The Acadiana Advocate 03-19-2026

FAMILY TIES

Mandeville triplets reunite at UL to share college life

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

Former high school friends and teammates reunite in college all the time, especially in the transfer portal era.

Triplets, however, are a different story University of Louisiana at Lafayette senior distance runners Caroline and Brooke Spalitta and junior designated hitter Steven Spalitta are making the most of it

The sisters chose the Ragin’ Cajuns out of Fontainebleau High in Mandeville, but their brother spent two seasons at Mississippi State.

When he entered the transfer portal after the 2025 season, there was no doubt where he wanted to be.

“Out of high school I either wanted to go here or Mississippi State, so it was both really,” Steven said “It just so happened the baseball program and the coaches I liked the most also happened to be the school my sisters go to.

of, but never actually thought would happen.”

The sisters visited Steven in Starkville a few times, but not often. And no one is happier than the trio’s parents Steven and Jennifer “We’re so blessed to have them at the same school,” Jennifer Spalitta said. “It was a little hectic trying to see them all doing their different sports when Steven was at Mississippi State.”

Naturally, the siblings are going to school, practicing and competing on a regular basis, so they don’t see each other daily

There’s less need for the sisters to visit their parents in Mandeville than in previous years.

Bill calls for livestream of family court

Proposal follows intense scrutiny of proceedings

BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer

A group of Louisiana lawmakers wants to force the state’s only dedicated family court to livestream its hearings, in what would mark a first for a lower court in the state. Since last year, Rep. Kathy Edmonston, R-Gonzales, has called for more transparency from the East Baton Rouge Parish Family Court, which handles divorce and custody cases in the state’s most populous parish.

Edmonston helped engineer a study of the downtown Baton Rouge court by a retired judge, in response to complaints from a host of embittered parents. She argues that the court is corrupt. Her name sits atop HB278, which would require the family court to livestream its proceedings for remote public access, which would be a first for the state. Public cameras are currently barred in Louisiana trial courts.

Other listed authors include state Reps. Kellee Dickerson, Peter Egan, Kimberly Coates, Jerome Zeringue and Dixon McMakin, and Sens. Regina Barrow and Valarie Hodges. The bill follows intense scrutiny around the East

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

But while they didn’t constantly bug him about it, the sisters were elated when their brother decided to join them in Lafayette.

“I never thought it would actually be possible,” Brooke said. “It just all kind of fell into place overnight. We were like, ‘Wow, like this is really coming true.’ To me, it was unreal. It was hard to process at first. It was something you would always dream

“It was just a great situation and it really worked out for the best.” Steven went to the all-boys St. Paul’s High in Covington in high school, before going to Fontainebleau for his senior season. So the trio had gone to different schools before.

“I feel like we see them (parents) more often,” Brooke said. “We’re together as a family a lot more often because it’s just two hours away They come in for Steven’s games on the weekend. Even after the games, if we go out to eat or something, we’re together a lot more than we used to be.”

For the sisters, it’s been UL from the start. They played softball and soccer

ä See FAMILY, page 5A

In Louisiana, sick inmates with less than 60 days to live are eligible for a special release program, but they sometimes die before their requests make it through the administrative process. A proposal in the state Legislature aims to alleviate that problem and give more inmates the chance to spend their final days outside prison by expanding program eligibility to people with less than 120 days to live. The proposal could face pushback in a state that has recently focused on toughening its crime laws. But House Bill 399 by state Rep. Jerome Zeringue, R-Houma, is backed by a coalition of criminal justice advocates, religious leaders and

Franklin shipbuilder expanding operations in Louisiana

Saronic leasing office space, adding employees in N.O.

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Saronic Technologies, the venture capital-backed builder of autonomous vessels that set up operations last year in south Louisiana, announced Wednesday it is opening an office in Place St. Charles that will bring up to 75 employees to New Orleans’ Central Business District.

The move comes roughly a year after the Austin, Texas-based company, which has raised more than $800 million from Silicon Valley venture capitalists, purchased a shipyard in Franklin, where it plans to manufacture “drone boats” for military and commercial clients. In December it announced a $300 million expansion that would support 1,500 jobs. Now, it is setting up shop in downtown New Orleans, taking nearly 15,000 square feet in the 53-story high-rise at 201 St. Charles Ave.

The office will house hardware engineers, naval architects, marine engineers and experts in system

testing to support the design and development of the “Marauder,” a 180-foot autonomous ship produced in Franklin. Saronic employees already have been working in the building for several weeks.

“Louisiana has been at the center of American shipbuilding for generations, and New Orleans gives us direct access to the people and technical skills that make that possible,” said Dino Mavrookas, co-founder and CEO of Saronic, in a statement. “This facility builds on our growing investment in the state and strengthens the

PROVIDED RENDERING Austin, Texas-based defense technology startup Saronic plans to manufacture the Marauder, an autonomous surface vessel, at a shipyard in Franklin.

ä See INMATES, page 5A ä See SHIPBUILDER, page 5A

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Triplets Caroline, from left, Steven and Brooke Spalitta are together again at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Caroline and Brooke are distance runners for the track team and Steven plays baseball.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Steven and Jennifer Spalitta and their triplet infants Steven, left, Brooke and Caroline.

NYPD officer suspended in off-duty shooting

NEWYORK A New York City police officer who works security at the mayor’s residence and City Hall has been suspended after the department says he shot a man in the head while off duty, police said Wednesday Police said the shooting happened around 9 p.m. Monday in the Bronx after the officer interacted with several men about a stolen car. The officer has not been publicly named and has not been arrested or charged with a crime, police said.

The 30-year-old victim was hospitalized in critical condition. Police did not release the victim’s name.

Brazil police operation leaves at least 8 dead

RIO DE JANEIRO A Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro favelas on Wednesday killed seven presumed drug traffickers, including a gang chief, as well as a local resident caught in the crossfire, law enforcement officials said.

Claúdio Augusto dos Santos, a drug-trafficking boss and member of the notorious Red Command criminal organization, was among those killed in the operation in central Rio, Secretary of the Military Police Col. Marcelo de Menezes said in a press conference. In retaliation, police said “criminals” set fire to a bus and blocked roads in Rio’s central zone. Some attempted to steal bus keys to use the vehicles to block the roads. Five people were arrested for acts of vandalism, police said.

Márcio Sousa, the driver of the bus set alight, reported that the attackers boarded the vehicle with two bottles of gasoline.

Union Pacific derailment causes ethanol leak

RICHMOND,Texas — More than two dozen cars of a Union Pacific train derailed Wednesday morning in a Texas town near Houston, causing an ethanol leak from two of the cars that officials said didn’t pose a threat to the public

The derailment happened around 5 a.m. in Richmond, a town of 13,000 people about 30 miles southwest of Houston. No injuries were reported, Union Pacific spokesperson Robynn Tysver said.

Two of the derailed cars began leaking ethanol after the accident, said Fort Bend County Fire Marshal Justin Jurek. Both leaks were later contained, he said. Ethanol, typically made from corn, can be used as a fuel additive.

“It is not posing a current threat to the public and air monitoring is ongoing as a precaution. There’s no need for evacuation at this time,” Jurek said.

Hospital sues to evict patient who won’t leave ORLANDO, Fla. — The patient in Room 373 refuses to leave.

Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare earlier this month sued the patient, saying she has refused to depart her hospital room since being discharged last October The hospital also has asked a state judge in Tallahassee for an injunction ordering the patient to vacate the hospital room and authorizing the county sheriff’s office to assist if necessary The hospital said that resources have been diverted from helping other patients because of her occupation of the room.

Fee to renounce U.S citizenship cut by 80%

WASHINGTON The State Department has slashed by about 80% the fee for Americans to formally renounce their U.S. citizenship.

After years of legal battles with several groups representing Americans wanting to give up their citizenship, the department on Friday published a final rule in the Federal Register that reduces the cost from $2,350 to $450. The new fee, effective April 13, had been promised in 2023 but had never been implemented. The cost is now the same as it was when the State Department first started charging Americans to formally renounce their citizenship in 2010.

Mullin makes case as steady hand for DHS

Nominee faces Senate pushback over temperament

BY REBECCA SANTANA, LISA MASCARO and MEG KINNARD Associated Press

WASHINGTON Markwayne Mullin, the White House pick for Homeland Security secretary, made a case to fellow senators Wednesday that he would be a steady hand for a department roiled by controversy under Kristi Noem, but signaled he would follow President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration priorities and pushed back on concerns over his temperament for the Cabinet post.

The Oklahoma Republican faced questions from members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee about his vision for a department tasked with carrying out the Republican administration’s push for mass deportations. Democrats have halted routine funds for the Department of Homeland Security in a weekslong standoff as they demand restraints on immigration officers after the death of at least three American citizens at the hands of federal agents. Throughout his confirmation

hearing, Mullin struck a soft tone on some of the administration’s most contentious policies, and he retracted his description of a Minneapolis man killed by federal officers as “deranged.” But his combative style, seen in a heated exchange with the committee chair, and loyalty to the president meant questions remained over how he might revamp a troubled department that is central to Trump’s deportation agenda.

“I can have different opinions with everybody in this room, but as secretary of homeland I’ll be protecting everybody,” Mullin said. “My goal in six months is that we’re not in the lead story every single day.”

Mullin became emotional at some moments during the hearing and fought back at others, as he spoke of his family’s relationship with Trump and his own commitment to the president’s agenda.

The hearing was Mullin’s first opportunity since being nominated to present his plans in public for the government’s third-largest department. Noem was fired this month following mounting criti-

cism of her leadership.

Trump’s immigration agenda and Mullin’s plan to implement it are key issues for Democrats. Trump’s policy of mass deportations is at a crossroads, and Mullin will be under pressure to achieve Trump’s goals when the public mood has soured over aggressive immigration enforcement operations.

On whether DHS should meet a 3,000-a-day quota for the number of immigration arrests it makes, Mullin said none had been set for him.

He retracted comments he made about Alex Pretti, the Minneapolis man shot by federal immigration officers and whom Mullin had called “deranged.”

“I shouldn’t have said that and as secretary, I wouldn’t,” he said.

Mullin said officers would only use a warrant signed by a judge to forcibly enter homes to make arrests, except in limited circumstances. Federal officers have used administrative warrants to do so, raising concerns that constitutional protections are being skirted.

Labor rights leader accuses Cesar Chavez of sexual abuse

Activist Dolores Huerta’s allegations spark call to change memorials

BY FERNANDA FIGUEROA

The Associated Press

Labor rights activist Dolores Huerta revealed she was among women and girls who say they were sexually abused by Cesar Chavez the long-admired Latino icon, while he led the United Farm Workers union.

The stunning allegations against Chavez, who died more than three decades ago, drew immediate calls to change events and memorials honoring the man who in the 1960s brought to light the struggles of field workers.

In a statement released Wednesday, Huerta said she stayed silent for 60 years out of concern that her words would hurt the farmworker movement.

Huerta described two sexual encounters with Chavez, one where she was “manipulated and pressured” and another where she was “forced against my will.”

“I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was life’s work. The formation of a union was the only vehicle to accomplish and secure those rights and I wasn’t going to let Cesar or anyone else get in the way.”

Earlier Wednesday, an investigation by the New York Times found that Chavez, groomed and sexually abused young girls who worked in the movement, including Huerta, who was in her 30s at the time.

Huerta said both sexual encounters with Chavez led to pregnancies, which

she kept secret, and that she arranged for the children to be raised by other families. “No one knew the full truth about how they were conceived until just a few weeks ago,” she said in her statement.

Huerta said she did not know that Chavez hurt other women and condemned his actions but reminded readers that the farmworker movement is bigger than one person.

“Cesar’s actions do not reflect the values of our community and our movement,” Huerta said in her statement. “The farmworker movement has always been bigger and far more important than any one individual. Cesar’s actions do not diminish the permanent improvements achieved for farmworkers with the help of thousands of people. We must continue to engage and support our community, which needs advocacy and activism now more than ever

Concern, anger, hope mix in Cuba on Trump remarks

President calls for ‘imminent action’ against government

BY MILEXSY DURÁN Associated Press

HAVANA A mix of uncertainty, anger and hope simmered in Cuba on Wednesday following comments by U.S. President Donald Trump this week saying that Washington could take “imminent action” against the island’s government. Trump, whose government has come at its Caribbean adversary more aggressively than any U.S. government in recent history, has effectively cut Cuba off from key oil shipments in an effort to force regime change. The blockade has had devastating effects on the civilians Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio say they want to help, leaving many desperate.

Island-wide blackouts have roiled Cubans already grappling with years of crisis, and lack of gasoline and basic resources has crippled hospital and slashed public transport. Matilde Visoso, a single mother caring for a sick daughter, said she’s been left reeling by the island’s spiraling crisis, and wants change in the Caribbean nation.

“Cuba is waiting for Trump and Marco Rubio, because we can’t wait any longer It’s too much — there is a lot of repression, there is a lot of hunger,” the 64-year-old homemaker said. “Cuba is in tears.” Trump has said he can do “whatever he wants” with Cuba. The administration is looking for President Miguel Díaz-Canel to leave as the U.S. continues negotiating with the Cuban government, according to a U.S. official and a source with knowledge of talks between Washington and Havana. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss sensitive talks.

No details have been offered about who the administration might like to see in power

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MANUEL BALCE CENETA

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., President Donald Trump’s pick for Homeland Security secretary, testifies Wednesday during a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By TRAN NGUyEN

statue of farmworker union leader Cesar Chavez stands Wednesday in a plaza named after him in Sacramento, Calif.

CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Attacks on energy facilitiesincrease

Israel killsthird topIranofficial in twodays

BY JON GAMBRELL, SAMY MAGDYand JULIEWATSON Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates— Israel killed Iran’sintelligence ministerasitkept up its campaign againstthe Islamic Republic’stop leadership and reportedly attacked an Iranian offshore natural gas field Wednesday,as the warescalated pressure on the region’seconomic lifeblood: energy Irancondemned the strike on its massive South Pars natural gas field, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warning of “uncontrollable consequences that “could engulf the entire world.” Iran kept up attacks on its Persian Gulf neighbors’ energy facilities, strikinga major natural gas facility in Qatar,asitcontinued to squeeze the Strait of Hormuz shipping channel —through which one-fifth of the world’s oil travels.

Theprice of oilsurged another 5% to over $108 a barrel on international markets, increasing the price of gasoline and othergoods.

The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil, is now up closeto50% since the start of the war

As the Trump administration looks for ways to boost oil supplies and lower prices, the Treasury Department eased sanctions on VenezuelaWednesday,sayingU.S companies will be allowed to do business with the coun-

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By ODED BALILTy

Israeli authorities hang Israeli and U.S. flags Wednesday at thesite struck by an Iranian missile that killed twopeople in Ramat Gan, Israel.

try’sstate-owned oiland gas company Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz promised“significant surprises” to come afterIran’sintelligenceminister,Esmail Khatib, was killed in an overnight strike. Aday earlier, Israel killed top Iranian security official Ali Larijani and the head of the paramilitaryRevolutionary Guard’sBasij force, Gen. GholamRezaSoleimani Iran retaliatedWednesday by unleashing missile strikes againstIsrael, where two peoplewere killed near TelAviv. Iran also attacked Saudi Arabia’s vast Eastern Province, home to many of its oilfields,aswell as Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. TheUnitedStates was informed about Israel’splans to strikeIran’s massive

South Pars natural gas field, but did not takepartinit, according to aperson familiar with thematter. Theperson, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, would not say if theTrump administration agreed with theIsraeli decisiontoattack the gas field —part of the world’s largest suchresource and apillar of Iran’s energy supplies Iran has been targeting the energy infrastructure of its Gulf Arabneighbors, as well as militarybases,aspartofa strategytodrive up oil prices andput pressure on theU.S. and Israel to back down. QatarEnergy said on Xthat amissile hit its massive Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas facility,sparking afire that caused “extensive” damage before it was extinguished.

President Donald Trump arrivesWednesdayatDoverAir Force Base, Del., to attend the dignified transfer for thesix crewmembers of an AirForce refueling aircraft whodied when theirplane crashedinwesternIraq while supportingoperations against Iran.

Trumppaysrespectsto6 killed U.S. servicemembers

BYDARLENE SUPERVILLE

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. President Donald Trump paid his respectson Wednesday at aDelaware military base wherethe remains of six U.S. service members killed in the crash of arefueling aircraftwere returned to their families. It was the second time since launching the war with Iran on Feb. 28 that the Republican president attended the solemn military ritual known as adignified transfer,which he once described as the “toughest thing” he has had to do as commander in chief Accompanying Trump were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Gen.Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and lawmakers including Sens.Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, both AlabamaRepublicans. All six crew members of

aKC-135 Air Force refueling aircraft were killedlast week in aplane crash over friendlyterritory in western Iraq while supporting operationsagainst Iran They werefrom Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky,Ohio and Washington state.

“Every person on that aircraft carried aweight most Americans will never see, and theycarried it with professionalism,courage, andalevel of quiet excellencethat deserves to be recognized,” retiredLt. Col ErnestoNisperos, afriend of one of those killed, said in atext message Wednesday

The crashbrought the U.S. death toll in Operation Epic Furytoatleast 13 service members. About 200 U.S. service members have been injured, including 10 severely,the Pentagon has said.

Wednesday’sdignified transfer was closed tonews media coverage at the request ofthe families in

Gabbardrefuses

accordance with military policy.Trump spent just under twohours on the ground and didn’tspeak to reporters leaving Air Force One or returning to it

Trump last traveled to Dover Air Force Base on March 7for the dignified transfer of six U.S. service members who were killed by adronestrikeatacommand center in Kuwait. He saluted as flag-draped transfer cases containing theremains of thefallen service members were carried from military aircraft to vehicles waiting to take them to the base’smortuary facility to preparethem for theirfinal resting place.

“It’sthe bad part of war,” he told reporters afterward. Askedthenifheworried abouthaving to make multipletrips to the base for additionaldignifiedtransfers as the war continued, he said, “I’m sure. Ihate to do it,but it’sa part of war isn’tit?

BY ERIC TUCKER, DAVID KLEPPER and STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press

WASHINGTON TheU.S. government’s topintelligence official told lawmakers Wednesday that Iran’s regime “appears to be intact but largely degraded” yet repeatedly dodged questions about whether President Donald Trumphad been warned about the falloutfrom the weeks-old war, including Iran’s attackson Gulf nations andits effective closureofthe vital Strait of Hormuz.

TulsiGabbard, thedirectorofnational intelligence, also stated in prepared remarks to the Senate Intelligence Committee that U.S. attacks on Iran last year had “obliterated” Iran’snuclear program and thatthere had been no effort sincethento rebuild that capability

The statement was notable givenTrump’srepeated assertions that awar withIran was necessary to head off what he said was an imminent threat from the Islamic Republic. Gabbard pointedly saidthatconclusion was the president’salone to draw as she declined toanswer whether the intelligence community hadlikewise assessed that Iran’s nuclear system presented an imminent risk.

“Itisnot theintelligence community’sresponsibility

to determine what is andis notanimminentthreat,” she saidatone point.

DemocraticSen.Jon Ossoff, of Georgia, shotback: “It is precisely your responsibility to determinewhat constitutes athreat to the United States.”

The testimonycame at the first of two congressional hearings held eachyear to offerthe public aglimpse into the largely secret operationsofthe government’s intelligence agencies and the threats they confront.

The hearings this week take placeata time of scrutiny over the war with Iran andheightenedconcerns about terrorism at home after recent attacks at a Michigansynagogue and a Virginia university.Wednesday’shearing also camea day after the resignation of Joe Kent as director of the NationalCounterterrorism Center.Kentsaidhecould not “in good conscience” back the war and did not

agree that Iran posed an imminentthreat.

Butthe hours-long hearing offeredfewrevelationsfrom Gabbard, who repeatedly declined to discuss conversations withTrump, or other senior intelligence officials who testified. “I am very disappointed,” said an exasperated Sen. Mark Warner,the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. “It’sthe only onetime of year the public gets to hear from you guys in thiskindofsetting. Afrequent line of questioning forDemocrats: What intelligence, if any, hadbeen given to Trump about the war’spotential consequences? Trump, for instance, has said he was surprised that Iran responded to strikes from the U.S. by attacking Arab nations and has been contending with theeconomic impact of the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, avital passageway foroil andgas.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREENIKHINSON

from page 1A

growing up, before shifting the focus to distance running in their final two years in high school.

One night, Caroline decided to contact UL distance coach Rocky Capello.

“It was like 10 p.m. one night and I just decided to email him,” she said. “I didn’t know if he was going to answer or not, but he actually answered in like five minutes.

“At first, he said, ‘I thought y’all played soccer I didn’t realize y’all were into running.’”

The next day, the two sisters headed to Lafayette for an unofficial visit and the rest is history

“I couldn’t imagine going to any other school,” Caroline said, with Brooke agreeing. “Lafayette, for sure, just feels like a second home.”

“Honestly, I feel like even if something happens and I got injured or if I wasn’t running anymore, I’d still come to UL. I just

SHIPBUILDER

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connection between our teams and Gulf Coast operations, allowing us to move faster as we field and deploy autonomous surface vessels and ships for both defense and commercial partners.”

Saronic said it expects to hire more than 350 workers across its operations in Louisiana this year To meet that goal, it is partnering with universities and technical institutions, offering internships and early-career opportunities for students pursuing jobs in engineering, naval architecture and other marine disciplines

The company’s expansion into New Orleans is a bright spot in a downtown office market that has struggled to return to pre-pandemic occupancy levels Though the city’s traditional business district is healthier by some measures than downtowns in much larger cities like Dallas or Houston, it also has less inventory, as many of the city’s older buildings have been converted to condos, apartments and hotels in recent years.

COURT

Continued from page 1A

Baton Rouge Family Court over the past year from Edmonston and others who have lobbed allegations that a cabal of judges and lawyers have corrupted the court to the detriment of kids.

After appointing a retired judge to study it, the Louisiana Supreme Court reported otherwise, though one justice disagreed. Justice Jefferson Hughes wrote that “the line has crossed to actual favoritism” at the family court in Baton Rouge.

“Those in the ‘club’ receive efficient service, while those not in the club are treated as pariahs,” Hughes wrote. Under the bill, judges could take a minor’s testimony in their

INMATES

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the state corrections department.

“If they are allowed to die in a bed with a family member next to them, it makes a big difference instead of dying in a hospital bed with a shackle next to you,” Department of Public Safety & Corrections Secretary Gary Westcott said during a March 10 House Appropriations Committee meeting. Westcott, who said sick inmates typically no longer threaten public safety, says he has been signing off on releases at a higher rate than previous secretaries

Releasing such inmates is also expected to save Louisiana money, Westcott said. The state pays for inmates’ health care, and it is particularly expensive to house terminally ill prisoners. Releasees often become eligible for Medicaid.

“The problem right now with 60 days is, by the time the paperwork is processed, most of the individuals pass away before they even get the review finished,” Zeringue said.

Kate Kelly a spokesperson for Gov Jeff Landry,

love it here so much,” Brooke said.

Close bonds

Steven was reminded that he hasn’t taken full advantage of his sisters being on campus.

“I really don’t see them as much as people might think because we’re all so busy,” he laughed. “But

I was thinking about this today that I’ve been eating out a lot of fast food lately, so I’m probably just going to drop off some groceries at their apartment and have them cook for me a little bit.”

You could argue it’s only fair

After all, as a brother growing up with two sisters he was forced into playing with dolls, dressing up and taking part in their dance classes.

“Me and Brooke would definitely be the ones crying on the sidelines and Steven would actually be doing all the dances and following the directions,” Caroline laughed. “We definitely would dress him up and put makeup on him. He didn’t care.

He would let us do whatever

He’s always been kind of laid back.”

As sisters, their bond was different, but all grew up close and

competitive.

“We’ve always been really close,” Steven said. “I always had my friends at the house and they had their friends at the house hanging out. It was a lot of fun growing up with them.”

Jennifer Spalitta said the uniqueness of triplets was never an issue for the couple, because “my husband and I both have really big families, so we had so much help.”

The key to it, she said, was strict scheduling.

“I loved it actually,” she said. “We’ve always just felt blessed. Really, this is all we’ve ever known. We’ve never had any other kids.”

That close bond between the siblings was on full display a few weeks ago when the sisters were with friends in the stands at Russo Park watching the Cajuns take on No. 2 LSU.

“Sometimes when he goes up to bat, I feel like I’m having a heart attack, especially in that LSU game,” Caroline said. “Everybody around me was like, ‘It’s OK, he’s doing great.’

“I told my friend next to me, ‘I

At the end of 2024, the most recent year for which data is available New Orleans’ class A, or newer, office buildings averaged just below 80% occupancy, according to Corporate Realty’s annual office market survey In 2019, by comparison, average occupancy rates downtown topped 87%.

chambers, but custody hearings would be livestreamed unless a judge finds “good cause” based on evidence, and everyone agrees to close the court.

“We have had so many people between Justice Hughes and myself come to us with horrendous stories.

There seems to be some kind of favoritism,” Edmonston said.

“To me, if you’re doing what you need to do, judges and attorneys, you ought to be OK with” being livestreamed.

Edmonston described a grimy ecosystem endemic to family courts nationally that festers in Baton Rouge because it’s home to the state’s only constitutionally required family court.

“We’re not doing this for one person,” she said of the livestreaming bill.

The Advocate reported last year

said the governor would not yet comment on whether he would sign HB399 into law because it was too early in the legislative process. Louisiana takes a much stricter approach to the release of terminally ill prisoners than other states, according to Zeringue.

Much of the country makes prisoners eligible for release when they have a year left to live, and the next-shortest timeline, as compared to Louisiana’s, is six months, according to Molly Crane. Crane works for Families Against Mandatory Minimums, a prison reform group that advocates for second chances.

Becausemedicalprognoses can be complex, many states do not require a specific life expectancy, Crane said.

The bill also has backing from the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops, which asked Zeringue to submit the proposal.

HB399 “affirms the dignity of every human person by expanding compassionate release for inmates who are terminally ill, allowing them access to appropriate and humane end-of-life care,” the group said in a statement

Another way sick inmates can get released is with the approval of the Board of Pardon and Paroles, which

feel like I’m about to start a race right now when Steven was up to bat my heart was racing so bad.’”

Exciting and hectic

All three appreciate the coaches they’ve worked with at UL.

“Coach B (Tommy Badon) is the funniest,” Caroline said. “Yeah, he can be a little crazy at times, but he’s amazing. He really does mean well.”

Brooke has battled through injuries and said, “he’s been nothing but great working with me. I’m going to be competing this outdoor season and he has just stayed faithful with me and really kept my confidence up.”

For Steven, it’s been his first season getting to know baseball coach Matt Deggs.

“He pushes us every single day,” he said. “He’s great at building personal relationships with every player He knows what every player needs. I feel like he pushes all the right buttons.”

Mom and Dad were in Lafayette over the weekend watching the baseball team beat South Alabama two of three to enter the Top 25 in

machinery and update the facility to support production of vessels at scale.

Mavrookas said the shipyard’s location, expertise and facilities are well suited to develop, test and produce the company’s first “medium unmanned surface vessel,” which is designed to carry weapons and other military equipment, or transport shipping containers for commercial purposes.

Mavrookas, a former Navy SEAL, and his co-founders are bringing a tech startup mentality to the maritime industry as they promise to help the United States close the shipbuilding gap with China by bringing down the cost to make vessels that can carry weapons and surveillance equipment or serve other purposes.

Investing in Louisiana

During a “keel-laying” ceremony last August, it was evident Saronic had already made improvements to its Franklin shipyard, located about an hour and a half west of New Orleans via U.S. 90. The company continues to acquire new

that advocacy from one embittered parent helped bring a harsh spotlight to the family court, scrutiny from Edmonston and Hughes, and an order by the state’s high court for an unusually broad review

Pam Baker a veteran judge on the family court who recently resigned while targeted in that review, called the bill damaging to families.

“Nobody’s going to go to court,” Baker said. “This is going to affect what’s most important to them in their entire lives.”

Appeals courts across the country livestream hearings, while trial courts vary, said Bill Raftery, an analyst with the Virginia-based National Center for State Courts.

State laws for remote access try to balance the public right to open courts with sensitivity around the

At the keel-laying ceremony, Vibhav Altekar, chief technology officer at Saronic, said not having to make the boats to accommodate human crew members saves time and money

“In the past, shipbuilders would first build a hotel and then you build a boat around the hotel, but these look more like floating data centers,” he said. The autonomous vessels require

privacy of children in dependency cases, he said.

As a general rule “it comes down the judge’s discretion, or an inherent power of the court to conduct its own business,” Raftery said.

In 2024, the national center found 29 states generally closed child dependency proceedings, while 20 states generally kept them open.

Some family courts livestream now

Baker painted a grim specter of the proposed law in action. She envisions personal information spreading online, including sensitive testimony on family, income and taxes, where children attend school, or embarrassing details from an ill-fated marriage.

“Once you get on the stand and it’s publicized for the whole world to see, you’re never going to be able to fix that relationship,” Baker

the national poll.

“They’re doing great,” Jennifer Spalitta said. “It’s so exciting.”

On Saturday, the girls will be competing in their final Louisiana Classics home meet after UL’s women finished second in the indoor season last month.

“It’s exciting,” Caroline said. “We have a lot of talent, and I do believe the outdoor season is going to be special. I do believe we have the potential to win.”

Over the next year or so, following their triplets around the region will end — something the parents said hasn’t sunk in yet.

“We haven’t really thought about it too much because we’re still in it,” Jennifer Spalitta laughed. “I told my husband we’re going to have to pick up some hobbies, so we’re talking about getting some bikes and maybe doing some longdistance biking on the weekends.

“We are looking forward to just being able to take vacations with them. We’ve always done vacations around whatever they were doing, like a baseball summer ball thing, or something like that.”

hardware and software integration with their payload, whether that’s weapons, sensors, cameras, radar or sonar

Saronic said it is planning to build a $3-plus billion shipyard called “Port Alpha” that will employ 10,000 people. It hasn’t officially announced a location, although several media outlets have reported on plans that it could be in the company’s home state of Texas.

Saronic’s acquisition of Gulf Craft comes as the Trump administration touts efforts to revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding industry, which requires investment in infrastructure, production models and workforce.

In Louisiana, meanwhile, the state’s shipbuilding industry is getting more high-tech. More than a half dozen shipbuilders are making autonomous vessels, and several are working on contracts related to the commercial space industry Bollinger Shipyards, one of the state’s biggest shipyards, is modifying a barge to serve as a landing platform for reusable rockets.

Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com

argued. “Do you want everybody in the world to know how much money you make and what your bills are?”

She called the bill a mistake and said it would deter victims of domestic violence from seeking court protection.

“You’re just going to revictimize them,” Baker said.

Under HB278, judges in the family court could close custody hearings if they find “good cause based on evidence and all of the parties agree.” Baker argued that perpetrators would never agree.

Edmonston said she’s heard the criticism of the bill, which was formally referred to the House Judiciary Committee.

“That’s the same complaint I’m getting,” Edmonston said of airing sensitive testimony, “and that’s the only complaint I’m getting.”

has different eligibility requirements. Westcott told the Appropriations Committee he has been encouraging the panel to approve those releases when possible.

“I don’t control what the parole board does, but I have discussions with them every day about how important it is to try to allow these guys to get out if they’re able to,” he said.

“There has to be some sense of common sense when it comes to letting some of these people out,” Westcott added. “They’re not going to harm anybody They’re not at a point where they’re going to cause any more damage. I mean, we’ve got guys that have been in prison 60-some years. They’re in their late 70s or 80s.”

HB399 does not deal with applications for release that are under the purview of the parole board, only with dying inmates who apply to the corrections secretary for release.

The proposal comes as Louisiana faces rising prison costs and a growing state inmate population. Two years after lawmakers drastically reduced parole opportunities and cut how much credit inmates can get shaved off their sentences for good behavior the state’s prison population has increased by

2,000 people. Some state officials, including Westcott, say it is too soon to see how the crime laws impact Louisiana. At the Appropriations Com-

mittee hearing, he argued judges and prosecutors will reduce prison sentences in response to the new laws, and that the laws will cut down on incarceration by

reducing recidivism. But corrections officials have acknowledged that high medical costs are an issue, blaming inflation instead of the rising population.

PROVIDED PHOTO

An unfinished Marauder vessel was on display at the Saronic facility in Franklin on Aug. 22.

Taliban security personnel patrol Wednesdayaspeople carry the remains of victims of aMondayairstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Pakistan,Afghanistan temporarilystop fighting

Ceasefire comes 2daysafter deadly Kabulstrike

BY ABDULQAHAR AFGHAN and MUNIRAHMED Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan— Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesdaydeclared atemporary pauseinescalating fighting, two days after Kabul blamed Islamabad for adeadly airstrikeinthe Afghan capitalthat it said killed hundreds of people at a drug rehabilitation hospital. Both said they weresuspending fighting before Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr,which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan,and at the request of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar.The three countries have been trying to mediate acessation of hostilities since Afghanistan and Pakistan renewed cross-border fighting in February,and had also been involved in helping broker a

ceasefire between the twoinOctober The announcements cameshortly afterAfghanauthoritiesheldamass funeral in Kabulfor some of thevictims killedinMonday’sstrike Pakistani Information Minister AttaullahTarar saidthatthe suspensionofstrikesonAfghanistan would take effect at midnightWednesday and remaininplace until midnight Monday

“Pakistan offersthis gesture in good faith and in keepingwith theIslamic norms,”Tarar said in astatement. However, he said “in case of any cross-border attack, drone attackorany terrorist incidentinsidePakistan,”theoperations will resume with renewed intensity. Afghanistan’sgovernment spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, didn’tspecify atime frame for the pause on theAfghanside. Buthe said that his country “will respond courageouslytoany aggressionin the event of athreat.” Pakistan hasrejectedAfghanistan’saccusation that it targeted

the Omid AddictionTreatment Hospital, insisting its strikesinKabul andeastern Afghanistan Monday had been against militaryfacilities. It hasdismissed Afghan claims of hundreds of people killed as propaganda. Monday’sattack in Kabul was the deadliest in aconflict that has been escalating between the two neighbors since late February.Afghan officials have put thedeath toll at 408 people, with 265 wounded. The toll couldn’tbeindependently verified.

The fighting has seen repeated cross-border clashes as wellasairstrikesinsideAfghanistan,including several in the capital, despite international calls for aceasefire. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of providing asafe haven for militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan, especially for thePakistani Taliban. The group is separate but closely alliedwith theAfghan Taliban, whichtookoverAfghanistan in 2021 in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops.Kabul denies the charge.

Venezuelapresident oustsdefense chief

By The Associated Press CARACAS,Venezuela Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguezannounced amajor Cabinet shake-up Wednesdaywiththe appointment of anew defense minister to replace Gen. Vladimir Padrino López, whohad been acornerstone of the military’s long-standing support forformer President Nicolás Maduro. Rodríguez announced the transitiononher Telegram channel, saying the appointmentofGen GustavoGonzález López to the role waseffective immediately She also thanked Padrino López for his “loyalty to the Homeland” andexpressed confidence in his future roles. The announcement comes more thanten weeksafter Rodríguez became acting head of state following the Jan. 3U.S. military

operation that captured Maduro to put him on trial in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges. The Trumpadministration has since ramped up pressure on the Maduro loyalistscurrently governing the oil-rich nation. González López has an extensive intelligence background and faced U.S. sanctions for his role in cracking down on 2014 street protests. SinceJan.6,whenRodríguez reshuffled her security detail,hehas served as commander general of the presidential honor guard and head of the military’sfeared counterintelligence agency PadrinoLópez was one of the longest-serving Cabinet ministers after Maduro took office in 2013 andone the country’s longest-servingdefense ministers following his appointment in 2014.

UNICEF investigates claims of smuggled tobaccoinGaza

BY SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

CAIRO UNICEF on Wednesday said it waslaunching an investigation into Israel’sallegation that tobacco products were smuggled into Gaza in one of the U.N. agency’said shipments heading to the territory COGAT, theIsraelimilitary body in charge of facilitating aid to Gaza, said Mondayitfound bottles containing tobacco substances hidden inside cartons of hygienekits belonging to UNICEF It shared photos of several bottles,one with avisible label reading “Nicotine.” It said it hadsuspendedthe delivery of UNICEF aid to Gaza. Israel has barred entry of cigarettes and other nicotine products since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, which triggeredmorethantwo yearsofwar.The ban has led to alucrative blackmarketontobacco products. In aresponse to an Associated Press inquiry,UNICEF said the

hygiene kits were being transported into Gaza by acommercial carrier, andthat an investigation wasopened into the claim.

“Wetake thisallegation seriously,” it said.

It said thatdisruption of its operations risks further exacerbating an alreadydire situation in Gaza.

Though ashaky ceasefire announced last October has led to morehumanitarian aid and other supplies entering Gaza, aid groups still saymoreofeverything —from basicmedical supplies to fuel —isneeded. Some Palestinians arehoarding food, withreports of prices rising sharplyfor basicgoods such as bags of flour

The claims aboutUNICEF come amidaccusations that Israeli soldiers are involved in Gaza tobacco smuggling.

The brother of the chief of Israel’sinternal security service, Bezalel Zini,has been charged with smuggling tens of thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes into Gaza.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SIDDIQULLAHALIZAI

La. bill could alter misdemeanor trials

Fewer defendants could be tried by juries

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN

Staff writer

Fewer defendants charged with misdemeanors in Louisiana would have the right to be tried by juries instead of judges under a bill that cleared its first hurdle Wednesday in the Louisiana Legislature. Currently, misdemeanor cases are not eligible for jury trials unless the maximum penalty for the crime exceeds a $1,000 fine or 6 months imprisonment. House Bill 52 by state Rep. Debbie Villio, R-Kenner, would change the law so that defendants facing fines up to $2,500 would not receive jury trials. It would also let prosecutors de-

cide whether defendants should be allowed jury trials for misdemeanors that can be punished by more than six months imprisonment, so long as the prosecutor agrees from the outset to cap the penalty at six months and $2,500.

The Administration of Criminal Justice Committee, which Villio chairs, agreed without objection

Wednesday to send HB52 to the full House for consideration.

In presenting the bill, Villio said raising the maximum fine was necessary to reflect inflation.

Meghan Garvey, a legislative advocate for the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers,

challenged that notion in an interview A higher fine can threaten a person’s livelihood, she said, and defendants facing that risk should have the right to face a jury Villio also said HB52 would address issues with so-called “Duncan misdemeanors” — misdemeanors that carry penalties of more than six months in prison. The term derives from the 1968

ROCK ON!

Market gives Lafayette musicians a place to exchange their wares

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

Acadiana features community markets that focus on everything from farm-fresh produce to vintage items and folk arts and crafts. There’s even an outlet for lovers of vinyl records and musical gear to ply their wares.

On Sunday, Acadiana Vinyl Haul combined forces with the Rock and Roll Farmers Market for an afternoon market at Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette The event was hosted in part to honor the two-year anniversary of the death of “Brother Dege & The Brethren” front man Dege Legg, who originally founded the Rock and Roll Farmers Market in Lafayette.

“It’s great for people to be able to trade off records, and this year we expanded to add in the Rock and Roll Farmers Market for used musician gear, which hadn’t been done since Dege passed away,” said Travis Gauthier who has been organizing Acadiana Vinyl Haul swap meets since 2012, and moderating a Facebook group called “The Acadiana Vinyl Haul Group” for resellers.

Vendor Chris Grisaffe, from New Iberia, was selling a

State prosecutors could force jury trials under bill

Defense advocates pan legislation

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Louisiana prosecutors could soon be able to force cases to be tried by juries instead of judges under a proposal that cleared its first hurdle in the state Legislature Tuesday morning. Senate Bill 97 by state Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, would give voters a chance to decide whether prosecutors should be required to approve before defendants can waive their rights to jury trials. The law would require a constitutional amendment, which would go on the ballot in April 2027.

Defendants have a constitutional right to a jury trial, but they can waive that right and they sometimes do so to speed up the court process or if they believe they will get better treatment from a judge than a jury

Backed by prosecutors but decried by defense advocates, SB97 was cleared by the Senate’s Judiciary C Committee on Tuesday It now heads to the full chamber as does Senate Bill 81, a companion bill that would change state statute to align with the new rule. Morris, who is spearheading that effort, said he filed the bill at the request of the Louisiana District Attorneys’ Association. It also comes amid a broader push to put more checks on judges. Zach Daniels, executive director of the Louisiana District Attorney’s

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

Funeral services have been scheduled for a Youngsville

PHOTOS By ROBIN MAy

Elias Saade checks out a guitar for sale at the Rock and Roll Farmers Market at the Blue Moon Guesthouse on Sunday

Cynthia Moore checks out a Monkees album during the Rock and Roll Farmers Market at the Blue Moon Guesthouse on Sunday.

ä See TRIALS, page 4B

Villio Morris

OUR VIEWS

Community left behind in decision to close Comeaux

The school board’sdecision last week to close Comeaux High School at theend ofthe school year andsend its studentstoother schoolsnext year was perhaps anecessary one. We do not need to rehash the difficulties that the Lafayette Parish School System has faced in recent years as it deals with adwindling studentpopulation andincreasing expenses. No, the problem we havewiththe decisionis not so much on the meritsbut in the manner it was done. The school board voted 5-2toclose the school at its regular meeting,but it came as something of asurprisetomanyfamilies that the issue would be discussed when theagenda wasreleased days ahead.Two board members who had opposed the closure when it came up in 2024 were awayatapreviously scheduled conference. Needless to say,the studentsand parentsof Comeaux High deserved better.Theyshowed up at the board meeting, and more than80spoke against the closure in three hours of public comment Theboard,weknow, has tolook outfor the entire district. EnrollmentatComeaux has declined to around 640 in aschool designed to hold 1,700. The plan now is to rezone those students to Lafayette, Acadianaand Southside high schools, and build anew facility forthe district’scareer center and E.J. Sam Accelerated School on Comeaux’scampus. Thecareer center has await-list of nearly 500 students. Theplan would save the district $2 million, officials say. Still, to parents, studentsand alumni of Comeaux, we understand how it seems now that the fix was in. After the opening of Southside High Schoolin2017 and rezoningstudents in the parish’sfast-growing suburbs awayfromComeaux, little has been done to bolster theschool, which was established in 1966. It is currently the only high school in the parish with no feeder middle school Now parents and students are at aloss. We are glad to see the district has set up informational sessions at schools whereComeauxstudents will be rezoned. But that may not be enough to cool tensions. Some in thecommunity have protested the action, hoping thedecisioncan somehowbereversed. Others are vowing to run forthe boardorvotemembersout in the next election. It will be hard for thedistrictto move forwardwithsuchbad blood. It did not have to be this way.Major changes such as this require leadership that can bring the community along. When schoolboard members saw the passion for Comeaux anddeclined to close the school in 2024, they had an opportunity to try everything to make theschool successful —orifclosurewas ultimately inevitable, to preparethe public for thateventuality But they did neither.And now,the community is paying the price.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

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

TO SEND US A

YOUR VIEWS

Locals should decide how renewables fit into ourmix

Louisianaeconomic development is transforming our state, and our communities are continuing togrow into this new era.

Key to this growth is energy,and we need all the energy —and thecheapest and the fastest —wecan get it. In this, Iwear two hats.

I’m alandowner and aretired farmer who has grown sugar cane for decades. Iamalso under contract for asolar project. In addition, Iserve on the Avoyelles Parish Police Jury, where we have just completed astrong local solar ordinance.

Let me be clear: Iamnot opposed to reasonable oversight Butthere is adifference between oversight and overreach.

Ourparish recently adopted an ordinance that includes reasonable setbacks for renewables. We believe that is balanced. What we cannot support are state proposals that effectively makeprojects unworkable. At some point,regulation becomes prohibition.

When you tell alandowner that a

stateagency gets to decide the “best use” of his land, that raises serious concerns. Farmersand property owners have always adapted to changing markets. Through history,one crop has given way toanother.Wemoved from cattle to soybeans, from rice to sugar cane. Today,some landowners see solar as another wayofharvesting thesun. Whether we are growing cotton, rice, sugar cane or installing solar panels, we are harvesting the sun. That’swhat agriculture has always been.

In Avoyelles Parish, we believe local government is capableofsetting reasonable standards. We have done the work. We have written an ordinance that reflects our community’spriorities

This issue deserves abetter path forward —one that respects private property rights, recognizes local authority and avoids policies that unintentionally drive investment out of Louisiana. SAM PEARCE landowner and police juror,Avoyelles Parish

In push forcannabis,a familiar story

Ibegan smoking cigarettes at about age 16. When Ibegan, back in theearly 1950s, it was considered “cool” and was not thought to be all that dangerous. At leastthat is what the tobacco industry told us. Today themarijuana peddlers are preaching thevery same thingabout their product to theterminally gullible of this generation. In hindsight,wemust have been really naive not to equate the nausea, vertigo and choking cough that attended the initial “smoking breaking-in period” with areally unhealthy activity.Over thepast few years, there has been an all-out push by several state governing bodies to makethe use and possession of cannabis for “recreational” purposes legal. At thesame time, millions of dollars extorted from tobacco companies are allegedly being used by these same governing bodies to dissuade their citizens from smoking tobacco products. According to our omniscient elected

public servants, thehealth risks from smoking tobacco are just plain unacceptable.

Ignored in all of this is the undisputable fact that the very same“unacceptable health risks”apply equally to smoking rope. Actually,equally is not accurate.

Addtolung cancer,heart failure, stroke, et al, known to result from thebreathing of smoldering vegetation fumes, the inherent dangers of abunch of fog-brained “cool folks” plowing our interstates in ahempinduced state of grace, trashing innocents with their uncontrolled two-ton missiles,and the danger is multiplied. When thebody count gets to acertain level, some future guru will decide to sue thegrass industry and awhole gaggle of our “publicservants” will lead the charge to remove this horrible public blight,atasubstantial profit to themselves, Iwould imagine.

WILLIAM M. FAULKNER

Slidell

Iget tired of people such as letterwriterDuke Truby of Mandeville who think that the world is dividedupinto “liberals” and “conservatives.” Iamawell-over-50 print subscriber to this newspaper who proudly labels himself ano-party moderate. That means that ultra-conservatives think that Iama“liberal” and ultra-liberals think that Iama“conservative.”

Rather than making everything a political litmus test, Iammore interested in thinking intelligently about issues. Like constitutionality.Like freedom of speech and the press. Like the commonwelfare. Like all those other things in the founding documents of our country In the very issue in whichTruby accuses this paper of political bias, the entire facing page was devoted to examining the Louisiana Republican primary candidates for U.S. Senate. Iwould like to think that this paper will devote the same space to the Democrat candidates. There are as many registered Democrats in the state as Republicans. But Idoubt that it will.

It has thus far given little acknowledgement of them beyond dismissing them as not contenders. Looking at the issue critically,Ican say that this reflects the political reality in this state.

But if Ilook at it through the way Truby views things, Iwould have to decide that if this paper is biased at all, it is biased in favor of conservatives.

Ithink this paper does apretty good job of walking the line of political balance and of keeping us informed in a factual manner

Sure, if Iwanted to argue that it is biased, Icould cherry-pick articles as tending to support one extremeposition or the other But anewspaper that runs both comic strips “Doonesbury” and “Mallard Fillmore” can’tbeentirely biased.

KENNETH RICHARDS Gretna

Musicexperiencewillreverberate throughLa.’s cultureand economy

What began as the Funky Tucksis nowever closerto launching thegreatestmuseum of music in the nation —a cultural, educational and economic boostfor all of Louisiana.

The LouisianaMusic and Heritage Experience on March 4signed an official letter of intent with the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to build and operate a120,000-square-foot facility replete with interactive music exhibits, live music venues, training in the music industry, and educational offeringsto share with classrooms statewide. Oh, and good food, too,because Louisiana music and food go together like coffee and chicory

suggested they put alive band on the float and,said Beary, “produce it like a musicclub,” with“studio-qualitysound for 360 degrees all around thefloat.”

As acrucial adjunct to theneighboring River District, the new museum offers breathtaking possibilities for lovers of jazz, blues, Cajun, zydeco R&B, street funk and other musical forms that were birthed or crucially boosted here in Louisiana. As an economic driver,meanwhile, it could make it substantially easier for musicians and sound technicians to makea living at theircrafts, whiledriving tourism statewide.

Much of this, including details on financing the $165 million project and other numbers, has been ably recounted in these pages by reporter StephanieRiegel. But sometimes numbers don’ttell the whole story,and sometimes the “back story” can help explain why the numberswork so well. The back story here has wonderful twists and turns, but the thumbnail sketch is this: Local entrepreneur Chris Beary is captain of FunkyTucks, asub-krewe of the Tuckscarnival parade.When Funky Tucks added a new float to the few it had,a friend

Thefloat, which debuted in 2018, was ahuge hit.That led to usingthe float year-round as a movable bandstand for fairs or charitable events, or whatever And that led, through other steps, to the Funky Uncle group, which,beginning during the COVID pandemic, raised more than $1 million for musicians andgig workers. Eventually,Beary said, he “started to realize that there was agiant cavern, if youwill, between how we as Louisiananslaud our affection for,and almost worship, our music culture, and how we actually treat it.” How, he pondered, could we better nurture our music industry?

“Things like Mardi Gras, things like Jazz Fest, they bring people in hereto spend real money for ashort window of time,” hesaid. “Weneed something that willbring people here every day ”

From therecame, first,the NOLA Funk Fest, already ahugely popular October event, and now thedrive, with greatmomentum, to build amuseum andculture/education center second to none in the nation.

Onelesson we can take here is that, at each step of doing something bigger and better than theprevious iteration, the audience and popularity grew That, in turn,hints at theanswer to the onepressing question: Will amuseum andcultural center like this just rearrangethe spending of the tourists whocome to New Orleansannually anyway,orwill it act as aforce multiplier? Will it not justslice up the available pieinmoreways, but instead lead

to moreand better pies, and beyond New Orleanstoother Louisiana places where musical genres had their roots and where musicaficionados might be inspired to visit because themuseum promotes them?

Plenteousevidence from other major music museums—the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, for example, and the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville —indicatethat these places are indeed major, major force multipliers. That is certainly how area music-venue operators seem to see thecoming museum.

“I think this is something that this area really needs and deserves, at the caliber (Beary) is talking about bringing into fruition,” said Rachael Arrington, general manager of the Maple Leaf near New Orleans’riverbend, as she pronounced it “absolutely” promising.

In just four years before the pandemic, from 2015 to2019, the number of visitors to New Orleansalone (not to mention therest of thestate) doubled from 9.78 million to 19.75 million —and in 2025, it again exceeded 19 million. Still, thehotel-motel occupancy rate statewide hovers down near 60%, leaving plenty of room for growth. Andsurveys show music, in boththe southand northofthe state, is significantly more of an attractant to visitors here than in other parts of thecountry

In sum, themuseum-plus being developed by theLouisiana Music and Heritage Experience is close to asure thingasaproverbial win-win-win for thewhole state. As it moves through various phases of the approval and financing processes, it amply merits enthusiastic choruses of support.

Email QuinHillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com

GOP’sepiphanyisa badlook

Throughout his second termas president, Donald Trump hasenjoyeda bounty of forgiveness from his MAGA constituents and Republicans generally No bad turn has goneunappreciated. Until now Suddenly,the White House and Republicans in Congress seem compelled to changethe party’stune to de-emphasizesome prized aspirations such as mass deportationand vaccine pullbacks ahead of the midtermelections They must have noticed that many voters, notjust Democrats,have been turned off by the administration’sdeportation and health policies as well as the killings of innocent Americans by out-of-controlimmigration agents. Even if many Americans supporta secure southern border,they’rehaving a hard time swallowing the mass removal of people who were not criminals but law-abiding folks with homes, families and jobs. They may be herewithout permission, but this isn’twhatwemean by “criminal,” and MAGA knowsit. Arguing that entering the country illegally ipso facto makes people “criminals” stretchesbeyond even what Trump means when he talks about getting rid of the worst of the worst More than half of the people deported by midsummer 2025 had no criminal conviction, according to aWashington Post analysis. Nearly 60% of Americans say Trump has gone too far with his immigration policies, according to aWashington Post-ABC News-Ipsospoll. And 62% oppose aggressivetactics by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Althoughone might wish for higher numbers, these figures showaccountabilityand voting remain important When askedbyThe Post last month what range of deportations he supports, Trump said: “I want to seeeverybody” deported, “but we’re focusing onthe criminals. We’re focusing on killers.” By this,one might assume he’sincluding the immigration agents who fatally shot two civilians in Minneapolis Iwouldn’tmind seeing the guys who killed Renée Good and AlexPretti perp walked into Alligator Alcatraz forsome time outwithother criminals.Maybe dog-killing cowgirl KristiL.Noem, whom Trump recentlyremoved as homeland security secretary,could join

them. Now that would be good TV It’s refreshing to hear aRepublican senator, ThomTillis of NorthCarolina, speak up againsta Trump appointee, demanding her exit.Tillis excoriated Noem at aMarch 3Senatehearing for killingher 14-month-old dog. Tillis called Noem’sleadership a“disaster” and slammed herbook’sframing of the dogkilling as a“leadership lesson.” Pleasemakemedictator for one day Whatmatters, of course, isn’tTrump’s policies, or the people —and puppy —who suffered under Noem.It’sthe midterms. And that meansRepublicans largely have to reinvent themselvesto win.It’shardtowin when you’re awful. Thus, congressional leadersmeeting in Florida for arecent retreat were instructed by party and WhiteHouse officials to avoid talking about mass deportationand focus instead on removing violent criminals from theUnited States. EvenTrumphas begun walking backhis campaign promise of deporting up to 20 million undocumented immigrants (more thanare actually here) andinstead is calling for protections for undocumented workers in hospitality andagriculture jobs.

In arelated matter,Republicans are also retreating from attacking the COVID-19mRNAvaccines,fearing that changes to vaccine policycould hurt them in the midterms. Members of a

federal vaccine advisory board handpicked by Healthand Human Services Secretary RobertF.Kennedy Jr.had been weighing aplan to no longer recommend the shots because of debunked claims thatDNA contaminants in the vaccines were harmful.

Rationally,ifImay so speak, pickingapolicy or altering aplan for such transparently political reasons should only undermine confidence in HHS and Republicans,rather than inspirevoters to race to thepolls and securemoreof the same. Such cynical messaging is hardly revolutionary strategizing. The goalis always to maintain power,and messaging is the means On thatscore, Democrats need only not screw up. Their messageshave already been toldbyRepublicans:the twodead Americans in Minneapolis, the 5-year-old boy detained by ICE agents in the freezing cold, mass deportations of non-criminals and now rising gas prices thatprobably will worsenfor weeks if not months It is pleasantly ironic that Trump, who has been attacking democratic institutions for years, is having to adjusttothe most basic institution, one thathecan’t get around: voting.

Email Kathleen Parker at kathleenparker@washpost.com.

AfterDorothy Parker’ssecond, or perhaps third, suicide attempt, afriend said, “Dottie, if youdon’t stopthis sort of thing, you’ll make yourself sick.” Someone should speak similarly to the Democratic Party Its 2024 presidentialdefeat wasaconsequenceofits selection of its 2020 candidate, who was the party’sidea of awise response to its 2016 defeat.Today,Democrats who evidently don’twant to stopthis sort of thing look longingly at Gavin Newsom. There is this to be said for the Californianaspresidential timber: He hashad eight years of executive experience governing acomplexstate with apopulationlargerthanPoland’s, andan economy largerthanJapan’s He hascoped with crises made by nature (e.g., wildfires) andeven worse ones made by policies(read on). To be said against him are: those eight years. Immigration is the sincerest form of disparagement of the place fledfrom. California, which has gainedcongressional seatsafter everydecennialcensus sinceattaining statehood in 1850, probably will lose four after2030. Texasprobably will gain four,thanks partly to disgust with the continuity of Newsom’sgovernancewith California’s“blue state model” of subservience to public-employee unions. Tesla andChevron are among the California companiesthathavemoved their headquarters to Texas. California’sfinest cultural institution—not Stanford; In-N-Out Burger —has expanded its offices to Tennessee California hasthe nation’shighest unemployment rate and, notcoincidentally,a$16.90 per hour minimum wage, 2.3timesthe federal minimum. California is tiedwith Louisiana for the highest poverty rate, taking account of the costofliving in both places. California’s highest-in-the-nationgas tax is more than double the median state tax. In 2024, California’s averageretailpricefor electricity was more thandouble the national average. Because of zoning andotherscarcity-producing regulations, the median sale price of aCalifornia home is approaching $900,000. This is asmall sample of California’spolicy-made problems. Nevertheless, Newsom is perceivedasthe front-runner for his party’snomination. As was Maine’s Democratic Sen. Edmund Muskie in January 1972. As was RepublicanRudy Giuliani as 2008 dawned. Both limped out of the New Hampshire primary and into the sunset. Vogue hasjust published an adoring profile of Newsom. The 5,317 words begin with these:“He is embarrassingly handsome, his hair seasoned with silver, at ease with his own eminence.” ThenVogue shifts into high-gear gush: “lithe,ardent, energetic, aglimmer of optimism in his eye; Kennedy-esque.” This is the most beyond-satire puff piece sinceVanity Fair’sApril 2019 coverstory on aTexas congressmanwho wasthe flavorof the month for aboutamonth amongthe tiny sliverofvoterswho think Vanity Fair is aprofound guide to U.S. politics. Remember Beto O’Rourke?Few do

Emulating Donald Trump’sALL CAPS effusions on social media,Newsom has posted depictions of the president as Marie Antoinette in drag, andasgrotesquely obese, gorging himself on Big Macs delivered by swarms of drones. This is exactly what the nationdoes notneed:a Democratic presidential candidate bent on subtracting from whatever national decorum hassurvived the current president. Campaigning for president six decades ago, Alabama’sDemocratic Gov.George Wallace said, “Hell, we got too muchdignity in government now.”Wehavesolved that problem. And if 2028 voters want ajuvenile president, JD Vancewill more than suffice. Newsom’snonstopflaying of Trump is neitherbrave,nor interesting, nor pertinent: Elections areabout the future, which does notinclude Trump. Newsom’sTrump fixation panders to obsessed progressives, but identificationwith themisNewsom’s problem.He should try saying something anything surprising or witty

Forany Democrat with nationalaspirations, coping with the party’sprogressive wing is like holding awolfbythe ears: Canyou letgo without being mauled? Newsom is eithergoing to find out, or be mauled by the national electoratefor notletting go.Having made it in California,hefaces this possibility: If you can make it there,you can’tmake it anywhere else

Email George Will at georgewill@washpost. com.

Quin Hillyer

George Will

Kathleen Parker

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREENIKHINSON

President Donald Trumppauses after signing an executiveorder in the Oval Office on Monday

Some oyster leases closedafter LOOPspill

Oilsheen spottedoff

Terrebonne Bay

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer

State healthofficials have closed private oyster leases in Terrebonne Bay and nearbymarshes after oil spilled from aterminal 18 miles offshore last month and later reached the central Louisiana coast, including afragile barrier island state wildlife refuge.

The Louisiana Department of Health said the closure is precautionary after oil sheen from the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port was spotted in the waters of an oysterleasing area near Terrebonne Parish, U.S. Coast Guardand state wildlife officials said Tuesday evening.

Health Secretary Bruce Greenstein and State Surgeon General Dr.Evelyn Griffin issued the closure order Saturday,and it took effect at sunset.

Last week, in the same area along the coast, the Coast Guardand other agencies closed parts of Terrebonne Bay and Lake Pelto near Terrebonne Parish to marine traffic due to the same spill.

Theclosed leasing areas incorporate six shellfish harvest areas around Terrebonne Bay and the marshes to the west, state health and environmental agency maps show.The closed harvest areas are 15,

SERVICES

Continued from page1B

service.

Funeral servicesfor Jasper Ryan Richardson, 6, will be March 27 at the same funeral home, with visitation beginning at 9a.m. and services at noon.He will be laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery Family members described Jasper as abright and joyful child who “radiated joy and laughter from the very start,” accordingtohis obituary He loved playing soccer, had apassion for math, enjoyedimaginative play and often pretended to be adinosaur or his favorite character,Sonicthe Hedgehog.

TRIALS

16, 17, 18, 19 and21. Taylor Brazan,spokespersonfor the state Department of Wildlifeand Fisheries, saidthe closure affects 2,434 private leases, plus the public seed ground at Only Sister Lake.

The health department said it would use testing to determine when theleasing areas couldbereopened but didn’tofferatimeline becauseitiscontingenton the spill cleanup.

Amy Whitehead, a spokeswoman forthe department,saidsampling to show oysters are clear of contaminants can take abouta week.

“However,LDH cannot dredge for oyster samples until the water is clear of oil,” she said Mitch Jurisich, athirdgeneration oysterman who is chair of theLouisiana Oyster Task Forceand a spokesman for the$317 million industry,saidthe spill hasgone from what seemed likea smallerleak to a“pretty big issue now” as thesheen has spread to coastal islands and marshes.

“It seemslike it’sgrown from what we first heard when thespill first happened,”hesaid.“It’s like ‘OK, hold on. What’sgoing on here?”

Jurisich said, to him, it seemed as if the original amount announced in the spill,more than 12,000 gallons on open water, should have been “an easy cleanup”but theoil hassince reached islands and marsh that are more difficultto

clean.

Afterissuing an early estimate, LOOP laterdisclosed thevolumeofspilled oil was more than twice as large as previouslyunderstood.

Jurisich said other oyster lease areas would be able to makeupfor the lost supply from closed leases and meet market demand, but he expectssome customers will avoid Louisiana oysters, particularlywest of the Mississippi River, over any chance they could be tainted

“The scare amongst processors and restaurants andeverything is goingto be,‘Well, let’sgotoMississippi, Texas, the East Coast, theWest Coast,’”hesaid. TheLOOP spill

The terminal, operated by an oil company consortium which goes by LOOP,released an estimated 31,500 gallons of oil when acargo transfer hose sprang aleak on Feb. 26.

The spill reached land days laterand hassoiled the Isle DernieresBarrier Islands Refuge in Terrebonne Bay,animportant coastal bird habitat and recreational fishing area.

Through Monday, the spill response crews had collected 87% of the spilled oil —about 27,510 gallons, or 655 barrels, Coast Guard officials said.

About 667 responders and 114 vessels have laid out 29.5 miles of protective and collection boom to limit theimpact of the spilledoil, theofficials added.

BLOTTER

Continuedfrom page1B

theallegations

Asearch warrantwas executed at Sylvester’s residence, gathering evidence that ultimately led to an arrestwarrant for themultiple charges.

Lawenforcement made contact with Sylvesteron Monday,and he was transported tothe St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement

Centerfor booking. Bail was setat$1.1 million.

Sheriff Gary Driskell andthe investigative team expressedtheir appreciation to theBerwick Police Department fortheir assistance in theinvestigation.

“This arrest highlights ongoing efforts by local authorities to address crimes against minors and protect the community from exploitation,” the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Officesaidina statement.

ROCK ON

Continuedfrom page1B

stackof8-track tapesby the likes of Cajun country singer Rod Bernard.

“They’re an earlyform of aflash drive,” he said “You couldn’tback them up. Theyplayedforward only.And it was the first time you could take music with you in your car.”

Themarketwas abonanza for Lafayette musician Elias Saade, who plays with local alt-rock

band Ranch Happenin’ His band is playing agig March 20 at Feed NSeed in Lafayette. “I collect all forms of music— vinyl, CD, cassette,8-track,” said Saade. He also left the market withanew-to-himguitar andsharedmoreinformation about Ranch Happenin’supcoming show

“It’s ‘ranch’ like ranch sauce,” he said. “Weplay alternative rock, kind of like Weezer.Ifyou like Weezer,you’re probably gonna like alot of whatwe play.

Obituaries

Hebert, Richard

Funeral serviceswill be held on Friday, March20, 2026, at a1:00 PM Service in Martin& Castille's La Fleur de LisChapel in Lafayette for Richard Hebert,age 70, whopassed away on March16, 2026, at Kaplan Healthcare. Intermentwill be held in Lafayette Memorial Parkin Lafayette. Deacon Robert Klingman will officiateat theservices. Survivors includehis children, Renee Harrington and herhusbandReggie and Victoria Hebert;his four grandchildren, Luke Joseph Harrington,Lane Jackson Harrington,LeahKateHarrington, and Ryan RandalHarrington; and his siblings, Elaine Dartez, Chris Hebert,and Carmen Edwards and herhusband Casey. He wasprecededin death by his parents,Nellie Breaux Hebert andClifton Hebert

Richard lived life with a sense of adventure and a spirit that wastruly his own. Afreespirit at heart, he foundjoy in exploring theworld aroundhim, traveling extensively and visitingand working in nearly all 50 states.Each journeyadded to hisappreciation for newplaces, people, and experiences, shaping thevibrantlifehe lived Richard enjoyed the simple pleasures-catching agoodmovie anddiscoveringnew restaurants wherehecould trydifferentfoods and flavors. He wasalways eagertoexperience somethingnew neverpassing up an opportunity for agoodouting or amemorable meal.

In celebration of his life, attendees are asked to wear bright colors, with children encouraged to wear yellow, hisfavorite color Daysfollowing the tragedy,the community has organizedmultiple efforts to support the surviving children and their caregivers. AMeal Train has been established to provide ongoingassistance to thechildren who are currently stayingin two separate householdsbut remain closely connected and spend significant timetogether.Organizers say meals, groceries and gift cards will help ensure bothhomes aresupported consistently

“Thisisfor them and their guardians, to helpmake this transition as gentle as oneof

billcouldbedeemed unconstitutional.

this nature can be,” stated TaylorBroussard, afamily friend, on Facebook.

Community members can sign up to prepare meals, send foodthrough deliveryservices or contribute groceries and gift cards Suggesteditems include child-friendly meals such as chicken, pizzaand burgers, alongwith snackslike popcorn, cookies and chips and drinks including juice

tors to seek lighter sentences.

Continued from page1B

Supreme Court case known as Duncan v. Louisiana.

HB52faced criticismfrom William Snowden, alaw professor at Loyola and former Orleans Parish public defender.Snowden, who said the Supreme Court has ahistory of striking down Louisiana jury laws, warned the Administration of Criminal Justice Committee that the

BILL

Continued from page1B

Association, told the Judiciary CCommittee that the change would make the system fairer and “allow us to better safeguard the rights of victims when it comes to how decisions are being made and ensure that afull, fair presentation of the evidence is guaranteedinevery case.” Daniels gave arecent example of acase wherehe felt ajury trial was waived for“tactical”reasons. A man who was accused of driving while intoxicated and hitting and killing an 18-year-old with his car had along history of DWIs, Daniels said.

Heworriedabout“howthis particular bill takes away the jury trial right from an accused person withoutthem waiving it,” he said.“That’s not howtrialswork. That’s not how rights work.” Jury trialsexist to protect defendants from corruption, “overzealous” prosecutors andbiased judges, Snowden said. Villio pushedback against Snowden, arguing thelaw would encourageprosecu-

As the case made its way through the courts, the man was still abusing substances, and so waiving his right to ajurytrial was strategic, Daniels said.

“He fell asleep on the stand,” Daniels said.

ButSarahWhittington, advocacy director for the American CivilLiberties Union of Louisiana, argued that the state’scourt system is alreadystacked against defendants— and that SB97 would further disadvantage them. In Louisiana, both district attorneys’ offices and public defendersoften face severe budget constraints though public defense tends to be more underfunded. “The state is already invested with significant power,” Whittington said, adding

“What we’re attempting to do inthis statuteactuallyisto make prosecutors lesszealous,” she said, adding that she believedthe law would notviolate the Supreme Court’s decision in the Gary Duncan case.

The U.S. Constitution guarantees theright to ajury trial in criminal prosecutions. Supreme Court precedent has limited that right when it comes to petty crimes.

In Duncan v. Louisiana, the

that some defendants may feel theywill get afairer shake from ajudge.“Indigent individuals do nothave those same resources.”

Adefendant may also choosetowaive their right to ajury trial to speed up the judicial process and avoid missing work or school, Whittingtonsaid.

“They may say that the efficiencyinthe system is more importanttothem than ajuryoftheirpeers,” she said. “They should not have to ask the state to consent to it when thestateis the oneprosecuting.”

Meanwhile, Daniels arguedSB97would bring Louisiana in line with the federal court system and many other states, which “require the prosecutor’s consent in some formor

Kasie Luquette Richardson, center,sits withher two children AinsleyToups and Brantley Duhon.

PHOTO PROVIDED By MEALTRAIN

andsoft drinks. Organizers are coordinating drop-offs and have scheduled support throughout the school year, emphasizing that contributionsatany time are appreciated.

In addition, aGoFundMe campaign hasbeen launched to help cover funeral expenses and easefinancial strain on the family The fundraiser describes Jasper as a“bright, lov-

courtruled that Louisiana violated the constitution when it denied ajurytrial to GaryDuncan because the maximum possible sentence forthatcrime exceeded six months’ imprisonment,even though thecrimewas consideredamisdemeanor

Crimes are categorized as misdemeanors in Louisiana if they are not punishable by imprisonment with hard labor; if the punishment can include imprisonment with hard labor,the crime is consideredafelony

fashion prior to dispensing with that jury.”

ButMeghanGarvey,a legislative advocate for the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, saidina statement that it wasnot fair to make an “applestoapples” comparison between Louisiana and other states, because some of those statesallow judges to dismiss cases before trial. Louisiana does notgive judges that power,though they can quash cases on certain grounds, such as when charges are brought in the wrong jurisdiction or adefendant is charged twice for the same crime.

And“federal felonies and manystate felonies require the DA to present to agrand jury,” Garvey added. In Louisiana, charges are typi-

ing little boy who meant the world to everyone who knew him” and notes that the familywas unprepared forthe sudden loss.

It also highlightsadditional challenges, including a family member who works offshore andmust remain home without paytosupport loved ones during this time.

“Weare askingfor any supportyou maybeable to give to help coverfuneral expenses and give him the beautiful service he deserves,” the organizer wrote. “Noamount is too small, and even sharing this fundraiser with others would mean so much to our family.”

Organizers say any remaining funds will help support the family as they take time to grieve andcare for the children.

The Louisiana State Law Institute recently found there areover 300Duncan misdemeanors on the books in the state, Villio said. The law institute could not immediately be reachedfor comment.

HB52 comes as legislators considera separate proposal that would allow prosecutors to forcejurytrials in felony cases. That proposal, Senate Bill 97, would amend the state constitution and therefore require voter approval.

cally “brought by asimple form signed by an assistant DA called aBill of Information,” she said.

The most serious felonies, such as murderand firstdegree rape, require grand jury indictments, Garvey said.

LOTTERY

TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2026

PICK 3: 3-9-2

PICK 4: 5-2-2-7

PICK 5: 1-2-7-4-1

MEGA MILLIONS: 4-11-18-38-50

MEGA BALL: 24

Adevoted fan of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Richard proudly supported histeam and carried that enthusiasm wherever he went. Hislove for sportsextended beyondthe stands, as he dedicatedmany years serving as areferee and umpire throughout the Acadiana area. Hisgenerosity, combinedwith hiseasygoing nature, left alasting impression on everyonehe met.

Aboveall,Richard will be remembered for his love of life and theway he embraced eachday with curiosity and joy. Hislegacy lives on in the many placesheexplored, the communitiesheserved, andthe countlessmemories he created with those whoknewand lovedhim. Pallbearers will be ReggieHarringtonand Luke Joseph Harrington Honorary Pallbearers will be LaneJackson Harrington,Ryan Randal Harrington,and Chris Hebert The familyrequeststhat visitation be observedon Friday, March20, 2026, from 9:00 AM untiltimeof services. ARosary will be recitedonFriday, March 20, 2026, at 11:00 AM in Martin& Castille's SOUTHSIDELocation. View theobituaryand guestbook online at www.mourning.com Martin& CastilleSOUTHSIDE, 600 E. Farrel Road,Lafayette, Louisiana 70508, 337-984-2811

PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

Musical instruments and paraphernalia forsaleatthe Rock and Roll Farmers Market on Sunday

J. Richardson

SPORTS

A‘Touch’ of class

Former UL,NFL star Delhomme enjoying hisrun with ‘the horseofalifetime’

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

OPELOUSAS —Jake Delhommeisused to people being starstruck.

TheBreaux Bridge native was astar quarterback for 11 seasonsinthe NFL, earningspots in the Carolina Hall of Honorand the Louisiana SportsHall of Fame. He’s abig deal in just about every corner of Cajun C So when LonnieBriley jumped downfromhis perch overlooking thetraining track at theCopper Crowne E Center on arecent morning and ambled over to see Delhomme outside hisbarn, theformer NFLstar took it “I’ve only seen himonTV,”Briley said with awide grin. “I’mexcited to finally see him in person.” It wasn’t talking Delhomme,though, that had Brileygobsmacked.Itwas the strapping brown colt l Delhomme’s side: Touchuponastar.

“What’snot to like about him?”Briley said, circling the handsome thoroughbred like he was sizingup anew car on the sales lot. “He’s thebest horse in Louisiana.” Briley knows agoodhorse when he sees one. The veterantrainer from Opelousas has won more than 350races in his36year training career and saddled Coal Battle in the Kentucky Derby last year But he might be understatingTouchuponastar’scredentials. An argument can be made that Delhomme’sspeedy Louisiana-bred is thefastest horse in America. “Touch,” as he’sknown around the Delhommebarn, haswon aremarkable 20 of 27 lifetime races and earned more than $1.7 million, making him the third-highest earning Louisiana-bred of all time.

He’sentered to run in the$500,000 Grade II NewOrleans Classic on Saturday at the Fair Grounds, where he’ll try to repeat the most significant win of his illustrious career against afield of five other older stakes horses.

“I’m biased,but Ithink he’s the best Louisiana-bred to ever live,”said Jeff Delhomme, Jake’solderbrother,who serves as the official trainerfor Touch.

“Who’s to say, butI thinkhe’sthe best horse in the country.”

Aheritageinhorse racing

Horses have run in theDelhomme family for three generations. Jake’sgrandfather,Sanders Delhomme,raced quarterhorsesatbushtracks in theBreaux Bridge and Carencro areas during the

Panthers ountry questrian in stride

oping by

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

This LSU women’sbasketball team knows how to score. Coach Kim Mulkey has said it before, and she’ll likely sayitagain on Friday, whenher Tigers begin theirNCAA Tournament run.

LSUhas played32games, and it’s still having ahistorically productive offensive season.Justask Oklahoma, the top-16 national seed that advanced to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on March 6and quickly found itself on the business end of a112-78 beatdown.

“I’ve got agroup,” Mulkey said that night, “they allcan score the ball, as you saw today.” That group has only afew contests leftto play,which meansit’snow on thevergeof breaking twolongstanding records. LSU is essentially guaranteed to finish its season with the best scoring average in SEC history.And if it can put up 100 points just one moretime, then it’ll tie Long Beach State’s39-year-old NCAA Division Irecord formost 100-point games in aseason (15). The Tigers are still putting up 94.5 points per game, enough to shatter the league record that Georgiaset when it averaged 89.2 ppg across the32contests it played in 1985-86. LSU can score zero points at 5p.m. Friday in its first-round game against No.15 seed Jacksonville (ESPN), and it would still

LSUguard Flau’jae Johnson

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

1940s and1950s. Their fath startedriding for his fatherat of 8and eventually raisedrac on the family’s10-acrefarmin Bridge.The Delhomme boys, J older brother,Jeff, who would break records as areceiver at State,regularly worked with in the barn stalls behind the fam “Wedidn’thuntorfish,” Jake D said. “Weplayedsports andwoe the horses. It was fun. Therewas something about the horses. Ijust loved it.” Delhomme stayed involved with the horses throughout his football career, from his all-state days at Teurlings Catholic in Lafayette to his standout four-year

er, Jerry, the age ehorses Breaux ake and go on to McNeese the horses ily home elhomme orked with

ä See DELHOMME, page 3C

Former UL quarterback JakeDelhomme leads his horse, Touchuponastar,throughastable on March 6atthe Copper Crowne Equestrian Center in Opelousas. STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Saints stillhave‘plenty of stuff to navigate’

Alookatkey positions NewOrleans needstotackle

BY MATTHEWPARAS Staff writer

The

first wave of free agency is over. That doesn’tmean the New Orleans Saints are done Even after their flurry of moves lastweek, the Saints continue to explore their options That’sbecause NFL teams consistently seek upgrades, and New Orleansisnoexception. And the Saints know theycan’t plug every hole in aweek.

“There’splenty of stuff to navigate,” coach Kellen Mooresaid last week. Here are the three spots they notablyhave left to tackle.

Cornerback

Notable free agents still available: Trevon Diggs, Marshon Lattimore, L’JariusSneed, Adoree’ Jackson

Alontae Taylor left the Saints to sign a three-year deal with the TennesseeTitans creating arguably the biggest hole on New

Orleans’ roster.Specifically,the Saints will have to replace Taylor’spresenceonthe inside —a role crucial in defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’sscheme. But keep in mind that doesn’tnecessarily have to be filled by acornerback.Staley loved using safety DerwinJames inside when he coached the LosAngeles Chargers.That makes Ohio State safety Caleb Downs a temptingselection if he’s still available when the Saints draft eighth overall in April. Regardless of whether Downsisavailable, thedraftprobably makesthe most senseto replace Taylor.LSU’sMansoor Delane is seen as the best cornerback in this year’sclass, but there’ssolid depth if the Saints prefernot to address the spot in Round 1. In free agency,there are several veterans who would be reclamation projects at this stageoftheir careers.Sneed,for instance, fitswhat the Saints have pursuedinrecent years, as he haslocal ties and once played for the Kansas CityChiefs,but hasn’tlooked like the same player since injuries derailed histwo-yearstint with theTitans. General manager Mickey Loomis has shown a

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

When it comes to hitting abaseball,no part of the process is more crucial than a batter’sability to see the ball.

Hittersare only granted asplit second to read and react to pitches. Sometimes they’re right, but oftentimes they’re not. It’s why the best sluggers in the world only get ahit 30% of the time.

Fordecades,evaluating the key skill of it all —how ahitter sees the ball —was purely subjective. But at LSU, that’snolonger the case. Since coach Jay Johnson arrived in Baton Rouge, LSU baseball —which begins athree-game seriesonThursdayagainst Oklahoma(7p.m., ESPNU) —has used eye-tracking technology developed by Jack Marucci, LSU’s director of performance innovation,and Mike Mann,the CEO of Python Optics, to better understand how its hitters track pitches mid-flight.

“Your timing is directly related as ahitter to how well you read and react to what you see,”Johnson said,“…I’m abig believer in it.” Thehardware Marucci and Mann

ä See LSU, page 3C

AP FILEPHOTO By JEFFLEWIS Tennessee Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed warms up before playing against the Las VegasRaiders on Oct

On TV

COLLEGE BASEBALL

7p.m. Oklahoma at LSU ESPNU

7p.m. Kentucky at Ole Miss SEC

NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT

11:15 a.m. TCU vs. Ohio State CBS

11:40 a.m. Troy vs.Nebraska TruTV

12:30 p.m. South Florida vs.Louisville TNT

12:50p.m. High Point vs.Wisconsin TBS

1:50 p.m. Siena vs. DukeCBS

2:15 p.m.McNeese St. vs.Vanderbilt TruTV

3:05 p.m. N. Dakota St. vs. Michigan St TNT

3:25 p.m. Hawaii vs.Arkansas TBS

5:50 p.m. VCU vs. North Carolina TNT

6:10 p.m. Howard vs. Michigan CBS

6:25 p.m. Texas vs. ByU TBS

6:35 p.m. Texas A&M vs. Saint Mary’sTruTV

UL star Potgieter fourth at S.C. meet

BY DANMcDONALD

Contributing writer

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. UL’s Malan

Potgieterposted afinal-round even par and wound up in atie for fourth Tuesday in the final round of the Michael A. Marino Classichosted by Coastal Carolina.

Asenior from Kirkwood, South Africa, Potgieter has eighttop-four finishes in ninetournaments this year,after carding a73-63-72—208 (-8) total to finish two strokes out of the lead over the difficult7,370yard par-72 Dunes Golf andBeach Club layout.

Potgieter,who wonlast week’s Louisiana Classics hosted by UL witha15-under-par 201 score, leads the country in top-three finishes with six this season

“He had acold putter today,” coach Theo Silman said afterPotgieter had 16 pars, one birdie and one bogey in afinal rounddelayed two hours by Tuesday morning frost. “Had he puttedlikehedid last week at the Classics,hewould have won the tournamenteasily today and he knows that “It’sstill exciting to see whathe’s done so far,having the best season in program history,and Ihope those who follow our program can appreciate what he’sdoing.”

TheCajunswound up tied for 12th in the 16-team field withafinalday 5-over 293, tying for the fourthbest round of the day.ULrallied from16th afteranopening18-over 306 with a4-under 284 in the middle round to finish at 19-over 883

North Carolina Statecaptured the team title, turning in Tuesday’s low score at 3-under 285 andfinishing at 15-under 849, four strokes ahead of No. 33 Louisville (853). Louisville’sCooper Claycomb and Coastal Carolina’sMax Bengtsson shared medalist honorsat 10-under 206. Brady SmithofLouisville was third at 9-under 207 and Potgieter shared fourthwithXander Goboy of North Carolina State.

Senior Jean Louis du Plessis had UL’s low score of the day,celebrating his birthday with a3-under 70 —one shot off the low round of the day and one ofonly 10 subpar scores from the 90-player field. He finished at 80-78-70—228 (+12)

Junior Carter Schmitt posted his best round of the tournament at even-par 72 and finished tied for 52 at 7-over 78-73-72—223 (+7) as UL’s next-best finisher

PROVIDED PHOTO

UL golfer Malan Potgieter finished tied for fourth at the Michael A. Marino Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

8:25 p.m. Penn vs. Illinois TNT

8:45 p.m. Saint Louisvs. GeorgiaCBS

9p.m. KennesawSt. vs.GonzagaTBS

9:10 p.m. Idaho vs. Houston TruTV

NCAA WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT

6p.m. Samford vs.SouthernESPN2

8p.m. Arizona St.vs.Virginia ESPN2

MEN’S COLLEGE WRESTLING

11 a.m.Firstround: Cleveland ESPN2

6p.m. Second round: Cleveland ESPN GOLF

5a.m. LIV Golf: Midrand, South Africa FS1

7a.m. LIV Golf: Midrand, South Africa FS2

1p.m. PGATour:Valspar Champ. Golf

5p.m. LPGA Tour:Founders Cup Golf

HORSE RACING

2p.m. America’s Dayatthe Races FS2

MLB SPRING TRAINING

Noon Philadelphia vs.MinnesotaMLB

6p.m.Tampa Bayvs. N.y.MetsMLB NBA

6p.m.Orlando at Charlotte NBA

7p.m.L.A.Clippers at Pelicans GCSEN

MEN’S SOCCER

12:40 p.m. Nottingham at FC Midtjylland CBSSN

2:55 p.m.Lille at Aston Villa FC CBSSN

6p.m.L.A.GalaxyatMount Pleasant FS1

8p.m.FCCincinnatiatTigresUANL FS1

WOMEN’S SOCCER

10:50 a.m. Dom. Republic vs.Canada FS2 TENNIS

10 a.m. Miami-WTA/ATPTennis

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

7p.m.Columbus at IndyCBSSN

Highstar had 12 tackles,two tackles forlossand one sack lastseason.

Tigers to keep an eyeon

Tenplayers to watchwhenLSU spring practice starts next week

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

When LSU begins spring practice next week, alot of new playerswillbeon thefieldtogether for the first time.

LSUsigned 59 players this offseason, adrastic transformation entering the first season under coach Lane Kiffin. They have spent the past two months going through anew strength and conditioning program before they practice again.

With 15 practices over thenext month, therewill be plenty of opportunities for players to move aroundthe depth chart and make an impression on the coaching staff. Here are the 10 we’re most interested to watch once practice begins March 24, listed in alphabetical order by last name.

DT RichardAnderson, Fr

How soon can Andersoncontribute? It’snot easy for afreshman to play early at defensive tackle, but Anderson was a five-star recruit and the No. 1 defensive linemaninthe 2026 class, accordingtothe 247Sports composite rankings.Listed at 6-foot-3 and 360pounds, he has the physical traits to earnarole next season, but he must adjust to ahigher level of competition. Spring practice will give asense of how heneedstodevelop.

STyBenefield, Sr

Benefield seems to be flying under theradar alittle bit, but he might end up beingone of LSU’s mostimpactful transfers. Benefield made 33 career starts at Boise State while totaling 235 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 16 pass breakups and five interceptions. He earned first-team All-Mountain West honors last season. One of thetop defensive backs in the transfer portal, he’lllikely fill a need by startingatsafetyorStar.

WR JayceBrown,Sr.

LSU signed nine transferwide receivers, and Brown has had the

mostproductive career so far He had 115 receptions for 1,972 yards and 13 touchdowns over threeseasons at Kansas State, where he ranked top 10 in program history in yards receiving and touchdown catches. With a career average of 17.1 yards per catch,Brown offers abig-play ability.Hehas the tools to be a starter, but can he be atop SEC receiver?

TWestonDavis,So.

Davis struggledthroughout his first season as the starting right tackle. Pro Football Focus grades should be takenwith agrain of salt,but he finished witha47.1 over 12 games, thefourth-lowest in the SEC among players with at least350 snaps. However,those grades improved over the final three games. LSU saw enough potential in him to bring him back, and now he needs to improve if he’sgoing to start again.

QB HusanLongstreet, R-Fr Longstreet is going to get more first-team repsthan usual with SamLeavitt limited this spring, giving him achance to show what he can do after transferring from Southern California. Longstreet is afascinating prospect as aformer five-starrecruit with dual-threat capability.He played well in asmallsample size last season, and withLeavitt likely eyeing the NFLdraft next year,hemight be LSU’s quarterback of thefuture

DT Dominick McKinley,Jr.

This is the year thatMcKinley needstoshowwhy he was afive-star recruit and top15 overall player in the 2024 class. TheLafayette native worked his way further into the rotation last year by playing 370 snaps, but he only finished with 12 tackles,two tackles for lossand one sack. He’ll have to compete with Clemson transfer Stephiylan Green and Auburntransfer Malik Blocton to start on the defensive line.

DE Jordan Ross,Jr.

It’snever abad thing whenyou can addaformer five-star recruit whowas considered by at least onerecruiting service to be a top 10 overall player in his class. That’swhatLSU gotinRoss, a6-5, 245-pound edge rusher.Heappears to have untapped potential after recording 26 tackles, five tackles forlossand 11/2 sacks in twoseasons at Tennessee. LSU needshim to be ready to play more.

TJordanSeaton, Jr

This one is pretty obvious Seaton was the highest-ranked offensive tackle andone of the top overall players in the transfer portal. He’saformer five-star recruit whostarted 22 games during his twoseasons at Colorado, andhehas allowedonly foursacks. LSUgot aplug-andplay left tackle, whichthe team desperately needed. If Seaton continues to improve, he could be afirst-round pick in theNFL draft next year

DE Princewill Umanmielen,Sr. Anotherone of LSU’shighestranked transfer additions,Umanmielen recorded nine sacks and 13 tackles for losslast season at Ole Miss. LSUlackedadominant pass rusher even though the defense improvedlast year,so Umanmielen could make anoticeable difference if he maintains that level of production. There should be some good battles in practice between him and Seaton

WR Eugene Wilson,Jr.

If Wilson can stay healthy, there’salot to like abouthis game. After signing with Florida as the No. 106 overall recruit in the2023 class, Wilson caught 107 passes for 1,043 yards and 10 touchdownsover three seasons. He even earned freshman AllSEC honors when he grabbed 61 receptions andsix touchdowns hisfirst season. Unable to stay healthy since then,hestill hasa lot to prove.

No. 1seedDukeunlikely

to have big man Ngongba GREENVILLE, S.C. Duke coach Jon Scheyer said starting big man Patrick Ngongba is “very unlikely” to play Thursday’s first-round game against Siena in March Madness because of soreness in his right foot.

The6-foot-11, 250-pound sophomore has missed four straight games for the Blue Devils (32-2), first as agame-time decision forthe regular-season finale against rival North Carolinaand then lastweek’s three-game run to the Atlantic Coast ConferenceTournamenttitle. Scheyer previously expressed optimism that Ngongba would be ready for the start of the NCAA Tournament after the foot issues crept up during alate-season win at N.C. State.

NASCAR suspends Dye after mockery of driver

CHARLOTTE,N.C.— NASCAR driver Daniel Dyewas suspended— the second known major penalty of his racing career —for mocking IndyCar driver David Malukas during arecent livestream In the video, which circulated Tuesday on social media, Dye used voices that madeinferences about Malukas’ sexuality. He mimicked Malukas’ voice at one point.

Dye is aTruck Series driver for Kaulig Racing, which also suspendedhim. NASCARordered Dye to undergo sensitivity training.

DyeapologizedtoMalukasina social media post, calling his comments “careless.”

“I chose my words poorly and I understand why it upsetpeople,” he wrote. “I’m sorry to anyone who was offended. That’snot how Iwant to represent myself.”

Eagles acquire veteran QB Dalton from Panthers Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton is heading to thePhiladelphia Eaglestoprovide depth behind Jalen Hurts, aperson with knowledge of the trade told The Associated Press on Wednesday The Carolina Panthers will receive aseventh-round pick in 2027. Dalton joins Hurts and backup Tanner McKee, whocould become available foratrade.

The 38-year-old Dalton made three Pro Bowls during his first nine seasons in Cincinnati. He’s also playedfor Dallas, Chicago, New Orleansand spentthe past three seasons with the Panthers. Dalton is 84-83-2 as astarter but was primarily abackup in Carolina. He has thrown for39,763 yards, 254touchdownswith151 interceptions and an 87.5 passer rating in 15 seasons.

Yankees’ Coletops 98 mph in eventful firstspringstart

TAMPA, Fla. Gerrit Cole returned to amound to pitchinagame after a377-day absence and threw a scoreless first inning for the New York Yankees in an exhibition gameagainst the Boston Red Sox. Cole threw 10 pitches, seven for strikes, including six four-seam fastballs thataveraged97.1mph He threw twosliders and apair of knuckle-curves.

A35-year-old right-hander, Cole hadTommy Johnsurgery on March 11 last year with Los AngelesDodgers team physicianDr. Neal ElAttrache.

His last official outing was in Game 5ofthe 2024 World Series that Oct. 30. The six-time All-Star pitched in twospring training games in 2025, the last on March 6.

Manfred: MLB may consider moving WBCtomidseason

MIAMI Having set attendance and broadcast viewer records, the World Baseball Classic will return in 2029 or 2030 and at somefuture point could be moved to midseason, when clubs would be less likely to restrict players.

WNBA,players unionreach deal in principle

BYDOUG

players’

and

adeal in principle on atransformational newcollective bargaining agreement early Wednesday morning.

Specifics still needto be finalized over the next few weeks as lawyers on bothsides work on the newCBA.

Aterm sheet should be done in the next day or two. It will then need to be ratified by theplayers and then approved by theleague’s Board of Governors.

“I just want to saywehave aligned on key elements of anew collectivebargaining agreement together.We still need to finalize aformal term sheet, but theprogress made in these discussions marks atransformative step forward for players and the league,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “It underscores a shared commitment to the continuedgrowth of thegame. So,we’ll shareadditionaldetails as they becomeavailable.” Thelandmarkdeal is expected to greatly increase player salaries, with top stars potentially making asupermax of $1.4 millioninthe first year,according to aperson familiar with the negotiations. The salary cap forthe 2026 season is expected to be $7 million with averagesalaries more than $585,000, accordingtothe person. The minimumsalary would be around $300,000 as the league enters its 30th season. This would increase salaries fourfold from last season.

Since the WBC’sinception in 2006, it has been played during spring training. Tournament rules include pitch count restrictions, andteams can demand tougher limits or deny players permission to participate.

“Obviously we have commitments to Fox in terms of the All-StarGame in the middle of the season through ’28,”baseball commissionerRob Manfred said. “Asthe game continues to evolve, we have talked about midseason tournamentsingeneral. And certainly if we decided to get serious about this, about amidseasontournament, this would be an ideal opportunity.”

STAFF FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU defensivetackle DominickMcKinleywill be aplayertowatch during the Tigers’spring practice, which begins Tuesday. The former Acadiana

LSUstarJohnson votedontoAPAll-America team

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

LSU women’sbasketball star

Flau’jae Johnson was named to one of the AP All-America teams on Wednesday for the second time in her career Voters put Johnson on the third team in both 2024-25 and 202526. This year,Michigan’sOlivia Olson,UCLA’s Kiki Rice, Duke’s Toby Fournierand South Carolina’sRaven Johnsonaccompanied

LSU

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set that record.

It’smuch more likely,though, thatthe No.2seedTigers(27-5) will hang roughly 100 points on theDolphins —the second-place Atlantic Sun team that won its conference tournament to secure aberth in the NCAA Tournament and aspot in the Baton Rouge regional. LSUhit thecentury mark in allbut two of the 13 games it’s already played against mid-major opponents this season. It averaged 109.2 ppg in those matchups. LSU already broke the record for consecutive 100-point outings when it crossed over the century mark in eachofthe firsteight games it played this year.The

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willingnesstobring back former Saints,thoughitwouldbesurprising to see that same courtesy extended to Lattimore, givenhis decline in play,the major knee injuryhesuffered last season and his weapons charge arrest from January Wide receiver

Notable free agents still available: Jauan Jennings, Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Tyreek Hill, Deebo Samuel The Saints have done anicejob infreeagencytoboostquarterback Tyler Shough’s supportingcast. Butthere’sone area they notably haven’ttouched: Wide receiver Taking alook at this year’sdraft class explains why.Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, Arizona State’s

DELHOMME

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tenure at UL (then Southwestern Louisiana), where he led the Ragin’ Cajuns to two Big West Conference championshipsand an upset of Texas A&M. The highlight of his 11-yearNFL career camein2003, when he led the Carolina Panthers to their first Super Bowl appearance and passed for 323 yards and three touchdowns in alast-second 32-29 loss to the New England Patriots.

Delhomme launched his stable in 2012, the year after he retired from the NFL, and called it SetHut in honor of his playing position.Hedesignedhis jockey silks in Carolina Panthers colors and named many of his horses after football terms, former teammates or plays from the Panthers offense (Two Jet, ZSmoke, XClown).

Set-Hut is afamily operation. In football terms, Jake is the general managerofthe five-person stable but Jerry,aretired state and federal meat inspector,and Jeffare also heavily involved. The Delhommes do it all: care, condition, buy,sell and breed. Whenthey enter ahorse to race at the Fair Grounds, the Delhommes trailer him the 150 miles down I-10 in their Ford pickups.

The traits Delhomme applied to ascend to the elite level of football —preparation, attention todetail, disciplined work ethic —have been employed with equal success in his horse racing operation Throughlastweek, hishorseshave won 133 of 614 starts for amorethan-respectable 21% win percentage. The stable’scareer earnings aremore than $5.6 million

“The time he spent studying the playbook and watching filmto prepare forgames as aplayer,he spends just as much time studying pedigrees and watching races.” Jeff Delhomme said. “There’sno better horseman in the country

He’ssecond to none.”

“It’satestament to Jake and his family and how they manage and treat their horses,” said Andrew Cary,abloodstock agent who is close to the former NFL quarterback. “Coming from his athletic background, Jake canevaluate an equine athleteand adjust on thefly. He gets the most out of his horses at all levels.”

her in that group of honorees Johnson’stwo-star teammates —juniorguards Mikaylah Williamsand MiLaysia Fulwiley— each received All-America votes but not enough to land on one of the three teams. They were instead recognized as honorable mentions for thesecondseason in arow UConn stars Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, along withVanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes, UCLA’s Lauren Betts and Texas’ Madison Booker

previous topmark was six, which Mulkey helped Louisiana Tech set during her sophomore season (1981-82).

Pursuing those recordshas put theTigers in some select company.Long Beach State’s1987 team reached the Final Four,and Louisiana Tech’s1982 team won the national championship —the first women’sbasketball title game the NCAA ever sponsored.Georgia’s 1986 team wonboththe SECregular-season andtournament titles but lost in the Sweet 16. Only twoDivision Iteams have scored more than90ppg across thelast 10 seasons, and they both won at least two NCAA Tournament contests. Maryland did it in 2020-21, andIowa did it in 2023-24 —the year it losttoSouth Carolina in the national championship game

JordynTysonand USC’sMalaki Lemonare seen as first-rounders who could each provide ajolt to theSaints’ offense. Thereare also quality options projected to go in thenextfew rounds, such as Louisville’sChrisBelland Georgia State’sTed Hurst.Based on conversations at theNFL scouting combine, the Saints feel as if another downfield threat to complement Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele would accentuate thegroup. The Saints don’tseem to be aloneinwantingtorely on the draft for this position. So many big namesremainonthe wide receiver market,and that’sbefore you get to the Philadelphia Eagles beingopentotrading A.J. Brown. Edge rusher

Notable free agents still available: CamJordan, Joey Bosa, VonMiller,AJEpenesa, Jadeveon Clowney,Haason Reddick

Jake Delhomme doesn’tjust train. He is involved at all levels of thesport.Hesat on the board of the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Associationand has counseled Gov.Jeff Landry on horse racingaffairs in the state.

“I’m avery competitive person, andhorse racingisascompetitive as it gets,” Jake Delhomme said.

“IfI’m going to do something, then let’sput our effort intoitand let’s do it. Horse racing fills that competitive void for me after football.”

‘Whatabeast’

Delhomme has enjoyed success throughout his tenure, especially in recentyears, when his stable’s annual earnings have climbed to more than $900,000 annually Twoofthe stable stars, Mangum and Kalil, were named after two of Delhomme’sformer Panthers teammates,tight end Kris Mangum andcenter Ryan Kalil. But none ofDelhomme’shorses have come closetoachieving Touch’s astonishinglevel of success.

The6-year-old gelding haswon eight of his last nine races, includingthe $150,000 Louisiana Premier Night Championship Stakes last month at Delta Downs, where he cantered to an 111/2-length win against an overmatched field. It wasthe fourth consecutivetime he’s won the race and his final time of 1minute, 44.03 seconds earned a 106BeyerSpeed Figure, the standardized metric for thoroughbred racehorses created by former Washington Post columnistAndrew Beyer. No older horse in the nation has recorded ahigherspeed figure in adistance race this year And last year,Touchrecorded even faster Beyer figuresfor winning theDelta Mile (109) and New OrleansHandicap (109).

Forperspective, there have been only16Beyer SpeedFigures of 106 or higher recorded by olderhorses in classic U.S. distance races since thestart of the 2025 racing season. Touch has recorded three of them. Sovereignty,the brilliant 2025 KentuckyDerbychampion, with two, is the only other horse with more than one.

“What abeast,” said KeithMyers, whobred Touch at hisCoteau Grove Farm in Sunset, just north of Lafayette. “He wins these races so effortlessly. He doesn’t like to take pictures with anyone. No

were votedontothe firstteam. Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards, TCU’sOliviaMiles,IowaState’s Audi Crooksand Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge landed spots on thesecond team.

LSU, SouthCarolina and UCLA were the only teams withthree honorees, including honorable mentions. Johnson,a5-foot-10 senior guard, recently becamejust the sixthplayer to scoremore than

That season,the Hawkeyes scored at least 100 pointsin10 contests —four against midmajor teams andsix against Big Tenfoes.LSU has14suchgames this year,and allbut threewere against mid-major opponents. TheTigers’ currentscoring average (94.5 ppg) would be tied for thefourth-highest in NCAA Division Ihistory

That number shows that they canerupt on offense, andifthey can do so at the right timeinthe tournament, then they could find themselves back in the FinalFour.

Butfirst,LSU will have to get past Jacksonville and either the No. 7seed Texas Tech or No. 10 seed Villanova. Thosetwo teams will play their first-round matchup in the PeteMaravich Assembly Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday (ESPNU).

Alleyes are on Jordanand Saintstosee if they can hammer out an agreement for the 36-year-old pass rusher to stay in New Orleans. Jordan sounded content,however,ifhehad to play elsewhere next season, when appearing recently on Terron Armstead’s podcast. Jordan saidheunderstandsthe “business nature”if it doesn’t work outwith the Saints. ButevenifJordanreturns,the Saints still probablyneed more juice at edge rusher.One of the biggest questions between now andthe draft is whether anyof Ohio State’sArvell Reese, Texas Tech’sDavid Bailey and Miami’s Rueben Bain will beonthe board when the Saints are on the clock. The Saints heavily investinthe trenches, andsoitwould not be shocking to seethem use the eighthpick on an edge rusher.But those three could each be gone before pick No. 8.

horse is ever in the frame when he crosses thefinish line.”

Few envisioned such aremarkable run when Touch was born in 2019.The sonofthe champion Louisiana-bred sire, Star Guitar,and graded-stakes-winning mare, Touch Magic,hewas well-bredbyLouisianastandards. Delhomme noticed the striking resemblance Touch had to his sire during his earlyvisits to thefarmwith Cary,alongtime friend in the business. As aweanling, he was strong and perceptive and displayed agood demeanor

“There was somethingabout him that just stuckout,” Jake Delhomme said.

Nevertheless, Myers had modestexpectations for Touch’ssales prospectswhen he sent him to the Texas Thoroughbred Association Yearling Sale in August 2020. It didn’thelpmatters that thesale took place during theCOVID-19 pandemic and aclassic East Texas heat wave.

“Wehad no expectations really,” Myers said. “Wethought we were going to be bringing him back to thefarm andputting him in the equestrian program. But Jake said he would take him andtry to race him, and if he could runatall, he thought we might get some breeder’sawards for him.”

Delhomme’sopening bid of $15,000 was the only offer

“I had alot more to spend for him, but for whatever reason, that’swhere thebidding stopped,” Delhomme said.

Years later,Cary calls it “one of theall-timegreat purchases in horse racing history.”

“Itwas aperfect storm of it being aCOVIDyear,a lightly attendedsale and it beingabout 110 degrees that dayinTexas,” he said.

While Delhomme hadtargeted Touchand madethe trip to Grand Prairie, Texas, specifically tobuy Touch and anothercolt he later named HomeVisit, he had no idea he’djust purchased asuperstar Touch showed athleticism and talent during his earlytraining sessions, but his workouts never opened eyes or revealed his precocity until thefinal breeze before hisdebut. Working with stablemate,HomeVisit,a fellow 3-yearoldwho’d alreadywon two of his three starts, Touch bolted from the starting gateand left his competition in atrail of dust

four years of hercareer

2,000pointsinanLSU uniform She began her career in 2022-23 —the year the Tigers took home theirfi rst nationaltitle. She started 36 gamesasa freshman, then quickly blossomedinto oneofthe nation’s top players by the time she wrapped up her sophomore season Johnson has career averages of 14.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. She’s alsoshot 47% from the field and 38% from 3-point range across all

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developed is shaped like goggles; theonly major difference being thatithas no glass or plastic shield. Twomini-cameras are also attached to its frame to track the hitters’ pupilsand howtheireyes react toeachpitch.

LSU hitters can use the technology while taking batting practice or hitting in the cages. The device requiresabout 10 swings to accurately calculate ahitter’seye-dominance and ability to track the ball, spitting out adizzying variety of numbers that Marucci simplifies into areportthatfeatures graphs and charts that explain the results.

It also produces apathfinder ratingthatshows howwellthe hitter’s eyes track the baseball.

“They wear like alittle computer on them. It’sreal small, and it’s recording as these balls are coming,” Marucci said, before adding thatthe eye-tracking technology produces 22,000 rows worth of dataafter just oneminuteand 40 seconds of use.

Theheadset thebaseballteam uses is thesame product that wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase andJustinJefferson used during LSU’s magical2019 season to help track footballs through the air.The LSU women’sgolf team has also used Marucci andMann’stechnology to help improveputting capabilities.

“Welook at how they target, how they line up and how they’re lookingathow they line up the hole,” Marucci said. “… Even if it’sjust astraight putt, how are we looking at it? How are we targeting it?How areweusing our eyes the proper way?”

Marucci, who conducts most of his workatLSU with the football team,warns that hiseye-tracking

“Welookedateachother,like, ‘Ohhhh, (expletive),’ ”Jeff Delhomme said. Added Jake Delhomme:“Home Visitwas aquality horse, but he cried uncle. It was not pretty.The jockey came back and said, ‘Yeah, this horse is just different.’” Afew weeks later,Touch ran a disappointing second in his debut at Fair Grounds, showing his inexperiencebystumbling outofthe gate and being forced to race wide formost of his six-furlong trip. Six weekslater, he returnedtothe races and brokehis maiden at 1-5odds witha stunning 21-length score at EvangelineDownsinaperformance so dominant it drew a“Wow!”from trackannouncer Rob Tuel as he crossedthe finish line. His time of 1:22.82 wasless than asecondoff thetrack record for7furlongs.

From there,Touch reeled off wins in 11 of his next 14 races and established himself as the best distancehorse in the Louisiana-bred ranks. To that end, he dusted Tumbarumba by 11/2 lengths in the 2023 Louisiana Champions Day Classic. Tumbarumba recently became the highest-earning Louisiana-bredin history with $3.2 millioninwinnings when he ran an impressive thirdtoBreeders Cup Classic champion ForeverYounginthe $20million Grade ISaudi Cup.

“Weran against (Tumbarumba),” Jeff Delhomme said. “Wecould have wentaround the track 10 times,and he would have never beat (Touchuponastar).”

Touch’scoming-out party, though, came ayear ago at the Fair Grounds, when he wired the field in the $500,000Grade INew Orleans Classic against afield of opencompanyolder horses, including graded stakes winners Sierre Leone, Hall of Fameand Komorebino Omoide. It was the first time Touch had runagainst “the big boys,” as Delhomme calledthem, andhe passed the test with flying colors.

Touch broke on the lead and carved out fast fractions with a ground-saving rail trip under jockey TimThornton. When the field turned forhome, Hall of Fame loomed to his flank, but Touch responded to the challenge and held him at bay to the wire. As his stable star crossed thefinalline for the 11/2-lengthvictory,Delhomme uncharacteristically leaped in the airand spiked hisprogram in cel-

This season, Johnson helped LSU winbig road gamesagainst Duke, Georgia, Oklahomaand Ole Miss.She scored ateam-high 21 points on Feb. 14 against South Carolina but missed two keyfree throws with achance to give the Tigers alead late in the fourth quarter.

Johnsonwas also given afirstof-its-kind award last Thursday forher support of theKay Yow Cancer Fund.

technology is not a“panacea” for hitting. It’sonly atool for players to better understand how they see the ball in the batter’sbox.

The devicehas allowed Johnson to better understand hisplayers’capabilities against certain matchups and help guide him to theright answerswhenitcomes to mechanical adjustments forhis hitters.

“You mayhave to modify your stance. Youmay have to bring your head around acertain way, or you may(need to)open up a stance,” Marucci said. “(The technology) can really identify… how they would perform versus arighthanded (or) versus aleft-handed pitcher.”

Additionally,Marucci’seyetracking technologycan confirm what ahitter may alreadyknow about himself

Before transferring to LSU from Kansas State over the offseason, fifth-year senior Seth Dardar learned that he was left-eye dominant, arevelation that explained whyhesaw left-handed pitching better than right-handers despite being alefty hitter

Dardar,once he arrived in Baton Rouge, verified his belief through Mann and Marucci’sheadset.

“Thatwas probably oneofthe coolest things I’ve ever seen,” Dardarsaid. “The resources andall the technology and stuffwehave is the best.”

Marucci makes it clear that LSU’s success and failure on the field lie withits players, notwith histechnology. Hisworkisjusta small piece of the puzzle, he says.

But Johnsonhas embraced his work for areason.And as LSU baseball tries to dig itself out of the hole it hasfounditself in this season, having apersonlike Marucci in the athleticdepartment —with adevice that tracks ahitter’sability to see the ball —isuseful.

ebration.

“I wasjust so happyfor the horse,” Jakesaid. “It was unbelievably rewarding and validated what we thought of him.”

Agreat horseracingstory

Touchuponastarhas shown no signs of slowing downasheapproaches his seventhbirthday, which just happens to fall on Louisiana Derby Day. The competition in the New Orleans Classic will be steep again. Twoentrantsfrom the powerful Todd Pletcher barn, Accelerize, whowon the $175,000 Grade III Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds in January,and Life and Times, will likely test him for every step of the 11/8 mile trip. It will take theirbest to beat Touch on his home turf, though. His confidence has soared with each subsequent win. Jake comparedhis alpha demeanor on race days to Simba, when he assumes his reign in The Lion King.

“Whenhewalks in thepaddock, he takes adeep breath and just stares at allthe horsespassing by,” Jeff Delhomme said. “He makes sure his head is taller,that’shim looking down on them, trying to intimidate them.”

Touch’shistoric run of success has madehim aminor celebrity in Cajun Country.The Delhommes are constantlyasked by friends andfamily about his upcoming schedule, and the winner’scircle has becomeincreasingly crowded after each of his wins.

“There’snothing that makes me happier than seeing this happen forthe Delhomme family,” Myers said. “I don’tknow of anyone more deserving. It’ssuch agreat horse racing story forLouisiana.” Touchhas impacted theDelhommesbeyond the earnings book. Jake believesthe horse’shistoricrun of success has had an intrinsic effect on his family’squality of life, especially his father,who suffered a severe heart attack four years ago.

“(Touch) meansalot to him,and there’snodoubt in my mind it’s kept him going,” Jake said of his father,who turned80inDecember.“Youdon’tfind somebody that dies with agood horse in the barn. There’ssomething about ahorse that’sgood forthe soul of human.

“Touch is not just thehorse of a lifetime. He’sthe horse of two lifetimes.”

Teurlingspitchingduo shutsdownSt. Thomas More

rival

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

Freshman pitchersKennedy LeBlanc and Ella Jolivettequieted St. Thomas More’sbats as Teurlings Catholic stayed undefeated in district play on Tuesday LeBlanc, the daughter of Rebels pitching coachJoy LeBlanc,allowed only one run over 52/3 innings in the 5-1 win at St. Thomas More, which had ayears-long winning streak over its crosstown rival snapped “Kennedy came in and didn’t showany nerves,” said Rebels coach Lauren Carrigee, whose team improved to 12-5, 4-0 in 4-4A. “She threw what we expected. She threw what we wanted andplayed like she can.”

STM(7-9,2-2) scored on asolo home run by Isabella Prince in the second inning. That was after the Rebels took a3-0 lead withnoouts in the first inning on RBI singles from Reagan Brasseaux and Jolivette and MarahHuval’sfielder’s choice.

“That’smyfavorite thing,” Carrigee said. “When we can score first,that’s No. 1. If you’re thevisitingteam, that’sanadvantage to getonthe board and make them chase you.”

In the sixth inning with thescore still 3-1, coach LeBlanc brought in Jolivette to pitchwith two outs andarunner on first base, and the freshman respondedwith acalled thirdstrikeonascrewball.

“It was definitely our attitudes,” Jolivettesaid of thedecisive factors in the victory. “Wecame out ready to win —ready to compete —and that’swhatwedid.”

The Rebels (No. 6inDivision I selectpowerratings) addedtwo insurance runs inthe topofthe seventh inning on an RBI double from Kylie Boutteand LeBlanc’s RBIsingle.

“Weall work together,even though we haven’tbeen together forthat long,” said LeBlanc, who allowed threehitsand struck out four whilecollecting apair of hits at theplate.“We’reall reallyconnectedasateam.”

STM pitcherMargeret Oge,the Cougars’ only senior,retired14 consecutive battersafter theRebels scoredthreeruns in the top of thefirst. Skylar Stutes and Peyton Darden each had ahit for the Cougars.

PREP REPORT

of Acadiana 2 Erath 5, Kaplan3 Iota 12, Church Point 2 Lafayette Christian 9, Welsh 5 Lafayette Renaissance 15, LakeArthur14 NotreDame 14, Midland 0 Barbe 9, New Iberia 3 Thursday’sgames Sam Houston at Acadiana, Sulphurat Carencro, Lafayette at Barbe, Southside at New Iberia, Beau Chene at Cecilia, Livonia at Breaux Bridge, North Vermilion at David Thibodaux, Eunice at Sacred Heart, Elizabeth at Northside, Rayne at Teurlings, Westgate at St. Thomas More, Abbeville at Erath, KaplanatAcadiana Renaissance, Pine Prairie at Church Point, VillePlatte at Northwest, Delcambre at Catholic-NI, Lafayette Christian at NotreDame,Midland at Lafayette Renaissance,Houma Christian at Loreauville, Iowa at Opelousas Catholic Hathaway at EpiscopalofAcadiana, Glencoe at Northside Christian. Softball

Schedule

Oil City Relays At Acadiana High WHEN: Friday STARTTIMES: Field events 3:30p.m.; running times 4:30 p.m. TEAMS: Acadiana, Alexandria, Barbe, Breaux Bridge, Carencro,Cecilia, Comeaux, David Thibodaux, East Ascension, Episcopal of

Tuesday’s scores Acadiana Renaissance 17, St. Martinville 0 Lafayette Christian 16, Welsh1 New Iberia 19, Carencro 0 Teurlings5,St. Thomas More1 Lafayette 14, Acadiana 4 Opelousas Catholic 15, Sacred Heart-VP 4 Catholic-NI 11, Vermilion Catholic 8 Kaplan 2, North Vermilion 1 Beau Chene14, Breaux Bridge 0 David Thibodaux 5, Rayne 3 Church Point 12, Mamou 1 Iowa 6, Eunice 2 Pine Prairie 1, Iota 0 LakeArthur 25, Lafayette Renaissance14 Loreauville 10, Houma Christian9 NotreDame 17, Midland 0 Kaplan 2, North Vermilion 1 Thursday’s games Sam Houston at Acadiana, Barne at Carencro, SulphuratLafayette, Southside at New Iberia, Abbeville at Beau Chene, Highland Baptist at Breaux Bridge, Cecilia at David Thibodaux, Leesville at Eunice, North Vermilion at Teurlings, St. Thomas Moreat Northside, Opelousas at Livonia, Rayneat Westgate, Church Point at Iota, Mamou at Crowley,Vermilion CatholicatErath, Live Oak at Kaplan, Pine Prairie at Northwest West St. Mary at St. Martinville, Catholic-NI at Loreauville, Houma Christian at Delcambre, Lafayette Christian at NotreDame, Midland at Lafayette Renaissance, Jeanerette at Franklin, North Central at Sacred Heart, Opelousas Catholic at Catholic-PC Westminster at St. Edmund, WestminsterLAF at Elizabeth. Track andfield

Acadiana, Kaplan, Lafayette High, Lafayette Renaissance, LakeCharles CollegePrep, New Iberia, Southside, St. Louis, St. Thomas Aquinas,St. Thomas More, Teurlings Catholic,Westminster. Perfect Fitz Relays At Acadiana Renaissance, Youngsville WHEN: Friday STARTTIMES: field events 3p.m.; running events 5:30 p.m. TEAMS: Acadiana Renaissance, Ascension Episcopal, Erath, Kaplan, Delcambre, Catholic-NI, Loreauville, Southside, Highland Baptist, Abbeville, Hanson, Vermilion. Topareaperformances

Boys track 100 1. Dion Conley,New Iberia, 11.06; 2. Dewaune Peters, Acadiana Renaissance, 11.12; 3. Sean Herrington, Erath, 11.12. 200 1. Ty Thomas, Acadiana, 22.34; 2. Shaquille Sanders, Cecilia, 22.60;3.Jakyron Wallace, Breaux Bridge, 22.63.

400 1. Braeden Prejean, Northside, 50.04; 2. Jai Joseph, Northside, 50.25; 3. Jakyron Wallace, Breaux Bridge, 50.74. 800 1. John HenryFitzgerald, St. Thomas More, 1:58.82; 2. Jaylan Babineaux, Carencro 1:59.42; 3. Evan Barron, Teurlings,2:03.08. 1,600 1. Wyatt Price, NotreDame, 4:37.55; 2. MaddoxTolbert, Lafayette, 4:39.08; 3. GraysonGilley,Southside, 4:45.44. 3,200 1. MaddoxTolbert, Lafayette High, 9:29.07; 2. Emerson Cullen, David Thibodaux, 10:02.77; 2. Wyatt Price, NotreDame, 10:05.42. 110H 1. Conner Stewart, New Iberia, 14.18; 2. Sean Herrington, Erath, 14.72; 3. Terry Matthews, Acadiana Renaissance, 15.10. 300H 1. Conner Stewart, New Iberia, 39.36; 2. Sean Herrington, Erath, 39.50; 3. Gabriel Decuir, Acadiana, 40.64. 4x100 relay— 1. Lafayette Christian 42.08; 2. Acadiana 42.67; 3. Northwest 43.13. 4x200 1. Acadiana 1:28.05;2.Lafayette Christian 1:28.21; 3. Northwest 1:28.29. 4x400 1. Carencro3:28.77; 2. Lafayette 3:30.86; 3. Cecilia 3:37.15.

4x800 1. Lafayette High 8:14.90; 2. Acadiana Renaissance8:36.46; 3. St.Thomas More 8:42.69. Boys field Shot put 1. Corey Sassau, Cecilia,55-7; 2. Justin Suire,Highland Baptist,51-7; 3. Kaleb Campbell, Lafayette Christian, 50-6. Discus 1. Justin Suire,Highland Baptist, 149-9; 2. Kevin Small, Kaplan, 145-8; 3. Corey Sassau, Cecilia, 141-10. Javelin 1. Branon Mitchell, Ascension Episcopal, 205-11; 2. Slade Boudreaux,St. Thomas More, 177-0; 3. Luke McLain, Acadiana Renaissance, 164-8. Pole vault 1. ElijahParich,Catholic-NI, 172; 2. Landon Burns,Lafayette,14-0; 2. Evan Jones, David Thibodaux,13-0; High jump 1. Dylan Nelson, Catholic-NI, 6-4; 2. Sherman James, Northwest,6-4;3 Kyle Guillot, St. Thomas More, 6-2; (tie) Sherman James,Northwest,6-2 Long Jump 1. Jermaine Davis, Cecilia, 215; 2. Branon Mitchell, Ascension Episcopal, 21-1.5; 3. Harley Foreman, North Vermilion, 21-3. Triple jump 1. Jai Joseph, Northside,450.75; 2. Jeremiah Harris, Westminster, 43-2 ;3.JermaineDavis, Cecilia, 43-0.5. Girls track 100 1. Corinne Knatt, Acadiana Renaissance, 12.62; 2. 2. Teylor Johns,Lafayette Renaissance,12.91; 3. Olivia Clark,12.93. 200 1. Ja’Nia Zenon, Carencro,25.09; 2. Rylii Goodie, Lafayette Renaissance,25.87; 3. Myah Trahan, Midland, 26.00. 400 1. Aaryam Saleh,Teurlings, 57.41; 2. Ja’nia Zenon,Carencro, 57.62; 3. Myah Trahan, Midland, 58.50. 800 1. Abigail Leger, Teurlings,2:20.79; 2. Madalynn Salsman, Highland Baptist 2:26.25; 3. Katelyn Billedeaux,St. Thomas More, 2:28.10. 1,600 1. Bella Biggerstaff, Ascension Episcopal, 5:20.08; 2. AbbyKate Mendoza St. Thomas More, 5:26.12; 3. Mia Cestia, St Thomas More, 5:35.50. 3,200 1. Bella Biggerstaff, Ascension Episcopal, 11:15.43; 2. Madalynn Salsman, Highland Baptist,11:35.09; 3. Cheyenne Earnest,Erath, 11:50.87. 100 hurdles 1. Mary EllenTrahan, Notre Dame,15.12,2.KelseyBomersbach Vermilion Catholic, 15.38; 3. Emma Smith, Delcambre, 15.69. 300H 1. Kynadeh Dorsey,Lafayette, 46.81; 2. Emma Smith, Delcambre, 46.93; 3. KelseyBomersbach,VermilionCatholic, 48.93. 4x100 relay— 1. Acadiana Renaissance 47.98; 2. Lafayette Renaissance50.20; 3. Lafayette High 50.42. 4x200 1. Lafayette High 1:41.59; 2. Carencro 1:45.76; 3. Acadiana Renaissance 1:46.55. 4x400 —1.Teurlings 4:12.61; 2. Kaplan 4:13.62; 3. Carencro 4:14.03. 4x800 1. Teurlings 10:23.41; 2. Iota 10:28.55; 3. Kaplan 10:30.02. Girls field Shot put 1. Kyla Charles, Highland Baptist, 35-0; 2. London Thi,Cecilia,34-3; 3. Charlotte Prevost, NotreDame,33-3. Discus 1. London Thi,Cecilia,114-5; 2. Ashton Lasseigne, Acadiana Renaissance 35-10; 3. Charlotte Prevost, NotreDame, 100-6. Javelin 1. Mary Rose Guidry,Teurlings, 120-3; 2. Kaylee Henry,Church Point, 117-0; 3. London Viator, Teurlings,111-2. Pole vault— 1. Olivia Woods,St. Thomas More, 12-0; 2. ScarlettPetticrew,Lafayette, 11-6; 3. RachelOwens,Acadiana Renaissance,11-4. High jump 1. Emma Smith, Delcambre, 5-10; 2. Chloe Vice,Lafayette,5-2;(tie) ReaceRichard, Kaplan, 5-2. Long jump 1. Treasure Matthews, Acadiana Renaissance, 17-6; 2. Kelis Burgess, Southside, 16-7; 3. BethanyLong, Lafayette, 16-5.5. Triple jump 1. Rylii Goodie,Lafayette Renaissance, 38-0.5; 2. Teyler Johns, Lafayette Renaissance, 37-0; 3. BethanyLong, Lafayette,36-2.

SCOREBOARD

p.m. High Point vs.Wisconsin at Portland, Ore., 1:50 p.m. North Dakota State vs.Michigan State at Buffalo, N.Y.,4:05 p.m. Pennsylvania vs.IllinoisatGreenville,S.C 9:25 p.m. SOUTHWEST Hawai’i vs.Arkansas at Portland, Ore.,4:25 p.m. Idaho vs.Houston at Oklahoma City,10:10 p.m. FARWEST TexasA&M vs.Saint Mary’s at Oklahoma City,7:35 p.m. Kennesaw State vs.Gonzaga at Portland, Ore., 10 p.m. Friday’s games EAST Furman vs.UConn at Philadelphia,10p.m. SOUTH Santa Claravs. Kentucky at St. Louis, 12:15 p.m. Wright State vs.VirginiaatPhiladelphia, 1:50 p.m. Hofstravs. AlabamaatTampa, Fla., 3:15 p.m. Iowa vs.ClemsonatTampa,Fla., 6:50 p.m. Missouri vs.Miami (FL) at St.Louis, 10:10 p.m. MIDWEST Tennessee State vs.IowaState at St. Louis, 2:50 p.m. Queens vs.Purdue at St. Louis, 7:35 p.m. SOUTHWEST Akron vs.Texas Tech at Tampa, Fla., 12:40 p.m.

FARWEST LIU vs.Arizona at San Diego, 1:35 p.m. Utah State vs.Villanova at San Diego, 4:10 p.m. Northern Iowa vs.St. John’s at SanDiego, 7:10 p.m. UCF vs.UCLA at Philadelphia,7:25 p.m. CaliforniaBaptist vs.Kansas at San Diego, 9:45 p.m. Women’s NCAA Tournament Wednesday’s games

SOUTH Richmond vs.NebraskaatDurham, N.C., n SOUTHWEST Stephen F. Austin vs.Missouri State at Austin, Texas, n Thursday,’s games EAST Binghamton at Mercyhurst, 6p.m. Bradley at GeorgeWashington, 6p.m. Drexel at St. Bonaventure, 6p.m. Lehigh at Monmouth, 6p.m. Missouri at Seton Hall, 7p.m. NJIT at Merrimack, 7p.m. Navy at Harvard, 7p.m. St. John’s at Columbia, 7p.m. SOUTH Maryland-Eastern ShoreatWakeForest, 6 p.m. Utah at Eastern Kentucky,6:30 p.m. Georgia Southern at

TCUvs. Ohio State at Greenville, S.C., 12:15 p.m Troy vs.NebraskaatOklahoma City,12:40

PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

TeurlingsCatholic’sKylie Boutte, center,gets ahigh-five fromteammate KennedyLeblanc after aplayagainst St.Thomas More on Tuesday.

Sausage gnocchi soup a one-pot feast

Skip from-scratch ingredientsfor ease

BY GRETCHEN McKAY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)

Gnocchi is ago-to food when you’re in the mood for Italian because it’sfairlyeasy to prepareifyou don’tinsist on making it from scratch and are willing to use frozen or refrigerated versions. Most often the soft and pillowy Italian dumplings made from potato or ricotta are tossed in marinara or Bolognese sauce, pesto or brown butterand sage. But they also can be pan fried or baked in apan with cheese and red sauce for a heartier dinner

Here, miniature gnocchi are added to acreamy sausageand kale soup to create aquick-tothe-table, one-pot meal. Because gnocchi is made with starchy potatoes andflour, theyact as anatural thickener whenadded to hotbroth.They also add agentle chew that,if you’re careful not to overcook them, melts in your mouth

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE/ TNS PHOTO By GRETCHENMcKAy SausageGnocchi Soup

Iused baby kale in thisrecipe, but youcould easilysubstitute spinach, arugula or baby chard. The same goes for the sausage —choose whichever you like best. Iprefer sweet Italian sausage and thenadd spice with red pepper flakes. If the soup seems toothick after you add the gnocchiand greens, thin it with alittle more broth or water.Becareful about adding too much salt before the Parmesan cheese because it also has asaltyflavor

Iserved the soup witha childhood favorite —refrigerated crescent rolls—soI had something to dip in the creamy broth. But any breadsticks or crusty bread would be absolutely delicious, too.

The newspaper is reintroducing its Cookie Contest at the Baker Fair from 2p.m. to 5p.m.April 12 at the Main Library, 7711 Goodwood Blvd., in Baton Rouge The first-place winner will receive a$100 gift card; second place, $75 gift card; and third place,$50 gift card. The winners and their cookies will be featured in The Advocate’s Living section. For details andto enter the contest, go to ebrpl.co/ advocatecookiecontest.

Therewas atimewhen I often ate aSicilian dish called bruccialuna. My grandmother madeitabout once amonth for ourfamily’sSunday dinner,and my mother made it to celebrate something nice that happened during the month.

ForSt. Joseph’s Day, trythislong-lost

It might be abirthday,orgood grades on report card day,or anew client at the family business. And if there was abuffet at alarge family gettogether,therewould be slices of this delicacy on aplatter (on awarming tray).

Iknew it wasserved at Italian restaurants across the city,and even people who were notofItalian heritageknew what it was. But as Igrew older,I watched it begin to disappear likeoyster patties at aparty

Liz Williams TIP OF THE TONGUE

Bruccialuna, known as braciola in Italian, is apounded, stuffed and rolled steak or abutterflied roast. | PHOTO By LIZ WILLIAMS

STAFFFILE PHOTOByMATTHEW PERSCHALL

Chef Michael Gulotta flipsoverthe bruccialuna as it browns while preparing the dish

Bond with in-lawsinthe kitchen

Serves 6. Recipe is from Gretchen McKay,Post-Gazette

4Italian

1tablespoon

Lemon Tarragon

1. Heat adrizzleofolive oil in anonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.Removethe casings from the sausage, crumble it in bite-sized chunks and add to the panalong with dicedonions.

2. Cook,stirringoften, until the onions are softened and the sausage is cooked through, 8-10 minutes

Drain any grease from pan (mine had very little) and add garlic. Cook untilfragrant,about 1minute.

3. Addcornstarch or flour andcookfor about1 minutetoremovethe raw flour taste.

5. Add chicken broth and use aspatula or wooden spoon to scrape up anybits from thebottom of the pan. Slowly stirinlight cream Bringtoaboil, then reduce to asimmer 6. Addsaltand pepper to taste.

7. Add kaleand tortellini and simmer for 3-5 minutes (If your tortellinineeds longer cooking time, add it first, then thekale during thelast 5minutes.)

8. Stir in grated Parmesan.

9. Spoon into warm serving bowls and serve.

4. Addbasil, oregano, fennel, parsley and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.

Snapper

Yields 2servings. Recipe is byLinda Gassenheimer

1/2

1small

3/4 pound snapper fillet about 1/4-inch thick

1. Mix water,1teaspoon oliveoil, lemonzest, tarragon leaves, balsamic vinegar,shallot and garlic together in asmall bowl. Set aside.

2. Preheat broiler and place an oven rack about 5inches fromthe heat. Lineasheetpan with foil. Place snapper fillets on the sheet and brush with the remaining 1teaspoon olive oil.

3. Place the sheet pan with the filets under the broiler so they are about 5inches from the heat. Broil 5minutes. Remove from the oven,cover with foil and let sit2minutes. Ameatthermometershouldread 135 F.

4. Divide fillets betweentwo dinnerplates. Spoon sauce overthem.

NUTRITIONINFOPERSERVING:215calories(29percent from fat), 6.8 gfat (1.2 gsaturated, 2.6 gmonounsaturated), 60 mg cholesterol, 35.0 gprotein, 1.5g carbohydrates, 0.1 gfiber,109 mg sodium.

TO PREPARE THE STUFFING:

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup grated provolone cheese

3cloves garlic, minced

2tablespoons dried oregano

1/2 cup cubes of mortadella

1/4 cup pistachios

1or2raw eggs

Salt and pepper to taste 10 largebasil leaves

2hard-boiled eggs, peeled but left whole

2long carrots, scraped andcut in half lengthwise

8to10strips of mozzarellacheese, cut fromslices

Dear Heloise: Isuggest that Cindy,inBloomfield, Michigan, asks her future mother-in-law for help in learning how to cook. She will get valuable time in the kitchen, and even moreimportantly, she will bond with her future mom-inlaw —Steve H., in Banning,California Tabletstothe rescue

Asparagus and Penne Pasta

Yields 2servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer

1pound asparagus

4ounces penne pasta (about 11/2 cups)

1tablespoon olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Place alargesaucepan threefourths filledwithwater on to boil. Snap off the toughwoody ends (about 2inches) of theasparagus andcut theremaining stems into 2- to 3-inch pieces.

2. Add the penne to the boilingwater Boil 5minutes.Add theasparagus and continue to boil 3minutes. Test penne to make sure they are cooked. Add2 more minutes if needed.

3. Drain into abowl andtoss with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Divide in half and serve withthe snapper NUTRITIONINFOPER SERVING: 316 calories (22 percent from fat), 7.9 gfat (1.2 gsaturated, 3.3 gmonounsaturated), no cholesterol, 12.3 gprotein, 51.6 gcarbohydrates, 6.4 gfiber,8mg sodium.

Bruccialuna

1. Placethe breadcrumbs into alarge bowl.Ifyou buy seasoned breadcrumbs, check the salt level so that you don’toversalt. (I have arecipe for homemade seasonedbreadcrumbs in my book, Nana’s Creole Italian Table.”) To the breadcrumbs, addthe cheeses, garlic andoregano. Mix. Beat one egg in asmall bowl and addto the breadcrumb mixture. Stir thebreadcrumbs together.Ifitseems very dry,beat theother egg and add it to the mixture. Add the mortadella andthe pistachios.Stirwell.

TO PREPARE THE MEAT:

11/2 pounds beef flank steak, or asmallbutterflied beef roast Salt and pepper

2tablespoons oil

1. Place the round steakorflank steak or butterflied roast between 2sheets of plastic wrap. With an empty wine bottle or arolling pin, beat the meat into an even thickness into theshape of arectangle. (Be carefulnot to beat it to the point that the meat breaks down.)

2. Saltand pepper the meat andspreadthe breadcrumb mixture over the meat. Lay the basil leaves over the breadcrumbs. Center the hard-boiled eggsdown the middle of the

BRUCCIALUNA

Continued from page5C

Today,there are afew restaurants where bruccialuna is stillonthe menu or offered as aspecial, but most don’tserve it. And although old-timers may lament its absence, many young people don’teven know what it is. What is bruccialuna?

Bruccialuna, known as braciola in Italian, is a pounded, stuffedand rolled steakorabutterflied roast. It is cooked in aconcentrated tomato sugo and sliced for presentation, jellyrollfashion. Remember,everyone is

1carrot, grated

Grated zest of one lemon

Grated zest of one orange

meat andlay the carrot strips and cheese strips alongeach side.

3. Placethe long side of therectangle paralleltothe edge of the table in front of you. This is edge you will roll up.

4. Usekitchentwine to tie the rollsnugly. Heat theoil in alarge pan and brown the tied meat roll in the hotoil, about4to6 minutes on all sides. Set the pan aside. The roll should be very well browned.

THE SAUCE:

1anchovy filet 2tablespoons tomato paste 1onion, finelychopped 3clovesgarlic, minced 2stalks celery, finely chopped

28 ounces good tomato sauce, homemade is best

1cup red wine

1. In the potwhere youbrowned thebeef roll, mash the anchovy into the hot oil and let theanchovy dissolve. Addthe tomatopaste and letitcaramelize. Keep stirring as it browns,about2minutes.Add theonion and garlic, and cook for 8minutes, stirring occasionally.Add thecelery,carrot and zests. Cook for 3minutes.

2. Add the tomatosauce and redwine. When the mixture is simmering. Stir and addthe browned bruccialuna. Cover acook in theoven for 2hours at 325 F.

3. Remove from the oven. Using tongs, takethe roll from thesauce and remove the string. Allow to rest for 20 minutes

4. Place alayer of sauce on thebottom of aplatter.Cut the roll on acutting board andcarefully line up theslices on top of the sauce. Serve with pasta, abowl of sauce for thetable, and cheese at the table.

Sicilian —oratthe very least Italian —during March. Iencourageyou to make this afamily project, andchildren love to participateinmakingand serving it.

Thekey to making this dish is to make areally good stuffing.Lotsof cheese, really good oliveoil, hard-boiled eggs, carrots, hunks of mortadella studdedwith pistachios, fresh basilleaves, afew pistachios andstripsofcheese. Therecipewill guide you. Butasyou arerolling, keepinmindthat you will be makingslices across the grain,exposingthe beautiful insides, so place your stuffing ingredients artfully It is my hope that people

will readopt the making of bruccialuna, and it will find its place on tables again. If therecipe is too big, or if you want tomake it convenient for agroup, use the stuffing in bruccialutini personal size rolls, cooked in the same way

Perhaps you can make it to celebrate good things that happen every month to help keep it in theCreole Italian canon. Mangia bene!

Liz Williamsisfounder of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum in New Orleans.Listen to “Tip of the Tongue,” Liz’spodcast about food, drink and culture, wherever you hear podcasts. EmailLiz at lizwillia@gmail.com.

Dear Heloise: Several people have written to you to say thatthey have enjoyed printed newspapers for many years but complained about the cost these days. They don’tlike reading the newspaper on their phone or desktop/laptop computer I, too, enjoyed aprinted newspaper and was tired of the escalating cost.

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday, March 19, the78th day of 2026. There are 287 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On March 19, 2003, President George W. Bush announced in atelevised address that coalition forces had begun an invasion of Iraq. (Bush would declare victory just over five weeks later in his “Mission Accomplished” speech, though the main U.S. troop withdrawal would not be completed until 2011.)

Also on this date: In 1931, Nevada Gov Fred B. Balzar signed a measure that made the statethe first to legalize gambling.

In 1945, during World WarII, more than 800 service memberswere killed when aJapanese dive bomber attacked the carrier USS Franklin near Japan.

In 1953, the25th Acade-

The newspaper print on my phone wastoo small, and sitting at my desk to read the paper on my computer just wasn’tcomfortable enough. But Ifinally found the perfect solution: Ipurchased an inexpensive, oldergeneration 10-inch tablet to read the newspaper on. This allowed me to sit curled up on my sofawith ahandheld tablet that wasn’ttoo big or too small and comfortably read the newspaper Tablets can be expensive, but an older-generation one kept the cost down. It also paid foritself in no timewith the savings from the printed newspaper subscription versus a digital-only subscription.

TODAYINHISTORY

my Awards ceremony was the first to be televised; “The Greatest Show on Earth” would winthe Oscar forBest Picture.

In 1965, archaeologist

E. Lee Spence discovered the wreckage of the SS Georgiana, aConfederate ship that had sunk near Charleston, South Carolina, exactly 102 years earlier

In 1966, Texas Western (now the University of Texas at El Paso) became the first team to start five Black players in the NCAA basketball tournament’s championship game; they defeated top-ranked Kentucky in the final, 72-65.

In 1987, televangelist Jim Bakker resigned as chairman of his PTL ministry organization amid asex and money scandal involving Jessica Hahn, aformer church secretary

Hope this works forsome others! —Roma,inNew York Adot will do it

Dear Heloise: Instead of fumbling with the plug to determine which side you need to plug in forfrequently used electronics, paint adab of bright nail polish on the top side of the plug! No more fumbling! Susu, in Houston

Usinganoutside grill

Dear Heloise: Ijustread the letter in your columnabout thewoman who was trying to cook multiple dishesat differenttempsand differenttimes. Isuggest using an outside grill; it can be used as an oven andkeep things warm! —Michele,in Pennsylvania

Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

In 1995, 17 months after announcing his retirement from basketball, Michael Jordan returned to play in the NBAwith his former team,the Chicago Bulls. (He would go on to win three moreNBA championships alongside the three he and the Bulls had already won.)

In 2013, Pope Francis officially began his stewardship of the Catholic Church, greeting tens of thousands of people thronging acelebration outside St. Peter’sBasilica in Rome. The Argentine native and first pope from Latin America vowed to care forthe poor and most disadvantaged, days after his election to the papacy Today’sbirthdays: Actor Ursula Andress is 90. Singer Ruth Pointer (The Pointer Sisters) is 80. Actor Glenn Close is 79. Retired actor Bruce Willis is 71. NFL coach Andy Reid is 68. Actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach is 49. Comedian-podcaster Theo Vonis46. Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin is 44. MLB pitcher Clayton Kershaw is 38. Actor Ajay Friese is 28.

Hints from Heloise

PHOTO By LIZ WILLIAMS

Bruccialuna is cooked in aconcentrated tomatosugoand sliced for presentation, jellyroll-fashion.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Imagination, desire and discipline will carry you forward. Say no to excessive behavior and overspending. Trust your instincts and choose your associates wisely.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Choose health, fitness, exercise and proper diet over inactivity and overindulgence. Change is in your hands; it's up to you to pick a path and reach your goal.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Invest in what makes you happy and explore how to use your skills to advance while doing something you enjoy. Balance helps you blend what's essential with what's rewarding

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Spontaneity will undermine you. Let things unfold naturally and adapt to each scenario as it presents itself. An honest assessment of a problem will help you dodge discord.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Refuse to let others test your patience. Stop worrying about things you have no control over and start living for what brings you joy. A simple rule: Be honest good and kind.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Reach out with a smile and a helping hand, but don't let anyone take advantage of your generosity. Someone you least expect will have hidden feelings for you. Handle with care.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Volunteer, participate in meaningful events and do

your best to make a positive impact. A change in how you use your skills will open doors to things that interest you.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Pay attention to home, family and meaningful relationships. Maintain balance and integrity to avoid criticism and setbacks. An opportunity that comes your way will have a downside attached.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Put your energy into dismantling negativity and forming a team that shares your vision and has the skills to implement your plans. Don't be generous to a fault.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Keep your money and possessions in a safe place, and don't share personal information readily. Keeping up with technology will help you advance.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Problems with communication are apparent. No matter how you proceed, your words and responses will determine how situations unfold and what others expect of you.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) You'll have to maintain a balance between budget and quality. Go back to the drawing board and adjust your projects to fit your schedule and financial plan.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc. dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLuE: o EQuALs M

CeLebrItY CIpher For better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Randy K. Milholland,the creator of several webcomics,said, “Typos are very important to all written form. It gives the reader something to look for so he isn’t distracted by the total lack of content in your writing.”

Howdepressing!ButlastyearIbought acartoonanthologyandwassurprisedto find two typos. Even if they snuck into thenewspapers, why didn’t the cartoonist correct them before including them in his book?

At thebridge table, it is easytobedistracted on defense when one knowsthat partner has made amistake. One petulantlyplaysthecardnearestone’sthumb instead of asking oneselfifthe contract is still beatable.

In this deal, Southwas in four spades. West led the club queen andEast won withhisace,droppingSouth’sking.What happened next?

At trick two,East shifted to hissingletonheart jack. Yes,West should have overtaken with his queen, cashed the heartace, and given his partner aheart ruff to defeat thecontract.

Butthinking thatEast would have asecond heart,Westsignaledwith his 10.

Ticked off, East now led atrump Gratefully, Southdrew trumps anddiscarded his last three hearts on dummy’s diamonds,which fell into his lap after one finesse.

wuzzles

Eastimmediately berated West.But Eastshould havepaused to askhimself iftherewasanythinghecouldhavedone. Then he wouldhave noticed that leadingadiamondattrick threewould have defeated thecontract, cuttingdeclarer offfromthedummybeforehehasdrawn trumps. Keep your eyeonthe cards

©2026 by NEA, Inc., dist.ByAndrews

McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previousanswers:

game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or moreletters. 2. Words that acquire four lettersbythe additionof“s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3 Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns,slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed toDAy’s WoRD cAstER: KASS-ter: Anyofa set of wheels used forthe movementoffurniture, etc.

Average mark 24 words

Timelimit 35 minutes

yEstERDAy’sWoRD —HEREuPon

Can youfind 31 or more wordsinCASTER? here hero hereon hoer

thought

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Wholesale prices rose by 3.4% last month

WASHINGTON U.S wholesale prices came in hotter than expectedinFebruary,drivenpartly by a sharp increase in food costs.

The Labor Department reported Wednesday that its producer price index — which measures inflation before it hits consumers rose 0.7% from January, and 3.4% from February 2025. The year-over-year increase was the most since February 2025.

The price gains were bigger than economists had forecast, and they occurred before the U.S. and Israel attack on Iran pushed energy prices sharply higher Oil prices have surged nearly 50% since the Iran war began, and gasoline prices are following close behind.

The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. spiked again overnight, reaching $3.84. A gallon of gas last month, before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, was well under $3 Diesel prices, used heavily in transportation, are rising even faster

Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core wholesale prices rose 0.5% from January down from a 0.8% gain the month before but more than twice what economists had expected. Compared with a year earlier, core prices rose 3.9%, the biggest jump since January 2025.

Food prices rose 2.4% from January led by a 49% surge in vegetable prices and a 10% increase in fruit prices

Trade group forecasts

4.4% gain in retail sales

NEWYORK The National Retail Federation, the nation’s largest retail trade group, is forecasting annual retail sales will grow at a faster clip this year than last year, citing consumers’ resilience despite lots of economic volatility

But the group said Wednesday that the repercussions of the Iran war on consumer spending are too uncertain to incorporate into its outlook

The National Retail Federation expects retail sales should rise this year by 4.4% over 2025 to $5.6 trillion, based on a new model developed in partnership with Oxford Economics, an independenteconomicadvisoryfirm.

In 2025, retail sales increased by 3.9% compared with the previous year, the group said.

The 2026 sales forecast exceeds the 3.6% average annual sales growth over the past 10 years, excluding the pandemic period from 2020 to 2022 when sales growth was outsized.

The forecast excludes sales from auto dealers, gas stations and restaurants.

Regulators seek $2.6M for factory explosion

HARRISBURG,Pa.— Pennsylvania regulators asked an administrative law judge on Wednesday to make a gas utility pay

$2.6 million in civil penalties for a chocolate factory explosion three years ago that killed seven workers and sent flames shooting into the air

The Public Utility Commission

filed a formal complaint against the UGI Utilities Inc. gas division, alleging the company’s distribution facilities serving the R.M Palmer Company in West Reading violated state and federal standards and regulations.

The commission says the deadly March 2023 explosion and fire destroyed one factory building and a nearby apartment building, causing about $42 million in property damage Ten people were injured, including four who were seriously hurt, the commission said.

UGI issued a statement Wednesday that called the explosion a heartbreaking tragedy and expressed sympathy for the victims’ families, people in West Reading and others who were affected

The National Transportation Safety Board had previously concluded the plant lacked natural gas emergency procedures in place that could have resulted in an immediate evacuation.

THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business

Stocks slump as interest steadies

Inflation pressures deepened before war

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK U.S. stocks slumped Wednesday after a report said inflation was primed to worsen even before the war with Iran caused oil prices to spike. That and comments from the head of the Federal Reserve pushed Wall Street to see less chance of getting the lower interest rates that it loves.

The S&P 500 fell 1.4% and flipped to a loss for the week so far

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 768 points, or 1.6%, and the Nasdaq composite slid 1.5%.

The losses deepened after the Fed decided to keep its main interest rate steady instead of resuming cuts meant to give the job market and economy a boost. Fed officials are still penciling in one more cut by the end of 2026, but Chair Jerome Powell suggested those projections may be worth less than usual because of how much more uncertainty exists about inflation and the economy For oil, the price for a barrel of Brent crude has jumped from roughly $70 before the war to

$107.38 on Wednesday up 3.8% from the day before. The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude got to nearly $99 before settling at $96.32. If the disruptions keep oil and gas prices high for long, they could create a debilitating wave of inflation for the global economy A report released Wednesday morning showed inflation pressures were already building before the war began It said inflation at the U.S. wholesale level unexpectedly accelerated last month to 3.4%.

Such numbers were likely factors in keeping the Fed on hold Wednesday A cut to rates would give the

economy and investment prices a boost, and Trump has been angrily calling for them. But lower interest rates would also worsen inflation. On Wall Street, Macy’s jumped 4.7% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. But General Mills fell 3% after the company behind the Pillsbury, Progresso and Wheaties brands reported a weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. All told, the S&P 500 fell 91.39 points to 6,624.70. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 768.11 to 46,225.15, and the Nasdaq composite sank 327.11 to 22,152.42.

Federal Reserve leaves short-term rates unchanged, projects one cut

Powell vows to stay on until DOJ investigation is finished

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON Federal Reserve officials expect the Iran war will worsen inflation this year while having little impact on economic growth, but they still expect to cut their key rate once in 2026. For now, Fed policymakers left short-term interest rates unchanged Wednesday for the second straight meeting at about 3.6%. In a statement, the central bank said that the “implications of developments in the Middle East for the U.S economy are uncertain.”

Still, by keeping their forecast for a rate cut this year and next — the same projections that they made in December — central bank policymakers appear to expect the gas price spike from the Iran war to have a largely temporary effect on inflation and the economy Policymakers also foresee unemployment remaining unchanged by the end of this year, a more optimistic outlook than most outside economists.

Whether that turns out to be true will largely depend on the length of the conflict in the Middle East. The officials expect inflation to fall back to 2.2% in 2027 and hit the Fed’s 2% target in 2028.

Speaking to reporters after the rate decision was announced, Fed Chair Jerome Powell maintained a largely optimistic outlook, pointing out that in recent years the economy has been hit with numerous shocks tariffs, the Fed’s own rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, the aftermath of the pandemic and has avoided recession all along.

“The U.S. economy has been doing really well through a lot of challenges,” Powell said. “It’s been amazing to see.”

Powell did clarify a key question about the Fed’s future: He said he has “no intention” of leaving the central bank until an investigation into his congressional testimony about the Fed’s building renovation is dropped. Last Friday, a judge threw out a pair of subpoenas that the Justice Department had issued to the Fed, dealing a blow to the investigation. But U.S. Attorney Jeannine Pirro has said she will appeal the ruling.

Powell’s term as Fed chair is scheduled to end on May 15 and President Donald Trump has nominated a former top Fed official, Kevin Warsh, as his replacement. Warsh’s nomination has been delayed in the Senate because key Republican senators are opposed to the DOJ probe.

After the investigation is resolved and even after Warsh is confirmed, Powell could elect to stay on the board to finish his term as a Fed governor, which lasts until January 2028. But he told reporters he had not yet made that decision.

With the economy’s future so uncertain, Powell underscored that any further cuts to rates this year were hardly locked in.

“The rate forecast is conditional on the performance of the economy, so if we don’t see that progress then you won’t see the rate cut,” he said.

In the Fed’s quarterly economic projections, also released Wednesday, officials only modestly raised their forecasts for inflation, and now expect it will end this year at 2.7%, up from their December forecast but slightly below the 2.8% it reached in January They expect core inflation, which excludes the volatile food and energy categories, to also finish the year at 2.7%.

Fed officials slightly boosted their outlook for growth this year and expected unemployment to stay unchanged at 4.4%.

Tim Duy, chief economist at SGH Macro, said the forecasts were essentially “stale” as policymakers avoided fully taking into account the impacts of the Iran war on the economy

The Fed considers core prices a better measure of longer-run inflation. Consumer prices will spike higher in the coming months as gas prices have soared, but those increases could unwind by the end of the year, particularly if the conflict ends soon.

One Fed official, governor Stephen Miran, dissented in favor of a quarter-point cut. Miran was appointed by President Donald Trump last September

On Wall Street, losses for stocks deepened after the Fed’s decision. The S&P 500 fell 1.4% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 768 points, or 1.6%.

Gas prices jumped Wednesday to a nationwide average of $3.84 a gallon, according to AAA, up 92 cents from a month ago. The increase will push inflation much higher in March, but core inflation, since it excludes

gas, could be much less affected.

Typically, the Fed would look past a supply shock like the disruption in oil supplies from the Middle East and its impact on inflation. Once it ends, any inflation it produces may fall back, without the Fed having to raise rates As a result, the Fed could leave rates unchanged or even cut them to boost weak hiring.

Yet as the economy emerged from the pandemic in 2021, inflation jumped as Americans sharply raised their spending, aided by stimulus checks and pandemic-era savings. Powell initially said that inflation would be “transitory” and would fade as the economy returned to normal. Instead it spiked to a four-decade high in June 2022. With inflation still elevated, many Fed officials are wary of repeating the mistake.

This week’s meeting will be Powell’s second-to-last, unless Warsh isn’t confirmed by May 15, at which point Powell could remain chair of the Fed’s rate-setting committee until a replacement is named.

Even before the Iran war, problems had cropped up in both the inflation and jobs data, putting the Fed in a tight spot. Prices rose more quickly in January than in recent months, according to the Fed’s preferred measure, with inflation excluding food and energy reaching 3.1% compared with a year earlier That is little changed from where it was two years ago, a sign that prices are still rising at a stubbornly elevated pace Yet hiring has also stumbled. Businesses and other employers shed 92,000 jobs in February, the government reported earlier this month, an unexpectedly weak showing that followed an encouraging gain of 130,000 in January The unemployment rate ticked higher to a still-low 4.4% from 4.3%.

U.S. eases Venezuela oil sanctions as Trump seeks to boost supply

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN and REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press

WASHINGTON U.S. companies will be allowed to do business with Venezuela’s state-owned oil and gas company after the Treasury Department eased sanctions, with some limitations, on Wednesday as the Trump administration looks for ways to boost global oil supplies during the Iran war The Treasury issued a broad authorization allowing Petróleos de Venezuela S.A., or PDVSA, to directly sell Venezuelan oil to U.S. companies and on global markets a massive shift after Washington for years had largely blocked dealings with Venezuela’s government and its oil sector Separately, the White House said President Donald Trump would waive, for 60 days, Jones Act requirements for goods shipped between U.S. ports to be

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MANUEL BALCE CENETA Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference on Wednesday in Washington. Powell said he has ‘no intention’ of leaving the central bank until an investigation into his congressional testimony about the Fed’s building renovation is dropped.