ABOVE: Afloat rider tosses ahandful of candy during theKrewe of Comogo paradeinPlaquemine on Sunday MIDDLE RIGHT: Arider hands atoy to achildduring the Krewe of Comogo parade on Sunday BOTTOM RIGHT: The royal court float of King FrankCorcoran and Queen Britney Templerolls on Sunday duringthe inaugural Zachary MardiGras Parade.
WhiteHouse and lawmakersclash on oversight
BY AAMER MADHANI Associated Press
that has led to apause in funding forthe Department of Homeland Security Apartial government shutdown beganSaturdayafter congressional Democrats and PresidentDonald Trump’steam failed to reacha deal on legislation to fund the department through September.Democrats are demanding changes tohow immigration operations areconducted after the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens AlexPretti and
ReneeGood by federal officers in Minneapolis last month. Congress is on recess until Feb. 23, and both sides appear dug into theirpositions. The impasse affects agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, theFederal Emergency Management Agency,U.S.CoastGuard, the Secret Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Customsand Border Protection. The work at ICE and CBP goes
on unabatedbecause Trump’stax andspending cut lawfrom2025 providedbillions more to those agencies that can be tapped for deportation operations. About 90%ofDHS employees were to continue working during the shutdown, but do so without pay —and missed paycheckscould mean financialhardships. Last year therewas arecord43-day government shutdown.
ä see SHUTDOWN, page 6A
statefunds helped schoolsinstall devices
BYELYSE CARMOSINO staff writer
Cameras will now record what happens in special education classrooms in public schoolsacrossLouisiana under anew law meant to protect studentswithdisabilitiesthat required the cameras to start rolling this month.
Act479, which thestate Legislature passed in 2025, requires public schoolstoput at least one camera in each classroom where moststudents receive special education services foratleast half of the day.Feb. 1was the deadline forschool districts to install the devices.
Familieswill be able to request footage if they believe their child has been abused or neglected while in the school’scare.
The push forclassroom cameras began after aSt. Tammany Parish parent said her nonverbal 5-yearold sonwas verbally and physically abused by school staffers.
The family sued the school district and worked with lawmakers to introduce legislation in 2022 requiring districts to install cameras in special educationclassrooms if aparentrequested them
However,some parents said their requests weredenied or schools took longer to respond than the legislation allowed, saidAshley McReynolds, program director at TheArc of
ä see CAMERAS, page 4A
East Feliciana
BY CHARLESLUSSIER staff writer
Twodecades ago, the East Feliciana Parish school district shifted to afour-day school week. Seven years later,the district discontinued it and reverted to atraditional five-day school week. Aftera 13-year hiatus, it is trying the four-day week once again. Starting in August, classes will run Tuesday through Friday,with Mondays off. Each school daywill be an hour longer Back in 2006, the only four-day district in Louisiana was neighboring St. Helena Parish. Ahandful of individualschools across the state also had shortened weekly schedules, but alot has changed in the past 20 years. Currently,15school districts hold classesonly four days each week.That’snearlyaquarter of the 4-dayweeks
ä see SCHOOLS, page 4A
U.S. military boards
another oil tanker
WASHINGTON U.S. military forces boarded another sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the vessel from the Caribbean Sea in an effort to target illicit oil connected to Venezuela, the Pentagon said Sunday Venezuela had faced U.S. sanctions on its oil for several years relying on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains.
President Donald Trump ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers in December to pressure then-President Nicolás Maduro before Maduro was apprehended in January during an American military operation.
Several tankers fled the Venezuelan coast in the wake of the raid, including the ship that was boarded in the Indian Ocean overnight. The Defense Department said in a post on X that U.S. forces boarded the Veronica III, conducting “a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding.”
“The vessel tried to defy President Trump’s quarantine hoping to slip away,” the Pentagon said. “We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance, and shut it down.”
Video posted by the Pentagon shows U.S. troops boarding the tanker The Veronica III is a Panamanian-flagged vessel under U.S. sanctions related to Iran, according to the website of the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. The Panama Maritime Authority said Sunday in a brief statement that the ship was no longer registered there and had been canceled in December 2024.
The Veronica III left Venezuela on Jan. 3, the same day as Maduro’s capture, with nearly 2 million barrels of crude and fuel oil, TankerTrackers.com posted Sunday on X. Trump: Board of Peace to unveil Gaza pledges
WEST PALM BEACH,Fla.— President Donald Trump said Sunday that members of his newly created Board of Peace have pledged $5 billion toward rebuilding warravaged Gaza and will commit thousands of personnel to international stabilization and police forces for the territory
The pledges will be formally announced when board members gather in Washington on Thursday for their first meeting, he said.
“The Board of Peace will prove to be the most consequential International Body in History, and it is my honor to serve as its Chairman,” Trump said in a social media posting announcing the pledges.
He did not detail which member nations were making the pledges for reconstruction or would contribute personnel to the stabilization force. But Indonesia’s military said Sunday that up to 8,000 of its troops are expected to be ready by the end of June for a potential deployment to Gaza as part of a humanitarian and peace mission It’s the first firm commitment that the Republican president has received.
Brazilian town throws Carnival mud party
PARATY, Brazil Revelers heading to Carnival parties in Brazil typically don colorful, skimpy outfits and splatter glitter everywhere, but near an old colonial town in the south of the country people cover themselves in something very different — mud
Partakers in this unusual Carnival party in Paraty drape gray sludge on themselves and roll around in the silty shallows of a beach, forming a unified mass.
“Everyone is kind of the same. Those who have money and those who don’t: everyone comes here to jump into the mud,” said Charles Garcia Pessoa, a 37-yearold entrepreneur Under a blazing sun, the mudcovered partygoers danced and grunted cavemen chants “Uga! Uga!” — while marching along the sand, accompanied by musicians.
The tradition started in 1986, according to Paraty’s tourism site. Friends were playing in the mangroves at Jabaquara Beach, and realized they weren’t recognizable. They went strolling into the city’s historic center and caused a stir
Authorities say DNA matches that from masked person
BY JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated Press
A glove containing DNA found about 2 miles from the house of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother appears to match those worn by a masked person outside her front door in Tucson the night she vanished, the FBI said Sunday
The glove, discovered in a field beside a road, was sent for DNA testing. The FBI said in a statement that it received preliminary results Saturday and was awaiting official confirmation. The development comes as law enforcement gathers more potential evidence as the search for Guthrie’s mother heads into its third week. Authorities had previously said they had not identified a suspect.
On Sunday night, Guthrie posted an Instagram video in which she issued an appeal to whoever abducted her mother or anyone who knows where she is being kept. “It is never too late to do the right thing,” Guthrie said. “And we are here. And we believe in the essential goodness of every human being, that it’s never too late.”
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her Arizona home on Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day. Authorities say her blood was found on the front porch Purported ransom notes were sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for pay-
ing have passed.
The discovery was revealed days after investigators had released surveillance videos of the masked person outside Guthrie’s front door A porch camera recorded video of a person with a backpack who was wearing a ski mask, long pants, jacket and gloves.
On Thursday, the FBI called the person a suspect. It described him as a man about 5 feet, 9 inches tall with a medium build.
The agency said he was carrying a 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack” backpack.
Late Friday night, law enforcement agents sealed off a road about 2 miles from Guthrie’s home as part of their investigation A series of sheriff’s and FBI vehicles, including forensics vehicles, passed through the roadblock.
The investigators also tagged and towed a Range Rover SUV from a nearby restaurant parking lot late Friday The sheriff’s department later said the activity was part of the Guthrie investigation but no arrests were made.
On Tuesday, sheriff deputies detained a person for questioning during a traffic stop south of Tucson. Authorities didn’t say what led them to stop the man but confirmed he was released. The same day deputies and FBI agents conducted a court-authorized search in Rio Rico, about an hour’s drive south of the city.
Authorities have expressed concern about Nancy Guthrie’s health because she needs vital daily medicine. She is said to have a pacemaker and have dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.
Northeast gets reprieve from bitter cold
By The Associated Press
ATLANTA A weekend storm system
sweeping across the Southeast brought tornado warnings to Mississippi and Louisiana, and then took aim at parts of Georgia and Florida, as people in the Northeast were finally getting a reprieve from weeks of bitterly cold temperatures.
Some of the fiercest weather in the South was reported near Lake Charles, where high winds from a thunderstorm overturned a horse trailer and a Mardi Gras float, damaged an airport jet bridge and flung the metal awning from a house into power lines. The damage was documented by National Weather Service employees who surveyed the area.
Power poles were snapped and toppled near Jena, Cheneyville and Donaldsonville, the weather service reported.
No deaths or serious injuries were reported, but the damage reports came as the storm system continued into parts of south Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, which were under tornado watches on Sunday.
The storms led to some power outages across southern states, but nowhere near the massive number of outages caused by ice storms late last month in northern Mississippi and Nashville, Tennessee. By Sunday evening, a few thousand customers were still without electricity in Florida, Louisiana, Kentucky and Virginia, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide
Meanwhile, the Northeast was beginning to thaw after a weekslong stretch of uncommonly cold weather
Boston was running nearly 7 degrees below average for February last week, and the city was on pace for its coldest winter in more than a decade. Boston re-
a
mained cold on Sunday but this week’s forecast called for temperatures climbing into the high 30s and low 40s, which is closer to the seasonal average.
On the West Coast, much of California braced for a powerful winter storm that was expected to bring drenching thunderstorms, damaging winds and heavy snow in mountain areas. Jacob Spender a weather service meteorologist in Sacramento, urged people to take precautions in the coming days.
“So if they are traveling, packing winter safety kits. Anything to be prepared. This is a bigger system, and a major system,” Spender said. Rain that began Sunday in the San Francisco Bay Area was forecast to intensify throughout the day and overnight, bringing the risk of flooding. Forecasters said the Sierra Nevada, including ski resorts around Lake Tahoe could see up to seven feet of snow before the storm moves through late Wednesday
To the south, Los Angeles area residents in some neighborhoods scarred by last year’s devastating wildfires were under an evacuation warning through Tuesday because of the potential for mud and debris flows. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she’s ordered emergency crews and city departments to prepare to respond to any problems.
Border czar says more immigration agents to depart Twin Cities
BY BEN FINLEY Associated Press
WASHINGTON White House border czar Tom Homan
said Sunday that more than 1,000 immigration agents have left Minnesota’s Twin Cities area and hundreds more will depart in the days ahead as part of the Trump administration’s drawdown of its immigration enforcement surge.
A “small” security force will stay for a short period to protect remaining immigration agents and will respond “when our agents are out and they get surrounded by agitators and things got out of control,” Homan told CBS’ “Face the Nation.” He did not define “small.” He also said agents will keep investigating fraud allegations as well as the anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a church service.
“We already removed well over 1,000 people, and as of Monday Tuesday, we’ll remove several hundred more,” Homan said. “We’ll get back to the original footprint.”
Thousands of officers were sent to the Minneapolis and St. Paul area for U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s “Operation Metro Surge.” The Department of Homeland Security said it was its largest immigration enforcement operation ever and proved successful. But the crackdown came under increasing criticism as the situation grew more volatile and two U.S. citizens were killed.
Protests became common. A network of residents worked to help immigrants, warn of approaching agents or film immigration officers’ actions. The shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers drew condemnation and raised questions over officers’ conduct, prompting changes to the operation. Homan announced last week that 700 federal officers would leave Minnesota immediately, but that still left more than 2,000 in the state. He said Thursday that a “significant drawdown” was already underway and would continue through this week. Homan said enforcement would not stop in the Twin Cities and that mass deportations will continue across the country Officers leaving Minnesota will report back to their stations or be assigned elsewhere. When asked if future deployments could match the scale of the Twin Cities operation, Homan said “it depends on the situation.”
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state media says meeting to be held
By The Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates
Iran’s top diplomat was traveling Sunday from Tehran to Geneva, where the second round of nuclear negotiations with the U.S. will take place, Iranian state media reported.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation left for the Swiss city after the first round of indirect talks took place in Oman last week. Oman will mediate the talks in Geneva, the IRNA state-run news agency reported on its Telegram channel.
Similar talks last year broke down after Israel launched what became a 12day war on Iran, that included the U.S. bombing Iranian nuclear sites.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to use force to compel Iran to agree to constrain its nuclear program. Iran has said it would respond with an attack of its own. Trump has also threatened Iran over its deadly crackdown on recent nationwide protests.
Gulf Arab countries have warned that any attack could spiral into another regional conflict.
The Trump administration has maintained that Iran can have no uranium enrichment under any detail, which Tehran says it will not agree to.
Iran continues to insist that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but officials however have increasingly threatened to pursue a nuclear weapon. Before the war in June, Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity just a short technical step away from weapons-grade levels.
Araghchi is also expected to meet with his Swiss and Omani counterparts, as well as the director general of the U.N.’s atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency
Earlier on Sunday, U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington remains interested in a diplomatic solution to ending its differences with Tehran, and that President Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were currently traveling for the new round of talks.
Trump said Friday the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft car-
rier, was being sent from the Caribbean to the Mideast to join other military assets the U.S. has built up in the region He also said a change in power in Iran “would be the best thing that could happen.”
Rubio said recent military
deployments in the Middle East were a protective measure aimed at shoring up the defenses of U.S. facilities and interests Iran has threatened to attack U.S. bases in the region if Washington decides to strike. Tehran in June attacked the
Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, though no American or Qatari personnel were harmed.
“No one’s been able to do a successful deal with Iran, but we’re gonna try,” said Rubio at a news conference after meeting with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert
Fico in Bratislava. “We are focused on negotiations.”
Trump in recent weeks has suggested that his priority is for Iran to scale back its nuclear program, while Iran has said it wants talks to solely focus on the nuclear program. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who earlier this week met with Trump in Washington, has been pressing for a deal that would neutralize Iran’s ballistic missile program and end its funding for proxy groups such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Israeli prime minister said in a speech Sunday that any deal between the U.S. and Iran must make sure that “all enriched material has to leave Iran.” It remains unclear how much influence Netanyahu will have over Trump’s policy on Iran. Trump initially threatened to take military action over Iran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month, but then shifted to a pressure campaign in recent weeks to try to get Tehran to make a deal over its nuclear program. Associated Press writers Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut and Areej Hazboun in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
By The Associated Press
A Ukrainian drone strike ignited fires at one of Russia’s Black Sea ports, officials said Sunday, ahead of fresh talks aimed at ending the nearly 4-year-old war
Two people were wounded in the attack on the port of Taman in the Krasnodar region, which damaged an oil storage tank, warehouse and terminals according to regional Gov Veniamin Kondratyev Meanwhile, falling debris
from Russian drones damaged civilian and transport infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region, officials said, causing disruption to the power and water supply. Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes on Russian energy sites aim to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to pursue its full-scale invasion. Russia wants to cripple the Ukrainian power grid, seeking to deny civilians access to heat, light and running water in what Kyiv officials say is an attempt to
“weaponize winter.”
The attacks came ahead of another round of U.S.-brokered talks between envoys from Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday and Wednesday in Geneva, just before the fourth anniversary of the allout Russian invasion of its neighbor on Feb. 24.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested there were still questions remaining over future security guar-
phase out use of fillings containing mercury
BY GRAHAM LEE BREWER and SAVANNAH PETERS Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE,N.M.— The federal agency that provides health care to Native Americans and Alaska Natives has announced it will phase out the use of dental fillings containing mercury The Indian Health Service has used fillings, known as dental amalgams, that contain elemental mercury to treat decayed and otherwise damaged teeth for decades Native American rights and industry advocates have called for an end to the practice, arguing it exposes patients who may not have access to private dentistry to a harmful neurotoxin.
The use of mercurycontaining amalgams, also known as “silver fillings” due to their appearance, has declined sharply since 2009 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reclas-
Olympics
BY RYAN PEARSON and PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press
LOS ANGELES Casey Wasserman, the chair of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee, is selling his eponymous talent agency in the wake of the release of emails between himself and Ghislaine Maxwell. Wasserman’s emails with Maxwell were revealed by his appearance in recently released government files on Jeffrey Epstein. Wasserman, whose agency represents some of the top pop music artists in the world, has not been accused of any wrongdoing The recently released documents revealed that in
sified the devices from low to moderate risk. The industry has largely abandoned them in favor of plastic resin alternatives, which are also preferred for aesthetic reasons.
and prevents harm before it starts,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr said in a statement
antees for his country Zelenskyy also questioned how the concept of a free trade zone — proposed by the U.S — would work in the Donbas region, which Russia insists Kyiv must give up for peace. He said the Americans want peace as quickly as possible and that the U.S. team wants to sign all the agreements on Ukraine at the same time, whereas Ukraine wants guarantees for the country’s future security signed first. Zelenskyy’s concerns
were echoed by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a ranking member of the U.S Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“Unless we have real security guarantees on whatever peace agreement is ultimately determined, we are going to be here again, because one of the things we know is that Russia has geared up not just for Ukraine, but to go beyond Ukraine,” she told reporters in Munich on Sunday European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas
said Russia was hoping to win diplomatically what it had failed to achieve on the battlefield, and was banking on the U.S. to deliver concessions at the negotiating table. But Kallas told the Munich conference Sunday that key Russian demands — including the lifting of sanctions and unfreezing of assets — were decisions for Europe.
“If we want a sustainable peace then we need concessions also from the Russian side,” she said.
The Indian Health Service says it will fully implement the move to mercury-free alternatives by 2027 Already, the percentage of the Indian Health Service’s roughly 2.8 million patient user population receiving them has declined from 12% in 2005 to 2% in 2023, the latest year of available data, agency documents show.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees IHS, said growing environmental and health concerns about mercury exposure, and global efforts to reduce materials containing the hazardous heavy metal prompted the change announced this month.
“This is a common sense step that protects patients
The agency’s switch to mercury-free alternatives also upholds legal responsibilities the U.S. government has to the 575 federally recognized tribes, he said.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, dental amalgam fillings can release small amounts of mercury vapor during placement, removal, teeth grinding and gum chewing. It recommends that certain people at high risk for adverse effects of mercury exposure, including pregnant women, children under 6, and those with existing neurological conditions avoid the fillings. But the administration, along with the American Dental Association, says available evidence does not link mercury-containing fillings to long-term negative health outcomes.
2003 he swapped flirtatious emails with Maxwell, who would years later be accused of helping Epstein recruit and sexually abuse his victims. Wasserman said in a Friday evening memo to his staff that he has begun the process of selling the company, according to a company spokesperson who provided the memo to The Associated Press. Wasserman’s memo to staff said that he felt he had become a distraction to the company’s work
“During this time, Mike Watts will assume day-today control of the business while I devote my full attention to delivering Los Angeles an Olympic Games in 2028 that is worthy of this
outstanding city,” the memo stated.
The memo arrived days after the LA28 board’s executive committee met to discuss Wasserman’s appearance in the Epstein files. The committee said it and an outside legal firm conducted a review of Wasserman’s interactions with Epstein and Maxwell with Wasserman’s full cooperation.
The committee said in a statement: “We found Mr Wasserman’s relationship with Epstein and Maxwell did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented.” The statement also said Wasserman “should continue to lead LA28 and deliver a safe and successful games.”
Louisiana, an organization that advocatesfor people with disabilities.
Now,the new law requires cameras in all special education classrooms, regardless of whether parents request them.
“There was no reason for districts to be denyingparental requests,” McReynolds said, “so we came back with asolidmandate.”
Schools have had since June to put up the cameras. They were able to tap$8million in state funds provided by the 2022 law
Even before the new law passed, some districts already had taken the initiative to place cameras in every special educationclassroom, even without parental requests, McReynolds said. Others just recently completed the installations. Around 1,600 classrooms across the state were expected to need the devices. Jefferson Parish schools
districts in Louisiana. They tendtobesmaller,rural school systems. They range fromCatahoula Parish, home to about 800students, to Acadia Parish, with about 9,000 students.
Like East Feliciana Parish, districts such as Avoyelles and Evangeline parishes have repeatedlyswung back and forth.
Keepingteachershappy
Four-day school weeks have clearly increased in popularity nationwide since the COVID pandemic. For instance, in Texas, the number of schools using such aweek increased from 30 pre-pandemic to more than 500 today
In Louisiana, all but three of the 15 districts with fourday weeks have adopted them since 2020. Many of them did so to attract and retain teachers during a time of historic teacher shortages.
In aDecember2023poll, Education Week found that two-thirds of the educators responding would be more willing to accept ajob offer from adistrict that operated under afour-day workweek.
That attractiveness for teachers and otherschool employees is akey reason behind East Feliciana’sreversion to afour-day week.
“This Monday makes a difference. It makes adifference for us to get things in order thatneedtobe in order,” said Schokeata Matthews. Matthews, aveteran fifth grade teacher,spoke at the Feb. 3parishSchoolBoard meeting where the shift to four days aweek was approved.She saidshe’s worked both the traditional andthe shortened week.
In response to shortages, almost every school district
spent$4millioninstalling cameras in 300 of its classrooms, adistrict spokesperson toldVerite News. New Orleansspent $514,000 on cameras throughout its 66 charter schools, aNOLA Public Schools spokesperson said.
What thelaw requires
All Louisianapublic schools, including charter schools, must install at least one microphone-equipped camera inevery special education classroom that is required to be recording at all times.
Eachdistrict mustestablish its own camera policies, includinghow toprotect students’ privacy and who can access therecordingand under what circumstances. School systems must submit their policiestothe state Education Department.
The law prohibits camerasfrombeing placed insiderestrooms or any areas where students may change or remove clothing. Schoolsare required to hold onto thefootagefor 30 days, and administratorsmust let
in the statehas boosted pay over thepast fewyears For instance, in 2024, East Feliciana approved a$7,000 teacher payraise,making it morecompetitive inthe Baton Rouge region. But school leaders decided they needed to do more.
Megan Phillips,principalofJackson Elementary School,usedtooppose a four-day week,but nowsupports the idea. She recalls that she and other school staff in 2013 supportedgoing back toafive-day week.
“The reason I’minfavor this time (ofa four-day week) is the very last time I had 100% certified teachers was the last year before the change,” Phillipssaid. “I did not fully understand how powerful it was for teacher recruitment ”
‘Student-centered’ Theresearch over the past few decadesonthe impact of afour-day week has been mixed.
In areviewof11studies published in June, theUniversity of Oregon found that overall “therewas no evidence of large positive effects.” The schoolsthat fared best,though, did not cut back on overalltimein class.
“Maintaining instructional hours is importantfor minimizing negative impacts on student achievement,” accordingtothe analysis.
East Feliciana Parish’s newly approved 2026-27 school calendar has students return from summer break aday later than they would otherwise —Tuesday,Aug. 11 —and students end their year aweeklater —Thursday, May28.
Students will be in class for 1,480 fewer instructional minutes —about 24 hours— than theywouldhave under afive-day-a-week calendar Yetthey will still receive 1,600 more minutes of class time —almost 27hours— than thestate minimum
“Everythingweare going
parents knowifa camerais expected to be out of commission formore than two consecutive days. The law doesn’trequire that the cameras be con-
stantlymonitored,but says each school’sprincipal or other governing authority must “verify periodically” that the cameras are working.
Usingfootage
Only superintendents or theirdesignees, astudent’s legal guardian or law enforcement canrequest to view recordings.
School districts get to determine under what circumstances parents can request the footage. For example in Plaquemines Parish, eligible partiescan asktosee the footage when they suspect a student has been neglected or abused, physically or sexually,including by adistrict employee.
Anyone who watches the footageand suspects it shows violations of stateorfederal law is required to report the incident to the appropriate agency
Without actually sharing the footage with staff members, school administrators could potentially incorporate lessons learned from recorded incidents into staff training, McReynolds said.
Cameras “open up an opportunity for education and additional professional development around de-escalation techniques andbehaviorin-
tervention strategies,” she said.
Incident reports
Thelaw goesfar beyond requiring classroom cameras. It also mandates that school employeesfile detailed incident reports whenever achild with disabilities is restrained, bans the use of “mechanical restraints” such as straps and handcuffs, and requires that aschool nurse or other qualified employee visit with any student who has been secluded. School staffers also must be trained in how to de-escalate conflicts, determine when students are at risk of harmingthemselves or others and how to safely restrain students.
State Rep. Shane Mack, R-Livingston, who authored thebill, said theaim is to ensure that thereare “good policies and procedures” in place to protect some of Louisiana’s mostvulnerablestudents.
“As aparent,” he said, “you just love your children more than anything in life and want what’sbest forthem.”
In 2020, Red River adopted acalendar where its school year ended amonth later than itspeers. That means ashorter summer, but also longer fall and spring breaks. The shorter six-week summer break is meant to curb summer learningloss, especially among children living in poverty.Such calendars are sometimes called “full year”calendars. RedRiver, however,leaders prefer to callita “balanced” calendar.
to share with you tonight is student-centered, with studentsinmind,” said East Feliciana Parish Superintendent Keisha Netterville when she presented the four-day schedule at the Feb.3meeting.
Thenew bell schedule calls forstudents to start class at 7:15 a.m. —15minutes earlier than now —and finish up theday at 3:45 p.m. —45minuteslater than now. Nettervillesaid thecurrent school day is tooshort to “make sure that students have those foundational standards that they need to be successful.”
“We’re cramming things in. We’retrying to cram in Tier 1(curricula),” Netterville said. “We’re trying to cram in interventions. And we run out of time.”
Echoing Netterville, East Feliciana High School
Principal Candace Bailey saidthe change should help teachersavoid falling
kids won’tbeinclass.
behind. She said it’scommon for aone-day lesson to stretch across two days.
“We’realways fighting against thecalendar,the pacing guide,”Bailey said.
Saving money?
Saving money is also a commonreason school districts shift to afour-day week. The savings come largely from reduced student transportation andenergy consumption.
Costsavings was aprimary driver in 2006 when East Feliciana first madethat shift. In 2013, when it went back to afive-dayweek,the district estimated it would cost an additional $150,000 ayear.Districtleadersestimate that thelatestchange would bring “minor operational cost savingsintransportation and facilities.”
Amajor reason for the limited savings is that Mondays in East Feliciana will remain an active day,even though
Six Mondays —three each semester —will be full-day staffdevelopmentdays.
Netterville expressed hope that these days will be more productive than traditional staff development, which typically occurs at the beginning or end of semesters or during half-days when teachers teach the first half of the day Also on Mondays, the district will use its federal after-school funding to provide free “high-quality enrichmentprogramming,” complete with breakfast andlunch. East Feliciana students will also participate in truancy,discipline and credit recovery programs that day each week.
Creative calendar
The Red River and St. Helena parish school districts have developed custom calendars for their respective districts.
St. Helena Parish dropped the four-day school week aboutadecadeago.Longtime Superintendent Kelli Joseph said she wasunhappy with theresulting long school days that began at 7:30 a.m.and ran until 4:30 p.m. “That was waytoo long forkids to be in school like that,especially for little kids,” Josephsaid. Instead, Josephhas slowly developed aSt. Helena calendarthatlookslike none of its neighbors. In 2021, Joseph dropped spring break in favor of multiple Fridays off, giving employees aseries of long weekends. In 2023, she addeda complementary seriesofMondays offfrom August through October November andDecember, however, remain fivedays aweek
Theschool dayisfrom 8a.m. to 3:30 p.m., about30 minuteslonger than your averageschool,but notas long as it waspreviously Joseph saidshe continues to tinker with the calendar to give teachers moredays off, but not going toofar “We’re meeting the state requirements, I’m ensuring that our kids have quality instruction, andI’m ensuring that teachers getwhat they’ve requested,” Joseph said.
Email Charles Lussier at clussier@theadvocate. com.
Ultra-orthodox protests eruptover Israelimilitary servicelaws
BY SAMY MAGDYand MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press
CAIRO— One ofGaza‘s last functioninglarge hospitals condemned the decision by Doctors Without Bordersto pull out of operations over concerns aboutarmed men, claiming on Sunday that the facility had installed civilian police for security
The rare public friction between two well-known health care providers in Gaza came as the Palestinian death toll since the current ceasefire surpassed 600. At least 11 Palestinians werekilled by Israeli firein the last 24 hours, hospitals said.
Doctors Without Borders, also known by its acronym MSF,said in astatement Saturday that all its noncritical medical operations at Nasser Hospital were suspended due to security breaches that posed “serious” threats to its teams and patients. MSF saidthere had been an increase in patients and staff seeing armed men in parts of the compound since the U.S.-brokered October ceasefire was reached.
Nasser Hospital said Sunday the increase in armed men was due to acivilian police presence aimed at protecting patients and staff andsaid MSF’s“allegations are factually incorrect, irresponsible and poseaserious risk to aprotected civilian medical facility.”
Hundreds of patients and war-wounded have been treated daily at Nasser Hospital in thesouthern city of Khan Younis, and the facility was ahub forPalestinian prisonersreleased byIsrael in exchange for Israelihostages as part of the current ceasefire deal.
MSF said its teams had reported “a pattern of unacceptableactsincluding the presence of armed men, intimidation, arbitrary arrests of patients andarecentsituation of suspicion of movement of weapons.” The suspension occurred in January but was onlyrecently announced.
Nasser Hospitalstaff say that in recent months it has been repeatedlyattacked by masked, armedmen andmilitias, which is why the presence of an armed civilian police force is crucial.
Hamas remains the dominant forceinareasofGaza not under Israeli control, including thearea where Nasser Hospital is located.
But other armed groups have mushroomed as aresult of the war,including groupsbacked by Israel’s army in the Israeli-controlled part of the strip.
Israel’s military saidit had intelligence that Nasser Hospital is being used as a headquartersand military post for senior Hamas officials, withoutprovidingevidence. It called MSF’smove “an important decision, but onethat comes too late.”
Throughout thewar,which began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has repeatedly struck hospitals, including Nasser,accusing themilitant group of operating in or around them. Hamasse-
curitymen often have been seen inside hospitals,blocking access to some areas.
Some hostages released from Gazahave saidthey spent time during captivity in ahospital, including Nasser Hospital.
At least 11 Palestinians were killedSundaybyIsraeli fire in Gaza, hospital authorities said.
The dead include five men in their 20s who were killed in theeastern partofKhan Younis, according toNasser Hospital, which received the bodies. The strike hit a group of people close to the Yellow Line that separates Israeli-controlled areas from therest of Gaza, it said.
Rami Shaqra said his son, al-Baraa, was among the militants securing the area from potential attacks by
Israeli forces or Israelibacked armed groups when they were hit. He said they were killed by an airstrike.
“They were in the area they say is safe,” Shaqra said.
Associated Press footage from the morgue showed at leasttwo of the men had headbands denoting membership in the QassamBrigades, the militant arm of Hamas.
In northern Gaza, adrone strike hit agroupofpeople in the Falluja area of Jabaliya refugeecamp, killing five people, according to Shifa Hospital.Aseparate drone strike killed aman in Gaza City,according to the hospital.
Israel’smilitary said it had carriedout multiple strikes in response to several cease-
fire violations near the Yellow Line, including militants attempting to hide in debris andothers whoattemptedto cross the line while armed.
TheU.S.-brokered ceasefire deal that took effect Oct. 10 attempted to halt morethantwo yearsofwar between Israel andHamas.
Whilethe heaviest fighting has subsided, the ceasefire has seen almost daily Israeli fire.
BY EMMA BURROWS and GEIR MOULSON
Associated Press
MUNICH Atop European Union official on Sunday rejected the notion that Europe faces“civilizational erasure,” pushing back at criticismofthe continent by the Trump administration.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas addressed theMunich Security Conference aday after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a somewhat reassuring message to European allies. He struck aless aggressive tone than Vice PresidentJD Vance did in lecturingthem at the same gathering last year but maintained afirm tone on Washington’sintent to reshape the trans-Atlantic alliance and push its policy priorities.
in the U.S. national security strategy released in December,which asserted that economic stagnation in Europe “is eclipsed by the real and more stark prospect of civilizational erasure.” It suggested that Europeisbeing enfeebledbyits immigration policies, declining birthrates, “censorship of free speech andsuppression of political opposition”and a“loss of national identities and self-confidence.”
“Contrary to what some may say, woke, decadent Europe is not facing civilizational erasure,”Kallas told the conference. “In fact, people still want to join our club and not just fellow Europeans,”she added, saying she wastold when visiting Canadalast yearthat many peoplethere have an interest in joining the EU.
Kallas rejected what she called “European-bashing.”
“Weare, you know,pushing humanityforward, trying to defendhuman rights and all this, which is actually bringing also prosperity for people.Sothat’swhy it’s
very hard for me to believe these accusations.”
In his conference speech, Rubio said that an end to the trans-Atlantic era“is neither ourgoal norour wish,” adding that“our homemay be in the Western Hemisphere, but we will always be achild of Europe.”
He made clear that the Trump administrationis sticking to its guns on issues such as migration, trade andclimate. And European officials whoaddressedthe gathering made clear that they in turn willstand by theirvalues, includingtheir approach to free speech, climate change and free trade.
British Prime Minister KeirStarmer said Saturday thatEurope must defend “the vibrant,free and diverse societies thatwerepresent, showingthatpeople who look differenttoeach other can live peacefully together,that this isn’t against thetenor of our times.”
“Rather,itiswhatmakes us strong,”hesaid.
Kallas said Rubio’sspeech sent an important message that America andEurope are andwill remainintertwined.
Kallas alluded to criticism
Militantshavecarried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to that and other violations. FourIsraeli soldiers have been killed.
In Israel,two femaleIsraelisoldiers were rescued from riotsinthe ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak. Footage showstwo soldiers being hurried away by police from thousands of ultraOrthodox menrunning after them and yelling.
Many in Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community are furiousoverlaws thatmay force themtoserve in the Israeli military, holding frequent protests.
Israeli policesaid the soldiers wereperforming awelfare visit but hadnot coordinated it with police. At least 22 people werearrested as protesters set policemotorcycles on fire, attacked officers, threw trash and overturned apolice car, police said.
PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly condemned the attack on the soldiers but blamed an “extremist minority” for the violence.
Roughly 1.3 millionultraOrthodoxJews make up about 13% of Israel’spopulation andoppose enlistment because they believe studyingfulltime in religious seminaries is their most important duty.The broad exemptions from mandatory military servicehave reopened adeep divide in the country and infuriated much of the general public, especially during the war in Gaza.
Israeliforces have carried outrepeated airstrikes and frequently fire on Palestiniansnear military-held zones, killing 602 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. The ministry,which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records thatare seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants.
“It is also clear thatwe don’tsee eyetoeye on all the issues andthiswillremain the case as well, but Ithink we can work from there,” she said.
Ayoung boy watches the Krewe of Comogo parade arrive while sitting on his dad’s shoulders in Plaquemine on sunday
sTAFF PHoTo
By MICHAEL JoHNsoN
“I don’tlike the masks, either,”Homan said,But, he said, “Thesemen and women have toprotect themselves.”
White House borderczar TomHoman said the administration was unwilling to agree to Democrats’ demands that federalofficers clearly identify themselves, remove masks during operations and display unique ID numbers.
Democrats also wantto requireimmigrationagents to wear body cameras and mandatejudicial warrants for arrests on private property.
Senate MinorityLeader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. saidDemocratsare only asking for federal agentsto abide by rules followed by law enforcement agencies around the country “And the question that Americansare asking is,
‘Why aren’t Republicans going along withthese commo ns en se proposals?’” Schumer said. “The y’ re not crazy. They’re not way out Th ey ’re what every police departmentinAmerica does.”
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said he could back Democrats calls to equip immigration officerswith body cameras andwould support efforts to bolster
training. But he balked at their demands that federal officers remove masks and clearlyidentifythemselves, noting some officers taking part in immigration enforcement operations have faced doxingand otherharassment.
“Whatare yougoing to do, expose their faces so you can intimidatetheir families?” Mullins said. “What we want is ICE to be able to do theirjob. Andwewould love for local law enforcement and for states to cooperate with us.”
Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, aTrump
ally who hadpushed for atwo-week extensionof DHS funding whilenegotiations continued, saiditwas “shortsighted of Democrats to walk away”fromtalks.
Trumpmade enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws acenterpiece of his 2024 campaign for the White House andhe promised to be aggressive in detaining anddeporting people living in theUnited States without legal permission.
DHS reports it has deported more than 675,000 migrants since Trump’sreturn to office last year and
claims some 2.2 millionothershave“self-deported” as theRepublican president has made his immigration crackdown apriority “President Trumpisnot going to back away from the mission, the mission that American people said they wanted him to complete,and thatissecuring our border and making sure that we actually do interior enforcement,” Britt said. Homan was on CBS’ “Face theNation,” Schumer and Mullin appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” and Britt wasinterviewedon “FoxNewsSunday.”
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CHICAGo sUN-TIMEs FILE PHoTo By ANTHoNyVAZQUEZ
sandibell Hidalgo, left, and ofelia Giselle Torres Hidalgo, 16,speakoct. 22 during anews conference calling for the release of Ruben Torres Maldonado. ofelia died Fridayfrom stage4alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, her family said in astatement.
By The Associated Press
CHICAGO AChicago teen who spoke out for her father’srelease after he was detained last fall by immigration officials in adeportationcasehas died after battling arare form of cancer
Ofelia Giselle Torres Hidalgo, 16, died Friday from stage 4alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, the family said in astatement. Funeral arrangements are private.
The teenager had been diagnosed in December 2024 with the aggressive form of soft tissue cancer and had been undergoing chemotherapyand radiation treatment.
An immigration judge in Chicagoruled three days before Ofelia’sdeath that her father,Ruben Torres Maldonado, was conditionally entitled to receive “cancellation of removal” due to the hardships his deportation would cause hischildren who were born in the United States and are U.S.citizens, according to the statement sent by an attorney representing Torres Maldonado The ruling provides Torres Maldonado with apath
to becoming alawful permanent resident and eventual U.S. citizenship,the statement said.
being targeted just because they were not born here.”
Bruce, Lillard
OurLadyofMercy Catholic Church 445 Marquette Ave.,Baton Rouge,LA at 10am.
Davis, Marion
Mt.Pilgrim BaptistChurch,9700 Scenic Highway at 11am
Everson, Michael
St.James EpiscopalChurch,205 N. 4thStreet,at11:30 a.m.
Everson, Michael
St.James EpiscopalChurch,205 N. Fourth St BatonRouge,Laat11:30am. Hernandez, Yazmine MaterDolorosaCatholic Church,620 3rdSt.,IndependenceatNoon. Lenard,Evelyn OursoFuneral Home,13533 Airline Highway,Gonzales at 11:00am. Ogden, Tressie
CharletFuneral Home,Zacharyat 11:00am.
Poirrier,Lester
St.John theBaptistCatholic Church Brusly at Noon.
Obituaries
Causey, MaryWicker
Ofeliawas presentvia Zoom at lastweek’s hearing.
“Ofelia was heroic and brave in the face of ICE’s detention and threatened deportation of her father,” said Kalman Resnick, Torres Maldonado’sattorney “Wemourn Ofelia’s passing, and we hope that she will serveasamodel for us allfor how to be courageous andtofight for what’sright to our last breaths.”
Torres Maldonado, a painter and home renovator,was detained Oct. 18 at aHome Depot store in suburban Chicago as the area was at the center of amajorimmigration crackdown dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz,” which began in early September
Ofelia wasundergoing treatment when she appearedinOctober in avideo posted on aGoFundMe page set up forthe family.
“My dad,like manyother fathers, is ahard-working person who wakesupearly in the morning and goes to workwithout complaining, thinkingabout hisfamily, shesaid in thevideo. “I find it so unfair that hardworking immigrant familiesare
In awheelchair,she attended ahearing for her father in October.The family’s attorneys toldajudge at that time that she was released from the hospital just aday beforeher father’s arrest so thatshe could see family andfriends. They added that Ofelia hadbeen unable to continue treatment“because of thestress and disruption.”
TorresMaldonado’sattorneys petitionedfor his release as his deportation case went through the system. Ajudge ordered a bond hearing after ruling in October that hisdetention was illegaland violated Torres Maldonado’sdue process rights.
Ajudge later cited Torres Maldonado’slack of criminal historywhile allowing his release on a$2,000bond. Lawyers said Torres Maldonado entered the U.S.in 2003. He and his partner, Sandibell Hidalgo,also have ayounger son.
The Departmentof HomelandSecurity had alleged he had been living illegally in the U.S.for years and has ahistory of driving offenses, including driving without avalid license, without insurance and speeding.
BY MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press
TEL AVIV,Israel Israel will begin acontentious land regulation process in alarge part of the occupied West Bank, which could result in Israelgainingcontrol over wide swaths of the area for future development, accordingtoagovernment decision on Sunday
It paves the way for the resumption of “settlement of land title” processes, which had been frozen in the West Bank since the Mideast War in 1967. It means thatwhen Israel begins the land registration process for acertain area, anyone with aclaim to the land must submit documents proving ownership. The Israeli anti-settlement groupPeace Nowsaidthe processlikelyamountstoa “mega land grab”from Palestinians.
“This move is very dramatic and allows the stateto gain control of almost all of Area C,” said Hagit Ofran, thedirectorofPeace Now’s Settlement Watchprogram. Area Crefers to the 60% of the West Bank that is under full Israeli military control, according to agreements reached in the 1990swith the Palestinians.
Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas’ office in astatement called the decision “a grave escalation and aflagrant violation of international law,” which amounts to “de facto annexation.” It called on the
international community, especially theU.N.SecurityCounciland the United States, to interveneimmediately
Thedecisionisthe latest steptodeepen Israelicontrol over the West Bank. In recent months, Israel has greatly expanded construction in Jewishsettlements, legalizedoutposts and made significant bureaucratic changes to its policiesinthe territorytostrengthen its hold and weaken thePalestinian Authority
Israel’sForeign Ministry said Palestinian Authority civil planning maps show that theauthority has been advancing land registration procedures in Area Cfor years in violation of agreementsthat give Israel civil and military control over thearea. It said Sunday’sdecision was made forgreater transparency The decisionwas first announced last May but required further development beforeitwas approved in this week’s Cabinetmeeting. Under the decision, Israeli authorities will announce certainareas to undergo registration, which will force anyone who has aclaim to the land to prove their ownership. Ofran saidthe process for proving ownershipcan be “draconian” and is rarely transparent, meaning any land that undergoesthe registration process in areas currently owned by Palestinians is likely to revertto
Israeli state control.
“Palestinianswill be sent to prove ownership in away that they willnever be able to do,” Ofran toldThe Associated Press. “And thisway Israel might take over 83% of theArea C, whichisabout half of the West Bank.”
The registration process could start as soon as this year,she said.
The proposal had been put forward by some of Israel’sfar-right membersof the ruling coalition, including the Minister of Justice Yariv Levin. “The government of Israel is committed to strengthening its grip on allits parts, andthisdecisionisanexpression of that commitment,” he said.
Jordan’sForeign Ministry in astatement called on the international community to “assumeits legal and moral responsibilities, and to compelIsrael,the occupying power,tostop itsdangerous escalation.”
Qatar’sforeign ministry said it considered Israel’s decision “an extension of its illegalplans to deprive the Palestinian people of their rights.”
Previous U.S. administrations have sharply condemnedanexpansion of Israeliactivity andcontrol in the West Bank, but Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu has aparticularly close relationship with President Donald Trump. The two met last week in Washington, their seventhmeeting in the past year
teaching, Alma devoted herselffullytoher family, proudlyserving as afulltime "household engineer," arole shecherished deeply. Outside of herdedicationtofamilyand education, Alma was an avid bowler, apassion that broughther joy, laughter, andlastingfriendships over theyears. Alma was preceded in death by herparents, Telesmar and Wilda Carrier Kennerson; herbrothers, Wilfred "Bay" Kennerson (Audrey), Joseph Arlington Kennerson(Lucy), Willis K. K. Kennerson (Gloria), Telesmar Kennerson, andA.B. Kennerson; her sisters, Dorothy Simien (Charles) andLoretha Kennerson Bellard(Herbert); andher brother-in-law Melvin Gallien. Sheleaves to cherish hermemory herdevoted husband, Michael J. Daniels; herloving daughter, Nicole Daniels; hersisters, Elva Gallienand TheresaGasaway (Larry); hersisters-in-law, Bernice Kennerson and Lorraine Kennerson; and ahostof nieces, nephews, extended familymembers, and longtime special friends of the Singletonfamily, including herbeloved best friend, Loretta Singleton, as well as hercaringand supportiveneighbors. The familyextends heartfelt gratitude to Mary BirdPerkins Cancer Center andSt. Joseph Hospicefor theircompassionate care andsupport.
line (Eli) Smith, Benjamin (Alana) Day, Landon (Brooke)Woods, Emily (Nick) Brooks and Joshua Stephens;13 great grandchildren, Walker, Locky, Ezekiel, Rex, Dawson, June Levi,Dean, Watts, Violet, Malachi, Graham and Declan. Theservice willbe conductedbyDr. Lewis Richarson and Dr. BenjaminDay. Pallbearers will be William Day, Brian Creery, LandonWoods, Joshua Stephens, Nick Brooks and Dr.Miles Landry. Friends andfamily are invited to attendvisitation on Tuesday, February 17,2026 from 9:00-11:00 a.m., at RabenhorstFuneral Home East, 11000 Florida Blvd,followed by aservice at thesame location.Burial will take place at Greenoaks Memorial Park, 9545 Florida Blvd.following theservice
Mary Wicker Causey, a resident of Slaughter, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Friday, Feb.13, 2026. She was 82 years oldand was retired fromFaith Baptist Church after 18 years of service.Visitation willbeatSlaughter First Baptist Church on Wednesday, Feb.18, 2026, from 9am until serviceat11am conducted by Rev. Basil Wicker. Burial willbeinFeliciana Rest Cemetery. She is survivedbyher husband of 47 years, KennethE Causey.2 daughters, Rebecca W. Mitchell andhusband, Daniel and Jennifer Causey and ason, Jeffery L. Wallace and wife, Debbie. 3sisters, Martha McEwen, Faye Morgan, and Linda Carroll. 10 grandchildren,Ryan, Amanda, Taylor, Sydnee,Daniel,II, Jacob,Mya, Logan, Zoe and Noah. 5great grandchildren,Keller, Kyndall,Houston, Kade and Kinley. Countless nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her daughter, Regina AnnWallace, grandson, Joshua Wilson, parents, Hilery and Emily Bowlin Wicker, brother, Winston Wicker, nephews, AlvinMcEwen and Brian Wicker and many other precious family members. Pallbearers willbeher grandsons. Honorary pallbearerswillbe, Calvin McEwen, Brady Wicker, Ricky Carroll, Darren McEwen, Joey Carroll, Basil Carroll,Danny Beard,and Jimmy Beard.Mary's life was filled with love for her Lord Jesus Christ. She cherished moments with family and friends and lovedwatching football with Gene.Music and puzzles brought her joy, and she eagerly anticipated her 2pmTuesday's with her cousin, Basil.Share memories at www.CharletF uneralHome.com.
Linda LueKelly,a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, passed away on February 4, 2026, at the age of 86. Linda was alifelong Social Worker and achievedmany accomplishments. She willbe deeply missed by herfamily, friends,and all those whose lives she touched Please refer to www.rabenhorst.com for thefullobituary.
Janel was born to Lee andJeantineWatts in French Settlement Louisiana. She andBilly Stephensmarriedin1958 and lived in Baton Rouge After graduating from Southeastern Louisiana University, she taughtin several EBR schools. Upon herretirement she and Billy enjoyedtravelingand babysitting thegrandkids Shewas along-time memberofWoodlawn Baptist Church andFlorida Blvd Baptist Church.Preceded in death by herparents, siblings, great-granddaughterDaphne, and other familymembers. Sheis survived by herhusband Billy, of nearly 68 years; daughters Mary (William) Day, Mar'SueWoodsCreery (Brian), andson Kyle(Lori) Stephens; 6 grandchildren, Tara(Miles)Landry, Made-
NeldaJ."Nell"Watson wasborninWinnfield, LA on September15, 1933, and passed away in Baton Rouge,LAonSaturday, February 7, 2026, at theage of 92. Shewas aretired banker, whereshe was vice presidentofbranch operations. Shewas the first female bank vice president, at thetime, in the stateofLouisiana. She lovedtotravelwith friends in theOne AmericansClub, absolutely lovedand followed LSUsports(especiallyMen's Baseball and Women'sBasketball), and adored flowersand plants (especially poinsettias at Christmas). Shealso loved reading to youngermembers of the Boys andGirls ClubofLouisiana. She is survived by herson,Lt. Col. Clark Emmett Watson, USMC Ret.;her stepson Robert LeeWatson and wife Robin; nieces:Reggie AnnWyatt andJoEllen Kasparek;and nephew,Col. Thomas Plunkett. Sheis preceded in death by her husband, MajorC.E. Watson, Jr USMC Ret.,her motherand father,Lois Inez Jenkins andAndrew Jenkins; andtwo sisters, Eloise Plunkett andEmma Jo Carpenter. Visitation will be on Monday, February 16, at RabenhorstFuneralHome East, 11000 Florida Blvd,from5:30pm until7pm. Visitation will resume on Tuesdaymorningat8:30am untilservice at 9am in thefuneral home chapel. Burial will be at Port Hudson National Cemetery in Zachary, LA at 11am.
Alma K. Daniels, age 76, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, transitionedpeacefullyin thecomfort of her home on February 2, 2026. She wasborn in 1949 in Lawtell, Louisiana, to the late TelesmarKennerson and WildaCarrier Kennerson. Alma was the youngestoften children. She attended HolyGhost School and graduated from J.S. Clark High School in 1967 in Opelousas, Louisiana. Alma beganher career in education as a teacher's aide,servingat Southwest Elementary, NorthElementary,and East Junior High. She later continued her educationatthe University of Southwest Louisiana, where she earneda degree with a major in English and aminor in Library Science. Alma went on to teach English at Central High School in Central, Louisiana. After resigning from Howtoplace an Obituary Notice Howtoplace aMemorialAd
EMAIL: obits@theadvocate.com OR CALL FORMOREINFORMATION: 225-388-0289
In Memory Of
Cajunculture is welcoming becauseof ourhistory,so don’t forget it
Iwas 16 when Ivisited the beach where my ancestors were deported hundreds of years before.
During the Grand Derangement 10,000-plus Acadians were removed from their home in Nova Scotia, or Acadie, when the landswitched from French to British rule.
They didn’tsign aloyaltyoath to thenew rulers, and they were kickedout because of it. An unassuming cross still marks the spot where the boats set sail. Of those whosurvived, many eventually made anew home forthemselves in the French colony of Louisiana. Cajuns know the trauma of deportation in our bones. We know theanxiety and faith thataccompanies the journey torebuild alife.
We know that caring for our neighbors is the way we all survive and thrive, probably going back to the first Acadians arrivinginsouth Louisiana after the deportation from Canada. Or,at least, we used to. Iamappalled witnessing ICE sweep across the nation, terrorizing communities, killing people, even using apreschooler as bait to “catch” hisfather.Iamdisgusted by the administration telling us that the people who’ve died in the past month caused their own demise. As aCajun, Iwas raised to welcome the stranger,both figuratively and literally,usually over a good meal. Like any group, we aren’ta monolith and certainly have political disagreements. But some valuesseem elemental. The desire for abetter life for your kids is not monopolized by U.S. citizens.
The courage to start again somewhere new so you and your family can live in freedom, the courage that the Acadian deportees carried in the 1700s, is the same courage that all immigrants carry today.Acadians were given achance and made aculture known globally for its welcoming spirit. Where is that spirit now?
AMANDARICHEY Baton Rouge
School choice is aright, not a privilege. Sen. Cameron Henry is wrong and perhaps miseducated.
Hopefully it’snot amatter of being beholden to anyone. First, the money used to educate our children is our money,not the government’s. So we the parents should get to spend it where we deem it most beneficial forour children; not where the progressive teachers’ union tells the government schools to do so.
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR
AREWELCOME.HEREARE
To sEND Us ALETTER, sCAN HERE
OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone 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.
D-DBreaux’slegacywillnever be forgottenbythose
Iwas one of D-D Breaux’steachers at Donaldsonville High School. To be truthful, the faculty would discussour studentsin the teacher’slounge and knew this student was destined for greatness. She loved all of us, namely our principal, Conrade Goette, and teachers Keith Falcon, Lynn Bouchereau, Sidney Marchand, Sarah Savoia, Floyd Boutte andMary Chauff. Some years ago, the cityofDonaldsonville paid tribute to herwith abanquet and parade down Railroad Avenue. My son Michael was so proud to carry her in the rumble seat of our 31 Model “A”Ford.Itisapicturewehave at home that we cherish. When giving her talkatthe banquet that was given in her honor,she acknowledged me in the crowd as her teacher,“Mr.Fly High.” This was aslogan Iused when Iran for political office with a4-foot by 8-foot sign on ahill by theSunshine Bridge, “Fly High with Cy.”
We all know what shedid at LSU with
gymnastics andatthe start when the program was shaky,onthe streets of Baton Rouge, giving outticketsfor free to the events.
What agreat woman who deserves every accolade shecan get. We are proud to say shewas from Donaldsonville and Bayou Lafourche, not only that, her mother,father, Mr.and Mrs. VanP.Breaux, an eye doctor,was one of thefinestpeople you would know.Don’tlet anyone forget, she was a product of Donaldsonville High School and theAscension Parish School System, notto mention LSU.
My wife, Marie, and Iare graduates as are ason, Charles and two grandchildren, Michael and Joey.Toyou, again D-D, we love you, love LSU and theaccomplishments you made in coaching there. Irelinquish my title; you arethe one who flew high.
Your only surviving high school teacher, VINCENT “CY” TORTORICH Donaldsonville
Arecentletter on the Opinion Pageasks us to listen to President Donald Trump’swords. In every speech he brags, insults, whines andlies. The writer asks if that is “what we wanttobe?”
Trump’swords indicateother qualities.
He rambles and is long-winded.
He has abig egoand is confident
He is afamily man and religious. He listens and is compassionate. He is fun-loving and entertaining. He is assertive and goal-oriented. At times Ifind Trumpoff-putting and wish that he wouldbemore gentlemanly.But since we are all human and should be fair in our evaluations of others, perhaps the complete list of personality traits should be
considered.
This makes me question what is important in apolitical figure.
Areelections moreofapopularity contest or for choosing someone to servethe people?
Should we focus on the abrasive parts of a personalityorwhether we are being governed to ensure our life, liberty andpursuit of happiness? Do we value deportment or safety,security and acomfortable life?
In judging apolitician, it seems that both behavior and accomplishments should be considered.
Butthat’s awhole other topic.
CATHY BROUILLETTE Baton Rouge
Theunlawful killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis while protecting from federal agents awoman who was engaged in lawful protest reminds us of the killing of Jimmy LeeJackson in Selma, Alabama, in 1965.
Jimmie Lee Jackson and members of his family were marching for theright to vote. The march was broken up by law enforcement officers and later while protecting his mother,Jackson was killed by an Alabama state trooper
The1965 Selma, Alabama killings of Jackson, Rev.James Reeb and Viola Liuzzo led to
President Lyndon B. Johnson and Congress passing theVoting RightsAct of 1965.
What will thekillings of AlexPretti and Renee Good in 2026 Minneapolislead to?
Athorough investigation of theirkillings?
Professional and safe law enforcementtactics by ICE and U.S. Border Patrol? Passage of acomprehensive immigration law by the president and Congress?
People are waiting and history is watching.
ARTHUR L. HUNTERJR. Neworleans
Second, the primary responsibility and authority for the rearing and education of our children reside with us, the parents, not the government. There is no constitutional authority forthe government to usurp this responsibility and authority from parents. Yes, the general citizenry has an interest in the rearing and education of children, but the outcomes and primary responsibility remain with their parents. School choice and the use of our tax monies in the education of our children is aconstitutional right not aprivilege. It is our money and our children. Also, Idonot think you really wanttoargue about outcomes when it comes to our current government school system; especially in regards to its cost per student compared to other nations and its current success rate in community outreach programs.
GREG ARDOIN Lafayette
Unconstitutional election takeover shouldn’teven be proposed
President Donald Trumprecently stated that the federal government should take over elections in states where he has lost in previous elections.
Article I, Section 4ofthe U.S. Constitution, knownasthe Elections Clause, empowers state legislatures to prescribe the times, places, and manner of holding federal elections forSenators and Representatives. It grants Congress the authority to makeoralter these regulations at any time, except forthe places of choosing Senators.
Trumpiseither ignorant of the Constitution or he simply doesn’t care about the Constitution.
PHILIP FRADY Neworleans
We won’tbescared into silence
We know the truth and we will never be silenced. Those whohide behind their lies are not strong; they are cowards. Martin Luther King Jr said, “Our lives begin to end the day we becomesilent about things that matter.” Speak up. Speak the truth so that all voices matter and may be heard.
MARYFLOWERS Baton Rouge
Mardi Gras isn’t justinNew orleans, as we all know.It’sastatewideand evenregional party that everycommunity puts their ownspin on. so we invited some expertstoweigh in on afriendlydebate on whose local Mardi Gras celebrations outside of theCrescent City’sreign supreme.Allopinions, of course, are completely biased.
More festivities than youcan chaseachicken at
Acadiana’sMardi Gras takes the gold. Purple, green and gold, actually Thisfrom someone who was born and raised in New Orleans.
Ispent my early Februarys on awooden bench on top of aladder,soaking in the Carnival.
As Igrew older,Ibranched out into attending Mardi Gras balls, dragging the Quarter,even riding in the parades giving progress reports. When Imoved to Acadiana after college, Ithought I’d lost Mardi Gras as Iknew it forever.But I waswrong
Louisiana’s politiciansget skewered at spanishTown
Acadiana’sMardi Gras is so diverse —there’ssomething for everyone. Take for example, the earliest manifestation of the season: king cakes. There’s one foreverytaste, the doughnut ones, the brioche ones, the fancy ones, the unusual flavors. Imean, aboudin kingcake?! (Eternally grateful, Bob Karriker!)
Then there’sthe parties. Not just balls, but concerts,festivals withcarnival rides, private parties, king caketasteoffs, festivities of every shape and size. Parades? Acadiana’sgot ’em, and again, so many colors and flavors to savor Each community puts on their own version, New Iberia to Kaplan and beyond.
There are walking parades,children’s parades, independent parades,Chick aLa Pie! Mardi Gras Indians struttheir stuff in exquisite intricate costumes, and in rural regions like Mamou and Basile, the medieval French tradition of theCourir de Mardi Gras rides —withanAcadiana twist, naturally Horsemen in cone-shaped hats called capuchons along with wire masks and colorful costumes ride through thetown, singing and begging for ingredients for acommunal gumbo. Then in thebig finale, they chase alive chicken through thefields to claim the star gumbo component and become the king or queen of the day We hold acourir every year at Vermilionville to honor thehistory (sans the horses in thehistoricvillage, but plentyofgumbo and achicken to chase!)
Youwon’tfind that anywhereelse. So yes, Acadiana’s Mardi Gras takes theking cake baby,the crown, the chicken and the best beads ever caught midair Happy Mardi Gras, mes amis!
Ellen Fucich is director of marketingand communications at Vermilionville, ahistoric village designed to teach appreciation for the culture of theregion.
Allthe flavor,style andsoulof Carnival,and no hassles
If Mardi Gras is about connection, culture and community,thenShreveportBossier may be Louisiana’sbestkept Carnival secret In northwest Louisiana, Mardi Gras isn’tconfined to one laneor one tradition, it’safull expression of who we are. Twocities. One heart. Shreveport-Bossier’scelebration reflects the same values that define our destinationyearround: inclusivity,authenticityand adeep sense of belonging.Here, Mardi Gras isn’tsomethingyou watch from the sidelines. It’s something you’re welcomed into Our parade lineup alone tellsthe story. Traditional Krewes likeGeminiand Centaur deliver the classic pomp,pageantry and throws that Carnivallovers expect, while the historic HighlandParadehonors one of Louisiana’smost culturally significant neighborhoods, where creativity community pride and grassrootscelebration take center stage. It’sareminderthat Mardi Gras has always belonged to the people. That spirit shines just as brightlyinour culturally rich Krewes. Krewe of Sobek and Krewe of Harambee celebrate African American heritage and artistry,showcasing how Mardi Gras continuestoevolve while honoring its roots. And for animal lovers and families,KreweofBarkusand
Meow demonstrates that joy comes in all forms —sometimes on four legs and dressed in costume.
Baton Rouge is an amalgamation of all thingsgreat in Louisiana. As theCapital City,weare not too Cajun, too Creole, too redneck,too Black or too White. We are alittle bit of everything.And our Mardi Gras is no different Almostall of our 10 parades have already rolled, including Orion,Artemis,LeKrewe Mystique de la Capitale, Orion and Mid CityGras.
On Friday,the thefamilycentered Krewe of Southdowns, in which Ihad the pleasure of riding for many years rolled. Sunday,there was the Zachary Mardi Gras; and Monday is the Krewe of Shenandoah, which is the City of St. George’sfirst krewe. Butwhat really makes Mardi Gras special in Baton Rouge is the irreverent, irresponsible, indiscriminate, irrepressible, insane, irritating and, above all else, entertaining (especially forthe riders!) Spanish Town Mardi Gras. It is not for thesqueamish, prudish or socially sensitive. It’sfor the fun-loving, fun-seeking souls withsenses of humor,atolerance for bad taste and adelight in seeing public officials and issues of the day skewered and defamed in clever and artistic ways. It also doubles as afundraiser for
Jay Dardenne GUEsT CoLUMNIsT
manygood causes in the community This year’sthemewas applicable to any year:” Pink, Proud and Provocative.” It promised to poke, prod, pounce upon and pummel public people from the federal, state and local level. The Mystic Krewe forthe Preservation of Lagniappe in Louisiana never fails to draw thousands to the narrow streets of Spanish Town There is one caveat. We brought our young sons to the parade before they could read. Once they understood the English language, there was ahiatus of several years. Consider yourself warned. One of the highlights of my career in public lifewas serving foranumber of years as ajudge (alongside the late, great Smiley Anders) and attending the judges’ bribery party where fairness and impartiality somewhat reigned. The revelry of Spanish Town is Baton Rouge’sannual letting downofthe hair and casting aside of inhibitions. All in the spirit of Mardi Gras. Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Jay Dardenne is aformer Louisiana state senator,secretary of state, lieutenant governor andcommissioner of administration
‘People’sParade’
andMoonPiesbring thecrowds
This is Shreveport-Bossier at its best: enough flavor,style and soul for two cities. From locally owned restaurants serving Cajun and Creole favorites to live music and neighborhood celebrations, Mardi Gras here feels personal, not overwhelming. For visitors who want thefull experience without the guesswork,Visit Shreveport-Bossier hosts theannual Red River Mardi Gras Bash –a ticketed event designed to make celebrating effortless. Hosted duringthe Centaur and Gemini parades,the Bash offers aprivatevenue and viewing area alongthe parade route, aLouisiana cuisinebuffet, live music, games, beer and wine and access to private restrooms. It’s our way of saying: come celebrate withus —we’vegot everything covered. That accessibility is what sets Shreveport-Bossier apart. Visitors from south Louisiana,Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee can make an easy driveand enjoy an affordable, familyfriendly Mardi Gras that still delivers the fullness of Louisiana tradition.
Serena Gray is vice president of marketing and communications withVisit Shreveport-Bossier
Growing up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we thought most of the Mardi Gras action was in New Orleans. But amere 40 miles east, “The Mother of theMystics” provided adifferent take on the celebration it began and towhich it still jealously lays claim.
Different cities’ Mardi Gras are like your children they’re all wonderful in their own way,soit’snot fair to be comparative.
is dedicated to Joseph Stillwell Cain Jr., the man whobrought the party back to the Azalea City following the Civil War, dressed as the fictional Chickasaw chief Slacabamorinico.
Rob Holbert GUEsT CoLUMNIsT
ButifIhad to assign apersonalitytoit, Mobile’sCarnival is that child who’sgoing to sneak out the back door just before the cops arrive. We like to say it’smore “family friendly,” but that only applies if your family is alittle on the wild side. Someofwhat makes us different is the food —welove throwing and catching it.
MoonPies, Star Crunches, ramen noodles and even the occasional ice cream sandwich are theprizes. You may not be eating healthy at aMobile Mardi Gras parade, but you’re eating.
The biggest difference between Mobile’sMardi Gras and all others, though, can be summed up in three short words —Joe Cain Day.
The Sunday before Mardi Gras Day
Joe Cain Day is “the People’s Parade.”
The floats are decidedly homemadeand even the city’sbluebloods bow to the proletariat for aday.It’safeast for the senses and moreofa marathon than a sprint. The day begins early at Church Street Graveyard with Cain’sMerry Widowswailing over his grave and arguing over who he loved most. Why so manywidows? Nobody knows.
In more recent years, Joe Cain’sMistresses, adorned in saucy red dresses and veiled hats —JCmust have been a busy man —give the widowsarun for their money Control of carnival reverts to the traditional mystic organizations to finish out The Gras, but it is Joe Cain Day, twodays before the actual Tuesday of Carnival, that sets the markfor agreat Mobile Mardi Gras.
RobHolbert is co-publisherof Lagniappe WeeklyofMobile
If youenjoyed the weatheryesterdayafterthe storms rolledthrough, youshouldreally love it againtoday.Expect apartlytomostly cloudy morning to giveway to amostlysunnyafternoon. Temperatures this afternoon will rise to the low70s.The windswill remainnortherly at 5to10mph.Rain chances todayare pretty much at zero.The Mardi Gras Dayforecast is also looking good.Wemay waketosome fog,but otherwise,expect somemostlysunnytopartlycloudyand warmer conditions with no rain.
Luxury vessel sank more than 150years ago
BY TODD RICHMOND Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. Searchers have discovered the wreck of aluxury steamer that sank in aLake Michigan gale in thelate 19th century, completing aquest that beganalmost 60 years ago Shipwreck World, agroup that works to locate shipwrecks around the globe, announced Friday that ateam led by Illinois shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn found the LacLaBelleabout 20 miles offshore between Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin, in October 2022.
Ehorn told The Associated Press in aphone interview on Sunday that the announcement was delayed because his team wanted to include athree-dimensional video model of the shipwith it, but poor weather and other commitments kepthis dive team from going back down to the wreckuntil last summer
Ehorn, 80, has been searching for shipwrecks since he was 15 years old. He said that he’s been trying to pinpoint the Lac La Belle’slocation since 1965. He used aclue from fellow wreck hunter and author Ross Richardson in 2022 to narrow down his search grid and found theship using side-scan sonar after justtwo hours on thelake, he said
“It’skind of agame, like solve the puzzle. Sometimes you don’thave many pieces to put the puzzle together but this one worked out and we founditrightaway,” he said.The finding lefthim “super elated.”
Ehorn declined to discuss thecluethat led to the discovery.Richardson said in ashort telephoneinterview Sunday that he learned that acommercial fisherman at a“certain location”had snagged what Richardson calledanitemspecific to steam ships from the 1800s. He declined to elaborate further how competitive shipwreck huntinghas become and said the informationcouldalert searchers to another way to conduct
An imageofanoriginal photo printshows the Lac La Belle
1866. searchers have
research.
According to an account on Shipwreck World, the Lac La Belle was built in 1864, in Cleveland, Ohio.The 217foot steamer ran between Cleveland and Lake Superior but sankinthe St.Clair River in 1866 after acolli-
sion. The ship was raised in 1869, and reconditioned.
The ship left Milwaukee for Grand Haven, Michigan, in agale on the night of Oct, 13, 1872, with 53 passengers and crew and acargo of barley, pork,flour and whiskey.About two hours
into the trip, the ship began to takeonwater uncontrollably.The captainturnedthe Lac La Belle back toward Milwaukee but huge waves came crashing over her, extinguishing herboilers. The storm drove the ship south.
Around 5a.m., thecaptain
orderedlifeboats lowered andthe ship went down stern-first. One of thelifeboats capsized on the way to shore, killing eight people. The otherlifeboats madelandfall alongthe Wisconsin coast between Racine and Kenosha.
Thewreck’s exterior is covered withquagga mussels andthe uppercabins are gone, Ehorn said, but thehull looksintactand the oak interiors are still in good shape.
The Great Lakes are home to anywherefrom6,000 to 10,000 shipwrecks, mostof which remain undiscovered, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin Water Library.Shipwreck hunters have been searching the lakeswith more urgency in recent yearsout of concerns that invasive quagga mussels are slowly destroying wrecks.
The Lac La Belle is the 15th shipwreck Ehorn has located. “It was one more to put acheck mark by,” he said. “Now it’sontothe next one. It’sgetting harder and harder.The easier ones have been found.”
By The Associated Press
DAMASCUS The U.N. refugee agency said Sunday that alarge number of residents of acamp housing family membersofsuspected Islamic State group militants have left and the Syrian government plans to relocate those who remain. Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, UNHCR’srepresentative in Syria, said in astatement that the agency “hasobserved a significant decrease in the number of residents in al-Hol camp in recent weeks.” “Syrian authorities have informed UNHCRoftheir plan to relocate the remaining families to Akhtarin campin Aleppo Governorate(province) and have requested UNHCR’ssupport to assist thepopulation inthe new camp,which we standready to provide,” he said. He addedthat UNHCR “will continuetosupport the return and reintegrationof Syrians who have departed al-Hol, as well as those who remain.”
Thestatementdid notsay how residentshad left the camp or how many remain. Many families are believed
to have escaped either duringthe chaoswhengovernment forces captured the campfrom the Kurdish-led SyrianDemocratic Forces last month or afterward. There was no immediate statement from the Syrian government and agovernment spokesperson didnot respond to arequest for comment At its peak after the defeat of IS in Syria in 2019, around 73,000 people wereliving at al-Hol. Since then,the numberhas declinedwith some countriesrepatriating their citizens. The camp’s resi-
dentsare mostly children andwomen,including many wives or widows of IS members.
Thecamp’sresidents are nottechnically prisoners and most have not been accused of crimes, but they have been held in de facto detention at the heavily guarded facility. Forces of Syria’scentral government captured the alHol camp on Jan. 21 during a weekslong offensive against the SDF,which had been running thecamp near theborder withIraqfor adecade. Aceasefiredeal has since ended the fighting.
BY REED DARCEY staff writer
Shehit thefloor with athud. Then she spread her arms and took afew deep breaths. Flau’jaeJohnson wasworndown but now she needed to summon whatever energy she had left and channel it intotwo free throws. Johnson had already piled up 21 points. On the prior possession, she had snaredthree offensive rebounds herself, givingthe LSU women’sbasketball team athird and fourth chance to score. The star senior didn’t want to losetoSouth Carolina.Not again What happened next putthe Tigers back intoa frustratingly familiar position. John-
son missed bothher free throws, giving the Gamecocks achancetoput the finishing touches on what they hadbuilt in thesecondhalf. All they needed was alayup, astop and acouple of freethrows to seal their 18th straight win over LSU —a79-72 Valentine’s Day heartbreaker
“Wegotta be better,” Johnson said.
LSU has now lost three of four close games played this season. Kentucky beat theTigers on abuzzer-beater.Vanderbilt knocked them off with apair of latebuckets from its star guard. South Carolina defeated LSU because its offense kept churning out
tes T win Jan thr the see T
h-percentage looks, even as the contightened up lateinthe fourth The No.6Tigers (22-4, 8-4 SEC) did a closebattle with No. 4 Texas on .11. Butbecause LSUlost those other ee matchups, it’s now essentially out of race for an NCAA Tournament No 1 d. The NCAA selection committee revealed urdaythat it hadLSU penciled into the No. 2seed of the bracket and paired at top of aregionwith current No 1 overall dUConn. Then theTigersfell to the Gamecocks, fering alossthatcould drop them into
see LSU, page 4B
BY KOKI RILEY staff writer
LSU coach Jay Johnson has never been afraidtomake changes to his lineup, but Sunday was something different.
Senior Chris Stanfield didn’tplay. High Pointtransfer Brayden Simpsonplayedhis first collegiate game in the outfield. SophomoreJohnPearsonstarted at thirdbase, while Oregon State transfer TrentCaraway, whohad only playedthird base in college, moved to second.
The revisions didn’t make amajor impact on the outcome, a21-7 drubbingfor LSUover Milwaukee in seven innings at Alex Box Stadium. Buttheydid demonstrate alevel of flexibility with the position playergroup that hadn’tseemed possible before.
“I think we have alot of versatility with this team, alot of keyhole matchups,” Johnson said. “And Ithink today was agood indication of what and how we could do what we want to do.”
LSU (3-0) scored three runs in thesecond inning, six runs in thethirdand eight in the fourth to pull away from thePanthers.Junior Jake Brown hit two homeruns, a 420-foot blast off the right field scoreboard and agrand slam in thefifth. Sophomore Cade Arrambide continued hisearly-season tear with two more hits. KansasState transfer Seth Dardar hit his second homer of the year despitenot starting. Discovering more power has been an emphasis for
see SERIES, page 3B
LsUguard Flau’jaeJohnson sTAFFPHoTo By MICHAEL JoHNsoN
BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter
INGLEWOOD,Calif. Anthony Edwards won the Most Valuable Player award while leading his “Stars” team past their fellow Americans on the “Stripes” team 47-21 to win the final of the NBAAll-Star Game on Sunday The Minnesota Timberwolves star claimed his first All-Star MVP award with a tying 3-pointer in the first round-robin game, followedbyeight pointsinthe final,which wasthe only chapterwithout adramaticlate finish in this mini-tournament comprising themainevent of All-Starweekendatthe Los Angeles Clippers’ Intuit Dome.
The NBA’s fourth format in four years matched two teams of American All-Stars against ateam representing the World, hoping to stoke nationalistic passion from players and fans during an Olympic year The slightly older Stripes had beaten theslightlyyounger Stars on De’Aaron Fox’s3-pointer at the buzzer in the second 12-minute, round-robin game. But Edwards led the Stars to victory in the rematch with the Stripes, who appeared to run outofgas while playing in theirthird straight minigame.
see NBA, page 3B
PHoTo By
stars guard AnthonyEdwards, bottom, drives past stripes forward LeBron James during the NBAAll-star basketballgame sunday in Inglewood, Calif.
BY DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Collin Morikawa had gone 28 months since his last win, and he was reminded Sunday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am why it’s never easy
He was among six players who had a share of the lead at one point in a wild and windy final round, one name getting everyone’s attention Scottie Scheffler who nearly pulled off the biggest comeback in the tournament’s history
Tougher still was standing in the fairway on the par-5 18th the cold Pacific air ripping off the ocean to his left, and having to wait some 20 minutes as Jacob Bridgeman had to figure out how to play off the beach only for his shot to go into the ocean.
He said he walked down to the ocean and back about 10 times.
“I tried to think about anything else other than golf,” Morikawa said. “Thankfully, you had the nicest backdrop you could ask for so that was very very easy For me it was how do I stay loose, how do I stay warm and not just think about the shot.”
Morikawa delivered the goods when they mattered, back-to-back birdies to take the lead, and one last birdie with a 4-iron from 235 yards he had to start out over the ocean wall and let the wind bring it back to the green.
Two putts from the collar gave him a 5-under 67 and a one-shot victory over Sepp Straka and Min Woo Lee.
“Great field, great leaderboard — looking at it the entire day,” Morikawa said. “And just to be able to pull of those last two shots, it feels great.”
The two-time major champion finished at 22-under 266. He had gone 45 starts since he last won the Zozo Championship in Japan in October 2023.
He can only hope for bigger things with a new outlook on golf — play the game for the joy, not the technique and in life. Morikawa took the occasion of such a big win to announce he and his wife are expecting their first child this spring.
“There’s so much to life, there’s so much to enjoy,” he said Scheffler began the final day eight shots behind and was 7 under through seven holes before the wind began whipping He had three eagles in his round of 63, the
last one a 6-iron to 30 inches on the final hole that allowed him to tie Morikawa for the lead.
“I was very aware of Scottie Scheffler’s score today I mean, what a player,” Morikawa said. Scheffler didn’t think it would be enough, and it wasn’t.
Moments later, Morikawa holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the 15th to take the lead. He followed with a 6-iron into 8 feet for another birdie. But a bogey on the par-3 17th — his tee shot was dangerously close
to the ocean left of the green and Lee finishing birdie-birdie for a 65, created another tie.
For all the drama, it was particularly tense on the par-5 18th as Morikawa waited. And waited. It was 20 minutes from hitting his tee shot to hitting his 4-iron, a wait made longer considering what was at stake.
“I was able to pull off a great 4-iron,” he said. “And man, I need a drink.”
Akshay Bhatia, the 54-hole lead-
er by two shots, made only two birdies over his last 29 holes. He fell out of the lead after four holes and never caught up, closing with a 72 to finish three back.
Scheffler was 10 shots behind after the first day when he shot 72. He was 13 shots back at one point on Friday He still managed to be a major threat. He wound up in a tie for fourth with Tommy Fleetwood (66), extending his streak to 18 PGA Tour starts in the top 10.
“I had to do something special to give myself a chance,” Scheffler said. “The back nine, I felt like I had to get to 21 or 22 (under) I played a bit more aggressive than I normally am. It was a fun day overall. These are the weeks I’m proud of. I felt like I was battling to give myself a chance.”
Among his regrets was a wedge to a back pin on the 15th that was a foot away from spinning back to close range. It hopped hard over the green. He chipped to 6 feet and missed the par putt.
Morikawa charged his way into the mix with a 62 on Saturday to get within two shots of Bhatia, and he did enough right to stay close six players had a share of the lead at some point during the final round — until delivering the goods at the end.
By The Associated Press
ADELAIDE, Australia Anthony Kim walked out of a PGA Tour scoring trailer at Quail Hollow and straight to the parking lot on May 4, 2012. He put his clubs in the trunk and drove away, vanishing from golf and from the public view for 12 years.
Kim was all the way back Sunday in Australia, full of swagger and energy as he capped off a stunning rally — not just in the final round of LIV Golf Adelaide but in life. Five shots behind Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, he closed with a 9-under 63 for his first win in nearly 16 years. He put on an electric show with leg-kicking, fist-throwing reactions for his four straight birdies before LIV’s largest and loudest gallery of the season.
“I’m too old to be reacting like that because I think I pulled something in my hip,” the 40-year-old Kim said to laughter. “But I will say that was all the lows I went through in my life that I got to dig out of. Every putt that went I felt the struggle and I was overcoming it. It was therapeutic out there to fight through it and come out on top.” Those struggles include drug and alcohol addiction so severe Kim considers it a minor miracle he is still alive. He is married with a 4-year-old daughter, Bella, who raced onto the 18th green at The Grange Golf Club and into his arms.
“To be able to share this moment — even though Bella won’t understand it, one day she will — and for her to be able to run on the green and see her dad isn’t a loser was one of the most special
CHARLEs LABERGE
AssoCIATED PREss PHoTo By
Anthony Kim celebrates after his putt on the 18th green on sunday during the final round of the LIV Golf Adelaide at The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia.
moments of my life,” Kim said. LIV Golf took a chance on Kim in 2024 when he played as a wild card, often finishing at the bottom of the small fields. Last season wasn’t much better, though he showed signs of the progress 1% better each day is his motto — late last season. He was relegated out of the Saudi-funded league. He tied for fifth in the Saudi International. He had to play a qualifying tournament last month just to get another season on the LIV Tour Perhaps the final boost of confidence: Dustin Johnson signed Kim to his 4 Aces team when former University High standout Patrick Reed decided to leave the league. The three-shot victory over
Rahm was as big as any moment on LIV, at a time when the league lost two of its bigger names in Brooks Koepka and Reed. All that mattered to Kim was coming full circle.
“I know the mainstream media is not going to pick it up,” said Kim, winning amid the Winter Olympics, the Daytona 500 and the NBA All-Star Game.
“But for the people that do hear about it, I want to be a good example,” he said. “I would say that I wasn’t the best person, the best partner the best whatever you want to call it, the best son I could be when I was younger But who I am today is a completely different person. With God, my family my sobriety being the key things to my life, I can go as far
Raiders coach Kubiak quickly filling out staff
HENDERSON, Nev New Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak wasted little time in choosing his offensive and defensive coordinators since being hired less than a week ago.
Raiders defensive line coach and run game coordinator Rob Leonard was officially elevated to defensive coordinator on Sunday Seahawks quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko will follow Kubiak from Seattle to be the offensive coordinator, a person with knowledge of the hiring process said Sunday Kubiak did what the two previous Las Vegas coaches did in selecting a defensive coordinator — look within the staff. Leonard was the defensive line coach the past three seasons and added the title of run game coordinator in 2025 under then-coach Pete Carroll.
Seahawks expected to hire 49ers’ Fleury as OC SEATTLE The Seattle Seahawks are expected to hire San Francisco 49ers tight ends coach and run game coordinator Brian Fleury as their new offensive coordinator, a person with knowledge of the hiring process said Sunday Fleury has been a member of San Francisco’s coaching staff since 2019. He began his career as a defensive quality control coach and spent the last four seasons as the 49ers’ tight ends coach. Fleury added the title of run game coordinator, in addition to tight ends coach, in 2025. Fleury would replace former Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
Toms gets first Champions win in nearly three years
NAPLES, Fla. — David Toms made a 25-foot par putt to stay in the game and finished with a tap-in birdie on the par-5 18th for a 1-over 73 and a one-shot victory in the Chubb Classic, his first victory on the PGA Tour Champions in nearly three years. Toms struggled for so much of Sunday with a pair of double bogeys on the front nine to let other back into the mix Boo Weekley closed with a 67 to catch Toms. Defending champion Justin Leonard joined them with birdie on the 17th, though he failed to birdie the 18th from a greenside bunker He closed with a 70.
Toms reached the bunker in two on the 18th and blasted out to a foot to finish at 13-under 203. It was his fifth PGA Tour Champions title and first since he won the Galleri Classic in 2023.
as I want.”
Playing in black shorts — with black calf-length socks and white shoes in front of a large crowd on a sunny day at The Grange, Kim caught up to Rahm after nine holes and pulled away Thousands of spectators followed behind him in the 18th fairway when he capped off his amazing day
It was his first victory since the 2010 Houston Open, the last of his three titles on the PGA Tour He had not finished higher than a tie for 22nd on LIV, last week in Saudi Arabia He won $4 million — he made just over $4.6 million in his best season on the PGA Tour Rahm closed with a 71 and DeChambeau shot 74 on a day the average score was 69.8.
Kim reached as high as No. 6 in the world in 2008, the year he played in his only Ryder Cup at Valhalla and needed only 14 holes to beat Sergio Garcia in singles. He moves to just outside the top 200 now that LIV gets world ranking points.
As big a win as it was for Kim, it was popular among the players he beat.
“I cried,” Lucas Herbert said.
“Man, he was a gun,” said Marc Leishman, whose rookie season on the PGA Tour coincided with Kim’s peak years. “He almost had an aura about him, somewhat for his golf, somewhat for his partying I mean, to see where he’s come from I’ve actually spoken to him a fair bit over the last couple of years about a few of his experiences.
“It’s an unbelievable story, the place he got to and how close he was to not being here I’m not talking about in Adelaide, I’m talking about not being on this planet.”
Providence F suspended two games after fight NEW YORK Providence forward Duncan Powell was suspended two additional games by the Big East on Sunday, meaning he will miss three games for his flagrant foul that sparked a fight in a game against St. John’s.
Powell already faced an automatic one-game ban for fighting by NCAA rules, but the conference tacked on an additional penalty stemming from the No. 17 Red Storm’s 79-69 victory Saturday that featured seven ejections. It started when Powell flagrantly fouled Bryce Hopkins — who played three seasons in Providence — from behind as he went up for a fast-break layup. Powell was automatically ejected for the flagrant 2 foul.
Kansas State fires men’s basketball coach Tang MANHATTAN, Kan Kansas State fired basketball coach Jerome Tang on Sunday night, four days after many Wildcats fans showed up with bags over their heads for a home blowout. The school said an interim head coach will be announced soon and that a national search for a replacement has started.
On Wednesday at home in a 91-62 loss to Cincinnati, many fans wore bags over their heads in disgust.
“This was embarrassing,” Tang said after that game “These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform. There will be very few of them in it next year.”
Kansas State (10-15, 1-11 Big 12) fell 78-64 on Saturday at No. 3 Houston, the Wildcats’ sixth straight loss. In
MICHAEL JoHNsoN
LsU center fielder Jalia Lassiter,shown making acatch against Lamar on Feb.8,went 1-for-2 with awalk in aloss to UCLA on sunday.
The LSU softball team fell 8-0 to No. 6UCLA on Sunday in the Tigers’ final game of the Shriners Children’sInvitational in Clearwater,Florida.
The No. 12 Tigers’ record moves to 7-4,while UCLA improvesto7-3. LSU went 1-4 at the tournament.
Paytn Monticelli (1-1) started and took the loss, giving upthree runs, three hits and awalk while recording two strikeouts in 11/3 innings. Cece Cellura followed with 12/3 innings. Jayden Heavener came on for two innings, striking outthree while allowing onehit, an earned run and two walks. Ashlin Mowery pitched briefly, recordingone outbefore the Bruins ended the game in the sixth with an RBI single.
Maci Bergeron, Alix Franklin and Jalia Lassiter tallied hits in
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Brown heading into his third season.
“Just alot of work in the weight room, getting bigger,faster,stronger,” Brown said. “I thinknot just me, but across the board.”
It was the kind of afternoon where any lineup configuration would have resulted in runs. But Simpson had ahit, and Caraway drove in five runs, three of which came on abases-clearing triple.
“Great game for Trent. He’sa good infielder,” Johnson said. “We had him at shortstop (at the end of the game) because we believe he canplayshortstop,too.And so if you can play shortstop, you can definitely play second base.”
Defensively,Caraway,Simpson and Pearson were never tested.
LSU’sfirst six outs of the game came via strikeout,and by the fourth inning, Johnson substituted Simpson for freshman outfielder Mason Braunand movedCaraway back to third base after Dardarreplaced Pearson and went to second.
“(There’s) things we’vebeen looking at during practice time and practice settings thatgive us alittle more versatility,” Johnson said. “Like (with) John, Ilike the way he’sswinging the bat.Ithink he was the third or fourth leading hitter in the (preseason).”
As for Stanfield, he sat out after he bruised his hand sliding into home on Saturday.Johnson said he may be availableto play on Monday against Kent State.
“I just feltlike it was goodtolet the swelling go down and not reaggravate it,” Johnson said The timing for the changes made sense. LSU’soffense struggled on Saturday,generating just oneextra-base hitthrough the first seven innings.And if there’s ever agood time to experiment with the order,now would be it —the third game of the season against an overmatchedopponent Sunday’sgame was competitive before the bottom of the third inning. In thetop of the third, Milwaukee (0-3) had tied the game 3-3 after scoring two runs off LSU starter and right-handed sophomore William Schmidt. The two-run single Schmidt allowed was alow pointinanupand-down afternoon. He had nine strikeouts but also walked three hitters, hit abatter and gaveupa solo home run in the first inning on afastballleft up and over the plate. His day ended after 91 pitches through four innings.
“I thought he handled small adversity very well today, and that’s my main take from this,” Johnson said. “Obviously,you can seethe stuff, the electricity of it. He’s
BY BILL PLASCHKE Los Angeles Times (TNs)
PHOENIX— “Bear with me, please...”
He pitched in one of the most thrilling games of the postseason, throwing one perfect inning in the victory over the Milwaukee Brewers thatsent the Dodgers to the World Series.
Nine days later,his newborn daughter died.
Four months later,inahalting six-minuteaddress punctuated by deep breaths and stifled sobs, Alex Vesia publicly bared his batteredsoul.
“I was not prepared to not bring my baby girl home, but we’re carrying her with us every day...”
the game, highlighted by Franklin’sthird tripleofthe season.
UCLA pitcher TaylorTinsley (4-2) threw acomplete game. Shefinished with four strikeouts, gave up threehits andallowed two walksinsix innings.
TheBruins got out to aquick start with two-run doubles in the first and second innings, takinga 4-0lead
UCLApadded its lead witha two-run home run from infielder JordanWoolerytomakethe score 6-0.
An error committed in thefifth inning allowed UCLA to stretch itsleadto7-0. Arun-scoring single from pinch-hitter Ramsey Suarez in the sixth inning ended thegame.
LSU returns to TigerParkfor a6 p.m.game on Tuesday against South Alabama before hosting the Purple& Gold Challenge from Feb.20-22.
WHO: Kent state (3-0) vs. LsU (3-0)
WHEN: 6p.m. Monday
WHERE: Alex Box stadium
ONLINE/TV: sEC Network+ RADIO: WDGL-FM, 98.1 (Baton Rouge); WWL-AM, 870(New orleans)
RANKINGS: LsU is No. 2by D1Baseball; Kent state is not ranked
PROBABLE STARTERS: LsU— TBA; Kent state —TBA
PREGAMEUPDATES: theadvocate.com/lsu ON X(FORMERLYTWITTER): @KokiRiley
WHATTOWATCH FOR: Expect LsU to turntoredshirtjunior right-hander
Jaden Noot for the start.Noot posted a4.13 ERA and started five games last season.He did not throwagainst Milwaukee overthe weekend.Kent statearrives atAlex Box stadium after sweeping southeasternLouisiana in Hammond,where the Golden Flashes woneach game by at least five runs.
—Koki Riley
going to be in agood spot as he keeps developing.”
In relief of Schmidt, LSU turned to Oregon transfer Santiago Garcia, redshirt sophomore right-hander DevenSheerin and freshman right-hander Marcos Paz. Garcia struggled, allowing a three-runhome run, but Sheerin dominated hitters with afastball that was up to 99 mph.
Paz allowedarun in two innings in his returnfromTommy John surgery.Sunday was also Sheerin’sfirst appearance for LSUafter missing all of last year recovering from atorn ACL.
“It was great. All the guys on the team are my best friends,” Sheerinsaid.“These are the guys I’m doingeverythingwith, and it was just great to be able to get back out there with them, andit was alot of fun.”
LSU will play its fourth game in four days on Mondayagainst Kent State. First pitch is setfor 6p.m and the gamewill be available to stream on SEC Network+.
Meeting with the media at Camelback Ranchonthe first day of spring training Friday,Vesia took no questions, instead reading from astatement off his phone while battling the effectsofthe tragedy thatwas his daughter Sterling’sdeathtwo days after the start of the World Series.
“The lessons we’ve learned from this is thatlife can change in an instant. Tenminutes is all it took...”
Vesia had allowed tworuns in seven postseason appearances, including five scorelessappearances in the heart of the playoffs. He was going to be abig factor against the Toronto Blue Jays, until the unthinkable happened, and he immediately disappeared into his nightmare.
“I can’tthink of anything worse,”Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
While the Dodgers were competing for an unthinkable second consecutive championship, Vesia was mourning an unimaginable loss. While the Dodgers were ultimately bathed in cheers, he and wife Kayla were awash in agony
“Sterling Sol was the most beautiful girl in the world We got to hold her,change her diaper,read to her and love her Our time togetherwas far too short.”
Forall the emotion thatenveloped the Dodgers postseason, it turns out none of it could compare to the private hell endured by one of their own. As he spoke Friday, it becameclear why Vesia is such avalued member of this group. He could barely get through his statement, yet he took deep breaths and didn’t stop talking. He couldn’tpitch in the most important games of the year,yet he put his pain aside and wouldn’tstopcheering.
“Stepping away from the team, and the brothers Igotowar with every day,was difficult.But it was also an easy decision, because my family needed me. We still watched every pitch of the World Series, and for us, in so many ways, thatwas alight in our darkness.”
While the public was unaware of the scope of his pain —one day before the World Series began, the Dodgers announced thathe had left the team for a“deeply personal family matter” —every
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“Wechose to compete today,and we came out on top,” Edwards said. “I ain’tgoing to lie, Wembyset the tone.Hecameout andplayedhard, and we had to follow that.”
Indeed, Victor Wembanyamaeffectively challengedhis fellowAllStarstotake this game seriously, and they largely appeared to do it. Despitegoing 0-2, Wembanyama led theWorld team in scoring in both games with14pointsinthe opener and 19 in the third game.
Alongwiththe late-gametheatrics, theevent generally appeared to be played at ahigherlevel of competitiveness than mostAllStarGames in recentyears, suggesting the league might have finally cracked the code on the long-standing question of how to makethis midseason showcase moreentertaining.
“Itwas apretty good displayof basketball,” Wemby said. “Better than last year,inmyopinion.Itwas fun. …Ithink being honest with ourselvesisgood.It’sagamewelove,it’s agameIpersonallycherish,sobeing competitive is the least Ican do.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver thanked the All-Stars for playing hard when he presented the championship trophy to the Stars.
Kawhi Leonardthrilled his home crowd with a31-point barrage for theStripes in thefinal round-robin game, but he managed just one point in thefinal.
player knew the details, and reacted with agiant embrace. The Dodgers wore Vesia’sNo. 51 on their caps. Soon, so did the Blue Jays relievers in an inspiring show of solidarity
“When Kayand Iwere watching the World Series, we noticed thatthere was (No.) 51 on Louie Varland’shat. Iimmediately texted Gus Varland, his brother, and Iasked him if Iwas seeing thatcorrectly.Hetexted me back right away and he said, ‘The Varlands love you, dude. The whole Toronto bullpen has it too. It’s bigger than baseball. We love you all.’ Kay and I. we were very emotional. We were super overwhelmed with emotion.”
That emotion was evident in adifferentway on Friday,with anewly muscle-bound Vesia throwing darts in abreathtaking bullpen session. His vacancy was nicely filled in the World Series by Will Klein and Justin Wrobleski, who combined to throw 10 scoreless innings. But this team will need Vesia this season as an important setup man for Edwin Díaz and is counting on him to remain his strong self.
“I do think getting back to what he loves to do and play baseball, that’ssomething therapeutic for him,” Roberts said. Vesia agreed. The road back from grief is often along and rocky one, but as he hugged teammates for arelaxed spring moment Friday,hehad hope.
“Having something to look forward to has helped me.The gym has been my mental clarity.Being around the guys again, preparing for spring training,
it’sbeen really nice. Gotten alot of love so far in the clubhouse, and being able to laugh and joke around, that’sbeen really nice for me.”
While Vesia’sstatement was wracked with sorrow,itwas also filled with gratitude. He found time to thank the Dodgers, the Blue Jays and most notably,the fans. Yes, all of you who reached out to him, he heard you, and he is thankful for you. This includes the Rams, who even sent him an autographed jersey as asign of their support.
“The outpouring of love and support Kay and Ihave had over the past few months has been unmatched. We’re both grateful to not only Dodger nation, but the fans worldwide. My DMs, messages, my DMs are basically broken on Instagram from all the love and support that we’ve had. I’ve tried to read all the comments and everything just because it’smeant the world, really.”
At the end of his statement, Vesia put his fist over his heart, wobbled for asecond, and it looked like he was going to faint before he staggered away Remember this on opening day Remember the courage required of Alex Vesia to make this kind of public showing. Remember how he handled his greatest trauma with the sort of strength and conviction that has made these Dodgers one of the greatest teams in baseball history Do they give standing ovations to middle relievers? They do now
AssoCIATEDPREss PHoToByJAE C. HoNG Team Worldcenter Victor Wembanyama defends Team UsA stars guard AnthonyEdwards during the NBAAll-star Gameonsunday in Inglewood, Calif.
Tyrese Maxeyled theStars with nine points in the clincher ScottieBarnes won the opening 12-minute game for theStarswith agame-ending 3-pointer in overtime, beating the World 37-36 after Edwards forced OT After Fox’sdaggerinthe second game, Leonard utterly dominated thethird game before hitting atiebreaking 3-pointer with3.5 seconds left in the Stripes’ 48-45 victory The World team was loaded with talent, but NBAscoring leader Luka Doncic and three-timeMVP Nikola Jokic both satout its second game, likely to preserve the health of two superstars whohave struggled with injury in the past month. John Tesh took the court with his band before the game for alive rendition of “Roundball Rock,” the iconic 1990s theme song of “NBA on NBC,” to mark the league’s return to thenetwork this season Thatnetwork partnership is also the reason the All-Star Game was an afternoon affaironthe West Coast, because NBC airs the Winter Olympics at night. The Intuit Dome crowd included former President Barack Obama, whoreceived astanding ovation pregame.
Less experienced players will need to step up for Tigers
BY TOYLOY BROWN III staff writer
Any nervous energy from the LSU freshman evaporated once he saw the ball go through the basket on his first attempt.
ä LSU at Texas, 8 P.M.TUEsDAy, sECN
Jalen Reece, in his first start since Jan. 10, drained a right-wing 3-pointer three feet from the arc in a game against Tennessee The confidence gained from the quick success carried to the second half, when he showed his point guard abilities Reece expertly rejected a middle ball screen with a spin move that tripped up his defender He engaged the 6-foot-11 senior Felix Okpara on the drive and flicked an alley-oop pass to a dunking Marquel Sutton, tying the contest at 37 about two minutes after halftime.
LSU’s 18-year-old floor general did his best Dedan Thomas impression in the Tigers’ 73-63 loss to Tennessee on Saturday at ThompsonBoling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee. It wasn’t enough as coach
Matt McMahon was down his starting point guard, who has officially been ruled out for the season, and his top scorer in Southeastern Conference play, Max Mackinnon, who was out with a knee injury Thomas, a junior UNLV transfer, injured his left foot on Jan. 2, the day before the Southeastern Conference opener, and reaggravated the injury on Jan. 28 in a game against Mississippi State.
The junior will have foot surgery next week. Mackinnon a Portland transfer, was injured during the team’s loss to Arkansas on Tuesday LSU is also missing depth guard Ron Zipper who is in concussion protocol, and returning forward Jalen Reed with an Achilles tendon injury
The shrinking depth chart hurt the Tigers’ chances of a miraculous comeback to contend for an NCAA Tournament berth. Regardless, the eight players in the rotation performed with the competitiveness of a group that still has hope.
LSU led by 46-43 with 13:29 remaining in the game. Players like Sutton, who was scoreless in the first half, just pushed through the struggles and finished the game with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Reece had a career-high 15 points, four assists and one turnover in 40 minutes in his fourth
career start. He also made 3 of 5 3-pointers, which was also a high mark.
“I thought Jalen Reece really grew up,” McMahon said on the LSU sports radio network. “Played all 40 minutes, who had the ball in his hands the majority of the time, and we only turned it over three times, which gave us a chance there. I thought he did a great job of organizing us on the offensive side of the ball, and he’s always going to compete on the defensive side.”
Breakout performances will be needed from less heralded players. McMahon, however, doesn’t expect players to replicate the creation skills of Thomas or Mackinnon. Instead of increased firepower, he demanded effort as LSU played a new style designed to keep the opponent off balance. LSU switched from zone defense to man-to-man throughout the game. The goal was to make the game “ugly” with less scoring.
Tennessee won the game in the end due to prolific glass cleaning, outrebounding LSU 45 to 24. Still, LSU made the Volunteers work for the victory
“We learned a lot about our group, and that’s how we need to compete and fight for 40 minutes every night out as we move forward,” McMahon said in the postgame press conference.
By The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES Kiki Rice had 17 points and nine rebounds, Lauren Betts added 16 points and 14 rebounds, and No. 2 UCLA beat Indiana 92-48 on Sunday to extend its win streak to 19 games. UCLA (25-1, 15-0 Big Ten), which is unbeaten since a 76-65 loss to No. 4 Texas on Nov 26 at the Players Era Championship, has the third-longest active win streak in the nation behind North Dakota State (21 straight) and UConn (43). Betts had her 10th doubledouble this season and the 43rd in her career Charlisse LegerWalker and Gianna Kneepkens had 12 points apiece for the Bruins and Gabriela Jaquez scored 11. Sienna Betts and Lena Bilic each had 10 points. Maya Makalusky led Indiana (14-13, 3-12) with 13 points. Lenee Beaumont added 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting and Nevaeh Caffey scored 10. Shay Ciezki, the Big Ten’s leading scorer who went into the game averaging 24.0 points (No. 5 nationally), left the game due to an apparent ankle injury late in the first quarter and did not return.
No 4 TEXAS 65, No. 22 TENNESSEE 63: In Knoxville, Tennessee, Madison Booker scored 14 points while Jordan Lee and Rori Harmon each added 12 as Texas held off Tennessee. The Longhorns (24-3, 9-3 in Southeastern Conference) led by as many as 10 points midway through the fourth quarter The Lady Volunteers (16-7, 8-3) closed the gap to one with a 3-pointer from Janiah Barker and two 3-pointers by Talaysia Cooper Two free throws by Booker put Texas up by three with 16 seconds left. Cooper answered with a layup to make the difference 64-63. Lee made one of two free throws for a 65-63 score. Cooper, who led the Lady Vols with 29 points, had the ball stripped as time expired.
GEORGIA 76, No. 5 VANDERBILT 74: In Athens, Georgia, Dani Carnegie scored 29 points to lead Georgia to an upset win over Vanderbilt.
Trinity Thomas made a midrange jumper with 50 seconds remaining to give the Bulldogs (20-6, 6-6 SEC) a 75-74 lead. After forcing a turnover on the ensuing Vanderbilt (24-3, 10-3) possession, Carnegie split a pair of free throws to give Georgia a two-point advantage with 22.2 seconds remaining, No 7 MICHIGAN 86, No. 13 MICHIGAN STATE 65: In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Syla Swords had 24 points and Olivia Olson scored 23, helping Michigan beat Michigan State to sweep the season series.
Mila Holloway, who finished with 15 points, made a 3-pointer to give the Wolverines (22-4, 13-2 Big Ten) their first lead with 5:53 left in the first half and scored eight points in one minute to spark a 10-0 run.
The Spartans (20-6, 9-6) were outscored 26-9 in the second
quarter and didn’t recover losing for the fourth time in five games. No. 10 OKLAHOMA 79, No. 23 ALABAMA 71: In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Raegan Beers scored 21 points and Payton Verhulst added 17 to help Oklahoma beat Alabama. Oklahoma led by double digits on three separate occasions, but each time Alabama cut the deficit down to four points or less. No 11 DUKE 72, No. 21 NORTH CAROLINA 68: In Durham, North Carolina Ashlon Jackson and Taina Mair scored 14 points each on their senior day and Duke edged North Carolina, the Blue Devils’ 16th consecutive win.
After a back-and-forth first half that saw 16 lead changes, Duke led 41-33 at halftime and never trailed in the second half. The Blue Devils’ lead was only 56-54 with 30 seconds left in the third quarter but the Tar Heels got no closer No. 12 BAYLOR 93, UCF 63: In Orlando, Florida, Taliah Scott scored 26 points and Baylor breezed to a bounce-back win, defeating UCF The Bears fell a half-game out of first place in the Big 12 on Thursday when they lost at home to No. 17 TCU 83-67. Baylor plays at TCU on March 1.
Led by 12 points from Scott, Baylor rolled to a 27-13 lead through the first quarter against UCF, which lost by 50 points against Big 12-leader West Virginia last time out. Baylor led 5223 at halftime after shooting 65% in the first half compared to 37% for UCF No. 18 KENTUCKY 74, No. 14 OLE MISS 57: In Lexington, Kentucky, Clara Strack had 28 points and nine rebounds, Tonie Morgan added 14 points and nine assists, and Kentucky beat Ole Miss. Asia Boone scored 10 of her 15 points in the second quarter for Kentucky (20-7, 7-6 SEC). Latasha Lattimore scored four points and Cotie McMahon the next five in a 9-0 spurt that trimmed the Rebels’ deficit to 57-51 with 6:45 left in the game, but Strack scored eight consecutive points over the next threeplus minutes before Morgan made a layup to give Kentucky a 16-point lead with 2:59 to play No. 20 MARYLAND 76, No. 8 OHIO STATE 75: In Columbus, Ohio, Oluchi Okananwa had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Yarden Garzon added 17 points and Maryland rallied from a 19-point deficit in the first half to beat Ohio State. It is the Terrapins largest comeback since Nov 13, 2019, when they were down 19 in the fourth quarter at James Madison before posting a 70-68 victory Addi Mack had 14 points and Saylor Poffenbarger 13 for Maryland (21-6, 9-6 Big Ten), which beat a Top 10 team for the first time since it defeated Ohio State in the Big Ten quarterfinals two years ago.
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one of the No. 3 seeds — at least for now LSU has been given one of those NCAA Tournament seeds in each of the past four seasons. How did LSU get back in that spot? Start with the fact that it’s struggled to win close games this year
So far, the Tigers have played four games decided by seven points or fewer In the last three minutes of those games, their opponents have outscored them a combined 38-21. They’ve shot only 5 of 24 from the field (21%) in those 12 minutes, and they’ve given up two different fourth-quarter leads.
LSU did not have an edge in the last quarter of its loss to South Carolina on Saturday But it did pull within one point of the Gamecocks three times in the fourth quarter alone, coming agonizingly close to earning an upper hand on a team it still hasn’t beaten in nearly 15 years. Johnson was the only contributor who made more than one shot in the fourth, but she missed three free throws in that frame. Guards Jada Richard and MiLaysia Fulwiley missed each of the last seven field goals attempted Star junior Mikaylah Williams made four of her first five looks but came up
“Some of us have to just look in the mirror and down the stretch, bow our neck and stop dropping these close games. Doing what we need to do early in the game, so it doesn’t come down to two free throws at the end of the game.”
MIKAyLAH WILLIAMs, LsU guard
empty on five of her last six.
The Tigers had plenty of chances. They grabbed a whopping 12 offensive boards in the fourth quarter alone, which allowed them to take more than twice as many shots in the frame as the Gamecocks did. South Carolina, though, was much more efficient, and it drained all eight free throws it took in the fourth.
“Some of us have to just look in the mirror,” Williams said, “and down the stretch, bow our neck and stop dropping these close games. Doing what we need to do early in the game, so it doesn’t come down to two free throws at the end of the game.”
you’re a competitor, you’re hurting individually And then collectively, it’s our job as coaches when we get back on that practice floor to make sure we get them back in the right mindset to keep winning a few more basketball games.” LSU has four games left in the regular season. Two of those matchups are against AP-ranked opponents, including a road battle with No. 14 Ole Miss set to tip off at
p.m. Thursday (ESPN). The Tigers haven’t dropped back-to-back games twice in the same season since Mulkey’s tenure began in 2021. A win over the Rebels would keep that streak alive, while also moving LSU closer to earning a double bye in the SEC Tournament — a right it can earn by finishing the regular season in the top four of the league’s standings. As of Sunday, the Tigers are in sixth place, below South Carolina (11-1), Vanderbilt (10-2), Tennessee (8-2), Texas (8-3) and Ole Miss (7-3). Will they bounce back from another close, frustrating loss? And can they win the next tight contest they encounter?
“We’ll see,” Mulkey said. “They’ve done it all year so I hope that they’ll continue to do it as we finish February and head into March Madness.”
“We’re not in there celebrating,” coach Kim Mulkey said. “I hope (the) kids are hurting. I hope that if
LSU, however, can take solace in the fact that it minimized its turnovers (nine), won the rebounding battle (46-37) and earned plenty of trips to the free-throw line (23), putting stars such as sophomore forward Joyce Edwards and senior guard Ta’Niya Latson in foul trouble. They combined to score only 18 points on Saturday But the Tigers still fell just short — again. Five of their last six meetings with South Carolina have been decided by 10 points or fewer South Carolina has won the final three minutes of the last four matchups 31-17. LSU shot 5 of 28 from the field (18%) in those 12 minutes, while the Gamecocks shot 8 of 16 (50%).
Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.
COLD GOLD! BRITAIN WINS FIRST OLYMPIC GOLD ON SNOW: Move over Torvill and Dean, Britain has a great new Winter olympics pairing Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale won the first gold medal on snow in the country’s 102-year history at the Winter Games after crossing the line first on sunday in the wild sport of mixed snowboardcross.
“It’s unbelievable,” Nightingale said.“GB on a whole is doing great on the snowboard side. We want to keep it going and inspire little kids to do it as well, and maybe one day they can get a gold medal.” In mixed snowboardcross,the first set of riders goes down the mountain four-wide,while the second set waits at the top of the hill in something resembling a relay race.Whichever team crosses the line first in the fourteam final gets gold.
ODINE STROEM WINS 2ND GOLD IN WOMEN’S LARGE HILL SKI JUMP DEBUT: Anna odine stroem made the olympic debut of women’s large hill ski jumping a night to remember for Norway stroem sailed to her second gold medal of the Milan Cortina Games as Norway took the top two spots, with Eirin Maria Kvandal winning silver slovenian favorite Nika Prevc settled for bronze.
Women’s ski jumping on the normal hill was first included in the 2014 sochi Games,but until this year,the contest on the large hill had been limited in the olympics to men. stroem won with a final jump of 433 feet. Kvandal’s jump was 438 feet, but stroem made up for it in style points from the judges and compensation points for wind.
RECORD NINTH GOLD MEDAL FOR NORWEGIAN SKIER: Klaebo stands alone as the most successful Winter olympian of all time after winning his ninth career gold medal in cross-country skiing Norway’s prime minister was watching as the 29-year-old anchored his team’s relay gold on sunday.That broke a tie on eight gold medals with three other Norwegians: cross-country skiers Marit Bjoergen and Bjoern Daehlie and biathlete ole Einar Bjoerndalen. Klaebo could get into double figures by the end of the Milan Cortina Games. His next chances for a 10th gold are in the team sprint on Wednesday or the 50-kilometer race on saturday.
MORE CONTROVERSY ROCKS
CURLING: The typically calm world of curling is being rocked by a controversy over double-touching, and it broadened sunday as the British men’s team had a stone removed for the violation. Until now, the Canadian men’s and women’s teams had been the focus of scrutiny.An expletive-laden outburst by Canada’s Marc Kennedy after an accusation of a double touch against sweden on Friday highlighted the problem.A double touch is when a player touches a stone again after releasing it.
— The Associated Press
By The Associated Press
MILAN Matthew Tkachuk in-
sists he and his U.S. teammates were only focused on beating Germany in their preliminary round finale and never worried about scoring enough goals to pass Canada for the top seed at the Olympics.
“We never talked once about the top seed at all,” Tkachuk said. “None of that seeding stuff. All that handles itself.”
It’s handled now, after the U.S. defeated Germany 5-1 on Sunday night behind two goals and an assist from captain Auston Matthews and 23 saves from Connor Hellebuyck. The Americans finished group play unbeaten to clinch the second seed in the knockout round.
“The confidence just continues to grow within our group,” Matthews said. “Each game I think we’ve taken steps in the right direction of where we want to grow our game going into the quarterfinals and it’s good to see.”
Canada put such a beatdown on France, winning 10-2, that the U.S. would have had to run up the score and beat Germany by 10 goals to pass the tournament favorite.
The North American rivals cannot meet until the gold medal game.
They have to get there first
The U.S. is set to face the winner of the qualification round game Tuesday between Sweden and Latvia, while Canada plays Czechia or Denmark in the quarterfinals on Wednesday
Sweden is the only European team at the Olympics with a full roster of NHL players, won two of its three preliminary round games and only dropped to seventh because of a goal differential tiebreaker
he’s a guy that’s going to protect our guys and do whatever it takes for our team.”
found a way It was a huge win against a really good team.”
Crosby, Canada crush France
Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid each had a goal and two assists in a clinical, businesslike 10-2 dismantling of France. Canada finished round robin play undefeated, outscoring opponents by 17 goals over three games.
“We did what we came to do,” said McDavid, who leads all scorers in Milan. “We came to win a hockey game and continue to get better.”
The blowout also included Tom Wilson fighting the player who delivered a forearm to Nathan MacKinnon’s face a couple of minutes earlier MacKinnon returned and Wilson was ejected, since fighting is a game misconduct under international rules, but the already popular teammate earned even more respect inside Canada’s locker room.
“He’s going to stick up for his guys,” forward Sam Bennett said. “He’s a leader on this team and
Macklin Celebrini, Canada’s youngest player at 19, scored on a penalty shot and on the power play against France to give him four goals in three games. Wilson, picked by coach Jon Cooper to ride shotgun on the top line on McDavid’s right wing, also had a goal, an assist and some big hits.
Switzerland wins one for Fial Rallying around the absence of injured winger Kevin Fiala, Switzerland beat Czechia 4-3 in overtime to give itself an easy path to the quarterfinals.
Winning the preliminary round finale means captain Roman Josi’s team next faces winless host Italy in the qualification playoffs Tuesday
“We knew it was a big game,” said Josi, the Nashville Predators defenseman who scored Switzerland’s first goal by banking the puck off Radko Gudas’ left skate and in. “Obviously a lot of up and downs in that third period but
Former Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Dean Kukan scored the overtime winner In 172 NHL regular-season and playoff games, he had just six goals and ranked this one top three in his career Timo Meier of the New Jersey Devils and Pius Suter of the St. Louis Blues also scored for Switzerland, and 38-year-old national team goaltender Leonardo Genoni stopped 29 of the 32 shots he faced.
Andersen helps Denmark to win Longtime NHL goaltender Frederik Andersen made 33 saves on 35 shots to give Denmark its first victory in Milan, 4-2 over Latvia.
Winning by two on an emptynetter also put Denmark ahead in the seeding, leaving Latvia to be 10th and face No. 7 Sweden in the qualification round Tuesday “There’s no easy teams, but we wanted to give our best shot at whatever comes next,” Andersen said.
BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP national writer
MILAN Everyone expected Femke Kok to win the 500-meter speedskating gold medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Even her Dutch teammate, Jutta Leerdam, the woman who beat Kok in the 1,000. Even the defending champion, Erin Jackson.
And, well, Kok did, too. Embracing those expectations rather than fighting them, Kok extended her two-year-plus unbeaten streak at her sport’s shortest distance Sunday, adding a gold medal and the Olympic record to her world mark, beating Jackson head-to-head in the final heat and relegating Leerdam to the silver
“I really wanted to prove to everyone that I could do it,” said Kok, who reversed the result from the 1,000 meters on Monday, when she got the silver “I knew for myself the only thing that mattered was gold.”
Kok powered through the final turn of the 500 and easily pulled away from Jackson, finishing in 36.49 seconds — a whopping 0.66 seconds ahead of teammate Leerdam
“We’re a really small country,” Kok said about the Netherlands and its population of under 20 million, “but we can do speedskating.”
Miho Takagi of Japan was third in 37.27, picking up her second bronze of these Winter Games and ninth career Olympic medal. Her totals: two golds, four silvers and three bronzes.
Jackson was fifth in 37.32, four years after her 500 triumph for the United States made her the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal at a Winter Olympics in any sport.
“Femke has been the person to chase for the past few years.
She’s just been amazing,” Jackson said. “If I have the perfect race, I could probably give her a run for her money.”
But Jackson didn’t have a perfect race: Sure, her start was terrific, but she stumbled a bit at one point, losing crucial time.
“I was coming closer and closer and closer,” Kok said, “and then I knew, ‘OK, I’m going fast.’”
As she usually does in the 500, an event she last lost in February 2024. When Kok crossed the line Sunday, she threw her arms overhead to the delight of the many many Dutch spectators, then skated a little more before covering her face with both hands.
That was quite a contrast to Leerdam’s reaction after she temporarily took the lead in the 12th of 15 heats.
She got off to something of a slugging start and was behind Takagi’s pace after 100 meters. While Leerdam did manage to better that time, she let out a big exhale afterward and didn’t look particularly pleased.
“She deserves it, for sure. She’s super good in the 500,” Leerdam said about Kok. “Silver in the 500 is such a win for me. I already felt complete after the win in the 1,000 — and now I have this one.” Kok prevented Leerdam from becoming just the third female speedskater to win the 500 and 1,000 at the same Olympics.
“We pushed each other the last couple of years to a higher level,” Kok said. “She’s doing her own thing; I’m doing my own thing. We have a lot of respect for each other She’s doing it her way; I’m doing it my way.”
Making of coveted BAFTAmask trophies an intricatetask
BY HILARYFOX Associated Press
LONDON Those winning aprize at the upcoming BritishAcademy Film Awards willbag acoveted bronze mask trophy —and get abit of an arm workout taking it home. Along with the honor of being named the best of the year in the industry,winners at the BAFTAceremony on Feb. 22 willbeawardedone of thedozens of the 6.6-pound prizes.
This year the cast and crew of “One Battle After Another,” “Sinners,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” and “Sentimental Value” are in the running for the trophies at the EE BAFTA ceremony,tobeheld at London’sRoyal Festival Hall.
As with many things in show business, all that glitters is not gold. The BAFTAmasksare made of phosphor bronze, polished to amirror finish that will reflect the happy face of its new owner
INVIsIoN PHoTo By sCoTT AGARFITT
Completed British AcademyFilm Awards masks are lined up at the FsE FoundryinBraintree, England.
Craftsmen at the AATi Foundry in Braintree, about 50 miles northeast of London, usea sandcasting technique tomake about 350 bronze trophies each year for all the BAFTAceremonies —covering the film,televisionand gaming industries.
They arecreated in batches, and making one from start to finishtakesarounda week,the foundry’s director Hugh Bisset said Tuesday The process starts with apattern by the tooling team, often outoftimber or 3D printing. That tool moves to the molding team which uses sand to make two recessed impressions ofthe mask, one each side. They are then closed together,ready for molten hot bronze —upto 2,192 Fahrenheit —tobepoured into it. The metal takesabout threeor fourhours to cool down, whenit can then be removed from the sand. The masks’ surfaces look dull andabit rougharoundthe edges at this stage, but after fettling, threading and polishing they are ready to be assembled before being checked over extremely carefully Bisset says it’simportantthat the masks areshiny and haveno polish left on them.
“The thing I’m always conscious of is that these amazing actors and actresses, they pick up their awards and my big concern is that asmudge ofpolish will end up over their lovely, beautiful white dress,” he said.
ä see BRONZE, page 2C
BY MATTHEW HAINES
Contributing writer
“Why would anyone bake aking cake when local bakeriesare turning themout by the thousands every morning from now until Mardi Gras?” an articleinthe Jan.15, 1987, edition of TheTimes-Picayune asked.
Nearly 40 years later,with theavailability of kingcakes proliferating in previously unimaginable shapes, sizesand flavors, the question is still relevant. Butthe New Orleans appetite is endless.Now amateurbakers aregetting creative, too, and king cakebaking competitions have been cropping up across thecity.
Some home bakerssay they enjoy expressing thecity’ssweet tradition in adifferent way,while others see it as an opportunity to build community. Caitlion Hunter,anenvironmental justicelawyer who is vegan, wanted their daughter to see adifferent side of her mother
“I entered my first amateur king cake competition at the Humane Society Louisiana last year,” theysaid. “Itwas abig deal for me because my baby was only afew months old,and Ihadn’tdoneanythingcreative for awhile.”
“I was so proud to enter the competition,” Hunteradded, “and to bring my baby along with me and show her that her mom is also a badass chef!” Hunter bakes anew,creative king cake each year forfamily and friends at their annualMardi Gras parties.
ä see MIX, page 2C
BY ELIZABETH WELLINGTON
The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNs)
PHILADELPHIA Old City-based 9.14
Pictures is working on an untitled documentary aboutcomedian Bob Saget, the Philly-bred funny man who rose to fame in the 1980s as the affable Danny Tanner on the ABC sitcom “Full House.” Deadlinefirstreported the news. Theannouncement comes on theheels of thestudio’ssuccessful projects centering on celebrities with local ties including Disney+’s “Taylor Swift:The EndofanEra” andPrimeVideo’smost watched
documentary,“Kelce.”Bothwere directed by the studio’sowners Don Argottand Sheena M. Joyce.
According to Deadline, Argott andJoyce will direct this piece, too. The directors, Deadline reports, were given access to Saget’s rare homevideos and tonever-before-seen footage about theactor “The film will reveal the complex life,devastating losses andenduring kindness behind the laughter,” thearticle stated. Thedocumentary will ultimately help viewers understand how and why Saget’s comedy turned so darkand raunchy beforehis
untimely death in 2022 at aRitzCarlton hotelinOrlando, Florida, fromwhat medical examiners said was an accidental blow to the head. He was 65 years old. Saget, who also hosted “America’sFunniest Home Videos” for eightseasons, wasbornin Mount Airy,moved to Virginia, andmoved back to theareawhen he wasateenager.Hegraduated from Abington Senior High and went on to attend Temple University, where he studied film While at Temple University,he
Last year,for example,they made abloody mary-inspired king cake.
“I am the type of person who looks at store-bought items, whether it is vegan cheese,plant-based meat, or king cake, andthinks, ‘I could totally make that myself,’” they said.
Building community
Marielle Pichon is aspecial education English language arts teacher in New Orleans. Growing up in Houston in aCatholic familywith dual French-American citizenship, her French father wouldpickup the popular French version of king cake, agalette des rois, forTwelfth Night from alocal bakery
Her father has since passed away, but Pichon has fond memories of the family gatheringtodivvy up slices of the almond paste-filled galette to see who would getthe porcelain fève and be crowned king or queen of the party
Nowliving in NewOrleans, Pichon makes her own galettes des rois during Carnival season.
“It’sthe most beautiful thing I know how to bake, so it’sfun to impress my friends withit,”she laughed, before adding, “but it is also an opportunity to take this childhood tradition with my family and memory of my dad and share it with my New Orleans community.”
Building community seems to be amajor theme among those baking king cakes at home. They yearnto share their seasonal creations with friends, familyand co-workers.
At Second Line Brewing, co-owner Mark Logansaid they arealways looking for new ways to make their brewery acenter for the neighborhood andcity.One waythey’ve donethat is with amateur baking contests throughout the year
“Weliked the baking approach given that we liveina city obsessed with food and everyone has their grandmother’srecipe for étouffée or gumbo or whatever,” Logan said.
“Home brewers have abig community and we thought it would be fun to help buildthat same community for home bakers.”
Tellingstories throughbaking
Agood recipe often tells the story of its creator.When, for example, the Honduran-owned Norma’s Sweets Bakery in Mid-City wanted
Continued from page1C
practiced his stand-up at then Philadelphia restaurateur Stephen Starr’sQueen VillageClub. He also won astudent Oscar in 1978 for his 11-minute documentary, “Through Adam’sEyes,” the story of an 11-year-old boy who underwentagrueling facial surgery After Temple, he moved to the West Coast and attended
Continued from page1C
“There’slots of things we need to think about.”
to make aking cake, it made sense that theirs would have guava and cream cheesefilling, common in Honduran pastries.
Babka king cakes at Saba from Alon Shaya —who grew up eating babka with his grandparents in Israel before eventually falling in love with thekingcake tradition in Louisiana —orasushi king cake at Rock-n-Sake both are additionalexamples that king cakes are an avenue for autobiographyand homage. Thesame is truefor theking cakes of amateurbakersinNew Orleans.
Local Fox 8news anchorShelby Latino was born in Louisiana and saidshe hasbeen bakingkingcakes
theUniversity of Southern California’sfilm school, but dropped outtodostand-up.
For the next seven years, he was the emcee at the Comedy Store, working among such comedians as David Letterman and Robin Williams, Michael Keaton, Billy Crystal, Jay Leno,Johnny Carsonand Richard Pryor. He also warmed up the crowd before tapingsof “Bosom Buddies,” the Tom Hanks-Peter Scolari sitcom.
Theproducer later hired Saget to play Danny Tanner
since she was in high school.
“In additiontotasting allofthe city’s amazing king cakes —I’m aManny Randazzo girl—Itry to makea kingcakeofmyown each year,” she said. “It’ssucha special Carnival tradition.”
Latino said herhusband’s grandfather,Bernie,was agreat baker, and though he passed away,she found herself thinking about his sticky buns often.
“Sticky buns are closetocinnamon rolls, and cinnamon rolls are sometimeslike king cake,” Latino said, “soIdecided to make aking cake inspired by Bernie’srecipe.” She adds soft sprinkles instead of colored sugar to emulate aManny
on “Full House,” on which he portrayed amorning TV host in San Francisco.
Before Saget turned38, he’d lostone sister to arare autoimmune disease and anothertoabrain aneurysm, he told thePhiladelphiaInquirer in a1994 article. Those losses, he said, helped him prioritize his life and led to his maudlin sense of humor
The Bob Sagetdocumentary will be produced by Story Syndicate, Revue Studios, and 9.14 Pictures.
Randazzo’sking cake, but because her husband loves Dong Phuong, Shelby incorporates acream cheese and heavy cream icing
She added, “I love that Ican take this special tradition and incorporate family nostalgiaand abit of copycatting, too!”
Growingtradition
AlisihiaBigelowhas taken her desire to be part of the king cake tradition even astep further “I have been taking pottery classes for nine years at The London Clayworks,” she said, “so last year Isculpted and glazed my own baby to stick in the king cakefor Mardi Gras day.”
It was ahit.Sadly,things didn’t workout as well thesecondtime around.
“I accidentally decapitatedita few days ago, so there will be no baby this year,” sheconceded. Bigelow experiments with avariety of flavors, fromcinnamon sugar to caramelized onionswith bacon and Gruyere. This year she is experimenting witha sourdough king cake.
“People are impressed when I bring akingcake to aCarnival party,”she said.“My husbandisa musician and Itell him that this is my version of people clapping for me after asong.”
Scott Crawford can relate to how good that approval can feel. He saidheremembers, growing up in New Orleans, when it was his turn to bring aking cake to school, his mothersent him withanenormous one from McKenzie’sPastry Shoppes.
“I would walk into class with a king cakesomassive the cardboard carrying it was the size of afull sheet of plywood,” he said. “Itfelt like Iwas entering as aconquering hero.”
Today,when he brings his housemade savory jumbo lump crab king cake —filled and topped with two pounds of lump crab meat mixed withlemon butter sauce, Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs —Crawford said he gets that sameheroic feeling.
He appreciates theattention, and thenostalgia around thetradition
But thatisn’twhy he makes his signature king cake for parties each year
“It’sloosely modeledafter one of my favorite dishes, the Rickey Jackson crabfingersfromImpastato’s in Metairie,” he said. “The best part about makingthis kingcake is knowing Iwill get to eat it.”
By The Associated Press
Today is Monday,Feb. 16, the 47th day of 2026. There are 318 days left in the year
Todayinhistory: On Feb. 16, 1959, Fidel Castro was sworn in as premier of Cuba, six weeks after dictator Fulgencio Batista wasoverthrown and fled the country into exile. Castro’srise to power marked the start of Cuba’stransformation into acommunist nation.
Also on this date: In 1862, the Civil WarBattle of Fort DonelsoninTennessee ended with the surrender of some 12,000 Confederate soldiers; UnionGen. UlyssesS Grant’svictory earned him the moniker “Unconditional Surrender Grant.” In 1923, the burial chamber of King Tutankhamen’srecently unearthed tomb wasunsealed in Egypt by English archaeologist Howard Carter
In 1960, the nuclear submarine USS Triton departed New London, Connecticut, on the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe by avessel.
In 1996, 11 people were killed in afiery collision between an Amtrak passenger train and a Maryland commutertrain in Silver Spring, Maryland.
In 2018, special counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russians and three Russian companies on charges of staging an elaborate plot to disrupt the 2016 U.S. presidential election via asocial media trolling campaign, aimed in part at helping Donald Trump win the presidency In 2024, Russia’sprison agency announced that Alexei Navalny, activist and Russian opposition leader,had died in the Arctic penal colony where he wasserving a19-year sentence on charges of extremism; Navalny’sdeath brought outrage and criticism from world leaders toward Russian President Vladimir Putin. Today’sbirthdays: Businessman Carl Icahn is 90. Author Eckhart Tolle is 78. Actor William Katt is 75. Actor LeVar Burton is 69. Actor-rapper Ice-T is 68. Tennis Hall of Famer John McEnroe is 67. Football Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis is 54. Olympic track and field gold medalist Cathy Freeman is 53.
Bisset reckons the diligence and care that his skilled team puts intothe making of the masks reflects the hard work of the winning filmmakersand movie stars. And while it’sstill unknown if favorites Jessie Buckley, Timothée Chalamet and Teyana Taylor will get theglory on Sunday, whoever does win willtake home something worthmorethan its heavy weight in bronze.
“a lot of time and love being put intoit,” Bisset said.
“There’salot of metalin it,” but each maskalso has
AQuARIus(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Choosethe path that opens your mind to ahost of newideas and opportunities. Putyour strength, courage and discipline to work for you. Self-improvement will encourage new beginnings.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Take careof unfinished business beforeyou start something new. You'll gain insight into what's possible if you devote your undivided attention to what's next.
ARIEs(March 21-April 19) Putyour time andenergy intohelping others. Don't donate money; offer your time, skills and patience to those in need,and the rewards will be more gratifying than you can imagine.
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Don't letego getinthe way. You'll make gains if you putyour energy andskills to work.Your efforts will lead to greater securityand abetter quality of life.
GEMInI(May 21-June 20) Get the facts, pay attention to detail and honor your promises.You'll gaininsight by helping others and learning through research, travel and educational pursuits.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Sticktowhatyou know. Act on your ownbehalf. How you respond toothers will affect how much information people share withyou. Be kind, considerate and willing to help.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) It's OK to dream, but don'tfall short on your promises. Offer only what's feasible. Alack of practicality regarding money, debt and
how you distribute what you earn will lead to complications
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Payattention, nurture meaningful relationships and rethink your work-playratio. Apartnership will help you bring about positive change in your life
LIBRA(sept. 23-oct.23) Put more effort intomaking your home user-friendly, and you will find it easiertoreach your goals. Size up situations andfigure out whatyou can do to make things better and how much it will cost to complete your mission.
scoRPIo (oct.24-nov. 22) Think matters through before you implement change. Not everyonewill be on the same page as you. Get approvaland thesupport you require to reach your destination.
sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Spend more time acting and less timehyping up what you intend to do next. Actions speak louder than words and help keep criticism at bay. Follow your instincts, not someone else's lead.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Refuse to let anyone talkyou intosomething you don't need or cannotafford. Well-thought-out change and doing the legwork yourself will payoff andlead to newopportunities
The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact ©2026 by NEA, Inc., dist.ByAndrews McMeel Syndication
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Saturday’s Puzzle Answer
By PHILLIP ALDER
Wayne Gretzky, the ice hockey superstar whosurprisingly won the Stanley Cuponlyfourtimes(the record fora player is 11, held by Henri Richard of the MontrealCanadiens),said,“Youmiss100 percentofthe shots you never take.”
Experts carry afair number of percentagesaround in their heads. Less capable players know afew. This means that when twolines of play present themselves, theexpertcan usually calculate which is mathematically better. Butsomeone else might have to rely on instinct.
In thisexample, how should Southplay in three no-trump after West leads the club queen?
North might have used Stayman to try to find a4-4 major-suit fit. However, with his points in his shortsuits,itwas reasonable to raise to three no-trump.
Using Stayman is fine when you have a4-4 major-suitfit and game in that suit makes. Butwhen you do not have afit, employing Stayman justgives thedefenders extra information about declarer’s hand.
South starts with seven toptricks: one spade,oneheart,threediamondsandtwo clubs. If declarer can take five diamond tricks,hewill be home.But should he cashthetophonorsorstartwithafinesse of dummy’s 10?
Apriori, a3-3 split has aprobability of 35.53percent.Most playersknow that.
But fewwill be aware that thefinessing line will work 42 percent of thetime, making it the preferable choice. Win the first trick withyour club ace, play adiamond to dummy’s 10, cash the diamond queen, and claim nine tricks. In general, trynot to bank everything on a3-3 split
Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
word game
InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four
Average
Timelimit
Canyou
today’s thought “Why he is able alsotosavethem to the uttermost thatcome to God by him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them.”Hebrews 7:25
