgeoning technology — notably its implications for workers.

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees — which represents behind-the-scenes entertainment workers in the U.S. and Canada has “long embraced new technologies that enhance storytelling,” Vanessa Holtgrewe, IATSE’s international vice president, said in an emailed statement. “But we’ve also been clear: AI must not be used to undermine workers’ rights or livelihoods.”

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has also been vocal about AI protections for its members, a key sticking point in recent labor actions.

Video shows dolphin calf birth and first breath at Chicago zoo

By The Associated Press

CHICAGO A bottlenose dolphin at a Chicago zoo gave birth to a calf early Saturday morning with the help of a fellow mom, in a successful birth recorded on video by zoo staff.

The dolphin calf was born at Brookfield Zoo Chicago early Saturday morning as a team of veterinarians monitored and cheered on the mom, a 38-year-old bottlenose dolphin named Allie.

“Push, push, push,” one observer can be heard shouting in video released by the

zoo Saturday, as Allie swims around the tank, the calf’s little tail fins poking out below her own. Then the calf wriggles free and instinctively darts to the surface of the pool for its first breath. Also in the tank was an experienced mother dolphin named Tapeko, 43, who stayed close to Allie through her more than one hour of labor In the video, she can be seen following the calf as it heads to the surface and staying with it as it takes that first breath. It is natural for dolphins to look out for each other dur-

ing a birth, zoo staff said.

“That’s very common both in free-ranging settings but also in aquaria,” said Brookfield Zoo Chicago Senior Veterinarian Dr Jennifer Langan in a video statement.

“It provides the mom extra protection and a little bit of extra help to help get the calf to the surface to help it breath in those couple minutes where she’s still having really strong contractions.”

The calf has already learned to slipstream, or draft alongside its mother so that it doesn’t have to work as hard to move. Veterinarians will monitor progress in nursing, swimming and other milestones particularly closely over the next 30 days. The calf will eventually take a paternity test to see which of the male dolphins at the zoo is its father Zoo ofﬁcials say they will name the calf later this summer

In a written statement, zoo ofﬁcials said early signs indicate that the calf is in good health. They estimate it weighs around 35 pounds and stretches nearly four feet in length. That is about the weight and length of an adult golden retriever dog.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By WyATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS

third-annual AI Film Festival kicks off with a screening at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in New york on Thursday

PHOTO PROVIDED By BROOKFIELD ZOO CHICAGO

Bottlenose dolphins Allie and Tapeko are joined by a newly born calf at the Brookfield Zoo Chicago on Saturday.

Keymoments from thefourthweekofCombs’trial

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRYNEUMEISTER Associated Press

NEWYORK The fourth week of Sean “Diddy” Combs ’sex trafﬁckingtrial featured testimony from the second of two ex-girlfriends who are crucial witnesses inthe government’squest to prove sex trafﬁcking and racketeering conspiracy charges against the hip-hop mogul. Combs, the founder of Bad BoyRecords,has pleaded not guilty in the trial, which resumes Monday Here are key moments from the past week: Security guard’stestimony

Fearing career ruin, Combs delivered $100,000 in cash to asecurity guard for aLos Angeles hotelinreturn for assurancesthat he was given the only security footage of Combs’ 2016 attack on then-girlfriendCasandra “Cassie” Ventura, the security guard testiﬁed.

Eddy Garcia, 33, recounted how the deal came to be, saying he ﬁrst heard from a fast talking, stuttering and “very nervous” Combs on a phone call seeking to obtain the video of him kicking and dragging Cassie from the hotel’selevator bank into a hallway because “if this got out it could ruin him.”

Days later,Garcia said, he was the nervous one when he was greeted in an ofﬁce building by asmiling Combs who called him “Eddy, my angel” before Garcia turned over aUSB drive containing the security footage. Combs

then made him sign anondisclosure agreement promising it was the onlycopy of the videoand thatGarcia would neverspeak of it, he said. Then,Combs, with abodyguard at his side, fedstacks of cashfroma brownbag into arectangularmoney counter machineuntil it reached $100,000,Garcia said.He said he pocketed$30,000 and gave $50,000 to his boss and $20,000 to anotherhotel security guard. Garcia testiﬁed underimmunity

Arecording of the hotel attack on Cassie aired on CNN last year and security footage along with clips of thesecurity tape recorded by aguard on hispersonal phonesohecould show it to hiswife have beenshown repeatedly during thetrial. Threat to throwCombs out Minutes after aprosecutor complainedthatCombswas seen “nodding furiously” as his lawyer cross examined a witness on Thursday,Judge Arun Subramanian took a look himself andsaid hesaw Combs“noddingvigorously and looking at the jury” and doing the same later when the lawyers and the judge were having asidebardiscussion.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey said prosecutors were concerned because the gestures amounted to “testifying by nodding afﬁrmatively”while hislawyerasked questions. During alunch break, defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo promised to speak with Combs and ensure it wouldn’thappen againaf-

ter thejudge told him it was “absolutely unacceptable. The judge sternly responded: “If it happens again, if it happens even once, Iwill hear an application from the government to give acurative instruction to the jury, whichyou do notwant.OrI will consider taking further measures, which could result in theexclusion of your client from the courtroom.”

‘Brainwashed’while texting

Aformer Combs personal assistant whotestiﬁedunder the pseudonym “Mia” told jurors that Combs had sexually assaulted her multiple timesoverher eight-year career,though theattacks were “random,sporadic, so oddly spaced out” so that she thought each was the last.

She saidheﬁrst molested her andforcibly kissedher at his40th birthday party before raping her months later in aguest room at his Los Angeles home.

On cross examination, defense lawyer BrianSteel’s suggested thatshe fabricated her claimstocash in on “the #MeToo money grab against Sean Combs.”

Steel confronted her with loving texts she sent Combs long after her employment ended and asked how she could tell him, as she did in a2019 text, thatshe had imagined Combsrescuing her from anightmare in which she was trapped in an elevator with R. Kelly,the singerwho hassincebeen convicted of sex trafﬁcking.

“I was still brainwashed,” Mia explained.

Cassie’s friend questioned

Thedefense had oneofits most successfulmomentsof the trial when attorney Nicole Westmoreland castdoubt on the credibilityofagraphic designerwho says Combs once dangled herfromthe balconyofa17th-ﬂoor apartment in Los Angeles.

Bryana “Bana”Bongolan, afriend of Cassie who is suing Combs, had taken acellphone image of asoftballsize welt on herleg that she said occurred when Combs held heroverthe balcony for 10 to 15 seconds and then threw her intofurniture.

After it was shown to the jury,Westmorelandshowed thejurycellphonemetadata revealing thatthe photograph was taken while Combs was on tourinSeptember 2016, staying at a Manhattan hotel.

“You agree that one person can’t be in two places at the

sametime?” Westmoreland asked.

“In, like,theory,yeah,” Bongolan responded.

“You’re notsure?” Westmoreland asked.

“Hard to answer that one,” she said.

Later,Bongolansaid she did not recall the exact date, but she had no doubt the balcony episode happened.

Womanrecalls sexevents

Awoman testifying under the pseudonym “Jane” fought through tearsand sobs to recount frequent sexual performances she participated in with male sex workers to please Combs and keep their threeyear relationship alive until his September arrest.

Jane’stestimony,whichis likely to continue deep into next week, is identical in many ways to the four-day testimony in the trial’sﬁrst week by Cassie. Jane said

she never wanted to have sex with other menbut did it to please Combs because she loved him Cassie described having hundreds of drug-fueled sexual performances known as “freak-offs” in which she had sex with malesex workersfor days at atime while Combs watched,sometimes directed the activity,and pleasured himself Janedescribed having nearly the sameexperiences from 2021 until last August, though she called them “hotel nights.” She said her relationship with Combs began with romance but later becamereliant upon the sexual performances, especially after Combs beganpaying rent forher apartment. Defense attorneys have insisted that Jane and Combs only engaged in consensual sex and that Jane’sprotests to Combsintextmessages were fueled by jealousy

BY COLLIN BINKLEYand FU TING Associated Press

WASHINGTON Afederaljudge has temporarily blocked aproclamation by President Donald Trump thatbanned foreign students from entering the U.S. to attend Harvard University Trump’sproclamation was the latest attempt by his Republican administration to prevent the nation’soldest andwealthiest college from enrolling aquarterofits students, who account for much of itsresearch and scholarship.

It’sthe second time in amonth Harvard’s incoming foreign students have hadtheir plans thrown into jeopardy,only to seea court intervene. Alan Wang, a22-year-old from China who is planning to start aHarvard graduate program in August, said it has been an emotional roller coaster “I cannot plan my life wheneverything keeps going back and forth. Give mesome certainty: Can Igoornot?” Wang said. Wang was born and raised in China but attended college in the U.S.He’snow in China for summer vacation. Recently hehas been exploring options in countries with more appealing immigration policies, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand Harvardﬁled alegal challenge on Thursday,asking for ajudge to block Trump’sorderand calling it illegal retaliation forHarvard’srejection of White House demands. Harvardsaid the president was attempting an end-run around aprevious court order.

Afew hours later,U.S. DistrictJudge Allison Burroughs in Boston issuedatemporary restraining order against Trump’sproclamation. Harvard, she said, haddemonstrated it would sustain “immediate and irreparableinjury” before she would have an opportunity to hear from the parties in the lawsuit.

Burroughs alsoextended the temporary hold she placed on the administration’sprevious attempt to endHarvard’s enrollment of internationalstudents. Lastmonth, the Department of Homeland Securityrevoked Harvard’scertiﬁcation to hostforeign studentsand issue paperwork to them for their visas, only to have Burroughs block the action.Trump’sorder this week invoked adifferent legal authority

Acourt hearing is scheduled for June 16 to decide if the judge will extend the block on Trump’sproclamation.

If Trump’smeasure were to survive the court challenge, it would block thousands of students who are scheduled to go to Harvard’scampus in Cambridge,Massachusetts, for the summer andfallterms. It wouldalso direct the State Department to consider revoking visas for Harvard studentsalready in the U.S

“Harvard’smorethan 7,000 F-1 and J-1 visaholders —and theirdependents —have become pawns in thegovernment’sescalatingcampaign of retaliation,” Harvard wrote Thursdayinacourt ﬁling.

Trump’sproclamation invoked abroad law allowing the president to block “any class of aliens” whose entry would be detrimental to U.S. interests. It’sthe same basis for anew travel ban blocking citizens of 12 countries andrestrictingaccessfor those from seven others.

In its challenge, Harvard saidTrump contradicted himself by raising security concerns about incoming Harvard students while also saying they would be welcome if they attend other U.S. universities.

“Not only does this undermine any national security claim related to theentry of these individuals,itlays bare theProclamation’s truepurpose:topunish Harvard as a disfavored institution,” the school wrote.

BR man found guilty in strangling death

Victim was museum founder and activist

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

A former tenant of prominent

Baton Rouge activist Sadie Roberts-Joseph was found guilty Saturday of strangling her to death in 2019 and stufﬁng her body into the trunk of her car

A jury found Ronn Germaine Bell, 44, guilty of second-degree

Legislators scrap plan for DOTD salaries

Larger overhaul remains on track

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

The Louisiana Legislature this week approved changes to a proposed overhaul of the state Department of Transportation and Development — including tossing out a provision that would have banned using a trust fund for road and bridge projects to pay for $438 million worth of employee salaries and beneﬁts Lawmakers had hoped to end the practice of funding paychecks for DOTD’s more than 4,000 employees out of the state’s Transportation Trust Fund, which was set up decades ago to pay for construction projects. Doing so, they argued, would free up more money to spend on actual projects. But legislators would have had to come up with an alternative funding source ahead of a budget year for which they are struggling to stretch state dollars to cover other programs and services So, amid uncertainty over federal funding for the state, they decided to shelve the plan. Aside from that, the package of bills to restructure the DOTD largely resembles the concept that won overwhelming approval from the full

BR school leaders ready for new year

Approved site closings aid budgeting

BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer

As in years past June is a busy month for East Baton Rouge Parish school leaders as they race to take advantage of empty buildings to get schools ready for the new school year starting in August.

Unlike in the past, district spending plans for the new year are largely complete. After a short presentation, hardly anyone said anything No members of the public spoke, and only two submitted online comments. It is a contrast to the contentious debates that have dogged many past budget cycles.

Board member Nathan Rust congratulated Superintendent LaMont

murder Saturday afternoon.

The case shocked the city and received national media attention in July 2019, when the 75-year-old Roberts-Joseph, the founder of Baton Rouge’s ﬁrst Black museum, was found dead in the trunk of her car her body covered in bleach.

Bell is believed to have strangled her, possibly over a debt of $1,200 in unpaid back rent.

He has a sentencing hearing scheduled for August, but state law mandates a mandatory life sentence for the crime.

Prosecutors presented the jury with collected surveillance footage placing Bell in the area on the night Roberts-Joseph’s body was found. Evidence also showed that Bell’s DNA was found on the steering wheel of Roberts-Joseph’s car,

and bleach residue was found on his discarded clothes. That was enough for the jury

In the courthouse hallway, the exhausting wait for justice ended for Roberts-Joseph’s family in mufﬂed tears, sighs and hugs.

After the verdict was read, Assistant District Attorney Kathleen Barrios Heap said that, as the sixth anniversary of Roberts-Joseph’s death nears, “we are just relieved that we have ﬁnally gotten to this date and that the jurors have seen

what we have always known to be true: that the defendant was guilty.”

District Attorney Hillar Moore echoed these sentiments, adding that the monetary motivation of the murder made it even more senseless.

“We are proud to have delivered justice for the family of Ms Sadie,” Moore said. In his closing remarks defense attorney Randy Dukes continued

Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Baton Rogue Kristopher M. Lewis Sr., left, and volunteer Paul Davidson work together to screw in a support beam on Tuesday during the construction of a wheelchair ramp at St. Lillian Academy’s stage while Kristopher Jr., right, munches on a cookie.

Federal Mississippi River study paused

Corps says work delayed by lack of funding

BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer

A major federal study on the future of the lower Mississippi River examining effects in Louisiana and six other states has been paused due to a lack of funding from the Trump administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Friday Separately, the Corps’ New

Orleans district confirmed it was losing around 80 of its 1,160 employees to early retirement or deferred resignations allowing them to go on leave until the end of the ﬁscal year before departing as the Trump administration seeks to cut federal spending. It said construction projects underway were not affected. The so-called mega-study whose launch was announced in 2023, was intended to last ﬁve years, cost $25 million and address a wide range of issues key to shipping, flooding concerns and drinking water qual-

ity, among others. In Louisiana, issues being analyzed by the study include saltwater intrusion, operations of the vital Old River Control Structure near Angola and shipping concerns along one of the world’s most important transportation lanes. The plan was to begin defining how to manage the lower river from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, down to the Gulf nearly a century after the Mississippi’s modern shape took form with the construction of the vast levee and flood control system following the massive 1927 flood. Corps officials and other experts have

stressed that a reassessment is needed due to the major changes in recent decades to the river itself and communities alongside it.

The study has not been granted funding in the Corps’ ﬁscal year 2025 work plan, and President Donald Trump’s recently released ﬁscal year 2026 budget does not recommend it for funding, Corps spokesperson Ricky Boyett said.

“As a result, we are placing the study into a paused status until additional funding becomes

ABOVE: Stuart Gilly, of First Tuesday, paints the trim of a door Tuesday as volunteers with Rebuilding Together Baton Rogue construct a wheelchair ramp at St. Lillian Academy’s stage. The ramp was constructed

STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS LEFT:

ä See STRANGLING, page 2B

ä See DOTD, page 2B

3 indicted on murder charges

La. state legislator’s grandson killed in January

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

Three East Baton Rouge Parish men have been indicted in the killing of a Louisiana state representative’s grandson.

D’Shawn Brown, 22, died in a hail of bullets as he was shot multiple times in a McDonald’s parking lot Jan. 20. Brown is the grandson of state Rep C. Denise

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Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge. Police arrested a trio of suspects in connection to the shooting in the ensuing days.

A special grand jury indicted the three men on May 23, 19th Judicial District Court records show Melvin James Robinson Jr., 33, was the ﬁrst of the defendants to be nabbed Jan. 31. He was indicted on charges of second-degree murder, simple arson and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors allege he set a vehicle tied to the shooting on ﬁre to conceal evidence in the case one day after the slaying. Robinson’s alleged accomplices Brandon Maurice

available,” Boyett said of what is ofﬁcially known as the Lower Mississippi River Comprehensive Management Study, which has been authorized by Congress.

A notice to stakeholders on the study’s pause also noted that “previous president budget funds received during FY25 must be returned to the United States Treasury.” It was not immediately clear how much must be returned. The study has been granted $9.5 million since it started.

‘Most important waterway’

Congress could eventually decide to fund the study as it sets out spending plans for the next ﬁscal year and beyond, though there are no guarantees. Boyett said the Corps could pick up where it left off if the study is again funded. When the study was launched, Col. Cullen Jones, commander of the Corps’ New Orleans district, said it would provide “the opportunity to consider this critical ﬂood risk management system and identify what, if any, opportunities, and modifications are needed to account for the change in river dynamics as well as the needs of the nation over the last century.”

“The Mississippi River is the nation’s most important waterway and one of the world’s most important natural resources,” he said. “We are committed to ensuring it remains so in the future.”

The study was proceeding alongside another major initiative looking at the lower river particularly the Bird Foot Delta near its mouth, sponsored by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. That initiative, co-led by Tulane and LSU professors, is being paid for with $22 million from

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House last month.

The plan this week advanced out of the Senate Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee and closer to final passage by the Legislature, which is scheduled to wrap up its ongoing session Thursday Lawmakers hope the reform effort will result in more timely fixes to the state’s multitude of road and trafﬁc problems.

“The whole goal is to be more transparent, more accountable to the public and have better roads and bridges in this state,” Senate transportation committee Chair Patrick Connick, R-Marrero, said while overseeing a public hearing on the plan this week.

On Friday, Connick said, “these reforms aim to pull back the curtain on DOTD operations, identify and eliminate waste and inefﬁciencies, and restore public trust.”

“With 4,300 employees and an annual budget of $2.3 billion,” he said, “the public deserves to know what they’re getting in return.”

What the plan does

Under the proposal, a new agency outside and independent of the DOTD would be created to handle construction and maintenance of smaller state roadways

Known as the Ofﬁce of Louisiana Highway Construction, it would be run by an executive director appointed by the governor

The ofﬁce would oversee routes that don’t qualify for federal funding, which include roughly 4,800 miles of state roadways in local

Graham Jr and Johnathan Jerome Ladarius Williams were both indicted on a single count of second-degree murder according to court records. Graham and Williams are both 19.

The three defendants all face the prospect of mandatory life sentences if they are convicted of the seconddegree murder charge. All three are set to be arraigned July 2 in front of District Judge Louise Hines Myers. Brown was killed the afternoon before the historic snowstorm that hit Louisiana in January He was found dead outside his vehicle, which was riddled with bullets, in the McDonald’s

parking in the 6900 block of Airline Highway at the intersection of Prescott Road.

The victim was shot multiple times and died at the scene, police said.

Marcelle, his grandmother, described him as the devoted father of a 4-year-old son, and said he had overcome several obstacles in his life.

“He had just moved into a new apartment and was so excited,” she told The Advocate in January “You could see him growing up, especially with his son.”

Email Matt Bruce at matt.bruce@theadvocate. com.

funds linked to the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster and is not in danger of being paused.

The two studies were in some ways designed to be complementary as the team of academics and Corps experts delve into the myriad issues at stake.

Sam Bentley, an LSU geologist co-leading the National Academy study, said the Corps’ pause represents a major lost opportunity

“This funding represented a legal authorization for the Corps to think about how to manage the river for the next 100 years,” Bentley said. “I can’t speak for the folks who are doing the work, but we all know that the river of the 21st century is not the river of the early 20th century And this was a fabulous opportunity to begin working on the next generation of Mississippi River and tributaries management projects.”

‘Challenges to work through’

Mead Allison, a Tulane geologist and the other co-leader of the National Academy study, said “we are saddened” to hear the Corps had to pause its effort. He said issues being looked

areas.

The DOTD is responsible for more than 17,000 miles of road.

A new division inside the department — the Ofﬁce of Transformation would be in charge of improving efﬁciency at the DOTD and would be helmed by someone appointed by the governor.

The proposed transformation ofﬁce is meant to serve as a departmental “change agent,” Rep. Ryan Bourriaque, R-Abbeville, who is sponsoring the bill package and spearheading the DOTD overhaul effort, has said.

This week, Bourriaque said the leaders of the new Ofﬁce of Louisiana Highway Construction and DOTD’s Office of Transformation “will have the capacity to address issues with more innovation and creativity.” Transportation and infrastructure play “a key role in driving our economy,” he said.

The DOTD needs to more readily adapt to change, much like Louisiana Economic Development and the Department of Energy and Natural Resources have in recent months, he said. Under the plan, the DOTD would be required to “maximize third-party contracts” for its maintenance of the state highway system, and it would have no limitations on its authority to contract with outside consultants to provide services.

A new Office of Project Delivery would oversee both engineering and project planning and delivery Currently, engineering and project planning are housed in separate divisions.

The head of the project delivery division would be required to “maximize to the fullest extent possible the privatization of services

STAFF FILE PHOTO By TRAVIS SPRADLING Sadie Roberts-Joseph, founder of the Odell S Williams Now and Then Museum of African-American History, was killed in 2019.

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to highlight the speed of the investigation, which he said was spurred by public outcry and national media attention following RobertsJoseph’s death.

“We believe the failures of this case are due to the rush to solve it quickly,” the New Orleans attorney said.

The police investigation lasted ﬁve days before Bell was arrested.

man did not match Bell’s description.

Dukes believes this witness wasn’t given a chance to ID suspects in a police lineup because his description of the suspect didn’t match Bell’s and thus differed from the narrative police were shaping. Roberts-Joseph’s family said the case has taken “a long, long time,” and that the delays were often frustrating.

at included those of high importance to Louisiana, such as investigating ways to bring more sediment to the delta’s disappearing wetlands, minimizing the use of the Bonnet Carre Spillway and examining how to address saltwater intrusion threatening the New Orleans area’s drinking water

“We can only hope Washington eventually lifts this pause and this worthwhile effort is allowed to reach its full potential,” he said.

The Port of New Orleans declined immediate comment, saying it had just learned of the pause.

Sean Duffy executive director of the Big River Coalition, which advocates for commercial navigation interests, said his organization viewed the pause as part of a storm the industry had to weather, including cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which shipping companies rely upon.

“We’re seeing impacts across government agencies based on changes to funding, and each one presents different challenges to work through,” he said.

and services and functions.”

Other changes to the plan

Along with eliminating the ban on using the Transportation Trust Fund to pay for employee salaries and beneﬁts, the plan has undergone some other changes.

The assistant secretary of the Ofﬁce of Project Delivery will now be required to “consult with the chief engineer on matters related to project planning and implementation.”

The DOTD legislative package now includes a resolution ordering the Ofﬁce of Transformation to recommend improvements to project delivery, the agency’s district offices and bridge maintenance, among other things, and report those recommendations to the Legislature by next spring.

Priorities outlined in the resolution are “of great importance” to lawmakers and other stakeholders, Bourriaque said, but they need more “time outside of session to further dive into the problems and potential solutions.”

Those items “will be the basis for agendas and discussions of the transportation committee in the coming months,” Bourriaque said.

Said Connick of the reform package: “This is just the first step in ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and that every level of DOTD is performing in a manner that is responsive to the people of Louisiana.”

Questions remain

On Wednesday, Bourriaque told the Senate panel the legislation is intended to get the DOTD “in a transformational position.”

But details of what that transformation entails in practice have yet to be re-

vealed.

For example, the budget and the number of employees for the new Office of Louisiana Highway Construction are still unclear

A fiscal analysis prepared by nonpartisan legislative staff says the bill creating the new office “provides for an executive director and staff, but does not provide any specifics to staff levels.”

“The magnitude of the increase in expenditures will depend on how many new positions are created and the salaries set for the various positions, which is unknown at this time,” the analysis states.

Bourriaque did not respond to questions seeking details about the proposed budget and stafﬁng levels at that ofﬁce.

Asked if outsourcing and privatizing DOTD functions is still a goal of the reorganization effort, Bourriaque said, “this is something the Office of Transformation can work on to determine when best to shift to the private sector.”

He added that in some of the department’s regional ofﬁces, DOTD staff is effectively handling engineering, design and other infrastructure work.

“We hope to support those efforts where things are functioning properly by providing supplemental funds,” he said.

But he said this is not the case in all areas of the state.

“After visiting with legislators and stakeholders in other areas, it seems as though some districts are not performing as well,” Bourriaque said. “When appropriate, we feel that the department should have the ﬂexibility it needs to address issues and project speciﬁc concerns across the state by any means necessary.”

Dukes said one witness police spoke to had offered statements that differed from the prosecution’s narrative of events. This witness had allegedly seen a man bring Roberts-Joseph’s car to the abandoned house where it was found, but the

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Cole on a budget that mirrors a list of strategic goals the board approved in January Rust said the approval in late April of Cole’s “realignment” plan, which affects about 28 schools, will help the school system save money over time, money it already is putting to better use.

“I’m happy to see that the savings through the realignment plan all goes to the benefit of students,” Rust said.

The plan closes nine schools, relocates four, gives seven new grade configurations and redraws attendance zones for 12. It is expected to save an estimated $129 million over time thanks to avoided maintenance costs from older buildings no longer in use. Current operations will also see some savings from reduced administration and stafﬁng.

For instance, Capitol Middle and Capitol High last year received funding for a total of 125 positions. As part of the realignment plan, the two schools are merging into one school, Capitol High, except for about 130 sixth graders who are headed elsewhere. Overall staff at the combined Capitol High is shrinking by 41 positions.

The proposed 2025-26 ﬁscal year budget is Cole’s ﬁrst attempt to lay out his priorities for the school system, where he took over as leader 10 months ago. He is proposing a “balanced” budget, one where the district takes in more money than it spends. District reserves are expected to clock in at $99 million, about 2% above where they are currently

The $804 million in overall spending, or about $20,500 per student, represents a decline of 2.5% from current levels. The district’s general fund, which accounts for about 70% of all district funding, includes $582 million in proposed spending, a 1.5% decline from current levels.

Much of the anticipated downturn in spending is because the budget assumes that the state will discontinue a stipend for public school employees that started in 2023 — $2,000 for teachers, $1,000 for support workers. The stipend was originally on the chopping block, but was restored last month by the state House

“We’re just happy to have closure,” said Emma Boers, Roberts-Joseph’s sister “Of course we want justice to be served, too. But none of it will bring her back.”

Barrios Heap said the case was the longest she has ever been a part of, attributing some of the delays to multiple changes to the presiding judge.

and is on track for approval in the Senate. The current session ends June 12. The new budget included several new spending items: surveillance cameras for 500 school buses; eight new weapons detectors that use artificial intelligence; a consulting firm to help improve student transportation; two teachers per classroom at two elementary schools, and new mentor teachers. Another spending item is $59,000 to hire Huntsville, Alabama-based LEAN Frog to conduct a comprehensive study of the compensation of the district’s 6,000 employees, nearly half of them classroom teachers. The goal is to have new, simplified salary schedules ready in time for the 2026-27 school year as well as an employee pay raise. The board on Thursday gave preliminary approval to hire LEAN Frog.

Cole is also proposing to increase what the district pays HES Facilities Management of Knoxville, Tennessee, to maintain district facilities For nearly a year, the company’s efforts to get an additional $960,000 have been rebuffed by the board. That money would allow for a 4% cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, so HES can further boost pay for its workers and direct more money to subcontractors to do the same. In 2023, the company won a $3.5 million contract amendment that was meant, in part, to do the same thing. Cole said Thursday that he is comfortable giving the company the money after it agreed to several changes in operations that have greatly improved its performance and reduced complaints. Spending on charter schools is expected to continue growing. It is estimated at $161.6 million, about 3% over current levels. It accounts for about 20% of the overall budget.

Email Charles Lussier at clussier@theadvocate. com.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

A major federal study on the future of the lower Mississippi River examining effects in Louisiana and six other states has been paused due to a lack of funding, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Friday

Meta’s Louisianadatacenterprompts concern

Advocatesclaim outage potential; companycites safeguards

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

Entergy’s plan to power

Meta’smassive data center in northeast Louisianais being portrayedinstarkly different terms in new filings, with advocacy groups warning of thepotential for major outagesand company officialsmaintainingthat safeguards will be in place to prevent them.

The utility is asking state regulators to build three new gas-ﬁred power plants at a cost of $3.2 billion plus other transmission infrastructure for an airport-sized facility in Richland Parish

The data center would help Meta —the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp —expand its artiﬁcial intelligence technology and compete with rival companies likeGoogleand OpenAI.

Powering the data center would draw more than twice the maximum capacity of New Orleans’ peaksummer demand.

Consumer advocacy and environmental nonprofits Alliance forAffordable Energy and the Union for Concerned Scientists urged the Louisiana Public Service Commission to deny Entergy’srequest, unless the utility adds more safeguards.

“Investment in Louisiana should beneﬁt local commu-

nities where projects are being planned and notburden ratepayers across thestate who stand to benefit nothing,” said Logan Burke, the executive director of the Alliance for Affordable Energy. “Entergy has provided no such assurances.”

Entergy disputes these arguments andstresses that theproject will benefit all customers, not just Meta.

“This wasavery complicatedcontract andunlike anything anybody’s negotiated in theindustry,” said Laura Beauchamp,vice president of business operationsand strategy atEntergy.“There were gives and takesonbothsides, but the

overarching goal for us was to makesure our customers had signiﬁcant beneﬁtsand that is theultimatedeal we struck.”

The opposing groups ﬁled testimonyinApril and Entergyfiled rebuttal arguments last week.Atthis pointinthe process, the parties typically negotiate their stances with commissionstaff or,inrare cases, enter acontested hearing. The utilityregulators are expected to makea ruling on theproposal later this year

Major details of thecase arehiddenfrom public view, as all parties involved signed nondisclosure agreements. Thefull capital investment

of the projects, the data center’smostrecentexpected power demands, and details of the agreement with Meta are all redacted from publicly available documents. Stateofﬁcials have lauded Meta’s$10 billion project as awin for economic development in oneofthe poorest regions of the state. The companyannounced in December itsplan to build the industrial site on agricultural land the size of around 70 football ﬁelds. Theproject is expected to support 300 to 500 permanent jobs and 5,000 constructionworkers at peak. It is unclear whether these jobs will go to local residents.

Because the data center needs so much power,sudden changes in the amount the facility uses could destabilize the grid, according to atechnical service consultant supporting the nonproﬁts. This could be especially troubling forLouisianans, whopay higher-thanaverage electricity bills and depend on oneofthe least reliable grids in the country,according to aJanuary report from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’sOfﬁce.

Over Memorial Dayweekend, more than 100,000 people in the New Orleans area lost powerbecause of forced outages triggered by aconstellation of problems with the region’selectric grid.

Nicholas Miller,atechnical consultant supporting thenonproﬁts, arguesthat Entergy’sproposalmay understate the amount of transmission needed and that theutilityhas notadequately evaluated potential risks.

“If these load ﬂuctuation problems are not adequately addressed, businesses and residents in north Louisiana could face majordisruptions to their electric service,” Miller said in his testimony As theamountofpower used by data centers has skyrocketed in recent years, grid operators in other states are scrambling to avoid data center-induced massblackouts.

Entergy says theutilityhas completedextensive modeling to address these concerns. Daniel Kline, an Entergy employee, said in thepublic ﬁlings that theutility proposal “fully accounts

for system risks based on thebest information at this time.” Beauchamp noted that the new resources will be studied by the regional grid operator Entergy also maintains that regularcustomerswill notpay for most of Meta’s energyneeds. The company says that Meta is paying for thefullannualrevenue of the natural gas-ﬁred plants for 15 yearsand that thetech company “will contribute alarge percentage of the costs that would otherwise be borne by allof(Entergy’s)customers.” The life of onesuchplant can exceed 30 years, and the advocacy groups question whatwill happen if Meta decides to leave after 15. The nonproﬁtswantMeta’scontractwith Entergy extended to 25 years to more closely align withthe duration of a gas plant. The utility,however,saysthatevenifMeta leaves after the 15-year contract, the plants will be needed as others are retired. Beauchamp said that it would notbepossible for the 15-year deal to be renegotiated to 25 years. “Wecan’t dictate to acustomer how they do business,” Beauchamp said. The advocacy groupsare concerned about other potential cost increases for ratepayers, such as those related to a$550 millionnew transmission lineand fuelcosts forthe plants. Beauchamp said that the new infrastructure is expected to be paid for by Meta.

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

BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

Sixyearsafter Jefferson Parish officials admitted their Waggaman landfill was emitting noxious odors, thousands of residents on both sides of the Mississippi River will soonsee payouts for health issues they say were caused by the fumes. More than 5,000 residents from Harahan, River Ridge, South Kenner,Metairie, Waggaman, Avondale and Bridge City will see paychecks rangingfrom hundreds to thousandsof dollars by the end of the summer as part of a$4.5 million class-action settlement with Jefferson Parish over its landfill emissions between 2017 and 2019, according to plaintiffs’ attorneys.

The Jefferson Parish Council voted in Augustto approvethe settlement for the federal lawsuit, which was ﬁrst ﬁled in 2018.

The yearslong legal battle is far from over,though, as roughly 1,500 residents ﬁled anew lawsuit Tuesday in the 24th JudicialDistrict Court against the parish’s former landfill contractors, Waste Connections and APTIM.A federal judge deniedclassaction status earlier this year in the caseagainst the two companies, meaning residents seeking damages against them will have to individually sue them.

Doug Hammel, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, said

thousands more residents whoﬁled class-action claims could join themass tort lawsuit.

Waste Connectionsdid not respond to requests for comment, and APTIM declined to comment. In arecent court ﬁling,the defendants said Waste Connections did not causeany injuriesand that “any alleged odorsare not more than an inconvenience to plaintiffs.”

Since2018, JeffersonParishhas invested more than $10.4 million into landﬁll upgrades, including to its collectionsystems,and signed an agreement with River Birch to merge operations with its own landfill next door until 2037. River Birch is not adefendant in any of the lawsuits.

‘Prettyfreakingmiserable’

Robyn Crossman, 40, moved into her newly-built Waggaman homewithher husband, daughter,two dogs and four catsinJanuary 2018.

Butthe excitement ofbeingaﬁrst-timehomeowner quickly wore off as she begantonotice thesmell of “burning tires” wafting over her propertyand burning her nostrils when the wind picked up,she said. Crossman began waking up in the night because of the smell, and wore aface mask indoors to combat it She canceled large gatherings her familyhad planned, including ahousewarming party.

And whenthe stench hit her, so too would her migraines, she said. Crossman hadpreexisting conditions that gave her headaches, but

inher new home she was experiencing them up to three timesmore frequently,to the point that she often had to takeoff work.

“I felt worse,” Crossman said. “It was embarrassing. It was pretty freakingmiserable, is the nicest wayto say it.”

In July 2018, former ParishPresident Mike Yenni and council member Paul Johnston admitted that the landfill’scollectionsystems were notoperating properly,causing aprevalence of odors. The Louisiana DepartmentofEnvironmental Quality confirmed the landfill to be theprimary source of the stench. At the time,WasteConnections operated thelandfill under acontract with the parish, while APTIM managed the gas andleachate collection systems.

Legalbattle

Ahandful of lawsuitswere ﬁledagainst the parish and its contractorsinthe months following, whichwere later consolidated into two different lawsuitsand transferred to thefederal court. Oneof those lawsuits sought classaction status,the otherdid not

Judge Susie Morgan of the Louisiana Eastern District ruledinthe class-action lawsuit2022 that thelandﬁll’semissions of hydrogen sulﬁde gas “were capable of causing headaches,nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, sleep disruption, dizziness, fatigue,anxiety and worry, adecrease in quality of life, and loss of enjoyment or use of propertyinthe general population.”

Jefferson Parish settled the other mass tort lawsuit, withover 500 plaintiffs, for another $4.5 million, according to attorney Eric Rowe. Waste Connectionsand APTIM settled that case just before trial, butRowedeclinedtodisclose the settlementagreement Jefferson Parish paid out an additional $700,000 to LDEQ to settle compliance orders andpotential violationnotices issuedfrom 2018-21.

The class-action lawsuit sought damagesfor anyone

livingina 46-mile areacovering Waggaman, Avondale, RiverRidge,Harahan and parts of Metairie and Kenner in 2017, 2018 or 2019.

In March, Judge Morgan deniedclass certification forover 5,000 residents in the caseagainst Waste Connections andAPTIM, saying that wind patterns caused varied exposure monthto-month and by neighborhood, “affecting Class Representatives’ degree of exposurewidely and inconsistently.”

As aresult, each of those

residentswillnow haveto prove their caseindividually in court to receive compensation, which could take years to resolve. Those named in the newest lawsuit, including Crossman, are seeking damages of up to $74,999 per plaintiff. “I knowit’staken along time, but at thesame time, it could’ve been asituation where nobody ever listened,” Crossmansaid. “At the end of it, thepeople responsible need to be held accountable to the entire community.”

PHOTO PROVIDED By GALLATIN DATA CENTER

Computersand servers line the insideofMeta’s 800-acre data center campus in Gallatin, Tennessee, outside of Nashville. Meta is planning to build asimilar facility in Louisiana.

Dennis Joseph Banta, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend, passed away peacefully at his home on June 4, 2025, in Denham Springs, Louisiana,atthe age of 85. Dennis lived an extraordinary life filled with adventure, hard work, laughter, and most of all—a deep and abiding love for his family.

Born on January 11, 1940, in Plaquemine, Louisiana, Dennis was a graduate of Plaquemine High School,Class of 1958

He continuedhis education at Louisiana State University, earning aBachelorof Science degree in Geography. While at LSU, he met his wife, Jean Jackson and began apartnership that would last more than 61 years. After graduating from LSU, Dennis enlisted in the United States Coast Guard, attended Officer Candidate School and then Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Florida, eventuallybecoming ahelicopter rescue pilot. His five years of service were marked by courage and astrong senseofduty. These are qualities that would remain with him throughout his life.

Obituaries LA, then movedtoBay St Louisfor awonderful retired life. Hurricane Katrina blew their home away, so they movedback to Livingston on familyland. Surrounded by family, they livedthere untilVic's death in 2022 .Ruth was the BrownHeightsbonus Mom,carting neighborhood kids to Cub Scout outings and swimming expeditions in her 1960 white Ford Falcon station wagon Sheloved her mid-life vocationsellingWorldBook encyclopedias. She loved meetingand earning trips Shewas aforce of nature, loved by alland will be missedimmensely. She saw the goodineveryone, radiated positive energy and love. She was thesunshine of our lives. Everybody loved RuRu.Preceeded in death by her parents, Elwoodand Emma Hallowell, Jean McColl (Tom), Mike Hallowell (Millie) and Glen Hallowell, in-laws Vincent and Thelma Berthelot, son Kenneth Dale Berthelot, grandson Michael James Berthelot and Venesse Berthelot. Survived by Kathy Krumholt (Randy), BrianBerthelot (KimSullivan), KimScullin, her precious nieceBonnie Jean Berrios, best friend Martha Furr,7 grandchildren, 12 great grands,1 great great grandchildren andSophie Marie, canine extraordinaire. Special thankstoDr. Denzil Morares, her belovedcardiologist, Chelsea, Ashley and other Bridgeway Hospice staff. In lieu of flowers, memorialcontributions can be made to New RiverBaptistorthe LA BaptistChildren's Home.

After completing his service in the Coast Guard, Dennis and Jean began a journey that took them to various cities across the country, as Dennis pursued acareer in boating and shipyard companies. Everywhere he went, Dennis brought asenseofpurpose and honesty,and he built alegacy groundedin integrity, mentorship, and love.

Affectionately known as "Dee Dee" by his family, Dennis was aman who lived true to himself. He had arare gift for making others feel seen, heard, andvalued. He was a steady presence, astoryteller, and asource of wisdom to all that knewhim. Whetheroffering guidance or just being present, Dennis had away of leaving people better than he found them.

Dennis is survived by his devoted wife, Jean Jackson Banta; his loving children, Elizabeth "Betsy" Banta Moore (David) and Dennis Bradford Banta (Amy); and hischerished grandchildren, Sarah Elizabeth Moore Goodwin (Will) Kathryn Anne Moore,Morgan Elizabeth Banta, Molly Bradford Banta, and Duke McKneely Banta. He is also survived by his sister, Joyce Banta Case (Billy) sister in law June Jackson Weber and many nieces, nephews, and dear friends who will miss him deeply.

Visitation willbeheld from 3:30pm-4:30pm at Brandon Thompson Funeral Home, Denham Springs, on Sat., June 14. The service will begin at 4:30pm. Honorary pallbearers will be Duke Banta, Terrell Brown, Billy Case,Will Goodwin, Tommy Kleinpeter, DavidMoore, Scott Weberand David Wild. Dennis Banta's life was one well-lived—alife marked by service, generosity, love, and enduring relationships. His legacy lives on in the family he cherished and the countless lives he touched. In lieu of flowers, donations in memoryofDennis may be made to two charities: Launch Therapy Center ( launchpeds.com )at1310 S. Range Ave. Denham Springs, La 70726 or Tunnels to Towers Foundation at www.t2t.org

Dorothy Jean Boudinot, anative of Osyka,MSand resident of Baton Rouge, LA passedawayonMay 26, 2025, at her home at the age of 91. Dorothy wasa faithfulmemberof Istrouma Baptist Church. Sheattended Istrouma High and graduatedClass of 1932 and BengalBelles. Sheloved LSUsports, shopping and spending time with family and friends. Dorothy wasthe proud owner of Trend SettersGifts and Gallery, and at one point, worked at Gerard Furnitureand Kornmeyers .Latershe worked for ClassicJewelers where she gainedmany dear friends. Dorothy is survived by son,Jerry Wayne BoudinotJr. and hiswife Suzie;granddaughters, Bailey and Mary Katherine Boudinot, Sydney Oliver and Katie and ScottDistefano; greatgrandchildren, Mila and SofiaDistefano Sheispreceded in death by spouse,Jerry Wayne Boudinot; her parents, Luther L. And Addie Lee Feigler; brother, James Fiegler andher sister, Brenda Hayden. In lieu of flowers, the familyrequest donationsbemade in Dorothy's honorto Istrouma Baptist Church or Hospice of Baton Rouge. Family wouldliketothank Hospice of Baton Rouge andher hospice teamLisaComeaux,Paulette Redmond,Judy Pol,Crystal London, JayBuzbee and Randle Lowrance for their compassionate care and support. Afuneral service willbeheldatIstrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge on June 9, 2025,with visitation beginning at 10amuntil service at 11am. Burial to followat Resthaven Gardensof Memory in Baton Rouge LA. Arrangements entrusted with Church Funeral Services.

Brupbacher, Dana Thair Kenaley

Dana Thair Kenaley Brupbacher, age97, died June 4, 2025inBaton

marriage, she worked as a book keeper at both Whitney and Hibernia Banks in NewOrleans. She was lockedina vaultduring the biggestbankrobbery in theCity of NewOrleans. She married E. Calvin Brupbacher December 18, 1948. Dana was adevoted wife, mother and grandmother.She was involvedinleadershipactivitieswithPTA and Girl Scouts. She enjoyed playing bridge,her bowling league, traveling,dancing with her husband of 61 years, sewing for her girls and laterfor hergranddaughters. Dana was preceded in deathby her husband,her older brother, WilliamJohn "Jack" Kenaley, twosonsin-laws, Thomas Copelan Winn and Richard Lee Peabody, twonephews, Steven AndrewKenaley and Carl PhillipBrupbacher Jr. She is survived by her brotherDonald(Evelyn) Kenaley, threedaughters, Dianne Peabody, Colleen (the Honorable Noland S.) Winn, Marlene Winn; her grandchildrenUrsula (Jeff) Myers, Taylor (Mackenzie) Shaw, Tanner (Sara) Shaw, Richard Lee (Dana) Peabody II,Maghee (Brandon) Harper, Courtney (Ryan) Schnippert Chandlerand Chancelor Winn; her greatgrandchildren,Sophie Shaw, Caleb ( Mindy)Shaw, Christian Shaw, LilahPeabody,Elizabeth Myers, Chloe Shaw, Matthew Myers, Saddie and Stone Schnippert Calvinand AmeliaHarper, Brinkley Autin, Emma and EthanDavid,Brooklyn Gautier;a greatgreat granddaughter, RaeleeGrace Shaw and nieces and nephews. Her five grandsons willserveaspallbearers alongwith threeofher greatgrandsons, Caleb Christian, and Matthew. Honorary pall bearersare nephews Jack,Michael, Donnie,and Jimmy Kenaley, as wellasHart,Roy, and MarkBrupbacher. Special thanks to the entirestaff of Clarity Hospice, particularlyDr. Kevin Dean, Crystal, Mike, nurses Kathleen, Nina, Micheleand themany aideswho gaveexcellent care. Visitation willbe Monday June 9, 2025 at Rabenhorst 825 Government St.from 9:00 am until 11:00. Following brief prayersbyReverend Chris Andrews, thefamily will travel to Greenwood Cemetery in NewOrleans forgrave side serviceand burial at 1:00pm. In lieu of flowers,donations may be madetoany charityof your choosing or to First United Methodist,Baton Rouge, or St. Francisville United Methodist Church.

James Earl Bynum, Sr. departed his earthly home on June 1, 2025. He is survivedbyhis children, ChetwinBynum (Qiana), GaythaChristmas (Harry), and Lori Williams; grandchildrenTyson Dempsey, Zaria Christmas, Jailyn and Kailyn Simmons. Public viewing is Sunday, June 8from3-5pmat RoscoeFuneral Home. Monday June 9, 2025 Visitation at St.Joseph Baptist Church, Plaquemine from 8am until Funeral Service at 10am.

Chapple, Sylvia DianneHigginbotham

SylviaDianne Chapple, belovedwife,mother, grandmother,great grandmother, and friend, passed away March 26, 2025, at age 84. Aresident of Baton Rouge for 56 years, Dianne was known for her outgoing personalityand love forfamily,travel and all life had to offer. Dianne met her treasured husband, AlbertChapple, on theUniversity of Georgia campus. Married Sept.12, 1959, at historic St.Marys Methodist Church, they celebrated their 50th, 60th and 65thanniversaries with family and friends. Dianne is survivedbyher husband Albert Rainwater Chapple; threechildren: Chris (Laurie Genius) Chapple, Kim(Larry) Hen-

ney, Matthew(Michelle Smith) Chapple; nine grandchildren: Andrew (Whitney), Alexander (Elizabeth) and Caroline (Alex) Chapple, Nicholas(Emily), Daniel, David and Tiffany Henney, Madisonand Mason Chapple; eight great grandchildren: Evelyn Abram, Alister andArcher Chapple, Hazel and Ida Henney, James and Millie Chapple. (Daughter Kim Henney, 62, joinedher mother in heaven, passing April5,2025). Dianne exuberantly embraced her name grandma and attendedschooland sporting events. She wasthe ultimatefamily cheerleader and oral historian. Al and Dianne lovedtocamp, cruise and square dance BornApril24, 1940 in St. Marys, Ga., Dianne is preceded by her parentsEdith Hernandez Willingham and Fred Hoyt Higginbotham; infant daughter Karen Lynn;brothers Fred and Dennis. Dianne met Willie Nelsonand former President Jimmy Carter and of course asked for photos. To be closer to her Henney grandchildreninGranbury, Texas,theyowned alake house where they lovedto entertain thefamily and fish. Dianne shared apassionwithAlfor Georgia football (2021, 2022 NCAA champs). Acelebration of life will be held Saturday, June 14, 2025 at Broadmoor Methodist Church. Visitation 9-11 a.m.,service 11 a.m.,reception to follow.

Chee (née Fong),age 76, passedaway peacefullysurrounded by her familyand friendson June 1, 2025, in Baton Rouge,Louisiana.Bornon September 22, 1948, in Can‐ton,China,Kam beganher lifeina placerichwithtra‐ditionand culture. Her journey eventually brought her to theUnitedStates, where shebuilt alife rooted in love,faith,and family. Kamwas adevoted wifetoWoon Tong Chee and alovingmothertoher daughterSelinaCheeand son Albert Chee. She shareda closebondwith her son-in-law Adam Wil‐son.She is also survived by two brothers,Tai Ming Fongand TaiNam Fong, bothofHongKong. Her familywas thecenterof her world, andshe poured her heartintocreatinga warmand nurturing home A womanofdeep faith Kam wasa longtime mem‐ber of theChinese Christ‐ian Church of BatonRouge Her commitmenttoher church community re‐ﬂectedher generous spirit and unwavering belief in service to others.She was alwayswilling to lend a helping hand andoffer support whereveritwas needed.Kam hada passion for cookingand baking thatbrought joynot only to her family, butalsotoall who hadthe pleasure of sharing amealather table.Her culinary talents werematched by hergreen thumb. Shefound peace and fulﬁllmentingarden‐ing,tending lovingly to eachplant as shedid with every aspect of herlife. Those who knew Kamwill rememberher as akindhearted womanwhose carefor others left an en‐duringimpact. Herlegacy lives on throughthe love she gave so freely, andthe memoriescherished by those closesttoher.May her memory bringcomfort and peacetoall who knew and lovedher.Serviceswill beprivate.For condo‐lences, please visitwww greenwoodfh.com

childhood and discovered herlove of music.She was an accomplished pianist andsharedthisgift whenever she could. Mary served as amember of the handbellchoiratBroadmoor Presbyterian Church, whereshe andher family attendedfor many years. Sheenjoyed chinapainting andtouched manyhappy occasionswith hertalent of baking anddecorating beautiful, delicious cakes as theowner of Coles' Evangeline Bakery. Sheoften welcomedvisitors to herhomewith a"hotsip anda little something sweet."

Shewas preceded in death by herparents,PurleyPinkneyBoyd and BertieBrockner Boyd; her belovedhusbandof56 years, Alvin BeverlyColes, Sr.; andher brothers, Felix and J.C. Boyd. Mary is survived by her threedevoted sons, Al (Milette), Doug (Lori) and Lance (Rachel); herten grandchildrenAndrea, Alison, Aubrey,Brian, Summer, Austin, Christopher, Ryan,Preston,and Ashley; hernine great-grandchildren Avery Cate, Parker, Oliver,Gus,Aubree, Caden, Niko, Kennedy, andCamden; as well as ahostof cousinsand friends, who will miss herdearly Relativesand friends are invited to attendthe Funeral Service at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at CommunityBible Church,8354 Jefferson HighwayinBaton Rouge, with heryoungest son, Pastor Lance Coles, officiating.A Visitation willbe held at thechurchbeginning at 9:00 a.m. Thefamily will attend aprivateintermentatRoselawn Memorial Park. Mary will lovingly and forever be remembered for hersweet smile, kind spirit andlove for Jesus!

Familyand friends may sign theonline guestbook or leave apersonal note to thefamilyatwww.resthav enbatonrouge.com

Carol Maillet Curley,a native of Marksville,La, andlong-time residentof Baton Rouge,La, passed away on Friday, May30, 2025, at theage of 84. She lovedreading, handwork, needlepoint, baking,volunteeringatSt. Jude's, but most of all,she enjoyed spending time withher friends and family. Carol is survived by hersiblings, Gilbert "Pappy" Maillet, SandraMahdavi(Abbas), andJanet Regard;7 nieces, and2 nephews; and Trudy Bassett (Jeff), herspecial daughterfromher late husband's blendedfamily. Shewas preceded in death by herhusband, JamesBell Curley; parents, Gilbert andCorinne Bordelon Maillet; brother, Gail J. Maillet; brother-in-law, JulesRegard; andsister-in-law, Joy Maillet. Visitation will be from9:00am to 11:00am on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at St.Jude theApostle Catholic Church locatedat 9150 HighlandRd, Baton Rouge,La70810. The Memorial Mass will begin at 11:00am, with burialto follow at ResthavenGardens of Memory,located at 11817 JeffersonHwy, Baton Rouge,La70816. Areception will follow theburial at ResthavenFuneral Home. In lieu of flowers,

Linda Jean Foss Ecker, loving wife,mother, and sister,passed away May 26, 2025 peacefully, with herfamilybyher side. Born June 29, 1950 in Ithaca,NY, Linda attended IthacaHigh,graduating in 1968. Shethenspent a year in Ibadan, Nigeria whereshe attendedthe University of Ibadan. After returningtothe U.S. she attendedMichigan State University before finishing hereducation at Cornell University, graduating with aBachelor's Degree in 1973. Following hergraduation,she worked as apersonnel manager for Rockwell International in Pittsburgh and later Baton Rouge.She eventually marriedJay Ecker in 1983, moving to theBoston area whereshe wouldhave two children, Jamesand Elizabeth.She set asideher career anddedicated herself to raising herchildrenas well as aidingher husband whileheattendedMinistry school andlater Nursing school. Sheconsistently puther family's needsbefore herown,including goingbacktoworktoprovide support whilestill findinga waytobethere for GirlScoutmeetings, baseballgames or late nighthomeworksessions. In all of this, herrelationship andwalk withChrist wasfirst and foremost. Shewas ashining example forher familyand others of what aservantofChrist shouldbe, always with a smileonher face, excited to meetand talkwithpeople, eagertooffer food, drink or shelter and always ready to share the Word Sheissurvived by herson JamesTravis Ecker, her sister Joan Foss and brother John Foss. Sheisprecededindeathbyher husband of 32 years, Jay, and herdaughter, Elizabeth DorotheaHoover

Nita LambertGaudin a residentofGonzales,La passedawayonTuesday, June 3, 2025, surrounded by herloving family. She was97yearsold. Sheis survived by hersonsand daughter-in-law, Hewitt andMary Gaudin; Jack Gaudin andHoward Gaudin;stepdaughter, Robbin Deneyand stepson, Mark (Barbara) Noble; grandchildren, Sheree (Barry) Martine,Michael (Nicole) Gaudin, Rebecca Gaudin, Jessica (Darron) Dunn,JustinGaudin, Joseph Gaudin, Alicia (Hubble) Mire,Lainee (Josh) Williams, andKariGaudin; andnumerous great grandchildren. Shewas preceded in death by her husbands, Hewitt Gaudin Sr., andCarroll Clampitt; parents, Elieand Lise

Banta, Dennis Joseph

Ecker,Linda Foss

Chee,Kam YueFong

KamYue

Boudinot, DorothyJean

Curley, Carol Maillet

Gaudin, Nita Lambert

BynumSr.,JamesEarl

Coles,

Babin Lambert; Daughter, Carolyn Gaudin; granddaughter, Rachael Thomassee; and sisters, Nettie Gautreau, Gertie Dickson, and Maelise Millet. The services for Nita will be held on Monday, June 9, 2025, at St. Mark Catholic Church 42021 Hwy 621, Gonzales, La.

The visitation will be from 9amuntil the Mass of Christian burial at 11 am. She will be laid to rest at Hope Haven Cemetery, 604 E. Hwy 30, Gonzales, La Serving as pallbearers, Joseph Gaudin, Hubble Mire, Josh Williams, Michael Gaudin, Justin Gaudin, and Joe Rozier.

Jeffery Paul 'Jeff'

Jeffery Paul Haynes, 64, passed away on May 30th. Agraduate of Central High School, he worked for Premier Chemicalsasanoperations manager for the past 20 years.Jeff brought light and laughter to all who knew him. His warmth, humor, and dedication to family and friends left alasting mark on thehearts of many. For 25 years,Jeff shared his life with his love, Stacie Guitreau. He is survived by Stacie Guitreau; father Richard Haynes; sister, Robbie Chemin (Mike); brother, David Haynes; Dixie and Joseph GuitreauSr., Dana Favaro (Michael), Andrew Guitreau (Mickey), James Guitreau (Michelle), Jeffery French (Sandra); stepdaughter, Reagan Bowman (Dustin); grandchild, Colette Bowman; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother, Barbara Boudreaux Haynes; brother, Keith Haynes; uncle, Melvin Boudreaux;nephew, Jaxen Ray; and Joseph Guitreau, Jr. Amemorial service will be held on June 12thfrom 5 p.m. to 8p.m. at Seale Funeral Home in Denham Springs, Louisiana, with a service at 7p.m. Burialwill follow at Green Oaks Cemetery at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 13th. In lieu of flowers, please donate to St. Jude. Special thank you to Andy Parker and John Contois of Premier Chemicals and all employees.

Betty Lou Wilson Jeffrey passed peacefully from this world on June 5, 2025, after afull 96 years of life. She was loved deeply by her extensive family, revered as apioneering businesswoman and devoted philanthropist, anda cherished friend to all who knew her. Betty was born in 1928 and raised in Louisville, Kentucky amongst ahardworkingfamilythat ran a successful multi-generational business, Anderson Wood Products. She attended Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, Virginia and graduated from University of Louisville with two B.A. degrees -one in History and one in English Literature. Her graduation present, a trip to Europe, was congruent with her sense of adventure and ignited her life

-long love of travel. In Louisville, Betty got a jobasa secretary and met her first husband George H. Wilson. They were marriedin1951,and in 1954, the young couple movedto NewOrleanstoexpand the Wilsonfamily business, R.B. Tyler Company. Betty played asupportive role from home until George's untimely death in 1977.As awidowed motherof three, she went against advice to sell what had become Barriere Construction Co. LLC and officially got to work. Betty was Chairwoman of Barrierefor 15 years. Shewas motivated by the challenge of beinga femaleexecutive in the construction industryduring the 1970s and 80s,and she infused the company with family values whileholding space forher sonstotake over, which they eventually did. Betty set the foundation forBarriere'sCultureof Care as thecompanybecamea leadingcontractor inthe Gulf South. Betty prioritized the safety and wellbeing of employeesher signatureachievement being acomprehensive safety program that, like herself, was ahead of its time Betty steppedaway from day-to-day management of Barriere in 1994, officially passing the torch to her sons who established the company'sBetty A. Wilson Education and Safety Scholarship in 1995. Sheremained Chairwoman Emeritus until Barrierewas acquired in 2021after four generations andseven decades of privateownershipand operation. As abusiness executive, Betty channeled herinfluence into industry leadership. On behalfof AssociatedGeneral Contractors, she liaised with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commissiontoinstitute the Road Builders AssociationOn-the-Job Training Program. She was also integral to creating the alliance thatstillexists between Louisiana AGC and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In 2004, Betty was electedasan Honorary Lifetime Member of LAGC and inducted into its Hall of Honor. Throughout her life, Betty shared herlove of people and knack forbuilding consensus with numerous charitable organizations. She was particularly inspired as along-time Boardmember of the YMCAofGreater New Orleans and honored as YMCA Humanitarian of the Year in 1988.She wasa Board member of Austin Presbyterian Seminary where the Betty Wilson JeffreyFellowship Fund and afaculty endowment fund wereestablished in her honor.

For 40+ years, Betty was an active member and Elder of Lakeview Presbyterian Church where she met her secondhusband Neill P. Jeffrey Jr. They weremarried in 1989 and splittheirtime betweenNew Orleans and Black Mountain, North Carolina wherethey built a beautiful home and life together until Neill'sdeath in 1998

Betty continued to split her time between New Orleansand her mountain home forthe last decades of her life.She was surrounded by friendsand family and remainedactive in Bounty and Soul, awellness and educationalorganization that connects communitythrough local food.

More recently, Betty became amemberofSt. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church where many of hersons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildrenare active members. She lived outher final yearsatChristwood Retirement Community

Betty was predeceased by her parents, Sidney and Mildred Anderson, brother, Sidney Jr., and two husbands, GeorgeWilson (1977) and NeillJeffrey (1998). She is survivedby her three sonsGeorgeH Wilson Jr(Nell), Peter A.

Wilson (Lisa) and Bertrand A. Wilson(Me'me'), nine grandchildrenAmelie Sanders (Wess), Nancy McKnight (Bill), George Wilson III, Tristan Wilson, Matthew Wilson (Annie) AndrewWilson(Hannah), PeterWilsonJr. (Rosalind), Mariann Sengelmann (Robert), and Caroline Wolfe (Michael), and 18 great-grandchildren.

The family wouldliketo give special thanks to Dr. MarkBerensonand caregivers, especiallyKinyada Carter, BettyBatiste,Lisa Manuel, Alina Ventura, and Viviana Garces, for providingher with acomfortable life over thelast years.

Amemorial servicehas been plannedfor Monday, June 9atSt. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church. Visitation willbe held at 1:00 p.m. and service willfollow at 2:00 p.m. in theSanctuary. In lieu of flowers and in thespirit of Betty's life please send donations to Austin Presbyterian TheologicalSeminary or a charity of your choice.

ShirleyDupuy Landry passed away peacefully at WestTowne Assisted Livingsurrounded by her familyonTuesday, June 3, 2025, at theage of 89. She wasa retired embosser withLouisianaNational Bank,a substitute teacher for WestBaton Rouge Parish and alicensed cosmetologist;resident of Bruslyand nativeof Plaquemine, LA.Visitation willbeheldatSt. John the Baptist CatholicChurch, BruslyonMonday, June 9, 2025, from9:30am until Mass of ChristianBurial at 11:30am, celebrated by Father Arun John. Entombment willfollow at St.John theBaptist Catholic Church Cemetery, Brusly. Shirley is survived by her husband of 45 years, C. Wayne Landry; sons, Kim Thibodeaux and wife Gail, and Alan Thibodeaux and wife Charlotte;daughter, Charlotte Roberts and husband Eric; Wayne's children,Keith Landry and wife Vickie,Gary Landry and wife Deanna, and Kay Landry Rumfolaand husband Peter; eleven grandchildren; twenty-twogreat grandchildren; and numerous niecesand nephews. Preceded in death by her parents, Kennethand Emily Songy Dupuy; and sisters, Deeda Daigle, and Emily "Bitsy" Breaux.PallbearerswillbeKyleThibodeaux, Jeremy and CaseyLandry, Shane Marionneaux, Brad and Ryan Fabre. Shirley was aEucharistic Minister, member of theCatholicDaughters, counselor forengaged couples, representative for theDivine Mercy Prayer Line, and catechism teacher forSt. John theBaptist CatholicChurch. She enjoyed square dancing, traveling and camping with her husband.Shirley also enjoyed crocheting and was atalented seamstress. She waspassionate aboutraising Monarch Butterfliesfrom acaterpillartofullydeveloped Shirleyalso enjoyed spending timewithher family.Special thanksto thestaff at WestTowne and ComfortCare Hospice fortheir loving care. Also special thankstoher sitter Mona McGregorfor her care, Carolyn Dupuy forall her prayers and her special friend Kathy Robertson forher devotion.Inlieuof flowers memorial donations may be madetoSt. John theBaptist Catholic Church buildingfund

Pace, Thomas Anthony 'Boo' Thomas "Boo"Anthony Pace, aU.S.Armyveteran passed away on Monday, May 26, 2025. He was an employee of Jackson Truck &Trailer.Heissurvivedby daughters, Jessica Pace and Leslie Pace, asister, Dino Doyle, and twobrothers, Jimmy Doyleand Dale Doyle.

Pogue,Carolyn Blades

CarolynPogue passed away peacefully on May 27, 2025, in Denton,Texas at 85. Carolynwas aloving mother and grandmother, known forcreating awarm and loving home for her family and friends.

Carolyn was born on March 23, 1940, in NewOrleans to Charlesand Gladys Blades. Carolyn livedmost of heradult life in BatonRouge untilrelocating to Texas. The family wouldliketothank the staff of Denton Village for their care and dedication during her final days

At Carolyn's request,no funeral service willbeheld and thefamily asks that donations be madeinher name to DementiaFriendly Denton in lieu of flowers or aservice.

Carolynleaves behind sonRyan Pogue (wife KarenLaRocca),daughter KatherinePogue,and grandsonTillmanPogue

Melvin ClydeSadden passedawayonSaturday, June 7, 2025, at hishomein Erwinvillesurrounded by his family, at theage of 78 Hewas anativeofMor‐ganza,a former resident of Plaquemineand current residentofErwinville. Melvinretired from Exxon after 34 yearsasa Process Operator. He wasa former memberofthe Knightsof ColumbusinErwinvilleand ErwinvilleLions Club.He was agreat cook that en‐joyed sharingwithhis coworkers andfriends.He loved to spendtimewith his family, hunt and fish Melvinissurvivedbyhis wifeof58years,Emma "Clock" ChenevertSadden; their children,StacieSad‐den LaPrarie andhusband Mark, MelodieSaddenCou‐villonand husband Paul; fourgrandchildren,Kaitlyn Couvillon Dahl andhus‐bandCameron,Amber LaPrarieFirminand hus‐bandNicholas, EmilyCou‐villonand husband Drew Miller, Cole BrentLaPrarie and fiancéeLanie LaCoste; great-grandchildren,Ade‐line, Isla andSophieDahl, Emma andEli Firmin;sib‐lings,Arthur “DeWhit” Sad‐den andwifeMercia, Roger Saddenand wife Rosalind; and sister-in-law, Margaret Sadden. Melvin waspre‐ceded in deathbyhis son, Lance BrentSadden; greatgrandchild, Tillie AnnDahl; parents,Emile “Whitt” and Grace DebetazSadden; in‐fantsister, KatherineGrace Sadden; andbrother,Kerry Sadden. Visitation will be atSt. John theEvangelist Catholic Church in Plaque‐mineonTuesday,June 10, from12p.m.until Mass of Christian Burial at 2p.m BurialwillfollowinGrace MemorialPark. In lieu of flowers, memorial dona‐tions maybemadetothe Alzheimer’s Associationin his name.The familywould liketothank hissitters Brenda Gauthier andLee

Jewel, andBridgeway Hos‐picenursesand care‐givers. Please sharemem‐ories at www.wilbertserv ices.com.

SanchezJr.,Noah 'NoncJune TNoah'

Noah “NoncJune T Noah” Sanchez, Jr.passed awayonThursday,June 5, 2025, at ChateauD’ville Nursing Home in Donald‐sonville, LA.Hewas 89 years oldand anativeand residentofBruslySt. Mar‐tin.Arrangementsare being handledbyWilliams & Southall FuneralHome, 5414 Hwy1,Napoleonville LA70390. (985) 369-7231. To signthe guestbook, visit our websiteatwww.wil liamsandsouthallfuneralh ome.com

Rosalie ColletteSweet waswelcomedinto the arms of Jesus on June 5, 2025. She passedaway peacefully in Baton Rouge LA, at theage of 92, surroundedbyher family. Rosalie wasbornFebruary 27, 1933, in Bogalusa,LAto JoeColletteand Annie Kramer Collette. Upon graduation from BogalusaHigh School, she completed nursing school at HotelDieuNursing School in NewOrleans,LA. Rosalie marriedReed SweetofChicago,ILonDecember 1, 1957. Theywere marrieduntilhis death on September 9, 1986. Rosalie wasa devout Catholic who faithfully served as aEucharistic Minister and choir memberatSt. Gerard MajellaCatholic Church in Baton Rouge.Atthe time of herpassing,she wasa parishionerofImmaculate Conception Catholic Church in Denham Springs, whereshe wasa member of theCatholic Daughters of theAmerica. As thecherished matriarchofher family, Rosalie wasa loving mother, grandmother and greatgrandmother affectionately known as "Grandmother"byall whomet her. She foundgreat joyincooking for herfamilyand caring for herplants. Apassionate sportsenthusiast, Rosaliewas an avidfan of both collegeand professional football. She rarely missed achancetocheer on herbeloved LSUTigers. In addition to herhusband, Rosalie waspreceded in death by herparents; sister,Mary Annette Collette;brother,RodneyColletti andoldest son, Steven Mark Sweet. Left to cherish hermemoryare herchildren Michael Sweet(Johnna) of Denton,TX; ReedaSweet of Baton Rouge,LAand Mel Sweet(Vickie) of Denham Springs, LA. Rosalie is also survived by seven grandchildren: Austin Sweet (Roberta), Rebekah Sweet, William Sweet(Laura),

Adam Sweet, EricSweet, Raegan O'Neal (Brent) and Jackson Sweetalong with eightgreat-grandchildren Sheisalso lovingly remembered by hercherished niece, Collette Lambert,and herfamilyof Gonzales, LA. Also,she is survived by hersister Margaret ColletteofBogalusa, LA. Visitation will be held at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Denham Springs, LA on Tuesday, June 10, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. The recitation of the Rosary willfollow from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., with theMass of Christian Burial immediatelyfollowing. IntermentatHillcrest Memorial GardensCemetery.

EverettShellyWhitting‐ton,a resident of Jackson, passedawaypeacefully on Friday, June 6, 2025 at his home. He was74years old and wasretired from Feli‐ciana Forensic Facility in Jackson.Hewas aU.S Armyveteran.Heissur‐vived by hisdaughter, Shera Chacon andhus‐band, John of Jackson, 2 sisters,AlmaHurst and Burnice Leggett andhus‐band, Kenneth, 6grandchil‐dren, Jordan,Travis, Kate‐lyn,Olivia, Nathan and Zachary Chacon.Everett is precededindeath by his parents,S.J.and Donnis Whittington, abrother, RobertBrown andsisters, Pauline Cousin,Mary Causeyand Judy Lioret.He enjoyed watching sports and westerns on TV,play‐ing Wordle andsitting on the frontporch,drinking coffeeand smokinghis cigarettes. He lovedhis familyand friends. He was a caring person andnever could sayNOtoanyone. Share sympathies,condo‐lencesand memories at www.CharletFuneralHome. com.

Young,JosefineF. JosefineF.Young of Munich,Germany, born Jan 22, 1936 passed away June 6, 2025. Sheimmigrated to Gonzales, LA to marryher onetruelove ClarenceJ Young.OnJune11, 1966. In their56yrs together they hadtwo sons, Patrickand Michael andadopted a daughterApril Broussard. Shetraveled all seven continents and visited 114 countrieswith Clarence hand in hand. She graced us with herbeautifulgift of photography sharingher adventurousviews of the world. Shebrightenedour worldwith alight that can neverbereplaced, although she will be missed by everyone, she willnever be forgotten.

Whittington, Everett Shelly

Haynes,

Landry, ShirleyDupuy

Sweet, Rosalie Collette

Sadden, Melvin Clyde

Jeffrey, BettyLou Wilson

OPINION

OUR VIEWS

At the start of the legislative session thatis set to endlater this week,weurged Louisiana lawmakers to take their role as part ofa co-equal branch of government seriously,and to approach decisions on taxing and spending withcaution

On fiscal matters, state Senate is taking itsresponsibility seriously RedAmerica making moneyoff

We’ve been pleased to see the state Senate, under the mature lexadership of Senate President Cameron Henry,R-Metairie, do just that. Senators killedHouse-passed bills thatwould have cut the state sales tax rate from 5%to4.75% andits ﬂatincome tax ratefrom 3% to 2.75%. We continue to believe that Louisiana’s sales tax is too high and disproportionately burdens those least able to pay,and we’re always for putting more money in Louisianans’ pockets whenpossibleand prudent. But these proposals were neither. State Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro,argued that the lost revenue would be offset byeliminatinga state savings account. But an analysis by state economists found that the numbers didn’t add up,and predicted the tax cuts would create steepshortfalls in comingyears. We’regladthe Senate Revenue &Fiscal Affairs Committee took thiswarning seriously

We were also encouraged to see the Senate Finance Committee reduce the amount thestate wouldallot to the new LA GATOR programthat lawmakers created last year at Gov.JeffLandry’s urging, which puts taxpayer dollars toward private school tuition and other educationalexpenses.

Landry had included $93.5 million forthe program in his proposed budget, and the Houseapproved it. But the Finance Committeefollowed the lead of Henry,who has pointed out that states with similar programs have seen costs skyrocket, with much of the money going to familieswho already send their kids to private schools. Henry hasalsonoted that asmaller voucher program adopted under Gov.Bobby Jindal didnot produce better outcomes.

The committeecut $50 million from therequest and budgeted $43.5million, the cost ofthatold voucherprogram.

We don’tknow whether that ﬁgure willstand; advocates arepushing for the original totaltobe restored,citingthe nearly 40,000 familiesthat have applied to participate. The full Senate will consider the budget in thecoming days, andwhatever emerges will go to conference committee with Housemembers

We hope lawmakers who still have achanceto weighinwill keep in mindthe unsettling ﬁscal uncertainty from Washington, where Congress maycut Medicaidand other programsonwhich Louisiana’sbudget relies, as well as policyshifts affecting major sectors such as tradeand international tourism. There’s also uncertaintyinBaton Rouge, where lawmakers passed majorchanges to the tax system just last year and have yettosee how they’ll play out.

We actually wish we’d see more of thistype of thoughtful deliberation from our representatives in Congress,where Republicans majorities in both houses have mostly done President Donald Trump’sbidding ratherthanembracingtheir constitutionalrole providing checks and balances That’snot theway government is supposedto work —onany level.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE

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TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com. TO SEND US A

Wyoming is the second windiest state, after Nebraska. It’s obvious why thewind power industry is investing $10 billion there. Andit’shard to see why any state politician would oppose this. Butsome have. Wyoming is one of those fossil-fuel producing states in which so-called conservatives feel obligated or are paid —tostop competition from clean energy.Texas is another Wyoming State Sen. Larry Hicks proposed atemporary ban on renewable energy projects. “It does one thing: puts amoratoriumonwind and solar for the next ﬁve years,” he said. “It’s asimple little bill.”

power Texas was expected to double its storage capacitythis year —that is, until Donald Trumpslapped huge tariffs on China. More than two-thirds of imported batteries come from China.

In March, the Texas Senate passed amandate that half of all new power capacity come from sourcesother than battery storage. In other words, at least 50% of all newpower plant capacityhad to be produced from coal, natural gas and oil.

by endorsing an “all of the above energy strategy.” He wants to keep Wyoming as “the energy state” but also to address climate change by developing clean renewables. The far-right Freedom Caucus went after Gordon foracknowledging climate change. It introduced abill designed to stop the state from pursuing any carbon reduction targets and titled it “Make Carbon Dioxide Great Again.” Apragmatic Republican, Gordon called such proposals as “a little bit stupid.”

A“simple,”ﬁve-year plan? Howdo you say,“Aw,shucks” in Russian? But let’spoint out that renewable energy is the only kind of energy that is, by deﬁnition, sustainable. Wyoming may have coal, oil and gas. Butithas wind forever

This hostility towardwind power is even weirder in Texas. Texas harvests moreelectricity from wind than any other state, or nearly 28% of all windgenerated electricityinthe U.S. In one recent week, nearly half of Texas’s electricity came from solar and wind

Back in Wyoming, lawmakers wedded to fossil fuels are complaining that large wind and solar projects are fundamentally changing thelook of Wyoming’swide-open spaces. That’signoring the aesthetics of Wyoming’scoal pits, wide open craters that stretch for miles Wyoming is over 63 times the size of Rhode Island, with less than half the population of the Ocean State. There are dozens of wind turbines in Rhode Island, onshore and off. More are planned withminimal complaint.

There does exist public support for clean energy in Wyoming, which is whyHicks’ initiative failed. Gov.Mark Gordon tried to bridgethe differences

The bottom line is that Wyoming continues to develop wind energy projects. The Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project, now under construction near Rawlins, will be the nation’slargest wind farm Much of what happens from here on in depends on Washington. The recently passed House bill strips away subsidies forrenewables. How it fares in the Senate remains to be seen. Sufﬁce it to say,slowing America’smove to cleaner and also cheaper energy is morethan alittle bit stupid.

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop.Emailher at fharrop@gmail.com.

On theOpinion pages,wehave many chances to addour voice to a varietyoftopics, or lift up thevoices of others. We look for topics where we feel the newspaper can share views that makea difference in clarifying an issue, condemning awrongor even celebrating asuccess. It’s this lastpoint that Iwant to emphasizetoday As much as the newspaper’s roleistohighlightwhereour communities or political leadersfall short, that’snot our only role. We like to point out wherethings are going right,too.

Some of my favorite editorials and columns are ones that tell the story of alife well lived or along-sought goal achieved by an individual or team. We have anumber of talented people in our state, some of whom work many yearsinobscuritybeforeachieving theirdreams. When we can, we like

to feature their stories. The same goes for themany institutions working hardinour community year after year that may notget attention If you are part of agroup that deserves ourattention, pleasesend us anote. We receive many guest columns from groups working throughout our state. When they have thechance to explain where they see solutions, it often has apowerful impact.Wehope it can become acatalyst for others to joininthe work. After all, we can’t investinsolutionsifwedon’tknow what they are. Going to our letters inbox, we can give you can an update of the letters we received at theend of May. From May 15-22, we received 64 letters. Breaking news dominated the topics of discussion. Therewere sixletters on the New Orleans jailbreak, where 10 inmates escaped.Fourletters on immigration andthreeonthe Nottoway Plantation ﬁre roundedout the list. From May 22-29, we received 66 letters, with the so-called “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” drawing alot of interest. Six letters mentionedvarious aspects of the bill. Next, writers were concernedabout efforts to lower auto insurance rates in Louisiana.Wereceived four letters on the topic as it was being debated in the Legislature. There were also letters on asmattering of other bills. Now thatthe sessioniscoming to a close, we will be interested to see your letters aboutwhatpassedinto law. As always, you’ll hear whatwe think, andfrompoliticians around the state on what was accomplished. But your voicematters too.

Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | OpinionPage Editor.Emailher at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com.

Arnessa Garrett

Froma Harrop

COMMENTARY

Thestate’s ready. Arethe feds?

Every year Louisiana’sgovernor, no matter who that is, kicks off hurricane season by urging residents to have aplan —a place to go if an evacuation is necessary andway to get there; ago-bag with vital documents, medicine and other necessities; supplies for pets and so forth.

fecting informationavailable. State ClimatologistJay Grymes backed that up, declaring that “I feel conﬁdent that our tropical coverage this season will be more thanadequate for what we require.”

Stephanie Grace

“Preparation starts withthe individual,” Gov Jeff Landry said last week, before invoking the lesson learned from prior monster storms: “Preparation saves lives.”

That’strue. It’salso true that the needtoprepare doesn’tjust apply to individuals. It applies to government as well. And that’swhere things are worrisome as the tropics begin to heat up.

Landry offered reassurances about Louisiana’sreadiness, and indeed, state and local ranksare staffed up with people who’ve been through major storms before.

Less convincing were his reassurances about the federalgovernment’sability to predict and respond to disaster

The governorsaid he hadn’t heard that President Donald Trump’sadministration’smassive cuts to the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration and National Weather Service were af-

Landry also said that despite considerable talk of dismantling the Federal Emergency Management Agency,he’sspoken with his allies at the White House and the Department of Homeland Security “and I do not believe the president or the White House has any intention of revamping FEMA while hurricane season is in play.” If there are issues, he added, he’sconﬁdent that he can pick up the phone and call Washington. Well, let’sall hope it doesn’tcome to that, and that if it does, Landry’s assessment is correct. Because there are plenty of indications that it’snot.

It’s good that the National Weather Service is looking to ﬁll key positions now, but that move follows huge losses in experienced staff. Theseare the people who supply data to local weather forecasters —and also to state ofﬁcials like Grymes.

It’snot at allreassuring that a longtime Florida television meteorologistrecently issuedadire on-air warningthathe’snot sure he can provide accuratehurricane predictions this year due to the administration’s“sledgehammer attack” on science, which he said

has left NWS ofﬁces 20% to40% understaffed and mayground hurricane hunter aircraft.

“Whatwe’restarting to seeis thatthe qualityofthe forecastsis being degraded,” meteorologist John Morales said. This year “we may be ﬂying blind.”

While it’sgood that Landry’sgottenpersonalassurances,arecent internal FEMA report warned that the agency is in fact not ready for the season —and made theobvious point that allthe talkofeliminating it undermines focus on the missionathand.

It’s alsogood that Landryhas contactsinthe administration, not

just witha president he strongly supports but with Homeland SecuritySecretary Kristi Noem,a closeally from their days serving together in Congress, whose department includes FEMA.

On the otherhand, other Republicans withclose administration tieshave already had trouble getting the help they needed following major weather events. This happened in Arkansas, whereGov.Sarah Huckabee Sanders —yes, Trump’sﬁrst term press secretary —had to appeal FEMA’s initial rejection of her request for amajor disaster declaration following severe March

storms. It happened in Missouri, prompting Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley to practically beg Noem during ahearing to expedite disaster requests after deadly tornadoes hit the St. Louis area. So it’sgood that Landry and Grymes are conﬁdent they can handle whatcomes this summer but the truth is that the state just doesn’thave the tools the feds do. Or did. It didn’thave to be like this.

After Trump wonlast year’selection, there was talk that former U.S. Rep. GarretGraves, of Baton Rouge, might take over FEMA. He would have been agreat choice, as aseasoned government insider who knows whatneeds ﬁxing but also gets the agency’svital role. Instead, we have an acting FEMA administrator who recently said that he didn’teven know there’ssuch thing as ahurricane season. David Richardson insisted he wasjoking, but even under that best case scenario, is that really what we need at this tense timeof year?

As Landry said, there’snothing more important than taking the threat of severe hurricanes seriously That doesn’tjust apply at the individual level. It goes straight to the top.

Email StephanieGrace at sgrace@theadvocate.com.

TheNineteenweren’t ﬁrst,lastmistreatedBlack people

Will Sutton

Iwalked along the sidewalk beyond the library to the Lawless Chapel on the Dillard Universitycampus andpaused whenI saw asinglewhite hearse. One hearse for19 people. One hearse for what’sleftofthose 19 people. Skulls. In some cases, parts of skulls. Beautifully-crafted boxes carrying their remains were inside asingle cofﬁn. The gloved hands of the Rhodes Funeral Home staffwere careful as they moved them inside for aviewing There was no open casket. No closed casket. Each person’sbox had a place of honor

Ithought about Alice Brown, 15; Henry Allen, 17; Prescilla Hatchet, 19; Hiram Smith, 20; and Hiram Malone, 21, and the livesthey might have lived. But, like 10 others with names and two unidentiﬁed people, they went to Charity Hospital forhelp, to get better. Each died, for avariety of reasons. They were decapitated. Their bodieswere left somewhere in New Orleans. Theirheads went to Germany for predetermined research —race science —tohelp provethat Black people are inferior to White people The Nineteen were among 1,200 ancestral remains at the University of Leipzig inGer-

The Louisiana Senate should not just rubber-stamp the appointment of Roy Carubba, the acting president of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, to serve afull terminthat position. WhileCarubba may well merit the job, some complicated questions ﬁrst should be answered.

many.Aside from our 19, four other people have been identiﬁed, including someindigenous people, according to the university’sDr. Martin Gericke. He said the work to repatriate these individuals started in 2021 because “repatriations are avery important step in thehealing process of the wrong thathas been done to the respective communities.”

New Orleans city archaeologist Michael Godzinski was contacted by email on May 2, 2023, his birthday.“That was 53,” he told me.“Yeah. Happy 53.”

He reached out to afriend who had worked at the attorney general’sofﬁce and to friends at the University of New Orleans. They agreed that retired Dillard University professor Dr.Eva Baham and Dillard,the state’soldest HBCU, had to be involved.

This wasn’tthe ﬁrst repatriation. In 2024, the remains of atribal ancestor were sent to aUnited States community that doesn’t want to beidentiﬁed. No name. No cause of death. Returned with lots of questions, just like The Nineteen.

The Nineteen died in 1871 and 1872, just afew years after the Civil Warended in 1866. The Union beat the Confederates and their states-rights support for the institution of slavery The Civil Warwas real. In simple terms,

Meanwhile, Carubba frequently throws around accusations against past and present board members, calling them “corrupt.”

one side supported slavery and theother side supported emancipation, though slowly Ican’timagine learning our nation’s history without references to indigenous people who were disrespected and mistreated by people who weren’tinvited and the formationofcolonies thatbroke from theirmotherland to form anew nation. Ican’timagine learning our history without references to theCivil War, theCrash of 1920 andhow somewerebeaten and killed during the Civil RightsMovement.

What happened to The Nineteen was in the1800s, but disdain, disrespect and exploitation of Black people —speciﬁcally Black bodies —has continued.

In the1800s and the 1900s, someregularly stole Black bodies from graveyards and sold them —inwhole or in parts —to thehighest bidding medical schools.

The infamous Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in theNegro Male was a study conducted for 40 years by the United States Public HealthService and theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention Black menwere given the impression that treatment would make themhealthy.Itwas alie. About 400 were not treated at all. The study didn’tend until 1972.

In 1951, Henrietta Lacks, aBlack woman, was diagnosed withcervical cancer at Johns

Hopkins University in Baltimore. Somebody thought taking someofher cellsampleswas agood idea. For science andthe public good, it was. Lacks’ cells helped thedevelopment of apolio vaccine,aidedcancer research and helpedwithgene mapping. Unfortunately, no oneasked Lacks or her family.Companies made millions.Lacks and herfamily did not —until Thermo Fisher Scientiﬁc Inc. settled alawsuitwithLacks’ heirs— in 2023. JohnTolman,Moses Willis andWilliam Roberts, each 23; Samuel Prince, 40; William Pierson,43; JohnBrown, 48; MarieLouise, 55; Henry Williams,55; Adam Grant, 50; Isaak Bell, 70; andMahala, 70, weren’t part of avoluntary research program.They didn’tagree to have theirskulls tested.Don’t youthink it’s strange that none of these people were White, mostwere Black anda fewwere indigenous? History is important. We mustremember thegood andthe bad. At onepoint in our history,the American Public Health Associationcalledracism apublic health emergency. The year was2020. Perhaps these things won’t happenagain withproper public health attention. Or am Idreaming?

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

Quin Hillyer

The Senate has an obligation to ensure that key appointees are well vetted. Especially for an agency as important as one that provides ﬂood and hurricane protection for 650,000 people, lawmakers should make sure the right person is running the show

The Senate is scheduled to approve or disapprove of all pending board and commission appointments on June 11 and 12. Thelevee board undeniably has been riven by turmoil in the past year.Four membersof the nine-member boardresigned in March in protest against Carubba’sleadership and actions, andcontinuing board memberClay Cossé has published aletter to the same effect. As complaints and blame-casting ﬂy against and from Carubba, the board canceled its May meeting forlack ofa quorumoccasioned by Carubba’sown absence. Result: The board was unable to approve the agency’s formal hurricane plan before storm season ofﬁciallybegan.

Carubba says the board vote would be amere formality and that all systems are ready for the storm season. The Senate should probe to see if he is right.

Now,inanew accusation, Carubba told me on June 3that “The four board membersthat resigned did so pursuant to acivil service grievance.”

Carubba said the state’sattorneygeneral is “looking into” and “examining” the grievance —the details of which are not public. Attorney General Liz Murrill said, through her press aide, thatshe had “no comment” on the matter

Allegations of corruption or complicity in civil service violations from one board member about his peers naturally help createa toxic board atmosphere. They should not be aired unless really warranted.

At theApril17levee board meeting, Carubba did askthe board to approve the hiring of aﬁrm “to handle HR grievances.” Still-serving board member Rick Duplantier toldme, though, that the aspersions cast on his former colleagues were unfair

The grievance, Duplantier said, not only was not why[his former colleagues] resigned,” but indeed was ﬁled after they were in the process of resigning. He said the grievance had absolutely nothing to do with thoseboard members.

Whatever the nature of the probe, Carubba manifestly has upended the agency’soperations.Atleast the board, if not the whole agency,appears dysfunctional. Before Carubba is conﬁrmed for afull, four-year term, the Senateshould examine whether the turmoil seems likely to produce desirable

resultsinthe long run. Will the agency be able to competently provide ﬂood protection amidst such chaos? Or is the chaos, as Carubba says, instead necessary to ﬁx whathe describes as amess he inherited?

Among many other questions, theSenate also should ask if it’s appropriate that Carubba openly says he “reports” not to Gov. Jeff Landry’soffice, but to businessman Shane Guidry,a Landry friendand financial supporter who holds no official government position.

Meanwhile, Carubba’sown residential eligibilityfor the board, or possible lack thereof, also deserves vetting. Is he even permitted to serve in his board position?

By law and by Landry’sofficial letter appointing him, Carubba fills aseat explicitly designated for,and only for,aresident of Jefferson Parish. YetCarubba takes ahomestead exemption on arather large house he calls it his “camp” —inPortVincent, in LivingstonParish. By law,asthe Jefferson Parish assessor also confirms, “Ahomestead exemption cannot be applied to aproperty that is not permanently occupiedbyits owner” Carubba’s“residency” is complicated. In his application for the board post, Carubba listed 324 Lake Avenue in Metairieashis official residence. His voter registration instead lists 3400 Hessmer Avenue— his business address (as an engineer),but where he says he also maintains an apartment.

The Senateshould ask if this means Carubba is technically ineligible either forthe homestead exemption —meaning he is get-

ting an undue taxbreak —orfor the levee board spot.

As he explained it on thephone to me, Carubba saidwhenhebought thePortVincentplace he very temporarily considered it his main abode— until he soon thereafter secured theapartmentonLakeAvenue for alonger-term rental.Except forthatshort interlude in Port Vincent, he said, “The truth of it is that Ihavebeen living in Jefferson Parish andvoting in Jefferson continuously forthe last 39 years.”

As forhis homestead exemption, he didn’t think to change it once it wasawardedin Port Vincent: “I nevergaveitany thought.I just do what Ineed to do to runmybusiness andlive my life.”

Gov. Landry’spress aide KateKelly said, “Roy hasahome in thearea that he represents. Everything is completelylegal and within the requirements.”

Well is it?

Again, thiscouldall occurwithnoill intent, exactlyasCarubba explains it.Still, theSenate should examine the wholepicture— his eligibility, his conduct, hisaims and objectives. To hiscredit,theyalsoshould listen to his obvious enthusiasm forthe job of ﬂood protection itself.

Eitherway,conﬁrmation to any keycommission shouldbethe result of real deliberation,not justaforegone conclusion.The safety of residents of Orleans, Jeffersonand St. Bernard parishes depends on it. Quin Hillyer canbereached at quin hillyer@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Gov. Jeff Landryspeaks Tuesdayabout preparations forhurricane season at the Governor’sOffice of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness headquarters.

BATONROUGE SUPE RREG IONAL

BREAKING OUT

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU left fielderDerek Curieldrivesthe ball for athree-runhomerun against West Virginia in thefourth inning of theBaton Rouge super regional opener SaturdayatAlex BoxStadium. LSU’sthree homeruns accountedfor 11 runs in thewin.

LSUbatsproduce twohugeinningsinclubbingofWVU

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

The big inning has eluded LSUasoflate.

Go back to May 10. That’sthe last time the Tigers scored more than three runs in an inning whenthey scoredsix in the ﬁfth inning of a13-3 win over Arkansas.

Crookednumbers aren’ta requirementfor agoodday,but in Game 1ofthe BatonRougesuperregional against West Virginia at Alex Box Stadium on Saturday,LSU ﬁnally broke through with two bigones.

The Tigers scored seven runs in the ﬁfth inningand six runsinthe sixth. Theoffensive explosionwas more than enough to secure a16-9victory,inching theTigersone win closer to reaching the College World Series for the second time in three seasons.

“Great win for our team today,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “It was against areally good team anda really good pitcher.”

The onslaught in the ﬁfth inningbegan after aleadoff

TheSaints will welcomeback an old friend this season.

The 3-4 defense returnsto New Orleans for the ﬁrsttime in awhile.

Youremember the 3-4, right?

The last time we saw it here was during Rob Ryan’sotherwise forgettable tenure as defensivecoordinator from 2014-16. But even then, Ryan only dabbled in the scheme

singleand two walksallowed by right-handed reliever JJ Glasscock. Left-hander Cole Fehrman relieved him midway through the second free pass,but sophomore Steven Milam was unbothered.

Milamblasteda grand slamoverthe wallinright field to hand LSU (47-15) a7-1 advantage.Itwas thefirst grand slam of his career Freshman Derek Curiel then shot arun-scoring single to center field, and junior ChrisStanfield hita two-run single into left-center to give theTigers a10-1 lead.

“Wehave areally deep team this year,” LSUsenior outﬁelder Josh Pearsonsaid. “I feel like we have guys who can play in thebig leagues who don’tstart every day.” Fehrman and Glasscock combinedtoallowﬁve earned runs withoutrecording an out. Their cameos Saturdaycame as asurprise,asthe two pitchershad combined to throw 122/3 innings this season prior to thesuper regional.

Josh Pearson is the kind of player coaches seek but sometimes never ﬁnd. Ateam player.Willing to waithis turn. But when called upon to perform, he gives it his all.

In today’sNIL/transfer portal/post-House settlement era, Pearson is aunicorn. Aguy whohas, except for last season when he started 52 of 60 games, been apart-time starter during his four years at LSU. But he has stuck it out for four years. That’srare. “That’smyonly guy,” fourth-year LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “(Our) four years together.That’sit.”

Most college players, if they’re great talents, are gone after three seasons. That includes Saturday’sstarting pitcher forLSU,Kade Anderson, atop-of-the-ﬁrst-rounder even though he allowed acareer-high six earned runs in seven innings to the Mountaineers. That’sone day going to be freshman Derek Curiel, LSU’s typical leadoffman. Youmust have future major-leaguers on the roster to go deep in the NCAA Tournamentand all the way in the College World Series. But you have to have Pearsons, too, guys whostay and are the glue of the program.The backbone. The example. There’saphrase Johnson used as he spoke to the media after LSU’smolten-hot 16-9 victory over West Virginia in Game 1 of the Baton Rouge super regional Saturday: “Team over me.” He didn’tuse it to describe Pearson

TheSaints primarily have beena 4-3defense for most of the past three decades

They haven’trun the3-4 full-time since the 1990s, when the famed Dome Patrol ruled theSuperdome under head coach Jim Mora.

Butthe 3-4 is back in all of its glory this year,asBrandon Staley has installed the scheme in his ﬁrst season as defensive coordinator The new defense doesn’thave an iconic name or cool poster like the Dome Patrol yet, but there is adirect connection between thetwo. Staley learned

thescheme from legendary defensive coordinator VicFangio, who served as the linebackers coach for the Dome Patrol teams under coordinator SteveSidwell.

Staley grew up in Cleveland, but he has a healthy appreciation for the Dome Patrol.

He’s studied ﬁlm of theunit andeffortlessly can rattle off the names and playing styles of the startersthroughout the lineup.

“It’s kind of cool being in this city and knowing thehistory of the team and the Dome Patrol,” Staley said. “There’sahistory of defending in this city,and Ilove that.”

WhileStaley is still in the embryonic stage of implementing the scheme, local reporters have had achance to see glimpses of what it will look like during offseason workouts. Fans will get their ﬁrst chance to see it at the team’sopen mini-camp this week. Someofthe differences will be

Jeff Duncan

Scott Rabalais

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSUright fielder Josh Pearson smiles while rounding the bases after hitting agrand slam against West Virginiainthe sixth inning of theirgame on Saturday

FRENCH OPEN

GREAT GAUFF

American outlasts No. 1 Sabalenka for second

BY JEROME PUGMIRE AND SAMUEL PETREQUIN AP sports writers

PARIS Drawing on the painful memory of her defeat three years ago in the French Open ﬁnal gave Coco Gauff just the motivation she needed to win the clay-court major for the ﬁrst time.

The 21-year-old American defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday for her second Grand Slam title, two years after winning the U.S. Open.

“I think (the U.S. Open victory) was more emotional but this one was harder,” said Gauff, who managed to handle the elements and the momentum swings better than Sabalenka “I knew it was going to be about willpower and mental (strength).”

The victory put to rest the bad memories of her 2022 French Open final loss to Iga Swiatek when, as an 18-year-old, Gauff felt overwhelmed even before stepping onto Court PhilippeChatrier.

“It was a tough time, I was doubting myself,” Gauff said.

“I was crying before the match, and so nervous, literally couldn’t breathe and stuff.”

Gauff said that the lopsided loss rocked her conﬁdence to such an extent that she was left “in a dark place” and feared she was not cut out for winning major titles.

“I thought if I can’t handle this, how am I going to handle it again?” she said

She handled it just ﬁne Saturday

The second-ranked Gauff made fewer mistakes and kept her emotions in check to get the better of Sabalenka again at a major ﬁnal, having come from a set down to beat the Belarusian in the 2023 U.S. Open ﬁnal.

Gauff raised the winners’ trophy aloft, then kissed it several times. She held her hand over her heart when the U.S. national anthem played

“This one is heavy,” Gauff said.

“It feels great to lift it.”

She is the first American woman to win at Roland-Garros since Serena Williams in 2015. It was the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 final in Paris since 2013, when Williams defeated Maria Sharapova,

and just the second in the last 30 years. After Sabalenka sent a backhand wide on Gauff’s second match point, the 21-year-old American fell onto her back, covering her face with both hands as she started to sob, then got up and held her hand over her mouth. She continued to sob as she patted the clay with her left hand.

Gauff greeted Sabalenka at the net with a warm hug and thanked the umpire. She then screamed out with joy and relief and got to her knees and crouched forward, continuing to cry as she savored the win.

She later hugged ﬁlm director Spike Lee and celebrated with her entourage in her box before thanking the fans.

“You guys were cheering for me so hard,” she said. “I don’t know what I did to deserve so much love from the French crowd.”

Sabalenka praised Gauff for being a “fighter” and said she deserved the win, but added that the windy conditions made for an error-strewn contest.

“This will hurt so much,” Sabalenka said “Coco, congrats, in the tough conditions you were a better player than me.” Both players were sloppy in the

ﬁrst set, conceding 21 break-point chances and making 48 unforced errors between them, with Sabalenka making 32 yet still winning the set. She made 70 in the match, compared to 30 for Gauff. Sabalenka was often frustrated, remonstrating and shouting at herself and frequently turning around to look at her team with an exasperated look on her face. She put her head on her hands a couple of times, and at one point raised her shoulders as if to say “What’s going on?”

Gauff said she paid no attention, knowing full well that Sabalenka could ﬁnd her best game at any moment.

The ﬁrst set looked to be heading Gauff’s way when she led 3-0 in the tiebreaker, but Sabalenka steadied herself and clinched it with a forehand volley at the net.

Gauff leveled the match with a smash at the net, but Sabalenka stuck to her high-risk approach in the deciding set.

One superb rally in the third game drew loud cheers.

After an intense exchange of drop shots, Gauff hit a lob that Sabalenka chased down before attempting a shot between her legs — only for Gauff to intercept it at the net.

Sovereignty beats Journalism to win Belmont

BY SPENCER RIPCHIK Associated Press

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y Sovereignty bested Journalism on Saturday in a Kentucky Derby rematch to win the 157th Belmont Stakes, the second hosted at Saratoga. Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado traversed the field of eight on a fast Saratoga track after downpours throughout the morning and early afternoon dried up before post time. The 5-2

Wrist injury puts Phillies 1B Harper on injured list

PITTSBURGH — The scufﬂing Philadelphia Phillies suffered a blow when they placed first baseman Bryce Harper on the 10-day injured list because of right wrist inflammation before their game against the Pirates. Harper sat out Friday night’s 5-4 loss to the Pirates. There is no timetable for his return.

The two-time National League MVP and eight-time All-Star is hitting .258 with nine home runs and 34 RBIs in 57 games.

He missed ﬁve games with a bruised right elbow after being hit by a pitch from Atlanta’s Spencer Strider The Phillies are expected to play third baseman Alec Bohm at first while Harper is out, with utility player Edmundo Sosa taking over at third.

Gonsolin latest Dodgers pitcher to go on the IL

ST LOUIS — Tony Gonsolin has been placed on the 15-day injured list by the Dodgers because of right elbow discomfort, joining fellow rotation members Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and Blake Snell among 14 Los Angeles pitchers on the IL.

NL West-leading Los Angeles activated relievers Kirby Yates and Michael Kopech from the 15-day IL before Saturday’s game against St. Louis and designated righthander Chris Stratton for assignment, one day after he rejoined the team.

Gonsolin, a 31-year-old righthander made his season debut on April 30 after recovering from Tommy John surgery on Aug. 18, 2023, and was 3-2 with a 5.00 ERA in seven starts.

Memphis center Edey to have ankle surgery

MEMPHIS — Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey sprained his left ankle again and the team says the All-Rookie team selection will need surgery The Grizzlies said Saturday that the 7-foot-3 Edey was working out this week when he injured the ankle again.

Imaging revealed excessive ligamentous laxity which will be addressed with surgery that also will restabilize his ankle.

The two-time national player of the year at Purdue missed 12 games early in the season because of a sprained left ankle. The Grizzlies said a preliminary timeline for recovery will be provided after surgery and that Edey is expected to make a full recovery

Braves designate reliever Kimbrel for reassignment

SAN FRANCISCO Craig Kimbrel’s stay with the Atlanta Braves lasted just one day as the team designated the franchise’s career saves leader for assignment and recalled left-handed pitcher Austin Cox.

The Braves had selected Kimbrel from Triple-A Gwinnett and recalled left-hander Dylan Dodd before opening a road series against the San Francisco Giants on Friday night.

Kimbrel pitched a scoreless seventh inning in the Braves’ 5-4 loss. Kimbrel spent his ﬁrst ﬁve seasons in the big leagues with Atlanta, leading the league in saves each year from 2011-14.

The Braves traded Kimbrel to San Diego before the 2015 season opener, and he has pitched for several teams since.

Manassero, Fox share lead at Canadian Open

CALEDON, Ontario Matteo Manassero and Ryan Fox each shot 6-under 64 on Saturday to share the third-round lead in the RBC Canadian Open, the ﬁnal event before the U.S. Open next week at Oakmont.

Manassero rebounded from a three-putt bogey on the par-4 17th with a birdie on the par-5 18th — hitting an 80-yard third shot to 2 feet to get to 14-under 196 on the North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley Trying to win for the ﬁrst time on the PGA Tour, the 32-year-old Italian player has eight international victories.

Fox also birdied the 18th. The 38-year-old player from New Zealand won the Myrtle Beach Classic last month in a playoff for his ﬁrst PGA Tour title.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON

Coco Gauff of the U.S kisses the trophy after winning the final match of the French Open against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the Roland-Garros stadium on Saturday in Paris.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOOT ByBJESSICA HILL

Alvarado reacts aboard Sovereignty after crossing

to win

running of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday

Saratoga Springs, N.y.

BY ROBIN FAMBROUGH

Staff writer

Cary Myers’ social media

post Saturday morning offered a blunt message.

“We will be back! RELOAD not rebuild.”

The 32-year-old Myers made his intentions clear as he takes the reins of a Live Oak High baseball program that was the Division I nonsel ect runner-up in Jesse Cassard’s ﬁnal season.

Myers played for Cassard at Zachary and has been his protégé/heir apparent at Live Oak. He leads the latest youth movement in the Baton Rouge coaching community for 2025-26.

Caleb Ricca, a former Dutchtown and Northwestern State standout is the new baseball coach at another District 5-5A school, St. Amant. The 27-year-old Ricca was an assistant at Dutchtown and East Ascension previously. At age 26, Jamar Washington is the youngest of the group. His story is a departure from those of Myers and Ricca. The former Southern University wide receiver moved up into roles as offensive coordinator and head track coach in three seasons

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conspicuous, even to casual observers.

Former defensive ends

Carl Granderson, Chase Young, Cam Jordan and Isaiah Foskey are now outside linebackers. They’ll be positioned on the edges and often aligned in a stand-up, two-point stance rather than a traditional three-point stance with their hands “in the dirt.” Essentially, they’re the Rickey Jackson and Pat Swilling of this iteration of the 3-4 defense.

To accompany the position switch, Young and Granderson have changed their body compositions. Both will play around 265 pounds, which is closer to their natural playing weight. The idea is to enhance their speed and mobility so they can better pursue ball carriers sideline to sideline. The hope is it will also help the Saints improve their defense against mobile quarterbacks, whose scrambles and designed runs have been a major bugaboo in recent years.

Defensive tackles Davon Godchaux, Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders are playing nose tackle and will often line up directly across from the center Defensive ends Bryan Bresee, Jonah Williams and Vernon Broughton will ﬂank the nose tackle. Inside linebackers Demario Davis and Pete Werner, and cornerbacks Kool-Aid McKinstry, Isaac Yiadom and Quincy Riley won’t experience much change to their alignment or responsibilities in the new defense.

The player who could ben-

eﬁt the most from the scheme change is Alontae Taylor, who will man the nickel back or star position. Derwin James and Jalen Ramsey made the Pro Bowl as the star during Staley’s stints with the Los Angeles Chargers and Rams, respectively

“We see that position (star) as a feature position in the defense,” Staley said.

“And I think what people will remember is the two edge players are the tone

at Southern Lab Washington is the new head coach at his other alma mater, Alexandria’s Peabody High.

“I’d be crazy if I sat here and told you I can’t build off of what Jesse did here and the success we’ve had,” Myers said. “There are a few things I want to try like making some changes to the indoor facilities and starting a baseball backers club

“The blueprint is here. I know we graduated some great players. But I believe in the players we have coming up in our program now There’s no reason why we can’t be just as successful.

Myers became the Eagles’ associate head coach two years ago. By contrast, Ricca did not see a future in baseball after he was released by the Seattle Mariners organization during the pandemic.

“I got injured and then I was released, so I was bitter about the way my career ended,” Ricca said. “I stayed away from it (baseball) and got a job selling insurance.

“The insurance business is a great field and there are great people in it. But it wasn’t for me.”

Ricca joined the Dutchtown staff of his high school coach Chris Schexnaydre in 2025. Ricca is keenly aware of the St. Amant tradition as he succeeds Brandon Bravata, who accepted a private sector job.

“It’s like I told my guys (team) the man upstairs opened some doors for me and also closed some,” Ricca said. “When this door opened, I did not shy away from it. The support I’ve received here is second to none, and I am ready to get to work.”

Ricca added one key point, saying he is the second-best

setters for the defense, and then those two inside linebackers were the commanders of the defense. And that versatility that those two position groups provide just really multiplies the looks that the offense has to prepare for.”

Staley’s 3-4 will differ from the Dome Patrol 3-4 largely because the NFL is different. The league today is ruled by wide-open, passfirst offenses. Defenses are in their base alignments with 4-3 or 3-4 fronts only about a quarter of the time these days. Instead, they regularly employ subpackages, with an extra defensive back on the field in place of a linebacker or lineman, to combat the multiple-receiver lineups offenses throw at them. So, the 3-4 or 4-3 quickly morphs into a 4-2, 3-3 or even 5-1 front with five defensive backs.

You’ll see Staley’s defense in varied alignments across the line of scrimmage. The defense is as likely to ﬁeld four defensive linemen as it does three. Sometimes the edge players will be standing up. Other times, they’ll be in a traditional threepoint stance. Sometimes they’ll rush the passer Other times, they’ll drop into coverage.

“It’s driven by matchups, which is the NFL game,” Steelers quarterbacks coach and longtime Staley mentor Tom Arth told The Athletic for a 2020 story about Staley’s defense. “It can be what it needs to be, when it needs to be that He does a great job and makes it really difﬁcult for opposing offenses.”

When everything is working properly, the Saints will stuff the run with their powerful interior linemen and funnel everything to the edge, where their linebackers can ﬂow and make plays in pursuit. The ability to stop the run is key because it will allow the Saints to play Justin Reid and Tyrann Mathieu in a split-safety look in center

ﬁeld

The shell coverage theoretically will limit big plays in the passing game by forcing quarterbacks to work routes underneath the safeties.

coach in his household His wife, Toni, a former John Curtis and Northwestern State standout, coached East Ascension to the softball quarterﬁnals in the spring.

Washington was in between meetings and assessing equipment/facilities at Peabody as he explained his decision. He was part of LHSAA championships in football and track at Southern Lab.

“This was one of hardest decisions I ever had to make.,” he said. “I loved it at Southern Lab and I learned so much.

“The things I learned from my mentors, coach Asberry (Darrell) and coach (Thomas) Saulsby, gave me the tools I need to be successful. Being the leader I need to be every day and holding the kids accountable every day is part of that.” Coaches, etc

Catholic High announced a series of changes to its football staff after three assistants moved to other jobs, including Matt Shelton, the school’s new athletic director

Caleb Williamson (offensive coordinator) and Chance Hester (head freshman coach) were promoted.

Former Bears quarterback Ian Brian (quarterbacks), Dillon Farrell (offensive line), Dustin Nothnagel (special teams coordinator) and Josef Venus (run game coordinator) are new assistants.

Farrell, a former Christian Life and New Mexico star, played one NFL season and previously was an assistant at Dunham and Parkview Baptist. Nothnagel was most recently head coach at St. Louis Catholic, while Venus was an assistant at Dutchtown.

Another hallmark of the 3-4 is the ability to rush the passer from multiple positions, including the secondary Staley’s units regularly ranked among the league leaders in sacks and pressures.

“When I think of 3-4 defense, I think of balance,” Staley said. “I think of top run defense, top pass defense and eliminating explosive plays. And the way to eliminate explosive plays to be able to play split safety (coverage), or some version of it, because that keeps the ball in front of you in the secondary We want to put a roof on the defense.”

The Saints will need to change more than just their base alignment. The unit plummeted to 30th in total defense and 31st in run defense last season. It ranked close to the bottom of the league in nearly every important defensive metric

The brain trust did little to improve the lineup in the offseason, other than signing Reid in free agency, trading for Godchaux, and selecting Broughton, Riley and linebacker Danny Stutsman in the draft.

That said, there is reason for optimism. NFL history has shown that dramatic defensive turnarounds can be executed in a single offseason The Eagles went from the 31st to first in total defense last year, their first under Fangio. Staley helped the Rams vault from No 17 to No. 1 in his first season as coordinator in 2020

“All timelines are different,” Staley said. “What I’ve learned is that it’s not about where you (rank). What’s important is making sure you’re building the right way.”

The 3-4 defense is not a panacea. It’s a starting point, a base of operations. The scheme itself can do only so much to improve things on the defensive side of the ball. But in an offseason of change in New Orleans, it’s fun to see the defense with a new look, too. A familiar new look for old-school Saints fans.

Email Jeff Duncan at jduncan@theadvocate. com.

Pacers expect Thunder to bring aggressiveness

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

OKLAHOMA CITY When the Oklahoma City Thunder get hit, they tend to hit back Immediately, too. Everybody knows what probably is coming in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night. The Thunder, down 1-0 in the series with the Indiana Pacers, will be raring to go. That’s been their way all season; the Thunder are 17-2, including the NBA Cup ﬁnal loss, in the next game after a defeat — with those 17 wins coming by an average of 17.5 points.

The thing is, the Thunder say that’s the way they play after wins as well.

“That’s the trick,” coach Mark Daigneault said Saturday “You don’t want to be reactive to the last game because then you can be too high after wins, you can be too low after losses. We just get ourselves to neutral. Understand every game is different, every game is unwritten. You go out there, the ball goes up in the air, and the team that competes better on that night wins.”

As such, Oklahoma City will try to be better Sunday And so will Indiana. There was much for both teams to clean up after Game 1. For the Pacers, it was too many turnovers. For the Thunder, it was not closing out a game that it led by 15 with less than 10 minutes remaining.

“Look, everybody’s pat-

Pacers

tern after a loss is to come more aggressively

Their whole team is going to be even more aggressive defensively,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “The challenge for us is to be able to match that.”

Thunder guard and NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — who led all scorers with 38 points in Game 1, his ﬁnals debut — said he doesn’t hang on to games for too long, even that one. He watches ﬁlm, learns the lessons and moves on.

He doesn’t expect to deviate from that plan for Game 2. “I take what I need to take from it, and we do it as a group,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “After that, I let it go because the lessons are learned. There’s nothing else you can do.”

Chasing history

The Pacers have an opportunity at something very rare: going up 2-0 in the ﬁnals by taking the ﬁrst two games on the road.

It’s happened only twice in finals history: Chicago did it in 1993 against Phoenix and Houston did it in 1995 against Seattle. Both the Bulls and the Rockets went on to win the NBA title in those seasons.

“I think winning on the road is hard,” said Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, who had the game-winning shot in Game 1 with 0.3 sec-

onds left. “Winning an NBA game is hard, and especially a playoff game, and let alone a ﬁnals game, right? It’s not easy You’re just trying to be as present as you can.”

The stakes

The Thunder know their odds of winning this title take a serious dive if they lose Game 2 and head to Indianapolis trailing the series 2-0. So, technically, Sunday isn’t a must-win game. There’s a Game 3 on Wednesday no matter what and a Game 4 on Friday no matter what. But nobody needs to tell OKC the stakes right now

“Game 1 was a must-win and we didn’t win. Now we flip to Game 2 and it’s a must-win again,” Thunder forward Chet Holmgren said “We’ve been in mustwin situations in this playoff run, and honestly in the playoffs, every game feels like a must-win. You’re not saving anything in the tank for any games down the line.”

SGA, 3K

Assuming he scores in Game 2 obviously a reasonable assumption — Gilgeous-Alexander will join a new club.

The MVP is just two points shy of reaching the 3,000-point mark for the season, including playoffs. (If the NBA Cup ﬁnal game counted, which it doesn’t, he’d already be over 3,000 for the season.)

Nick Menard, Notre Dame; Jorge Pertuit, Houma Christian; Christian Sauska, Newman; Braeden Strother, Oakdale; Brodie Stuart, Oak Grove; Ayden Welch, Lafayette Christian.

Ricca

Washington

Meyers

Razorbacks topdefending champVols

By The Associated Press

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. Zach Root and Gabe Gaeckle combined on atwo-hitter,Ryder Helfrick hit the go-ahead home run, and Arkansas defeateddefending national champion Tennessee 4-3 on Saturdayinthe opening game of the best-of-three Fayetteville super regional.

Helfrick’stwo-run home run in thebottom of theﬁfthinning gave Arkansasa3-2 lead and Charles Davalan drove in arun with asinglethat made it 4-2in the sixth. Root (8-5) started andwent seven innings, allowing one hit and one earned run. Gaeckle threwtwo innings in relief, allowing the other hit and onerun for hissecond save.

Dean Curley’stwo-run home run in the ﬁfth inning gave the Volunteers a2-1 lead. It was their only hit until Andrew Fischer’ssolo home run in the ninth. The Razorbacks’ Cam Kozeal scoredonawildpitch fora1-0 lead in the second inning

Tennesseestarter Marcus Phillips (4-5) allowedfourruns on eight hitsin51/3 innings. Tennessee (46-18) is making its ﬁfth straight super regional appearance.Arkansas (47-13) is making its third appearance since 2021.The Razorbacks will lock up their 11th CollegeWorld Series berth if they win Game 2 on Sunday COASTAL CAROLINA 4, AUBURN 1: In Auburn,Alabama, Jacob Morrison and Hayden Johnson combined to scatter eight hits andCoastal Carolinadefeated Auburn on Saturday to sweep the Auburn super regional and reach the College World Series

LSU

Continued from page1C

for thesecondtime.

The Chanticleerswill tryto duplicatethe national championship they won in 2016. Morrison allowed one run on six hits with six strikeoutsinsix innings. Johnson (5-0) came on in the seventh and pitched three scoreless innings with two hits and ﬁvestrikeouts.

Coastal Carolina’sthree-run

seventh inning featured an RBI single by Walker Mitchell and a series of Auburn miscues led to theother two runs.

With the scored tied 1-1 after Mitchell’ssingle, he moved up a base on asingle byBlagen Pado andscoredfromsecondona throwingerror by theﬁrst basemanonaball hit by Ty Dooley Awalk byTyBarrango loaded thebases and Coastal’sthird run scored when WellsSykes was hit by apitch. Mitchelldrove in the ﬁnal run with asingle in the eighth inning.

CadenBodine’s 10th-inning homerun early Saturday morninggave the Chanticleersa7-6 victoryinthe ﬁrst game.

The Tigers played in thesuperregional round for the ﬁfth time. They advanced to the College World Series in twooftheir previous fourappearances.

ARIZONA 10, NORTH CAROLINA 8: In Chapel Hill, NorthCarolina, Maddox Mihalakisdrove in threeruns, includingtwo with ago-ahead singleinthe seventh inning, and Arizona defeated North Carolina, forcing aGame 3inthe Chapel Hill super regionalonSunday

The Wildcats trailed 8-6 in theseventh inning but rallied with fourruns.With two on and oneout, Brendan Summerhill doubleddown the left-ﬁeld line

“Wefelt like some of these pitchers have been really,reallygreat throughout some shorter outings, some simgames,” West Virginia coach Steve Sabinssaid.“It didn’t go their waythisweek, butwhenyou trail in the game, there’s alwayssome balance of making sure that you go to win thegame, but also that youhave enougharms to compete andwin aseries.”

West Virginia (44-15) answered LSU’sbig ﬁfthinning with four runsinthe tophalfof the sixth, but LSU countered immediately with six runs in the bottomofthe sixth. With thebasesloaded, West Virginia walked in two runs with one out before Pearson hit another grand slam to give the Tigers a16-5 advantage.

“Super proud of Josh,” Curiel said.“Since Igot here, he kind of taughtmethe ropes to know,and Ilook up to him alot.”

West Virginia left-handed starter Grifﬁn Kirn forced the Tigers into makingweak contact throughthree shutoutinningsto open the game.

Free passesbecame aproblem forKirn in the fourth inning. He hit the ﬁrst two battersofthe inning to put two on with oneout for Curiel.

Curiel, LSU’stypical leadoff hitter who moved down to seventh in the order Saturday,delivered. The California native blasted athree-run home run over the wall in left ﬁeld, handingLSU a3-1 leadonthe Tigers’ ﬁrst hit of the game.

“They just progressivelygot alittle bit better,” Johnson said. “And we were, even though we didn’t have anyhits, we were pressuring themwith pitch counts and long counts and three balls and 3-2 (counts),all of those types of things.”

Kirn didn’tlast long after that. He escaped the fourth inning but exited theﬁfth after allowing aleadoff single to Pearson. He allowed two hits with three strikeouts and

RABALAIS

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directly,but you know he could havejust the same.

“He’sreally dialed into the right things,” Johnson said of Pearson. “Every time Icome up here (in anews conference), Iﬁnd I’m talking about who they are as peopleasmuchas players. He’satthe forefront of that.

“He’sthe best. He’sjust thebest.” Friday night, Pearsonlearned hewould start in the super regional opener instead of Jake Brown in right field. Not just starting, he would lead off. Johnson,working the percentagesto the ninth decimal point as he does, perhaps figured Pearson would be best adept at handling West Virginia starter Griffin Kirn, who likes tomakethe inside half of the plate his domain. As aresult,Johnson shiftedCuriel allthe wayto seventh in the lineup.

Johnson’smoves worked withalmost prescient efficiency.Curiel got LSUonthe board with athree-run homerun in the bottom of the fourth inningfor a3-1 lead, an opposite-fieldshot down theleft-field line with the West Virginia infield shifted

to scoreone runwhile Easton Breyfogle advanced to third. Breyfogle then scored on awild pitch by Walter McDufﬁe to tie thescore.

After acouple of walks loaded thebases, Mihalakis drove in twowith asingle to right ﬁeld off of Folger Boaz. Tony Pluta pitched 21/3 scoreless innings for thewin.

DUKE 7, MURRAYSTATE 4: In Durham, North Carolina,Kyle Johnson drove in ﬁve runs to power Duke’svictory over Murray Stateinthe first game of the Durham super regional.

The Blue Devils areone win from reaching the College World Seriesfor the ﬁrsttime since 1961.

Johnson, a.228hitter in 57 atbatscoming in, had two doubles and ahomerun among his four hits

Duke managed only six hits four by Johnson —but theBlue Devils benefited from eight walks. Dom Decker hadfour of Murray State’snine hits and drove in two runs.

Duke is playing in thesuper regionals forthe fourth time.

The Racers are making their fourthNCAA Tournament appearance andﬁrst in the super regionals.

MIAMI 9, LOUISVILLE 6: In Louisville, Kentucky,Renzon Gonzalez drove in the go-ahead run in theseventh inning, Daniel Cuvet addeda three-run home run in the eighth andMiami defeated Louisville to even the Louisville superregional at agame apiece.

In the seventh, Dorian Gonzalez doubled tolead off the inning andlater scoredthe goahead run on asingle by Renzo Gonzalez for a6-5 Miami lead Cuvet’sone-out homerun to left

LSU pitcher Kade Anderson leaps off the moundcelebrating the strikeout against West Virginia to end the second inning of their super regionalgameonSaturday

three hitbatters. “I don’tknow how you guys felt holding acamera in almostabillion degrees out there, but I’m sure standing on the middle of thepitcher’smound wasn’tall that comfortable,” Johnson said. “AndIthink maybe he ranout of gas alittlebit,sohelosthis command.”

Free passes proved to be thedifference in thegame. The Mountaineerswalked eight batters and hit ﬁveothers, tying itsseasonhigh in free passesissued in asingle contest.

West Virginia outhit LSU 11-8 despite the lopsidedscore. Curiel and Pearsonwere the onlyTigers with multiple hits. Curielreached base in all ﬁveofhis plateappearances.

“(Kirn) can be really,really tough on lefties, but (Curiel) executed it perfectly,” Johnson said. “He kept his feet in there and got hitbya pitch on theﬁrst one, stayed on that slider and (hit) it out of here. Likethat’simpressive to be able to do that.”

Sophomore left-handerKadeAnderson

aroundtothe right side in ablockade against his bat. Then after the Tigers took commandofthe gamewith aseven-run ﬁfthtogoup10-1, Pearson belted agrand slam in the sixthtoright, countering a four-run uprising by the Mountaineers in the top half of the inning. It was LSU’s second grand slam of the day after Steven “Monster” Milam hit one in that monster ﬁfthinning.

If Pearson felt an extra surge of adrenaline knowing he would start Saturday,he didn’tmake abig deal about it.

“Really nothing changes,” he said. “Every day Ikind of show up to the ﬁeld as I would beinthe lineup.

“Coach texted me last night and told me I’d beinit. Icame today and got ready to go.(When I) saw my name in the leadoff spot, Iknew Ihad ajob to do.”

Despite not getting theclassic Anderson starting effort —hewas clearly hotter aboutthe way he pitched while talking to reporters than he was in Saturday’s92-degree heat —the Tigers all did their jobto capture the all-important series opener

While it’shardly aguarantee, the value of winningthe ﬁrst gameofasuper regional can’tbeoverstated. Since thesupers came to bein1999, 79% of the teams that

made it 9-5 in the eighth. Louisville scored arun in the ninth on asingle by Lucas Moore and the Cardinals had runners on ﬁrst andsecondwith nobody outbefore BrianWalters retired the next three batters. Game 3isset for Sunday with the winner advancing to the College World Series.

UCLA 5, UTSA 2: In Los Angeles, Michael Barnett gave up two runs in six innings, Roman Martinhad three RBIsfor UCLA andthe Bruinsrallied to beat UTSA on Saturday at the Los Angeles super regional in the first-ever matchup between the teams No. 15 national seedUCLA (46-16) can clinch aberth in the College World Series with awin Sunday in Game 2ofthe best-ofthree series. Barnett(12-1) gave up six hits with no walks. Jack O’Connor and August Souzaeach pitched ano-hitinning of reliefbefore Easton Hawk hadtwo strikeouts in a1-2-3 ninth for his seventh save of the season Payton Brennan, Cashel Duggar and Phoenix Call each hit a single offstarter Zach Royse(95) to load the bases in the fourth inning before Brennanscored on Dean West’ssacrifice fly to give theBruins a3-2 lead. Mason Lytlehit ahome run to lead off the game andCaden Miller stolehome in the second inning to give UTSA a2-0 lead. West andRoch Cholowsky hit back-to-back singles before Mulivai Velu drove in West with adouble down andCholowsky scored on agroundout by Martin to makeit2-2. Martin hit atwo-out triple in the eighth that drove in two runs to makeit5-2.

LSU 16, West Virginia 9 WestVirginiaLSU (44-15)(47-15) abrhbiabrhbi Guzman 3b 50 10 Js. Pearson rf 52 24

Sauvec4 00 0Freydh4 10 0

Barnett 2b 01 00 Jones1b 41 00 West lf 52 22 Milamss 41 10

White dh 53 30 Hernandezc 23 00 Kelly 2b/c4 13 2Arramb.ph/c1 00 0 King cf 41 12 Dickinson 2b 23 00 Rinehart rf 21 01 Curiel lf 33 35 Hussey 1b 20 00 Braswell III3b2 00 0 Lumsden 1b 20 00 Larsonph0 10 1 Swain ph/rf 10 11 Brownrf1 00 0 Kresser ss 40 00 Stanﬁeldcf4 01 2 TOTALS389118TOTALS3116816 WestVirginia010004202—9111 LSU00037600X—1682 West Virginia —2B— White (1)HR—West(1);Kelly (1)

SH —King(1) SB —Kelly (1) E—Kresser (1)DP—1 LSU —2B—Jones (1)HR—Pearson (1); Milam (1); Curiel (1)SH—Braswell III (1) HBP —Hernandez (2);Dickinson (2); Curiel (1) E—Milam (2) WestVirginiaIPHRERBBSO

Kirn (L,5-3) 42 44 13

Glasscock 00 22 20

Fehrman 01 33 10 Hutson 1.1 33 31 0 Lyman 1.2 14 43 1

Stifﬂer 11 00 00 LSUIPHRERBBSO

Anderson (W,10-1) 79 76 27

Primeaux 0.1 00 00 0 Schmidt 0.2 12 22 0 Rizy 11 00 01

HBP —Kirn, Grifﬁn,Fehrman, Cole, Lyman, Luke PB Sauve(1) Umpires—Home Plate: SteveMattinglyFirst: Jason Bradley Second Base: Linus BakerThird Base:Mike Fichter

started on the mound for LSU. He allowed just one earned run through the ﬁrst ﬁveinnings, but long layoffs before the sixth and seventhdiminished his effectiveness.

West Virginia tagged Anderson for four runs in thesixth inning and two in the seventh.Two singles andaﬁelder’s choice drove in runs in the sixth beforeatwo-run home run from freshman Gavin Kelly cutthe Mountaineers’ deﬁcit to nine in the seventh. Andersonstruckout sevenbut surrendereda season-highninehits and sixearned runs in seven innings.

He didn’tbelieve the long layoffs before thetop of the sixth and seventh innings played afactor in his performance.

“As apitcher, yougothrough those allof thetime,” Anderson said. “It’sabout how you bounce back from those.”

won Game 1went on to the College World Series. That meansfour out of ﬁvedentists recommend winning the opener —and ﬂossing, of course.

West Virginia coach Steve Sabins talked about it being athree-gameseries, and that his team can still win it. It is. And the Mountaineers can.

Butheknows as well as anyone that West Virginia is really in abind now.The Tigers will throw Anthony Eyanson at 5p.m. Sunday,apitcher who has as many types of breaking balls in his bag as Scottie Schefﬂer has wedges. They also havenearly all of their bullpen available, including Mr Clutch regional ﬁnal reliever Casan Evans. Pearsonmay be in thelineup in support of Eyanson. He may be back on the bench. Eitherway,it’ssure to be abittersweet time, hoping the Tigers get thevictory to clinch a spotinOmaha that alsowould make it Pearson’slastgame in AlexBox Stadium The epitome of team over me. “He’sa good player,” Johnson said. “A good hitter.Character.Makeup. Toughness. Raised right.The best parents in the world. It will be odd not havinghim here (next season).” ButPearson will be there Sunday,ifand when the Tigers need him

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Ayear ago, Derek Curiel could have chosen adifferent path. An MLB team would have drafted theprodigious outﬁelder,then given him time to sharpen his eye and strengthen his swing in the minor leagues. That route, had Curieldecidedtotake it, also would have left LSU baseball without aplayer who has grown into one of its most important contributors.

On Monday, coachJay Johnson called him the “engine” of the LSU lineup. On Saturday,the freshman proved that he ﬁt that description, using his battopower LSU’s16-9superregionalwin over West Virginia. “He’sjust aspecial player,” junior slugger Jared Jones said of Curiel. “Really slows down the game, doesn’ttry to do too muchand stays within himself. He hadn’t really needed (help) much, to be honest with you. He’sbeen pretty steady Eddie, so just kindoflet him do his thing. Just cheer them on as best we can.”

LSUdidn’trecorda hit through three innings against the Mountaineers. Then Curiel stepped to the plate, read a77-mph slider and caughtitwiththe endofhis bat, swinging with enough power to slice it afew feet beyond the left-field wall. His three-run shot plated the ﬁrst runs of the LSU victory —agameinwhich both Steven Milamand Josh Pearson cranked grand slams.

Curiel’sﬁrst NCAA Tournament is already adorned with strong performances at the plate. The latest —3for 3, ﬁve RBIs —helpedfuelthe explosionofoffense that powered the No.6overall seed Tigers to the doorstep of the College World Series.

“He executed it perfectly,” Johnson said. “He kept his feet in there and got hit by apitchonthe ﬁrst one, andstayedon that slider and hit abullet out of here.” Curiel is 9for 18 (.500) with seven RBIs across LSU’s five NCAA Tournament games. On Saturday, Johnsonslid Curieldown to seventh in the order,replacing him with Pearson in the leadoff spot. The change didn’tfaze the freshman. He hit well enough notonly to notchhis 50thRBI of the season (now second-most among LSU hitters) but also to elevate his overall batting average from .341 to .349.

Now,only EthanFrey (.350) —ajunior with almost 80 fewerat-bats —has ahigher batting average this year than Curiel.

“Nothing was different, to be honest,” Curiel said. “I just approached the game how we approach the gameall the time. Me, personally,whether I’m batting ﬁrst, second, seventh, just trying to go up there and do my job.”

Curiel amassed a43-game on-base streak earlier this season. Before that, no LSUfreshmanhad fashionedone longer than 33 contests sinceatleast 1985. Not AlexBregmanin2013. Or even Dylan Crews in 2021.

Curiel used his consistent, mature approachatthe platetotop both of those all-timegreats’ longest on-base streaks as freshmen. In all five tournament games the Tigers have played this year,Curiel has reached base safely.OnSaturday,Curiel also singled to center field to drive in LSU’seighth run of the day Then in the eighth, he dropped aline drive into right field. Each time he stepped to the plate, West Virginia moved its infielders to the right side of the diamond and shifted its outfielders to the left, hoping to catch him hitting to his tendencies. Curielknocked his first hit over their heads and out of the park. Then, on his next two at-bats, he dropped hits over the shift and into holes in the outfield. That kind of hitting would have benefitted amajor-league team’sfarm system once the calendar flipped to June. But it’s contributing to LSU’spostseason run instead, swinging the Tigers within sniffing distance of their 20th trip to Omaha. “That’simpressive to be able to do that,” Johnson said. “So, he did what he needed to do.”

EmailReed Darcey at reed.darcey@ theadvocate.com. For more

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSUleft fielder Derek Curiel celebrates his three-run home runagainst West Virginia in the fourthinning of the first game of the super regional on Saturday at Alex Box Stadium.

LSU to put plans into action on paying players

Judge approves House deal to open doors

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

For the first time, schools will be allowed to pay their athletes directly after a multibillion-dollar legal settlement was approved late Friday, ushering in a new era of college sports

The House settlement, an agreement in three federal antitrust lawsuits against the NCAA and the four power conferences, was approved by Judge Claudia Wilken, allowing schools to pay players and creating an enforcement entity for the new system.

Beginning July 1, LSU and other major athletic programs nationwide will begin directly paying athletes as college sports turns into a more professional model than the one long deﬁned by amateurism.

Players still can earn additional money through third-party name, image and likeness deals. But with a new clearinghouse managed by Deloitte taking effect, the settlement will aim to limit pay-for-play activity by booster collectives that have funded rosters for the past four years.

It is a monumental shift in college sports, one that LSU has prepared for for nearly a year Here’s what we know so far about the Tigers’ plans for this system.

How does the salary cap work?

Any school that opted into the settlement agreed to what is essentially a salary cap that is expected to begin at $20.5 million per school during the 2025-26 academic year

The cap will increase annually over the course of the 10-year settlement agreement.

Each school can allocate the money as it sees ﬁt, creating decisions about how to spread money among multiple sports and players Similar to others in the SEC, LSU ath-

letic director Scott Woodward told

The Advocate in a recent interview that the Tigers would “roughly” follow the formula the settlement used to pay back $2.8 billion in damages to former players who could not proﬁt off their NIL from 2016 through the present day.

That means LSU plans to allocate 75% to football, 15% to men’s basketball, 5% to women’s basketball and 5% to the rest of its sports, including baseball and gymnastics

Some of the money will count toward scholarships that are created because of new roster limits.

“I don’t see it changing drastically from there as far as revenue share goes,” Woodward said.

LSU football now has $13.5 million to spend in the upcoming academic year Some of the money already was earmarked for players on the 2025 roster Brian Kelly has said LSU reserved an unspeciﬁed amount for the 2026 team because payments operate on the academic calendar

After paying football and basketball players, it’s unclear how LSU will divide the remaining 5% among the rest of its sports. And athletes will be under contract, though they are not considered employees.

The power conferences created a new enforcement organization, the College Sports Commission, to monitor payments and roster limits instead of using the NCAA. It will be run by Bryan Seeley a former MLB executive.

What happens to NIL deals?

The other major result of the settlement was an attempt to regulate NIL payments by school-afﬁliated collectives, which became the way teams paid for their rosters in the NIL era. The success of the salary cap hinges on restricting pay-forplay activity

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU running back Josh Williams chats with athletic director Scott Woodward following LSU’s 49-39 win over Missouri on Oct. 7, 2023, in Columbia, Mo.

Every NIL deal of more than $600 will have to go through the clearinghouse and its online portal, NIL Go, which launches June 11. Deals are supposed to be judged on whether or not they meet fair market value and serve a “valid business purpose” instead of being a recruiting incentive.

If the deal is not cleared, players can either revise the contract, cancel it or appeal the decision through an arbitration process. The commission noted “if the student-athlete continues with the deal as submitted, they may face enforcement consequences, which

could include loss of eligibility.”

There are questions about how effective this system will be, and the restrictions could lead to more lawsuits. But the idea is that it will limit spending by collectives.

In this new system, the future of LSU’s collective, Bayou Traditions, is unclear

Exceeding the cap

The next recruiting battleground likely will take place over who can ﬁnd legal ways to exceed the cap. With this in mind, LSU entered into a new agreement with its longtime multimedia-rights partner, Playﬂy

SCOREBOARD

y Game1: Coastal Carolina 7, Auburn 6 Saturday Game2: Coastal Carolina 4, Auburn 1 Coastal Carolina advances Los Angeles AtJackieRobinsonStadium;LosAngeles Saturday Game 1: UCLA 5, UTSA 2 Sunday Game2: UCLA vs. UTSA, 2 p.m.

Monday x-Game3: UTSA vs. UCLA, TBA Durham

AtDurhamBullsAthleticPark;Durham,N.C.

Saturday Game1: Duke 7, Murray St. 4

Sunday Game2: Duke vs. Murray St., 11 a.m. x-Game3: Monday: Duke vs. Murray St., TBA

Baton Rouge

AtAlexBoxStadium

Saturday Game1: LSU 16, West Virginia 9

Sunday Game2: West Virginia vs. LSU, 5 p.m.

Monday x-Game3: West Virginia vs. LSU, TBA

Fayetteville

AtBaum-WalkerStadium;Fayetteville,Ark.

Saturday Game1: Arkansas 4, Tennessee 3

Sunday Game2: Arkansas vs. Tennessee, 2 p.m.

Monday x-Game3: Tennessee vs. Arkansas, TBA College softball

Women’s College World Series

AtOGEEnergyField;OklahomaCity Championship Finals

(Best-of-3)

Wednesday Game1: Texas 2, Texas Tech 1

Thursday

Game 2: Texas Tech 4, Texas 3; series tied 1-1

Friday Game3: Texas 10, Texas Tech 4; Texas wins series 2-1

Pro tennis

French Open

Saturday At Stade Roland Garros-Paris Surface: Red clay

Seedings in parentheses

Women’s Singles

ship

Gauff (2), United States, def. Aryna Sabalenka (1), Belarus, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4.

Doubles

ship Marcel Granollers, Spain, and Horacio Zeballos (5), Argentina, def. Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury (8), Britain, 6-0, 6-7 (5), 7-5. Hockey

NHL playoff glance

Finals

(Best-of-7;x-ifnecessary)

EDMONTON1,FLORIDA1

(54)

Toyota, 194.979

9. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 194.926.

10. (38) Zane Smith, Ford, 194.926

11. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford, 194.921.

12. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 194.837.

13. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 194.800

14. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 194.737.

15. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 194.726

16. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 194.716.

17. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 194.610.

18. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 194.595.

19. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 194.526.

20. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 194.432.

21. (42) John H. Nemechek, Toyota, 194.432.

22. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota, 194.416

23. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford, 194.321

24. (41) Cole Custer, Ford, 194.321.

25. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 194.274.

26. (88) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 194.201.

27. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 194.170.

28. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 193.945.

29. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford, 193.939.

30. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Chevrolet, 193.877.

31. (7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 193.814.

32. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 193.804. 33. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 193.757.

34. (35) Riley Herbst, Toyota, 193.637. 35. (99) Daniel Suárez, Chevrolet, 193.392. 36. (51) Cody Ware, Ford, 192.482. Horse racing Belmont Stakes

Saturday Saratoga, N.Y. PGMHorseWinPlaceShow 2 Sovereignty (Alvarado) 7.00

7 Journalism (U. Rispoli) 3.20

6 Baeza (F. Prat)

-2

-1

Classic

Course-Galloway, N.J.

$1.8 million Yardage: 6,197; Par: 71 SecondRound Ilhee Lee 63-68—131 11

Ayaka Furue 66-66—132 -10

Jennifer Kupcho 68-64—132 10 Mao Saigo 67-65—132 -10

Elizabeth Szokol 63-69—132 10

Robyn Choi 68-66—134 8

Wei-Ling Hsu 66-68—134 -8

Chisato Iwai 68-66—134 8

Jeong Eun Lee5 68-66—134 -8

Lee-Anne Pace 67-67—134 -8

Miyu Yamashita 68-66—134 8

Saki Baba 66-69—135 -7

Jin Hee Im 69-66—135 7

Aline Krauter 66-69—135 7

Caley McGinty 70-65—135 -7

Azahara Munoz 67-68—135 7

Rio Takeda 67-68—135 -7

Dewi Weber 66-69—135 7

Yuri Yoshida 68-67—135 7

Muni He 69-67—136 -6

Sei Young Kim 68-68—136 6

Kum Kang Park 70-66—136 -6

Jeeno Thitikul 68-68—136 6

Miranda Wang 68-68—136 6

Jaravee Boonchant 66-71—137 -5

Karis Davidson 69-68—137 5

Akie Iwai 65-72—137 -5

Soo Bin Joo 68-69—137 -5

Nelly Korda 71-66—137 5

Mary Liu 71-66—137 -5

Emily Pedersen 67-70—137 5

Asterisk Talley 69-68—137 5

Jing Yan 71-66—137 -5

Madison Young 73-64—137 5

Alexandra Forsterling 67-71—138 -4

Mariel Galdiano 68-70—138 4

Brooke Henderson 71-67—138 4

Haeji Kang 69-69—138 -4

Auston Kim 68-70—138 4

Frida Kinhult 70-68—138 -4

Lucy Li 71-67—138 4

Polly Mack 66-72—138 4

Brooke Matthews 70-68—138 -4

Benedetta Moresco 72-66—138 4

Celine Borge 69-70—139 -3

Ashleigh Buhai 67-72—139 -3

Brianna Do 68-71—139 3

Alexa Pano 73-66—139 -3

Kaitlyn Papp 70-69—139 3 Yue Ren 68-71—139 3

Patty Tavatanakit 72-67—139 -3

LIV Virginia

Saturday At Robert Trent Jones Golf Club Gainesville, Va.

Purse: $20M (Individual); $5M (Team) Yardage: 7,418; Par: 71 SecondRound Anirban Lahiri 67-64—131 11

Martin Kaymer 66-67—133 -9

Graeme McDowell 67-66—133 9

Bubba Watson

Sports, to arrange NIL deals with its corporate partners.

There is hope among LSU athletics ofﬁcials that ﬁnding legitimate NIL deals will give the Tigers an advantage because of their brand. Through the first three years of collectives, LSU football’s spending fell behind many of its SEC counterparts until a fundraising push took place over the past year But constantly asking donors for money to pay players is not viewed as a sustainable approach.

“We really have to focus on what we can do to help our student-athletes get into the third-party NIL world,” Woodward said. “That’s where our focus is going to be with (the Tiger Athletic Foundation) and Bayou Traditions.”

Roster limits, new scholarships

Instead of supplying a certain number of scholarships per sport such as 11.7 in baseball teams now have roster limits. Football teams, for instance, have 105 spots on them. Baseball teams can carry 34 players.

It is up to every school to decide how many full scholarships to fund, so there is still space for walk-ons. And the SEC maintained an 85-scholarship limit for its football teams for the time being, preserving 20 walk-on spots.

Wilken, who approved the settlement, required the NCAA to grandfather current players into the new roster limits so they don’t lose their spots, addressing her last primary concern with the settlement terms. There will not be as many spots for future athletes under the roster limits.

But schools can choose to create new scholarships, which Woodward said LSU would do. He declined to say how many during an April interview

For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

GC (B. Watson, B. Campbell, P Uihlein, M. Wolff/O. Schiederjans) -8

XIII (J. Rahm, T. Hatton, T. McKibbin, C. Surratt) -5 Iron Heads GC (K. Na, Y. Jang, D. Lee, J. Kozuma) E HyFlyers GC (P. Mickelson, A. Ogletree, B. Steele, C. Tringale) E Fireballs GC (S. Garcia, A. Ancer, J. Ballester, L. Masaveu,) +4 Ripper GC (C. Smith, L. Herbert, M. Jones, M Leishman) +8 Majesticks GC (I. Poulter, H. Stenson, L. Westwood, S. Horsﬁeld) +12

ALL-METRO GOLF

BOYS OUTSTANDINGPLAYERS

David Marsh accomplished plenty of things during his golfing career, including winning multiple Advocate All-Metrohonors and helping the Bears win their first LHSAA DivisionItitle in nearly two decades.

However, Catholic coach Chris Davis said Marsh’shigh school career was more than low scores and accolades.

“For four years, Ithink he embodied one of the big calling cards of our program,”Davis said.“Weknewevery singletime we put him in the lineup we were going to gethis best on that day.

“That goes for practices, too. He set the tone while going against the best No. 1players the

MASONCOMEAUX

Brusly No. 2inarea scoring average

DREW PRIETO

Catholic Ninth at Division Itourney

KEVIN ZHENG

Catholic Regional champion

other teams had. He did that for hisbrothers on our team.

Marsh finished second at theBaton Rouge Metro tournament afteraone-holeplayoff. He shot an even-par 72 at the Santa Maria golf course.

Marsh then helped the Bears claim aregional title before concludinghis four-yearcareer with an 11th-place finish at the LHSAA’s Division Itournament in Lafayette. Marshshot a108 total at theweather-abbreviated tourneythat covered 27 holes He led area DivisionI-II golfers with aninehole averageof34.29 during regular-season matches.

DIVISIONSI-II BOYS ALL-METROTEAM

NYLESWILLIAMS Catholic FourthatMetrotourney

JACK RITTER

Catholic

Had37.25 average

BRODYBOURGOYNE

Brusly

Placed 12th at Div. II tourney

BOYS COACHOFTHE YEAR

CHRISDAVIS CATHOLIC

After six runner-up finishes over the previous 17 years, anotherMetro team title wasjust a startfor Chris Davis and the Bears, whoadded

RobinFambrough

BROOKS HOLLEY

Brusly

Placed 20th in Div. II tourney

DREW DAIGLE

Brusly KeyPanthersplayer

Editor’snote: Teams selected by area coaches.

an LHSAA DivisionItrophytotheircollectionthis spring. It is Davis’ first title as Catholic’scoach.

RobinFambrough

GIRLS OUTSTANDINGPLAYER

PROVIDED PHOTO

Brusly freshman Maci Williams wonthe LHSAA DivisionI individual title after abrilliant regular seasoninwhich she averged a33.14 scoreovernine holes.

DIVISIONSI-II DAVIDMARSH,CATHOLIC HIGH • SR MACI WILLIAMS,BRUSLY • FR

Maci Williams had the debutseason most high school freshmen only dreamabout andendedthe season as the LHSAA’s Division Iindividual champion.

“I think she expected to playwell,”coach Brent Williams said.“This is anew program that had nevercompeted in (the Baton Rouge area) Metro before.As her fatherand the coach, Ichallenged her and told her that if I was going to be all-in with afull-timejob and coaching,she had to be, too.And she was.

“From where she was last summer to this spring,I think she exceededher expectations. Isaw her getstronger physically and Iwatched

her all-around game improve,too.”

Therise to the top started months earlier when sheset atorridpace in the regular seasonwith anine-holematchaverageof 33.14 that was nearly twostrokes ahead of the closestcompetitor Next came arunner-up finish at the Metro tourneywith 6-under-par 66. The best was yettocome.

After Day1ofthe DivisionI state tournament in Lafayettewas weather-abbreviated,Williams trailed by onestroke. Shethen carded a 3-under34to finish at 104 over 27 holes for thewin. RobinFambrough

Not allathletes can showcase theirgame with a flairfor the dramatic. Jack Carter provedhehas that flair and alot more after leadingthe Eagles to an LHSAA Division III runner-up finish thisspring

The Parkviewjunior shot an even-par 72 at the Santa Mariacourse to finish in atwo-way tiefor top individual honors at theMetro tournament. Carter wonaone-hole playoff to claim his first Metro title.

Then, at the weather-abbreviated LHSAA tourneyinLafayette, Carter led anine-hole chargeonDay 2that pulled theEagleswithin twostrokes of traditional powerAscension

ELLIOTTAUCOIN

Parkview Baptist Tied for eighth in DivisionIII

OWEN LEJEUNE

Dunham Top-10 finish at Metro

JAYDEN WILLIAMS University Fourth-best 9-hole average

Episcopal. “He’sreally astrong golfer,” coach Dale Spikessaid.“In addition to theway he can drivea golf ball, Ireally think he’s gotsomeof the softest hands and touch around thegreen “Because of that, Jack can getupand down on just about anyhole on agolf course.He truly lovesgolf and he also has agreatwork ethic to go along withthat.” Carter finishedthird at the Division III tourney witha27-hole score of 108. He also had the top nine-hole regular-season average of 35.80 among golfersinDivisions III and IV Robin Fambrough

HUNTER COPE

ParkviewBaptist Seventh in Division III

AUSTIN RAY Episcopal Top10inDivision III

SAMUEL McCULLOUGH Dunham Nine-holeaverage of 38.50

GIRLS ALL-METROTEAM

SOPHIA MACIAS

Episcopal WonMetro; D-II runner-up

EVELYNN ARTIETA

Walker Fourth at Division Itourney

BERKLEY

REITZELL

St. Joseph’sAcademy Nine-hole averageof39.0

AVA HEINE

St.Joseph’s Fourth at Metro

BAYLEIGH WALDREP

Ascension Christian 40.0 averageled Lions

MARCELLA RABALAIS

Episcopal Keymember of Knights

GIRLS COACHOFTHE YEAR

It was aprecedent-setting spring season for Baronich and the Knights in so many ways Thelistofmilestones includedwinning a first

Editor’snote: Teamsselected by area coaches.

LUKE DICKERSON

Episcopal Nine-hole averageof38.29

CHARLIEJACKSON

Parkview Baptist Shot 78 at Metro tourney

TOWNES COUVILLION

Episcopal Nine-hole averageof 38.71

ELLA NUGENT

Zachary

Ninth at Metro tourney

KENZIE STENTIFORD

St.Joseph’s

Eighth at Metro

ELLA

PEREZ

Episcopal

10thatMetro

Metro team title followedbyarunner-up finish at the LHSAA’s Division II tournament. Robin Fambrough

24/7

PROVIDED PHOTO

David Marsh, who finished second at the Baton RougeMetro tournament, led the Bears to their first Division Istate title in nearly 20 years.The senior’s34.29 nine-hole average during the regular seasonwas the best in the area among DivisionI-II golfers.

PROVIDED PHOTO

ParkviewBaptist’s Jack Carter,the third-place finisher at the Division III state tournament, wonthe Metro tournamentinaone-hole playoff. The junior had a35.80 nine-hole season

OUTDOORS

Lifting the curtain

Louis Rodrigue, 6, of Port Allen, left, has his hands full with two blackfin tuna, and his 7-year-old friend Jude Duplechain, of Grosse Tete, shows off the dolphin he caught aboard Kyle Rodrigue’s boat ‘Foamo-o’ during Friday’s Catholic High Alumni Fishing Rodeo held at Fourchon Marina . The two youngsters were among the first to bring in catches to the scales with hopes of remaining on the leaderboard through the end of the two-day event.

Bowﬁshing talk does little

Proponents, opponents square off at LWFC monthly meeting

BY JOE MACALUSO

Contributing writer

Notebook

Mention bowfishing in Louisiana’s coastal marshes and you’re bound to draw a crowd. That’s what happened Tuesday for the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission’s monthly meeting in Baton Rouge.

Commission member Andrew Blanchard pushed for this hot-button item to be put on the agenda, and folks were ready to stand their ground.

Nothing was accomplished, except to continue the raging debate about trespass, the ire over taking of ﬁsh at night by spotlight and the continued stance by bowfishing interests that they are doing nothing wrong.

Blanchard said he brought this issue up again at the urging of a landowner, a Terrebonne Parish man who publicly stated he didn’t want bowfishermen on his land and, in no uncertain terms, blamed this activity for him ﬁnding a dead cow on his land.

Some anti-bowﬁshing folks said this activity is destroying the marsh because bowfishing boats use surface drives to access shallowwater areas. Others said these nighttime excursions disturb ﬁsh and wildlife, the latter coming mostly during the duck season.

Bowfishing charters — there are 47 with stateissued permits — testified their take of fish is small compared to the numbers of rod-and-reel anglers, and they limit their customers to taking only legal ﬁsh.

In the fishing community, the issue is redfish, the state’s only saltwater gamefish. Though that issue was not raised last week, state regulations prohibit taking freshwater gamefish by bow and arrow As noted early in the discussion, trespass is the main issue, and, as was noted, landowners call Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement when it comes to these alleged violations and are told it’s a matter for local enforcement, and when local enforcement is called, the landowner is told it’s a Wildlife and Fisheries matter.

Until the state legislature takes up the issue, whether it be trespass or taking redﬁsh by bow and arrow or allowing bowﬁshing, nothing will come from any commission discussion.

Other actions

If a notice is passed a couple months down the road, wildlife and ﬁsh violations will be more costly when it comes to civil restitution ﬁnes levied upon conviction.

The full notice is available on the agency’s website: wlf.louisiana.gov/resources/ category/commission-action-items, and public comment should go to Jack Isaacs, LDWF Economist, P. O Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA, 70898, or by email to: jisaacs@wlf.la.gov The deadline is 4:30 p.m. Aug 5. And, the commission amended regulations covering rules for the Special Bait Dealers Permit to allow the sale of live bait from ﬁshing boats “if those fishermen also possess a fresh-product license or wholesale/retail seafood dealer license.”

The move is designed to

give recreational anglers more access to live bait during closed shrimping seasons.

Public comment on this action will be accepted through Sept. 1, and should be addressed to: Robert Bourgeois, LDWF Fisheries Permit Manager, P. O Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 70898, or email: rbourgeois@ wlf.la.gov

The meeting’s main agenda began with Shikar-Safari Club International presenting Conservation Ofﬁcers of the Year awards to sergeant Cole Cupit and agent Andrew Lemoine for their work in uncovering the illegal killing of a black bear

The council

The Gulf Council, which renamed itself last month after being the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council for more than two decades met last week and decided to modify Spanish mackerel catch limits to 9.63 million pounds landed weight, and has the authority to establish a closed season if the commercial and recreational catch exceeds that number in the previous year

The council took more drastic action when it comes to taking shallow-water grouper which includes scamp along with yellowmouth, black and yellowﬁn groupers. The council reduced the annual catch limit by 54.7% to 322,000 pounds gutted weight, and decided to run a July 1-Dec 31 recreational season. For the recreational take of gag grouper, the council learned the 2024 take exceeded the catch limit by nearly 89,000 pounds. That

resulted in a 2025 catch limit of 310,009 pounds without announcing a season, though a 20-day season was mentioned.

Going outdoors

Have to make a correction and an addition to last Sunday’s Part II about surviving Louisiana’s summer outdoors.

Steve Gilletly, at REKS Sunglasses, responded to say his company does not use “crown” glass for their topend summer eyewear REKS uses “trivex” lenses for both prescription and regular sunglass lenses.

CALENDAR

SUNDAY LOUISIANA FREE FISHING DAY: No licenses needed to ﬁsh in state waters. FLY TYING 101: 2-4 p.m., Orvis Shop, Bluebonnet Boulevard, Baton Rouge. Fee free. All ages, but 15-and-younger must be accompanied by an adult. Call Shop (225) 757-7286. Website: orvis.com/ batonrouge

MONDAY

RED STICK FLY FISHERS MEETING: 7 p.m., Regional Branch Library, 9200 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge. Open to the public. Email Brian Roberts: roberts.brian84@gmail.com Website: rsff.org

TUESDAY

LA. OYSTER TASK FORCE MEETING: 10 a.m., Lakefront Airport, 6001 Stars and Stripes Blvd., New Orleans. Research Committee meeting, 9 a.m. & Health Committee meeting, 9:30 a.m., same venue.

WEDNESDAY

BUGS & BEERS: 6:30 p.m., Skeeta Hawk Brewing, 455 N. Dorgenois St., New Orleans Fly tying. Open to the public. Email A.J. Rosenbohm: ajrosenbohm@gmail.com. Website: neworleansﬂyﬁshers.com

THURSDAY-SUNDAY

BASSMASTER ELITE SERIES: Lake Tenkiller, Cookson, Oklahoma. Website: bassmaster. com

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

BROTHER DARDIS FISHING

RODEO: Begins sunrise Friday, weigh-in 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Jesuit High School, Banks Street at Carrollton Avenue, New Orleans. Freshwater, Inshore & Offshore categories in adult & student divisions. Website: jesuitnola.org. Call Mike McMahon (504) 650-1700.

ONGOING

CCA STATEWIDE TOURNAMENT & ANGLERS’ RODEO/ S.T.A.R.: Summer-long ﬁshing contest through Sept. 1 Multiple species categories CCA membership required. Website: ccalouisiana.com

Happy early Clifton Chenier

Day! The 100th anniversary of the Grammy Hall of Famer’s birth near Opelousas isn’tofﬁcial until June 25. However, aslew of music releases, tribute shows and memorabilia honoring the King of Zydeco will happen throughoutJune and beyond Chenier’s music hasinﬂuenced everyone from Mick Jagger to “Zydeco Boss” Keith Frank. While plans for other activities are still in the works, here’s aworking list of waysto enjoy the “Year of Chenier.”

Tributetothe King of Zydeco

The long-awaited album, featuring the Rolling Stones, Taj Mahal, Lucinda Williams, Charley Crockett and other icons, comes out June 27. A7-inch vinyl of Jagger singing “Zydeco Sont Pas Sale,” with Chenier’s original on the B-side, is outon Chenier’sbirthday,June 25.

LIVING

PartyFit fora King

The New Orleans Jazz Museum will host a“Year of Chenier” kickoff and fundraiser from 6p.m. to 10 p.m. June25 at 400 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans. Just like the album sales, proceeds from the event will beneﬁt the new Clifton Chenier Memorial Scholarship at UL-Lafayette. The Roy House, home of UL’s Center for Louisiana Studies, will alsohost a fundraiser on June 24. King of La.Blues &Zydeco Set for aSeptember release, this is afour-CD/six-LP boxset

ä See CHENIER, page 4D

Atravelingoralhistory projectwill floatdown Louisiana’swaterways

Staff report

Starting mid-June, the traveling oral historyproject,“A Secret HistoryofAmerican River People,” will journeybyhandmade shantyboat through Louisiana’s waterways.Artist WesModes and crewwill navigate BayouTecheand the Atchafalaya Basin, interviewing Cajun and Creole residents and collecting personal stories of life on the bayou.The project documents voices often left out of the official record —stories of resilience, displacement, environmental changeand cultural survival. Since 2014, the shantyboat has traveled more than 2,600 miles, gathering river histories for apublic archiveand hosting pop-up exhibitions along the journey. For more information, visit peoplesriverhistory.org

BY JOHN WIRT Contributingwriter

Since 2002, the Red Dragon Listening Room hasbeen Baton Rouge’shaven for singer-songwritersand their fans.

Possibly no one loves thenoncommercial singer-songwriter andfolkmusic genresmore than Red Dragon founderChrisMaxwell. He’s presented 1,326 shows, beginning at the venue’soriginal Government Street location and lateratthe Florida Street address it’soccupied since 2008.

The Red Dragon, by any standards, wouldbedescribedasan atypical musicvenue —cinderblock walls, alow ceiling, twinkly lights and patrons sitting in rows of sofas, which Maxwell explained help with the acoustics. Plus, its BYOB policy made for adifferentvibe. People came, as thename suggests, to listen.

Maxwelland his wife,Liz, announced their retirementfrom theRed Dragon in February. Their SongwriterSeries at the Manship Theatre will continue, but Tommy Prine’sJune 19 and June 20 shows arethe last scheduled for thevenue. Paul Thorn headlines the next Songwriter Series at Manship Theatre on June 28. He’samongthe na-

tionally touring artists who’ll miss theRed Dragon.

“It had agreat vibe and welcomingvibe,” Thorn said. “I made lots of friendsand memoriesthere that Iwill always cherish.”

Maxwell booked one his favorite singer-songwriters, Mike West, for theﬁrst Red Dragon show in April 2002. The following month, Chuck Brodsky played the second of the venue’sshows.

“Guy Clark put us on themap,” Maxwell said on arecent weekday afternoon at theRed Dragon.“He and Rodney Crowelland Billy Joe Shaver —wegot some of the titans,

Maxwell cites thelate Guy Clark as his greatestRed Dragon booking. The Grammy-winning, NashvilleSongwriterHallofFame inductee fromWestTexas performed there six times before his death in 2016.

Howdid SaintKatharine Drexel

Katharine Drexelwas canonizedbyPope John Paul II in 2001. Drexel used her inherited wealthtofound Xavier University in New Orleans but also traveled to Carencrotoestablish Catholic schools for Blackchildren.

ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

STAFFFILE PHOTOByMICHAEL JOHNSON

Singer-songwriter Vincent Neil Emersonperforms with his band at the Red Dragon Listing Room in 2024.

STAFFPHOTO

JAVIER GALLEGOS

Herman Fuselier

COMMUNITY

Inter-Civic Council of Greater Baton Rouge

The Inter-Civic Council of Greater Baton Rouge met on May 13. From left are Larry and JiJi Jonas, of Friendship Force of Baton Rouge; ICCGBR President Kathy Nevels Coleman, of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Information Center of Louisiana; Dianne Blouin, of GFWC Lagniappe Woman’s Club, speaker Jordan Tabor, of Rain Will Bring Flowers Foundation, Barbara Auten, of Alzheimer’s Services of the Capital Area, and Wendi LeMoine, of Braveheart-Children in Need.

Mental health is focus of Inter-Civic

Council meeting

The increasing prevalence of mental health issues among teen youth, including the tragedy of suicide and its heartbreaking impacts on families, took center stage at the May 13 meeting of the Inter-Civic Council of Greater Baton Rouge at Olive Garden Italian Restaurant.

Jordan Tabor, co-founder of the nonproﬁt Rain Will Bring Flowers Foundation, shared personal reﬂections about his son Owen, a popular, athletic and humorous young man with a passion for football and sports who took his own life at the age of 15 in 2023. Seeking to turn their grief and pain into something positive, Tabor and his wife, Lisa, established RWBF in Owen’s honor, determined to spur public awareness about mental health issues and teen suicide.

The foundation exists to remove the stigma associated with mental health conditions and suicide as it conducts events and provides information, resources and support to

empower student athletes, coaches, teachers and parents to prevent future tragedies.

Wendi LeMoine, of Braveheart-Children In Need and ICCGBR presidentelect, introduced the guest speaker During the member spotlight, Dianne Blouin of GWFC Lagniappe Woman’s Club, and JiJi Jonas, of Friendship Force of Baton Rouge, each gave a brief report on their organization’s services and activities.

Kathy Coleman of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Information Center of Louisiana and ICCGBR president, announced that the July event for ICCGBR members and guests would be the annual summer social at Kristenwood with “ICC Is Blooming” as its theme.

ICCGBR members introduced themselves by name and organization and announced upcoming events of interest to the general public.

Morris Welch, of the Kiwanis Club of LSU and ICCGBR parliamentarian, offered an invocation, and Gerard A. Ruth, of the American Legion Nicholson Post No. 38 and 2019 recipient of the Golden Deeds Award presented

Baton Rouge Assembly Debutantes

The Baton Rouge Assembly hosted its debutante tea introducing the 2025 coterie on May 14 at the Baton Rouge Country Club From left, seated, are Ann Malloy Kimble, Virginia Routh Bowen, Marly Jane Graves and Ella Katherine Boone; back row, Jane Crews Crawford, Eliza Douglass Tharp, Avery Therese Oubre, Jordan Griffon Morris, Laura Madeleine Leak, Mary Ann Crawford, Lucy Irene Sylvest and Audrey Cecilia Crawford. Not pictured is Estelle Helene Mason.

by ICCGBR and The Advocate, led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance. Volunteer Louisiana head wins National Service Award

Volunteer Louisiana Executive Director Judd Jeansonne was named the Stoneman Brown Advocate of the Year by Voices for National Service. Jeansonne was recognized for his tireless efforts to grow and expand the impact of AmeriCorps programs in Louisiana.

The Stoneman Brown Advocate of the Year Award is presented annually to an individual who has demonstrated exemplary determination, creativity, and results in building support for national service among our nation’s leaders.

Jeansonne received the award at the Friends of National Service Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on April 30. The awards honor U.S. senators and members of Congress, except for the Stoneman Brown Advocate of the Year Award. U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy was included among this year’s honorees.

Baton Rouge Assembly Ladies Leadership

The Baton Rouge Assembly Ladies Leadership hosted its debutante tea introducing the 2025 coterie on May 14 at the Baton Rouge Country Club Gathered are, from left, seated, Kelly Jones, Mary Helene Mason, Lauren Field, Tracey McMains and Whitney Graves; standing, Amy Johnson, Mollie Hill, Maradith Boone, Michelle Parker, DeSha Carter, Catharine McKay, Ashley Bateman and Tish O’Connor

Volunteer Louisiana

Volunteer Louisiana Executive Director Judd

received

and Jeansonne.

The Crescent at University Lake Condominiums

Dr Claude Bouchard, Boyd professor emeritus and past executive director of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, gave a two-hour presentation in April to the residents of The Crescent at University Lake Condominiums. Shown are, Melanie Hidalgo, left, and Bouchard.

Joseph Cathedral Prep School gathered on May 31 at the

Joseph

and Danny Cotten.

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

The Community column runs Sundays in the Living section and accepts submissions for news of events that have taken place with civic, philanthropic, social and religious auxiliary organizations, as well as academic honors. Submissions should be sent by noon Monday to run in the upcoming Sunday column. If submitting digitally we prefer JPG files 300KB or larger If taking a photo of a group, have them stand or sit shoulder-to-shoulder

Identify those pictured by first and last names as viewed from left to right, row by row.We prefer emailed Community column submissions to features@theadvocate.com.We also accept submissions by mail at P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge LA 70821.A phone number must be included.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Jeansonne

the Friends of National Service award at an April 30 ceremony in Washington, D.C. Shown are, from left, Jerise Terrell, Voices for National Service Steering Committee; AnnMaura Connolly, president of Voices for National Service,

PROVIDED PHOTO

Cathedral Prep School Alumni

Seven alumni of St.

St.

Chapel in the Bishop Robert Tracy Christian Formation Center for Mass celebrated by the Rev. M. Jeffery Bayhi, retired priest of the Diocese of Baton Rouge. Shown are, from left, Terry Messenger Rev. Bayhi Tommy Darensbourg John Dugas, Marshall St. Amant, Don Balho

TRAVEL

Trails,mountainattractions return to NorthCarolina

AfterHurricane Helene,countyhopes visitors follow suit

BY JESSICA FENDER Contributing writer

HAYWOOD COUNTRY, N.C.

Our foraging party nibbles lemonymountain sorrel and delicate violets

as we hike past forested valleys of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on our right, ranchland sloping awayonour left

Our barefoot guide Lee “Natty” Trebotich points to asmattering of vibrant green shoots hidden among trailside ferns. They’re highly prized wild ramps, adelicious cross between garlic and leeks. Alas, they grow just outof bounds over the park’sborder

Soon, our climb ﬂattens into the grassy promontory of Hemphill Bald, where our real reward awaits: apostcard panorama of Haywood County’sblue-green peaks dotted by cloud shadow and stretching to the horizon

Up here, it’seasy to forget the ravagesthat Hurricane Helene wrought across much of western North Carolina just eight months ago, when fast-moving water washed away roads and ﬂooded buildings.

While scarsremain throughout the region, this rural county,a half-hour west of Asheville nonetheless offers all the trappings of an idyllic mountain getaway —from miles of trails through temperate rainforest to rushing creeks and swimming holes to a delightful collection of artistsand eateries. Residentslike Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers hopevisitors come back as quickly as the Haywood County communityhas.

“One of the greatest fears is that we’re going to be forgotten,” he says later,overbreakfast “Hopefully,someone takes a chance on us and leaves here with new memories.” Aless-crowdedseason

Those who would venture to cooler climes this summer can fly nonstop from New Orleans to Charlotte and drive 2.5 hours or book aconnecting flight to nearby Asheville. While summerand fall are high seasoninHaywood,officials note adrop in room bookings will likely make cabins easier to snagand popular lookoutsless crowded this year

Indeed, people arefew as we later glide along the Blue Ridge Parkway listening to homegrown bluegrass band Balsam Range singing about Canton, oneofthe county’sﬁve mountain towns. There’saduo of picnickers lunching at one overlook. At another,a pair of cyclists breeze by,waving in spandex.

Typically,their motorized brethren are far more common. Famouslybiker-friendly Maggie Valley is home to the mindboggling Wheels Through Time Museum, acollection of 375 exceptionally rare,American-made motorcycles.

The iconic parkway,frequently the National Park Service’smost visited site, traces the spine of the Appalachians 469 miles into Virginia. Elsewhere in North Carolina, hefty swaths remain closed post-storm. In Haywood all but three of its 46 miles are drivable. Eager cruiserscan even continue another 46 miles onto Gatlinburg, Tennessee, via scenic U.S. 441 through the Great Smoky Mountains.

But we don’twander nearly that far,opting instead for ajauntupa forest trail perfumed with balsam

By ChristopherElliott

At luxury resort Cataloochee Ranch in Haywood County,N.C Wednesday nightsfeature liveAppalachian music and barbecue.

warming in the sun.

Aquiet sliceofthe Smokies

Haywood County is aplace that manages to loom both large and small at the same time. Rows of nostalgic,low-slung motorlodges rest on theaprons of toweringmountains. Apopulation just doublethat ofthe LSUBaton Rougecampusisspread over its 555 square miles. Within its boundaries are portionsoffour different national parks and forests,including the quietestslice of theperpetually bustling Great Smoky Mountains. Quirkydowntown Waynesville, thecounty seat, proves that small

communities are home to big ideas, too.

In arepurposed elementary school, Sam Kearney brandishes asteel shaker ﬁlled withhousemaderose syrup, dragonfruit powder,lime and ablend of moodelevating herbal adaptogens.

“The world needs morefun, and Iamhappy to oblige,” the former bartender-turned-mocktail maven declares.

Likemany of Waynesville’s newest and most colorful businesses, her Roll Up HerbalBar was based in theup-and-coming Frog Level district next to the creek.

Helene swamped thehistoric

Compact and quirky, downtown Waynesville, N.C., boasts someofthe best shopping in the county, concentrated around Main Street.

stretch,scattering owners like dandelion seeds across less impacted parts of downtown.

The displaced Funky Fern, with its hip and inclusive vintage clothing andwild artisanal accessories, joined the ﬁne art galleries and home goods purveyors along theprimeshopping blocks of Main and Wall streets. Nearby thehippie-chic Soul Sisters —another Frog Level exile —now sits next to akava lounge and across thestreet from adog bar and bakery

“Weall trauma-bonded,” Kearney says. “I loved Waynesville before, butnow it’slike, I’mnever leaving.”

Checkconditions first

Neighborly ties here are strong, and the welcome has been universally warm. At giftshop Maggie Mountaineer Crafts, astaple in thevalley forahalf century,the family turned the wreckage of their matriarch’shome into a shady creekside park, its foundation becoming aﬂower-fringed platform where travelers can picnic.

Stories abound about free food and aid post-storm. In that context, thesurprisingly quick recovery begins to makesense. Ourlast full day in Haywood is misty as we set out forthe Cataloochee Valley,the quiet side of theGreat Smoky Mountains, for elk spotting.

In thepark, abridge closure cuts short our drive, and we hike theremaining half mile under an impossibly lush canopy

Downed trees line parts of the creek. Aonce level trail is now rutted and pocked. Most of this area has reopened, but it’sstill recovering. Visitors are wise to check conditions online before setting out.

At the clearing best knownfor the antlered behemoths, we spot nothing but asingle wild turkey In an ideal world, our timing would have been better.Elk are mostactive at dusk and dawn, and we got alate start.

But even under these less-thanperfect circumstances, twigs still snap satisfyingly under our boots. Mats of white-green tree mossspring back from our touch. And the breeze still sounds like ocean waves rushing through the treetops overhead on apeaceful morning.

Topto-dos

From family-run farm visits to viewsofwildlifeand the Milky Way, Haywood’scharm lies in its outdoor opportunities and warm small towns. These top to-dos are morethan enough to ﬁll up asummertimeitinerary

n Pick your own wildﬂowers, raspberries and other growing goodies at 10 Acre Gardens. Goat yoga, hayrides and live music optional. Prices vary.Thetenacregarden.com

n Toast over tiers of housemade scones and clotted cream at Crown&Thistle, Waynesville’s new family-run tea room and hub forintimate concerts and other special events. Crownandthistletearoom.com

n Cruise the Blue Ridge Parkway. For along drive, start at Beech Gap and head toward Great Smoky Mountains. For ashorter trip, head east from USFS Road 816 to view foliage at Graveyard Fields Overlook. Check conditions at Blueridgeparkway.org.

n Experiment with Appalachia’s maker culture during aclay class at Cold Mountain Art Collective. Two-hour wheel class $80; coldmountainartcollective.com

n Set out early forthe Cataloochee Valley forelk viewing at dawn. Summertimeisperfect for spotting new mamas with their calves. Parking $5. Check park conditions at Nps.gov/grsm n Take aguided tour of the Wheels through Time Museum’s epic 38,000 square feet where the rarest motorcycles have the wildest backstories. Adult admission $15. Wheelsthroughtime.com.

n Shop the stylish boutiques of downtownWaynesville’sMain and Wall streets, where ﬁne arts and craft makers abound.

n Enjoy ﬁne fare, family recipes and craft cocktails at Singletree Heritage Kitchen in Waynesville. Singletreekitchen.com.Ortrek up to luxury resort Cataloochee Ranch on Wednesday nights for Appalachian music and barbecue raised right on property.Cataloocheeranch.com

n Forage your meal amid breathtaking viewsguided by one of Food forAdventures’ trained chefs and botanists. Day classes from $120. Foodforadventures. com.

n Play around of golf surrounded by Appalachian peaks at the nostalgic Springdale Resort, apublic 18-hole championshiplevel course with akiller on-site restaurant. From $65 per round. Springdalegolfnc.com

n On clear nights, stargaze at Richland Balsam Overlook, the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway at 6,053 feet.

Jessica Fender writes about travel. Email her at Fender@ TravelerBroads.com.

refund

When

airline cancels your flight, it owes youarefund, regardless ofthe reason for thecancellation. Itdoesn’tmatter if your ticket was refundable or not. You shouldget arefund. Full stop. Interestingly, your flight cancellationhappenedjust before a newgovernment regulation went into effect. The rule mandates automatic cash refunds when an airlinecancels its flight.Ifthe hurricane had waitedafew weeks, then you wouldn’t havehad this problem. But your case is important becausehurricane season

is just starting, and airlines are only getting used to this rule. Who knows? They might forget If an airline doesn’toffer you an immediate refund, you should request it in writing. And it looks like you did, which is great. Copies of emails and screenshots of any online chats or messagescan be helpful if you’re trying to get afair resolution. If you have to makeacall, note the date and time, and the names of any representatives you speak with. So what happened? Alook at your itinerary suggestsAmerican

only canceled one leg of your flight, from Tampa to Dallas. I guess that doesn’tcount as afull canceled flight. I’m kidding! It certainly does. Youfilled out forms and pleaded your case with American Airlines, to no avail. As alast resort, you could have appealed to amanager or executive. Ipublish the names, numbers, and email addresses of the American Airlines customer service managers on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott. org. Abrief, polite email to one of themmight have resolved your problem. Icontacted American

on your behalf to see if the ﬂight credit wasits best offer.Itwasn’t. “The ticket will be refunded,” an American Airlines spokeswoman told me.And it was. Let’shope that with this new federal rule, we’ll neverget another refund case like yours. But if you do —well, you know where to ﬁnd me

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonproﬁt organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

PHOTOSByJESSICA FENDER

Hiking in barefeet, foraging guideLee ‘Natty’Trebotich leads hikers along the Cataloochee DivideTrail to HemphillBald in Haywood County,N.C.

RED DRAGON

but Guy was No. 1 on my list of who I had to get.” Clark, delighted about his Red Dragon experience, encouraged Crowell, another artist high on Maxwell’s wish list, to give the tiny venue in Baton Rouge a try Clark’s pitch to Crowell, quoted on an ofﬁcial Red Dragon T-shirt, was: “Give them a chance they are nuts but they are harmless.

Joan Baez, Peter Yarrow, Rosanne Cash and Jerry Jeff Walker were among other famous artists to appear on the Red Dragon stage Baez brought her four-date “Baez on the Bayou” tour to the Red Dragon in 2013. Having previously sung at such massive, historic events as the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in 1969 and the 1963 March on Washington, Baez and one member of her band, Breaux Bridge multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell, entertained a sold-out crowd of 110 at the Red Dragon

“Bless your hearts,” the folk music star said at the show’s conclusion. “It’s been a lovely night.”

Cash and her husband and musical collaborator John Leventhal, played the Red Dragon in 2012, the night before they performed for an audience 10 times larger at Tipitina’s in New Orleans.

“Wow,” Cash said when she stepped in front of concertgoers lounging in the Dragon’s rows of couches. “This is a ﬁrst.” Maxwell’s programming strategy matched national headliners with local talent as opening acts. He gave Baton Rouge area singersongwriters an opportunity to perform their original material for an appreciative, attentive audience

Some locals rose to headliner status, and scores more volunteered for the Red Dragon Listening Room’s annual fundraising events.

“The Red Dragon has meant everything to me,” singer-songwriter Eric Schmitt said. “It’s where I heard some of the greats of the folk/Americana world — Guy Clark, Robbie Fulks, Mary Gauthier in a listening environment where you can hear lyrics and mu-

sical nuance. It’s where I’ve met most of my music colleagues and formed relationships.”

“Minus the cape and tights, Chris Maxwell is a superhero,” said Jodi James, who performs in a touring duo with Clay Parker “His superpower is being armed with an unfailing willingness to do whatever it takes to get people to a show, to get people to fall in love with songs and songwriters, to die on the hill that says this stuff matters.”

Maxwell’s inspiration for the Red Dragon included the 2002 closing of M’s Fine and Mellow Café. Marian Pickett booked singer-songwriters and jazz at her Third Street restaurant and music venue. After growing weary of driving to Houston for music, Maxwell instead brought the music to Baton Rouge.

“I made every mistake that you can make,” he said of his early

CHENIER

Continued from page 1D

of familiar and rare live recordings compiled by Smithsonian Folkways. Essays by yours truly American Route’s host Nick Spitzer and Grammy-winning writer Adam Machado are included, with moving remembrances by Clifton’s son, C.J. D.C. Zydeco

To celebrate the box set a tribute concert takes place in November at Wolf Trap National Park, a pavilion-style venue near Washington, D.C. C.J. Chenier will entertain, backed by Louisiana stalwarts Sonny Landreth, Roddie Romero and Joel Savoy Camp Clifton

“Accordion Dragon” Corey Ledet will help teach Chenier’s music, history and dance as part of Louisiana Folk Roots’ kids summer camp at Le Vieux Village in Opelousas. The June 23-27 camp ends with young musicians performing at Toby’s Lounge and Reception Center.

Chubby and Lil Jeff jam

Grammy winner Chubby Carrier and zydeco veteran Lil Jeff Boutte will lead a Chenier tribute and jam at 1 p.m June 28 at the St. Landry Parish Visitor Center in Opelousas. Music and conversation with C.J. Chenier is the focus of the center’s monthly Zydeco Capitol Jam event on June 14. Funky mural

A mural celebrating Clifton Chenier and his rubboardpioneering brother Cleveland continues in the St. Landry Parish arts town of Sunset, also

known as the Rubboard Capital of the World. The art will reside on the wall of the Funky Flea, an antiques and collectibles store at 829 Napoleon Ave., Sunset.

Centennial pins

Tourism ofﬁcials in Opelousas and the parish will unveil and distribute new commemorative pins at events throughout June.

More than 2,000 of the all-color, lapel pins have been produced.

Zydeco Unplugged

Accordion masters Andre Thierry, Corey Ledet and Lil Jeff Boutte salute Chenier at Zydeco Unplugged, a daylong, Creole cultural celebration Aug. 16 at Le Vieux Village in Opelousas. Zydeco Unplugged routinely shares performances and interviews on its Facebook page.

Horses & Harmony

Chenier will be posthumously honored as Musician of the Year at Horses & Harmony the St. Landry Chamber of Commerce’s annual awards ceremony A zydeco band will perform at the Sept. 17 event at the Yambilee Building in Opelousas

One Hundred Years

C.J. Chenier leads musical guests and friends in a special edition of the Louisiana Crossroads series Sept. 18 at the Acadiana Center for the Arts in downtown Lafayette at 101 W. Vermilion St.

Herman Fuselier is executive director of the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. A longtime journalist covering Louisiana music and culture, he lives in Opelousas. His “Zydeco Stomp” show airs at noon Saturdays on KRVS 88.7 FM.

days as an impresario.

A conﬂuence of events led to the Red Dragon’s closure, including the departure of sound engineer Eric DiSanto and counter person Leigh Ward-Broussard, plus Liz Maxwell devoting much of her time to the couple’s grandchildren.

“We’ve been at this for 24 years,” Chris Maxwell said. “We knew this day was coming, and it doesn’t hold as much fun as it did when my wife and I were together for the shows.”

Talks to sell the Red Dragon Listening Room yielded no credible offers, he added, but there is the possibly that an LLC will revive the venue.

“Whether I’m just attending shows or promoting or helping friends do it, I’ll still have my toe in the music,” he said.

Email John Wirt at j_wirt@msn. com.

CURIOUS

Continued from page 1D

where she established Catholic schools for Black children. The schools were later consolidated into Our Lady of Assumption Catholic School.

And it was this story that prompted Carencro resident Clara Arceneaux’s question about the school.

“Do you have information on St. Katharine Drexel being escorted by Sosthene Arceneaux in a buggy to locate property to build a school for Black children in Carencro?” Clara Arceneaux asked.

Born into considerable fortune

Drexel was born Catherine Marie Drexel on Nov 26, 1858, in Philadelphia, to a family with a considerable banking fortune. She lived on a 90-acre estate in the city’s Torresdale neighborhood.

Her family was devoutly religious. Drexel’s mother died only ﬁve weeks after her birth, and her stepmother often opened up the family mansion to distribute food and clothing to the poor Drexel was awakened to the plight of indigenous Americans while on a family trip to the western states, which inspired her desire to help poor communities. She began extensively traveling both domestically and abroad, and in 1886 met Pope Leo XIII, who encouraged her to pursue her passion for a ministry to help Native American and Black children.

Drexel entered the convent of the Sisters of Mercy two years later, and two years after that, founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People in Ben Salem, Pennsylvania, of which she served as Superior General.

After her father’s death in 1885, Drexel inherited a large fortune, which she used to fund the schools and churches.

Transported by buggy?

The search for the answer in Clara Arceneaux’s buggy question begins with a photo of Drexel snapped during her 1924 visit to the southwest Louisiana community, but local historian and author Kathy Higginbotham points out that Sosthene Arceneaux isn’t in it. Sosthene Arceneaux was a Carencro-area farmer and carpenter who donated part of his land for construction of a one-room school house for which Drexel donated funds.

The post included a photo of an undated local newspaper story of Sosthene Arceneaux’s memories of a meeting between him and Drexel, which was arranged by Bishop Jemnal. The post also included a photo of Sosthene and his wife standing on either side of Drexel. Still, there’s no documentation of a horse-drawn buggy ride.

Sosthene Arceneaux’s school eventually was consolidated into Drexel’s Our Lady of Assumption Catholic School, which was merged with Carencro’s St. Pierre Catholic School in 1971. The empty Assumption building has since been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“Katharine Drexel established two schools in Carencro: one in the Prairie Basse community and another on Sosthene Arceneaux’s property,” Higginbotham said.

“The only photograph of St. Katharine Drexel visiting donated land is in Prairie Basse.”

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the buggy ride didn’t take place

“While it is not to suggest that she never visited Arceneaux’s property I have no evidence to conﬁrm such a visit,” Higginbotham said.

The historian included a copy of the photograph in her correspondence, in which Drexel holds an umbrella while conversing with two men in suits identiﬁed as Washington Gordon and Clearville Leblanc. Bishop Jules Jemnard, in full cassock, stands a few yards away, and another nun, Sister M. Mercedes, stands on the periphery

The only other ﬁgures in the photo are a woman named Andrea Gordon and a priest identiﬁed only as Father Wrenn.

All stand along a thin path cutting through a grassy ﬁeld where an old farmhouse stands. The photo’s caption indicates that this was the spot in the Prairie Basse community where Drexel built St. Elizabeth’s Catholic School.

St. Elizabeth’s Catholic School was later moved into the school next to Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church. Wood from the deconstruction of St. Elizabeth’s was used to build the church hall. No buggy, but a meeting

A Facebook search turned up a 2018 post by Wynne ZacharieCluse, who wrote that her husband, John Cluse, is Sosthene Arceneaux’s great-grandson.

“Katharine Drexel also started St. Anne’s Convent School in Carencro, and the three schools — St. Pierre, Our Lady of Assumption and St. Anne’s — merged and now operate as one as Carencro Catholic School,” said Sonya Louviere, the school’s principal. Carencro Catholic School stands at 200 W. St. Peter St.

‘She is an important part’ As for Drexel, she was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2001 — the ﬁrst person who was born a United States citizen to be canonized.

Drexel’s name can be found on schools, churches and streets throughout the United States. She is highly revered in Louisiana for having founded Xavier University in New Orleans, the nation’s only historically Black and Catholic university She also founded schools in Marksville and New Iberia.

Drexel died in 1955 at age 96 in Pennsylvania. She was entombed in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, where a shrine to her has been established.

The saint’s feast day is celebrated on March 3, which is prominent at Carencro’s Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church because of her involvement and work in the community

“I went to the celebration at Our Lady of Assumption, and I met a lady who said when she was a baby St. Katharine held her,” Louviere said. “I read everything about her that I can get my hands on, and I have a scrapbook on her St. Katharine’s sisters taught at our schools, and she is an important part of our school today.”

Do you have a question about something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.

FILE PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

Lil Jeff Boutte, above along with Chubby Carrier will lead a Chenier tribute and jam at 1 p.m June 28 at the St. Landry Parish Visitor Center in Opelousas.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Audience members listen to opening act Grayson Jenkins perform while relaxing on couches at the Red Dragon Listing Room in 2024.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Musician Ryan Harris plays guitar in the green room before performing on stage at the Red Dragon on May 30.

PROVIDED PHOTO By KATHy HIGGINBOTHAM Katharine Drexel holds an umbrella while surveying the land for her school in the Prairie Basse community at Carencro in an undated photo.

AT THE TABLE

Trials,triumph in recreating tastyjambonsandwich

BY CATHERINE S. COMEAUX Contributing writer

Iﬁrst tastedthe salty sweetness of the jambon sandwich more than20years agowhenartist George Marks was serving thehot ham, ﬁg and Asiago cheesedeliciousness at an artshow in Arnaudville.

Having just moved back afterestablishing himself as aﬁne artist in Baton Rouge, Marks wasintentongrowinganarts community in hissmall hometown. He started byconnecting people with ﬁg sandwiches and great art. Over the ensuing decades, Marks and an eclectic group of creatives havecoalesced into avibrant arts communitythat has attracted nationaland global attention.NUNU Arts and CultureCollective on theCourtableauHighway is its hub.

NUNU occupies alarge old warehouse with ever-changing interiors— designedtomorph into an artgallery,musicvenue, workshopor some combination of all these. The space also housesasmall bookshop,amaker’sspace and aprofessional kitchen. People gatherwithin to create and connect —they dance, quilt, parler françaisand host potlucks

Irecently attended one of their community potluck dinners, boldlyattemptingto recreatethe NUNU-famousjambon sandwich as my contribution. Over the years, Ihave made thebougiegrilled cheese at home,riffingoff the basics —switching up the bread, the figs and the ham. I’ve used Langlinais’ pistolets, Poupart’sciabatta and various baggedrolls from grocery storebakeries. I’ve experimented with whole figs, strawberry figsand a lemon zesty version, relyingonthe creativity and generosity of my fig-canningfamilyand friends (thanks,Stephan, Mom, Uncle Fred and Ms. DeValcourt).I’ve moved from thickto thin-shaved deli ham. One of thegreat joys of cooking is following yourcreative impulsesas you try to recreate atastewithout arecipe (and withoutlosing an hour to YouTubesearches.) Feeling abit audacious havingvolunteered to make Marks’ specialty sandwichasmy contribution to the potluck,I askedhim forthe recipe. He graciously shared what hecalled a“trickedout”version from hismother Rita Dautreuil Marks’ recipe, replacing her sliced white Evangeline Made witha soft, fatFrench loafand tweakingafew other ingredients. Having therecipe was quitehelpful. Ifinally achieved the delightful toasted cheesy outer crust. But in following the recipe, Iignored

originator of

my instinctsand something wasn’tright. I

had brushed thebread witholive oil when my hands weretelling me to slather generously Marks clariﬁed his version of “brushing the bread,”which involves one of his food-use-only paint brushes loaded witholive oil. We laughed, Imentally edited the recipe and we enjoyed the delicious but slightly dry sandwiches.

Potluck goers recognized theplatter of sandwiches on the table and would exclaim, “The jambon!” as if they’d just seen an old friend. Some newcomers mistook it for aCuban. It’s more closely related to acroque monsieur,a fancy French sandwich made with butter,Dijon,ham and broiled Gruyere on top. Served with salsa on top,itbecomes acroque senor Slide in aslice of pineapple and it’s acroque Hawaiian. Smear bothsides with Louisiana ﬁg preserves and it’s acroque Nunu, better known as thejambon among the creatives of Arnaudville.

Toward theend of the evening, avibrant woman with dark-rimmed glasses and short white hair walked through the doors like she owned the place and was promptly served a selection from the table spread. It was Marks’ mother,the originator of the recipe. As she bitinto thesandwich, Ithought to hide behind asmall tribeofartists at anearby table but went over and chatted instead. She kindly said it was good. Iknow it needed amore thorough slathering of olive oil but it was good, and the jambonsandwich platter was emptywhen the tables were cleared.

Trythe recipe for yourself at home, but be generous with theolive oil. Or head to Arnaudville. According to Marks, the jambon will be a featured item on themenu when NUNU hosts “Le Petit Brunch” starting this fall on the third Saturday of each month.Proceeds will help fund the programming at NUNU.

The JambonSandwich

Serves 6-8. RecipeisbyGeorge Marks, adapted from arecipe created by his mother,Rita Dautreuil Marks.

1softFrench bread loaf

4to8-plus tablespoons olive oil, divided 1/2-pluscup fresh gratedParmesan or Asiago cheese, divided

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Slice theFrench bread in half horizontally

3. Slather both sides of each half generously witholive oil using apastry brush(or an unused paint brush).

4. Place bread pieces, cut side down, on alightly oiled bakingpan

5. Sprinkle 3-4 tablespoons cheese on the outer sides of the bread slices.

6. Toast for 4minutesuntil golden and crisp.

7. If using baked ham, sliceinto sandwich-sized portions and lightly pan-fryinaskillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side until just crispy

8. In asmall bowl, mash and mix the ﬁg preserves with 1tablespoon olive oil until smooth and spreadable. Add more olive oil if necessary

9. Spread the ﬁg andolive oil mixture on bothofthe inner sides of the

toastedbread

10. Layerthe hamontop of the ﬁg mixture andsprinkle the remaining cheeseontop

11. Close the sandwich and choose your grilling method: panini press, oven,stovetopskilletorgriddle. Cut sandwichloaf as necessary to ﬁt your chosen grilling method.

12. Foroven, stovetop or griddle, place andpress aheavy black iron skilletontop to compress the sandwich, thenheat for about2-3 minutes on each side.Slicediagonally and serve warm. Recipe notes:

n Butterormayocan be substituted for the olive oil.

n If using thin-sliced deli ham, you might omitpan-frying it (Step7).

n Afew clean bricks wrapped in aluminum foil will also work to press the sandwichasitisgrilled.

PHOTOSByCATHERINE S. COMEAUX

The Jambon Sandwich with side salad and fruit

GeorgeMarks,

the Jambon Sandwich, and his mother Rita Dautreuil Marks, attend apotluck at NUNU in Arnaudville.

BY LAURA UNGAR AP science writer

About ﬁve years ago, Gail Friedman noticed her Parson Russell Terrier was constantly licking his paws and seemed super uncomfortable.

“The poor dog I would put baby socks on his feet so that he wouldn’t lick them or bite at them,” said Friedman, of Oak Brook, Illinois.

“I was constantly changing the socks, washing his feet a lot. Nothing worked.” It turned out her canine companion, Mr Friedman, had allergies

It’s a common and tricky problem in pets — caused by various things such as pollen, dust, mold, chemicals and food but veterinarians say there are several ways to ease their suffering.

Allergies happen when the immune system overreacts to a foreign substance. Cats and dogs react to many of the same things people do, as well as pests like ﬂeas.

liott Schick of Scottsdale, Arizona, immediate past president of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology

Signs of allergies

Allergic cats and dogs aren’t as likely as humans to sneeze and cough. More often, they scratch and lick themselves, shake their heads and develop ear infections.

Woodard said her Yorkie mix, Teddy had the classic signs scratching around his shoulders and getting rashes and ear infections starting as a six-month-old puppy She lived in the South at the time, and he tested positive for allergies to various trees and grasses there.

perhaps after being stung by an insect. But most allergies are simply miserable for the animals.

“It breaks my heart because it gets to a point that not only do I have socks on poor Mr Friedman — which is humiliating for him — he sometimes gets so bad he has to wear the cone of shame,” Gail Friedman said.

How to help

The ﬁrst step is to get a diagnosis from the vet. This could involve allergy testing, or in the case of food allergies, an “elimination diet,” which involves feeding limited ingredients the pet hasn’t previously eaten.

There are no definitive recent statistics on how many pets have allergies, but research suggests the problem is growing.

‘Oklahoma!’ tickets

“I probably see allergic dogs and cats every single day, probably multiple times a day,” said Dr Karen Woodard, medical director at Thrive Pet Healthcare-Elmhurst in Illinois.

About 90% of allergic pets react to environmental triggers, Woodard said, and the rest have food allergies only

ON THE ARTS AND CULTURE SCENE

Tickets are on sale for the Sullivan Theater’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical “Oklahoma!,” opening June 13, at the theater, 8849 Sullivan Road, Central. Tickets are $25-$35. Visit sullivantheater.com.

Beat the Heat

The Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road, Baton Rouge, invites families and visitors to its “Beat the Heat” summer series designed to entertain educate and inspire.

The full lineup of weekly programs offers something new each day — all in the cool, comfortable setting of the museum and the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium:

n 1 p.m. Wednesdays: Cosmic Crafts Under the Dome, pairing a special planetarium screening with a related hands-on activity. Included in general admission

n 1:30 p.m. Thursdays: Younger guests can enjoy Read & Create, a lively story time followed by a themed craft activity that encourages creativity and early literacy Included in general admission

n 10 a.m. to noon Fridays: Summer Sketches, a two-hour drawing class for all ages and skill levels in a relaxed, familyfriendly environment. Taught by experienced instructors, the class is $20 per person and includes general admission; it’s free for members, and all materials are provided. Register at tinyurl.com/ LASMSummerSketches.

n 10 a.m. Saturdays: Family hour stargazing in the planetarium, offering an engaging look at the night sky tailored for younger audiences and curious minds of all ages.

n Noon Sundays: Yoga Under the Stars, an instructor-led class held in the serene setting of the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium. Led by local yogi Leslie Emden, this rejuvenating experience is $25 for non-members and free for LASM members. Visit tinyurl.com/ SummerYogaUnderTheStars to register.

n To give families an early start

LASM also is adding 9 a.m. showings of “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure” every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday throughout June. For more information, visit lasm. org.

Speakers sought

The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, in partnership with the Louisiana Division of the Arts, is now accepting proposals for session speakers and performances at the 2025 Louisiana Arts Summit, taking place Oct. 8–10, at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library River Center Branch, 250 North Blvd., Baton Rouge.

This annual statewide conference brings together artists, arts organizations, educators, community leaders and creative professionals for three days of discussion, inspiration and professional development.

Proposals should align with one or more of the following themes:

n Cultural Heritage: The arts safeguard and celebrate the unique traditions, languages and histories of communities, ensuring they are passed down to future generations n Economy: The arts drive local economies by supporting jobs, attracting tourism and spurring small business development through creative industries and cultural events.

n Education: Arts education enhances student engagement, boosts academic performance and cultivates critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills.

n Health and Wellness: Participating in the arts reduces stress, supports mental health and encourages healing, especially through programs that engage vulnerable or underserved populations.

n Social Cohesion: The arts bring people together across differences, encouraging dialogue, empathy and a shared sense of community identity and belonging.

Visit artsbr.org/louisianaartssummit.

Flag Day

Louisiana’s Old State Capitol, 100 North Blvd., will celebrate Flag Day at 10 a.m. June 14, with a free program featuring the General Philemon Thomas Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. The program will include talks, activities and patriotic fun.

Visit louisianaoldstatecapitol.org.

Workshop Show

The Art Guild of Louisiana’s mem-

Dog breeds that are especially vulnerable include various types of terriers, boxers and bulldogs; in cats, it’s Persians, Siamese and Himalayans.

Pets can even be allergic to other animals — cats to dogs, dogs to cats and either to another species.

“It’s possible for them to be allergic to us, just like we are to them,” said Thrive’s Dr Anthea El-

bers “Workshop Show” will open

July 10 at Independence Park Theater, 7800 Independence Park Blvd., Baton Rouge. The show runs through Sept. 11. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Admission is free. Visit artguildlouisiana.org.

Animals in Art

The deadline is June 30 for entries to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine’s 31st annual “International Exhibition on Animals in Art,” which will run from Oct. 3 to Oct. 31.

“Animals in Art” pieces must depict an animal — ﬁsh and insects are considered animals for the purposes of this exhibition. Any work that is determined not to meet the spirit of the exhibit will not be accepted. The show is open to all artists 18 years of age or older. All media with the exception of video, installation and audio works are eligible. Works must be original. All artwork must be priced and available for sale. Maximum size of entry is 60-by60-by-48 inches. A 20% commission on each piece sold will beneﬁt LSU Vet Med programs. To enter, visit lsu.edu/vetmed/ events/animals_in_art.php.

‘Seussical’ continues Playmakers of Baton Rouge’s production of the Broadway musical ‘Sessical Jr.,’ continues June 8, and June 13-15, at the Reilly Theatre, Tower Drive, LSU campus, Baton Rouge. Tickets are $20-$30. Visit playmakersbr.org.

Power of pink

The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge’s “PINK.: Out is In!”, an exhibition exploring the power of the pink triangle and LGBTQIA+ history,” runs through June 30, in the Shell Gallery in the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center, 233 St. Ferdinand St., Baton Rouge, and will include a closing reception from 6 to 8 p.m. June 27.

The theme is based on the pink triangle, which originated as a mark used to identify LGBTQ individuals during World War II. It was reclaimed in the 1970s by gay activists and became an emblem of resistance during the AIDS crisis.

Admission is free. For more information, visit artsbr.org.

A common sign of allergies in her feline patients is “overdoing their grooming,” said Woodard. “So if you start seeing bald patches on your cat, even though the skin underneath it looks normal, that could be a sign of allergies.”

Even food allergies, often to chicken, beef, lamb or other protein sources, frequently show up on the skin, although pets can have vomiting or diarrhea, too.

Rarely, pets can develop lifethreatening anaphylactic reactions,

Baton Rouge Gallery partners with glass recycler

Baton Rouge Gallery, 1515 Dalrymple Drive, is partnering with New Orleans recycling organization Glass Half Full to transform the community building of First Wednesday Openings — which are open to all at no cost throughout the year — into the rebuilding and fortifying of Louisiana’s coast.

FYI BR staff reports

Beginning in June, every empty wine bottle from these monthly events at the gallery will be recycled by Glass Half Full into a ﬁne sand that will provide for a more sustainable and safe Louisiana. To date, the organization has recycled more than 10 million bottles, and the new processing facility in Chalmette has the capacity to handle over 300,000 pounds of glass daily

Sip & Shop fundraiser for Baton Rouge Pride Fest

Sip, shop and support at a fundraiser beneﬁting Baton Rouge Pride Fest 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 13th, at Time Warp Boutique, 3001 Government St.

The Radio Bar will set up in-store with signature cocktails, while DJ Bird spins a soundtrack for an evening of shopping and celebration. A portion of proceeds from every drink and outﬁt sold will go directly to Baton Rouge Pride Fest, helping to keep the event free and accessible for all.

Summer at the Museum at Capitol Park Museum

The Friends of the Capitol Park Museum, 660 N. Fourth St., is hosting its ﬁrst ofﬁcial summer programming series, “Summer at the Museum,” running May 28 through Aug. 8.

This dynamic, family-friendly initiative will take place weekdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., offering themed activities centered on STEM, arts and crafts, music, movie nights and more.

Programs are designed for youth ages ﬁve to 15, but all are welcome

If the allergy culprit is environmental, there are medications like anti-inﬂammatory drugs and newer oral and injectable medications for dogs to block chemical signals associated with itchiness. Food allergies may be treated with special diets such as “hydrolyzed” food, in which proteins are chemically broken down into tiny pieces.

But vets say there are also ways to help pets at home by cleaning their bedding frequently, wiping their fur with a wet washcloth and giving them baths.

to participate and enjoy Activities will take place on June 6, 18, 23; July 3, 8, 16, 21; and August 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Each weekday will spotlight a different experience: Music at the Museum, Maker at the Museum (arts & crafts), Minds at the Museum (STEM) and Movies at the Museum, among others. Sessions are held indoors and outdoors, weather and events permitting, and the full schedule will be updated weekly on the museum’s website and social channels. Admission is free. To learn more about the schedule, volunteer, partner or sponsor a program day, email president@capitolparkfriends.org.

BRCC Career Labs camp for middle schoolers

BRCC Career Labs offers rising sixth to eighth graders ﬁve tracks to explore future careers through hands-on, creative learning. Campers can express their artistic sides in Pixel Picassos, build tech skills in IT FUNdamentals, or step into health care with Scholars in Scrubs. Those interested in building and teamwork can join Nailed It!, while future leaders explore business, law and public safety in Biz, Bricks and Badges. Each lab blends fun, skill-building and career exploration to spark curiosity and conﬁdence in every camper Career Labs Camp is from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 7 to 31. Cost is $150.

Iris Domestic Violence Shelter has food pantry

A closet fully stocked with snacks, drinks, meals and treats is now operating at the Iris Domestic Violence Center, compliments of the synergy ministry of Mt. Gillion Baptist Church. Now, residents and their children can get food and snacks within the shelter The shelter relies on donations to keep everything running and stocked up. For more information on donations, call the Iris Center at (225) 389-3001 or Mt. Gillion Baptist Church at (225) 344-6939.

Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday,June 8, the 159th day of 2025. There are 206 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On June 8, 2023, Donald Trump was indicted by agrand jury in Miami on 37 felonycounts related to the alleged mishandling of classiﬁed documents that had been moved to Mar-a-Lago, Trump’sFlorida home. (The case against Trump was abandoned following Trump’sNovember 2024 presidential election victory.)

Also on this date: In 1789, in an address to the U.S. House of Representatives, James Madison proposed amending the Constitution to include aBill of Rights.

In 1949, George Orwell’snovel “1984” was ﬁrst published.

In 1966, amerger was announced between the National and American Football Leagues, to take effect in 1970.

In 1967, during the SixDay War, 34 American crew members were killed when Israel attacked the USS Liberty, aNavy intelligencegathering ship in the Mediterranean Sea. (Israel later said the Liberty had been mistaken for an Egyptian vessel.)

In 1968, U.S. authorities announced the capture in London of James Earl Ray,the suspected assassin of civil rights leaderthe Rev.Dr. Martin Luther King Jr In 1978, ajury in Clark County,Nevada, ruled the so-called “Mormon Will,” purportedly written by the late billionaire Howard Hughes, was a forgery In 1995, U.S. Marines rescuedCapt. Scott O’Grady,whose F-16C ﬁghter jet had been shot down by Bosnian Serbs

on June 2. In 2009, North Korea’s highest court sentenced American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee to 12 years’ hard labor fortrespassing and “hostile acts.”(Thewomen were pardoned in early August 2009 after atrip to Pyongyang by former President Bill Clinton.)

In 2017, former FBI Director James Comey, testifying before Congress, asserted that President Donald Trump fired him to interfere with Comey’sinvestigationofRussia’stiesto the Trump campaign. In 2021, Ratko Mladi, the military chief known as the “Butcher of Bosnia”for orchestrating genocide,crimes against humanityand war crimes in the Balkan nation’s1992-95 war, lost hisfinallegal battle when U.N. judges rejected hisappeal and affirmed his life sentence.

Today’sbirthdays: Singer Nancy Sinatra is 85. Musician Boz Scaggs is 81. Pianist Emanuel Ax is 76. Actor Sonia Braga is 75. Actor Kathy Bakeris 75. Singer Bonnie Tyler is 73. Computer scientist TimBerners-Lee is 70. ActorGrifﬁnDunne is 70. “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams is 68. Actordirector Keenen Ivory Wayans is 67. Singer Mick Hucknall (Simply Red) is 65.Musician Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran) is 63. Actor Julianna Margulies is 59. Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, aDemocrat from Arizona,is55. Tennis Hall of Famer Lindsay Davenport is 49. TV personality-host Maria Menounos is 47. Country singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson is 47. Guitarist-songwriter Derek Trucks is 46. Tennis Hall of Famer Kim Clijsters is 42. U.S. Olympictrack gold medalist Athing Mu-Nikolayev is 23.

No need to keep inviting no-showcouple

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Dear Miss Manners: Ourgroup of friends is about 15 people large. We have known each other for more than three decades. At theoppositeend of the group is acouple who we only see when the entire group getstogether We like to entertain, and have invited this couple for years. They have never accepted our invitations, though they accept invitations from others in the group. In somecases,they RSVP “no,” but other times they do not reply at all. Finally,wehosted aparty and decided not to invite them.The entire group got together afew days before our party, and several people were talking about how much they werelooking forward to it —unbeknown to them that two people present didn’tget an invitation.

Suddenly Ifelt like we did thewrong thingbynot inviting them. On one hand, Ithought:Perhaps there’sno harm in sending an inviteifyou know they won’tcome anyway.Onthe other

hand, we have ﬁnitespace, we’re buying food and supplies, and I’drather invite people Iknow will come. Partofmealso feels that you don’t get thecourtesy of an invitation if you never show or if you repeatedly fail to RSVP

Gentlereader: Listen to that latter part of you. Miss Manners assures you that the repeated offense of not answering an invitation justiﬁes not getting another one. She further suggests you use caution with the excuse that they will not come anyway if you invite them.Too manywedding hosts rely on that logic and suffer theconsequences when they guess wrong. Had thecouple or someone else in that pre-party gathering pointed out theomission —orifthe tension was palpable enough —you might have said, “Lacey and Doug, you never seem tobeable to attend our parties, so Ididn’twant to burden you with an invitation.” It sounds as if it did not come to that, but it is there forthe taking if it does.

Dear Miss Manners: What’sthe polite, kind thingtodowhen one must miss a

funeral forreasons such as illness or injury? My aunt’smother just passed away, and the funeral is in afew days. However,I’ve come downwith abad cold and, in the interest of not making others sick, Iplan not to attend unless I recover farfaster than expected. Iwant my aunt to know that Icare enough to attend, but Idon’twantto makethis about me. Is atext appropriate? Anote after the funeral?

Gentle reader: Assuming that you have already written acondolence letter aphone call would be morepersonal than atext —and morepolite than a note afterward, when everyone will have wondered where you were. “I am so sorry that Iwon’tbeable to attend, but I’mafraid Ihave adreadful cold and Idon’twant anyone to catch it,” you might say.Itgoes without saying, Miss Manners hopes, that you avoid using hyperbole (e.g., “I’m feeling deathly ill”) forobvious reasons.

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; or to heremail, dearmissmanners @gmail.com.

Dear Heloise: Here is what Idowithcoffee grounds in my 10-by-20-foot allotment garden. Iuse grounds from home and alsopick them up from my local coffee shop. Idig them into my soil and put themaround the base of my roses. Ialso put them in my wormbin; the worms love them, and it discourages mice from sneaking in.

One year,when Ihad agopher invasion, Iﬁrst killed the gopher witha trap, thendug out tunnels to wherethey crossed my fence line. Isealed off the points where the tunnels entered my garden with restaurant-sizedcoffee ﬁltersthat were often included with the grounds. No moregophers! —Hedy W.,inLaguna Woods, California

Tellingkidstoclean

Dear Heloise: Your solution to M.R. in Oklahoma’sstickyrefrigerator shelves seemed wasteful and time-consuming. Have the kids be morecareful, have themwipe up after themselves, and put alarge trayoneach shelf. —J.T., in Iowa

Many Americansare fortunate to havedental coverage fortheir entire working life, through employer-provided benefits.Whenthose benefits end with retirement, paying dental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock, leading people to putoff or even go without care.

Simply put —without dentalinsurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcare coverage.

When you’re comparingplans ...

 Look forcoveragethat helps pay formajor services. Some plans may limitthe numberof procedures —orpay forpreventive care only.

 Look forcoverage with no deductibles. Some plans mayrequire you to payhundredsout of pocket before benefits are paid.

 Shop forcoveragewithnoannual maximum on cash benefits. Some planshaveannual maximums of $1,000.

J.T in aperfect world, all children would be only too happy to comply.Unfortunately,inreal life, most won’twipe down the sticky jar.(That’sthe voice of experience speaking.) Youcan keep after your kids until they drive you crazyorline therefrigerator shelves withplastic designed for this purpose Youcan ﬁnd themonline or in grocery stores. The shelf liners can be wiped, washed and dried. —Heloise Sticky shelves

Dear Heloise: Ijust read the hint from aparent whose kids leave sticky items on refrigerator shelves. If they are old enough to remove the items, they can put the item back after takingawet cloth and wiping the container ﬁrst.Mom taught me and my six siblings when we wereyoung. Iamgoing on 80. —The Blonde Flamingo, via email Weddingday blues

Dear Heloise: Ialways have aproblem when outﬁts (such as the wedding that was described in arecent column) charge one price foraperson, then only half of this price for an attending spouse/guest/plus-one

Does this mean that the second person can only eat half of whatthe single person eats since they only paid half price?

Iunderstand that the hostess is trying to make it affordable for couples (who, by the way,probably make more money than asingle person). But it just never seems fair.I’m sure the hostess does not mean to offend and has never thought about it this way. —Bobbie P.,in Santa Ana, California Bobbie, personally,Idon’tthink the price they charge for aguest to attend their wedding is as important as the fact that they charge people to come. A couple is supposed to have awedding within their budget. If they can’tafford abig, splashy wedding, then they should tailor it to whatthey can afford. And charging half price for the plusone does not make the situation any better.Sorry,but charging aguest to attend awedding is inappropriate. If you do pay to attend awedding, be sure to take adoggie bag and eat as muchas you want! —Heloise Sendahinttoheloise@heloise.com.

especially theservicespeople over 50 oftenneed.

Consider these national average costs of treatment. $222 fora checkup .$190 for afilling. $1,213 fora crown.3 Unexpected bills likethis can be arealburden especially if you’re on afixed income.

Ask about the

AP FILEPHOTO

Diving into theKingﬁsh

BY DOUG GRAHAM Staff writer

“American Populist: Huey Long of Louisiana,”by

Thomas E. Patterson, Louisiana State University Press, 720 pages

Huey Long ran roughshod through Louisiana politics for adecade, ﬁrst as governor and then U.S. senator before he was gunned downinsidethe State Capitol in Baton Rouge in 1935. Long connected with everyday Louisiana residents using arough-hewn folksy manner —heoncegave aspeechon the ﬂoor of the U.S. Senateextolling the delights of potlikker,his favorite dish. But he was aruthless politician who was not beyond using unsavory methods and intimidation to getwhat he wanted.

Author Thomas E. Patterson,a Chicagolawyer by trade, gives adetailed study of both sides of the man known as the Kingﬁsh in “American Populist: Huey Long of Louisiana.” The book is more than an examination of an extraordinary political force, however As he lays out Long’slife from childhood to death, Patterson also examines the political history of the U.S.during those times, explaining theforces that shaped the world Long stepped into along his path.

During Long’stime leadingthe state —which he did even after leaving the governor’sofﬁce —hereshaped Louisiana even as theGreat Depression hit. Poor residents received help through public works and welfare programs; students got free textbooks; the system of roads and bridges was upgraded; and the state’s universities were expanded, particularlyLSU.

To finance all these efforts, Long raised inheritance and incometaxes, as well as the severance taxonoil. It’s easy to see why he was embraced by the poor and reviled by the wealthy. But taxes weren’tLong’s only weapon. Patterson describes severalstrictsteps the Kingfish took to make sure his policies passed and held firm, including controlling appointments to local educational, police and fire departments throughout Louisiana. He also populated the state government with men he knew he could manipulate from afar while he served in the Senate. Long’spolitical career went through aseries of ups and downs.

Patterson discusseshow Long’spersonal and professional foibles helped push him into the valleys, and how he rose each time to ﬁght back to the

Sen.HueyP Long addresses students at LSU on Nov. 12, 1934.

Louisianalegend Huey Long’s life, career get thorough examination in newbook

ummit through force per

summit throughforce of will and personality.Hewrites about how Long could hold acrowd’sattention through even some of his longest speeches, and howhewas an imaginativeworkhorse when it came to campaigning. Thebook also goes into detail about thefederal government’sefforts to rise from theGreat Depression. It addresses Long’sefforts to promote manyofPresident Franklin D. Roosevelt’sNew Deal programs at ﬁrst before pivoting to create his own “Share OurWealth” movement, which he was spearheadingasheconsidered arun forpresident against Roosevelt in 1936. All that ended when he was shot Sept.8,1935, by Dr.Carl Weiss in a hallway at the State Capitol, dying two

days later

Patterson references several earlier works on his subject, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Long written by LSUprofessor T. Harry Williams, but he has his own viewpoints on theKingﬁsh. Hisappreciation of Long’saccomplishments comes through, even as he questions some of the methods used to achieve them. In the end, this is not abook for someone looking for aquick read about the famous Kingﬁsh. This is adetailed, comprehensive examination of Long, his triumphsand failures,his strengths and shortcomings, theworld he lived in and what he left behind.

Email DougGraham at doug graham@theadvocate.com.

N.O. helped shapeone of thebest summer novels

When Tove Jansson arrived in NewOrleans in 1972 foranextended visit, fewpeople knew that acelebrity wasintheir midst. Her stay helped shape another surprise —namely,one of the best books about summer ever written. The tale of how all this came about is worth revisiting as another summer unfolds and Jansson’swork attracts renewed attention.

Jansson, an artist and writer from Finland, coined acomic strip and related books about the Moomins —mythical creatures, abit like hippos, whose compassion and sense of fun madethem ahit with children. By the timeshe visited Louisiana, Jansson’sMoomin stories had been widely translated and found audiences in manyparts of the world, including America. But in middle age, Jansson started to focus on writing foradults, and she yearned forfresh inspiration. Jansson traveled the world between 1971 and 1972 with her longtimecompanion and fellow artist, Tuulikki Pietilä. Their odyssey took them manyplaces, including Japan, England, Holland and Mexico.

It wasNew Orleans, though, that stole Jansson’sheart.

She and Pietilä found aplace in the French Quarter and lingered amonth.

“I think,” Jansson wrote to afriend, “this is the best thing of the whole journey, this happy, beautiful, peaceful town so full of music! We’re not tourists anymore; we’re living here, preparing food at home, in an ordinary room with our own back yard where vegetables grow.”

In NewOrleans, Jansson completed “The Summer Book,” asmallnovel she’d been working on forayear.Atﬁrst glance, this ﬁctional story about a6-year-old spending her summer on asmallisland off the coast of Finland would seem to have nothing to do with New Orleans. But grounded in small joys that unfold across long afternoons, the book chimes nicely with Louisiana’ssense of summer as aseason suspended in time.

Little wonder that Jansson ﬁnished this charming tale in the French Quarter

The language and themes of “The Summer Book” are simple enough formiddle schoolers, though it’sbeen embraced as abook for adults. The strange appeal of the novel is that not much seemstohappen within its 170 pages. The maincharacter,Sophia, goes swimming, pokes around in the woods, entertains avisitor, plays with her cat, rides in aboat and listens to the rain.

But Jansson writes with such perceptive clarity about these humble wonders that she renewsareader’ssense of what summer —and life—can be.

That might explain whythe workofJansson, whodied in 2001, is having arenaissance. “Notes from An Island,” Jansson’saccount of her own summer idylls, wasrecently reissued, along with new editions of “Sun City,” “The True Deceiver” and “The Woman Who Borrowed Stories,” her adult ﬁction. The books are an embarrassment of riches forany summer reader.It’sheartening to think that Louisiana had arole in creating Jansson’s legacy

Email Danny Heitman at danny @dannyheitman.com.

Kaisen,Vol. 26” by Gege

“One Golden Summer” by Carley

“Solo Leveling, Vol. 12” by Dubu/ Chugong/h-goon

“Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby VanPelt 7. “LightsOut”byNavessa Allen

8. “Rewind It Back (deluxeed.)” by Liz Tomforde 9. “Rewind It Back”byLiz Tomforde 10. “Filthy Rich Fae” by Geneva Lee

Danny Heitman

Endofincentivesthreatens emerging greenindustry

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

Louisiana economic ofﬁcials and politicians have cheered the billions of dollars in industrial projects recently cropping up across the state, driven in part by lucrative federal tax credits for clean energyinvestments

Now,many areworriedthatarollbackofthose credits could threaten jobs and investments, dampening Louisiana’s“allofthe above” strategy to grow its clean energy and carbon management industries along with oil and natural gas production.

Nearly $40 billion worth of new Louisiana solar

farms,low-carbon ammonia andhydrogenplants, factories supplying electric vehicle battery materialsand other investments stand to lose incentives if clean energy tax credits from the2022 Inﬂation Reduction Act are cut, according to data from the Clean Investment Monitor, ajoint projectofthe Rhodium Group and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

President Donald Trump’sdomestic policy package, referred to as his “big, beautiful bill” of taxcuts and spending priorities, would quickly phaseout tax credits for wind andsolar,end electric vehiclesubsidies and curtailacredit for clean hydrogen production,amongother rollbacks. Preserved in thebillare

tax credits for carbon capture and sequestration, a technology favored by the oil and gas industry

The bill narrowly passed the House and is facing scrutiny in the Senate. Some Republicansare opposed to the bill for its vast expansion of the federal debt, while others are expressing reservations about ending subsidies that have led to major investments in their states.

“If somebody’salready invested $100 million, they’ve gotten their land, they’ve begun their permitting, they have abusiness plan,” U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge, said in acall last month to

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

The Norwegian Seamen’sChurch at 1772 Prytania St. was builtin1968 to provide ahome away from home for sailors in New Orleans. Later,itbecame ahaven for jazz musicians. Now,the midcentury modern complexhas been transformed into agathering place for an entirelynew community

providing mental healthservices,physical therapy,yoga,exercise classes and other wellness services on acampus that includes asaltwater pool, meditation garden and farm-to-table cafe.

In 2021, sisters Diana Fisher,Deborah Peters and Kendall Winingderreopened theformer church’sdoors and welcomed customers to Spyre, aholistic health center

The siblings and business partners were inspiredto build acommunity based on holistic health —anapproach to carethat considers the whole body —ina city known morefor living well than wellness itself. “Weprovide an alternative to going somewhereand having bottomlessmimosas,” Peters said. Four years after its debut, Spyre has become aprofitable enterprise with multiple revenue streams that contribute to amuchbiggereconomic river: the$2trillion global wellness industry, which is growing by roughly 5% ayear in theU.S., according to consulting firm McKinsey Spyre hasmore than 250 members, whopay anywhere from $95-$289 a month for accesstoanarray of offerings. Guestscan sign up for asession on the “dry floatbed,” adevice imported from Europe that creates the sensation of floating on water to help shutdown thesenses for improved meditation.Or they can opt for time in the cold plunge tub, designedtoreduce inflammation,

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Sisters Diana Fisher and Deborah Peters, twoofthe three owners of Spyre, walkbetween the saltwater pool and the meditation garden at the holistichealth center in New Orleans. The former Norwegian Seamen’sChurchhas been transformed into agathering placefor wellness services.

discuss the bill. “I think we need to look at those differently.”

Lobbying of state delegation

Projects that are expected to take advantage of some form of IRA tax credits have cropped up across the state in recent years

Louisiana has seen some 905 megawatts of solar installations in 2024 alone, and currently has enough panels to power around 155,000 homes, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group. Other projects seeking IRA tax credits include Clean Hydrogen Works’ proposed $7.5 billion ammonia facility in Ascension Parish that would sequester emissions underground and is expected to create 350 new jobs Also, Monarch Energy proposed a $426 million facility in Ascension that would employ a carbon-free process to make hydrogen for use in industry and create an estimated 44 new jobs.

In April, Illinois-based CF Industries, which operates the largest ammonia production facility in the world at a complex in Donaldsonville, announced plans to build a $4 billion low-carbon ammonia plant nine miles upriver from its existing facility The company said in its 2024 annual report that “changes to the IRA may impact our ability to receive anticipated tax credits for our low-carbon ammonia projects, which, in turn, could negatively affect the proﬁtability of these projects.”

With so many investments on the line, Louisiana economic development officials are ramping up efforts to convince Cassidy and U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-Madisonville, that protecting the IRA’s clean energy tax credits are in the state’s best interests.

Greater New Orleans Inc is collecting signatures on a letter it plans to send to Louisiana’s senators that calls for preserving the clean hydrogen tax credits and the transferability of credits for carbon capture and other technologies.

Jerry Bologna, president and CEO of Jefferson Parish’s economic development agency, said repealing the IRA tax credits would make it harder to attract investments in wind, solar and electric vehicle battery manufacturing.

The parish landed the nation’s first manufacturing facility for EV battery components last year when the Japanese chemical company UBE broke ground on a $491 million facility in Waggaman The facility is expected to create nine permanent jobs when it begins operations in 2027. Though UBE isn’t taking advantage of IRA tax cred-

WELLNESS

Continued from page 1E

boost metabolism and increase alertness After a yoga class, they can sit poolside at The Well Cafe and sip organic smoothies.

Nonmembers can buy day passes or drop-in classes that begin at $18. Spyre’s founders said they intentionally keep prices below market rate.

“The wellness industry is very elite, very expensive and very White,” Fisher said. “We’re trying to make this accessible to a wide variety of community members.” A holistic home

The inspiration for Spyre came during a crisis.

Eight years ago, at age 34, Fisher received a breast cancer diagnosis that completely upended her life. In response, she curated a treatment plan that combined traditional medicine with acupuncture, yoga, massage, lymphatic drainage and other holistic therapies.

“Everything you could do, I did,” Fisher said.

During the process, she found it hard to coordinate care share information between providers and ﬁnd a sense of community, so she decided to create her own. Fisher and her sisters — who share her interest in holistic medicine — dreamed up the idea of a wellness hub that would bring many services under one roof. It would serve people dealing with serious health challenges as well as those wanting to embrace healthier living in general.

Rouge-based Center for Planning Excellence.

‘Full trust’

Of course, tax credits are only one part of the equation when companies decide where to locate factories or energy projects. Many are built to operate for decades, which means that changes in tax credits from one presidential administration to the next aren’t necessarily going to end the investments. And free market advocates argue that the tax credits unfairly pick winners and losers in the economy, which isn’t as efﬁcient as letting consumers and businesses decide.

Still, the credits have scrambled the political calculus around supporting industry

cal, state and federal partners to bring added investment and jobs to Louisiana,” Bourgeois wrote.

“We have full trust that our federal delegation will represent the best interest of Louisiana’s economy today and in the future.”

Adam Knapp, CEO of Leaders for a Better Louisiana, a statewide economic development group said there’s “near universal agreement” among industry groups and economic development officials that the clean hydrogen tax credit needs to be preserved in some capacity

its directly, repealing the consumer tax credit for electric vehicles could reduce demand for UBE’s products, Bologna noted.

“We want to do everything we can to protect those industries in Jefferson Parish, so we’re highly supportive of retaining those credits,” Bologna said.

Jefferson Parish is also trying to position itself as a key node for the offshore wind industry Gulf Wind Technology a wind turbine technol-

ogy company, last year partnered with Shell on a $10 million initiative to create a wind power research hub at the Avondale Global Gateway The House bill would give most zero-carbon power plants, including wind and solar a 60-day deadline to start construction, in order to qualify for tax credits.

“Nothing can move that quickly,” said Camille Manning-Broome, president and CEO of the Baton-

The family’s background in real estate helped kick-start the process. The sisters’ father Tom Winingder, moved to New Orleans in the late 1970s and helped develop some of the best-known local real estate projects of the last half century including Canal Place, The Windsor Court and the Jazzland amusement park.

The sisters all have an entrepreneurial streak Peters created and sold a film equipment company in Los Angeles. Fisher co-owns the Tibetan House store and meditation room on Tchoupitoulas Street. And Winingder helped found Sugar Roots Farm, a nonproﬁt outdoor classroom in Lower Algiers.

Kendall Winingder is a designer at Felicity Property Co., a real estate ﬁrm that specializes in historic preservation and urban development chaired by her father Her husband, Patrick Schindler, is the president of the company, which is headquartered across Urania Street from Spyre. Leaning on this real estate acumen, the sisters purchased the former Norwegian Seamen’s Church property in 2019 for an undisclosed sum and began a multimilliondollar renovation that continued

through the pandemic. The project required a zoning change and beneﬁted from historic tax credits due to the building’s age and status as a historic landmark.

“That designation meant we couldn’t change a lot of things, but that’s OK,” Fisher said. “We’ve maximized every inch of the space in a very creative way.”

No bathrobes or Botox

On a recent rainy weekday, the lobby of Spyre was buzzing with activity despite the calm created by the neutral-toned wood ﬂoors and ceilings, cream-colored brick walls, and well-placed greenery.

A couple of employees were working at the check-in desk in front of a wall of glass providing a view of the meditation garden and saltwater pool in the courtyard.

Outside, steady rain was falling, but three women were dry under a patio cover as they gathered around a laptop at a cafe table.

Separated by a partition from

Gov Jeff Landry, an ally of Trump, has touted many of the projects that stand to gain from the IRA tax credits as wins for Louisiana and an example of the state’s “all of the above” approach to energy

In a written statement, Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois said it was premature to comment on the budget bill given that it’s only passed the House.

“We are tracking the bill closely, and will continue our work with lo-

the lobby, the church’s former chapel was waiting to host its next exercise class A cart with colorful hand weights stood at the entrance. An ultramodern crystal chandelier hung over the church’s former altar, glowing like a portal to another dimension.

Anyone entering this scene would be forgiven for assuming they were in a luxurious spa straight out of the HBO show “The White Lotus.” But Peters said they would be mistaken.

“It looks so beautiful here, so sometimes people get a little confused and they want a bathrobe and some slippers,” Peters said.

“But you come here to do work.

We’re not doing Botox.”

Instead, she said, Spyre is for people who want to pursue well-being through connections between mental health, physical health and nutrition.

“We all ﬁrmly believe in medicine and science,” Peters said.

“But we know this living breathing organism of ourselves is all connected.”

Multiple revenue streams Besides selling memberships and charging a la carte fees to

The tax credit — which provides companies up to $3 per kilogram of clean hydrogen produced — has been a major driver of investments in low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia projects in Louisiana, Knapp said.

But under the House proposal, the credit would only be available for projects that begin construction by the end of 2025. Knapp said it’s unrealistic to expect projects to break ground by the end of the year “You don’t build industrial grade projects in that short of time period,” Knapp said.

Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate.com.

drop-in customers, Spyre generates revenue by renting office space to health and wellness providers, whose private practices are located at the center

Currently, about 18 mental health professionals, physical therapists and other practitioners are based on the campus, creating a synergy that beneﬁts the center and the practitioners as well as the clients of each.

“We provide the lobby, but we don’t reschedule an appointment,” Peters said. “We don’t know patients’ personal information.”

Spyre has its own team of about 30 instructors — all independent contractors — who teach yoga, Pilates, high-intensity interval training and meditation.

The center also hosts special events including wellness retreats, weddings and book signings. A comedy show recently used the former church altar as a stage.

The facility partners with hotels in the neighborhood including the Henry Howard Hotel, Hotel Saint Vincent and The Blackbird Hotel — to provide services for guests, including pool passes, with one important caveat:

“We are not a ‘hang out and drink by the pool’ place,” Peters said.

“That’s not our vibe.”

‘Sweet spot’

The sisters said their four-yearold enterprise is in a sweet spot. They make enough money to cover expenses without paying for advertising. And, unlike many New Orleans businesses, Spyre won’t be brutally slow during the summer

Some out-of-town guests have even encouraged them to expand or franchise the concept, but that’s not at the top of the to-do list.

“We’re not doing this to get rich off of people’s vulnerabilities in their health journey,” Fisher said. “We’re doing it as an act of love and a gift to our community

We want to be a touchstone for people.”

Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON Oxbow

farms, low-carbon ammonia and

energy

Group and

STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Three sisters transformed a midcentury modern complex on Prytania Street in New Orleans once housing the Norwegian Seamen’s Church into Spyre, a holistic health center

PROVIDED PHOTO

The former chapel has become a classroom for activities like yoga.

K. Winingder

BUSINESS WITH BEN JOHNSON

BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor

Grand Rapids, Michigan, has made itself into a blossoming hot spot for the tech industry, with about 40,000 tech jobs in the midsized city Ben Johnson, founder and CEO of Techneaux Technology Services in Lafayette, said there’s no reason why what worked in Grand Rapids can’t be replicated in south Louisiana. Lafayette leaders met with Grand Rapids ofﬁcials last fall as part of One Acadiana’s Leadership Exchange trip, where they learned how the tech industry blossomed there.

The genesis of Grand Rapids’ tech industry came about a dozen years ago when local leaders joined forces.

“They put together a team and went to Silicon Valley and got in front of a bunch of executives there,” Johnson said. “They said, ‘We have bad ass programmers here at half your cost. If you want to make some better business decisions, come see us.’

“All of a sudden they’re marketing that region as a tech hub. That’s what we can do here, and I think it’s easy for us.” Johnson is now heading up the 15-member Lafayette Regional Technology Council, made up of local tech executives and community leaders, to help develop and retain top talent and attract more companies.

It’s an opportune time do to that with the Meta project to be built in Richland Parish and other large business projects that will require industrial technology jobs, Johnson said.

In this week’s edition of Talking Business, Johnson talks about his role with the committee, what the Acadiana region and south Louisiana as a whole can do to improve its tech presence and how his company has grown from his garage to a business with nearly 200 employees and a second ofﬁce in Midland, Texas.

This interview has been edited for clarity

This group has some big names on it but you were the guy named to serve as the

chairman How did that happen and how do you see your role in this?

The tech council thing has really been fun for me because, for one thing, I’ve been so head down with Techneaux. This is our 16th year now and I was just so focused on getting the business off the ground.

It’s finally off the ground, and so I can start reaching out and doing things in the community That Leadership Exchange was really my ﬁrst foray into getting out of my comfort zone.

We’re just hearing about what they had done with the tech council (in Grand Rapids), and I was like, this was such a great way to bring the community together It didn’t seem like a huge lift on their part in the beginning. It was really just getting people together to talk.

The tech sector has grown in Lafayette and south Louisiana and gets talked about a lot. What is at the top of your agenda for the industry? The mission statement we’ve

come up with is pretty simple.

It’s really to support and encourage the growth and collaboration of the tech ecosystem in the Lafayette region, and the way that we’re going to do that is through four pillars. It’s collections and knowledge sharing.

That’s going to be like meetups and speciﬁc programming around hot topics There will be advocacy That’s making sure policy and things of that nature that we’re all aware of and that we can advocate for this region. Another one is talent and workforce, which has been probably the most talked about portion of this, and that kind of goes hand in hand with the fourth pillar which is the marketing and community outreach.

Let’s talk about the talent and workforce. What the challenge now to retain that talent? Is that the biggest challenge?

Retention seems to be high on the list, but I think that’s anywhere as you go — not just Lafayette — with so many opportunities for people

to work remotely Everyone needs that midlevel to senior level talent. Whenever you’ve built up someone, if they don’t see the opportunity, it’s easy for them to go get work at a Google, Apple or Microsoft. You have to show some value as a company to keep these people around.

UL puts out great talent It’s top notch — the work ethic, the knowledge and they’re coming out prepared. Unfortunately, you still have to have middle-tier individuals and seniors to help those people come along, and that’s where I think we hear the biggest gap is right now is.

How do you address that? Is it a pay issue?

Or a kind of a mentoring deal?

That’s one of the things I’m interested to see. Here at Techneaux, I feel we’ve done a great job with that. There are other companies in the area that are good at retaining talent. Maybe it’s a matter of helping other companies understand what we’ve done in order to

be successful with that and help them implement some of those same practices. We may be competitors in the traditional sense, but there’s so much work these days. We’re really just interested in helping each other out because in the long run it’s going to help out all of us. You look at what’s going on in Louisiana right now — you’re bringing in Meta, you’ve got a huge LNG plant in Lake Charles, you’ve got Hyundai coming in — there’s going to be work for a ton of people.

Why did you take this assignment on? Your company just moved into its new office in Lafayette in the former Fontana Fitness Center and is growing Why take on this role?

I had to do some soul searching. I didn’t get into business to be a businessman. I’m a computer nerd. I like doing programming. So I had to really think about, why am I doing this?

It speaks back to the mission statement which was really personal for me here: We help customers succeed, we help each other succeed and we help Techneaux succeed.

Those two key words were “help” and “succeed,” and that’s always been something for me. I want to help people. I’d like to help people outside of Techneaux. If I can help other businesses put people over proﬁt, that’s a huge win. If everyone in this industry start pulling together, what can the region and the state be in the next five to 10 years?

I loved the term Silicon Bayou that people were trying to push back in the day, because I think it really can be similar to a Silicon Valley

We’ve got the people, we’ve got the talent and we’ve got the innovation and creativity It’s kind of limitless on what we can do here. I think right now we’re kind of limited by the way we’ve chosen to run our businesses, but hopefully we can change that.

We’re going for opportunities with Meta, with these huge LNG plants and with Hyundai. It’s there for the taking.

Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@ theadvocate.com.

BeyondtheHeadlines

As oneofthe largest lawﬁrmsinLouisiana,Jones Walker LLPishonored to partnerwith TheAdvocate |Baton Rougetosupport theexpandedbusinesssection.

This in-depth reportingwillexplore what businesses aredoing to achievetheir goals, avertthreats, addressopportunities,and advancetheir business objectives.Welook forwardtothe thought leadership andconversationthissection will inspire. Since1937, our ﬁrmhas been committed to workingwithcommunityleaders to develop business opportunitiesacrossthe state. We aresteadfast in continuing our dedicationtogobeyondinadvising clientsand supportinginitiatives andorganizations that make Louisiana abetterplace to live andwork

William H. Hines,ManagingPartner bhines@joneswalker.com 504.582.8000 201St. CharlesAvenue NewOrleans,LA70170-5100

5tipsfor afun summer withoutbag fees

ﬁnancial expectations.

Fool’sTake: An oily investment

Michelle Singletary THE COLOR OF MONEy

Picture this: Your tan lines have faded, the tchotchkes you purchased have already gathered dust, but one thing sticks around after vacation —acredit card balance that hurts like abad sunburn. That’s the reality when summer fun morphs into reckless spending on the road.

According to asurvey by Bankrate, 29% of Americans planning to travel this summer said they will take on debt. People will pay for that fun in the sun by accumulating debt on credit cards they can’tpay off right away.Others might use buy-now-pay-later plans, borrow from family or friends, or take out apersonal loan.

Perhaps you’re saying to yourself: “That’snot me because I’ve saved up to trot around the globe.”

While seemingly responsible, this approach can maskdeeper ﬁnancial vulnerabilities. I’m not going to applaud you for shelling out cash for acruise if you’re drowning in credit card debt,allowing the interest to balloon. Or you haven’t met such crucial long-term goals as retirement savings or your children’sfuture education.

But let’sassume you’re among the fortunate who can vacation withoutﬁnancial worries —your credit cards are paid in fulleach month, and your emergency fund offers agood safety net. Even then, the allureof the “treat yourself” mentality on holiday can lead to post-trip regrets. Here are some strategies to help you return home with memories, not ﬁnancial remorse.

1. Plan astaycation

If you vacation in your backyard, you won’tbe

alone.Inthe Bankratesurvey, amajority of nontravelers said they can’t afford to go awaybecauseitcosts too muchorbecauseeveryday life expensesare toohigh. OK, so staying home it is. Astaycation doesn’thave to meansentencingyourself to aweekofhousehold chores Here’show to get into vacationmode:

n Resist the temptation to gettothatto-do list Treat your staycation like agenuine getaway.Imean it. Don’tguilt-trip yourself (pun intended) into doing mundane tasks. Relax and binge-watchsomething.

n Don’t tell people you’re staying home.Act as though you’re gone by refraining from obligations with friends and family —unless they’re part of your vacation-at-home plans.

n Plan your dayjust as youwould if you were on a trip. Create adaily itinerary of thingsyou wanttodo aroundtown.Check the local tourism bureau website for activity recommendations gearedtoward out-oftowners. Take alocal kayak trip or enjoy anearby lake or park

n Don’t get so zealous with your local plans thatyou overspendonyour staycation. Search for free events, concerts, movies or other things you can do on the cheap. If you live in abig city,various tourist attractions can still bustyour budget. Your missionfor your staycationifyou’reindebt or yoursavingsaccountis depletedistospend as little money aspossible.

2. Avoidthe debt trap Want to jetawaytoJamaica?Noproblem. Youcould buy that plane ticketnow and book your hotel room and pay later.

BNPL credit dealsallow consumerstosplit the payments forthe purchases, typically into four interestfree installments. Fees may kick in only if payments are made late

The ease of these deals can createthe illusion of affordability. Fourinterestfree installmentssound harmless, right?

But those installments can turn into aﬁnancial albatross if youcan’tmake those paymentsontime or aretempted to load up on moreBNPL loans.Becareful or thatdream vacation might just become adebt nightmare.

3. Leavethe leechesbehind Youmay love them, but freeloading family or friends can be frustrating.

Iaskedreaderstodish on their vacation-sharing regrets afew yearsback.

One reader had to fork over a$150 fee when guests didn’tproperly clean their side of atimeshare villa.

“Wedidn’task for any money towardthe timeshare,asitwould have cost the same with one family or twofamilies staying,” the reader wrote. “Weshared food costs just ﬁne.Ijust never understood why they thought it was OK for us to clean up theirmesswhen we wereboth on vacation.”

Here’sa cautionarytale from the subreddit forum r/ EntitledPeople: “I covered the Airbnb,gas, groceries, and even two dinnersout all becauseeveryone said ‘we’ll pay you back when we get home.’ Not asingle one of themhas paid me back. When Ibrought it up, one friend said: ‘You seemed cool withitatthe time.’

Like, Iwas happy to spend $5,000 while everyone else lived rent-free? Now they’re acting weird, saying I’m ‘being dramatic’ about money.”

The mostimportant tip about sharing avacation withothers is to get your money up front.Like, for real. Otherwise, your budget-friendly trip could end up costing you morethan you plan.

Be very clear about all costs. Before making any travel arrangements, setup aformal meeting to discuss

For those booking atimeshare:When you check in, have the people vacationing withyou alsoput up acredit card. If they’re in aseparate villa, even if it’s in your name, do the same thing. As thevacation comes to an end, get thebill theday before checkout and divvy up any charges

4. Pack like apro

With Southwest Airlines joining other carriers in charging for checked bags, now is agood timetoconsiderthe beneﬁts of packing lighter.Doyou really need a different outﬁt every day?

I’m very close to being able to travel withjusta carry-on. I’ve been practicing and getting pretty good at editing out all the stuffI think Idon’tneed.

Keep in mind: Traveling light makes navigating around ﬂight cancellations a lot less stressful.

5. Don’tfallfor free stuff

Bargain hunters sometimes get sweet-talked into timesharepromotions because of the freebies offered. Be wary.

Iloved this storyfroma colleague: “My husband and Iunintentionally got roped into one of thosetimeshare presentations on our honeymoon, but we got out of it because he happened to lose his driver’slicense thatday So one inconvenient situationsaved us from an even worse one!”

My husband and Inow have apolicy of refusing goodies —whether agift card, free amusement park tickets or adiscounted restaurant meal —ifit means being trapped by a timesharesalesperson for severalhours.

Sure, you might save some money,but at the expense of something you can’tbuy —time.

Email Michelle Singletary at michelle.singletary@ washpost.com

By Amanda McElfresh

amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

Thisarticle is broughtto youbythe Louisiana CommercialFishing Coalition LLC

Along Louisiana’sworking coastlines asmall silver fish powers avastnetwork of food, health, and agriculture. Knownas menhaden,sometimes called pogies,this humble species forms the backbone of one of our state’s most valuable and least understood commercial fisheries.But the story doesn’t end at the water’sedge. Once caughtand refined, menhaden support industries acrossthe U.S. and aroundthe world—from aquacultureand petfood to livestock feed and dietary supplements

Each year,Louisiana’s menhaden industry generatesmorethan $419 million in economic output and supports over 2,000 jobsacross32parishes.Its reach extends farbeyond the dock, anchoring avalue chain critical to national food systems and Louisiana’scoastal communities

Harvesting aRenewable Resource Louisiana is home to themenhaden ﬁshery—one of themost productiveand sustainably managedﬁsheriesinthe world

Lessthan 2% of the Gulf’s menhaden biomass is harvested each year under sciencebased management, innovativetechnology, and strict adherence to state and federal regulations.The MarineStewardship Council(MSC) certifies the fishery forits responsible practices,and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission confirms thatpopulations arehealthy and growing. Abundant, fast-growing, and naturally renewable,menhaden areanideal sustainable resource.

Twocompanies—Westbank Fishing and Ocean Harvesters—operate ﬂeetsout of Empire, LA and Abbeville, LA. Their vessels useadvanced netting technologytominimize bycatchand ensuresafe, efficient harvests

Once landed, the fish go to local processing plants to become twoprimary products: fishmeal and fish oil Processing for U.S. and Global Markets

During theproduction process,menhaden arecooked, pressed, dried, and ground into high-protein meal,whilethe extracted oils are ﬁltered and reﬁned. Nothingiswasted. The processisdesigned formaximum efficiency and minimal environmental impact,aligning withcircular economyprinciples that prioritizefull resource utilization. Theseproductsare rich in omega-3s protein, and essential nutrients,making them ideal ingredients foraquaculturefeed, pet food, and nutritional supplements. Most product stays in theU.S.tosupport domestic industries,with the balance exported to meet global demand forhigh-quality, sustainable feed ingredients

Fueling Aquacultureand Food Security

As global demandfor seafood continues to rise, aquaculturenow represents more than half of the world’ssupply. Remarkably efficient, ﬁshcan gain one kilogram (about 2.2 pounds) of body masswith just one kilogram of feed—makingaquacultureone of themost effectivemethods of protein production.

Amajor useofmenhaden-derived fishmeal and oil is in aquaculture. These marine ingredients areessential to thediets of farmraised species such as salmon and seabass, supporting optimal growth andoverall health. Menhaden fishmeal andoil arealsousedin products likeartificial crawfish bait and feed

Oil prices have slumped this year,due to both demand concerns and increased supply.Some producers are better positioned to weather lower oil prices than others.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) is in that group, and it’sacompelling oil stock in this current market environment.

ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance discussed that market environment on the company’srecent ﬁrst-quarter earnings conference call. He stated, “The ultimate depth and duration of this current price environment remains unclear.” However,he noted that “ConocoPhillips is built for this, with clear competitive advantages.”

ConocoPhillips has a disciplined capital allocation strategy that it says is “battle-tested through the cycles.” It recently showcased this discipline by reducing its guidance for capital spending by $500 millionand for operating costs by $200 millioninresponse to lower oil prices. Despite cutting spending, the company maintained its production guidance: It’sdelivering the same oil and gas volumes for less money

ConocoPhillips is also adividend payer,with a recent dividend yield of 3.7%. The company has solid growth prospects, and its combination of cyclical and noncyclical characteristics makes it apromising oil stock to buy and hold for the long term.

Fool’sSchool: Micro, macroeconomics

One of the ﬁrst things economics students learn is the difference between microeconomics and macroeconomics. It’sa valuable distinction for all of us

to understand —not just economists. By learning about these fields, you can better understand factors that affect countries and businesses, and those can also help inform your investment decisions. Here’s abrief look at the terms. Macroeconomics focuses on how the overall economy works, on aregional, national or global level. It looks at the relationships between factors such as inflation, employment rates, gross domestic product, price levels, monetary policy —often trying to determine whatwill boost economic growth. Other concerns within the field include business cycles, national debt, interest rates and international trade. Microeconomics takes anarrower view,studying how individuals and companies act and react. It considers factors such as supply and demand, labor markets, costs of production, price elasticity (how flexible consumers are about whatthey’re willing to pay) and competitive advantages. The field studies the behavior of buyers and sellers, observing or predicting the results of various actions, such as the lowering of prices or the raising of wages. Competition is aparticularly important topic to understand, as the most successful companies often have sustainable competitive advantages. Examples include astrong brand (think Coca-Cola or Disney), economies of scale (Walmart or Amazon), barriers to entry (Boeing) and switching costs (think of Apple and how muchofa hassle it would be to switch to another technology ecosystem). The microeconomic concepts of monopoly and oligopoly (when amarket is controlled by just afew companies) are also important: Abusiness that’s anear-monopoly has alot more freedom to raise prices, while companies in competitive industries don’t.

From Gulf to Global Markets: HowMenhaden Powers theU.S.and theWorld

forcatﬁshﬁngerlings raised on farms across the southern United States.

PetNutrition and Agriculture

Menhadenplays agrowing role in pet nutrition. Premium U.S. pet food brands rely on menhaden ﬁshmealand oilfor its highlevelsofDHA andEPA—types of omega-3 fattyacids that arenutrients thatsupport jointhealth,coatcondition, and brain developmentindogsand cats In acompetitiveglobal market,Louisiana menhaden provides premium and sustainable ingredients to U.S. pet food manufacturers, therebyreducing theindustry’s reliance on imports In agriculture, menhadenﬁshmeal and oil serveasa protein-and nutrient-rich feed supplementfor U.S. livestock such as pigs, chickensand even horses.Louisiana Menhadenisahighly sustainable resource that plays acritical role in U.S. and global food security.

AGlobalImpact with Local Roots

While menhaden products reach customersindozens of countries,the biggest impact is felt hereathome. Their economicimpact starts in Louisiana.In 2023alone, Westbank Fishing and Daybrook Fisheries deliveredmorethan $36.5 million in employeecompensation—supporting hundreds of jobs in southern Plaquemines Parish, one of the state’s most economically vulnerable regions.In2023, OmegaProtein and itsfishing partner Ocean Harvesters provided an additional $23million in payroll and benefitsinrural Vermilion Parish, locatedinthe heart of Louisiana’s Cajun Country.Manyemployees come from multigenerational fishing families,and most arepeople of color—underscoring the industry’s role in providing inclusive,livingwage employment. By keeping processing local, companies ensurethatthe economicvalue stays in Louisiana

Connecting Louisiana to the World Louisiana’smenhaden fishery is amodel forhow local, sustainable industries can support national food systems whilefueling global supply chains.Fromfeeding fishand pets and supporting exports,thiscentury-old fishery continues to evolve—proving that when managed responsibly, asmall fishcan makeabig impact As regulators and lawmakersconsider futurepolicy,it’scriticaltorecognizethe broad benefitsofthisworking fishery.It’snot just about what happensoffshore, it’s about howLouisiana’sfishing heritagehelpsfeed the country and the world

Motley Fool

One of La.’s fastest-growing energy ﬁrms expanding north

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

ENFRA, the Metairie-based energy services firm formerly known as Bernhard, announced Tuesday it has acquired River Mechanical Services, a Philadelphiabased provider of heating, cooling and plumbing services.

Founded in 1997, River Mechanical specializes in heating, ventilation and air conditioning; plumbing repair and installation; and maintenance of other systems

The company has a portfolio of customers in local commercial real estate, health care, higher education and hospitality markets

The deal marks the ﬁrst entry into the Northeast for one of the fastest-growing energy companies in Louisiana. ENFRA, which has 25 offices nationwide and roughly 2,400 employees, provides engineering, construction, maintenance and asset management services in the health care, higher education and IT sectors

Philip Catanzaro, ENFRA’s chief operating ofﬁcer, said the acquisition of River Mechanical expands the company’s national footprint and provides an entry to another major urban market. New model

ENFRA traces its roots to 1919, when first-generation GermanAmerican William Bernhard founded Bernhard Plumbing

acquisition of Philadelphia company River Mechanical Services.

and Sheet Metal Works in Baton Rouge. Over the years, Bernhard Plumbing grew steadily But its trajectory really took off when Bernhard Capital Partners — the private equity ﬁrm created in 2013 by Jim Bernhard, William Bern-

hard’s grandson — took over the company, merged it with several others and recreated it into an energy powerhouse known simply as Bernhard.

In 2019, the ﬁrm relocated from Baton Rouge to New Orleans In

PEOPLE IN BUSINESS

Baton Rouge

Four new providers have joined Ochsner Baton Rouge

Dr Emilio Fabian Corona, a pulmonology and critical care medicine specialist, has joined Ochsner Health Center- Prairieville. He earned a medical degree from Universidad Iberoamericana and completed a residency in internal medicine at Trinitas Regional Medical Center, Rutgers-New Jersey School of Medicine. Corona completed a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care at

Albany Medical Center

Adrienne Cesar is a family nurse practitioner now located at Ochsner Medical Complex-The Grove. Cesar previously worked as a certified critical care registered nurse, specializing in trauma and neurological critical care. She also has experience in intensive care units, including women’s health, burn, surgery and critical care units. She earned a bachelor’s in nursing from Southern University and a master’s in nursing from Southeastern Louisiana University

2021, it was acquired by a Dutch private equity firm, DIF Capital Partners. Earlier this spring, it rebranded as ENFRA.

Last year, Bernhard Capital Partners agreed to purchase the natural gas systems of Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans for $484 million.

In recent decades, the firm has embraced the “Energy as a Service” business model, which means customers pay a recurring fee to a third party rather than investing in energy infrastructure themselves. The owners of an office building might contract an Energy as a Service provider to install and maintain solar panels or heating and cooling systems, for instance. The business model has become more popular over the last 15 years, powered by innovations like smart grids, which use digital technology to improve energy production and distribution.

Rob Guthrie became ENFRA’s CEO in 2024

The company’s new name, which took effect in May, is a portmanteau of “energy” and “infrastructure,” signifying the company’s focus on the national Energy as a Service market.

March interview “Today we’re a market leader in Energy as a Service with a coast-to-coast presence. It’s rare that a business as old as ours would undergo that signiﬁcant of a transformation in such a relatively short period of time.”

“Ten years ago, we were a very solid, traditional engineering and construction business that had an unproven idea,” Guthrie said in a

Industry tracker Grandview Research estimates the Energy as a Service market in the U.S was worth about $25 billion in 2024. Growjo, which tracks fast-growing private equity-owned companies, estimates ENFRA’s revenue last year at just over $790 million. There are challenges and opportunities ahead: Tax credits for renewable energy battery storage and energy efficiency upgrades from the 2022 Inﬂation Reduction Act have been a boon to business, but they are in doubt under the Trump administration Artificial intelligence, meanwhile, will bring more changes to the industry potentially improving energy efﬁciency for universities, municipalities, hospitals and other big entities. ENFRA has long-term contracts with Tulane University, LSU, the Jefferson Parish government, the University of Arkansas, LCMC Health Ochsner and the University of New Orleans.

Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

Dr Gregory Tobin now prac-

tices radiology at Ochsner Medical Complex-The Grove with a special interest in musculoskeletal radiology

He earned a medical degree from LSU Shreveport, where he also completed an internship in internal medicine and a residency in diagnostic radiology Tobin completed a fellowship in musculoskeletal radiology at University Medical Center through the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. Dr Jayendra “Jay” Patel, a psychiatrist, has joined Och-

sner Medical Complex-The Grove. He earned a medical degree from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and completed a residency in psychiatry at Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Harvard Medical School. New Orleans Four attorneys have joined Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn Trevor C. Davies and Michael Ballero are partners. Shannon O. Harrison is of counsel. Gregory J Sauzer is an associate.

Decadesof Dedication.

To protecting theemployees who’ve poweredour success since1939.

To an honest, respectful culture built on doingthe rightthing.

To careersthatlast —some spanning more than 30 years.

To competitivebeneﬁts that support health,family, andyourfuture.

PROVIDED PHOTO

On June 2, Metairie-based ENFRA, which traces its roots to 1919 as a plumbing and sheet metal company, announced the

Corona

Guthrie Davies

Tobin Harrison

Cesar Ballero

Patel Sauzer

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Ofﬁce,lo‐catedat2627 NorthKing Ave. Lutcher, La 70071. Separate,sealedbids to providethisservice will be received at 2627 NorthKingAve Lutcher, La 70071 until 2:00 PM CST, July 8,2025. Elec‐tronic bid documentsare availablefor download throughSt. JamesHous‐ingAuthority websiteat www.stjameshousing. com. SJPHAreservesthe righttorejectany/orall bids,makethe determi‐nation as to what is equaltothe speciﬁca‐tionsand/orscope of work,ortowaive anyin‐formalityinthe bids re‐ceived,and to accept any bid, which, in itsopinion maybeinthe best inter‐estofSJPHA 143230June 1, 4, 8, 3t $384.06 y bewithdrawn afterthe scheduled closingtime for receiptofbidsfor at least thirty (30) days TheUniversityreserves the righttorejectany or all bids,and to waiveany informalities

NOTICE INVITATION TO BID Sealed bids will be re‐ceivedbythe Purchasing Department, GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY,Gram‐bling,La. On June 24 2025at2:05, P.M. for: “50018-250032 UniversityFireSafety and Prevention Ser‐vices”. Per-BidMeetingissched‐uledonJune 12, 2025 at 9:00am, at theFacilities ConferenceRm, 1Facili‐tiesDr.,Grambling, La 71245 At which time andplace the bids will be publicly openedand read aloud. Any bidreceivedafter closing time will be re‐turnedunopened. Copies of thespecifica‐tions maybeobtained in electronic format by vis‐iting the Stateof Louisiana,Office of State Purchasing, LaPACWeb Site, https://wwwcfprd. doa.louisiana.gov/osp/ lapac/dspBid.cfm?sea rch=department& term=53Copiesofspeci‐ficationsare on file in the Office of theDirectorof Purchasing, GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY,Gram‐bling,La. To obtain a copyofthe specifica‐tions from Grambling State University,call (318)-274-3280 or e-mail walkere@gram.edu. Bids must be returned to the Purchasing Office at purchasingbids@gram edubythe duedateand timereferenced. Bids mustbesubmitted on the formsenclosedwith the bidspecification,and instrictconformitywith the intent of same with‐out modifications. Bids mustbesignedinink, dated,and titleofperson signing thebid should be shownonthe bid. Evidence of GeneralLia‐bility Insurance, Auto Li‐ability Insurance, and Workers Compensation Insurancerequiredfor this contract.Nobid may b i hd f h

ATTORNEY SUSPENDED

Michael L. Cave,ofBaton Rouge, has consented to suspension from the practice of law for aperiod of three years, retroactive to July 18, 2023, the dateofhis interim suspension,byorder of the Louisiana StateSupreme Court dated May 29, 2025. Order FINALand EFFECTIVE May29, 2025. The respondent’sconsent suspension was the result of committing acriminal act. He may not practice law until further order of the Court. For further information,please write: The Office of the Disciplinary Counsel 4000 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd.,Ste. 607 Baton Rouge, LA 70816 143598-502528-June 8,-1t $240.00

Notice

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to Article IV,Section 21(D)(1) of the Louisiana Constitution, that on May30, 2025, Entergy Louisiana, LLC (“ELL”), apublic utility providing retail electric and gas service throughout the State of Louisiana, filedwith the Louisiana Public Service Commission (“LPSC”) its Formula RatePlan (“FRP”)Rider Schedule FRPEvaluation Report and Workpapers for Test Year 2024.

The filing reflects an earned returnoncommon equity (“EROE”) for the 2024 Evaluation Period/Test Year of 9.98%, which is within the approved FRP dead band. Other changes in FRP Revenue driven by increases in the amount of MISO and tax-related credits, additions to Transmission and Distribution plant in service reflected through the Transmission Recovery Mechanism (“TRM”) and Distribution Recovery Mechanism (“DRM”) as well as aone-time credit for Test Year 2024 earnings above the midpoint of the FRP bandwidthresult in adecrease to FRP revenues of approximately $189 million. The resulting FRP factors to be applied to the respective ELL rate classes effective for customer bills rendered on and after the first

cycle of September 2025, areasfollows:

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to Article IV,Section 21(D)(1)ofthe Louisiana Constitution and Louisiana Public ServiceCommission General Order7/1/2019 (Docket R-34738),thatonMay 30, 2025, Entergy Louisiana,LLC (“ELL”), apublic utility providing retail electric andgas service in various parishes throughout the State of Louisiana filedwith the Louisiana Public Service Commission (“LPSC” or the “Commission”) an Application (“Application”)

of the ProposedDRPrograms, the Evaluation, Measurement, &Verification costs for the ProposedDRPrograms, andaproposed utility performance incentive) is, in Year 1ofthe term of the ProposedDRPrograms, an estimated increase of $0.19 per month for aresidentialcustomerthatreceives 1,000 kWh of electric service per month, with an annualized typical monthly bill for such acustomerincreasingfrom$143.21 per month to an estimated $143.40 per month, andincreasing annually to, in Year 5ofthe Proposed DR Programs, an estimatedincreaseof$0.67 per month for aresidential customer that receives 1,000 kWh of electric service per month, with an annualized typical monthly bill for such acustomer in Year 5increasing from an estimated$144.88 per month to an estimated $145.55 per

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DO NOTWANTTOBENAMED THE ADMINISTRATOROREXECUTOR

When aLouisianaresidentpassesaway, the title to alloftheir assets is frozen. This includesall bank accounts,investmentaccounts, and real estate in their name.None of it canbesolduntil ajudge orders thetransferofthe assetstothe surviving heirs.

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WHAT IS USUFRUCT?

Ausufructis aright that apersonhas fora certain period of time on the property of another person. Thefeatures of the right of ausufruct vary with thenatureofthe thingssubjecttoit. Usufructs areoften established when some-one dies. Forexample,a marriedpersonmay,in hisWill, leave his surviving spouseusufructofeverything he owns whenhedies, butthere arecertain restrictions and limitations when establishing ausufruct. Theusufructuary may have numerousobligations,such as an obligation to provide security,the responsibility to providerepairs,the paymentofnecessary expenses,taxes,debts,and othercharges. consequences.Typically,noone paysincome taxonagift regardless of thevalueofthe gift Asizeablegift will haveestateand gift taxconsequences

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afollow-updose of an experimentalgene editing treatment in AprilatChildren’sHospital of

FIRSTSTEP

BY LAURAUNGAR AP sciencewriter

Ababy born with arare anddangerous genetic disease is growing and thriving after getting an experimental gene editing treatment made justfor him.

Researchers described the case in a new study,saying he’s among the ﬁrst to be successfully treated with acustom therapy that seeksto ﬁx atiny but critical error in his genetic code that kills half of affected infants. Though it may be awhile before similar personalized treatments are available for

others, doctors hope the technologycan someday help themillions left behind even as genetic medicine has advanced becausetheir conditions are so rare.

“This is the first step towardsthe use of gene editing therapies to treat awide variety of rare genetic disorders forwhich thereare currentlyno definitive medical treatments,” said Dr.Kiran Musunuru, aUniversityof Pennsylvania gene editing expert who co-authored the study published last month in the New England Journalof Medicine.

The baby,KJMuldoon, of Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, is one of 350

Scientists saygeneediting treatment that helped adesperately illbaby thrive couldsomeday treatmillions

million people worldwide withrare diseases, most of which are genetic. He was diagnosed shortly after birth with severe CPS1 deﬁciency,estimated by some experts to affect around one in amillion babies. Those infants lack an enzyme needed to helpremoveammonia from the body,soitcan build up in their blood and becometoxic. Aliver transplant is an option for some.

Knowing KJ’sodds, parents Kyle and NicoleMuldoon,both 34, worried they could lose him.

“Wewere, like, you know,weighing all the options, asking all the questions for either theliver transplant, which

is invasive,orsomething that’snever been done before,” Nicole said.

“Weprayed, we talked to people, we gathered information, andweeventually decidedthatthiswas theway we were going to go,” her husband added. Within six months, the team at Children’sHospital of Philadelphia and PennMedicine,along withtheir partners, created atherapy designed to correct KJ’sfaulty gene. Theyused CRISPR, the gene editing tool that won its inventors the NobelPrize in 2020. Insteadofcutting theDNA strandlike the

See BABY, page 2X

Parasite candecapitatesperm,withimplicationsfor fertility

BY BILLSULLIVAN, INDIANA UNIVERSITY

TheConversation

Male fertility rates have been plummeting over the past halfcentury.Ananalysisfrom 1992 noted asteady decreasein sperm counts and quality since the1940s. Amore recent study found that male infertility rates increased nearly 80% from 1990 to 2019. The reasons driving this trend remain amystery,but frequently cited culprits include obesity,poor diet and environmental toxins

Infectious diseases such as gonorrhea or chlamydia are often overlooked factors that affect fertility in men.

Accumulating evidence suggests that acommon single-celled parasitecalled toxoplasma gondii may also be acontributor: An April study showed for thefirst time that “humanspermlose their heads upon direct contact” with theparasite. Iamamicrobiologist, and my lab studies toxoplasma. This new study bolsters emerging ﬁndings that underscore theimportance of

preventing this parasitic infection

Infected cats defecate toxoplasma eggs intothe litter box, garden or other places in theenvironment where they can be picked up by humansorother animals.

Water,shellfish andunwashed fruits and vegetables can also harbor infectious parasiteeggs. In addition to eggs, tissue cysts present in the meat of warm-blooded animals can spread toxoplasmosisaswell if they are not destroyed by cooking toproper temperature. While most hosts of theparasite can control theinitialinfection

with few if any symptoms, toxoplasma remains in the body for life as dormant cysts in brain, heart and muscle tissue. These cysts can reactivate and cause additional episodes of severe illness that damage critical organ systems. Between 30% and 50% of the world’spopulation is permanently infected withtoxoplasmadue to the many ways the parasite can spread. Upon infection, toxoplasma spreads to virtually every organ and skeletal muscle. Evidence that

toxoplasmacan also target human male reproductive organs first surfaced during the height of the AIDS pandemic in the 1980s, when some patients presented with the parasitic infection in their testes. While immunocompromised patients are mostatrisk fortesticular toxoplasmosis, it can also occur in otherwise healthy individuals. Imaging studies of infected mice conﬁrm that toxoplasma parasites quickly travel to the testes in additiontothe brainand eyes within

See PARASITE, page 3X

PROVIDED PHOTO By CHLOE DAWSON/CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA

KJ Muldoon, of Clifton Heights, Pa., is held by adoctor after beinggiven

Philadelphia.

HEALTH MAKER

Shreveport dad learned to walk again after rare diagnosis

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

One day in November 2011, Shane Sumlin started to feel his legs go weak. The next morning, he was paralyzed from the neck down.

Sumlin was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare neurological disease where the body mistakenly attacks the nervous system, not long after he lost feeling in his legs. He spent the next three years learning how to walk again at LSU Health Science Center’s physical therapy program in Shreveport 15 minutes from where Sumlin and his family live.

As of 2024, there are 60,000 cases in the United States of GuillainBarré or some variant of the condition every year, with a little over 85 new cases each year in Louisiana. Some cases of Guillain-Barré are recurring, some start in the eyes and some patients gain back their strength within months.

Symptoms of GBS come on quickly like in Sumlin’s case, with feelings of muscle weakness, blurry eyes, imbalance and clumsiness and more, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Sumlin continues his work as a ﬁnancial adviser in Shreveport, as he has for 25 years even through his diagnosis. He worked as a liaison for the GBS Foundation International for ten years, answering questions and sharing his experience with countless GBS patients around the world.

In 2017, Sumlin was elected to the board of directors for the GBS Foundation International where he works with patients, politicians, advocacy groups and community members to raise awareness and support for people and families dealing with this rare disease.

Tell me about your journey with GBS

When I was 41, I woke up one morning and my legs just didn’t feel quite right. They felt weak I didn’t think much about it I worked in the yard. I went to work. But, as the day went on, it got worse and worse. By the end of the day, I had a hard time turning the lamps off in my ofﬁce. We went back home, and I fell one time. It wasn’t a bad fall, but I just knew I was losing muscles in my legs. We called my mom’s husband, who lives in Odessa, Texas. He’s a physician.

I told him, “I don’t feel bad My strength is being zapped.” And he said, “Shane, we just had a case out here in West Texas called Guillain-Barré Syndrome.”

When I woke up the next morning, I was completely paralyzed

BABY

Continued from page 1X

ﬁrst CRISPR approaches, doctors employed a technique that flips the mutated DNA “letter” also known as a base — to the correct type. Known as “base editing,” it reduces the risk of unintended genetic changes.

It’s “very exciting” that the team created the therapy so quickly, said gene therapy researcher Senthil Bhoopalan at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, who wasn’t involved in the study “This really sets the pace and the benchmark for such approaches.”

In February KJ got his ﬁrst IV infusion with the gene editing therapy, delivered through tiny fatty droplets called lipid nanoparticles that are taken up by liver cells.

While the room was abuzz with excitement that day, “he slept through the entire thing,” recalled study author Dr Rebecca AhrensNicklas, a gene therapy expert at CHOP After follow-up doses in March and April, KJ has been able to eat more normally and has recovered well from illnesses like colds, which can strain the body and exacerbate symptoms of CPS1. The 9½-month old also takes less medication. Considering his poor prognosis earlier, “any time we see even the smallest milestone that he’s meeting — like a little wave or rolling over that’s a big moment for us,” his mother said. Still, researchers caution that it’s only been a few months. They’ll need to watch him for years.

“We’re still very much in the early stages of understanding what this medication may have done for KJ,” Ahrens-Nicklas said. “But every day, he’s showing us signs that

from the neck down. I could not move at all.

I spent 77 days in the hospital, mostly in a rehab hospital. I really did not show any improvement. The day before they discharged me, they wanted to send me to a nursing home because they said I’m just not going to get any better I still couldn’t touch my face after all these months

My wife said, “No, I want to take him home.”

In May of 2012, I got into LSU Health Science Center School of Allied Health in Shreveport.

I was very blessed to have a lady there who not only was a doctorate in physical therapy, but also had a background in neuro and had seen a few cases like mine.

She said, “I want to get my hands on him.”

We spent the next three years together

She taught me how to crawl on my hands and knees, just like a baby I crawled for about nine months. I couldn’t do hardly anything at ﬁrst, but after nine months, I was able to make a lap around the track.

The ﬁrst year after my diagnosis, I was still in a wheelchair, not even close to being able to come out. At months 15 or 16, my nerves started regenerating a little bit in my legs. At 18 months, I was taking some steps with people holding on to me. I worked my way into leg braces in the second year and then walking with a cane after about two and a half years. It took me three years to learn how to walk again on my own.

What do you tell patients with a similar diagnosis?

Most of the calls that I get are

he’s growing and thriving.” Researchers hope what they learn from KJ will help other rare disease patients. Gene therapies, which can be extremely expensive to develop, generally target more common disorders in part for simple financial reasons: more patients mean potentially more sales, which can help pay the development costs and generate more profit. The first CRISPR therapy approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration for example treats sickle cell disease, a painful blood disorder affecting millions worldwide. Musunuru said his team’s work — funded in part by the National Institutes of Health showed that creating a custom treatment doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive. The cost was “not far off” from the $800,000-plus for an average liver transplant and related care, he said.

people who want to talk to a non health care person who has lived the illness. I’ve laid there on my back for a year I completely understand them and what they are going through. I believe the number one need that people have is connection, and the second is hope. It’s most important for me to let them know they are not alone.

You may read things on the internet. You may hear good outcomes, bad outcomes. You may be told one thing by a physical therapist and another by a doctor But, if you want to talk to somebody that has actually lived it and had to miss work for six months and have a wife take complete care of you, I’m here for them.

That that has really given our family a lot of mission and purpose around the illness.

Tell me about the men’s mental health chats.

One thing I definitely missed during my journey with GBS, that I figured out about five years ago, is the mental struggle and the emotional trauma that came with my life being completely turned around. I was always so focused on learning how to walk. As a guy in Louisiana, the mental struggles are not something that you talk a lot about. I felt myself just carrying anxiety and stress.

In the past year, I’ve started hosting a Men’s Coffee Chat. Basically it’s a video call through the GBS Foundation where we get 20 to 25 men on together online and we just talk about the struggles all of us have. A lot of us need help with walking. About 75% of people with GBS have some type of pain or interferences with their daily life.

It’s frustrating in a lot of ways. I think as guys, we just need a group to lean on. I told my story in one of these chats, and then we all started talking. I made a connection with the guy in San Antonio. Although it’s rare, there are over 60,000 in the country who are diagnosed with this rare disease. That’s a lot of people. We’re just trying to raise awareness of it, especially all the way from New Orleans up here to Shreveport. One of the things I’m advocating for is to try to get better help to our community For those who are in the rural areas and in Louisiana, that’s difﬁcult. We work on educating hospitals on how to recognize what Guillain-Barré is. Was there anything besides family, community that you turned to during your recovery?

In the ﬁrst 24 months, I focused every bit of my energy on the actual physical therapy I would try to leave it all in the room, work as hard as I could, more than I was expected to, be willing to fail, not

set any goals. I felt like it was good to put things in my head that were positive and good. There’s not a lot of books out there on Guillain-Barré, so in my case, I leaned on my faith. I leaned heavily into my faith daily, and it helped me get through.

A lot a lot of good, neat things can come out of a diagnosis if you take care of the physical side and the emotional health, which was a mess for me in the beginning. I was blessed to have a medical center so close, and that they had a School of Allied Health in Shreveport with physical therapy students. They used me as a teaching tool to the physical therapy students for years. The cool thing about that is now my daughter is starting her third year in PT school, helping patients on the same track where I learned how to crawl.

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@theadvocate. com.

“As we get better and better at making these therapies and shorten the time frame even more, economies of scale will kick in and I would expect the costs to come down,” Musunuru said. Scientists also won’t have to redo all the initial work every time they create a customized therapy, Bhoo-

palan said, so this research “sets the stage” for treating other rare conditions.

Carlos Moraes a neurology professor at the University of Miami who wasn’t involved with the study, said research like this opens the door to more advances. “Once someone comes with a

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

The Louisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and re-examining tried and true methods on ways to live well.

breakthrough like this, it will take no time” for other teams to apply the lessons and move forward, he said. “There are barriers, but I predict that they are going to be crossed in the next ﬁve to 10 years. Then the whole ﬁeld will move as a block because we’re pretty much ready.”

Health editions will also profile people who are advancing health for the state of Louisiana. Do you have a health story? We want to hear from you.

Email margaret.delaney@theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Shane Sumlin and his daughter crawl around the track at LSU Health Science Center for Allied Health in Shreveport.

Shane Sumlin stands with his family at the LSU Health Science Center School of Allied Health in Shreveport. Sumlin has been diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder called Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

PROVIDED PHOTOS By CHLOE DAWSON/CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA

KJ Muldoon sits with his parents, Kyle and Nicole Muldoon, and his siblings after a follow-up dose of an experimental gene editing treatment in April at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Doctors Kiran Musunuru, left, and Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas, right, stand with their patient, KJ Muldoon.

Eat Fit LiveFit

SScoop smarter: Using less sugartomakeice cream that’sjustassweet

liding open afreezer door in the ice cream aisle at the grocerystore, Iwas disappointed to realize that nearlyevery carton packsabout 20 grams of added sugarina modest half cup serving. That’s ﬁve teaspoons, and afull day’s worthofadded sugarfor many of us. Sweet news forﬂavor and texture, perhaps, butnot so good for our insulin and energy levels.

Thatmomentmotivatedme totryoutoneofthenew-ish icecreammakers(Ioptedfor theCuisinartICE21)looking torecreatethesamecreamy texture butwithafractionof sugar.Oneyearoftestbatches later,I’velandedonafew ingredientswapsthatgiveus theluxuriouscreamyrichnessof homemadeicecream,without thesugaroverload.

Makingyourownicecreammeans yougettochooseeachingredient,from thetypeofdairy(orplant-baseddairy alternative)tohowmuchvanillasuits yourtaste.

Sugarvs.sweetness: Aquickrefresher

Whenitcomestoicecream,sugar doesmorethansweeten.Italsolowers thefreezingpoint,whichhelpskeepice creamsoftandscoopable.Ifwesimply nixthesugar,wecaneasilywindup withsomethingmorelikearock-hard ‘icemilk’insteadofacreamyicecream.

TheworkaroundIlandedonisa combinationoftwonatural,plant-based zerocaloriesweeteners:Confectioner’s StyleSwerve(oranybrandofpowdered erythritol),tobringthatmeltinyour mouthsweetness,pairedwithallulose,

whichbringsmoistureandcreaminess. Togethertheymimicicecreamrecipe chemistryreallywellforbothsweetness andtexture.

Threestarterformulas

Dependingonthemakeandmodel oftheicecreammaker,yourrecipes mayvary.Buthere’sageneralguidefor adjustingingredientamountsaccordingly.

•Zero-sugarversion: Replacehalf

ofthesugarwithgranularallulose (availableatWholeFoodsand online).Replacetheotherhalfwith Confectioner’sStyleSwerveor powderederythritol.Eachofthese canbedialedbackevenfurther,as muchas50percent,dependingon howmuchyou’reintosweet-sweet icecream.

•Half-sugarversion:Thisoneis myhusband’spreference,andit’s exactlythat halfthesugar.Take youroriginalrecipeandcutthesugar by50percent;youlikelywon’teven noticethedifference.

•Protein-boostedversion: Addhalf acupofunﬂavoredwheyorplantbasedpeaproteinpowderintoeither batchaboveforabouttengramsof proteinperscoop.

Makeityourown

Oncetheicecreamisthickenedand almostdonechurning,sprinkleinany extrasduringtheﬁnalminuteortwoso theystayevenlysuspended.Hereare someofmyfavorites:

•Freshberries

•Lily’snosugarchocolatechips

•Sautéedpeacheswithcinnamon

•Toastedpecans

•Instantespressoconcentrateforan affogatospin

•Fruitswirl:pulseberrieswitha squeezeoflemontomakea‘ribbon’ throughout

MollyKimball,RD,CSSD,isaregistereddietitian withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsnersEatFit nonproﬁtinitiative.Formorewellnesscontent,tuneinto Molly’spodcast,FUELEDWellness+Nutrition,andfollow @MollykimballRDand@EatFitOchsneronsocialmedia. Emailnutrition@ochsner.orgtoconnectwithMollyor scheduleaconsultwithherteam.

BY THENUMBERS

LOUISIANARANKS 26TH FORMENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERSINTHE U.S.

According to the NationalInstitutes of Mental Health, more than 1in5 Americans experienced a mental illness in 2022.

An analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that only 26.8% of mental health care needs were met in 2024,and more than 122 million Americans were living in areas with a shortageofmental health care professionals.

The averagenumber of mental health providers in Louisiana is 332.4 per 100,000 people.That’sjust belowthe national average with 344.9mental health providers per 100,000people in the U.S.,according to America’sHealth Rankings based on 2024 data.

Louisiana ranks 26th in the nation for thenumber of mental health providers per 100,000 people. Massachusetts took the topspot with 791.5 mental health providers per 100,000 people, and Alabama had the least with 152.2 mental health providers per 100,000 people.

Mental health providers, in this 2025 parish datafrom U.S. County Health Rankings andRoadmaps, include psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, counselors, marriageand family therapists andadvanced practice nurses specializing in

PARASITE

Continued from page1X

days of infection. In 2017,mycolleagues and Ifound that toxoplasma can also form cysts in mouse prostates.Researchers have also observedthese parasites in the ejaculate of manyanimals, including human semen, raising the possibility of sexual transmission.

Knowing that toxoplasma can reside in male reproductive organs has prompted analyses of fertilityin infected men. Asmall 2021 studyinPragueof163 men infected with toxoplasma found that over86% had semen anomalies. A2002 study in China

mental healthcareasofSeptember 2024.

Theparishes with themostmentalhealth providers per 100,000 people include, in descending order: n Madison Parish with876 per 100,000, n Caddo Parishwith785 per 100,000, n Orleans Parish with680 per 100,000, n Concordia Parish with622 per 100,000, n Richland Parish with619 per 100,000, n Rapides Parish with589 per 100,000, n Ouachita Parish with551 per 100,000, n East Carroll with527 per 100,000, n East Baton RougeParish with475 per 100,000, n Lincoln Parish with465 per 100,000.

Theparishes with theleast mental health providers per 100,000 people include, in ascending order:

n Cameron Parish with21per 100,000, n Assumption Parish with35per 100,000, n Catahoula Parish with48per 100,000, n Vermillion Parish with58per 100,000, n West Carroll Parish with64per 100,000, n Winn Parish with68per 100,000, n Grant Parish with78per 100,000, n Evangeline and Beauregardparisheswith 79 per 100,000, n St. James Parish with83per 100,000.

found that infertile couples are more likely to have a toxoplasmainfection than fertile couples, 34.83% versus12.11%.A2005study in Chinaalso found that sterile men are morelikely to test positivefor toxoplasma than fertile men. Not all studies, however, produce alink between toxoplasmosisand sperm quality

Toxoplasmosis in animals mirrors infection in humans, which allows researchers to address questions that arenot easy to examinein people.

Testicular function and spermproductionare sharply diminishedintoxoplasmainfected mice, rats and rams. Infected mice have significantlylower spermcounts and ahigher proportionof

abnormally shapedsperm.

In that April 2025 study researchers from Germany, Uruguayand Chileobserved that toxoplasma can reach the testesand epididymis, the tube where sperm mature and are stored, two days after infection in mice. This finding prompted the team to test what happens when the parasitecomes into direct contact with human sperm in atest tube.

After only five minutes of exposure to the parasite, 22.4% of sperm cells were beheaded.The number of decapitated sperm increased the longerthey interacted with the parasites. Sperm cells that maintained their head were often twisted andmisshapen. Somespermcells hadholes in their head, suggesting the

Vegan+dairyfree

Plant-baseddoesn’thavetomeanjust sorbet.Swapequalpartscannedcoconut milkanddairy-freewhippingcream(Iuse Caliﬁa’sDairyFreeHeavyWhip)inplace ofheavycreamanduseunsweetenedpea proteinmilkinsteadofcow’smilk

Freeze-welltips

Whatevericecreammakeryoulandon, rememberthesethreerules:Freezethe bowlovernight–yes,everysingletime. Youneverknowwhenthoseicecream cravingswillstrike.Don’tfillitpastthe manufacturer’s‘max’line;overfillingisthe fastestpathtoaslushymess.Lastly,if you’relookingforthosepretty,rounded scoops,giveittime,freezingforatleast twohourstoallowittofirmupabit

What’sinstore

Ifyou’renotintotheDIYroute,here arethreeofmygo-tolower-sugarice creambrands: •TwoSpoonsisaprotein-richoption with205calories,12gramsproteinand zeroaddedsugarperserving. •Rebelislactose-freewithonly2.5 gramsnetcarbsperserving.

•SoDeliciousSugarFreeisavegan optioncenteredoncoconutmilk.It’s notmyfavoriteintermsofﬂavoror texture,butIlikethatit’splant-based withzeroaddedsugar.

Aspoonfulofperspective Theseicecreamremakesarelighteron sugar,butthey’restillrichincreamand calories.So,servingsizematters. Ifyoutryoutanyoftheserecipe tweaks—orcreateyourownhealthier alternative—I’dlovetoknowhowitturns out.Youcanemailmeatnutrition@ ochsner.org.Andremember,life’stooshort (andsummer’stoohot)towastetimeon icecreamyoudon’tabsolutelylove

parasites were trying to invade them as it would any other type of cell in the organs it infiltrates. In addition to direct contact, toxoplasma may also damage spermbecause the infection promotes chronic inflammation. Inflammatory conditions in the malereproductive tract are harmful to sperm production andfunction

The researchers speculate that theharmful effects toxoplasma may have on sperm could be contributing to large global declines in male fertility over thepast decades.

The evidence that toxoplasma can infiltrate male reproductive organs in animalsiscompelling, but whether this produces health issues in people re-

mains unclear Testicular toxoplasmosis showsthat parasitescan invade humantestes,but symptomatic disease is very rare. Studies to date that showdefects in thesperm of infected menare too small to draw ﬁrmconclusions at this time.

Additionally,some reports suggest that rates of toxoplasmosis in high-income countrieshavenot been increasing over the past few decades while male infertility was rising, so it’s likely to only be onepartofthe puzzle.

Regardless of this parasite’spotential effect on fertility,itiswise to avoid toxoplasma.Aninfection can cause miscarriage or birth defectsifsomeone acquiresitfor theﬁrsttime

during pregnancy,and it can be life-threatening for immunocompromised people.

Toxoplasmaisalsothe leading cause of death from food-borne illness in the United States. Taking propercareofyour cat, promptly cleaning the litterbox andthoroughly washingyourhands after can help reduceyour exposure to toxoplasma.

Youcan also protect yourself from this parasite by washing fruitsand vegetables, cooking meat to proper temperatures before consuming and avoiding raw shellﬁsh, raw water and raw milk.

The Conversation is an independent, nonproﬁt source of news, analysis and commentaryfromacademic experts.

BROUGH TT OY OU BY

Molly Kimball RD,CSSD

Keep Your Healthcare at Your Fingertips

•Viewall of your medicalrecords in oneplace

•Requestprescriptionreﬁlls.

•Share your medical record with other providers.

We make it easy to stay connected to quality care,whereveryou are.

• Access 24/7 urgent careonline with Connected Anywhere virtualvisits.

• See your providersonline with MyOchsner virtual appointments forprimarycare.

• Use MyOchsner to schedule online, request prescriptionreﬁlls, view your test resultsand more.

LOUISIANA

TOOLSFOR SUCCESS

Charterschoolfor dyslexic students planstoexpand

Bounty of abackyard herb

The mint taking over my backyard offered twooptions: pull it out or throw aparty

In keeping with the pledge I madeamonth ago to plan agathering each month, Iopted forthe latter

It started in May with aSaturday lunch —agathering of six friends, someofwhom didn’t know each other Guests came ready to share areason to celebrate. We went around the table, sharing large and small personal reasons to revel. It wassimple: we metat arestaurant. It wasjoyful: each person came ready to share what they were celebrating. Ispent weeks considering what kind of gathering would come next. Something to make? Something to do?

BY LARANICHOLSON Staff writer

As many as 1inevery 5Americans has dyslexia.

Yetasof2023, only about 1% of the nearly 700,000 studentsinLouisiana publicschools have been identiﬁedas having dyslexia.

Fordyslexic children whogountreated, gapsinreadingand writingabilities can begin as early as ﬁrst grade, withpotential consequences over time including lower high school graduation rates or college enrollment numbers, and higher chances of unemployment or incarceration.

That’swhy Louisiana Key Academy, anonproﬁt charter school, has sought to bridge the gapfor dyslexicstudents by providing testing and specialized education programsatnocost to parents.Since its launch in Baton Rouge in 2013, the school has assisted hundreds of students andexpanded to additional locationsacross the state.

The Louisiana Key Academy plans to open its ﬁfth and newest location in Jefferson Parish, the largest public school system in the state, for the 20272028 schoolyear. TheLouisianaState Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will vote to approve thenew location in August

“I think every parish in the state

needs aLouisiana Key Academy,” said formerstate Rep. Joe Marino, no party-Gretna.

Dyslexia is alearning disability that affectsa person’sphonological processing, or ability to speak,read and spell. Dyslexia has no visible symptoms,and affectspeople for their entire lives.

Those with dyslexia require specialized education to meet theirneeds, including at least 90 minutes per day of reading instruction. Clinical diagnoses require comprehensive evaluation, including both tests and interviews.

‘What’swrong with me?’

Dr.Laura Cassidy,wife to U.S.Sen. Bill Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge, co-founded theschool with that in mind12years agoafter watching herdaughter, who is dyslexic,struggle at herprivate school.

“We’re spending alot of money,but is this really going to getthe kids where they need to get?” Cassidy recalled.

Cassidy said dyslexic childrentoo oftengoundiagnosedoruntreated, as costs and time constraints associated with the diagnosis,treatment andtutoring for the disability —aswell as stigmas andlack of awareness —make it difﬁcult for parents to accessproper care, especially for those who are economically disadvantaged.

Arecentstudy from SallyShaywitz, co-director of the Yale Center forCreativity andDyslexia,found that about half of children grades K-2 at two New Orleans public charter schools were at-risk of dyslexia, andthat adisproportionate numberofBlack students have dyslexia that goes undiagnosed or untreated.

Cassidy said dyslexic children who fall behind in schoolbecausetheyare undiagnosed can suffer fromconfidenceissues in the classroom, which over time can lead them to drop out as early as middle school.

“You can imagine, if you’re smart butyou’restrugglinginschool,and your classmates arepacing ahead of you, you’re wondering, ‘What’swrong with me?’ ”Cassidysaid. “If you’re not identified as dyslexic, then parents or teachers or administrators can sometimesthink (you)are lazy or not smart ” Those beliefs oftentimes lead to stigmas associated with dyslexia, which causes many to conceal that they have it from others, Cassidy said.

Specializededucation

At LouisianaKey Academy,students are provided with90-minutereading instruction in smallgroupsevery day, with sixstudentsfor every oneteacher.Children are tested for free before enrollment,and several teachers undergo two-year training in language therapy to help students.

Theschool operates under guidance fromShaywitzand her husband, Dr BennettShaywitz, theother co-director for The Yale Center

The Baton Rouge campus serves 440 students in grades ﬁrst through ninth, and won approval in 2022 to add a10th grade.The campus relocatedto5015 Auto Plex Drive last year to accommodatethe change.

In recent years, Key Academy has opened additional locations in Shreveport andCovington,witha learning pod in Ruston opening in the2025-2026 school year

Few other schools in the region cater to dyslexic students, and even fewer provide that education tuition-free. Cassidy said parents commutefrom all over thestate to enrolltheir children at

One idea sparked another.Initial ones included: n Atiny talent show:Each person comes prepared to perform a 30-second “tiny talent” —something odd or delightful. They could deliver aone-line joke. They could makeweird sound effects. They could do amagic trick or balance aspoon on their nose. They could demonstrate speedy origami. The possibilities are endless and applause is mandatory n ASpaghetti Western Film Fest: People wearcowboy hats and we eat Italian food —makeyour-ownpasta bowls. Then guests workasindividuals or in pairs to use their phones to “ﬁlm” short Western scenes using props, tiny plastic cowboys and other small toys. We would then screen the results with popcorn, handing out mock “Oscars.”

n ADIY publishing gathering: Iwould provide paper,pens, scissors, glue and old magazines. Guests makemini-zines out of single pieces of paper,using simple folding techniques. They decorate each page with art, words or collage. At the end of the party,guests will swap zines when everyone is done.

n Make-a-muse gathering: Each guest becomes someone’smuse. Upon arrival, all names go in a hat. Thirty minutes in, we draw names and then each person creates something inspired by the person whose namethey chose —asketch, apoem, acollage or short story.Each person presents their creation at the end of the party

n Throwback to third grade shadow box gathering: Guests come with afavorite book they read/enjoyed and ashoebox. I’ll have somesupplies on hand, and we will each create ashadow box about our book. In true thirdgrade fashion, we will each present our shadow box and tell about our book.

Ultimately,I bypassed these ideas. Iama fanofcelebrating what’sinfront of me. And, in June, mint was calling my name.

(That said, Idointend to put these

STAFF PHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS

Second grade teacher Nicole Havard answers aquestion during aStructured LanguageArtslesson recentlyatLouisiana KeyAcademy in Baton Rouge.

STAFF PHOTO By MAX BECHERER Amintplant is seen in the garden.

Student Zara Williams putsher finger under the wordsofher book while reading aloud.

YouTuber

teaches lesser-known Louisiana history

Lafourche Parish influencer focuses on horror anthology

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

Kyle Crosby knows Louisiana, especially its bayous, and he wants to share his knowledge with the world. While he works as a distiller at Sazerac House in New Orleans, he writes, travels and ﬁlms videos about Louisiana history all over the state.

A Larose native and Nicholls alum, Crosby grew up in Grand Isle and Lafourche Parish. He wants to turn his love for Louisiana history into a 10-episode Louisiana Dread horror anthology series. His YouTube channel Louisiana Dread provides the historical background of towns and events for his eventual series.

How did your Louisiana Dread YouTube channel begin?

In 2017, my dad got sick. He had dementia, so I moved back from Los Angeles to take care of him. Sitting by his bedside, I would read him Louisiana stories, and it would just fascinate the both of us, because we had never heard a lot of them.

From there, I realized that not many people know about these stories globally I worked in tourism for about ﬁve years, and people — from Madagascar all the way to Arizona — love the Louisiana culture, the food, the music, everything.

So I decided to create this online presence of accurate Louisiana history as kind of an appetizer before you watch the main horror series, so you have knowledge of the actual history Now I’m at the point where I’m looking for funding for the hor-

ror series. Then we can finally start making it.

What do you think are some common misconceptions about Louisiana history that you hope to dispel?

People tend to look at the negatives of Louisiana history While there are a lot of important things that need to be studied, they need to be highlighted in a way that’s not romanticizing a time period where people were oppressed. People need to know what went down, what happened.

It’s hard when you have people from a certain age group that come into a place like Louisiana and want to step back in time It’s like, no, it’s not what you should be doing. You should be learning from it.

Progress is based off of the horrors that happened. I want to change the perception of Louisiana as this backwards, hillbillyesque place. It’s definitely not like that at all. Some of the most intelligent people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting are from here.

What kind of responses have you gotten to your Louisiana Dread channel and your videos?

Overwhelmingly positive I’ve gotten children in school watching — their teachers will play some videos, and they’re grateful. I do it in a video format, and very bluntly, I don’t try to use large words and try to sound smart. I don’t know what that says about me. I think it’s really cool that it’s getting kids into history, which has always, no pun intended, historically been a problem. But there are views from children

like that to people my age, who enjoy seeing the gumbo reviews and the history

What really tugs at my heartstrings is when people from the bayou and the island, maybe in their 80s, they’ll write handwritten letters to me, thanking me for bringing our history accurately into the mainstream audience.

Why do you think it’s important for people to preserve south Louisiana’s history?

The elephant in the room is that our culture is disappearing. The land itself is physically disappearing.

I’ve heard it my whole life:

“You lose your land, you lose your life.” That’s what’s happening to us. The language happened about 100 years ago, and it’s starting to make a comeback, thankfully But the land loss is still happening.

It’s a point where, if you are a climate refugee, your greatgrandchild won’t speak the same language as you. The more we keep people on our land longer, we can preserve our culture. We immortalize it through video, because you don’t know what’s in the future.

What sources do you use to find accurate history?

If I’m looking up a story that involves anything from Bayou Lafourche I would go to Nicholls State Archives at Nicholls’ Ellender Memorial Library

When it comes to virtually anywhere around Orleans or Jefferson Parishes, the Williams Research Center in the French Quarter is very helpful. I’ve also gone to the LSU archives and done a little bit of research. I’ll

On your own, discuss ‘James’

Book is the summer choice for Louisiana Inspired

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

Summer is the perfect time for reading and chatting about books. For this summer’s book club selection, “James,” Louisiana Inspired is turning off the camera and microphone and giving the discussion over to the readers.

Instead of a virtual discussion, we’ve compiled discussion questions that can function for small coffee shop talks, ofﬁcial book clubs and casual conversations among friends. Ask a friend to read “James” and then schedule a time to chat, using these questions as a guide. Pick and choose the questions, and let us know your thoughts.

Some of these questions were collected from the Penguin Random House and Booker Prize reading guides.

Questions and Topics for Discussion

n James is a retelling of Mark Twain’s 1885 novel “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” which is widely regarded as a classic work of American literature. Have you read “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” before? How does Everett alter Twain’s original text? Did this reimagination change your perspective on the original novel?

n Twain is well-known for his satirical writing. Where does Everett use humor and satire in “James?” What social and cultural conditions does the novel’s satire mock or critique?

n Reflect on Jim’s narration. Why does he switch between vernacular and standardized English? How did this codeswitching affect your reading experience?

n Describe Huck’s role in the story How does Jim’s fugitive status, as well as race, color, class, age and education, inﬂuence the relationship between the two characters?

n “James” depicts the brutalities of slavery, particularly the violence inﬂicted upon enslaved women and girls, through the stories of Sadie, Lizzie, Sammy and Katie. What are the unique threats that these characters must navigate? How does Jim react to the gendered violence that he encounters?

n Return to Jim’s travels with the minstrel group. What does the novel say about the performance of race? How do blackface minstrelsy and racial pass-

ing complicate or undermine racial classiﬁcation? Can all the characters be seen as performers of race?

n Jim’s quest for freedom parallels his quest for literacy Discuss the key moments on his journey to writing his story. What are the texts that he studies? Who are the characters who give him the tools and encouragement to write?

n Discuss the use of religion and superstition in the story

n “James” features an ensemble of fugitive and enslaved characters How does Everett affirm the humanity of these characters in his writing? Was there one who was particularly memorable to you?

n The Mississippi River is central to the landscape of the novel. What is the role of the river? How did it shape the political landscape of the region and the events of the novel?

n What’s the significance of Jim renaming himself? Why do you think Everett chose to title the novel in this way?

n After reading “James,” can you think of another character from a classic text that you would like to read as the narrator of their own story?

n A central theme in “James” is identity: the identity given to us, versus the one we claim as our own, and the extent to which we reveal our true identity to others. How does “James” explore the tension between these identities, and how does this theme shape James’ journey throughout the novel?

engaging videos and stories.

go to libraries, and I’ll ﬁnd different books speciﬁc to the different town. I do use some online resources through Google searches, and I’ll read through that, but the most accurate is going to be a local library

It’s so important we keep those.

Like the American Italian Research Center at the East Bank Regional Library I wouldn’t have known it, but I went visit to Sal Serio, and I found so many different books about different things that we had never seen online.

How does your channel bring awareness to our state?

People in this state see me as what I am I’m one of them. I’m not an outside inﬂuencer coming in.

I’ve gotten recognized almost every day through either the history or for my gumbo reviews.

“Hey, you’re the gumbo man,”

RISHER

Continued from page 1y

invited a few friends over and suggested they bring something “mint-adjacent.” Meanwhile, one of my daughters suggested that I dry mint leaves and order empty teabags that we could ﬁll on our own. We’ll also make several other mint-inspired dishes, but the mint tea has been a hit at my house. I was surprised how easy it was and had never known it was possible to buy empty teabags! We will have a mojito bar and a few other mint-inspired dishes to try If I can ﬁgure out the logistics

or “I love the history videos,” that kind of stuff. And we speak for a while. And I’m interested in them too, because they’re my people — Black, White, whoever in Louisiana. And I want to talk to them about their shared experience.

It’s really just like sitting on the porch. South Louisiana is your porch, and you can talk to everybody — great stories and a lot of common stories, too. No matter how different you think you may be from your neighbor, you have so much in common, genetically Maybe you’re afraid to meet them, but you should, because they’re family To learn more, visit youtube. com/@LouisianaDread or LouisianaDread.com.

Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

and gather the necessary items, we will make minty bath salt. Truth be told, that detail may or may not come together — and either way is perfectly ﬁne. No one I’ve invited will mind that things aren’t elaborate or perfect — that is not why they are coming. Mint grows wild and generous, appearing in unexpected corners much like laughter, much like good conversation. Reason enough to gather

Do you have a fun idea for a gathering of friends or soon-tobe friends? Send details to Jan Risher at jan.risher@theadvocate. com.

Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

n NPR described “James” as “a startling homage and a new classic in its own right.” In your opinion, does the book have the potential to stand the test of time and be considered a classic? Why or why not?

n Does the novel feel more like a correction, a continuation or a confrontation of Twain’s story?

n What parallels did you notice between the characters’ world and our own?

n What do you think Percival Everett wanted readers to take away from this retelling? Email discussion anecdotes or responses about the novel to joy holden@theadvocate.com or jan. risher@theadvocate.com

Email Joy Holden at joy holden@theadvocate.com.

TOOLS

Continued from page 1y

Louisiana Key Academy, and some parents have even moved from out of state for the education.

“You’re just wondering, ‘Why can’t my child read? Why is my child so unhappy?’” Cassidy said.

“It’s this enigma you’re not getting answers for, and then there is an answer That’s why most parents end up bringing their kids to our school and, in the interview process, cry.”

Statewide change

In addition to her work at the charter school, Cassidy has lobbied for changes to state education policy regarding the identiﬁcation and reporting of dyslexia in public schools.

In 2022, Marino authored legislation to require that all teacher education programs include at least three credit hours pertaining to the education of dyslexic students.

A year later, Cassidy worked with Marino to pass legislation requiring all kindergarten teachers to screen their students for dyslexia at the start of the second semester a law that was expanded last year

to include additional testing.

“Under the current school system, as long as they are able to continue to progress without failing, they don’t identify dyslexia,” Marino said. “You might have a students struggling to get a ‘C’ or ‘D,’ but they aren’t catching them as dyslexic because they haven’t failed a grade Most of these kids aren’t being identiﬁed until they’ve already missed out on the most formative years of their education.”

Cassidy’s husband, chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, has also made dyslexia a key issue on his platform and has sponsored multiple bills seeking to improve accessibility to screening and treatment nationwide.

Marino commended Dr Laura Cassidy for her work in helping students with dyslexia across the state, and with educating him and other policymakers on the subject and its importance.

“She’s a force of nature when it comes to doing good,” Marino said. “I never doubt or underestimate that Dr Cassidy is going to get something done because I’ve seen it over and over again.”

Email Lara Nicholson at lnicholson@theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Kyle Crosby is the founder and host of youTube channel Louisiana Dread that focuses on preserving Louisiana history with

STAFF

PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Fourth grade teacher Olivia LeDuff helps student Aaliyah Williams read a short story on a tablet during a Structured Language Arts lesson recently at Louisiana Key Academy in Baton Rouge.

PROVIDED PHOTO ‘James’ by Percival Everett

PHOTO VIA GETTy IMAGES

Percival Everett has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his novel ‘James.’

LSUengineering students rebuildkids’ crane

KnockKnock Museum’s engineering-inspired attraction up andrunning afterdisrepair

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

Creative problem solving is abedrock element of theKnockKnock Children’sMuseum in Baton Rouge, so when it came time to replace the mechanical crane in the “ByYou Building!” learning zone, the Knock Knock team had to brainstorm ways to get the crane functioningagain After seven years of service and many children’shands later,the beloved giant mechanical crane was in disrepair and kept breaking

“We’re anonproﬁt organization,” said Christina Melton, the executive director of Knock Knock Children’s Museum, “and it’sexpensive for us to try to ﬁx something like this.We got abid that was out of our price range, and so we had to be creative in the way we are encouraging children to solve problems.”

Melton was familiar with the LSU School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering’sSenior CapstoneProgram, which tasks seniorengineering students with real-world design challenges, because her son graduated from there in 2024. Shewent to LSU for help.

Meltonand herteamattended the Capstone Design Fair in August 2024, and she pitched the “Redesign and Rebuild Our Crane” project to the LSU School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.

The project garnered huge interest from the LSU engineering students and, out of 40 pitches, was one of the more sought-after projects in the pitch meeting, competing with the likes of Exxon, Dow Chemical and NASA.

Ateam of engineering seniors —including Caleb Hagen, Patrick Herke, Michael Hotcaveg, Angelina Jorgenson, Emanuel Ochoa and John Leblanc —grabbedthe chance to work on acommunity-driven assignment.

“I was interested becauseI wanted to do this for my little nephew,” said Hagen, the team leader.“He’s just the joy of everybody’slife, so Ireally wanted to make sure that I could have somethingfor,not only him, but others to enjoy foryears to come. It’sall about community

goodwill andseeing the smile on the kids’ faces.”

Theengineering students spent the 2024-2025 school year meeting with the Knock Knock Children’s Museum staff, consulting with exhibitdesigners from aroundthe country, working with BatonRouge engineering ﬁrm Hargrove andAssociates, Inc. and Port Allen fabrication companyFab-Worxtocomplete theproject

“The community came togetherto makeithappen,”Melton said.

Theproject was funded in part by an anonymous donation.Hargrove andAssociates, Inc. provided professional engineering certiﬁcation forthe design and construction, and Fab-Worxdonated the welding and fabrication of the new crane.

Dimitris E. Nikitopoulos, LSU’s Mechanical andIndustrialEngineering DepartmentChair,sponsored the engineeringstudents’project.

Hagen noted that theengineering team’s primary concern wasmaking sure thecrane designwas safe for children and easytooperate. The team worked with acertiﬁed playground safety inspector to ensure they were following everything to theletter of thelaw

With an opening on May22, the newkid-powered crane is an interactive, engineering-inspiredattraction that givesyoung buildersthe power to move, lift andload large foamblocks,teaching them to become mini problem solvers andfuture craneoperators.

The crane helpschildren build gross and ﬁne motor skills andintroduces early engineeringconcepts like forceand motion to the children who operate it.With the newtransparent design, children operating thecranecan see itsinner workings as they activate simple machines likegears,pulleys and levers.

“Wealsowanted to make sure we couldshowoff everything,” Hagen said. “Kidsreally just want to see howthingsmove.Theymight not quite understand howall the gear reductions work,but they can see them.”

The newcrane, largerand sturdier than its predecessor,isalso designed to be durable enough to

withstand the thousands of little hands that will play withitfor years to come.

Melton said all of the young engineers —homegrown Louisiana talent —are atestament to the stellar studentsLSU is putting out. Not only are they skilled, butthe students want to make adifference in the community

“I’ve seen the amount of work on asmall scale that the team has put in,” said Levar Greenhouse, the chair of the Knock Knock Children’s MuseumBoard of Directors andthe ExecutiveCommittee,who visited thelab at LSUduringthe process “I’ve seen the stress. Iknow it had to be hard being asenior trying to graduate, puttingthis project together with sixdifferent team members who have theirown goals and objectives. We really appreciate it.”

Hagen credits the capstone projectwithsupplying hima priceless experience. He had to learn welding standards, how to conduct aproper analysisand learn how to do the machining.

“I wouldn’tbethe same person if Idid not havethis,” he said. “I have learned so muchasa resultofthis. They don’tteach you everything you need to know in engineering, but you’re taught how to be aproblem solver.Wedid areally good job of

powering through, makingsure we couldﬁnd thepeople whoknewthe right answers so we couldget this done.”

Hagen’s4-year-oldnephew was thefirst childtotry outthe new crane. He loved it

STAFF PHOTO By MOLLyBAHLINGER

Caleb Hagen demonstrates kid-safe operation of the KnockKnockMuseum’snew and improvedmechanical crane, for which he led the team of LSU engineering students in itsre-envisioning.Itwas unveiled in aribboncutting ceremonyonMay 22.

PROVIDED PHOTO

LSU SchoolofMechanicaland Industrial Engineering students who designed and built the KnockKnockChildren’sMuseum newcrane are, from left,Angelina Jorgenson, Patrick Herke, Caleb Hagen, Michael Hotcaveg, Emanuel Ochoa and John Leblanc

FAITH & VALUES

Churches hope to tap the power of pickleball

BY BOB SMIETANA Contributing writer

The gym at the Adventure Commons was ﬁlled with sounds of pickleball squeaking sneakers, the thwack of a paddle hitting a ball and cheers from players after a good shot.

A dozen players ﬁlled three courts at the athletic center run by the Adventure Christian Church, located just off exit 315 from Interstate 57 in south suburban Chicago Among those playing pickleball on Wednesday morning (May 14) was Kathy Henricks, a retired real estate agent and member of Adventure Church She’s been playing the game with friends for about four years — and is largely responsible for the church having pickleball.

“I said, ‘How come we don’t have pickleball?’” she told RNS, during a break between games. “And a little while later we had nets and were ready to roll.”

That same question is being asked at churches all over the country from downtown megachurches to smalltown congregations that are hoping to tap into the power of pickleball to build community and bring a little joy to their neighbors About 20 million Americans played pickleball in 2024, according to data from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, and that number continues to grow More than a few play at churches.

Todd Katter, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church’s Huntley campus in the Chicago suburbs, said as many as 150 people have taken part in pickleball events sponsored by the church campus in local venues and in the church parking lot.

“Which was a bad idea,” said Katter, as it turned out the parking lot sloped downward. He called pickleball a “playground” for adults and a new third space where people hang out and make friends — and it appeals to folks from 17 to 70.

“There was an era where people went to Starbucks to hang out, he said. “Now, people drive through and grab a Starbucks and go play pickleball.”

Katter, who picked up the game a few years ago, said pickleball is a great outreach for churches It’s easy to play and is widely popular And it doesn’t take long for people to

At-home

BY MICHELLE CROUCH

Contributing writer

get hooked, because the skill levelto-enjoyment curve isn’t very steep.

“Even if you don’t have a lot of skill, you can still have a lot of fun,” said Katter.

Jason Young, the care and ministry pastor at Hope Community Church in Glenview, Illinois, said sports like pickleball can have both social and spiritual benefits. Young said he started going to church in his 20s, after his brother invited him to join a church volleyball team. At the time, he’d had no interest in religion, but he loved to play volleyball, so he said yes. Over time, he said, being around folks on the team rubbed off on him and he eventually started going to church.

Sports and friendship, he said, opened the door for him to think about faith. “What I appreciated about it was nobody was kind of putting me in the hot seat,” he said.

Hope started offering pickleball a few years ago, when the church, which started during the COVID-19 pandemic, was meeting in a park district building that had a gym. One day, Young said, a church member approached the pastors with the idea of offering a free pickleball clinic. About 40 folks showed up to that ﬁrst clinic, so when Hope moved to a new building, leaders decided to offer pickleball a few days a week.

Kay Seamayer, 85, said she was thrilled when First Baptist Church in Dallas decided to start offering pickleball. Seamayer, a lifelong athlete, had been playing for more than a decade and was a longtime advocate for the game.

Anyone can play it, she said. And

it’s a great way to make friends.

But playing at church did come with a challenge The game draws people of all skill levels, she said, and that meant toning her competitive side down a bit. Which took some prayer, she said, and a message from God.

“You just don’t have to be competitive in everything you do,” said Seamayer, who still plays competitive three-on-three basketball. “So, settle down and help those people who want to play and just play for fun.”

First Baptist runs pickleball as part of the church’s overall sports ministry, with leagues in the fall and winter, said Brent McFadden, minister of sports and outreach. They also offer pickleball during open gym times the church has a pair of courts marked out for pickleball. The sessions start with a short prayer and then a devotional.

Many of the folks who take part in pickleball or other sports aren’t members. But that’s OK, said McFadden. The idea is to offer an easy entry point to the church for folks who might be skeptical of coming to a service.

The Rev Michael Graham, of Gilford Community Church, a progressive congregation in New Hampshire, hopes to give pickleball a try at

some point. Graham got a pickleball racket for his birthday, but knee surgery delayed his debut on the court. Graham sits on the board of the Gilford Youth Center, a nonprofit that operates out of the gym the church built that offers sport programs to the community He was skeptical at first when folks from the community asked about playing pickleball at the center Now the center offers pickleball three days a week.

“Over probably the last four or ﬁve years, pickleball has become so important that now we have three courts,” he said. The Armenian Church of Our Saviour, an Orthodox church in Worcester, Massachusetts, has offered pickleball in the church’s auditorium over the past two winters, said Bryan Davis, a longtime church member Davis, a 72-year-old retired teacher, said a friend from the church had introduced him to pickleball a few years ago — and he played mostly outside. Then his friend came up with the idea of playing in the auditorium, which doubles as a gym and event space.

“He kept on saying, you know, I think we could ﬁt some pickleball courts in the auditorium,” said Davis. “We went up and measured,

and sure enough, we could ﬁt two in there.”

Because the space is used for all kinds of events, the courts could not be permanent Instead, Davis said, church members lay out the courts using a special tape, which takes about a half an hour to lay down — and just a few minutes to clean up afterwards.

About a dozen folks play at the church, paying $5 each — with the funds going to pay for equipment.

“We gave a little money back to the church, too,” he said. “The priest came and played. He loved it. It was just really a lot of fun.”

Terrie Golwitzer started playing pickleball at Adventure two years ago after Henricks invited her to give it a try She watched a few videos online to get some tips, then showed up to play on a Monday After about 10 minutes, she was hooked.

Now she plays three days a week and is in a group chat with friends she’s made there. They often hang out together when they are not playing. And she said pickleball is one place where folks don’t argue about politics, which is a relief, and the game has both social and health beneﬁts.

“Pickleball is about people,” she said.

hospital care for children program ﬁrst of its kind

Editor’s note: This story, created by Michelle Crouch for the Charlotte Ledger, is part of the AP Storyshare. Louisiana Inspired features solutions journalism stories that provide tangible evidence that positive change is happening in other places and in our own communities — solutions that can be adopted around the world

When 6-year-old Mackenzie Conlon was hospitalized with the ﬂu at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital in February, all she wanted was to go home, her mother, Stephanie Conlon, said. Mackenzie, who has complex medical needs due to cerebral palsy, had been ﬁghting high fevers, dehydration and pain so intense her constant crying left her nearly voiceless. Conlon, 46, said she would watch helplessly when her daughter pointed at the hospital door in a plea to leave.

But after ﬁve days of around-theclock hospital treatment, Atrium’s providers offered the family an unexpected alternative: continue Mackenzie’s hospital care at her Charlotte home.

Thanks to Atrium’s new pediatric hospital-at-home program Mackenzie could recover in her own bed, with access to her favorite TV shows, foods and toys, while still receiving hospital-level care. The family jumped at the chance

“As a parent, watching your kid be in a hospital is just the most heartbreaking thing,” Conlon said

“So ﬁnding out that we were able to go home just completely switched the mood This is where all of her favorite things are. For me as a parent, knowing I could sleep in my own bed, knowing I could take a shower, those little comforts made all the difference.”

More comfort for patients

Atrium’s is the ﬁrst hospital-athome initiative in the nation designed specifically for children, the hospital system said. Modeled after similar programs for adults, it combines home visits from para-

medics, remote monitoring and virtual check-ins from doctors and nurses to deliver hospital-like care while patients heal at home.

Today, 142 health systems in 39 states have federal approval to provide home hospital care, including seven in North Carolina: Novant Health, Duke Health, UNC Health, WakeMed, Cone Health and Scotland Memorial Hospital, in addition to Atrium.

For hospitals that are struggling with capacity it gives them a way to open up more beds for the sickest patients

Early research on the adult programs has been promising. A 2024 report to Congress found that most patients were happy with the care they received and that their health outcomes were better than those of similar patients treated in the hospital.

The researchers cautioned that the data was limited and may be skewed by statistical bias. They found that the patients in these programs tended to live in urban areas, tended not to be low-income or on Medicaid, and were more likely to be White. More than a third of hospital-at-home patients nationally had respiratory problems, like Mackenzie

They also noted that the patients who were able to be sent home tended to be “less clinically com-

plex overall.”

In a separate study last year, Harvard Medical School researchers analyzed the cases of more than 5,000 Medicare patients who received hospital home care in 2022 and 2023 and found low rates of mortality and hospital readmissions within 30 days.

Concerns about safety and cost

Critics say that shifting hospital care into the home, especially for kids, is a risky move.

They argue that family members aren’t equipped to handle emergencies, technology can fail or miss subtle signs of a patient’s decline, and that if something goes wrong, help might not arrive fast enough.

(The federal government requires patients to be close enough that the hospital can respond to a change in their condition within 30 minutes.)

“In the hospital, we’re right there with the tools to save a child’s life,” said Michelle Mahon, director of nursing practice at National Nurses United, a California-based nurses group that opposes the programs.

“At home, it could take 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive and that’s too late. It’s alarming that vulnerable infants and children would be placed in this type of precarious program.” Mahon added that hospitals have a ﬁnancial incentive to create the

programs because they can charge the same rates as if the care was happening inside a hospital — including facility fees

A spokesperson for the North Carolina Nurses Association said it isn’t afﬁliated with National Nurses United and that its board of directors hadn’t discussed the hospitalat-home model speciﬁcally or taken a position on it.

More research is needed

Eileen Appelbaum, an economist and co-director of The Center for Economic and Policy Research, agrees there are risks — but she said it comes down to how the programs are designed and run.

“If the decisions are made carefully, if patients are selected carefully, if the parent is able to provide the support the patient needs, and if the family is computer-savvy so they can deal with telehealth connections, then I do think it can be positive,” said Appelbaum, who coauthored a 2023 report analyzing the model.

Appelbaum said more peer-reviewed research is needed to assess the quality and costs of the programs compared to hospital-based care and to set standards for which patients should receive treatment at home and how that care should be billed and administered.

Atrium’s adult hospital-at-home program, one of the largest in the country, serves about 90 adults a day As of mid-April, about 40 children and adolescents had been admitted to the program, said pediatrician Stefanie Reed, the program’s medical director The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive Eventually, she said, Atrium hopes to expand the program to its other hospitals, with a goal of treating 10% of its pediatric patients at home.

To ensure safety, the hospital has speciﬁc criteria about which types of patients are eligible, Reed explained. Some are admitted directly from the emergency room. Others, like Mackenzie, transition after having had some inpatient care. Families always have the choice to stay in the hospital, Reed said.

A new kind of house call

After Mackenzie’s family made the decision to shift to home care, paramedics set up the necessary equipment and visited twice a day, connecting to Mackenzie’s doctors by video while performing a physical exam.

Billy Long 32, the community paramedic who usually visited Mackenzie, used a digital device that allowed the doctor to listen to Mackenzie’s heart and lung sounds and to look into her ear canal and throat

A longtime ambulance paramedic, Long worked part time in an Atrium Health pediatric emergency room before switching to home hospital care. He said his new role is less stressful, and he especially likes working with kids.

As home hospital programs expand, the demand for paramedics like Long — particularly ones with lots of experience — is increasing, creating more competition for a limited pool of workers.

Conlon said being at home, where she and McKenzie could eat their normal foods, go for walks outside and sleep in their own beds, made them both more comfortable.

“I could just curl up in bed with her or do a breathing treatment for her with just the night light and sound machine on — things that are very cozy to her,” she said. It was also reassuring, she said, that her daughter’s health care team was just a click away

“There were so many times where I was texting the nurse at 4 in the morning,” she said. “I always got responses immediately.” Mackenzie was enrolled in the program for three days before she was discharged.

Conlon said knowing home-based care is available will make it easier the next time she has to take Mackenzie to the hospital.

“It really changes your perception because if you do need to go to the ER, you know you have the potential to be home sooner,” she said. “I would do this again in a heartbeat.”

Players join together on one of the pickleball courts set up at Adventure Commons.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Kathy Henricks, one of the founders of the pickleball group at Adventure Commons

PROVIDED PHOTO

A paramedic visits Mackenzie Conlon, 6, connecting her doctor via a video call. Mackenzie was one of the first patients in Atrium Health’s new hospital-at-home program for children.

SUNDAY, JUNe 8, 2025

CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley

SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr

GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters

ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson

ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis

directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

word game

instructions: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

todAY's Word — concAtenAte: konKAT-ih-nit: Linked together

Average mark 39 words

Time limit 60 minutes

Can you find 66 or more words in CONCATENATE?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

Sudoku

The road home

Today’s deal is from a match between a team from China and a team from Trinidad and Tobago.

Attheothertable,thedeclarerfor Trinidad and Tobago made four hearts after the lead of the ace of spades.

The Chinese declarer at this table got the ace of diamonds lead followed by the queen of diamonds. He won with dummy’s king and ran the queen of clubs to West’s king. South ruffed the diamond continuation in hand, and cashed the ace of clubs, seeing the 10 fall from West. This was the position: NORTH

♠ K Q J 8 4 2

♥ Q 9 ♦ Void ♣ Void WEST EAST

♠ A 10 9 5 ♠ 7 6

♥ 8 ♥ K 7 4 2

♦ 9 8 2 ♦ Void ♣ Void ♣ 8 6 SOUTH

♠ Void

♥ A J 10 6 5

♦ Void

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

trump losers. Should South overtakethenineofheartswiththe10 andcashtheace,Eastwouldhave two natural trump winners. The winning play in the given position is to lead a low heart to the queen.Eastwillwinbutcandono damage.

wuzzLes

super Quiz

♣ J 9 7 South led the nine of clubs, ruffed by West and over-ruffed withdummy’squeen.Thedefense had to prevail from this point. If South ran the nine of hearts, he would have to ruff a spade to get to his hand. East would lead another spade when he got the lead and South would have two

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2025 Tribune Content Agency

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Talking is beneficial, but following through will have a massive impact on your reputation and prospects. Choose peace and intelligence over discord and chaos.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Participate in something that brings you joy Reconnecting with old friends or signing up for a course or adventure that is spiritually awakening will have a positive impact on your life and the choices.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Protect your health, position and reputation Refuse to let anyone speak on your behalf. Transparency will save

you from undesirable feedback. Discipline and innovative ideas will lead to positive results.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Be observant, show interest, and listen attentively Bond with people who share your concerns, and offer unifying alternatives.

LIBRA (Sept 23-Oct. 23) Get moving, participate and make your voice heard. Travel, educational pursuits and communication will help you gain momentum and a leadership position.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Emotions will fluctuate, and passion will surface. Channel your energy

into love and romance. Patience is necessary to maintain the status quo.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Go through the proper channels, get approvals and apply for rebates before starting home improvements. Make your space homey and inviting, and enjoy the comfort.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Establish yourself and your beliefs before you commit to donating to or volunteering for an organization to guarantee your objective is a good fit. Don’t make unnecessary compromises.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Do what makes you most comfortable Shift your attention to saving money and selling what you no longer need or use. Make efficiency a priority and find affordable ways to lower your overhead.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Focus on the changes you want to make. The less you share, the easier it will be to achieve your goal. Allowing others to intervene will lead to discord and expenses you should avoid.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Let situations play out before making a move. Acting in haste will backfire, leaving you to clean up the mess. Concentrate on physical and emotional strength.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Stand up and be heard, but first, be sure your thoughts are valid and accurate. Passing along false information will leave you in a precarious position. Change only what’s necessary

goren Bridge

Answers to puzzles

1. Southpaw.2.Defenseman. 3. Court 4. Backboard. 5. Huddle. 6. Dummy.7.Linesman. 8. Break. 9. Double dribble.10. Gridiron.11. Chip. 12. Match penalty.13. Ad court. 14. Dunk. 15.Interception

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

zCourageous people donot fear forgiving,for the sake of peace. —Nelson Mandela

jeFF mACnelly’sshoe/ by Gary Brookins &Susie MacNelly

FoXtrot/ by BillAmend