The Times-Picayune 02-17-2026 by The Advocate

HAPPYMARDIGRAS!

TODAY’SPARADES maps,2B

UPTOWN: Zulu, 8a.m. l Rex, 10:30 a.m. l Elks Orleanians, follows l Crescent City,follows l METAIRIE: Argus, 11 a.m. l Elks Jeffersonians, follows l COVINGTON: CarnivalinCovington, 10 a.m. l

MONDAY FUNDAY

Revelers enjoy Lundi Gras fest vibes

BY JONI HESS Staff writer

Kelsey Fredericksat on the steps near Woldenberg Park’s Monument of the Immigrant on Lundi Gras, atray of friedgumbo balls in tow

The New Orleans resident stopped eating and began dancing as the sound of abrass band ﬁlled the airand JuniorZulu Juan Hendonled asecond-line at the 32nd annual Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club Lundi Gras festival.

“I couldn’ttellyou who’s on stage today,” Frederick said, referencing thefestival’smusiclineup of local musicians. “I just showupeveryyeartosee allthe characters, to see my people andit’salways a good time,” she said.

Frederick was one of thousands gathered forthe annual riverfront festival that signals the ﬁnal days of Carnival season. Attendees at the free event cametocelebrate food, this year’sZulu characters and the evening arrival of King andQueen Zulu by boat ahead of Fat Tuesday

This year’sroyal duo, Ron Tassin, an administrator at InspireNOLA Schools, andShirelle Monique Chapman, aJefferson Parish project coordinator,would arrive differently than Zulu royalty have in previous years. The U.S. Coast Guard, impacted

ä See LUNDI GRAS, page 4A

BY KEITH SPERA Staff writer

As aJefferson Parish youngster, Ron Tassin didn’tattend the Zulu Social Aid &Pleasure Club parade

Hismotherworked twojobs, he explainedrecently.ComeFat Tuesday,she was tired. He ﬁnally got his ﬁrstglimpse of Zulu aroundage 11. “It was quite different for me,”herecalled recently.“Iwas like,‘Wow this is amazing,’ not knowing thatyears down the line,you’re going to be apart of this.” He’smore than just apart of it. In the 20 years since he joined Zulu, he has served on more than

Haydel’s co-owner to lead Argus’ roll throughMetairie Bakery ships thousandsofking cakesduring season

BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

For most Krewe of Argus kings, the busiest time of Carnival season is Mardi Gras morning, when they dontheir crown and take to the streetsofMetairie to throw beads and toys to thousands of onlookers at the front of Jefferson Parish’s premiere parade. But for this year’sking, the ride might actuallybea momentofrespiteafter working 12-hour days to prepare andsell 75,000 king cakes in amatter of six weeks. David Haydel Jr.co-owns Haydel’sBakery in Old Jefferson with hisfamily,where he works from 5:30 a.m.until 6p.m. every

Argus KingXLI DavidHaydel Jr

day of Carnival season to distribute their iconic king cakes both locally and nationwide.

“Mardi Grasisagrind,” Haydel said. “It’s astraight-up grind, but it

ä See ARGUS, page 5A

of the oldest organizations of Carnival and has 230 members.

STAFF PHOTOSByCHRIS GRANGER

TheKrewe

Actor

Administration ordered to restore slavery exhibits

PHILADELPHIA A federal judge ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to restore the slavery exhibits that the National Park Service removed from the President’s House last month.

U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe, a George W. Bush appointee, issued a ruling Monday requiring the federal government to “restore the President’s House Site to its physical status as of January 21, 2026,” which is the day before the exhibits were removed.

The order does not give the government a deadline for the restoration of the site. It does require that the National Park Service take steps to maintain the site and ensure the safety of the exhibits, which memorialize the enslaved people who lived in George Washington’s Philadelphia home during his presidency and were abruptly removed in January Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration filed a federal lawsuit arguing that dismantling the exhibits was an “arbitrary and capricious” act that violated a 2006 cooperative agreement between the city and the federal government

The federal government has the option to appeal the judge’s order During a hearing last month, Rufe called the federal government’s argument that a president could unilaterally change the exhibits displayed in national parks “horrifying” and “dangerous.” She ordered the federal government to ensure the panels’ safe keeping after an inspection and a visit to the President’s House earlier this month.

Israeli to be charged with killing activist RAMALLAH, West Bank Israeli prosecutors said Monday that they plan to charge a settler in the killing of a Palestinian activist during a confrontation that was caught on video, opening a rare prosecution of violence by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank.

The death in July of Awdah Hathaleen has drawn particular attention due to his involvement in the 2025 Oscar-winning film “No Other Land,” which chronicled Palestinian villagers’ ﬁght to stay on their land. The case also stands out because the confrontation between Palestinians and Yinon Levi, an internationally sanctioned settler, was captured on video from multiple vantage points. In a video that family members say was taken by Hathaleen himself, Levi could be seen firing toward the person holding the camera. Another showed Levi firing two shots without showing where the bullets struck.

An Israeli judge released Levi from custody six months ago, citing a lack of evidence that he ﬁred the shots that killed Hathaleen.

Israel’s State Attorney General’s ofﬁce conﬁrmed in a statement Monday that it had initiated proceedings to indict Levi. It did not specify the charges.

Khalil Hathaleen, Awdah’s brother, said the family was glad some measure of justice was being pursued but felt the charge of “reckless homicide” was insufﬁcient.

“It was an intentional killing in broad daylight, with prior intent and premeditation,” he said Explosion in China kills 8 ahead of Lunar New Year

BEIJING An explosion and ﬁre at a ﬁreworks shop in eastern China has killed eight people and left two others with minor burns ahead of the Lunar New Year, authorities said.

The Sunday afternoon blast in a village in Jiangsu province was caused by a resident setting off ﬁreworks improperly near the store, the Donghai county government said in a statement. Setting off firecrackers at midnight on the Lunar New Year is a tradition in China, but many places have banned fireworks in recent years, at least in part because of air pollution.

The Lunar New Year falls on Tuesday It will mark the start of the year of the horse in the

nese zodiac.

3 killed in R.I. rink shooting

3 also hospitalized in incident authorities say may have been family dispute

BY KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press

PAWTUCKET, R.I Three people, in-

cluding the suspect, were fatally shot during a Rhode Island youth hockey game Monday, authorities said.

Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves told reporters that three other victims are hospitalized in critical condition.

“It appears that this was a targeted event, that it may be a family dispute,” she said. Goncalves did not provide details about the suspect or the ages of those who were killed, though she said it appeared that both victims were adults.

She said investigators are trying to piece together what happened and speak with witnesses of the shooting inside Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, a few miles outside Providence They are also reviewing video taken from the hockey game. Unveriﬁed footage circulating on social media shows players diving for cover and fans ﬂeeing their seats after popping sounds are heard.

Outside the arena, tearful families and high school hockey players still in uniform could be seen hugging before they boarded a bus to leave the area. Roads surrounding the arena were shut down as a heavy police presence remained and helicopters ﬂew overhead.

Pawtucket is nestled just north of Providence and right under the Massachusetts state border A city of just under 80,000, Pawtucket had up until recently been known as the home to Hasbro’s headquarters.

Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall dies

BY BOB THOMAS Associated Press

LOS ANGELES Robert Duvall, the Oscar-winning actor of matchless versatility and dedication whose classic roles included the intrepid consigliere of the ﬁrst two “Godfather” movies and the over-the-hill country music singer in “Tender Mercies,” has died at age 95.

Duvall died “peacefully” at his home Sunday in Middleburg, Virginia, according to an announcement from his publicist and from a statement posted on his Facebook page by his wife, Luciana Duvall.

“To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything,” Luciana Duvall wrote. “His passion for his craft was matched only by his deep love for characters, a great meal, and holding court. For each of his many roles, Bob gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit they represented.”

The bald, wiry Duvall didn’t have leading man looks, but few “character actors” enjoyed such a long, rewarding and unpredictable career, in leading and supporting roles, from an itinerant preacher to Josef Stalin Beginning with his 1962 ﬁlm debut as Boo Radley, the reclusive neighbor in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Duvall created a gallery of unforgettable portrayals. They earned him seven Academy Award nominations and the best actor prize for “Tender Mercies,” which came out in 1983.

He also won four Golden Globes, including one for playing the philosophical cattle-drive boss in the 1989 miniseries “Lonesome Dove,” a role he often cited as his favorite. In 2005, Duvall was awarded a National Medal of Arts. He had been acting for some 20 years when “The Godfather,” released in 1972, established him as one of the most in-demand performers of Hollywood. He had made a previous film, “The Rain People,” with Francis Coppola, and the director chose him to play Tom Hagen in the maﬁa epic that featured Al Pacino and Marlon Brando among others. Duvall was a master of subtlety as an Irishman among Italians, rarely at the center of a scene, but often listening and advising in the background, an irreplaceable thread through the saga of the Corleone crime family “Stars and Italians alike depend on his efficiency, his tidying up around their grand gestures, his being the perfect shortstop on a team of personality sluggers,” wrote the critic David Thomson. Was there ever a role better designed for its actor than that of Tom Hagen in both parts of ‘The Godfather?’”

who with equal vigor enjoyed surfing and bombing raids on the Viet Cong. Duvall required few takes for one of the most famous passages in movie history, barked out on the battleﬁeld by a bare-chested, cavalry-hatted Kilgore: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn’t find one of ’em, not one stinkin’ dink body

“The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like — victory.”

Coppola once commented about Duvall: “Actors click into character at different times — the ﬁrst week, third week. Bobby’s hot after one or two takes.”

Research, planning, energy

Fellow actors marveled at Duvall’s studious research and planning, and his coiled energy. Michael Caine, who co-starred with him in the 2003 “Secondhand Lions,” once told The Associated Press: “Before a big scene, Bobby just sits there, absolutely quiet; you know when not to talk to him.” Anyone who disturbed him would suffer the wellknown Duvall temper, famously on display during the filming of the John Wayne Western “True Grit,” when Duvall seethed at director Henry Hathaway’s advice to “tense up” before a scene.

a prize he accepted while clad in a cowboy tuxedo with Western tie. In 1998, he was nominated for best actor in “The Apostle,” a drama about a wayward Southern evangelist which he wrote, directed, starred in, produced and largely ﬁnanced. With customary thoroughness, he visited dozens of country churches and spent 12 years writing the script and trying to get it made. In his mid-80s, he received a supporting Oscar nomination as the title character of the 2014 release “The Judge,” in which he is accused of causing a death in a hit-and-run accident. More recent ﬁlms included “Widows” and “12 Mighty Orphans.”

Son of admiral, actress Robert Selden Duvall grew up in the Navy towns of Annapolis and the San Diego area, where he was born in 1931. He spent time in other cities as his father, who rose to be an admiral, was assigned to various duties.

Bobby took after his mother, an amateur actress, in playing a guitar and performing. He was a wrestler like his father and enjoyed besting kids older than himself.

In another Coppola ﬁlm, “Apocalypse Now,” Duvall was wildly out front, the embodiment of deranged masculinity as Lt. Col Bill Kilgore,

Duvall was awarded an Oscar in 1984 for his leading role as the troubled singer and songwriter Mac Sledge in “Tender Mercies,”

Iran meets U.N. nuclear watchdog in Switzerland

BY JAMEY KEATEN and STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN Associated Press

GENEVA Iran’s top diplomat met with the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency on Monday ahead of a second round of negotiations with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear program. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and said he would also meet with Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi of Oman, which is hosting the U.S.-Iran talks in Geneva on Tuesday “I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal,” Araghchi wrote on X. “What is not on the table: submission before threats.”

As U.S. President Donald Trump ordered an additional aircraft carrier to the region, Iran on Monday launched a second naval drill in weeks, state TV reported It said the drill would test Iran’s intelligence and operational capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman

Just before the talks, Iran announced its paramilitary Revolutionary

Guard started the drill early Monday morning in the waterways that are crucial international trade routes through which 20% of the world’s oil passes.

Separately, EOS Risk Group said sailors passing through the region received by radio a warning that the northern lane of the Strait of Hormuz, in Iranian territorial waters, likely would see a livefire drill Tuesday Iranian state TV did not mention the live fire drill. This is the second time in recent weeks sailors have received warning about an Iranian live fire drill. During the previous exercise, announced at the end of January the U.S. military’s Central Command issued a

strongly worded warning to Iran and the Revolutionary Guard. While acknowledging Iran’s “right to operate professionally in international airspace and waters,” it warned against interfering or threatening American warships or passing commercial vessels.

The Trump administration is seeking a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program and ensure it does not develop nuclear weapons. On Sunday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi signaled that Tehran could be open to compromise on the nuclear issue, but is looking for an easing of international sanctions led by the United States.

He lacked the concentration for schoolwork and nearly flunked out of Principia College in Elsah, Illinois. His despairing parents decided he needed something to keep him in college so he wouldn’t be drafted for the Korean War. “They recommended acting as an expedient thing to get through,” he recalled. “I’m glad they did.”

Chi-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARK STOCKWELL

A woman reacts near the Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, R.I after a shooting at the ice rink on Monday.

PHOTO PROVIDED By IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRy Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, and International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi meet Monday in Geneva, Switzerland

Duvall

Minn.deniedaccess to evidence in shooting

BY JEFF DAY

The Minnesota Star Tribune (TNS)

The Trump administration has formally denied Minnesota law enforcement access to information and evidence from the FBI investigation into the shooting death of Alex Prettibyfederal agents on Jan. 24 in Minneapolis.

The announcement comes in the wake of White House border czar TomHoman announcing the end of Operation Metro Surge and a drawdownoffederal agents in Minnesota.Homan’s arrival came in the wake of global outrageover the killing of Pretti, and Homan vowed arenewed focuson cooperation between state and federal ofﬁcials.

Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said in anews releaseMonday thatthe FBI notified himlastweekthat it will not share evidence from its investigation with the state. Evans said the BCA has continued to request access to federalinvestigativematerialsnot only from the killing of Prettibut also from the killing of ReneeGood by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on Jan.7insouth Minneapolis and the shooting of Julio So-

Hundreds of flowersand

sa-Celis by afederal agent in northMinneapolis on Jan.14.

“While this lack of cooperationisconcerningand unprecedented, the BCA is committed to thorough, independent and transparent investigations of theseincidents,” Evans said,“even if hampered by alack of access to key information and evidence.”

TheBCA, HennepinCounty Attorney’sOffice and

MinnesotaAttorney General’s Ofﬁce have been workingtogether to conductan independent state investigation into the killings of Good and Pretti.

Hennepin CountyAttorney MaryMoriarty saidin astatementMonday that the federal government’s refusal to cooperateshows it is “not conﬁdent in their agents’ actionsortheir immediate response.” She

praised the BCAfor its efforts to conduct ajointinvestigation but said that even without federal cooperation, the“work continues” on astate investigation Gov.Tim Walz postedon socialmedia that, “Minnesota needs impartial investigations into the shootings of American citizens on our streets. Trump’sleft hand cannot investigate his right hand. The families of the de-

ceased deserve better.”

Last week, Walz said the state and federal governments were “very close” to an agreement to share investigative materials.

“We’re onlyaskingfor what’salways been done,” Walz said. “We’re only asking forthe right thing. Justice needs to be served.”

Twoweeksago,people familiarwith theongoingeffort to repair relationships between the federal and stategovernments told the Minnesota Star Tribune the announcement of ajoint investigation between the FBI andBCA intothe killing of Pretti was imminent.

That announcement never came.

Walz said the Trump administration pulled back from thejoint investigation afterdetails of theagreement werereported by the Star Tribune before it was formally announced.

Walz saidthere’sa“contingent” within the FBI and federal government that understands the best way to investigate the fatal shootings is jointly with the state. The framework forajoint investigation is in place, he said.

“It’sjust amatter of them feeling like they have an upper hand to announce it.”

Bitcoindemand

BY SCOTT BAUER Associated Press and THERESA BRAINE

(TNS)

Newyork Daily News

Investigators workingon the disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’smotherare consulting with Walmart management to develop leads because abackpack the suspect was wearing is sold exclusively at the stores, the Pima County,Arizona, sheriff said Monday Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her Arizona home on Jan. 31 and was reported missing thefollowing day.Authorities say her blood was foundonthe front porch.Purported ransom notes were sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for paying have passed.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation released surveillance videos of amasked person wearing ahandgun holsteroutside Guthrie’s front doorinTucson the night she vanished. Aporch camerarecorded video of a person with abackpack who was wearing aski mask, long pants, ajacket and gloves. Pima County SheriffChris Nanos said in atext message

to The AssociatedPress on Monday thatthe 25-liter “Ozark Trail HikerPack” backpack was theonly clothing itemthathas been “deﬁnitively identiﬁed.”

“This backpack is exclusive to Walmartand we are working with Walmart management to develop further leads,” Nanos said. The suspect’sclothing

Obamaclariﬁespodcast commentonaliens

BY SPENCERLEVERING

Las VegasReview-Journal (TNS) and The Associated Press

Former President Barack Obama said in apodcast interview Saturday that aliens are real, but they aren’t at Nevada’sArea 51.

During an appearance on YouTuber Brian TylerCohen’sshow,Obama said he hadn’tseen extraterrestrials but that they existed.

“They’re not being kept in Area 51, there’sno underground facility,unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States,” Obama said during a rapid-ﬁre round of questions at the end of the interview Cohen didn’task afollowup question on the subject

“What was the ﬁrst question you wanted answered whenyou became president?” Cohenasked next.

“Where are the aliens?” Obama replied with alaugh

On Sunday, theformer president released astatement on Instagram,appearingtoclarify what he meant by his comments that have since gone viral.

“I was trying to stick with thespiritofthe speed round, but since it’sgotten attention letmeclarify. Statistically, the universe is so vast that theodds are good there’slife out there. But the distances between solar systems are so greatthatthe chances we’vebeen visited byaliens is low,and Isaw noevidence duringmypresidencythat extraterrestrials havemade contact with us. Really!” Area 51, the classiﬁed operatinglocation near the Nevada National Security Site about 90 miles northwest of LasVegas, has long capturedpopular culture’s attentionas agovernment facility believed to be holdingUFOs and aliens.

In reality,the sitehas been atest bed for the nation’s

high-tech aircraft dating back to when it wasestablished in 1955 totest thehighflying U-2 spyplane. Butthe U.S. government did not acknowledge the facility’sexistence until 2013, when the CIA declassified documents confirming Area 51’suse as a testing site for U-2 and SR-71 spy planes.

National media attention turnedtoArea51inSeptember 2019 after aviral social media post saw millions demand aglimpse of extraterrestrial life.

Atongue-in-cheek Facebook event made by California man Matty Roberts had more than2 millionpeople sign up to storm Area 51, all pledging to run into the facility and “see them aliens.”

An Ipsos poll conducted during the Storm Area51 social media movement found aquarter of Americans thought that crashed UFO spacecrafts are held at thesite.

“may have been purchased from Walmartbut is not exclusively available at Walmart,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Departmentsaidin astatement Monday.“This remainsa possibilityonly.”

Investigators on Sunday announced that aglove discovered near the Guthrie home hasbeen sentfor DNA testing. The FBI said thatit received preliminary results Saturday and wasawaiting official confirmation. The development comes as law enforcement gathers more potential evidence .Authoritiespreviously said they had not identiﬁed asuspect

TheFBI said the suspect in thesurveillance footageis aman about5feet, 9inches tall with amedium build. Nanos saidonMonday that members of Guthrie’sfamily,including siblings and spouses, are not suspects.

“The family hasbeen nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case,” Nanos saidina statement.

Media outletTMZ hasreceived afourth demand for bitcoin in exchange for the name of Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper, the entertainment news and gossip site said Monday

“I know what Isaw five days ago south of the border and Iwas told to shut up so I know whoheisand that was deﬁnitely Nancy with them,” the alleged clue-holder’s message read in part, according to TMZ.Monday’s missive wasthe second to reference multiplekidnappers and apossible international component, TMZ noted.

The bitcoin account matched the one in the previousthree notes TMZhas received, the outlet said, referring to the senderas“he.”

The personhas tweaked his demand since the FBI increasedthe potential reward to $100,000 on Friday and is nowasking for $50,000 in bitcoinupfront, followed by

After Pretti was killed by aBorderPatrol agentand a Customs and Border Protectionofﬁcer, BCAinvestigators weredenied access to the crime scene on Nicollet Avenue by federal agents, despite having ajudicial warrant granting them access. That led several state political and lawenforcementleaders to argue that Minnesota had entered an unprecedented situation where the federal government wasrefusing to adhere to state laws.

The BCA and other law enforcement ofﬁces in Minnesota have longstanding ties to the FBI and ahistory of working together on criminal investigations of all sorts. The rupture in the relationship first became apparent after the killing of Good, when Trump administration officials quickly branded Good adomestic terrorist, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the federal government wasnot investigating Ross.

“The Department of Justice, our civil rights unit, we don’tjustgoout andinvestigate every time an ofﬁcer is forced to defend himself against somebodyputting hislifeindanger,”Blanche said. “Wenever do.”

$50,000 moreafter he supplies the information, TMZ said.

Theoutlet saiditwas passing allmessagestothe FBI andurgedthe persontosend the information.

Thesender told TMZ that a10-year-old burglary charge madehim hesitant to come forward publicly.The would-be tipster ﬁrst messaged TMZ last Wednesday asking forasingle bitcoin about $67,000 —for information on Nancy’swhereabouts.A second message was sentonThursday and athird on Fridayinwhich he promised to reveal “the name of the main individual”oncethe first payment had been deposited. Savannah Guthrie pleaded once againfor Nancy’s return in ashort video late Sunday.“It’s been twoweeks since our momwas taken, andI just wanted to come on and say that we still have hope.And we still believe,” the “Today” co-host said in a video posted to Instagram

MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE PHOTO By ALEX KORMANN

the memorial site forAlex Pretti

CARNIVAL 2026

Continued from page 1A

by the Department of Homeland Security’s funding shutdown, wasn’t able to keep with tradition and provide a boat for the king and queen this year, so festival organizers asked the Port of New Orleans to ﬁll in with a ﬁre boat.

“We found out about this on Friday,” said Darren Mire, Zulu’s director of public relations. “We had to do a last-minute change, but we got a boat.”

Mire said this year’s festival also saw an expanded footprint along the river Last year, it was condensed as renovations continued on the Audubon Aquarium

The extra space allowed for more vendors and revelry, with crowd numbers expected to topple the estimated 65,000 that attended last year, Mire said. He said people began showing up much earlier than normal to grab their “real estate,” or their spots along the riverfront.

The annual Lundi Gras event spanned eight hours with a music lineup by entirely local musicians

across three stages. It culminated with the arrival of Rex, king of Carnival, who this year is H. Merritt Lane III, and King Zulu, who met in the evening at Spanish Plaza as ﬁreworks were set ablaze over the river

“That’s what I’m here for,” said K. Renee Horton, a New Orleans resident from Baton Rouge who has attended the event the last four years with her friends. “I’m here for the vibes and to see the King (Zulu).”

At the event the Witch Doctor Big Shot and other Zulu characters were introduced on stage and led second-lines through the crowd wearing their distinctive outﬁts.

Horton and her friends bought tickets to the VIP section, which they say offers the best view of the stage and a chance to nab Zulu’s iconic signature throws — coconuts a day early

“I like the idea that they do this a day before they actually ride,” Horton said of the Zulu parade set to roll at 8 a.m Tuesday

“It’s all about the vibes, people enjoying themselves pre-Mardi Gras. It’s family-oriented. We keep coming back,” said New Orleans resident Deidra Mallet.

LUNDI GRAS

The Zulu Tramps dance for crowds during the Zulu Lundi Gras festival at Woldenberg Park in New Orleans on Monday,

STAFF PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER

Mayor Helena Moreno, left, and Rex 2026 H. Merritt Lane III, right, stand behind King Zulu 2026 Ronald Tassin as he speaks during the 40th annual Lundi Gras celebration at Riverwalk Outlets on Monday.

Poppy Tooker rides as the duchess of the procession during the Krewe of Red Beans parade on Royal Street on Monday.

Crowds listen to live music during the annual Lundi Gras festivities at the riverfront on Monday.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD Crowds enjoy the Lundi Gras festivities in Kenner’s Rivertown on Monday.

He’s one of the only Zulu monarchs who has lived his entire life in Jefferson Parish, rather than Orleans.

“Being a king of Zulu right now is history,” he said. “It’s timing. It’s all of the pleasure that goes with Mardi Gras, and the high honor of it. Being the 110th king of Zulu is an amazing thing.”

An educator’s life

In his nonroyal life, Tassin is an educator A former teacher he now manages student partnerships and programs at InspireNOLA, the charter school network that includes Edna Karr and McDonogh 35 high schools and Eleanor McMain Secondary School. Tassin also mentors youth in the juvenile justice system. He founded the behavioral health agency Assurance Care Provider and the Audrey Mae Tassin Foundation. Named for his mother, the foundation hosts community health fairs and raises money for the Zulu maids’ scholarship fund Purpose, perseverance, faith and family — especially his daughter, Anjeinay Coree Shavonn are priorities for Tassin.

He selected his niece, Sharell Monique Chatman, to be Zulu’s 2026 queen. A graduate of Xavier University Preparatory High School, Chatman earned bachelor’s degrees in industrial engineering technology and sociology from Northwestern State University, followed by a master’s in computer engineering at Colorado State University

As an employee of Jefferson Parish’s engineering department, she deals with infrastructure planning. She is also vice president of the Audrey Mae Tassin Foundation. She is a lifelong Jefferson Parish

ARGUS

Continued from page 1A

is the cost of being a popular business. You take the good with the bad.” But come lunchtime on Lundi Gras, Haydel and his bakery will take a weeklong break from the business to enjoy the festivities, including his role this year as King Argus XLI.

The Krewe of Argus, featuring Haydel as king and Callie Langhetee as Queen Argus XLI, will ride down Veterans Boulevard at 11 a.m. on Mardi Gras under the theme “Argus Gets Animated.” The peacock-clad procession, founded in 1972, has about 400 riders and 25 ﬂoats

Taking on the business

Haydel and his brother Ryan are the third generation in their family to run the 67-year-old bakery

Haydel’s grandfather, Lloyd Haydel, entered the pastry business in 1959 after acquiring Sunny Flake Donut Shop, a 24-hour doughnut joint — and for a short period, a trampoline center — at the corner of Jefferson Highway and Gelpi Avenue. Lloyd Haydel gave the bakery his name after Hurricane Betsy leveled the shop in 1965, and his son, David Haydel Sr., eventually took over the business with his wife, Dottie, whom he met while the two worked there.

resident, just like her Uncle Ron.

‘Dr. King’

A Grace King High School graduate, Tassin played basketball and baseball at the University of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota Morris. He spent time in the Minnesota Twins’ minor league system until injuries shifted his focus to education.

“Sports was very good for me. It gave me great honor It gave me great resolutions on how to compete in life as well.”

He ended up earning a criminal justice degree from Southern University, followed by a doctorate

Haydel Jr received a sociology degree from Louisiana State University in 1997 at the behest of his father who did not attend college. Haydel Jr., however, “always knew (he) wanted to be in the family business,” and returned to the bakery soon after graduating In nearly three decades since joining the business full-time, Haydel has done any and every job you can think of on top of overseeing 28 full-time employees and another 28 seasonal workers.

During the busy Carnival season, Haydel mostly handles the shipping department. Haydel’s sends out over 1,200 king cakes per

in criminal justice management from Colorado Technical University

Mentoring young people one-onone is time well spent, he believes “Most kids now are living broadly among a lot of things — tech, music fashion. A lot of stuff is up in the air You have to bring them back down so you’re actually talking to them and helping them get better on their inner feelings so they can express themselves better.”

He believes that no child is beyond saving. “These kids are still our future. We still have to be on the battlegrounds working with

day, as well as some deliveries to local clients like coffee shops.

Like any small business, there’s always unexpected ﬁres to put out, Haydel added.

“I take out the garbage, I sweep the ﬂoors. There’s isn’t anything in the bakery that I haven’t done or can’t do,” Haydel said. “I’ve done it all, whatever needs to be done. It’s an all-hands-ondeck kind of attitude around the bakery, being a family business. Wherever we’re needed, we jump in.”

He’s also seen the bakery through some of its most significant moments, like when it took the Guinness World Record for largest king cake in 2010 for using 4,000 pounds of ﬂour to bake a mile-long cake or the outpouring of support they received after the shop shut down for a month in 2005 following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

“That really hit home for me,” he said. “I always knew that we had a special place in the city, but that really reinforced for us our importance to the people of not only Jefferson Parish, but New Orleans and beyond.” Jefferson Parish ofﬁcially designated itself as “King Cake Capital of the World” earlier this month, as officials say its 35-plus bakeries produce more king cakes than anywhere else in the state.

Outside the bakery

When he’s not focused on

them. You’re looking at me, but I want you to get there as well. The world is promising for you as well.”

In the weeks leading up to Mardi Gras, students started calling him “Dr King” instead of Dr. Tassin.

“They know how to keep me very humble.

“The kids are very upfront. They need attention. I’m always big on giving kids that type of work upfront. I live it, I work it, and I teach it as well.”

‘We All In Zulu’

Once his family ﬁnally started attending the Zulu parade on Canal

the Carnival season, Haydel serves as president of the Jefferson Performing Arts Society and acts in local theater productions, most recently the musical “Gypsy” last fall at Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts.

His acting career had taken a long hiatus after college, but he “caught the bug again” after auditioning

Street, Tassin enthusiastically pursued the signature coconuts.

“I was very fast. At 11 or 12, you have so much energy, and you can jump so high I used to yell so much, people were like, ‘Give that little kid a coconut. Hurry up.’”

Unlike most Carnival organizations, Zulu elects its king. Candidates wage elaborate campaigns ﬁlled with parties and gifts.

Tassin embraced the process, hosting an overﬂow crowd for a Mother’s Day brunch and distributing goodies.

“Zulu members will actually tell you, ‘Hey, what are you giving to us?’” he said. “During a campaign, you really have to show your stuff. Show how you want to be looked at if you’re elected as king.”

His campaign theme, printed on giveaway baseball caps, was “We All In Zulu.” “It means that we’re all in. Everybody is in, everybody is ready to go, everybody can be a part of this.”

The relationships he built during his 20 years of service within the organization paid off in his campaign.

“As a full, rich body, it allows you to go in any direction inside of Zulu,” he said. “I had the opportunity to get really carved in and then rise up.”

He is now the latest in a line of Zulu monarchs that included Louis Armstrong in 1949. One of his royal priorities is a timely 8 a.m departure for Zulu on Tuesday along Jackson Avenue.

He also wants to pay special attention to the stops his king’s ﬂoat makes along the route for toasts. His toasts will offer “more encouraging words to the community.” Come Tuesday, he promises Zulu “will roll on time. And thanks to the Witch Doctor, we will have great weather.”

Email Keith Spera at kspera@ theadvocate.com.

for a show in 2018 to show his daughters, who had just quit theater, that they could rejoin at any age.

Despite his afﬁnity for the stage, Haydel doesn’t consider himself much of an outgoing personality That’s why he was so honored, he said, to have been chosen as this year’s King Argus after being in and around the krewe for a decade.

“When the krewe reached out to me and first mentioned it, I was like, ‘Wow, I would’ve never thought of me as that,’ but obviously they did,” Haydel said. “I’m appreciative and very honored to take on the task of Argus the 41st.”

Email Lara Nicholson at lnicholson@theadvocate. com.

STAFF PHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK

Queen Zulu Sharell Chatman and King Zulu Ron Tassin wave to the crowd as they arrive at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner on Feb 1.

STAFF PHOTOS By BRETT DUKE

The Krewe of Atlas rolls along Veterans Boulevard in Metairie on Monday

All hands are in the air as the Krewe of

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LOUISIANA AT LARGE

It’s halftime, nota hobby

Five, six, seven,eight.

When Iwalked into Premiere FitnessinMetairie on Feb. 7, Nelly’s“Hot in Herre” was already in full rotation and 27 senioradults were fanning their faces to the beat. Then they started moving.

“Group One comes in on one. Group Twoonthree. Group Three on ﬁve,” called out Willy Foster, choreographer and coach. “Now, when you’re bringing that arm around to reach down, nobody throw out ashoulder.Wedon’t have time for that today.”

I’m not sure what Iexpected when Iarranged to practice with the Early Birds, New Orleans Pelicans’ over-55 dance team, but Ididn’texpect Nelly

Watching the moves they had learned in the 30 minutesbefore I arrived made me rethink jumping right in.

Idecided to observe. After all,I had photographstotake.

More than 200 people audition for the Early Birds each year Only 27 members are selected. The team reﬂects the fullspectrum of New Orleans. Some are lifelong dancers, while others found their way back to the practice later.They perform once amonth during halftime at the Smoothie King Center.It’sapaid gig —anhourly rate for practices, performances and appearances. There are Saturday practices in Metairie and adress rehearsal at the arena before each game to set and perfect the routine. This is not ahobby class. Thisis halftime.

Many of the Early Birds —and Foster herself —have been with theorganization since the Hornets era. Foster,35, blends serious expectations with an understanding of the lives her dancers have already lived. Shestarted as adancer on the Hornets’ kid team, the Stingers. As ayoungadult, she was aHoneybee for two seasons, then danced three years with the Houston Rockets before returning home to coach. She’sinher sixth year working in the NBA. “I get to tie in the culture that I grew up on with the team,” Foster said.

Second-line songs, line dances, rapand other New Orleans staples are layered into their routines, eight counts at atime. Under her leadership, the practice moves quickly.Waterbreaks are short and frequent.

When dancers return to their spots, some are peeling bananas.

Team member Gwen Simpson brings fruit to every practice one of the small gestures that separates this groupfrom the typical imageofprofessional dance rehearsals. Some call her the group’sCarmen Miranda. There is laughter.There is encouragement. There arecorrections. When they moved into asection that involved eight counts of striking apose followed by another eight counts of striking a different pose, one of the dancers said to me, “Get in here and join us.” Sixteen counts of posing had me thinking, “I’ve got this.”

Then the music shifted to Flo Rida’s“Low,” and we were “tootsie rolling” to “apple-bottom jeans and boots with the fur.” Idid my best to keep up. Tworows in front of me, Sharon Carter Sheridan, 76, was doing justﬁne. She’sbeendancingwith the group since it began in 2007.

ä See RISHER, page 2B

Tucksexpels2 riders in incident

7-year-old whocaughta controversialdollinvited to GallierHall

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

The Krewe of Tucks saidMonday that two parade riders whodangled dolls from strands of beads during Saturday’sparade have been kicked out of theorganization, after the incident drew more condemnation Mondayfrom public ofﬁcials, community activists and afamily whose child received oneofthe dolls.

Thekrewe issued astatement Monday eveningsaying the riders hadbeen “swiftly and permanently terminated,” and that its investiga-

tion found members had purchased 30 Black and 30 White “Barbie-like” dolls to throw to children along the parade route.

“Weknow that theimage of beads tied around the neck of aBlack doll is evocative of painful history,” the statement reads.“We alsorecognize that racism is not athing of the past but continues to plague our community and our country.”

Thekreweleadership hopes to meet with Mayor Helena Moreno, Council President JP Morrell and Attorney General Liz Murrill three officials who immediately

spoke out to condemn the incident —tofurther discuss theissue.

“The practice of putting abead around adoll, stuffedanimalor some other toytoensure it got into the hands of theintended paradegoer is typical, it is our hope that the ongoing investigation will shed light on anypractices by Tucks that might facilitate ill-intentioned actions outside the mission of any given krewe, and thus avoid future hurt,” the krewe said.

The controversy beganonSaturday afternoon when aphoto appeared on social media of aBlack

toy doll hung by the neck from a ﬂoat titled “Crack Pipe” in the popular Tucksparade. Images of the dangling doll wentviral on social media,where it was broadly interpreted as aracisttaunt,evoking the historyoflynching and violence against women Moreno, Morrell, Murrill and Krewe of TucksCaptain Lloyd Frischhertz all issued statements Saturday night pledging to getto the bottomofthe matterand to take action against those found

‘Whatunity means’

Zulu,Argus royalty meet forLundi Gras celebration

BYBLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

As akid, Ronald Tassin celebrated LundiGraswithhis familyinKenner. On Monday,the JeffersonParish native returned, this time as King Zulu.

“Look at me now,”said Tassin,

standing alongside royalty from the krewes of Argusand Zulu at their annual meeting in Kenner’sHistoric Rivertown.

“I’m telling all the young ones in here:‘Dreams do come true,’ ”he added.

On theeve of their respective reigns over thepremiere parades in NewOrleans andMetairie, royalty from the Zulu Social Aidand Pleasure Cluband theKrewe of Argus gathered in Kenner toexchange gifts, parade through the street and receive proclamations from Kenner’selected leaders.

Theannualmeetingbetween Argus, akreweestablishedin1972 by

civic-minded Jefferson Parish business owners, and Zulu, founded in 1909 andwell-establishedasone of thebiggest krewes in the city,began in 1999 to honor that year’sZulu King, aKenner resident.

It’sgrown into acherished tradition.

Zulu President Oscar Raymond said the event shows “what unity means andwhatMardi Grasstands for.”

Monday’scelebration began with aceremony at The Crossing event venue in Kenner’sRivertown, where royalty offered brief remarks and

BY DESIREESTENNETT Staff writer

Anonprofit dedicated to helping youngpeople in New Orleansisgetting newleadership as Melissa Sawyer steps downfromher longtime position of CEO of the YouthEmpowerment Project. YEP startedin2004 as the first juvenile reentry program for formerly incarcerated children across the state. It has expandedtoinclude adult education courses, a free summer camp and after school program, as well as

job training for underserved young people between the ages of 7and 24. Twomen who have long been leaders at the organization are preparing to take over Darrin McCa ll, who currently serves as chief of staff, will take on the role of president of the organization. Jerome Jupiter,YEP’scurrent chief operating ofﬁcer, will become thenew CEO Both joined YEP in its early yearsand have held nearly every role between them.

“I’ve hadthe privilege of working alongside Darrin and Jerome for many years, and Iknow how critical they have been to YEP’s conti nued growth and success,” Sawyer said. “They love the organization, live our mission and values,and are deeply connected toour community.”

Jupiterspent theearly partofhis career as ateacher in NewOrleans. After Hurricane Katrina,hewas

BY BOBWARREN Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Fromleft, Zulu Queen Sharell Monique Chatman, Zulu King Ronald Tassin, King Argus XLIDavid Haydel Jr.and Queen Argus XLI Callie Langhetee takepartinKenner’sRivertown event for their annual celebration and meeting

Jupiter McCall

ä See TUCKS, page 3B

traded gifts. Argus gifted two hand-painted bottles of Champagne, whileZulu gifted coconuts, the official Zulu poster and beads

“I hope to see you allon the streets tomorrow for Mardi Gras Day and Iwill get you acoconut—hopefully,” QueenZulu Sharell

Monique Chatman, alifelong resident of Jefferson Parish and an engineer in parish government, told the crowd.

The Zulu royalty were joined by King Argus David Haydel Jr., co-owner of Haydel’sBakery,and Queen ArgusCallieLanghetee, a senior at Academy of Sacred Heart.

The pair of royals then handed out beads as they walked down Williams Boulevard, trailing Bonnabel High School’sBruin Band andits royalcourt before turning into aparking lot filled with spectators and food vendors.

“Stop by Zulu in the morn-

ing. Come see us inthe afternoon!” Haydel toldthe crowd.

Kenner officials took turns reading outproclamations to each of theroyals. KennerMayor Michael Glaser concluded the ceremony with aceremonial toast.

“MayyourtimeasMardi Gras royalty be joyous and provide youmemories you cantreasure for alifetime. HailArgus! Hail Zulu!”he said. It was Tameka Eskridge’s second time attending the Lundi Gras celebration, which also featured performances by the band The Topcats and aprocession of wagon floats decorated by Kenner residents.The Arkansas nativemoved to Kenner afew years ago and attendedthis year’sevent with her neighbor

“They’re slowly incorporating me into theculture of Louisiana, and I’m learning alot,” shesaid, adozen plasticbeads hanging around her neck. “I’m glad Ilive here now.”

EmailBlake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate com.

Detroitwoman chargedinGretnacrash death

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

His was adevastating loss forhis family,friendsand community,according to his son,Travis Burke.

“He was taken from us well beforehis time,” Travis Burkesaid.

After months of investigating, the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce obtained awarrant for Sapp’sarrest on acount of negligent homicide.

The Jefferson Parish District Attorney’sOfﬁce has charged aDetroitwoman in aGretnatraffic crash that claimed the life of an 83-year-oldgrandfatherof seven. Melissa Sapp, 40, was charged with manslaughter in the death of Joseph Burke, Jefferson Parish court records said. She pleaded not guiltyonFriday Burke,ofGretna, was a retired master chief petty ofﬁcer who served 27 years in the U.S. Navy before spending another 15 years as acommissary manager, according to his obituary

RISHER

Continuedfrom page1B

Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office investigators allege Sapp, who has ties to the New Orleans area, was in town and speeding westbound on Lapalco Boulevard in unincorporated Gretna on the morning of Jan. 7, 2025, when sheran a red light at theintersection of Wall Boulevard.

Sapp crashed the SUV into Joseph Burke’s pickup truck, injuring them both. ButBurke died of hisinjuriesnine days later,the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce said.

But Sapp wasn’tarrested in thecase until Dec. 13, when she returnedtothe New Orleans area. According to Kenner police,Sapp wastryingtoget arental car at the New Orleans airport rentalfacility when she gotinto the wrong vehicle

An employee from the rental agency tried to tell Sapp that shewasn’tinthe correct car.But Sapp refused to exit the vehicle and began screaming obscenitiesatthe employee, Kenner policesaid. Sapp tried to drive off and ran over the employ-

ee’sfoot, authorities said. She then sped through the parking garage before beingstoppedbythe spiked security strip located at the exit, policesaid. Kennerpolicearrivedand arrested Sapp. Policethen realized that the Sheriff’s Ofﬁcehad issueda warrant forher,aswell, according to authorities. The DistrictAttorney’s Office charged Sapp with reckless operation of avehicle and resisting an ofﬁcer in the Kenner disturbance. She haspleaded notguilty. Bail wasset at $271,500, jail records said.

Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate. com.

“It’ssoexciting,” shesaid. “Once you get on that ﬂoor and people start clapping and screaming, themusic is just so much fun.”

Charlene Hibbs,who invited me to thepractice, saysdancing again is about connection —withlongtime friends and with apart of herselfthat never left

For Hibbs,itreally comes down to joy

“After decades as adance teacher,the joy of performing again and sharing it with my teammates takes me back,” Hibbs said.

She saysthe thrill of stepping ontothe court in her 60s remindsher of stepping ontothe Saints’ ﬁeld when shewas in her 20s.

Celeste Pfefferlesaid the crowd always takes asecond to warm up.

“You never know which move it’sgonna be,” she said. “Butthere’samove that sets them off, andthey go crazy. Andthen you’re lucky if you can hear the music becausethey’reinto it.”

When Sharon McCoy told me that she had to get the moves just right or hear about it from her daughter, we laughed together.Even though we had just met, we recognized theshared knowledge of motherdaughter dynamics

they step onto thecourt at theSmoothie King Center and wait for the crowd to jointhem in appreciating therhythm.

In theirpractice studio,

despite my weak“tootsie roll” efforts, Ifeltright at home

Not because Ikeptup. But because theydid. Five,six, seven, eight.

Rehearsing with the group made me appreciate thesubtle rebellion of 27 seniorslearning choreography to FloRida on aSaturday morning in Metairie. They have careersbehind them, adult children, grandchildren anddecades of life experience. Andyet once amonth, at halftime,

2026

The Early Birds are scheduledtoperform at the Feb. 24 Pelicans game against the GoldenState Warriors at the Smoothie King Center.

STAFF PHOTO By JANRISHER

Early Birds dancers learntheir newroutine for the Feb.24Pelicans halftime show.

STAFFPHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Kenner MayorMikeGlaser,center,proposes atoast to Zulu Queen SharellMonique Chatman, left,Zulu King Ronald Tassin, King Argus XLI David HaydelJr. and Queen Argus XLI Callie Langhetee during LundiGras festivities in Kenner’sRivertown event for their annual celebration and meeting.

Suspectincustody in double shooting

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating adeadly double shooting that occurred in LaPlace early Sunday morning. Authorities identiﬁed the man killed as Trey Johnson, 32, of LaPlace. A39-year-old was also injured by gunﬁre. The shooting was reported about 12:45 a.m. in the

TUCKS

Continued from page1B

responsible.

Shedidn’tunderstand

Railyn Lee, a7-year-old girl from Houston, caught one of the dolls on her birthday Saturday on Canal Street.

Her dad, George Lee,an automotive mechanic, said his wife’sfamily hails from New Orleans’ West Bank. He and his wife, Shayna, lived in New Orleans seven years ago before moving to Houston. They’d returned last week to blend the Carnival celebrationwith their daughter’sbirthday

George Lee said Monday thathewasn’taware of it at the time, but his daughter had caughtone of thedolls anddeposited it in abag ﬁlled with other throws.

The worst part of the experience, he said, wasthe need to keep the doll from his daughter.“Initially,Iwas pretty heartbroken,”hesaid

“Her innocence had to be taken from her.She didn’t understand why she couldn’t have it. And that’snot aconversation to be having with a 7-year-old.”

Viasocial media, the Lees became connectedwith City Council member Aimee McCarron and eventually the mayor,who invited the family to join her at Gallier Hall to watch other parades. In an Instagram post, Moreno explained that she

YEP

Continued from page1B

working at the Lindy Boggs National Center for Community Literacy at Loyola. That’swhere he and Sawyer met. She brought him in to help set the curriculum for YEP’sadult education program, hiring him on as director of educationalservices Stilla tiny organization at the time, Jupiter said YEP offered flexibility where the school system had been rigid, and that gave them the room to shift programs quickly to meet the needs of students

SUIT

Continued from page1B

The council’sSeptember2023 “no” vote on an ordinance that would have cleared the way for the project capped months of often raucous public meetings where residents argued the mixed-use project was too big, overlydense and would generate too much trafﬁc Soon after,the developers, Woodward Harbor LLC and the LSUHealth Foundation, ﬁled suit in federal court in New Orleans, naming the city and Mandeville City Council member Jason Zuckerman as defendants. The suit sought to force the council to approve the project based on the recommendation of the city’sPlanning and Zoning Commission.

1900 block of North Sugar Ridge Drive, the Sheriff’s Officesaid. Deputies at the scene found Johnson wounded on the ground. Johnson was taken to ahospital butlaterdied. Thesecond victimarrived at ahospital in aprivate vehicle,according to authorities.

Detectives investigating theshooting identiﬁed AndrewBrown,33, as asuspect in the case. Brown was

and the City Council “wanted to ensure that thevisiting familysees thetruespirit of New Orleans, acity rooted in love, respect and inclusion. The hateful symbolism of that throwdoesnot represent who we are!”

George Lee said his familywas treated withgreat kindnessbyMoreno and the staff atGallier Hall. Railyn caught throws frompassing parades,was treated to more Carnival treasures that the mayor had gathered in her ofﬁce andwas also provided lunch, George Leesaid. George Leesaid thefamilyappreciated themayor’s hospitality,but they’ve decided to leave Mardi Gras early.He’stroubled, he said, that the Krewe of Tucks has not contactedhim with an explanation or apology.“It shouldn’tbethat hard, basically,” he said “So, instead of forcing ourselves to be uncomfortable, we’d rather go home.”

Acallfor action

Earlier Monday,ahandful of Black church and community leaders convened on the South Claiborne Avenue neutral ground near aplaquehonoringCoretta ScottKing. Taking turns at the microphone, theleaders, representing organizations including the NAACP, ACORN and National Action Now,derided the doll incident andcalled on City Hall andthe Krewe of Tucks to actswiftly to punish the offenders.

in new ways. He watched as the organization helped more young people, added programs and expanded itsfootprintacross the state

“Wewere very small,” he said of YEPinhis early years there. “Wedidn’t havea back office. We didn’t have aC-suite We all wore many hats. We wrote allthe grants.We helpedwith thebookkeeping. We were teachers and youth advocates. Butwe were alsotrying to runand grow this organizationat the same time.”

McCall ﬁrst joined theorganization 17 years ago as an intern afterearninghis master’sdegreeinsocial

But U.S. District Judge Brandon Long dismissed the lawsuit in aruling ﬁled Feb. 5, finding essentially that thecitydid nothold Woodward to ahigher standard than others and that the council didn’tact outside its authority Through aspokesperson, Woodward declined to comment on the ruling. It’snot clear if the developer plans to appeal.

Mandeville MayorClay Madden said Friday that he had not hadtimetofully reflect on the ruling, but added, “I thinkthe judge’s opinion speaksfor itself.” Ahotel andapartments

Sucette Harbor would have included an apartment complex for residents 55 and older,ahotel, event venue andretail on 15 acres of open landjust east of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Woodwardsaid theproject would not only provide needed housing for older residents but would also includeamenities that would be awelcome addition to Mandeville. Woodward’s initial pitch included 201 apartments andan84-room hotel, in addition to the eventand retail space and a refurbished marina.

Sucette Harbor hadthe supportofthe parish’s tourism agency,its economic development agency and the Chamber of Commerce. Thecity’sPlanning andZoning Commission gave its narrow approval to Sucette’sapplication in April2023, sending it to the council But opponents packed the city’svarious meetings on the development, often tak-

arrested about 9:30 a.m. Sunday andbookedwith second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder Authorities didn’t disclose any other details about the shootings, including asuspectedmotive.

Brown was being held Monday at the Lt. Sherman Walker Correctional FacilityinLaPlace on a$1.25 million bond. Anyone with information

aboutthe shooting is asked to call the St.John the Baptist ParishSheriff’s Ofﬁce TIPSline at (985) 359-TIPS (8477) or the CriminalInvestigations Division at (504) 494-3592. The public can also call Crimestoppers at (504) 8221111 or submit tips on the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce website at https://stjohnsheriff.org/ crime-arrests/crime-tips/ give-us-a-general-crimetip/

Railyn Lee, a7-year-old girlfrom Houston, and her family stand withMayor Helena Moreno after the girlcaught a controversial throwatthe Krewe of Tucks parade Saturday Moreno invited the family to join her at Gallier Hall to watch other parades.

“Wewant accountability,” said Janet Tobias of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. “Wewant the krewe to pay a$5,000 fine. We also want to meet with that organization (the Krewe of Tucks) andwe wantthemtobeonprobation.”

The Rev. Gregory Manning, of the Broadmoor Community Church,said that riders must be responsible

work from Tulane University.Hehas since served as ayouthadvocate, case manager,mentor,aswell as aprogram director leading individualprograms and the chief program ofﬁcer

He said watching the staffinaction for nearly two decades has kept him on board.

“My experiencehere at YEPhas demonstrated to me the power of people coming together to work towards acommongoal,” he said. “A transition like this, while it’sabig undertaking, Idefinitely feel a source of conﬁdence that our workwill continue on beyond our cofounders’

ingthe podium to urge city leaders to turn the developmentaway Long’sruling in thelawsuit comes months after he dismissed theclaims againstZuckerman,who wasthe lone individual council member named as adefendant and who the developers had singled out in their original suit as having acted outside his authority to torpedo theproject.

Then, in March, Long issued aseries of rulings that essentially guttedthe developers’ lawsuit.

In early 2025, Long also ordered the city anddevelopers into asettlement conference in an effort to clear the casefromthe docket. But thatconference failed to produce asettlement.

An AI issue

In hisruling for dismissal, Long also ordered attorneys Michael R.C.Riessand Johanna Elizabeth Lambert. of Reiss LeMieux in New Orleans. andJohn R. Walker and Thomas H. Huval. of Jones FussellinCovington. to provide formal explanationsregarding someallegedly erroneous cases cited in oneofthe plaintiffs’ motions.

In afiling Thursday, Walker tookresponsibility for those errors, explain-

NewOrleans Area Deaths

Barbarin Sr., Jude Lourie, David

EJefferson Garden of Memories

Lourie, David

NewOrleans DW Rhodes

Barbarin Sr., Jude

Obituaries

for the implications of their actions.“People know what they’re doing,” he said. “At this time in our nation, when racial tensions are heightened, you have to be careful.”

The rider “may have had some White Barbie dolls,” he said. “But you can’tdo thesamething with Black Barbie dolls. That’snot wise, it’snot smart and if you don’t know why it’soffensive, we’ll tell you.”

workatthe organization.”

Though shewill step down from herCEO role, Sawyer will remainwith theorganizationinanadvisory position to work closelywith McCall and Jupiterthrough the leadership transition.

“I think New Orleans is averyrichcity, very rich in culture,” Jupiter said “Most times,our kids don’t fail systems; systems fail our kids. Ithink for now, we want to make sure YEP is sustainable and we have stability to make sure we can continue to expand ourimpact. We made it 21 years and we want to make sure we’resuccessful for another 21.”

ing to the court that the errors were his aloneand thatheused WESTLAW Precision AI and ChatGPT to help prepare the motion. He said in the ﬁling thathe was new to using AI tools, “and did not appreciate the limitations of and potential pitfalls” involved.

Reiss LeMieux, in their response to Long,wrote that they had no knowledge that AI hadbeen useduntil seeing thejudge’s orderon Feb.5.The ﬁrm noted it has avery restrictive policy on using AI. The attorneys expressed regret and apologized to the court in their responses to Long.

TheSucette lawsuit was reminiscent of asuit that developersofthe proposed Port Marigny residentialretail development filed against thecity of Mandeville after the council shot down their plans in 2017. Aconsent judgment in that suit opened the way for Port Marigny underanew ordinance, but theproject was neverbuilt andthe land remainsvacant.

The land on whichSucette was to be developed was part of adonation from the family of fried chicken magnateAlCopeland to the LSUHealth Foundation.

The foundationwould lease theland to Wood-

Jude AllenBarbarin, Sr., passedawayatthe ageof 92, on Monday,February2, 2026. He wasa devoted husband to RosalieMaxine BennettBarbarin; loving father to RosalieBarbarin Rousseve (Dwight),Jude AllenBarbarinJr.,Patricia Barbarin Maney-Sloan (Michael); anddevoted brothertoJoy Barbarin.He wasprecededindeath by hisfather, HenryFrank Bar‐barin; mother,Myrtle MirabinBarbarin; sisters: Fern Barbarin,MurielBar‐barinAperwhite (Willie Sr.),and BarbaraBarbarin Coleman; ason-in-law, DarrellA.Maney Sr.; anda stepdaughter,Rosemary BennettBargky. He also leaves behind 4grandsons: TysonA.Sonnier,JohnR LeeJr, DarrellA.Maney Jr andNicholasA.Rousseve; 4granddaughters: StacyD Bargky,NicoleM.Rous‐seve-Johnson,Tiera M. Maney, andCeann R. Maney; 12 greatgrandchil‐dren;and ahostofnieces, nephews, otherrelatives andfriends.Relatives and friendsofthe family,em‐ployees of WhiteFleet Cab Company, Kaiser Alu‐minum,and CharityHospi‐talare invitedtoattend a FuneralMassofChristian Burial at Corpus ChristiEpiphany Catholic Church 2022 St.Bernard Ave.,on Thursday,February19, 2026, at 11:00 am.Visita‐tion will beginat10:00am until 11:00am.Interment: St.Louis Cemetery #3,3421 EsplanadeAve.Arrange‐ment entrustedtoD.W Rhodes FuneralHome, 3933 Washington Ave. NewOr‐leans, LA 70125. Please visitwww.rhodesfuneral. comtosignthe online guestbook,share memo‐ries andcondolences to thefamily.

Lourie,P.E., DavidE.

DavidE.Lourie, P.E. of Metairie,diedFebruary11, 2026, followinga briefill‐ness. Born in Chicagoon April6,1956, he wasthe sonofthe late Ernest Eu‐gene andTheodora MerekasLourie. Davidwas a1974 graduate of Lane TechnicalHighSchool in

Chicago. He wasalsoa 1979 graduate of theIlli‐nois InstituteofTechnol‐ogy (IIT)witha Bachelor of ScienceCivil Engineering (BSCE) and a1981 graduate of IIT with aMasterofSci‐ence CivilEngineering (MSCE) with an academic focusingeotechnicalengi‐neering. He beganhis pro‐fessionalcareer in 1979 with Soil TestingServices (now part of AECOM), Northbrook,Illinois. From 1981 to 1990, he held vari‐ouspositions with McClel‐land Engineers, Inc. in Texasand Louisiana. From 1990 to 1992, he wasPresi‐dent of Fugro-McClelland (Southeast), Inc. He was thefounder andCEO of Lourie Consultants, Metairie,Louisiana,since 1992. Mr.Louriewas an ad‐junctprofessor at theUni‐versityofNew Orleans (UNO), teaching under‐graduate andgraduate levelcourses in geotechni‐calengineering, founda‐tion engineering, ground modification,soft-soil en‐gineering, andearth sup‐port systems. As much as Davidenjoyed beinga practitioner,hetruly en‐joyedteachinggeotechni‐calengineeringatUNO; "molding young minds" as he describedit. Mr.Lourie wasa member of the LouisianaEngineeringSo‐ciety, National Societyof Professional,Engineers, ASCE,AmericanCouncil of EngineeringCompa‐nies/Louisiana,Institute of BrownfieldProfessionals, ChiEpsilon, andGBA/The GeoprofessionalBusiness Association(formerly ASFE). He enjoyedcooking, wine tastings andwine dinners, watching sporting events,especiallythe Saints,Pelicans, andTu‐lane football;attending Louisianafood festivals; andannualget -togethers with hisfraternitybroth‐ers, SigmaPhi Epsilon, Illi‐nois Beta Chapter. Davidis survived by hisbrother, WalterLourie; and StephanieBialobok; and numerous cousins, friends, andcolleagues. AFuneral Mass is scheduledfor Thursday,February19, 2026 at 12:00 noon at St ClementofRomeChurch, 4317 Richland Ave., Metairie,LA70002 with Fr JoeKrafft celebrating. Visi‐tation will be held at the church from 10:30 am until Mass time.Burialwillbe private. In lieu of flowers, thefamilyrequestsdona‐tionstothe Civiland Envi‐ronmentalEngineeringDe‐partment at UNO, 2000 LakeshoreDrive,New Or‐leans, LA 70148; Attn:Gi‐anna M. Cothren, Ph.D., P.E.,DepartmentChair.On‐line condolencesmay be offeredatwww.gardeno fmemoriesmetairie.com.

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An In MemoryOf”ad, is away to paytributetoyourloved one. This remembranceisoften printed on the anniversary of alovedone’s death.The deadline is twodaysprior to the dayyou want your ad to appear TO PLACEAMEMORIALAD GO TO: obituaries.nola.com click submit an obituaryand select create amemoriam.

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Barbarin Sr., Jude Allen

OUR VIEWS

MardiGras spirit welcomes alltothe celebration

Editor’snote:This editorial, slightlymodiﬁed, hasappeared during previousCarnival seasons in this newspaper

If Mardi Gras is so great,one might ask, as another Fat Tuesday arrives today,thenwhy hasn’titbeen copied across the land?

Maybe it’sbecause any effort to duplicate Mardi Gras beyond Louisiana would surely lead to efforts to improve it, makingitintosomethingnoone wouldrecognize.

Thecharm of Mardi Gras —and itsmaddening complication —isits monstrous inefficiency. The parades are longer than anyprudent planner would make them. The distributionof beads and other trinkets is random, excessive, profligate —inshort, areveler’srebuke to any student oflogistics. As forthe Mardi Grasdiet —king cakes, cocktails, gumbo andgoodnessknows-what-else —suffice it to say thatit’sa running revolt against restraint.

One can only imagine how aprudent reformer might reﬁne Mardi Gras if it were attemptedin some saner city —like Omaha, Nebraska,say, or Peoria, Illinois. The parades would be shorter,nodoubt, more punctual, with an eyetoward keeping everyone on schedule. Transplantedto tamer places, aMardi Gras menu mightreplace king cake with bran mufﬁns, bourbon with herbal tea, gumbo with tofu.

But the magic of Mardi Gras —the onewe know and love —isthat ittranscendsthe mean arithmeticofmeans andends, thearid geometry of the straight line, thegriminsistence that hard fact is somehow invariably betterthan heady fantasy

Yes, Mardi Gras is too much —too much noise, too much food, too much togetherness. But like all holidays,itmakes ameaning from its heedless plenitude.

Sadly,wefeel the need to say again that the heedlessness of Mardi Gras isn’ta license for wantoncruelty or racism, which everysooften rearsits ugly headonthe parade route as it did on one ﬂoat over the weekendinNew Orleans. We condemn it now as we alwaysdo, butwe wishthat all could move past this foronceand for all. It goes against the spirit of Carnival which simply put, afﬁrmsthatlife’sgoodfortune, when shared generously,bears theseeds of its own renewal

It is that spirit which draws thousandsto come to Louisiana to join theparty.Acelebration that welcomes all also addshundreds of millions of dollars into thecoffers of thecity of New Orleans alone. We knowthat other festivities attract millions more to cities andtowns around the state

But Mardi Gras isn’tsolely about money.Part of the joy for Louisianans is sharingthe good times, andthey are alwaysgood times,with our friends from around the world.

So let the good times roll, and HappyMardi Gras to all.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

HERE AREOUR

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YOUR VIEWS

In revitalizing NORD, don’tforgetareaseniors

Iwas excited to read the article in arecent edition by Joni Hess regarding the overhaul of NORD.The list of present and new appointees to the NORD Commissionisimpressive. While it was agreat piece, Inoticed it did not mention thatNORD also serves seniors. NORD hasa signiﬁcant opportunity to better serve the community by offering more programsduring school hours when facilities are often underutilized. Forexample, over seven years ago, agroup of seniors established the ﬁrst pickleball program in New Orleans at Gernon Brown RecCenter withthe support of then-director Juan Marshall. This program consistently draws an average of 20 or more players to morning sessions, and notably,the participants

have funded all necessary equipment themselves at no cost to NORD This serves as aclear example of best-use practices for afacilitythat might otherwise host very fewpeople during those hours. As agrandmother of nine, Iamdeeply interested in NORD serving children andfamilies. Ibelieve thatwith proper management, NORD hasthe capacity to serve both demographics effectively.To support this, Isuggest that theNORD Commissioninclude active participants and users of NORD facilities alongside business professionalsand community leaders. These citizens would offer valuable insightintodaily operations and program offerings based on their direct experiences.

JEANETTE THRIFFILEY NewOrleans

City treatedKrewe of Pygmalionbadly

It is absolutely inconceivable that the cityofNew Orleans would force theKrewe of Pygmalion to change the starting point for its parade so close to the parade date.What was just as bad was thatthere was little, if any,advance publicity of the route change. Forthe last several years, Pygmalion has always followed Sparta on the ﬁrst weekend of the parade season, withbothparades starting at Jefferson and Magazine streets.

Many paradegoers, including some NOPD ofﬁcers, did not know that

Opposition by some politicians and some of the local population to the proposed data center in New Orleans East deserved closer scrutiny.A simple drive through the area makes it clear thatmore thantwo decades after Hurricane Katrina, much of it is still struggling to recover.There is ample undeveloped space, and the community is in need of renewed investment and economic momentum Adatacenter would bring exactly that. High-paying jobs would generatenew taxrevenue thatcould be reinvested in much-needed improvements to roads, schools and police and ﬁre protection. Local businesses would also beneﬁt from increased economic activityand disposable incomeinthe area.

Pygmalion was forced to start at Napoleon and Magazine, therebyeliminating the entire Magazine part of the route. As Sparta ended, manyspectators remained, assuming Pygmalion was next All Pygmalion wanted to do was end its parade inside the Convention Center.What an embarrassment to thecity that they could not accommodate theextra few blocks foran established Carnival krewe.

JIMMY CLARK Metairie

Concerns thata data center would place an excessive burden on local water and power resources were overstated. Many datacenters across the country are required to generatemuch of their own power.Asfor water usage, New Orleans Eastislocated near substantial regional water resources, including Lake Pontchartrain, making responsible sourcing feasible withproper planning and regulation. New Orleans Eastneedsinvestment, jobs and long-term economic stability.Awell-regulated data center could have been part of that solution and deserved serious consideration rather than reﬂexive opposition MIKENORTON Metairie

One of the true great assets for the city of New Orleans is Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick. During hertenure, recruits are up, crimeisatits lowest in years, the consent decree has been brought to an end and public trust in the police department has substantially grown.

Kirkpatrick navigated the political, working with both the past mayor and City Council, while staying professional at all times. She is now working successfully with both the State Police and the National Guard at Gov. Jeff Landry’s invitation. She has been courageous, forthright, honest and principled. Of great importance, she has demonstrated the ability to listen and work with others with respect, aquality so needed in our leaders and our society today Kirkpatrick is agreat leader for the New Orleans Police Department and agift to our city,one not be taken for granted.

BONNIE NELSON NewOrleans

N.O. East all-female paradesoverlooked

Your recent front-page article failed to give New Orleans East credit forhaving twoall-female parades at the sametime beginning in 1975. They werethe Krewe of Minerva (ﬂoats by Blaine Kern) and the Krewe of Selena (ﬂoats by McKinley Cantrell). At the sametime, there was only one all-male parade, the Krewe of Pontchartrain. The East also had an Irish and an Italian parade. Most of the members of these two parades were members of the New Orleans East Business Association.

JACQUELINE MAE GOLDBERG NewOrleans

The death of Jefferson Parish Deputy Christopher Ohlmeyer was atragedy to the family and the entire community That being said, Ihave yet to see information as to whyorwho committed this event. Surely someone must have been taken into custody and charged with somecriminal action. Ithink by this time, something must be reported so that the family and community can have closure.

RONALD SCHAEFER Kenner

In Carnival satire,a littleless Trump, alittlemoreTrumpism

Each year,when Iwriteaboutthe hot topics in Carnival satire, my first step is to look for an overridingtheme. Often, over the past decade, that process hasstarted and ended withone word: Trump. In 2026, ayear into Donald Trump’s return engagement as president, the New Orleans krewes that specialize in satire seemed to collectively settle on avariation on thattheme: Not so much Trump, but Trumpism, or different aspects of theall-encompassing national drama that has been hissecond term. In other words, while we didn’tsee that much of Trump’ssignature orange face or painstakingly sculpted hair down St. Charles Avenue, we sawplenty of floats inspired by the insane flood of news around him. The krewes that practice thiscraft considerthemselvesequal opportunity satirists, although it’s fair tosay that the Krewe of Muses tends to lean somewhat left and KnightsofChaos andleKrewe d’Etat more to the right Ithink we saw more of that this year than in the past, along witha certain heightened levelofcoarseness from some quarters. Maybe that’s just asign of our angrily divided times. Each of these parades has an overall theme, so the floats are designed to fit that theme. Chaos’ paradewas about schools, Muses —mylongtime krewe, in the interest of full disclosure —was based on mysteries, and d’Etat’s was about all things space. For one float, Chaos leaned intothe extreme flattery that Trump demands, and gets, from his cabinet members andother allies. Afloat called “Teacher’sPets” featured Kristi Noem, Pam Bondi, Tulsi Gabbardholdinga pitcher of Kool-Aid and Louisiana’sown extremely compliant House Speaker Mike Johnson, pictured preparing to kiss acertain presidential body part Thekrewe’s“Snack Time”float had RFKJr. drinking raw milk

D’Etat had an immigration-themed float called “E.T., go home,” which satirized alleged abuses byimmigrants more than the very controversial crackdown. The krewe’s “Media Shower”—asopposed to meteor shower float focused on the end of public fundingfor PBS and talk show hosts that Trump has targeted, including Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert. Chaos had asimilar float inspired by Sesame Street, called “Class Dismissed.” Muses, meanwhile,aimed itsmedia commentary in adifferentdirection “Hush, Hush, Fox News,” itsfloat was titled. Like Chaosand d’Etat, Musesalso focused on some of the controversies of Trump’sfirst year back. It had afloat about the mass firings of government workers by Elon Musk’sDOGE, called

“And Then There Were None.” Another Muses ﬂoat was based on the X-Files, but it was the “Eps Files”—asinEpstein.Rifﬁng on the1990s TV show’s signature line, “The truthisout there,” thekrewe added: “But you ain’tgetting it.”

Of course, Trumphimself —his likeness,anyway —did makeafew appearances on theavenue, including in d’Etat’ssolar system-themed “Gas Giant” float. Muses just went with the top of hishead, which showed up on the otherwise elegant float modeled on the White Lotus’ lush opening graphics. “The Orange POTUS” float said simply: “Karma comesfor everyone. Likealways, this year’ssatirists didn’tjust aim their pens at Washington, but also skewered those much closer to home This was probably thelast real chance to comment on former Mayor LaToya Cantrell’stravails —depending on what happens at her upcoming federal trial, that is —and boy did they Chaos’ Cantrell float was called “No Class,” and pictured her and her formerbodyguard and now co-defendant posed like that couple who got caught on camera together at aColdplay concert. D’Etat’swas called “Probe” —if yousaw it,you got theidea. Museshad Cantrell in aNixonian stance on its “Gone Girl” float,saying, “You won’t have Teedy to kick around anymore.” Gov.Jeff Landry got off relatively easy,although d’Etat did ridicule his Greenlandadventure on “Bayou Hoth.”

Maybe it was “to easy,LOL,” as they say, but all three krewes targeted the mass Orleans Parishprison break back in May.Muses had “Escape Room OPP,”d’Etat offered up “Escape Pod” andChaos called its version “Spring Break.” As always, there were plenty of ﬂoats

inspired by the challenges of simply living here once all the Carnival fun is over.D’Etat’sfloat about bad services at City Hall was called “No OneCan Hear YouScream.” Muses had afloat about traffic; instead of “Murder on the OrientExpress,” it was “Martyr on the Westbank Expressway ” Another perennial target is thearea’s pro sportsfranchises, where years of floatsdepicting glory are but adistant memory—with theobvious exception of Bacchus, which skips satire but offered plenty of nostalgia in 2026 by bringing back newly-minted Hall of Famer Drew Brees Otherwise, neither theSaints nor the Pelicansgot any love. D’Etat featured top exec Mickey Loomis on its “The Wrong Stuff” float,and Chaos went with owner Gayle Benson on “Flunked Out.” Muses zeroed in on basketball this year with its “The Pelicans, Briefly” float, about how theNBA team’s best hopes always wind up leaving New Orleans. Of course, not all satire is meantto be biting. In fact,sometimes it’sdownright affectionate. Case in point: Muses paid tribute to PopeLeo’slocal roots, and all the people here who have combed their family trees hoping to find afamiliar connection.Instead of The DaVinci Code, it was “Da Vatican Code.” The krewe also honored thepublisher of the popular Mardi Gras Guide, who’s retiring after 50 years. So instead of theHardy Boys, we had “The Arthur Hardy Boys” solving the“King Cake Capers.” Personally,Iwould have gone with “The Case of theDelayed Parade.” On theother hand, that’sprobably a mystery that no detective can unravel Email Stephanie Grace at sgrace@ theadvocate.com.

COLUMBIA, S.C. —South Carolina continues to seize national attention in surprising —and not-so-surprising —ways. As to the former,the Palmetto State is the fastest-growing state in the country at atimewhen it has the nation’sbiggest measles outbreak, owing in part to religious objections to vaccines. Go figure. The rapid population growth, driven by affordability,job availability and climate, is statewide, judging from all the insta-developments along highways from the Upstate to the Lowcountry The measles outbreak is concentrated in the Upstate, aregion in the northwestern part of South Carolina, specifically in Spartanburg County,the center of which is Spartanburg. The city of roughly 40,000 is in what wasknownas “Bob Jones Country,” referring to the namesake evangelical Christian university in nearby Greenville. It’s achurchgoing, family town. This leads us to the not-so-surprising part. Suffice to say,when religion and science butt heads in the DeepSouth, you can confidently bet on God.

The area of the county where measles has found ahome —876 cases and counting —offers public, charter and private schools, and Pentecostal and fundamentalist churches where the Bible is interpreted literally.Never mind that the Bible doesn’tmention measles vaccines; religious conviction is partly responsible forthe decision of fartoo manyresidents to put their children and families at risk. Some schools have vaccination rates as low as 20%.

Last year,10% of Spartanburg County school students —nearly 6,000 children —got exemptions from vaccination rules or did not meet certain requirements. Of Spartanburg County students, about 8% had religious exemptions, which are easy to come by.The state requires only anotarized request but no doctor’sor preacher’simprimatur Anti-vaccine messaging from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who hassaid no vaccinesare safeand effective, hasled to mixedmessages aboutthe MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella. Kennedy has said the vaccine is the best way to ward offthe viruses while also casting doubt on its safety.Many in the antivaccine community are convinced that the vaccine causes autism, adebunked Kennedy claim. They are also concerned that the vaccine contains fetal cells —orthat they have “a lot of aborted fetus debris,” in Kennedy’swords. Moral objections to abortion have fueled the fetal-cell debate in recent years. There’s aspeck of truth to Kennedy’sobscene statementbut only in the mosttangential way. Put another way,it’sinaccurate. Kennedy hath neither shamenor expertise. His pharmaceutical background and training can be traced to ayearslong heroin addiction. Otherwise, his last nameisKennedy,which President Donald Trumpseemingly can’tresist forits cachet, associated wealth and performing arts center Trumpput his namebefore John F. Kennedy’s and placed the late president’snephew in charge of the nation’shealth.

Ashort primer on the vaccine Kennedy has sownconfusion about: Each of the three viruses in the MMR vaccine is created separately.The viruses are grownincultured cells, which are puriﬁed to remove cellular material.

The measles virus is growninchick embryo cell cultures, not fetal cells. But cell lines used to produce rubella, among other viruses, do come from fetal cells procured from two elective abortions performed in the early 1960s in Europe. Cells, or rather fetal ﬁbroblast cell lines, weretaken from the ill-fated fetuses once, and every MMR vaccine since has been created from those samecells.

While manyChristians and others abhor using fetal material forany reason, the ultimate theological take on the issue comes not from Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Benton), whorecently tried to school Pope Leo XIV about the Bible’sstance on immigration, but from the Vatican. While still condemning fetal stem cell research, the Vatican has said that Catholic moral theology allows vaccines from those cell lines if no other alternatives exist.

It is, indeed, odd to be wading through these discussions in the 21st century,but stranger things happen often these days, not least in South Carolina. Even so, those whocall this state homewould rather live here than anywhere else and, apparently,sowould everybody else. Just please, before you cross the state line, be sure to get your shots. All of them. If you insist on joining the human deluge heading this way,you’re going to need them

Email Kathleen Parker at kathleenparker@ washpost.com.

Kathleen Parker

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Muses had a float about the mass firingsofgovernment workers by Elon Musk’s DOGE,called ‘And Then There Were None.’

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Ato-do list for the U.S. featuresVenezuela, Greenland,Cuba, and Iran on the side of a floatinthe KnightsofChaos parade in NewOrleans on Feb.12

Stephanie Grace

COURT ABSENCES

Top LSU players frequently have missed time under McMahon

BY TOYLOY BROWN III

Staff writer

Coach Matt McMahon didn’t have four players available for LSU’s 10-point loss at Tennessee on Saturday in yet another instance of the Tigers being far from fully health in his fourth season in Baton Rouge.

Saturday’s game marked the ﬁrst time this season McMahon had that many players scratched from a game. The newest additions to the list of injured players were depth guard Ron Zipper, who is in concussion protocol, and starting guard Max Mackinnon, who injured his knee during a 29-point home loss to Arkansas last Tuesday Mackinnon is averaging 16.4 points and 2.8 assists per game and shooting 34.8% on 3-pointers and 94.4% from the freethrow line against Southeastern Conference competition.

LSU (14-11, 2-10 SEC) won’t have four

players out again when it faces Texas (16-9, 7-5) at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Zipper and Mackinnon are both not listed on the SEC availability report.

One of the prevailing themes of McMahon’s tenure has been top players missing a signiﬁcant number of games, especially during conference play

Dedan Thomas and Jalen Reed are the primary examples this season. Thomas is scheduled to have season-ending foot surgery this week, the program announced on Saturday The point guard injured his left foot on Jan. 2, the day before the Southeastern Conference opener, and reaggravated the injury on Jan. 28 in a 14-point home loss to Mississippi State.

Thomas was averaging a team-high 16.2 points on 49.3% shooting, an SEC-high 7.1

Tulane pitching thrives on opening weekend

assists and only 1.8 turnovers per game before conference play, leading the team to a 12-1 start. He played in just 16 games this season, including three in conference play

Thomas joins Reed, who was ruled out for the season after a left Achilles tendon injury The 6-10 redshirt junior was injured in the sixth game during a ninepoint win against Drake on Nov 28. He averaged 11 points on 60.6% shooting and 6.0 rebounds before going down.

But McMahon is sort of used to this at LSU. Here’s a rundown of the absences LSU has dealt with during his tenure prior to this season: 2024-25 season

McMahon had two returning players miss the majority of last season.

Reed, who was McMahon’s ﬁrst high school recruit, suffered a season-ending

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

and No. 2 once again. The RoadtoNationals.com rankings, based on season averages, have Oklahoma at No. 1 and LSU at No. 2. The Sooners have an NQS (National Qualifying Score) of 197.900, while the Tigers have an NQS of 197.658. The meet, LSU’s ﬁrst trip to Norman since Oklahoma joined the Southeastern Conference for the 2025 season, is set for 8 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.

To say this has become the rivalry in women’s collegiate gymnastics would be an understatement.

This will be the seventh straight time the Tigers and Sooners will compete in the same meet ranked 1-2 LSU and Oklahoma are the last two NCAA champions, with the Tigers winning in 2024 and the Sooners winning in 2025. They shared the SEC regular-season title last year, with LSU winning the SEC championship meet. They come into this meet with Oklahoma sporting 10-0-1 and 5-0 in the SEC marks, and the Tigers are 6-1-1 and 3-11. The tie? In their season-opening meet in the Sprouts Collegiate Quad in Utah, both teams finished with first-place scores of 197.500.

“The fans love it,” LSU coach Jay Clark said Monday “It’s awesome for the fans.”

However, as Clark and his gymnasts said, there isn’t much either team can do to each other There’s no playing defense, like in this past Saturday’s women’s basketball showdown between LSU and South Carolina.

“They can’t tackle us and we can’t tackle them,” Clark said.

Junior Kylie Coen said the Tigers’ focus has to remain internal.

“It’s just another week,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who is on the ﬂoor with us. We don’t train harder or less hard because of who’s out there. We’re just excited for another week of competition.” LSU is coming off its best performance of the season, a 198.325-196.825 win Friday at home over No. 18 Auburn. Oklahoma went to No. 4 Florida on Friday and won 198.075-197.575.

After suing NASCAR, Jordan enters victory

when NASCAR relented and settled before the top motorsports series in the United States suffered any more humiliation.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NIGEL COOK 23XI Racing owner Michael Jordan, right, speaks with NASCAR

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU guard Dedan Thomas, left, and forward Jalen Reed chat on the court before tipoff against Kentucky on Jan. 14 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Tulane infielder Kaikea Harrison swings at the ball during a game against UNO at Maesri Field on March 25.

Top five remain unchanged

UConn coach

Auriemma ties

VanDerveer for most appearances in poll

BY DOUG FEINBERG AP basketball writer

Geno Auriemma tied Tara VanDerveer for most appearances in the AP women’s basketball Top 25 poll when UConn remained No. 1 on Monday Auriemma has led the Huskies to 654 appearances in the poll during his 41-year Hall of Fame career to match VanDerveer, who retired from Stanford in 2024 UConn has been ranked for the past 621 consecutive weeks, dating to the preseason 1993-94 poll, and once again was a unanimous choice at No. 1 from the 31-member national media panel. Monday was the 900th poll in the 50-year history of the rankings. UCLA and South Carolina remained second and third behind the Huskies. Texas and Vanderbilt were next as the top ﬁve remained unchanged from a week earlier. The Commodores beat the Longhorns last week before losing to Georgia on Sunday Michigan, LSU and Louisville were next. Duke moved back into the top 10 at No. 9 as the Blue Devils are riding a 16-game winning streak after beating rival North Carolina on Sunday Ohio State dropped two places to 10th after losing to Maryland on Sunday The Terrapins jumped up six spots to 14th.

In and out

Minnesota entered the Top 25 for the ﬁrst time this season as the Golden Gophers came in at No. 23. They have an eight-game winning streak but a difﬁcult week ahead with games against Ohio State and No. 18 Michigan State. Minnesota was ranked for two weeks last season. Georgia also came back into the rankings this week, appearing at No. 24 after its win over Vanderbilt. Princeton and Washington fell out of the poll.

Conference supremacy

The SEC remained the top conference with 10 teams in the poll.

The Big Ten is next with seven.

The Big 12 has four teams, the Atlantic Coast Conference has three and the Big East one.

Games of the week

No 6 Michigan at No 13 Iowa, Sunday — A ﬁght for second place in the Big Ten as the Wolverines and Hawkeyes are a game apart in the loss column in the conference standings, trailing UCLA. The Hawkeyes beat Nebraska in

a matinee Monday No. 7 LSU at No. 17 Mississippi, Thursday — A key SEC matchup with the Tigers looking to rebound from a loss to South Carolina. The Rebels have a busy week with games against Tennessee, LSU and South Carolina this week.

Michigan No. 1 for ﬁrst time in over a decade

Wolverines on top for first time in 13 years, ending Arizona’s nine-week reign

BY AARON BEARD AP basketball writer

Michigan is No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the ﬁrst time in 13 years, ending Arizona’s nine-week reign.

The Wolverines (24-1) claimed 60 of 61 first-place votes in Monday’s poll to climb one spot and supplant the Wildcats, who were unbeaten entering last week before falling at Kansas and at home to Texas Tech “Not much,” coach Dusty May said when asked by the AP after Saturday’s rout of UCLA about the significance of potentially topping the poll “It means we haven’t drank our own Kool-Aid We’ve put ourselves in a position to be playing the types of games in midFebruary that we want to be in, but we’ve got to continue to improve.” Michigan had been ranked No. 2 behind Arizona for six of Arizona’s nine weeks at the top but was No. 1 in analytics rankings by KenPom, Evan Miyakawa and Bart Torvik last week. Now the Wolverines have their first AP No. 1 ranking since January 2013. Houston and Duke each moved up one spot to sit behind Michigan, with the second-ranked Cougars claiming the remaining first-place vote. The Wolverines and Blue Devils are set to meet this weekend in a marquee nonconference matchup in the nation’s capital. Arizona dropped three spots to No. 4. UConn was next at No. 5, followed by Iowa State, Purdue, Kansas, Nebraska and Illinois to round out the top 10.

Rising The seventh-ranked Boilermakers jumped six spots for the week’s biggest leap, coming after an overtime win at Nebraska and a win at Iowa. The preseason No. 1 has won four straight entering Tuesday’s visit from Michigan.

No. 13 Texas Tech rose three

spots after its home win against Colorado followed by the OT win at Arizona. As did No. 21 Louisville, with freshman Mikel Brown starring with an Atlantic Coast Conference freshman-record 45 points in a win against N.C. State and 29 more in a win against Baylor

Sliding No. 15 Michigan State and No. 16 North Carolina had the week’s biggest tumbles of ﬁve spots. The Spartans lost at Wisconsin on Friday, while the Tar Heels lost at Miami while also learning that star freshman Caleb Wilson is out indeﬁnitely with a fractured bone in his left hand. Seven ranked teams fell from last week’s position.

Quick turnaround for Badgers

Wisconsin returned to the poll, going from receiving no votes last week to No. 24 after back-to-back wins against top-10 opponents Illinois and Michigan State last week.

Wisconsin previously had fallen out of the poll after a Nov 21 loss to BYU as the Badgers struggled through a 7-4 start. Last week’s

wins, along with being the only team to take down Michigan, has the Badgers alongside the Red Raiders as the only teams with victories against three top-10 teams this year

“Early in the year we were soft mentally and physically,” coach Greg Gard said after the 92-71 win against the Spartans “We had to mature, had to grow up collectively and individually You’re not going to be able to compete in these types of games in the upper echelon of this league if you’re not physically and mentally tough. This group has responded.”

Comings and goings

No. 25 Alabama joined Wisconsin as the week’s new additions after the Crimson Tide pushed to a fourgame winning streak.

They replaced Clemson (No. 20) and Kentucky (No. 25) in the poll. Conference watch

The Big 12 and Big Ten dominated the top of the poll while tying with a national-best six ranked teams. Those two leagues combined to have eight spots in the top

Dolphins release receiver Hill in major roster cuts

MIAMI GARDENS,Fla.— The Dolphins are releasing star receiver Tyreek Hill ending the All-Pro’s four-year tenure in Miami, a person familiar with the move told The Associated Press on Monday Hill, who turns 32 on March 1, is recovering from a season-ending injury suffered in a game against the New York Jets on Sept. 29 that required surgery to repair signiﬁcant damage to his left knee. It is one of several major roster cuts the Dolphins made on Monday morning, the person said, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team had not made any announcements. Miami also will release two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Bradley Chubb and cut offensive lineman James Daniels and receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, the person said.

Browns safety Hickman assaulted in hotel lobby

NEW YORK — Cleveland Browns safety Ronnie Hickman was treated for minor injuries and released, the team said on Monday after New York police received reports that he was jumped by four men in a hotel lobby

The Browns said Hickman, 24, was at home resting with his family There have been no arrests and an investigation continues, according to a statement from the New York Police Department.

Authorities said they responded to a 911 call at 4:35 a.m. Monday reporting an assault in a hotel lobby

“Upon arrival, ofﬁcers were informed that four unidentiﬁed individuals punched a 24-year-old male about the body following a verbal dispute,” police said.

Celtics’ Brown disputes claims about event permit

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown disputed the city of Beverly Hills’ claims after an event he hosted on the eve of the NBA All-Star Game was shut down because the city said it lacked a permit.

“I’m offended by Beverly Hills, by the statement they put out, like we applied for something and didn’t get it, and we did it anyway (and) we were insubordinate,” Brown told ESPN on Sunday. “I know how to follow the rules. I’m smart enough to follow the guidelines.” Hours earlier, Beverly Hills released a statement to The Boston Globe, saying it rejected a permit. The event promoting Brown’s performance brand, 741, was held at Oakley founder Jim Jannard’s home.

Trout wants to return to center field for Angels

TEMPE, Ariz. — Mike Trout says he would prefer to return to center field for the Los Angeles Angels, and the star slugger says he will skip the World Baseball Classic because of insurance issues.

The 11-time All-Star who has been plagued by injuries since 2021 says his familiar position isn’t as physically demanding as the corner outﬁeld spots, contrary to traditional thinking.

Trout played his most games since 2019 last season, finishing at 130. The three-time American League MVP started 22 of his ﬁrst 29 games in right ﬁeld before a knee injury sidelined him for a month. Trout had 26 home runs but hit just .232, by far the worst average of his career when he had at least 400 at-bats.

Twins starter López ends bullpen session early FORT MYERS Fla Minnesota Twins right-hander Pablo López ended a bullpen session early on Monday over what manager Derek Shelton said was “a little bit of elbow soreness.”

López, who turns 30 next month, threw two-plus innings before shutting things down. He was considered ahead of schedule in preparations to join Venezuela for the World Baseball Classic.

López has been the opening day starter for the Twins the past three seasons. He was limited to 75 2/3 innings last year, with three stints on the injured list for hamstring, shoulder and forearm issues.

The 2023 All-Star had made 32 starts in each season from 202224, the ﬁrst of those with Miami before a pair with Minnesota.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JESSIE ALCHEH

UCLA guard Kiki Rice drives to the basket during a game on Sunday in Los Angeles.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LON HORWEDEL

Michigan players, from left, Malick Kordel, Aday Mara, Morez Johnson

Competition better at All-Star weekend

BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter

INGLEWOOD, Calif. If you still didn’t like the NBA’s newest All-Star Game format, you probably just don’t like All-Star games.

That seemed to be the sports sphere’s consensus after the U.S against-the-world, round-robin tournament Sunday produced three thrilling mini-games and several impressive individual performances. Something about the setup compelled these stars to play their exhibition at a level much closer to real competition than usual.

“I think every team honestly wanted to win,” said Phoenix guard Devin Booker, a member of the victorious Stars team.

That’s no small statement about an event that had become sports shorthand for pointless midseason pseudo-competition a charade that wasted fans’ time and produced unwatchable TV while players simply tried to get it over with.

That’s precisely why the NBA implemented its fourth format in four years, creating a World team and two teams of Americans to play 12-minute games.

To the surprise of those who assumed this event was irredeemable it actually worked for most people.

“I’ve been asking for it, fans have been asking for it, media have been asking for it, (and) I feel that after today, I think you all can see the competition is there,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “I think that we all brought it today brought a sense of effort. I hope that the fans and all of you appreciate it.”

An Americans-versus-everybody ﬁnale didn’t materialize, however

Instead, the team of slightly younger Americans routed the team of slightly older Americans in an anticlimactic ﬁnale.

Even that finish had its entertaining points, though: “We’re definitely one-up on the uncs right now,” said a grinning Tyrese Maxey, who scored nine points in the final.

The NBA hasn’t declared a format

for next year’s All-Star Game in Phoenix, and the World component has potential problems depending on how many international players are having All-Star-worthy seasons.

Several players, including LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard, said they still want a return to the classic East vs. West format you know, the one that produced enough bad games to force the NBA to try something different in the first place.

It’s tough to imagine basketball in its current state producing an AllStar Game signiﬁcantly better than this one, but not everything about the All-Star weekend at Intuit Dome was savory

The highs and lows of an eventful weekend in Inglewood: Dismal dunks

Just when the NBA might have its All-Star Game ﬁxed the Slam Dunk Contest was underwhelming enough to prompt fan discussion on how to save a venerable competition that’s running out of steam.

The event immortalized by the likes of Julius Erving, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant was mostly compelling for bad reasons this year, although Miami’s Keshad Johnson did well enough to join 3-Point Contest champion Damian Lillard in an all-Oakland sweep of the two marquee events at All-Star

Saturday

In the early round, Lakers center Jaxson Hayes gave an effort that drew online criticism from his own fans. Orlando’s Jase Richardson took a horrifying fall onto his back and head when his arm hit the backboard on a 360-degree spin attempt. Richardson was OK, but the frightening moment underscored the dangers of this event

Johnson won anticlimactically when San Antonio’s Carter Bryant couldn’t complete an impressive second dunk after scoring a perfect 50 on his ﬁrst.

Can the NBA persuade star players to return to the contest? Can the dunkers rediscover the creativ-

Guerrero says World Series loss is behind him and Blue Jays

Associated Press

DUNEDIN,Fla.— Vladimir Guerrero

Jr was the last person to leave the Toronto dugout after the Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series last fall because the star slugger wanted that to be the moment when he moved on The first full workout for the Blue Jays at spring training Monday brought some clarity to that plan.

“When I left, I felt like I had faced reality and the only thing I had left to say to myself was just thank God for the year I had, for the year the team had had,” Guerrero said through an interpreter “Right then, I just turned the page.”

The Blue Jays lost the decisive game 5-4 in 11 innings, missing on a second consecutive chance to clinch the franchise’s third championship at home For manager John Schneider, this spring training is no different from a year ago.

“The main message is we’re not defending anything,” Schneider said “We’re not defending the AL East. We’re not defending the American League. We’re attacking 2026 like we did in 2025 or any year, really You’re trying to win the division, you’re trying to win the World Series. That’s it.” Guerrero jolted the franchise at the start of the spring last year, when he said there was no deal on a new contract and that his own deadline for getting one done had passed, raising the specter of free agency in 2026. Instead, the sides settled on a $500 million, 14-year contract early last season, and the son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero went on to hit .292 with 23 home runs and 84 RBIs.

In the postseason, Guerrero had a 1.289 OPS while hitting 397 with eight homers in 18 games and was MVP of the American League Championship Series. He didn’t homer in any of his first three trips to the playoffs, and the Blue Jays lost all six of those games.

“Going back to the postseason last year, I think it’s really cool for everyone to be on that heightened stage and to see how they responded,” Schneider said. “I

ity that compelled Blake Grifﬁn to jump over a car, Gerald Green to blow out a cupcake candle on the rim, Dwight Howard to put on a cape and Vince Carter to stick his whole arm in the hoop?

That’s no slam dunk.

Kawhi’s barrage

Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points in 12 minutes while leading his team to victory in Sunday’s third mini-game The seven-time AllStar went 11 of 13 with six 3-pointers, dazzling his fellow All-Stars and even prompting 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama to attempt to guard him out of desperation.

“That’s probably one of the most special quarters of basketball we’ve witnessed,” Booker said.

If Leonard’s team had put up more of a fight in the finale, he probably would have been the MVP instead of Anthony Edwards. Leonard scored only one point, looking gassed along with his teammates in

their third straight game.

“That’s what the home crowd wanted to see,” Leonard said. “I’m glad I was able to do something in that game.”

Dame’s dominance

During his year away from the game due to injury, Lillard reminded the world why he’s one of the greatest shooters of his generation with a stellar performance to win the 3-Point Contest for the third time. He joins Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only players to do it.

The 35-year-old Portland guard held off Booker in the tremendously exciting ﬁnal, winning 29-27 when Booker missed his ﬁnal three shots.

Lillard tore his Achilles tendon last April, and his inclusion in this contest initially began as a joke he had with an NBA ofﬁcial — but the native Californian got the call, and he was healthy enough to shoot the lights out in Inglewood.

His performance was another example of an impressive comeback from that serious injury Jayson Tatum, who also tore his Achilles tendon in last spring’s playoffs, is back in practice with Boston’s G League team.

After watching Lillard’s performance, Stephen Curry announced he’s going to compete in 2027, and he’s hoping to be joined by his Splash Brother, Klay Thompson.

Afternoon hoops

The All-Star events Saturday and Sunday began at 2 p.m. Paciﬁc time because NBC is showing the Winter Olympics in prime time every night.

That led to empty seats in Intuit Dome at the start of both events, although they eventually ﬁlled in. The early starts also muted the bigevent feeling for fans and viewers who might have missed the show entirely if they didn’t check the TV listings.

Yankees captain Judge frustrated by his team’s offseason inactivity

son but didn’t get to 100%.

Fla., on Monday.

think that kind of bleeds into this year but (Guerrero) has been a little bit more vocal than I’ve ever seen him, a little bit more loose than I’ve ever seen him and understands that he’s one of the best players in the game.”

The 26-year-old Guerrero, a ﬁve-time All-Star, is now the longest-tenured Blue Jays player

“I don’t see myself as a leader,” Guerrero said. “I always put myself as a good teammate, and when you are a good teammate, then you become a good leader. I’m a good teammate.”

His role as the face of the franchise was cemented when Bo Bichette left the team, signing a $126 million, three-year with the New York Mets and moving from shortstop to third base.

“It’s difficult not having him around,” said Guerrero, who played with Bichette through the minor leagues. “I mean, we played 10 years together But at the same time, I understand it’s business, and he has to take care of his family as well.”

The Blue Jays signed Japanese inﬁelder Kazuma Okamoto to ﬁll the void left by Bichette while adding pitchers Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce.

“I think we’re very capable,” Guerrero said. “I think it’s going to be more fun, and I’m actually more happy than last year.”

BY RONALD BLUM AP baseball writer

TAMPA, Fla. — Aaron Judge fretted

like many Yankees fans as bigname free agents kept signing elsewhere.

“It was brutal,” the New York captain said Monday after the year’s first full-squad workout. “Early on it was pretty tough to watch. I’m like: Man, we’re the New York Yankees. Let’s go out there and get the right people.”

Judge spoke at length about the Yankees’ lack of a World Series title since 2009, of homering and striking out against 22-year-old flamethrower Carlos Lagrange during the workout, about captaining the U.S in the upcoming World Baseball Classic and last year’s elbow injury

“The awards, the MVP All-Stars, man, that stuff, it doesn’t matter What matters is putting New York back on top and putting this organization back where it belongs,” Judge said “I don’t get paid to just play this game. I get paid to win here.”

Judge missed 10 games between July 25 and Aug. 5 because of a flexor strain in his right elbow suffered while making a throw home from right field at Toronto on July 22. He didn’t return to the outfield until Sept. 5, and he threw gingerly at 67.9 mph. Judge gained arm strength during the rest of the sea-

“I’ve never dealt with any elbow stuff, so I was deﬁnitely concerned,” he said. Judge wasn’t sure until after the postseason that he would avoid surgery

“They ran all the checks again and did all the tests and they said: ‘You’re good to go,’ ” he remembered. “And I said: All right, when can we start throwing? So it was good. It was great. It was great to hear those words so that now I can go into the offseason and just prepare the way I need to be in the best shape to start the year

“Throwing to bases a couple of times already so no worries. Just excited to get back out there and just have the conﬁdence, especially — that was the toughest thing for me last year, was the pitcher’s working his butt off and the guys around me were working their butt off and then the ball was hit to me and I had no shot.”

Judge, who turns 34 in April, won his third AL MVP in four years and became just the fourth player in major league history to hit 50 homers four times after Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. He won his ﬁrst AL batting title, hitting a big league-best .331 with 53 homers, 114 RBIs, an AL-high 124 walks and a major league-leading 1.144 OPS. Then in the playoffs, he went 13 for 36 with one homer, seven RBIs and a 1.273 OPS.

New York, seeking its ﬁrst title since 2009, retained center ﬁelder Trent Grisham early in the offseason but didn’t make bigger moves until late.

“Let’s sign these guys right now and start adding more pieces because I’m seeing other teams around the league get better,” Judge said. “They’re making trades. They’re signing big prospects or big players. And we’re sitting there for a while kind of making smaller moves.”

Asked whether he made his thoughts known to the Yankees, Judge flashed a toothy grin and said: “Yeah, oh, yeah.”

New York’s late moves involved re-signing Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. The Yankees also acquired left-hander Ryan Weathers from Miami in a trade.

“It was frustrating, but I think we’re right where we need to be,” Judge said.

Judge appeared to clear Steinbrenner Field in left on a 99.3 mph from Carlos Lagrange. Judge later struck out on a 102.6 mph fastball from the 6-foot-7 right-hander and praised “his personality and presence.”

Lagrange was promoted to Double-A Somerset last June and went 7-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 15 starts and one relief appearance, striking out 104 and walking 50 in 78 1/3 innings. He has been working to improve his control.

Chio ranks high LSU sophomore Kailin Chio continues to rank as one of the brightest stars in the collegiate sport. She is tied for ﬁrst on balance beam with Oklahoma’s Faith Torrez, both with NQS averages of 9.955. Chio’s full schedule average is a bit higher 9.963-9.954 — and she has the nation’s only perfect 10 on beam to date. Chio is second on vault to Oklahoma’s Addison Fatta, 9.945-9.940. Fatta is one of ﬁve gymnasts with 10s on vault, while Chio has had 9.975s the past two meets. Chio also is third in the all-around behind Jordan Chiles of UCLA (39.705) and Fatta (39.580) with a 39.520.

Chiles and Chio are tied with the best all-around scores this season of 39.875, the LSU gymnast’s top mark coming against Auburn. Chio had a perfect 10 on floor, but her floor NQS (9.885) is tied for 21st. LSU sophomore Kaliya Lincoln is tied for fourth on floor

with a 9.920. Blackson bears watching Clark said the Tigers are in overall good physical condition going into this week’s meet, though there is some concern about fifth-year senior Courtney Blackson’s shoulder Blackson, who has had three scores of 9.925 or better on uneven bars this season, only did vault against

Clark

We just have to monitor it. The docs looked at it and there’s nothing structurally wrong.” For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JAE C. HONG

USA Stripes forward Kawhi Leonard, center, dribbles between World guard Jamal Murray, left, and forward Alperen Sengun during the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday in Inglewood, Calif

AP PHOTO By FRANK GUN Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr smiles during spring training in Dunedin,

MI LA N CO RT IN A OL YM PI CS

Meyers Taylor wins first gold at 41

Bobsledder becomes oldest American woman to take gold at Winter Games

BY TIM REYNOLDS Associated Press

JAPAN WINS FIRST OLYMPIC PAIRS GOLD WITH WORLD-RECORD

FREE SKATE: Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara thought their chances of Olympic gold had gone by the wayside when the Japanese skaters made an uncharacteristic slip-up during their short program.

But the two-time defending world champions rebounded Monday with a world-record free skate under the current scoring system, lifting them from fifth place all the way to the top step of the podium and Japan’s first Olympic medal in the pairs event.

Miura and Kihara dropped to their knees in a tearful embrace when they realized they had won gold.

MALININ HINTS AT ‘INEVITABLE CRASH:’ Ilia Malinin posted a video on social media Monday hinting at an “inevitable crash.”

The American alluded again to the weight he felt while competing in Milan in the caption to his video.

“On the world’s biggest stage those who appear the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the inside,” wrote the 21-year-old Malinin.“Even your happiest memories can end up tainted by the noise.Vile online hatred attacks the mind and fear lures it into the darkness, no matter how hard you try to stay sane through the endless insurmountable pressure It all builds up as these moments flash before your eyes, resulting in an inevitable crash.

Malinin was the heavy favorite to add another gold in the individual event but he fell twice, placing eighth.

USA, CANADA WOMEN’S HOCKEY TEAMS FACE OFF FOR GOLD: MariePhilip Poulin won’t dispute how good the Americans have looked in romping through the women’s hockey tournament And Canada’s captain will readily acknowledge her team has yet to come close to playing its best.

What matters to Poulin is having the opportunity to play in a showdown with gold medal on the line Thursday.

On Monday, Poulin broke the Olympic record for goals in women’s hockey She scored twice against Switzerland to reach 20 for her career

The U.S. and Canada will face off for Olympic gold for a seventh time since women’s hockey debuted at the 1998 Nagano Games in a rivalry between the sport’s two global powers.And this time, the Americans are the favorites.

NORWEGIAN LOSES IN SLALOM, RETREATS INTO FOREST: Atle Lie McGrath’s gold-medal hopes in the Olympic slalom slipped away His ski poles were then thrown away And then he simply stumbled away through the snow toward the woods.

“I thought that I would get some peace and quiet, which I didn’t,” the Norwegian ski racer said of his retreat from the course after losing out on a medal.“Because photographers and police found me out in the woods. But I just needed some time for myself.”

McGrath entered the final run of the final men’s race with a big lead

But after straddling a gate, he lost a medal, then control of his emotions.

McGrath has been racing with a heavy heart, with his grandfather dying the day of the opening ceremony.

“What he’s gone through these last 10, 12 days, it’s been really tough,” said teammate Timon Haugan.

— The Associated Press

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO,

Italy Elana

Meyers Taylor’s two young sons watched her leap into the air, throw her fists skyward, wave the American ﬂag, then fall to her knees and start to cry In time, they’ll understand what they saw They saw history

The 41-year-old U.S. bobsledder

— a mother of two special-needs children, an athlete whose career was jeopardized by concussions, someone who dealt with plenty of doubt in recent years is, ﬁnally, an Olympic champion. Meyers Taylor won the gold medal in monobob at the Milan Cortina Games on Monday night, her sixth career medal and ﬁrst Olympic title.

“I thought it was impossible,” Meyers Taylor said. She was never happier to be wrong. She became the oldest American woman to hear “The StarSpangled Banner” played in her honor at the Winter Games Rallying in the fourth and ﬁnal heat, Meyers Taylor prevailed with a four-run, two-day time of 3 minutes, 57.93 seconds.

Meyers Taylor had medaled ﬁve times before — three silver, two bronze. She was the most decorated Black athlete at a Winter Olympics even before this win, and her place in history got a whole lot more dazzling on a frosty night in the Italian mountains. And this medal, her sixth, tied Bonnie Blair for the most by a U.S woman in the Winter Olympics.

“To have my name up there with Bonnie Blair it doesn’t even make sense to me,” Meyers Taylor said. Germany’s Laura Nolte the leader after the ﬁrst, second and

third runs — was second and Kaillie Humphries Armbruster of the U.S. was third.

“I’m a bit sad because now at the moment it feels like I lost gold — and not that I won silver In a few hours I think I can celebrate it, because it’s still a great result,” Nolte said. “Elana also deserves it. She’s a super kind human and she has won silver for many times now and the gold was missing.”

It was the fifth career medal for Humphries Armbruster She’s 40 and about 18 months removed from becoming a mom and she technically became the first woman 40 or older to clinch an Olympic bobsled medal, since she finished her competition exactly 2 minutes, 29 seconds before Meyers Taylor crossed the line to join the 40-something medal club.

“You get a lot of people that like to write you off as soon as you reach 40, it’s all downhill from there, is what you hear I think Elana and I are both proof that that’s not true,” Humphries Armbruster said. “As soon as you become a mom, your body’s not the same, and you can never get

that high performance back, and I think we were able to show that that’s not true again.”

Nolte led by 0.15 seconds going into the final run, with Meyers Taylor second and Humphries Armbruster third — 0.24 seconds off the lead. Barring big mistakes, gold, silver and bronze would be theirs in some order; nobody else was within 0.6 seconds of Humphries Armbruster, nor within about a full second of Nolte’s lead going into the final heat. They go in reverse order in sliding. That meant Humphries Armbruster went first among the final three, then Meyers Taylor, then Nolte.

Humphries Armbruster finished in 3:58.05, knowing she was assured of her ﬁfth career medal when she crossed the line. As the sled skidded to a stop, she was already on her feet — throwing her arms into the air, knowing at least bronze was coming her way U.S. coach Brian Shimer, often stoic, started punching the air in celebration. And then the scene was set for Meyers Taylor, who held on to no worse than the sil-

ver spot and wrapped herself in an American ﬂag after hopping out of the sled.

Nolte had the lead going into the last run. She just couldn’t hold it. Kaysha Love, the world monobob champion for the U.S. last year had big trouble in her second and fourth runs and ﬁnished seventh with a final time of 3:59.27.

“Seeing Elana, that was iconic,” Love said.

Humphries Armbruster won the gold medal in the inaugural running of monobob at the 2022 Beijing Games, with Meyers Taylor winning silver

This is the ﬁfth time that Meyers Taylor and Humphries Armbruster have competed in the Olympics. Each has medaled in each of their previous four appearances; Humphries Armbruster was also on the Canadian Olympic team in 2006, but did not race in those Turin Games. They’re now 5-for-5. And Meyers Taylor ﬁnally has the golden moment.

“I didn’t need it,” Meyers Taylor said. “But I wanted it.”

Gu wins silver in big-air ﬁnal for 5th Olympic medal

BY EDDIE PELLS Associated Press

LIVIGNO,Italy Eileen Gu last com-

peted in a big-air contest four years ago. She learned the trick that helped her reach the medals stand Monday night four days ago. Then, in a frenzied training session before the snowy Olympic ﬁnal, she tried an even bigger trick, but hit her head on the landing and cracked her helmet.

Given all that, finishing second, a mere 1.75 points behind Canada’s Megan Oldham, felt like a victory, not a loss for the sport’s best-known star Given all that, picking up a fifth medal in the five events she has entered over two Winter Olympics felt like a time to celebrate, not think about what might have been.

“‘Five-time Olympic medalist’ kind of has a nice ring to it,” Gu said. While Gu has two silvers at these Olympics — one in slopestyle and the latest in big air — Oldham, the 24-year-old from Parry Sound, Ontario, has a bronze and a gold Egged on by her older brother, Bruce, who is also a pro freeskier, Oldham traded in gymnastics and ﬁgure skating a handful of years ago to start catapulting herself off mountains. The other sports taught her a lot about “air awareness, and spinning in general,”

she said. It also took her from a pair of dangerous sports to one that borders on death-defying. In this Olympic big-air contest, the adrenaline junkies have to ride an actual elevator to the top of a scaffolding on which sits a manmade hill 165 feet in the air

“A brutal sport,” Oldham called it. “A lot of times when you’re learning these new tricks, you can fall pretty hard.”

She suffered a concussion in December and said she felt pressure, not knowing if she could

make it back in time for the Olympics.

“Just coming back from that alone, I’m pretty proud of myself,” Oldham said.

So was bronze medalist Flora Tabanelli, who took bronze for Italy’s 23rd medal of the Games. She’s four months removed from a torn ACL. She decided to compete in a brace instead of opting for season-ending surgery

“Three months ago, after the injury, I thought I wouldn’t make it here,” she said “When I arrived here and said to myself, ‘I

HIGHLIGHTS

feel pretty good,’ it was already a win.”

Gu naturally came to Italy with better name recognition and higher expectations than anyone else in the snowpark.

After her ﬁrst jump, a 1,440-degree whirl that put her in medal contention, she ran to the stands to celebrate She had friends from college and from junior high who took advantage of the three-day weekend in the United States to come watch.

She’s the sport’s only threeevent athlete. So, over the past few years, something had to give between all the skiing, Stanford University, modeling and globetrotting between her native U.S. and her mom’s home country of China, the country she competes for That one thing was big air

She had not been on an entry sheet for the sport’s highest-flying discipline since the day she left Beijing four years ago with the first of two gold medals in tow “If you’d asked me four days ago and said, ‘What tricks are you going to do in the final?’ I’d be, like, ‘I’m in the final?’” she said. During warmups for the final, she crashed while trying a 1,620-degree spin, the likes of which won her that gold. She was fortunate that a near blizzard rushed through the snowpark shortly after delaying the start by 75 minutes.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALESSANDRA TARANTINO

Gold medalist Elana Meyers Taylor of the United States celebrates at the finish after the women’s monobob competition on Monday in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GREGORy BULL

Silver medalist Eileen Gu of China celebrates with fans after the women’s freestyle skiing big-air finals on Monday in Livigno, Italy

Cajuns basketball legend Lamar dies at age 74

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

UL athletics has lost one of its most legendary sports ﬁgures.

Three-time All-American basketball player Dwight “Bo” Lamar, 74, died Sunday evening in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio after a lengthy illness.

“Legend” is often used to describe former players and coaches, but it’s not an exaggeration when it comes to Lamar and the teams he played for at then-Southwestern Louisiana.

Those who witnessed Lamar’s performances from 1969-73 will never forget or cease trying to describe what they witnessed

“He was our Pistol,” said Lou Hebert, who attended the college during Lamar’s playing days. “It was as simple as that. I know Andrew Toney was an incredible pro, incredible player, but Bo lit this place up.”

The numbers certainly support Hebert’s memory LSU legend “Pistol” Pete Maravich is still the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader with 3,667 points Until Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis reached 3,664 points from 2018-23, next on that list was Lamar’s 3,493 points.

As a sophomore, Lamar led the nation’s College Division in scoring as his reached that division’s ﬁnal four

“He developed as a freshman under (future NBA teammate Marvin) Winkler,” USL teammate Steve Caldwell said. “Winkler was a good mentor for him and he just ran with it after that.”

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com. ‘He

As a junior, he led the NCAA Uni-

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torn right ACL injury during the eighth game of the season against Florida State on Dec. 3, 2024. He was averaging 12.4 points on 59.6% shooting and 7.4 rebounds in the first seven games. Those figures would’ve made him the team’s second-leading scorer and leading rebounder that season. LSU also didn’t have Tyrell Ward, the top returning scorer from the previous season The 6-6 wing, who has since transferred to Virginia Commonwealth, didn’t play any games after stepping away from the program because of mental-health reasons. The team announced his departure minutes before the season opener on Nov 6, 2024 Ward averaged 9.1 points and shot 41.3% from the 3-point line as a sophomore the year before. He was expected to ﬁll a large role. The Tigers also had two productive freshmen injured during conference

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The settlement was a huge win for Jordan, who forever will be viewed as the team owner bold enough to stand up to NASCAR’s dictatorship way of ruling the series. But that was already behind Jordan by the time he got to Daytona International Speedway, where he started Sunday by insisting the goal was to help grow NASCAR moving forward and focus on making 23XI a championship-contending race team.

“Both sides have been somewhat at a stalemate and we both needed to have conversations about change, how we can grow this sport,” Jordan told Fox Sports before the green ﬂag. “Unfortunately, we had to go through what we had to go through. But I think coming out of that, you have a much better appreciation for each other, and I think it opens up conversations amongst each other to continue to grow the game.

versity Division in scoring at 36.3 points per game.

In that 1971-72 season, he was a ﬁrst-team All-American alongside such names as Bill Walton, Bob McAdoo and his East High teammate Ed Ratleff of Long Beach State.

A year later as a senior, Lamar was a ﬁrst-team All-American with other superstars such as Walton, Ratleff, David Thompson Doug Collins and Ernie DiGregorio.

“There was a lot of talent on that team, but like they said about Reggie Jackson with the Yankees, Bo was the straw that stirred the drink,” said Hebert, referring to other NBA players on those Cajuns teams such as Roy Ebron and Freddie Saunders. “Once Bo got here, this place exploded. Everybody wanted to see him play.”

Hebert said he grew up going to Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, but once it came down to his college choice, he chose USL because he wanted to watch the basketball team play

Hebert said he learned of Lamar’s death in a text Monday morning.

“I had tears running down my cheeks,” he said. “I’m not going to lie. It just affected me like that We knew those guys. We felt like we were part of it.

Caldwell said Lamar’s impact on the Acadiana area can’t be minimized.

“I would say Bo Lamar and then Ron Guidry put Lafayette, Louisiana, on the map,” Caldwell said. “I had a ringside seat right there, but it was at practice, too. They were just as good at practice.

“I could run as fast as I could down court, and Bo could pass me up with the basketball. He was fast and quick and could jump and shoot. He was the whole package.”

Caldwell remembers the story of how USL was recruiting Lamar’s high school teammate Ratleff in Columbus, Ohio, when the school’s principal suggested to USL assis-

play. Vyctorius Miller and Corey Chest, who have both since transferred to Oklahoma State and Ole Miss, respectively, missed a combined 11 games in SEC play

Miller missed seven of 18 SEC games with an ankle injury The 6-5 guard averaged 8.9 points in 19 minutes last season. Chest, then a redshirt freshman, missed four conference contests because of a foot injury The New Orleans native started 19 games and averaged 6.1 points, a team-high 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 20.1 minutes.

2023-24 season

McMahon’s second season was his most successful as LSU ﬁnished 9-9 in SEC play and 17-16 overall. But the Tigers had two players miss most of the season, including one major contributor and one rotational player Point guard Jalen Cook started nine of his 13 games. The former Walker High School star and Tulane transfer averaged 15.6 points (a team-high), 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and shot

Hours later, he was in victory lane celebrating as if he’d just won a seventh NBA championship. When France stopped by it was clear all parties are moving forward.

Denny Hamlin, the threetime Daytona 500 winner who is partners with Jordan at 23XI was the winning team owner representative in post-victory requirements and said there are no lingering bad feelings among the parties.

“I think December was a wake-up call I think that the conversations since then have been a lot of self-reﬂection, in my opinion, from NASCAR I think they would have done things differently had they had the opportunity to,” Hamlin said. “But we knew that we needed to stick up for what we believed was right. We have to now ﬁgure out how we can get the sport back where it was decades ago.

“In order to do that, the only way we can do it is we’re all going to have to pull the rope in the same direction. Even conversations that I’ve had with NASCAR executives as late as a cou-

tant coach Tom Cox that he “sign Bo and Ed might come.” That team also had Nick Conner, who enjoyed a big career at Illinois.

Ratleff chose Jerry Tarkanian and Long Beach State, but Lamar came to Cajun Country

On Dec. 10, 1971, Ratleff and No. 6-ranked Long Beach State played Lamar’s squad in the Bayou Classic at Blackham Coliseum.

“My biggest memory was that Long Beach State game,” longtime UL basketball fan Mike Hebert said. “I was a sophomore in high school. I would listen to the games on the radio but my dad agreed to take me to the game.

“It was 83-all and Bo hit one of his patented long jumpers from what would be NBA 3 today — 26 to 30 feet. That gave us the lead 85-83, and we went on to win 90-83. I’ll never forget that game.”

That was a week after USL beat No 7 Houston 97-88. In an era where only 24 teams made the NCAA Tournament, USL beat Marshall 112-101 and Texas 10070 before falling to Louisville 8884 during Lamar’s junior season

As a senior, USL beat No. 7 Houston 102-89 in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Kansas State 66-63 and then South Carolina with Alex English and Brian Winters 90-85 in the consolation game

“That had to be so satisfying after blowing that game at Houston (82-80) earlier that season,” Mike Hebert said.

With Lamar leading the way coach Beryl Shipley’s teams were among the nation’s elite in that era. In Lamar’s ﬁnal three seasons, the USL record was 74-13. The only team with a better record in that stretch was the UCLA Bruins with John Wooden. In fact, a Sports Illustrated article proclaimed USL as one of the few teams in the country capable of beating the dynastic Bruins. Other fans remember Lamar’s

41.3% overall. He also had four 20-point performances against SEC competition.

The 6-foot senior missed the team’s first 10 games because he didn’t have NCAA eligibility as a two-time transfer That changed once he received a temporary restraining order for the season from a U.S. district court judge in West Virginia. Cook was a freshman at LSU during the 2020-21 season, played at Tulane for two seasons and returned to the Tigers as a true senior Cook didn’t play again after McMahon announced on March 4, 2024, that he was suspended “for failure to meet the standards” of the program. He missed the last 10 games of the season. He missed one game due to injury and ﬁve other games before McMahon’s announcement.

Daimion Collins, a former five-star recruit and Kentucky transfer, also dislocated his right shoulder in the sixth game of his ﬁrst year with the Tigers. He averaged 4.3 points in 10.3 minutes. Collins played 30 of 32 games the following season at LSU but has since

ple days ago, sitting in a bus talking about what do we need to be ﬁve years from now, two years from now, 10 years from now What does the sport need to look like?

“Those were all really good conversations, and they were very open to suggestions.”

Jordan didn’t become a NASCAR participant until 2021, when he partnered with Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner, to form 23XI. He attends races — sometimes he watches from pit road, other times a suite — and although others run the team, Jordan is involved and sounds committed to NASCAR.

The Reddick win was a win for NASCAR, Hamlin argued, because it got Jordan into the headlines.

“It’s big for the sport. He’s the most popular athlete in the world. I don’t think there’s any disputing that,” Hamlin said. “He loves the sport, and certainly he goes to a lot of races. Sometimes you don’t even see him and he’s there. He makes more races than people know He loves this race team.”

school-record 62 points against Northeast in 1971 or the memorable clashes with Mike Green and Louisiana Tech throughout his career That magical era was tarnished when the NCAA gave the basketball program the death penalty for the next two seasons, mostly because of impermissible payments to players.

Lamar was a third-round pick of Detroit in the NBA but was the ﬁrst overall pick in the ABA draft by the San Diego Conquistadors. He was a member of the ABA AllRookie team, averaging 20.1 points a game, including one 50-point performance. Lamar averaged 19.7 points and

transferred to South Florida. 2022-23 season

McMahon’s ﬁrst season at LSU had the fewest player absences. Of the team’s

4.6 assists in his 202-game ABA career, and he played one NBA season with the Los Angeles Lakers after the merger After his playing days, Lamar served as color analyst for the Cajuns and later was the head basketball coach at Holy Rosary in town before returning to Ohio.

“He could stop and elevate on a dime,” Lou Hebert said. “This was before the 3-point line. He would be coming down the court and boom, just go up and hit this rainbow jumper so pretty, bottom of the night. His shooting ability was amazing to watch.”

eight leaders in minutes per game, seven played at least 30 of 33 games. The only player who didn’t was guard Justice Williams, who played 23 games and

averaged 15.9 minutes. The team’s top two leading scorers, forward K.J. Williams (17.7) and guard Adam Miller (11.5), both played every game.

Blending Carnival tradition with modern ﬂair

Rex debuts new reviewing stand location

BY VICTOR ANDREWS Staff writer

One of the magical aspects of Carnival is the meshing of traditional facets with contemporary style for a celebration like no other

That will be on full display this morning when Rex, King of Carnival, rolls up to a new reviewing stand to greet the Queen of Carnival and her entourage, who will enjoy a day in the sun before heading off to the glittering spectacle of the Rex ball

They will be fashioned in a variety of colors of the season at The Josephine near the beginning of the Rex’s parade route down Napoleon Avenue. This marks the premiere of the new location where the monarchs will toast each other as Mardi Gras commences The court will have a prime post to watch the procession, this year

Drinking outside has long history in N.O.

BY LIZ WILLIAMS Contributing writer

All year round in New Orleans, bars on Bourbon Street sell brightly colored alcoholic drinks from windows to customers walking in the French Quarter — complete with a plastic cup to go. This happens in other parts of the city, too, but during Mardi Gras, it seems to happen everywhere. Carnival festivities include openly drinking during parades up and down St. Charles Avenue, Canal Street and in the French Quarter Riders are allowed open containers on their ﬂoats. Even walking krewes drag wheeled ice chests with them to keep their alcohol close.

And unlike in most cities and states across the country it’s legal! Louisiana law allows outdoor drinking in many parts of New Orleans, while in other places, drinking alcohol is restricted to indoors and out of sight.

The history of drinking in New Orleans is fascinating From the early governmental auctions of tavern licenses, to taxes on alcohol sales, beverages have been a source of revenue for government since the founding of the city.

Restrictions against drinking alcoholic beverages on public streets, parks and other public places are known colloquially as “open container laws.”

Technically the term refers to open containers in a moving vehicle. Even in Louisiana, drinking and driving is prohibited, and there are other restrictions. (Louisiana does allow open containers for passengers in a limousine, hired vehicle or motor home, or in a lock box if a vehicle lacks a trunk.)

To facilitate drinking safely while on the street, between bars or out of a private stash, the plastic go-cup covered with artwork was conveniently invented in the New Orleans area by Corrado Giacona of Giacona, Inc.

The plastic cups are sold with special graphics all over the country And at this time of year, those cups are thrown from Mardi Gras ﬂoats to commemorate the themes of the parades and the krewes And biodegradable cups are now available. Las Vegas is also a city that allows the consumption of alcoholic beverages on the strip and unincorporated Clark County Like New Orleans, the cup may not be glass

themed “Rebirth and Renewal.”

The queen, Miss Kelsey Grace French, daughter of Mr William Darwin French and stepdaughter and daughter of Mr. Daryl Glynn Byrd and Ms Kara Van de Carr, will be dazzling in an Italian designer suit crafted from an ivory tweed blend of wool and cotton. The jacket features a peplum silhouette with intricate floral embroidered cut-out long sleeves and a coordinating belt, while the pencil skirt is finished with a matching floral cut-out embroidered hem. A couture ivory sinamay straw hat has a short-brimmed design was accented with a sinamay ribbon band and a ivory silk flower

Miss Cameron Andrews will watch the parade in a turquoise blue wool skirt suit by Chase Zibilich of Chase Designs. The suit features an asymmetrical overlap with an off-center top button. Her sinamay straw hat by a milliner

in Charleston, South Carolina, is a wide-brimmed hat, in a dusty rose hue, accented with a turquoise band and peacock and turquoise feathers.

A golden yellow suit is the choice for Miss Emma Rose Baumer The Suzanne Perron St. Paul Design ensemble is trimmed with matching daisy appliqué

Yearof the Horse

New float celebrates Asian zodiac in Metairie’s Argus parade

BY DESIREE STENNETT Staff writer

In a maze of squat buildings storing mostly car parts, construction materials and electrical equipment, one unassuming warehouse in Kenner is holding something special — an Asian zodiac-themed

ﬂoat for Mardi Gras, meant to celebrate the vast array of Asian cultures represented in New Orleans

While others, like the Krewe of PhantAsia, formerly the Krewe of Mung Beans, have ensured the inclusion of Vietnamese and other Asian cultures in past Carnival celebrations, this is the ﬁrst themed ﬂoat to roll, said Float Lieutenant Stanley Su.

At 10 feet tall and 40 feet long, the double-decker ﬂoat, themed for the Year of the Horse that starts Tuesday, sits among about a dozen others that will roll alongside it with the Krewe of Argus in Metairie. This year, Fat Tuesday coincides with the Lunar New Year, celebrated in many Asian cultures, for only the second time in history

“The Asian community has been discussing this for a long time,” said Float Lieutenant Stanley Su. He can remember conversations with others of Asian descent dating almost 30 years to when he

ﬁrst arrived in New Orleans from China.

“But nobody really did it. Then this year, we just did it.”

After spending the past two years riding with Argus to learn the ropes, Su started using the connections he made through the Asian Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana and the local Asian/Paciﬁc American Society to start gathering support. He ended up with a team of New Orleanians whose families had come from China, Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines and several other countries.

“One of the common things that almost all Asians celebrate is the 12 animals of the zodiac,” Su said. “So the zodiac can bring a union together for all the communities.

For the first time, an Asian cultural themed float will roll in Mardi Gras as part of the Argus parade on Mardi Gras Day. The float is themed after the year of the Horse in Chinese Zodiac but is meant to represent all the Asian cultures represented in New Orleans.

That became an easy choice for the ﬂoat theme.

This year will be the Year of the Horse. So on the front of the Zodiac Float sits a cartoonishly cute, red-and-gold horse smiling wide with a purple, green and gold mane cascading down its back The throws will include plush red horses that match the one leading the ﬂoat.

Argus Captain Rob DeViney, whose father helped start the krewe, said it took more than a year of collaboration as it was designed by The Big House Art Studio in Chicago and built by Mardi Gras Decorators in Slidell.

“It’s a way to introduce Mardi Gras to other members of our community,” he

said. “Argus prides itself on being a community builder and all-inclusive to men, women, children, families So this was a perfect fit for us.” Su and DeViney both hope to see the zodiac float become an annual part of Mardi Gras. Next year, a new float will feature a new animal for the Year of the Goat. And one day, Su said he hopes to see a zodiac krewe rolling all 12 animals at once to help Asian residents feel more a part of the Mardi Gras tradition. “We believe Mardi Gras belongs to everybody and everybody should be involved,” he said, adding that most of those who will be riding on the float will be riding in Mardi Gras for the first time.

STAFF PHOTOS By DAVID GRUNFELD

Float Lieutenant Stanley Su, left, and Argus Krewe Captain Rob DeViney stand aboard the Zodiac Float at the krewe’s den in Kenner

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER The 2025 Queen of Carnival, Tatum Lady Reiss, center toasts Rex 2025 Howell Crosby as he stops in front of Pascal’s Manale for Mardi Gras last year

Proteus celebrates 145 years of nighttime parades

The Krewe of Proteus, founded in 1881, celebrates its 145th anniversary with this year’s parade. This is the oldest nighttime parading krewe in New Orleans, offering a glimpse into the fabled pageantry of the Golden Age of Carnival.

The 12th captain and his many-hued lieutenants escort the music-ﬁlled mystic krewe into another magical Lundi Gras night.

The wooden-wheeled wagons that carry this parade date back to the 19th Century: the era of flambeau-illuminated spectacles drawn by mules through the cobblestone streets of New Orleans. These aged carriages made their journey once more, featuring the finely crafted “tableaux roulants.” This year’s theme told the tale of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, the anti-hero of the 16th-century Chinese novel, “Journey to the West” by Wu Cheng’en. After rebelling against the heavens, Sun Wukong redeemed himself by accompanying the Buddhist priest, Tripitaka, to receive a set of holy texts from India. Joined by a ragtag team of misfit demons, also seeking

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redemption, they traveled across dangerous lands to complete their pilgrimage An array of ghosts, monsters and treacherous humans tried to thwart their mission, and they learned to use their combined powers (and a little help from the gods) to make it safely to the land of the West. Reigning over the evening’s festivities as queen was Miss Brooke Coleman Reiss, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Joseph Reiss III. Maids in the court were Misses Emma Rose Baumer, daughter of Mr and Mrs. Kristen Michael Baumer; Kate Faulkner Bensel,

Parisian ribbons and straw swirls. Miss Lilly Hooper will appear in the stands wearing a suit with a double-breasted magenta jacket by St. Paul. It features variegated trim in shades of magenta, along with fringed edging, outlined the collar and wrists. Her hat by Etkind is a rose sinamay straw design with a Dior brim, accented by sinamay ribbon in rose and magenta, tied into a bow at the front.

A spring green suit by St. Paul is the choice for Miss Susan Le Clercq, featuring a standing collar, peplum and pencil skirt. The ensemble is trimmed with interwoven lilac and green detailing and was finished with lilac and gold buttons down the front. Her mulberry-colored handmade straw saucer hat, accented with apple green straw swirls and vintage handmade French flowers, was created by Etkind. A wool suit of cherry red will be the selection for Miss Brooke Reiss, featuring a rufﬂe detail down the front of her jacket, paired with a straight skirt. Her Yvonne LaFleur-designed hat was crafted in cherry red wool felt matching her suit, adorned with gray velvet ribbon, red netting and accented with red and gray feathers

Miss Charlotte Wirth will don a light blue bouclé suit by St. Paul, featuring a traditional shirt col-

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swam happily about.

daughter of Mr and Mrs. Gregory Charles Bensel; Ashley Conner Ellis, daughter of Mr and Mrs. William Conner Ellis III; Eliza Brandon Favrot, daughter of Mr and Mrs. Timothy Semmes Favrot; Caroline LeBon Henry, daughter of Mr and Mrs. Gerard Edward Henry; and Susan Anne Le Clercq, daughter of Mr and Mrs. Frederic Theodore Le Clercq.

Also serving in the court were Misses Annabel Katherine McCarthy daughter of Mr and Mrs. Mason Hauck McCarthy; Lucile McGlinchey Monsted, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.

Charles Niels Monsted IV; Nina Louise Robert, daughter of Mr and Mrs. James Hanckes Robert; Elizabeth Kathleen Robert, daughter of Dr and Mrs. Kearny Quinn Robert III; Elizabeth McLundie Bolton Schmidt, daughter of Mr and Mrs. Justin Burton Schmidt; and Charlotte Sydney Wirth, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Roy Wirth.

Pages were Masters George Perry Eastman, V, son of Mr and Mrs. Eastman IV; and James Torras Phillips, son of Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Pope Phillips, III.

After the queen and her

lar, front placket and deﬁned waist with a belt, paired with a pencil skirt. Striations in the fabric create a distinctive mitered effect. Her hat is an ice blue downturned straw Dior brim adorned with straw cornﬂower and pink swirls by Etkind.

Mrs. Eleanor “Elly” Kohlmeyer Lane will be toasted by her reigning husband as she wears a twopiece dress suit of lilac wool accented with navy trim created by Yvonne Counce. She completed her ensemble with a navy blue straw Dior-style brimmed hat with lavender and navy detailing by Etkind.

Ms. Kara Van De Carr, her majesty’s mother, will wear a suit featuring contrasting braids outlining a red, pink and black tweed jacket

and coordinating midi skirt. The designer’s signature metal buttons run down the front of both the jacket and skirt. She accessorizes with a red saramay hat adorned with a ﬂower accented in pink to complement her suit’s fabric.

Joining the court in the stands will be dukes of the realm who will escort the court later at the ball. They include Messrs. John Stafford Charbonnet, Luke Hilliard Charpentier, William Davis Hardie, Douglas Bernhardt Heebe, Christian Gibbs Hooper Jr Walker Rowan Reynolds, Christopher Richard Schmidt and Thomas Andrew Wisdom. Also seated in the stands will be Misses Lucile McGlinchey Monsted, Elizabeth McLundie Bolton

court were presented to the guests, Proteus could be seen in his misty, undersea world. Assuming his mortal form, he stood in front of a giant pink seashell surrounded by fishnet, treasure chests, giant sea horses, fish of every description, and a Hippocampus flanking him on either side. These half-horse and halffish creatures have become the royal scribes of Proteus. As the orchestra played “Over the Waves,” Proteus greeted his subjects as the waves splashed, the vortex of a giant whirlpool loomed increasingly larger, and all the creatures of the sea

Schmidt, Caroline Grace LeBourgeois, Caroline Le Bon Hendry, Sarah Crusel Henry, Eliza Brandon Favrot, Ashley Connor Ellis and Patricia Randle Aucoin. Others watching will include Mmes. James Joseph Reiss III, Christian Trousdale Brown, Lynes Robinson Sloss, Albert Peyton Bush IV, Michael Livaudais LeBourgeois, Roswell King Milling, Louis Lumaghi Frierson, Gordon Hardin Kolb Jr., John Benton Smallpage III, Andrew Bell Wisdom, Edouard James Kock, Bryan Westfeldt Fitzpatrick, Jonathan Baldwin Montgomery, Robert Hayes Saer, John Donelson Wernes Louis McDaniel Freeman Jr., William Hugh Hines, William James Kearney IV and Charles M. Lanier Jr

Others on hand will be Mmes. Clark Pipes Fitz-Hugh, Richard Bullard Montgomery IV, St. Denis Julien Villere III, Johnson Kelly Duncan, David Merrick Lane, Brent Reynolds Peus, Andrew Ellender Stall and Misses Caroline Emily, Sarah Eleanor and Isabel Susan Lane.

Joining in the festivities will also be Messrs. Allen Burton Greenwood III, Walker McCall Montgomery, Clayton Spencer Murphy, Jonathan Tujague Robert, Gabriel Abraham Parnes Michael Shepherd Baumer, John William Benton Morrow Jr., Pierce Eduardo Bewley and Hugh Sheehan Monsted.

Enjoying the parade will also be Mmes. Gary Brewster, Alfred Whitney Brown III, Robert Parker

Following the undersea tableau, the curtain parted to reveal his majesty Proteus, the captain, lieutenants, pages and many of the characters from the tableau pageant. The captain escorted the queen and presented her to a most-pleased Proteus After she took her place next to Proteus the maids were presented.

The captain next presented Mrs. Charlotte Waguespack Allen, who reigned as the queen of Proteus in 1976. The monarchs then led a grand march of the entire court around the ballroom ﬂoor

General chairman of the ball was Mr. Gary Hyder Brewster Assisting as vicechairmen were Messrs. Michael John Bell, Walter Francis Becker Jr., Alfred Whitney Brown III, Christian Trousdale Brown, John Menge Eastman, Michael Kevin Fitzpatrick, Stacey Wayne Goff, William Joseph Goliwas Jr., William Hugh Hines, William Henry Langenstein Jr Devereux Parker Moring Jr., Blair Francis Scanlon Jr and Bruce Henry Thompson.

LeCorgne, Robert Penn McCay Joseph Sanders Mann, James S. Montgomery, Nathanial Pope Phillips III, Edmund England Redd, Marshall Cleland Powell III, Jesse Roland Adams III, Charles Niels Monsted IV, Justin Burton Schmidt, Charles Claiborne LeBourgeois Jr., Gerald Edward Henry, Edmund Ruffin Henry, Timothy Semmes Favrot, William Conner Ellis III, Leonard Henry Aucoin Jr., Harry Moffet IV, Stacey Spoto, Miss Claire Moffet and Ms. Anne Monsted and Shelia McNamara Greenwood. Also, Mmes. Ronald James French, Robert William Cowan, Adam Roy Wirth, Gregory Charles Bensel, Frederic Theodore Le Clercq, Todd Michael Andrews, Andre von Kurnatowski Hooper, Kristen Michael Baumer, Scott Davis Hardie, John Jay Charpentier, Stephen Brett Reynolds, James Guy Fullan, Frederick Evans Schmidt, Joseph Storey Charbonnet, Murry Andrew Calhoun, Lawrence Noel Johnson Jr., William Henry Legenstein III, Jefferson Glenny Parker, Dr Dierdre Hooper and Ms. Patricia Legier Sarpy Also enjoying the day will be Drs. Elizabeth Fenner French, Rene Van de Carr, Kristin Van de Carr and Mmes. Omar Shalaby, Emma Laura Byrd, Gayle Benton, Edward Howell Crosby John Menge Eastman, Ludovico F. Feoli, Robert Sandoz Boh, Stephen Wilson Hales, Michael Wermuth Kearney, John P. “Jack” Laborde, Herschel Lee Abbott, John Edward Koerner and Robert Henry Boh.

Memphis also allows public drinking in a limited area of Beale Street as long as the cups are plastic. This encourages bar-hopping, allowing people on the street to partake in whatever entertainment might be sampled by brief visits into various establishments. Other cities with a limited areas where alcohol can be drunk on the streets include Kansas City, Missouri, in the Power & Light District and Savannah, Georgia, which restricts the plastic container to 16 ounces or less.

bartenders have recounted the same story at different occasions.

a mention of the frozen daiquiri.

It may not be the most glorious reputation to have, but several

The New Orleans reputation is so strong that asking casually for a “go cup” at a bar almost anywhere will make the bartender chuckle. Then, mostly with a smile, the bartender will ask, “Are you from New Orleans?” No discussion of open container laws would be complete without

Inspired by a drink ﬁrst sold in Ruston, Louisiana, called a frosty, David Irvin, a frosty patron, decided to go big. He invested in a building and in frozen drink machines. He began selling frozen ﬂavored drinks with rum. With success came attention from the authorities, who claimed he was selling open containers because the lids had a hole in them for a straw He began to put non-resealable tape over the hole, and despite having to go to court, he was able to show that the containers were not open. The straws were distributed in a paper wrapper The company continues to this day It is all part of the drinking culture of the city

By The Associated Press

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 17, the 48th day of 2026. There are 317 days left in the year

Today in history: On Feb. 17, 1801, the U.S House of Representatives broke an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, electing Jefferson president; Burr became vice president. Also on this date: In 1863, ﬁve appointees of the Public Welfare Society of Geneva announced the formation of an “International Committee for the Relief of Wounded Combatants,” which would later be renamed the International Committee of the Red Cross. In 1864, during the Civil War, the Union ship USS Housatonic was rammed and sank in Charleston Harbor South Carolina, by the Confederate hand-cranked

submarine HL Hunley, in the ﬁrst naval attack of its kind; the Hunley also sank. In 1897, the National Congress of Mothers, the forerunner of the National Parent Teacher Association, convened its ﬁrst meeting in Washington with over 2,000 attendees. In 1964, the U.S Supreme Court, in Wesberry v Sanders, ruled that congressional districts within each state must be roughly equal in population.

In 1992, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of 15 counts of ﬁrst-degree murder

In 1995, Colin Ferguson was convicted of six counts of murder in the December 1993 Long Island Rail Road shootings; he was later sentenced to 315 years in prison. In 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from

Serbia.

In 2013, Danica Patrick won the Daytona 500 pole, becoming the ﬁrst woman to secure the top spot for any Sprint Cup race. In 2014, Jimmy Fallon made his debut as host of NBC’s “Tonight Show,” taking over from Jay Leno. Today’s birthdays: Actor Brenda Fricker is 81. Actor Rene Russo is 72. Actor Richard Karn is 70. Olympic swimming gold medalist and television commentator Rowdy Gaines is 67. Actor Lou Diamond Phillips is 64. Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan is 63. Film director Michael Bay is 61. Hockey Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille is 60. Olympic skiing gold medalist Tommy Moe is 56. Actor Denise Richards is 55. Musician Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day)

Brooke Coleman Reiss, queen of Proteus 2026

Baumer McCarthy Ellis

E. Robert

Henry Schmidt

Bensel Monsted Favrot

N. Robert Le Clercq Wirth

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Rex members watch the parade pass from their grandstand on Mardi Gras in 2025.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Letyour interests, work ethics and principles lead theway,and you'lldiscover alternatives that speed up your daily routine. If you want or need help, don't be afraid to askfor it.

PISCES(Feb. 20-March 20) Interacting with professionally like-minded people will help you gain momentum and insight into thebest path forward. Put aplan in place anduse kindness and consideration to move forward.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Put enthusiasmbehindyour plans and initiate the changes that willmakeyour life less stressful. Saying akindwordoroffering ahelping hand will make you and thoseyou aid feel good.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Explain how youfeel or what you expect, and it will help you gain insight into the changes you can implement. Avoid anger while striving to promotepeace.

GEMINI (May 21-June20) Refuse to let your emotions interfere with your productivity and doingwhat'sright. Set standards, maintain equalityand stick to areasonable budget.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Explore the possibilities and use your charm and consideration to enlist the help of others. Whenindoubt, honesty is the best policy. Self-improvement will be wellreceived

LEO(July 23-Aug. 22) Planyour actions, live and learn, and refuse to letanger andfrustration ruinyourday.Focuson

what's possible, do your research and put in the effortand time necessary to reach your goal

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Pay attention to what's happening around you, and you'll benefitfromwhatyou observe. Takethe plunge andsay what's on your mind and what you intend to do next.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Weigh the pros andcons, andproceed witha clear head anda planinplace. Social andnetworkingevents arefavored if you put your best foot forward, presenting and promoting what you can do.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Less pushiness andmore charm will getthe job done.It will take thought, work and discipline to achievewhatyou set outtodo. A domestic change that eliminates stress or tensionisinyour best interest.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Keep workingtowardagoal that is liberating and offers healthybenefits. Don'tlet your emotions callthe shots whencommon sense is what's necessary. Chooseselfimprovement.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Take a momenttorethinkthe past, present and future. When one door closes,another willopen. Look forthe silver lining, and you will findthe perfect fit foryour personal or professional pursuits

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms arecreated from quotations by famous people, pastand present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another

TODAy'S CLUE: REQUALS y

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place thenumbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box containsthe samenumber onlyonce. The difficulty level of thesudoku increases from monday to sunday.

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

BY PHILLIPALDER

Jean Cocteau,aFrench poet and novelist who died in 1963, said, “The greatest masterpiece of literature is only adictionary out of order.”

In most deals, the exact orderinwhich you play the tricks does not matter too much. Occasionally, though, you have to followa specific sequence, or youcan be defeated by accurate defense. Which applies in today’s deal? South is in three no-trump after East opened one spade. West leads the spade nine and East overtakeswithhis 10. What should declarer do?

Although East has only 11 high-card points, his hand is worth opening.Hehas length in the majors, an easy two-heart rebid, andifhefinds afit with hispartner, his hand has only seven losers (two spades, two hearts, one diamond and two clubs), which is the normal number for aminimum opening bid with afive-card suit.

South starts with only six top tricks: two spades and four clubs. He might be able to get three more tricks from diamonds, but if he has to lose two diamond tricks, East will establish and run his spade suit to defeat the contract.

Instead, South should impaleEast on the tines of Morton’s Fork. Since East is marked with the missing aces, declarer should play aclub to dummy’s jack,then lead the diamond nine. If East wins with hisace, South takestwo spades, four diamonds and four clubs for an overtrick. Or if East ducks his ace, declarer wins with his queen

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 or more letters. 2. Words that

Averagemark

wuzzles

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

dIrectIons: makea 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directionsat right. Finally 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter havenopoint value. all the words arein the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

Puzzle Answer ken ken

playersassociation: info@scrabbleplayers.org.Visit

WiShinG Well

InstructIons: 1 -Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1thorugh 4(easy) or 1through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner. HErEisaplEasanTliTTlEgamEthat

Scrabble GramS

Get fuzzy

roSe iS roSe

17, 2026, from theRTA’s Pro‐cureware websiteat https://norta. procureware.com/home Youwillberequiredto firstregisteronthisweb‐site.The IFBcan also be obtained at Regional TransitAuthority’s web‐site at https://www norta.com/ procurements Clarification Deadline: Anyquestions or further informationconcerning this IFBmustbesubmit‐tedthrough https:// norta.procureware.com/ home by 1:00PM on March9,2026. Only writ‐tenquestions submitted throughthe Procureware site shallbeconsidered official.All answersto questionsshall be by for‐maladdendapostedto thewebsite under IFB 2026-008. Responding to IFB: Bids shallbesubmitted throughthe RTA’sPro‐cureware websiteorde‐liveredto2817 Canal Street,New Orleans, LA 70119 on or before 1:00 P.M.,March 17, 2026. A BidOpening will be held in theRTA BoardRoom locatedat2817 Canal Street,New Orleans, LA 70119, on Friday,March 17, 2026, at 1:00 PM This procurementislim‐ited to smallbusinesses only Offers/responses will only be accepted from eligible SmallBusi‐ness Enterprisesincom‐pliancewiththe

tor. Foradditional sets of documentsand fordocu‐mentsissuedtosubcon‐tractors or material sup‐pliers thecostfor repro‐ductionofeachset will be deducted from thede‐positand thebalance re‐funded. Refundswillonly be made fordocuments returned to thearchitect /engineer within ten(10) days after theopening of bids.Refundswillonlybe made on documentsre‐tunedcomplete, in good conditionand unmarked Biddingdocuments are also availablefor down‐load at theArchitects FTPsiteatnofee. Con‐tact TommyGreyat Tgrey@mathesbrierre. comfor instructions to access thedocuments on theFTP site.Bidders re‐questing documents must submit with their requesttheir license numberand also e-mail addressfor receivingad‐denda. Apre-bid meetingwillbe held on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at Worley Middle School 801 SpartanDr.,West‐wego, LA 70094, to allow prospectivebidders to review thejob.Social distancing as perre‐quirements of thestate will be followed.Sealed proposalsshall be marked on theenvelope cover, plainlyand promi‐nently with thefollowing: a) bidder’s name,ad‐dressand telephone numberb)State License Number of Contractor if thebid is in excess of $50,000.00 andc)the statement“Proposal for (project name andnum‐ber)”. Biddershavethe option to submit bids electroni‐callyinaccordance with LouisianaRevised Statute38:2212 E(1) Please ﬁnd

1. Rex,KingofCarnival,MonarchofMerriment - Rex s float carries the Kingof Carnival andhis Pagesthrough thestreetsofNew Orleans each MardiGras. In theearlyyears of theNew Orleans Carnival, Rex’s float was redesignedeachyear. Thecurrent King’s float,one of Carnival’s most iconic images,has been in use formorethan fiftyyears.

2. HisMajesty’sBandwagon -Fromthistraditional float,one of theRoyal Bands provides lively music forRex andfor those who greet him on theparade route. One of those songswill surelybe theRex anthem: “If Ever ICease to Love,” whichhas been played in everyRex parade since 1872.

3. TheKing’sJesters -Eventhe Monarch of Merrimentneeds jesters in his court. Rex’s jesters dress in thetraditional colors of Mardi Gras –purple, gold and green. The papier mâché figures on the Jester float aresome of theoldest in theRex parade and weresculpted by artistsinViareggio Italy, acitywithits own rich Carnival tradition

4. TheBoeufGras -The Boeuf Gras (“thefattenedox”) represents one of theoldest traditionsand images of Mardi Gras, symbolizing thegreat feast on theday beforeLent begins. In theearly years of theNew Orleans Carnival, aliveBoeuf Gras, decorated withgarlands, hadanhonored place near thefront of theRex Parade. TheBoeuf Gras returned in 1959 as astatelypapiermâché sculpture

5. TheButterflyKing -Since theearliest days of Carnival, butterflies have been popular symbolic design elements, their brief and colorful lifea metaphor forthe ephemeral magic of Mardi Gras itself. The invitation to the1882Rex ball added butterflywings to theKingofCarnival, creating theenduring image of “The Butterfly King.” The ButterflyKing float,introduced in 2012, was the firstnew permanent floattojoin theRex procession in manydecades.

6. RoyalProclamation -Since 1872, Rex, The King ofCarnival, has proclaimed thecoming of Mardi Gras to theworld. Residents of his Winter CapitalofNew Orleansalong with her visitors from near andfar arecommanded to partake inthe festivities, adorn their homeswiththe royalcolors of

purple, green and gold, and join Rexincelebrating themost glorious dayof theyear

7. TitleFloat:“RebirthandRenewal” -Every culturesince neolithicprehistoryhas told stories of rebirth,renewal and resurrection –fromthe great flood mythsofalmost allknown civilizations to thenarrativeofChristian resurrection central to our own Carnivaltraditions.The 2026Rex procession features abeautiful array of symbolicallyand artisticallyrich examples of revival stories and legends.Theseartisticallystriking examples illustratenot onlycross-cultural differences,but also theuniversalityofmankind’s hopes forrenewal andhis focusonthe eternal

8. Inanna -The myth of Inanna’s descent intoand return from theunderworld embodies the cyclical natureofdeathand rebirththat underpins manysystems of renewal.Her journeymirrors theseasons, thepassageofthe year,and personal transformation-the stripping awayofold identities, followedbyreturn with new insight or power. The Babyloniantreeoflifeis flanked with winged lion guardians,while Innana herself is accompanied by her owlcompanions

9. Easter -The storyofEasteroriginates from theChristian tradition, celebrating theresurrection of Jesus Christ afterhis crucifixion. The resurrection symbolizes triumph over deathand thepromise of spiritual renewal, emphasizing faith’spower to bring newlifefromsufferingand loss. The central CrucifixissurroundedbyHer Majesty’s perennial whitelilies,which every year dieback

and regrow in thespring in royalbeauty. The whitebirdofpeaceand other Christian iconography

adorn this beautiful float

10. AStreetcarNamedDesire -Streetcars areanimportant symbol of NewOrleans,and this iconic float honors thebest knownofall New Orleans’streetcar lines. Thispermanent float depicts “The Streetcar NamedDesire,”made famous by theplaywright Tennessee Williams. Self-powered, it is theonlyRex float not pulled by atractor

11. Orouboros -The Greek orouboros, aserpent or dragon eating its own tail, represents acirclewith no beginning or end. It signifies theeternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth, echoing therhythms of natureand time itself. Becausethe creaturecontinuouslyconsumes and regenerates itself,the symbol also represents self-renewal and transformation.

12. Sedna -Sedna, theInuit seagoddess, is reveredasthe Motherofthe Sea and marineanimals in theArcticcultures of Canada, Greenland, and Alaska. In manyversions of themyth, sheiscast

intothe ocean by her father,and as her severed fingers transform into seals, whales, and other sea creatures, anew world of lifeiscreated from her suffering. This transformation links Sedna’s pain to theongoing renewal of life, since communities depend on theanimalsthatcontinuallyarise from herbodyfor survival.

13. MoonPhases -The phases of themoon form acontinuous cyclefromnew moontofull moon and back again, offering avisible pattern of endings and beginningsinthe

nstodarkness, it suggests release, rest,and thequiet begins,making thelunarrhythma potent metaphor for mal kingdoms. d fire in Hawaiianreligion, reveredasthe creator of the ns. In manystories,her lava flows destroy forests and and, allowingfresh ecosystems, plants, and human cle of eruption andrenewal makesPelea powerful e intertwined, withnew lifeemergingfromapparent ngship, and completewithRoyal Gryphon, theRoyal ats. This float is thelast remnant of theRoyal Navy,once RoyalBarge was rechristened “La Badine,”the vessel hersPierreLeMoyne d’Iberville andJean-BaptisteLe he325thanniversaryofthe firstcelebrationofMardi becomethe UnitedStates of America. afy figurefromEnglishMay Dayfestivities, aroseinthe echimneysweeps andothers paraded in foliageack in theGreen embodies thespirit of returning reawakening of thenaturalworld afterwinter. As symbolizes nature’scapacitytorenew itself,with a human frame. sociated primarilywithancientGreek andlater Roman nEgyptianimageryofthe Bennu bird.Itisfamed pyre,perishing in flames, andrisinganew from its appearance makes thephoenix apowerfulsymbolof n can be theprelude to anew beginning. an religioustraditions,especiallyHinduismand f birth, death, and rebirth that all beings undergo. In thesoul or stream of consciousnessmoves through moksha or nirvāna), which ends thecycle. Samsāra rmativeevent buttoanendless, repetitiveprocess in ndarise again is apowerful creator beinginthe dreaming stories enasone of theoldest and most important ancestral ers, and rain,shapingthe land as it moves andbringing

vital watertoa harsh environment.Through its connection to storms, flooding, and flowing water theRainbow Serpent embodies bothdestruction and therenewal of thelandscape, since its movements can devastatebut also make thelandfertile again.

20. Quetzalcoatl -Quetzalcoatl, theFeathered Serpent,isa major deityfromancient Mesoamerican cultures, especiallythe Aztec but also earlierToltecand related traditions. As acreator god linked to wind, learning, and maize, he helps shape theworld and brings vital sustenance to humanity,connectinghim to cyclesofgrowthand renewal in natureand society. In some myths, Quetzalcoatldescends to theunderworld to gather thebonesofprevious ages and revivesthem with hisown blood, symbolizingnew lifeborn from theremnants of earlierworlds.

21. Persephone -Persephone,anancient Greek goddess, wasthe daughter of Demeter, whose abductionbyHades explains thecycle of theseasons. When Persephone dwells in the underworld,Demeter grieves and theearth grows barren,mirroringwinter’sdormancyand the apparent deathofplantlife. Her return each year brings Demeter’sjoy,restoring fertilitytothe earth and markingthe rebirth of crops in spring.

22. Osiris -Osiris is acentral godinancient Egyptian religion, associated withkingship, theafterlife, and thefertile Nile. According to myth,heismurdered anddismembered by his brotherSet,then restored andrevived by hiswifeIsis, becoming lordofthe underworld. This restoration makes Osiris apowerful symbol of rebirth,since his own death leadstoatransformed, eternal lifethat guides thedead. His connection to the flooding and retreatofthe Nile,whichleftrich soil for crops, further ties himtoagricultural renewaland theyearlyreawakening of theland

23. Baldr -Baldr,a god of light,beauty, and purityinNorse mythology from Scandinavian traditions, is thebelovedson of Odin and Frigg. DespiteFrigg securingoaths from allnot to harm him, Loki tricks Baldr’sblindbrother Höðrintokilling himwithmistletoe, plunging thegods intogriefand markingthe firststeptowardRagnarök,a climacticseriesofwars andnatural disasters. Baldr descends to Hel, where he remainsuntil afterRagnarök,whenhereturns to therenewed world alongside Höðr to rule in harmonywiththe survivors. This prophecy of his post-apocalyptic rebirthunderscoresthemes of renewal, portraying destruction as anecessary precursor to a purified, revitalized cosmos.

24. ManuandtheFlood -Human culturehas foreverbeen shaped by ancient flood myths. Themyth of Manuand the flood originates from Hindu texts, where Manu is the first man or progenitor of humanity.Warned by adivine fish -Vishnu’s Matsyaavatar -ofagreat deluge, Manu builds a boat,savinghimself, thesevensages,seeds of life, and sacred knowledge as thewatersdestroy thecorrupt world.After the flood, his vessel rests on amountaintop, andfromthisremnant,Manu repopulates theearth,marking acomplete renewalofcreation.

25. Metamorphosis -The butterfly’smetamorphosis is abiological process where acaterpillar

undergoescomplete transformation inside achrysalis, emerging as awingedadult after dissolving and rebuilding its body. This radicalchange -fromcrawling larva to flying beauty -captures theessence of rebirth,asthe old form entirely givesway to anew,liberatedstate. Metamorphosis is arecurring themethroughout Rex’s history, oftenrepresenting the“Butterfly of Winter”whichemerges from its floatden to displayits grace, beautyand pageantryfor but a single day.

26. Oya -Oya is an orisha, apowerful deityfromYoruba mythology originating in West Africa, particularlyamong theYoruba people of Nigeria and Benin. Known as thegoddess of winds, storms, lightning, andthe Niger River, she is a fierce warrior oftendepicted witha swordand a fan. Sheisthe wifeofShango, thethundergod, andguardianofthe dead. Oyasweeps away the old withher tempests andwhirlwinds, clearing paths fornew growth and fertility, embodying transformation through upheaval.

27. Taliesin -Taliesin is alegendary bardfromWelshmythology,originating in medievaltales likeHanes Taliesin from theWelsh Celtic tradition. Originallya boynamedGwion Bach, he accidentallydrinksa potion of wisdom brewed by thesorceress Ceridwen, sparking achase where bothshapeshiftintovarious animals. SwallowedbyCeridwen, Gwion is reborn from herradiant child and is renamedTaliesin (“shining brow”). Taliesin becomes apoetofextraordinary insight This storyofingestion, gestation, and emergence directly symbolizes rebirth,illustrating renewal through trials of transformation andthe emergence of hiddenpotential

28. Ostara -Ostara,or Ēostre, is aGermanic goddess of spring anddawn mentionedbythe 8thcenturymonk Bede as thenamesake forthe Anglo-Saxon monthofApril, celebrated in pagan festivals that presaged modernEaster. Apopular myth recounts how Ostaratransformed afrozen birdintoaharetosave it,and in gratitude,the harelaidcolorful eggs adornedwithspring flowers. Rabbits, symbols of fertilitydue to prolificbreeding, eggs representing newlife, and blooming flowers areall symbols of herroleinawakening theearth from winter

29. WhoopingCrane -The whooping crane, NorthAmerica’s tallest bird, saw its population drop to just 21 wild individuals in 1941 due to hunting and habitat loss. Through dedicatedconservation