The Advocate 03-21-2026 by The Advocate

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JOHNSON

LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson, center,celebrates withthe benchafter Bella Hines,right,hit a three-pointeragainst Jacksonville in the fourth period of Friday’s first-round NCAA tournament game at the Pete Maravich AssemblyCenter.Johnson had 20 points and MikaylahWilliams had 18 points and 10 assists as the Tigers cruised to an easy116-58 win over the Dolphins. Jada Richard scored 17 points and had four steals, and ZaKiyah Johnson added 16 points for the Tigers,who had sevenplayers score at least 10 points ä COMPLETE COVERAGE IN SPORTS,1C.

Treespushing pollen levels into high range

peak of aheavy pollination season, driven largelyby Louisiana’s liveoaks.

Headed down Interstate 55 near Baton Rouge, Edward Bush drove througha swirling cloud of haze last weekend.

“It looked like afog,” Bush said. “Like agreenish-yellow dust storm.”

But Bush, ahorticulture professor of 39 years with theLSU AgCenter,recognized it for what it was: the

“It’sjust nature doing what it does,” he said Pollenlevels in south Louisiana areclimbinginto the high range this month, driven largely by tree pollen from oak, cedar andother early bloomers.

Forecasters currently rate tree pollen in NewOrleans

ä See POLLEN, page 5A

La.could extend time for juvenile trials

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Abill in the Louisiana Legislature woulddramaticallyincreasethe time ofﬁcials can keep juveniles in jail before their trials. The proposed changes would overhaul juvenile court procedures by extending the length of timeprosecutors have to try juvenile cases,pausing thosetimelines when defense attorneys ﬁlepretrial motions andallowing prosecutors to receive extensions after cases pass their adjudication deadlines.

Currently,the Louisiana Children’s Code— aset of rulesthat governs juvenile court proceedings —isdesigned to movejuveniles through the court system much morequickly than adults, who can sit in jail for years before they are convicted.

State Rep. Vincent Cox, R-Gretna, ﬁled House Bill 140 at the behest of theJefferson Parish District Attorney’sOfﬁce, and prosecutors across the state have thrown their support behind it. Proponents argue the court system’s current deadlines do notgrant enoughtime to gather evidence, and that youth already have ample opportunities forrelease at the beginning of their cases.

ä See TRIALS, page 5A

concerning eight parks.

In aletter released Friday,Chair Michael Polito said the plans were objective, data-driven and that park sales are planned across many Baton Rouge council districts.

BY CHRISTOPHERCARTWRIGHT Staff writer

The chair of the BREC Commission released aletter outlining the organization’splans to sell some parks across the parish, following aheated meeting earlier this week

“Let me be clear: this effort is not new,not political, and not targeted,” he wrote.“It is acontinuation of amulti-year,data-driven initiative —undertaken at the

See BREC, page 4A

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Liveoaks driveLouisiana’sheavy pollination season.

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

2 killed in U.S. attack on alleged drug boat

WASHINGTON AU.S. military attack on an alleged drugsmuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean has left one survivor and two people dead, U.S. officials said Friday,as the Trump administration pursues itscampaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America.

U.S. SouthernCommand said in apost on Xthat it immediately notiﬁedthe U.S. CoastGuard to activate asearch for three people who survived the strike. The Coast Guard saidin astatement that one of its ships recovered two dead bodies and one survivor,and transferred them to the Costa Rican Coast Guard

The latest attack brings the number of people who’ve been killed in boat strikes by the U.S. military to at least 159 sincethe Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in early September

As with most of the military’s statementsonthe morethan40 known strikesinthe eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, U.S. Southern Command said it targeted alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The militarydid notprovide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. It posted a video on Xthat showed avessel erupting into flames as it cruised through the water

Judge sides with Times in Pentagon access suit

WASHINGTON Afederaljudge agreed Friday to block the Trump administration from enforcing apolicy limiting news reporters’ access to thePentagon, agreeing with TheNew York Times that key portionsof the new rules are unlawful.

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman in Washington, D.C., sided with the newspaper andruled that the Pentagon policy illegally restricts the press credentials of reporters who walked out of the building rather than agree to the new rules.

The Times sued the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in December,claiming thecredentialing policy violates thejournalists’ constitutional rights to free speech and due process. The current Pentagon press corpsiscomprisedmostly of conservativeoutletsthat agreed to the policy.Reporters from outlets that refused to consent to the new rules, including from The Associated Press, have continued reporting on the military Friedman, who was nominated to thebench by Democratic President Bill Clinton, said the policy “fails to provide fair noticeofwhat routine, lawful journalistic practices will result in the denial, suspension,or revocation” of Pentagon press credentials. He ruled thatitviolatesthe First and Fifth Amendment rights to free speech and due process. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to arequest for commentonthe ruling.

Ex-pro wrestler Ted DiBiase Jr.acquitted JACKSON, Miss. Aformer professional wrestleraccused of misspending millions of welfare dollars in part of Mississippi’slargest public corruption scandalwas found not guiltyby ajury on Friday

Ted“Teddy” DiBiase Jr.was facing 13 charges related to conspiracy,wire fraud, theft andmoney laundering. Afederal indictment accuses DiBiase of fraudulentlyobtaining millions of federal welfare dollarsand using the money for his own personal gain, including the purchase of avehicle, boat and home down payment.

DiBiase’slawyers werenot immediately available for comment when contactedbyThe Associated Press.

DiBiase, aWWE wrestler in the 2000s and 2010s, is the only person charged in the scandalto face trial.

The welfare scandal came to light in 2020 when the former director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, John Davis, was indicted on fraudand embezzlement charges alongside several others,includingTed DiBiase Jr.’s brother former pro-wrestler Brett DiBiase.

Iran threatensworld tourismsites

U.S. sendsmore MarinestoMiddle East as Trumphints at wind-down

BY JONGAMBRELL, SAMMEDNICK and JULIE WATSON Associated Press

DUBAI, United ArabEmirates Three weeksinto an escalating war in the Middle East, Iranthreatenedto expand itsretaliatory attackstoinclude recreational andtourist sites worldwide, as the U.S. announced it was sending more warships and Marines to the region

Following news of the deployments, President Donald Trump said later Friday on social media thathis administration in fact was considering “winding down” military operations in theregion.

the overthrow of the government. Khameneihas notbeen seen in public since he became supreme leader following Israeli strikes that killed his father,Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and reportedly wounded him.Airstrikes have also killed thehead of itsSupreme National Security Council and araft of other top-ranking ofﬁcials. Iran’s top militaryspokesperson, Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, warned that “parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations” worldwide will notbesafefor thecountry’s enemies. The threat renewed concerns thatTehranmay revert to using militant attacks beyond the Middle East as apressure tactic. Brent crudeoil, the international standard, has soared during the ﬁghting andwas around $108 per barrel,upfromroughly $70before the war

CO IN T MI EAST NFLICT HE DDLE AS

The mixedmessages came after another climb in oil prices plunged the U.S. stock market, and was followed by aTrump administration announcement that it will lift sanctions on Iranian oil loadedonships,a move aimedat wranglingsoaringfuelprices.

Thewar,meanwhile, has shown no signs ofabating Israel said Iran ﬁred amissile at it earlySaturday,while Saudi Arabia said it downed 20 drones in just acouple of hours in the country’seastern region, which is home to major oil installations. Thedefense ministrysaid there were no injuries or damage

Theattackscame aday after Israeliairstrikeshit in Tehran as Iranians celebrated the Persian New Year,known as Nowruz, a normally festive holiday Iran has escalated attacks on itsGulf neighbors sinceIsrael bombedits massiveSouth Pars offshore natural gas ﬁeld, while keepinga stranglehold on shippingin theStrait of Hormuz, astrategic waterway throughwhich aﬁfth of the world’soil and other critical goods are transported. With little information coming outofIran, it was notclear how

much damage itsarms, nuclear or energy facilities have sustained in thepunishing U.S. and Israeli strikes,which began Feb. 28 —or even who was truly in charge of the country. But Iran’sattacksare still choking off oilsupplies andraising foodand fuel pricesfar beyond the Middle East

The U.S. and Israel have offered shifting rationales for the war, from hopingtofomentanuprisingthattopples Iran’sleadership to eliminating its nuclear and missile programs. There have been no public signsofany such uprising and no end to the war in sight.

In hissocialmedia post,the president said, “Weare getting very close to meeting ourobjectives as we consider winding down our great Militaryefforts in the Middle East.”

Thatseemed at odds with his administration’s move to bolster its firepower in the region and request another $200 billion from Congress to fund thewar

The U.S. is deploying three more amphibious assault ships and roughly 2,500 additionalMarines to theMiddle East,anofficial told The Associated Press.Two other U.S. officials confirmed thatships

were deploying, without saying where they were headed. All three spokeonconditionofanonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.

Daysearlier the U.S. redirected another group of amphibious assault shipscarrying another2,500 Marines from the Pacific to the Middle East. The Marines will join more than 50,000 U.S. troops already in theregion.

Trump has said he has no plans to send ground forces into Iran but also has asserted that he retains all options.

Gen. Ali Mohammad Naeini, a spokesperson for Iran’sparamilitary Revolutionary Guard, was quotedbyastate-run newspaper Fridayassaying Iran continues to manufacture missiles despite Israel’sclaim that it destroyed Iran’s production capabilities. Iranian state television later said Naeini was killed in an airstrike. Supreme Leader AyatollahMojtaba Khamenei praisedIranians’ steadfastness in the face of warin awritten statement read on Iranian television to markNowruz. He said the U.S. and Israeli attacks were based on an illusion that killing Iran’stop leaders could cause

The newly announced U.S. pause in sanctions appliestoIranian oil loaded on ships as of Fridayand is set to end April 19. The license has limits including arestriction on sales involving anyone in North Korea or Cuba.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessentpreviously suggested it as a way to prevent China from being the sole beneﬁciary of Iranian oil. The new movedoes not increase the ﬂow of production, acentral factor in thesurging prices.Iran has managed to evade U.S. sanctions foryears, suggesting that much of what it exports already reaches buyers.

Looking forways to boost global oilsuppliesduring the Iranwar, the Trumpadministration has previously pausedsanctions on certain Russianoil shipments for30 days, which critics said rewarded Moscow while having only amodest effect on markets.

More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran duringthe war. Israeli strikes targeting Iran-backed Hezbollahmilitants in Lebanonhave displaced more than 1million people, according to the Lebanese government, which says more than 1,000 people have been killed. In Israel, 15 people have been killed by Iranian missiles and four others have died in the occupied West Bank. At least13U.S.military members have been killed.

DEAnames Colombianpresident ‘prioritytarget’

U.S. prosecutors probetiesto drug traffickers

BY JIM MUSTIAN, JOSHUA GOODMAN and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

NEWYORK— Colombian President Gustavo Petro has beendesignated a “priority target” by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as federal prosecutorsinNew York probe his allegedties to drug trafﬁckers, according to people familiarwith the matter andrecords seen by The Associated Press. DEA recordsshowPetro has surfaced in multiple investigations dating to 2022, many basedoninterviews

withconfidential informants. The alleged crimes the DEAhas investigated includehis possible dealings with Mexico’sSinaloa cartel and ascheme to leveragehis “total peace” plan to benefit prominent traffickers who con tr ibutedtohis presidentialcampaign. The records also suggest the use of law enforcement to smuggle cocaine and fentanyl through Colombian ports.

The“priority target” label is reserved for suspectsDEA deemstohave a“significant impact” on the drug trade.

Petrodenied all ties to drug trafﬁckers and maintained he never accepted their funds during hiscampaign. Writing on XFriday, he arguedthatU.S.legal proceedings wouldultimately dismantle accusations fromthe Colombian far right, agroup he claims is actually the oneinvolved withtrafﬁckers.

Colombia’sEmbassy in Washington downplayed what it called “unveriﬁed” and anonymousreports of preliminarylaw enforcement investigations againstPetro.

“The reported insinuationshave no legal or factual basis,”the embassy said in astatement.

In recent months, prosecutorsinBrooklyn and Manhattan have been questioning drug traffickers

Over 5.5K told to evacuate flooding as officialswarndam couldfail

BY JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press

HONOLULU Muddy floodwaters from severe rains inundated streets, pushed homes offtheir foundations, swallowed vehicles and prompted evacuation orders for thousands of residents in towns north of HonoluluonFridayas officials warned of the possible failure of a120-yearolddam Emergency sirens blared along Oahu’sNorth Shore, where rising waters damaged homes in acommunity world-renowned for its surfing. Honolulu officials told residents Friday morning to leave the area downstream of Wahiawa dam —longknown to be

vulnerable —saying it was “atriskofimminent failure.” There were no immediatereports of deaths or injuries, but some homes had been sweptaway,said Ian Scheuring, aspokespersonfor Honolulu.

Crew searched by air and by water for people who had been stranded —efforts that were hampered by people flying personal drones to get images of the flooding, he said. Dozens —ifnot hundreds —ofhomes had been damaged but officials have not been able to fully assess the destruction,Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi saidinanafternoon

news conference. Some 5,500 people were under evacuation orders

“There’s no question that the damage done thus far has been catastrophic,” he said.

Blangiardi saidofﬁcials felt conﬁdent in thestability of the dams on the island, butthatitwas hard to predict howmuchrain would comeand what it might do.

The National Guard and Honolulu FireDepartment airlifted 72 children and adults who had been attending aspring break youth campataretreat on Oahu’s west coast called Our Lady of Kea’au, according to city and camp officials. The campisonhigh ground but authoritiesdidn’twantto leave them there, the mayor said.

abouttheir ties to Petroand speciﬁcally about allegations theColombianpresident’s representatives solicited bribes to block their extradition to the United States, according to oneofthe people

whoweren’tauthorized to discuss the ongoing inquiry and spoke on condition of anonymity. Theperson saidit wasn’tclear whether federal prosecutors have implicated Petro in anycrime.

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Acleric beats his chest as he mourns FridayinTehran, Iran, during the funeral procession of Iran’sintelligence minister Esmail Khatiband, according to Iranianofficials, his wifeand daughter

Martialartsmaster, actorChuck Norris dies at 86

BY JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press

Chuck Norris, the martial arts grandmaster and action star whose roles in “Walker, Texas Ranger” and other television shows and movies made him an iconic tough guy —sparking internet parodies and adoration from presidents —has died at 86. Norris died Thursday,in what his family described as a“sudden passing.”

“While we wouldliketo keep thecircumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace,” the family said in astatement postedto social media.

accordingtohis

as sparring partners —led to an iconic faceoff in the 1972 movie “Return of the Dragon,” in which Lee ﬁghts and kills Norris’ character in Rome’sColosseum

He went on to act in more than 20 movies, such as “Missing in Action,” “The Delta Force” and “Sidekicks.”

“I wanted to project acertain image on thescreen of a hero. Ihad seen alot of antihero movies in whichthe lead was neithergood nor bad. There was no one to root for,” Norris said in 1982.

In 1993, he took on his mostfamed role, as acrimefighting lawman in TV’s “Walker, TexasRanger.”

casion had taken acting roles in recent years, including 2012’s“The Expendables 2” and the 2024 sci-ﬁ action movie “Agent Recon.” He’s due to appear in “Zombie Plane,”anupcomingfilm starring Vanilla Ice.

It wasaround the time of “Dodgeball” that his toughmanimage became the stuff of legend, literally:“Chuck Norris Facts” went viral online with such wildly hyperbolic statements as, “Chuck Norris had astaring contest with thesun —and won,” and, “They wanted to put ChuckNorrisonMt. Rushmore, but the granite wasn’t tough enough for his beard.”

That book raised money for anonprofit he founded with PresidentGeorgeH.W Bush that promoted martial arts instruction for kids. The intentionally outlandish statements featured in the 2008 Republican presidential primary,when Norris endorsedArkansasGov Mike Huckabee and shot an ad playing on the “Chuck Norris facts.”

“Chuck Norris doesn’tendorse. He tells America how it’sgoing to be,” Huckabee said in the campaign ad.

“I wentout forgymnastics and football at North Torrance high,” he told The Associated Press in1982. “I played some football, but I also spent alot of timeonthe bench. Iwas never really athletic until Iwas in theservice in Korea.”

Afterhewas honorably dischargedin1962, he worked

Before he wouldbecome astar in movies and on TV, Norris was wildly successful in competitive martial arts. He was asix-time undefeated World Professional Middleweight Karate champion. He also founded his own Korean-based American hard style of karate, known sometimes as Chun Kuk Do, and the United Fighting Arts Federation, which has awarded more than 3,300 Chuck Norris System black belts worldwide. Black Belt magazine ultimately credited Norris in its halloffame with holding a10th degree black belt, the highest possible honor Born Carlos Ray Norris in Ryan, Oklahoma, on March 10, 1940, he grew up poor At age12, hemoved with his family to Torrance, California, and joined the U.S AirForce after high school, in 1958. It was during adeployment to Koreathathe started training in martial arts, including judo and Tang SooDo.

as afile clerk for Northrop Aircraftand appliedtobe apoliceofficer,but was put on awaitlist. Meanwhile, he opened amartial arts studio which expanded to achain, withstudentsincluding such stars as BobBarker,Priscilla Presley,Donny andMarie Osmond, andSteve McQueen, whom he later credited with encouraging him to get into acting. Norris made his film debut as an uncredited bodyguard in the 1968 movie“The Wrecking Crew,” which includeda fight with Dean Martin. He had also crossed paths withBruceLee in martial arts circles. Their friendship —sometimes,

HarvardUniversitysued by Trumpadministration

BY MORIAH BALINGIT and MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press

WASHINGTON— The Justice Department filed anew lawsuit Friday against Harvard University,sayingits leadership failed to address antisemitism on campus, creating grounds for the government to freeze existing grants and seek repayment for grants already paid.

The lawsuit, ﬁled in federal court in Massachusetts,is another salvo in aprotracted battle between the administration of President Donald Trump and the elite university “The United States cannot and will not tolerate these failures,” the Justice Department wrote in the lawsuit. It asked the court to compel Harvard to comply with federal civil rights law and to help it “recoverbillionsof dollars of taxpayer subsidies

BYKEVIN FREKING Associated Press

WASHINGTON Abill to fund the Department of Homeland Security failed to advance Friday in the Senate amid growing concerns about long lines to get through screening at some of the country’s biggest airports. Democrats declined to provide thesupportneeded to move the fundingmeasure toward final passage. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer,D-N.Y., said he wouldofferanalternative measure Saturday to fund just the Transportation Security Administration, which screens passengers andluggage forhazardous items. That too is likelyto fail as lawmakers holda rare weekend session. Behind the scenes, work

awarded to adiscriminatory institution.”

The lawsuit also asks a judge to require Harvardto call police to arrest protesters blocking parts of campus and to appoint an independent monitor, approvedby the government, to ensure the university complieswith courtorders.

In astatement, Harvard said it “cares deeplyabout members of our Jewish and Israeli community and remainscommitted to ensuring they are embraced, respected,and can thriveon ourcampus.”

“Our actions illustrate this,”the universitysaid. “Harvard has taken substantive,proactive stepsto address the root causesof antisemitismand actively enforces anti-harassment and anti-discrimination rules andpoliciesoncampus Harvard’seffortsdemonstratethe very oppositeof

toward resolving the standoff intensified Friday as White House border czar TomHoman was set to meet for the second consecutive day with abipartisan group of senators. Democrats are demanding changestoimmigration enforcement practices by federal agentsfollowing the shooting deathsof Alex Prettiand Renee Good in Minneapolis SenateMajority Leader John Thune,R-S.D., said that he sees “deal space” coming outofthe discussionswith the White House. But he also questionedwhetherDemocrats were seriousabout reaching any agreement that wouldprovidemore money forImmigrationand Customs Enforcement.

“This is apox on everybody’shouse,”Thune said. “You’ve gotpeople standing

deliberate indifference.”

In apair of lawsuits ﬁled lastyear by theuniversity, Harvardhas said it’s beingillegally penalized for refusing to adopt the administration’s views. Afederal judge sided with HarvardinSeptember, reversing the funding cuts and calling the antisemitism argument a“smokescreen.”

The government’snew lawsuit comes after negotiationsappear to have bogged down in theyearlong battle, which hastested the boundariesofthe government’s authority over America’s universities. Whatbegan as an investigation into allegations of campus antisemitism escalated into an all-out feud. The Trumpadministrationslashed more than $2.6 billion in Harvard’sresearch funding, ended federal contracts and attempted to block Harvard fromhosting international students.

in lines at theairports. This needs to be fixed. It needs to getresolvedand there are good-faith efforts being made finally on all the relevant issues.

On the Senate floor, Schumersaidheagreedthat TSA needs to be reopened as quickly as possible —but not underthe terms Republicans are offering, which is to fund theentire Homeland Securitydepartment. Democrats arelooking to fund TSA while continuing negotiationsonImmigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Tomorrow,America will see thematter crystal clear: which senators want to open up TSA,pay TSA workers, andend the chaos at our airports,and which senatorsare going to block TSA funding yet again,” Schumer said.

The showran for nine seasons, and in 2010, then-Gov Rick Perry awarded him thetitle of honorary Texas Ranger.The TexasSenate later namedhim an honorary Texan.

“It’snot violence for violence’ssake, with no moral structure,”Norris told the AP in 1996, speaking about the show. “You trytoportray thepropermeaning of what it’sabout —ﬁghting injustice withjustice, good vs.bad …It’sentertaining for the whole family.”

Norris alsomadeasurprise comedicappearance as adecisive judge in the ﬁnalmatch of the2004 movie “Dodgeball.”Heonly on oc-

Norris ultimately embraced theabsurdityofthe meme craze, putting together“The Ofﬁcial Chuck Norris Fact Book,” which combined his favorites with supposedly true stories and the codes he aimed to live by He wouldalsowritebooks on martial arts instruction, a memoir,political takes, Civil War-era historical ﬁction and more.

“Tosome whoknow little of my martial arts or film careers but perhaps grew up with ‘Walker,Texas Ranger,’ it seems that Ihave become asomewhat mythical superhero icon,” Norris wrote in the forward to the “Fact Book.” “I am flattered and humbled.”

President Donald Trump’s supporters laterpromoted “Trump Facts”inthe same vein, andpolitical pundits tried it as well, describing the commander-in-chief’s decision to seize Venezuela’s sitting president, Nicolás Maduro, as a“Chuck Norris Moment,” and its initial effect on oil prices a“Chuck Norris Premium.” Norris was outspoken about hisChristian beliefs and his support for gun rights, and backed political candidates for years —he even wentsky diving with Bush forthe formerpresident’s80th birthday.Asfor Trump, Norris endorsed him in the 2016 generalelection and wrote guest columns praising him withoutexplicitly endorsing him in the days before the 2020 and 2024 elections.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JORDAN STRAUSS Martial artsgrandmaster and action star ChuckNorris has died at 86,

family

Ukraine using drone expertise to help ﬁve countries

BY HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine Ukrainian ofﬁcials are helping ﬁve countries in the Middle East and Gulf region counter attacks on their territory by Iranian drones, while the United States and European countries are among others who have requested support, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday Ukraine is also looking into whether it can have a role in restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war, he said. Ukraine has become one of the world’s leading producers of cutting-edge, battle-tested drone

BREC

Continued from page 1A

direct direction of voters through their approval of Imagine Your Parks 3 — to responsibly manage public assets for the beneﬁt of all residents of East Baton Rouge Parish.”

The letter follows Tuesday’s meeting of BREC’s Planning and Park Resources Advisory Committee, which saw local elected ofﬁcials object to plans to sell eight parks in north Baton Rouge. While the parks currently under consideration for sale are in the northern part of the parish, there are plans to sell more in other areas, Polito said. The sale is part of a wider plan to reduce BREC’s inventory, with ofﬁcials saying it will help prioritize resources in parks that are used more.

According to Polito, BREC is considering more than 50 parks spanning the districts for Metro Council members Brandon Noel, Anthony Kenney, Aaron Moak, Darryl Hurst, Cleve Dunn Jr., Twahna P. Harris, Dwight Hudson and Carolyn Coleman. These districts encompass the entire region above Florida Boulevard, including north Baton Rouge and the cities of Central, Baker and Zachary However they also include parts of downtown, Mid City and the western portion of the city of St George.

interceptors that are cheap and effective. They play a key part in its defense against Russia’s more than 4-year-old full-scale invasion.

“Our teams are already working with ﬁve countries on countering (Iran’s) ‘Shahed’ drones — we have provided expert assessments and are helping build a defense system,” Zelenskyy said on X.

Iran is an ally in Russia’s invasion. Tehran signed a broad cooperation pact with Moscow last year

Zelenskyy has previously said he hoped to provide expertise to Arab Gulf countries targeted by Iranian Shahed drones, versions

of which are heavily used by Moscow’s invading forces, in exchange for advanced air defense missiles that Ukraine needs to counter devastating Russian aerial attacks. Kyiv fears it will get fewer of the sophisticated missiles it needs to fend off the Russian strikes as the Iran war burns through stockpiles.

Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council who led a delegation to the Middle East and Gulf this week, said that Ukraine has deployed interceptor units there to help protect civilian and critical infrastructure and is working to expand that protection.

He said on the Telegram messaging app that Ukrainian military specialists are operating in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar Kuwait and Jordan. Ukraine is assessing further steps for long-term security cooperation with each of those countries, Umerov said.

Zelenskyy said in audio messages sent via WhatsApp in response to journalists’ questions that 228 Ukrainian experts are currently deployed in the region.

A full list of parks was not included in the release. Power on the BREC Commission shifted last year following the passing of a new law, which gave the areas outside city limits more seats on the board. The commission’s demographics changed with the law, shifting from six Black commissioners and three White ones to two Black commissioners and seven White ones.

Polito wrote that the plans to identify underutilized parks and declare them obsolete are not new and began under the tenure of former Superintendent Corey Wilson, with around 25 already identiﬁed as obsolete.

The relationship between Washington and Kyiv on drone cooperation has been unclear

Zelenskyy said last week that Ukraine was awaiting White House approval for an agreement on drone production. But a day later Trump spurned Ukraine’s offer of assistance, telling the “Brian Kilmeade Show” on Fox News Radio: “No, we don’t need their help on drone defense.”

The U.S. has asked for expert support for their military personnel in two areas of the region, Zelenskyy said, adding that Kyiv is also reviewing requests from European partners whose forces are based in the region. Ukraine proposed to the U.S. about a year ago a deal that includes interceptor drones, naval drones and long-range drones, Zelenskyy said.

without any input from the community and said the area has long been underserved.

“These parks, they are in close proximity to the schools where these kids reside,” he said. “If you take these parks out of the area, what are they supposed to do?”

The committee ultimately voted to defer decisions on five of the eight parks up for possible sales. The remaining three parks — Alexander Street Park, Belfair Park and Blueberry Street Park were recommended to be declared obsolete and sold.

Ofﬁcials have identiﬁed possible parks to sell based on multiple criteria. That includes proximity to other BREC facilities and maintenance and operational costs. Additionally officials have used aggregated cellphone tracking data spanning a period of years to evaluate roughly how much the public uses parks.

Polito wrote that the process is and will continue to be transparent, data-driven, consistent and respectful of community input.

Last year, the organization voted to sell Industriplex Park without public pushback.

Local ofﬁcials, including Dadrius Lanus, an East Baton Rouge Parish school board member, argued earlier this week that the recent north Baton Rouge park sales came up

“Two properties were successfully sold without public controversy,” he wrote. “Several additional properties were approved for disposition by the prior Commission.”

“We understand that parks are deeply personal and meaningful to communities. This is about strengthening the entire park system not diminishing any community,” he wrote. “We remain committed to ensuring that every decision we make reﬂects fairness, consistency, and the long-term interests of all citizens of East Baton Rouge Parish. We will not allow misinformation to distract from responsible stewardship.”

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Belfair Park is one of three parks that a BREC committee recommended be declared obsolete and sold

POLLEN

as very high to extreme, with overall pollen counts trending moderate to high in recent days.

For Bush, that means it’s likely time for a daily dose of Zyrtec over the next three weeks to treat mild allergies. But for some Louisiana residents, it can be much worse, said Dr John Carlson, an allergistimmunologist at Ochsner Health.

“Tree pollen is causing full-on misery right now,” Carlson said. Carlson has seen some cases of what’s known as vernal keratoconjunctivitis, a severe allergic condition affecting the eyes, most often during spring.

Symptoms include intense itching, light sensitivity, swelling and thick discharge, and in serious cases, damage to the cornea that can affect vision.

In people with pollen allergies, the reaction is driven by the immune system mistaking the pollen for a harmful invader

“Your immune system believes that all the misery it inﬂicts on you is completely justified, because it thinks that you’re being attacked by parasites,” said Carlson. When there are high levels of

TRIALS

Continued from page 1A

Supporters also contend the change would benefit public safety and protect against defense attorneys who say they will agree to time extensions but change course at the last minute to force case dismissals.

“Requiring a written motion (to release a child) avoids prosecutors being ambushed with unexpected opposition when they are seeking to extend the timeline in a juvenile case,” Executive Director Zach Daniels said in a statement, referring to another provision of the bill “This does not guarantee a child will remain in custody, or that a prosecutor’s request to continue the hearing will be granted.” But the bill is facing significant blowback from criminal justice advocates, defense attorneys and some youth detention center administrators. They warn the bill would let prosecutors indeﬁnitely postpone cases, lead to overcrowding in juvenile detention facilities, delay children’s access to rehabilitative services and make them more likely to reoffend.

Jack Harrison, a law professor at LSU who specializes in the Louisiana Children’s Code, called the bill “an utter disaster.”

“It would dismantle much of what makes the juvenile system appropriate and effective. It would cause detention costs across the state to skyrocket,” he said.

“If the DA thinks, ‘Okay, what this kid needs is a year in custody,’ they can do that without (the youth) having to be found guilty of anything.” In a March 18 meeting, the Administration of Criminal Justice Committee gave the

pollen in the air, it can also cause irritation for people who aren’t allergic, in the same way that their eyes would be irritated if they were in a dust storm.

“There’s so much pollen in the air that you can have an irritant effect,” Carlson said. “It’s grit. It’s just ﬂoating through the air, landing in the eyes.”

What’s causing the spike?

Right now, live oaks and other trees are releasing pollen as part

of their reproductive cycle.

The powdery grains come from the male structures of the plant and are carried by wind to fertilize the female parts, which will eventually produce acorns.

In a region like south Louisiana that is thick with live oaks and other pollinators, that process can produce massive amounts of airborne pollen all at once.

“You have so many trees pollinating at the same time that you get extremely high concentra-

tions,” Bush said. Weather plays a role in how intense the season feels. Windy conditions across the state in recent days have helped carry pollen farther and keep it suspended in the air

Temperature swings from cold to warm, which Louisiana has seen in recent weeks, can also concentrate pollen into shorter, more intense bursts Over time the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may lengthen pollen seasons and

result in more pollen produced by individual plants.

Rain can offer temporary relief by washing pollen out of the air but it’s a short-lived reprieve since it also encourages more plant growth.

What can people do?

For many people, over-the-counter treatments can manage symptoms, Carlson said.

Steroid nasal sprays are effective, but have to be used daily, said Carlson, and take about three days before they work. If you need immediate relief, an antihistamine spray available without a prescription called Azelastine can act quickly

The two types of sprays can be used together, he said.

For eye symptoms, over-thecounter drops containing olopatadine can provide relief.

People experiencing severe eye pain, sensitivity to light or vision changes should seek medical care, as there may be damage to the eye that needs stronger treatment. The current surge is expected to last a few more weeks, with peak oak pollen season in Louisiana typically easing by mid-April. And while it’s irritating, it’s also typical, and it’s what allows plants to grow

“You gotta remember, it’s a good thing, right?” Bush said. “It’s Mother Nature doing its job.”

bill a vote of approval on an 8-3 vote, with opposition coming from some Democrats, and sent it to the full House for consideration Cox, its sponsor, promised to work on amendments to address concerns that children will languish in detention if the bill passes.

He hopes that “ultimately we’re going to get their concerns addressed and have a bill that everybody can be for,” he said in an interview What HB140 does In Louisiana, teens accused of more serious crimes can be charged as adults. In those cases, they are subject to longer detention times.

But when youth are placed in the juvenile system they are supposed to be convicted or released no more than 60 days after their appearance hearings. Nonviolent crimes have a 30-day deadline. Prosecutors can delay proceedings for just cause, in which case a child could remain in custody or be released until adjudication, depending on the judicial district and judge. According to defense attorneys, judges regularly grant extensions.

HB140 would double the adjudication timeline for violent crimes from 60 to 120 days, and it would triple the timeline for nonviolent crimes from 30 to 90 days. And, once the allotted time runs out, youth could only be released with two written defense motions and after a hearing in which the prosecutor could argue there was a good reason for the delay HB140 does not provide deadlines for when those hearings would need to occur Currently a judge may order a defendant released upon an oral motion from the defense.

HB140 would also write time suspensions into the Children’s Code, meaning the clock on pre-adjudica-

tion timelines would stop under some circumstances, such as when the defense files routine pretrial motions. That suspension would last until a judge ruled on the motion, at which point the prosecution could delay the trial by another 90 days. They would be entitled to that extension according to Harrison, who said judges would not have the discretion to set shorter timelines.

Juveniles in Louisiana are tried by judges, not juries, and because of the system’s tight timelines, judges often rule on motions the same day of trial.

Under HB140, a suspension would also occur if a juvenile tried to evade the authorities, could not be tried due to insanity or failure to appear in court. For those circumstances, the clock would reset once interruption ended.

Bill sparks debate

HB140 would make the juvenile court system more closely resemble the adult system, an idea panned by defense advocates, who said youth need swift consequences and prompt access to rehabilitative services.

“We’re inviting the same level of stagnation and inertia that we come in here and complain about in the criminal system every session into juvenile court,” Meghan Garvey, a legislative advocate for the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, told the Administration of Criminal Justice Committee.

Robin Capps, a public defender in East Baton Rouge Parish, said the bill would cause kids to spend “exorbitant” amounts of time in custody and create heavier workloads for already overburdened courts and public defenders.

Meanwhile, prosecutors argued that other safe-

guards would keep juveniles from languishing in detention, and that the bill would “modernize” adjudication timelines.

Douglas Rushton, who heads up the juvenile division for the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office, told legislators that since the timelines were set, technological advancements have given prosecutors much more evidence to review Prosecutors need more time to process materials such as body-worn cameras and DNA results, he said.

Rushton argued that very few juveniles are held pretrial — Jefferson Parish has 17 such juveniles in their facility, he said. At the beginning of the judicial process, bond hearings and screenings that determine whether kids should leave custody

provide many options for release, he said.

“Those are the things that keep kids from languishing in detention, not these timelines,” Rushton said.

Detention officials weigh in

In a statement, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Ofﬁce said HB140 is “not intended to increase juvenile detention.”

But detention officials raised concerns that it would.

Though he did not take an ofﬁcial position on the bill, Anthony Celestine, who directs Calcasieu Parish’s juvenile detention center, told legislators it would increase the number of youth held pretrial, and that his facility might not have the capacity to handle them. He also said extended pretrial detention

can harm children and hinder their chances at rehabilitation.

“We don’t want to get to the point where we’re adultifying the juvenile system,” Celestine said. “The longer a kid is taken out of school and out of the home, it does disrupt their day-to-day operations.”

Joseph Dominick who heads up the juvenile detention center in the Florida Parishes, said in an interview that most pretrial facilities are not designed to hold kids for long periods of time, and so they do not offer the rehabilitative services that the state or a community could provide.

“Perhaps there can be some happy medium,” Dominick said. “Pushing (adjudication) out 120 days might be a little bit much.”

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Supreme Court to hear mail ballot grace period case

BY JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press

There will be just one Election Day for this fall’s midterm elections Nov 3. But voters in 14 states who cast their votes by mail have been given a grace period ranging from a day later to several weeks in which their ballots can be received and counted.

Whether that extra time should be allowed is at the heart of a case that will be argued Monday before the U.S. Supreme Court. If the court strikes down those grace periods, it will leave those states — and their voters — scrambling to adjust with only a few months before absentee ballots are sent out for this fall’s midterm elections.

The implications could extend well beyond the 14 states that give a grace period for regular ballots, depending on how the court ultimately rules. A total of 29 states allow extra time for at least some mail voters, including those who cast military and overseas ballots, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Voting Rights Lab.

In a ﬁling with the court, a group of state and big-city election ofﬁcials cited “the risks of confusion and disenfranchisement” if mail ballot grace periods were ended suddenly in states where voters have counted on them for years. Stuart Holmes, director of elections for the Washington Secretary of State’s office, said 127,000 ballots were received after Election Day in 2024, so voters should expect about that many ballots to be rejected if Mississippi loses the case. Washington has the longest grace period of any state, 21 days after Election Day If the ruling is that a ballot is invalid even if it’s postmarked by Election Day, “it might as well have never been received,” he said.

“There’s no way to resolve that issue,” Holmes said “There’s no second chance.”

The practice of counting ballots after Election Day has been a target of President Donald Trump since he sought to “STOP THE COUNT” after the 2020 election. He and his allies argue it delays results and leads

credibility of our elections.”

In briefs supporting Mississippi, voting rights groups, local election officials and organizations representing military and overseas voters defend the right of states to write their own voting rules. The Constitution gives states the authority to set the “times, places and manner” of elections.

Supporters of ballot grace periods told the court that upholding the U.S 5th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to strike down Mississippi’s law would threaten to create chaos and confusion in this year’s midterm elections.

ballots that often happens after Election Day All 50 states require ballots to be cast or postmarked on or before Election Day. The 14 states with grace periods for regular ballots accept and count mailed ballots for periods ranging from a single day after the election in Texas to 21 days afterward in Washington state. Mississippi’s disputed grace period is ﬁve days. A November 2025 Brookings Institution study found that mail voting was a practical, secure way to expand voter access, with about

to suspicions about the vote tallies. It’s part of Trump’s broader attack on most mail balloting, which he has said breeds fraud despite ﬁndings to the contrary and years of experience in numerous states.

The Republican National Committee and the Libertarian Party of Mississippi brought the lawsuit against Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson, a Republican, arguing that federal Election Day statutes envi-

sion a single day for casting ballots. Grace periods for receiving mail ballots also in place in the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories violate federal law they argue.

“Election Day is Election Day for a reason,” Ohio state Sen. Theresa Gavarone, a Republican, said during debate over her state’s ban on the practice last year “Allowing ballots to be delivered days after the election does nothing but hurt the integrity and

“State legislatures have recognized this issue and set election deadlines that balance the interests of canvassing speed and ballot security depending on the speciﬁc needs of each individual state,” a group of local election ofﬁcials and local governments told the court.

The groups said eliminating grace periods could affect ballot verification activities, provisional ballot processing, and the processing of military and overseas

X owner absolved of some fraud claims

BY BARBARA ORTUTAY

found

Musk liable for defrauding investors by deliberately driving down Twitter’s stock price in the tumultuous months leading up to his 2022 acquisition of the social media company for $44 billion. But it absolved him of some fraud allegations, ﬁnding that he did not “scheme” to mislead investors. The civil trial in San Francisco centered on a class-ac-

tion lawsuit ﬁled just before Musk took control of Twitter which he later renamed X. Jurors were asked to decide if two tweets and comments Musk made on a podcast in May 2022 amount ed to him intentionally defrauding Twitter shareholders, who sold their shares based on Musk’s statements. The nine-person jury returned the verdict after nearly four days of deliberation, nearly three weeks after the trial began on March 2. They said that while Musk was li-

able for misleading investors with two tweets including one said the Twitter deal was “temporarily on hold,” he did not do so with a statement he made on a podcast and that he did not intentionally “scheme” to defraud investors. The jury awarded shareholders between about $3 and $8 per stock per day as damages, which the plaintiffs’ lawyers said amounts to about $2.1 billion in stock and another $500 million in options. Musk’s fortune is currently estimated at about $814 billion, much of it tied up in Tesla shares.

“It’s an important victory, not just for investors of Twitter, but for the pub-

lic markets,” said Joseph Cotchett, an attorney for the plaintiffs. “I think the jury’s verdict sends a strong message that just because you’re a rich and powerful person, you still have to obey the law and no man is above the law.”

Musk’s legal team referenced other cases Musk won and said they will appeal.

“Last month, Elon won the largest appellate victory in this country’s history after getting an unfair shake at the trial level. Earlier today, in a Texas court he won another appellate victory in which the trial judge was reversed,” the legal team at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan said in a statement.

“We view today’s verdict,

where the jury found both for and against the plaintiffs and found no fraud scheme, as a bump in the road. And we look forward to vindication on appeal.”

Much of the trial focused on Musk’s claims about the number of bots on Twitter Musk testified that Twitter had a much higher number of fake and spam accounts than the 5% it disclosed in regulatory filings. He used what he called Twitter’s misrepresentation of the number of fake accounts on its service as a reason to retreat from the purchase.

After Musk tried to back out, Twitter went to court in Delaware to force him to honor his original deal. Just before that case was scheduled to go to trial, Musk reversed course again and agreed to pay what he had originally promised.

The central question of the case was whether Musk sent out tweets — including one on May 13, 2022, that said the Twitter deal was “temporarily on hold” while he sought information on the number of fake accounts on the service — as a deliberate scheme to tank Twitter’s shares. The jury found that while Musk did mislead investors with two tweets, he did not do so with a statement he made on a podcast because it was an opinion. The jurors also absolved him of scheming to drive down the stock.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By RICH PEDRONCELLI

workers Heidi McGettigan, from left, Margaret Wohlford and David Jensen unload a bag of ballots brought in from a polling precinct to the Sacramento County Registrar of Voters office in Sacramento, Calif. on June 5, 2018.

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Constable criticizes lack of pay raises

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

Following Thursday’s announcement about plans to give Baton Rouge police major salary increases, Constable Terrica Williams is asking why her office wasn’t included — and is questioning if her race plays a role.

In an interview Friday, Williams said she thinks police deserve the raise, which will increase starting salaries from about $41,000 to $58,000.

But she was also quick to question why her office had its 2026 budget cut while police did not, and why her ofﬁcers are not getting raises while police are.

“I’m a Black female in this position. You have a police chief that’s a Caucasian. You have a EMS commander that’s Caucasian. You have the fire chief that’s Caucasian,” Williams said. “I was forced to do a budget cut But they didn’t cut BRPD. They didn’t cut ﬁre. They didn’t cut EMS.” Reached Friday, Mayor-President

Sid Edwards did not directly respond to Williams’ comments about race but said raises for the Police Department have long been his top priority

“I made it very clear in my public comments yesterday — and long before that — that we would take care of BRPD

first,” Edwards said. “That was always the plan, and everyone knew it from the moment I ran for office through yesterday when we were finally able to make that pledge come true with our proposal.” At Thursday’s news conference, Edwards told Williams that funding for her office was still a priority “Yesterday, too, with our

Baton Rouge youth nonprofit building $3M amphitheater

Facility meant to serve as a community hub

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

A local nonproﬁt that provides educational programming for young people is building a $3 million amphitheater outside its north Baton Rouge ofﬁces. The Louisiana Leadership Institute, an organization founded by U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, is building an Education and Wellness Hub that will serve as a public gathering space for education, work and health-related events. The site, which will provide free internet access, is just outside the institute’s

SU hires firm, begins search for president

Consultant has HBCU ties

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

As the summer deadline to hire a new leader approaches, Southern University will use the ﬁrm TM2 Executive Search to ﬁnd its next president.

The ﬁrm specializes in working with historically Black colleges and universities, TM2 consultants said at the Southern Board of Supervisors meeting Friday

“We believe that we have the tools necessary, we believe that we have the experience necessary, to bring you all’s next system-level president,” TM2 President Amanda Washington Lockett said.

years ago, she said.

“I have HBCUs through and through in my blood, and I’m so honored to be working with you all today,” Lockett said.

The Southern University System Foundation will retain and compensate TM2, a spokesperson for Southern said.

The presidential search timeline has the Board of Supervisors considering final candidates at its May 14 meeting, with a new president in place by July 1.

Lockett said Southern and TM2 are aligned not just on the executive search but in shared history Booker T. Washington, her great-great-grandfather, met with Southern University’s ﬁrst president, Joseph S. Clark, on campus to discuss the future of the university over 100

The search ofﬁcially kicked off in February after the board parted ways with former President Dennis Shields at the end of 2025. Orlando McMeans, chancellor of the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center is serving as interim president.

At a meeting in May, members of the presidential search committee said they were open to “nontraditional” leaders, including business executives.

They listed a terminal degree, or the highest degree that can be earned in a particular

Music Club of Baton Rouge awards $70K in scholarships

Luncheon attendees treated to performance

BY JAN RISHER Staff writer

The Music Club of Baton Rouge, now in its 117th season, marked another milestone Thursday when it hosted its 59th annual scholarship luncheon, awarding nearly $70,000 in scholarships to LSU School of Music and organ studies students. Club president Rose Mary Williams welcomed nearly 300 guests to the event, which each year pairs scholarship announcements with a themed performance program. This year’s program, “Tenoriﬁco: Dusting off the Grammys,” featured ﬁve singers — two Grammywinning tenors and three LSU students — performing a wide-ranging set that moved from Broadway to the opera house to classic rock. Selections spanned “Man of La Mancha” and “Brigadoon,” Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly,” and songs made famous by the Beatles and Roy Orbison.

Three-time Grammy winner

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

along the new shoreline at University Lake on Thursday

WIlliams

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS The ongoing construction at Louisiana Leadership Institute is seen on

Education and Wellness Hub that includes a 1,000 seat outdoor amphitheater is being built

McMeans

ä See RAISES, page 2B

Benson, archbishop to meet pope in Rome

After Vatican visit, team representatives head to France

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

On her trip to Europe this weekend, Gayle Benson is making a stop in Rome to visit Pope Leo XIV with two VIPs as her guests: New Orleans Archbishop James F Checchio and former Archbishop Gregory Aymond.

The trip to the Vatican on Monday kicks off a weeklong international business trip for the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner, who will also head to France to promote the ﬁrst NFL game to be held there.

The appointment with Leo will be the ﬁrst for Benson but not for Checchio, who has deep roots in Rome, having served as the rector of the Pontiﬁcal North American College there from 2006 to 2016. Leo appointed Checchio as the coadjutor archbishop of New Orleans in September

The contingent will arrive bearing gifts: Checchio is bringing New Orleans recipes to share with the pope, while Benson will bring a customized Pope Leo Saints jersey

Any such visit raises questions about whether a papal visit to New Orleans could be in the asking. Such a visit has been a point of speculation among Catholics in New Orleans ever since the pope’s family ties to New Orleans were revealed.

“I am certain it will be mentioned,” said Greg Bensel, the Saints’ vice president of communications and government affairs, who will be part of the team’s con-

tingent on the trip.

Leo, who was chosen as pope in May, was born and raised in Chicago. His maternal grandparents, Joseph Martinez and Louise Baquié, were from the 7th Ward of New Orleans and were wed at Our Lady of Sacred Heart on Annette Street in 1887.

The last and only papal visit to New Orleans came in 1987, when Pope John Paul II made a three-day

NEW ORLEANS

stop as part of his U.S. tour

The Vatican has been a frequent destination for Benson, a devout Catholic who met her late husband, former Saints owner Tom Benson, at Sunday Mass at St. Louis Cathedral in 2004. She met with Pope Francis at the Vatican during a 10day trip to Europe in April 2024. She visited Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican during a 2011 trip to Italy and Germany with her late husband.

Benson has helped spearhead efforts to restore St. Louis Cathedral as the primary benefactor of the “Our City, Our Cathedral” campaign, which addresses critical structural decay, interior restoration and long-term maintenance to the iconic French Quarter church.

The Rome stop is the ﬁrst leg of a busy European trip for Benson.

From Rome, the Saints contingent, which includes Benson’s brother, Wayne LaJaunie, will travel to France to promote the Saints’ game in Paris in the 2026 season. The details of the game, including the opponent, playing date and kickoff time, are still uncertain, Bensel said.

The game, which is part of the NFL’s International Series, will be the ﬁrst in France. Benson is scheduled to attend a news conference

Attorneys found guilty in staged-crashes trial

Lawyers convicted on eight charges

BY JOHN SIMERMAN and JAMES FINN Staff writers

Personal injury attorneys Jason Giles and Vanessa Motta were found guilty Friday on all counts and ordered jailed ahead of sentencing over a brazen fraud scheme involving hundreds of preplanned collisions with 18-wheelers and scores of lawsuits they filed pursuing bogus injury claims.

Giles and Motta were each convicted on eight charges, including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, multiple counts of mail fraud and witness tampering. Each of their law ﬁrms was found guilty as well.

A jury returned the verdict Friday afternoon in a packed federal courtroom in New Orleans after deliberating for more than ﬁve hours. As Chief U.S. District Judge Wendy Vitter read the verdict, Motta sobbed silently, then hugged her teenage daughter at the front of the courtroom gallery Vitter sparred with defense attorneys for Giles and Motta about whether they should be remanded to jail ahead of sentencing in July Motta’s attorney, Sean Toomey, argued that she’s a mother to two daughters and that defendants are usually released ahead of sentencing in typical fraud cases. Giles’ attorney, Lynda Van Davis, said he’d complied with conditions of his bond.

But Vitter found that both presented concerns after being convicted of witness tampering. Vitter also said Motta previously violated a condition of her release when she contacted a potential witness. The judge also noted that her fiancé, Sean Alfortish, awaits trial for killing a witness, slammer Cornelius Garrison III, who had cooperated with the FBI

FACILITY

building at 5763 Hooper Road.

before his execution-style slaying in 2020.

As Vitter left the courtroom for several minutes to render her decision on detaining the two lawyers, Motta’s mother passed out in the front row, dropping to the carpet, as Motta wept nearby Court staff eventually propped her back up. As they did, Motta began to gag, leaning over her chair and heaving into a trash pail for several minutes as a woman held back her hair

Then Vitter returned and ordered both lawyers to jail pending sentencing dates in July

“To be clear, this is anything but a typical fraud case,” Vitter said. “The jury has found a wideranging conspiracy involving professionals that are supposed to be looked up to, attorneys, who are part of this conspiracy.”

ers on highways in New Orleans. Civil juries in those cases tended to return higher settlements, according to testimony from insurance defense lawyers and others. Prosecutors painted a sordid picture of a group of lawyers Motta, Giles and other attorneys who were not charged and were not called to testify conniving with street-level “slammers” to create a constant ﬂow of lucrative injury claims they manufactured themselves.

Motta’s sentencing is scheduled for July 7, and Giles’ is scheduled for July 14.

The jury convicted a third defendant, Diaminike Stalbert, on a charge of making false statements to FBI agents, but acquitted her on the main conspiracy count. Stalbert, described as a single mother of six, was accused of riding in and recruiting for one bogus crash. Vitter released her pending a July 31 sentencing.

Jury agreed on ‘slammers’

The guilty verdict came after more than two weeks of testimony in a case that has gripped New Orleans’ legal community. It was the ﬁrst case to go to trial from a sprawling investigation dubbed “Operation Sideswipe” that has led to about 50 guilty verdicts to date.

Federal prosecutors said Giles and Motta each worked hand-inhand with “slammers,” who they paid to ﬁll cars with passengers and steer them into tractor-trail-

“Vanessa Motta and Jason Giles abused their positions and violated their oaths as attorneys,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Simpson said after the verdict.

The question of whether those slammers knowingly staged hundreds of sideswipes and other wrecks in cars full of passengers as they crashed into tractor-trailers on New Orleans roadways was not disputed by either side during the trial.

Motta and Giles acknowledged the scheme but their attorneys denied they knew it was going on around them. Their attorneys presented no witnesses in defense of Miles and Giles after more than 11 days of government testimony

From the witness stand, slammer Damian Labeaud spelled out a scheme working with Giles and other lawyers at The King Firm, in which they paid him $1,000 for each adult passenger in a staged collision with a big rig. Labeaud told the jury he delivered hundreds of bogus crash victims to Giles and another lawyer, Danny Patrick Keating Jr Labeaud also implicated others at The King Firm.

“Let’s just face it: What the stagers and slammers did was horrible,” said Giles’ attorney Lynda Van Davis-Greenstone, after Friday’s verdicts. “The difference is I do not believe my client knew.”

She said media coverage of the sprawling federal investigation predisposed jurors against the lawyer defendants She also questioned immunity deals she said were afforded to at least two other lawyers who worked at The King Firm. Those lawyers never took the stand.

“I did find it interesting that lawyers who received immunity were not called as witnesses in this case. I found it very interesting those who were convicted,” Davis said. Simpson declined to comment on other lawyers who were implicated by witnesses over the course of the three-week trial as he praised the prosecution team Other lawyers, slammers Keating, the only other lawyer charged in the case, has already pleaded guilty, and he testiﬁed at the trial, spelling out his knowledge of Labeaud’s work and the code words involving food and ﬁsh that the slammer would use while offering crashes for sale.

Another slammer, Ryan Harris, testified about his involvement in a similar setup with Motta, a former Hollywood stuntwoman, and her fiancé, disbarred attorney Alfortish, a former Kenner magistrate who served federal prison time over a scheme to defraud a Louisiana horsemen’s group as its president. Alfortish and another man allegedly involved in staging wrecks, Leon “Chunky” Parker, are slated to stand trial in August for allegedly killing another prolific slammer, Cornelius Garrison III, in September 2020. Garrison had been cooperating with the FBI for about a year up to then, and he’d implicated Motta, Alfortish, Giles and others in the scheme, wearing a wire for the government at one point. His killing at the doorstep of his mother’s home in Gentilly cast a pall over the federal investigation, and the pace of indictments slowed.

in Paris to promote the game on March 27. Saints quarterback Tyler Shough and right tackle Taliese Fuaga will also attend the event, along with Brett Gosper, the head of NFL Europe and Asia Paciﬁc. Among the series of business meetings Benson and the Saints contingent have scheduled is a Thursday visit with U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner, who was instrumental in securing the game in Paris.

Shough and Fuaga are scheduled to tour Stade de France, where the Saints game will be played, visit the Paris-Saint Germain soccer club and make a school visit to promote the league’s ﬂag football initiatives. They will also bring Nike products as gifts for the schoolchildren.

The Saints secured the marketing rights to France as part of the NFL’s Global Markets Program in 2023.

“This is a business trip,” Bensel said. “We are there to promote the Saints game, the Saints brand, our ﬂag football planning and implementation in France and in Paris and as a global marketing partner with France, and then of course anything we can do economic development, and business to business. Those are critical pieces of the meetings that we’re having.”

SCHOLARSHIPS

Continued from page 1B

Paul Groves gave the crowd both a performance and a master class in storytelling. Between numbers, he shared the tale of stepping into Pavarotti’s shoes for a performance in Italy, and another about Mikhail Baryshnikov volunteering to be his Russian diction coach before a performance of Rachmaninoff’s classic romances. Groves performed for 33 years at the Metropolitan Opera and now serves as general director of Opera Louisiane.

Joining him was fellow Grammy winner Robert Grayson, a leading tenor at New York City Opera for a decade who spent 40 years on the LSU School of Music faculty Grayson also redesigned the LSU Opera program in the late 1990s and early 2000s, making him a familiar and formative ﬁgure in Baton Rouge’s musical life.

For LSU graduate tenor Brett Ochoa, sharing a stage with both men was overwhelming.

“It’s an unreal experience — like no other,” Ochoa said. “Singing with and learning from people whose shoes you want to be in is unreal. I’m more appreciative than anything.”

He was joined on stage by fellow LSU graduate students, baritone Chase Cote and soprano Yimo Li.

Eric Lau, dean of the LSU School of Music — which currently enrolls 410 music majors and employs 57 full-time and 17 part-time faculty — said the Music Club’s support makes an enormous difference to the program. He said the program had made a difference in his life — not because he won one of the scholarships as a student, but because his wife did. The ticketed event was supported by a number of local sponsors and held at the Lod Cook Alumni Center on the LSU campus.

The club, founded in 1909, has been a cornerstone of music in Baton Rouge for more than a century

At the amphitheater, the institute will host events like job fairs, performances, STEM project showcases and health screenings. The public can use the hub’s free Wi-Fi to search for jobs and access telehealth services.

The hub consists of a 1,000-seat outdoor theater with a concrete stage with a roof and platform seating, with an overall 17,000square-foot footprint. Construction commenced last month and will be complete by the end of the year

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constable in the room and in front of the room full of law enforcement and EMS, I looked straight at Ms. Williams and said ‘We will take care of you as soon as possible,’” Edwards said Friday. “I will make good on that pledge, too.” Baton Rouge constable ofﬁcers are required by the state to have much of the same training as police

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Continued from page 1B discipline, as a preferred qualiﬁcation instead of mandatory in the presidential proﬁle.

The Education and Wellness Hub is the ﬁrst GUMBO 1.0 project in East Baton Rouge Parish, with others in surrounding parishes, including West Feliciana, East Feliciana, Livingston and West Baton Rouge.

“It’s meant to be open to the public, to be used by all,” Veneeth Iyengar, executive director of project partner ConnectLA, said. ConnectLA is a state ofﬁce that aims to expand broadband access in Louisiana. Iyengar said Gov Jeff Landry has expressed a “sense of urgency” and support for the project. The hub is one of the latest parts of ConnectLA’s GUMBO 1.0 program, a federally funded initiative that delivers high-speed internet in areas that lack access ConnectLA has more than 60,000 GUMBO 1.0 projects completed or in the works.

officers The office serves civil and criminal subpoenas, carries out evictions and property seizures and has authority in traffic, misdemeanor and some felony matters. “I just want to be treated fair I want to be treated like we are law enforcement,” Williams said. Current starting pay for deputy constables is about $19 an hour — or roughly $39,600 a year Williams says that pay is well below the average for law enforcement, and called it “insulting” and “unfair” that her officers’ pay was not

a priority “Yes, I feel that because I’m a Black female in this position, I’m being treated the way I’m being treated,” she said. The Constable’s Office also receives funding beyond what the mayor allocates each year through fees collected on warrants served, ranging from roughly $331,000 to $757,000 annually over the past 10 years. Edwards was able to announce his plan for police raises this week largely due to a Metro Council-led

change to the city-parish’s retiree

beneﬁt system last year

The switch gave eligible retirees the option to choose a Blue Cross Blue Shield Advantage plan, which costs the city-parish less. About 82% of those eligible decided to switch, resulting in millions in savings and giving the Mayor’s Ofﬁce a large pool of funds to allocate toward raises. The Metro Council will need to approve the police raises next month before they can be instituted.

“Obviously we’re not in traditional times in our country or in higher education,” Chair Jason Hughes said at the time. “Ideally, speaking for myself, I would like to see us cast as wide a net as possible as we work to recruit the next president of the Southern University system.”

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Saints owner Gayle Benson and New Orleans Archbishop James F. Checchio will visit Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in Rome on Monday.

Giles

Motta

■ Saturday, March 21, 2026 ■ theadvocate.com ■ The Advocate

Arruda,Laura

Hebron BaptistChurchinDenham Springs at 10am.

Davis, Jennifer

Macedonia Methodist Church Cemetery at 1p.m

Goff,David

St.Patrick's EpiscopalChurchin

Zacharyat11a.m

Harvey,Imojean

City Café,4710 O'Neal Lane #113,at

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Johnson, Christine Hall Davisand SonFuneralHome, 9348 Scenic Hwy.at10am.

Landry, Corrine

Funerals Today HubbsofRockwall, TX and wifeKathleen. Johnisprecededin death by his wife,Patti Hubbs, his parents, Jim and Pauline Hubbs, hissister-in-law, Joan Ann Hubbs, his niece, Janette Hubbs, and his daughter-in -law, Jenny Kent Hodges. Visitationwillbeheldat St. ThomasMore Catholic Church, 11441 Goodwood Blvd, BatonRouge, LA 70815, on Monday, March 23rd from 9:00 am to 10:30 am, Rosary at 10:30am, Mass of Christian Burialat 11:00am, and internment to follow at Roselawn Cemetary.

St.Ann'sCatholic Church in Morganza at 11 a.m.

McComas, Gary

SealeFuneralHome, 1720 S. Range, DenhamSprings,LAat1pm

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Wright Sr., James OursoFuneralHome, 13533 Airline Highway in Gonzales,at11a.m

Obituaries

Davis, Jennifer Goolsby

Jennifer Ann Goolsby Davis, 76, of Centreville, Mississippi, was born December 15, 1949, in Baytown, Texas and went home to her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, March 18,2026, at 1:13 p.m. in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,surrounded by family. Jennifer was preceded in death by her husband, Joe Wayne Davis and her parents, Jimmie Wilborn Goolsby and Billie Ruth Morton Goolsby. She is survived by Adam Davis (Cindy), her brother, Charles Edward Goosby (Loretta), sisters, Sue Ellen Goolsby Ard (Ricky), Alicia Goolsby Stringer (Josh), and Jan Holstein Goolsby Nephews, Wesley Sterling, Jr. (Lesley), Chris Sterling (Nicole), Aaron Goolsby (Lori), Bryce Bankston (Katelyn),and Jake Stringer. Aniece, Ella Stringer and ahost of great-nieces and nephews whom she adored. Jennifer retired from BiCounty Insurance Agency in Centreville, Mississippi with avery special loving relationship with Brian and Lisa Berry. She was a member of Centreville Baptist Church where she enjoyed mission work and her Sunday School Class. Pallbearers will be her brother-in-law and her nephews.

Per Jennifer's request, a graveside service will be held at Macedonia Methodist Church Cemetery on Saturday, March 21, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. Friends and relatives are invited to attend the visitation and service. Visitation from 12:30 p.m. until time of service. Newman Funeral Homeinchargeof arrangements. In lieu of flowers, she asks that you consider donations to the Samaritan's Purse Ministry.

Hubbs, John W. 'Johnny'

John is a1962 graduate of CatholicHigh and a graduate of Northwestern State University. He worked for The Berry Company for many years in Louisiana and Texas. After his time with The Berry Company, John and his wife, Patti, owned and operated agift shop in Kemah, Texas. John was a beautifully happy soul who brought joy to all who encountered him. John is survived by his children, Christopher Hubbs of Natchitoches, LA andwife Martha, Beth BroussardofBaton Rouge LA andhusband David, Jay Hodges of Clinton, LA and wife Brandi. Grandchildren: Hunter Hubbs, Mahalie Kyzarand husband Logan, Erica Hubbs, Jack Broussard,Katharine Broussard, Sarah Broussard, Jacob Hodges, John Paul Hodges. Great grandchild: Oakley Hubbs. Nieces and nephews: Jamie Latuso, Joni Lambert, JulieTabiolo, James Hubbs, Rev. Martin Mary Hubbs, Hilary "Tiger" Vignes, Jr., Jean Claude Vignes, Greg Overall, Seth Overall, Ginny Roach, Trish Vinyard, Brandt Hart, Brittney Marionneaux. He is also survived by his two brothers: Jimmy Hubbs of Prarieville, LA, and Mark

Jackson, Ronnie Gilbert

Ronnie GilbertJackson, 63, passed awaypeacefully on March 15, 2026. Born on August 5, 1962, in Chicago, Illinois, Ronnie livedinLockport,Joliet, and Elwood,Illinoisbefore eventually making his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.Hededicated over 25 yearsofservice to Union Local150/Countryside

Ronnie is survivedby his lovingwife, Darbi McDonald Jackson; hisstepson,Kerry Turner Jr.and wifeLeAnn Turner;and his cherished grandsons, Jack, Myles, and NolanTurner. He also leaves behind his beloved mother-in-law, Myrtis Gayle McDonald

He is survived by his brothers, James "Jimbo" Jackson, OwenClark Jr andwifeShari Clark, and Anthony C.Jackson;his sister-in-law, Mary Jackson;and aspecial nephew, Justin Werner. He is also rememberedfondly by his sisters- and brothers-inlaw, Darleen and Randy Montalbano Sr.,Deb and George Day, and Mary Ann and Harold McDonaldJr. Ronnieshared aspecial bond with hiscousin, Catherine Burgoni,and will be deeply missedbyhis many nieces and nephews. He also leaves behind close friends Terri and ChuckToler,Doreen Sanchez, LaurieHarff, Allen andCindy Stringer, as well as manydear friends from Pathway Church in Sherwood, Illinois,including pastorsMr. and Mrs. JimRevelle He was preceded in death by his father, Bobby Joe Jackson; hismother, Bobbie Carol Clark; his stepfather, Owen Clark Sr.; his sisters, VickieJackson and Cindy Werner;his brother,Keith"Kiki" Jackson;his brother-in-law, Timothy Werner Sr.;his nephew, Timothy Werner Jr.; and his best friend, MarkHarff. Acelebration of Ronnie'slifewillbeheldon March 30,2026 at Vineyard Church on TigerBendRoad at 5:00 PM. All who knew and loved Ronnieare invited to attend and honorhis memory. Ronnie willnever be forgotten. His warm smile and contagious laughter willliveonin the hearts of allwho knew him. "Trustinthe Lordwith allyour heart and lean not on your own understanding;inall your ways submit to him, and he will make your path straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

TSA concerns grow as airport screeners quit Eviction notices. Vehicle repossessions. Empty refrigerators and overdrawn bank accounts.

According to union leaders and federal officials, these are among the mounting ﬁnancial strains that Transportation Security Administration ofﬁcers face during a government funding lapse the third in less than six months that has required the people who conduct airport security screenings to work without pay

The public is experiencing the consequences in long wait times at some airports as more TSA ofﬁcers take time off to earn money on the side or cut back on expenses At least 376 have quit their jobs altogether since the latest shutdown began on Valentine’s Day, according to the Department of Homeland Security exacerbating staff turnover at an agency that historically has had some of the U.S. government’s highest attrition and lowest employee morale.

“It’s just exhausting. Every day it just feels like this weight gets heavier and heavier on us,” Cameron Cochems, a local TSA union leader in Boise, Idaho, told The Associated Press.

The ongoing shutdown affects only Homeland Security The House Committee on Homeland Security has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday to review the impact so far on the TSA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S Coast Guard and other agencies within the department.

Children’s liquid pain medication recalled

WASHINGTON Nearly 90,000 bottles of a children’s pain reliever have been recalled due to reports of black specs and other contaminants, according to federal regulators.

The Food and Drug Administration posted an online notice about the recall of Taro Pharmaceuticals’ Children’s Ibuprofen Oral Suspension. The company’s website states that the product comes in a berry-ﬂavored solution and is recommended for children ages 2 to 11.

The FDA notice states that the recall was launched earlier this month after customers reported “a gel-like mass and black particles in the product.” Agency regulators categorized the action as one in which the risk of serious injury or health consequences to consumers is “remote.”

The medication was manufactured in India by Strides Pharma Inc., which produces generic and overthe-counter medicines for ﬁrms in the U.S. and many other countries. Strides initiated the recall, according to the FDA notice.

Neither Strides nor Taro Pharmaceuticals immediately responded to requests for comment Friday morning.

Trump officials announce 10-gigawatt data center

PIKETON,Ohio The U.S. Department of Energy on Friday announced a public-private partnership to develop a major data center with its own power supply on the site of a decommissioned uranium enrichment plant in southern Ohio, as it pushes commercial development of artiﬁcial intelligence technology.

The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Pike County now being branded as the “PORTS Technology Campus” — is expected to include a 10-gigawatt data center and up to 10 gigawatts of new power generation, including 9.2 gigawatts of natural gas generation, according to the Department of Energy.

The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant was on a list of 16 federal sites released last year as locations where the department could invite technology companies to build data management and storage capacity Earlier this month, President Donald Trump called tech companies to the White House and asked them to commit to developing their own power generation alongside the electricity-intensive sites. The Ohio project includes both on-site and grid-connected power generation, along with billions of dollars in transmission upgrades, officials said. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum visited Piketon on Friday for the project announcement, along with officials from SoftBank Group, a Japanese investment management company, and its affiliate SB Energy

High oil prices knock down stocks

Hopes erased for a cut to interest rates

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK Another climb for oil prices shook stock markets on Friday, as hopes collapsed for a possible cut to interest rates this year by the Federal Reserve.

The S&P 500 fell 1.5% to close its fourth straight losing week, its longest such streak in a year The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 443 points, or 1%, and the Nasdaq composite tumbled 2%.

The market’s losses deepened after oil prices erased an early dip and accelerated in the afternoon. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 3.3% to settle at $112.19 per barrel. Benchmark U.S. crude gained 2.3% to $98.32 per barrel.

Stocks also bent under the weight of leaping yields in the bond market. Higher yields make mortgage rates and other borrowing more expensive for U.S. households and companies, slowing the economy, and they grind down on prices for all kinds of investments. Treasury yields have been jumping on worries the war with Iran will cause a long-term spike in oil and natural gas prices that drives up inﬂation.

Worries have gotten so high that traders have canceled nearly all their bets that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates this year according to data from CME Group. Some even think the Fed could raise rates in 2026, a nearly unthinkable scenario before the war began.

“I think it would be market shaking,” Ann Miletti, head of equity investments at Allspring

Global Investments, said about a rate hike But she also said that if oil prices stay high for a long time, they would likely drag so much on the economy that the Fed would not raise rates.

Lower interest rates would give the economy and investment prices a boost, and they’re something

President Donald Trump has angrily been calling for Before the war, traders were betting heavily that the Fed would cut rates at least twice this year

But lower rates risk worsening inﬂation. And investors now see little room for central banks worldwide to cut interest rates to help their economies. Besides the Federal Reserve, central banks in Europe, Japan and the United Kingdom also held their interest rates steady this past week.

The price of Brent crude has zigzagged sharply on its way from roughly $70 per barrel before the

war began to as high as $119.50 this week Big swings have struck hour to hour as ﬁnancial markets try to handicap how long the war will last and how much damage it will do to oil and gas production in the Persian Gulf.

The U.S. stock market has a history of bouncing back relatively quickly from past conﬂicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, as long as oil prices don’t stay too high for too long. Oil prices aren’t at a red-ﬂag point yet, Miletti said, but “we’re getting close if the duration is long enough.”

“If three months from now, we’re in a similar situation, not only myself but a lot of other investors will be much more cautious,” she said. While companies can adjust to gradual rises in oil prices, Miletti said they’re less able to quickly change their business models after a sudden spike becomes a new normal.

White House urges Congress to take a light touch on AI regulations

BY SEUNG MIN KIM and MATT O’BRIEN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The White House said on Friday that Congress should “preempt state AI laws” that it views as too burdensome, laying out a broad framework for how it wants Congress to address concerns about artiﬁcial intelligence without curbing growth or innovation in the sector

The legislative blueprint outlines a halfdozen guiding principles for lawmakers, focusing on protecting children, preventing electricity costs from surging, respecting intellectual property rights, preventing censorship and educating Americans on using the technology

House Republican leaders swiftly endorsed the framework and said they’re ready to work “across the aisle” to pass legislation, but doing so would be a heavy lift, requiring agreement with Democrats in the Senate as public divisions over AI run deep.

The announcement comes as state governments have forged ahead on their own regulations for AI while civil liberties and consumer rights groups lobby for more regulations on the powerful technology

The industry and the White House have pushed back, arguing that a patchwork of rules would hurt growth. Trump signed an executive order in December to block states from crafting their own regulations

“This was in response to a growing patchwork of 50 different state regulatory regimes that threaten to stiﬂe innovation and jeopardize America’s lead in the AI race,” said White House AI czar David Sacks in a social media post Wednesday Sacks said the next step is to work with Congress to turn the administration’s principles into federal legislation.

While passing sweeping AI legislation will be difﬁcult, especially in a midterm election year, the framework appeared designed to appeal to some AI-wary Republicans and Democrats with a focus on widespread and bipartisan concerns, such as the harms that AI chatbot companionship can pose to children and the electricity costs of AI infrastructure.

“It covers basically all the key sticking points I think that might stop an AI bill from moving through Congress,” said Neil Chilson, a Republican former chief technologist for the Federal Trade Commission who now leads AI policy at the Abundance Institute. “It reads to me as an attempt to build a larger tent, even if it doesn’t give everybody everything that they want.”

But it has already been panned by some Democrats, including U.S. Rep Josh Gottheimer, of New Jersey, who said in a statement it “fails to address key issues, including strong accountability for AI companies, under the guise of protecting children, communities, and creators. Americans need protection — but this means nothing if we allow the AI industry to be the Wild West.”

Whether AI legislation can pass both chambers of Congress could also rely heavily on the support of Republicans like U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, of Tennessee, who has introduced her own AI bill, and last year was instrumental in thwarting Trump’s earlier attempt to deter state governments from regulating AI Blackburn on Friday called Trump’s framework a roadmap and welcomed the administration to the “important discussion” of getting a bill passed.

Several states including California, Colorado, Texas and Utah — have already passed laws that set some rules for AI across the private sector The state-level laws include limiting collection of certain personal information and requiring more transparency from companies.

With bipartisan support in the Texas legislature, a new AI law that took effect this year in the Republican-led state requires government agencies and health care providers to disclose when they are using

AI to interact with consumers or answer questions. The law also prohibits the development of AI that encourages a person to commit suicide, harm themselves, harm another person or engage in criminal activity Colorado’s law, which is aimed at preventing AI from discriminating against people when making consequential decisions about things like hiring and medical care, was passed in 2024 but won’t take effect until later this year

California’s Democratic Gov Gavin Newsom has vetoed some AI bills while signing into law others. His office criticized Trump’s framework Friday

The Trump administration says it doesn’t think Congress should preempt all state regulatory powers over AI, including enforcement of general laws against AI developers, “to protect children, prevent fraud, and protect consumers.” It also says Congress shouldn’t interfere with local authorities in deciding where to place data centers and other AI infrastructure, or how states procure their own AI tools for law enforcement or education.

However, it says states “should not be permitted to regulate AI development,” shouldn’t penalize AI developers for a third party’s unlawful conduct using their product, and “should not unduly burden Americans’ use of AI for activity that would be lawful if performed without AI.”

news service

BY DAVID BAUDER AP

media writer NEW YORK — CBS News said Friday it will shut down its storied radio news service after nearly 100 years of operation, ending an era and blaming challenging economic times as the world moves on to digital sources and podcasts. Said longtime CBS News anchor Dan Rather: “It’s another piece of America that is gone.” When it went on the air in September 1927, the service was the precursor to the entire network, giving a youthful William S. Paley

news roundups. The service will end on May 22, the network said Friday “Radio is woven into the fabric of CBS News and that’s always going to be part of our history,” CBS

News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss said in delivering the news to the staff. “I want you to know that we did everything we could, including before I joined the company, to try and ﬁnd a viable solution to sustain the radio operation.” But with the radical changes in the media industry, she said, “we just could not ﬁnd a way to make that possible.” CBS News cut some of its radio programming late last year, including its “Weekend Roundup” and “World News Roundup Late Edition,” in an attempt to keep the service going.

It was unclear how many people will lose their jobs because of the radio shutdown. CBS News was cutting about 6% of its workforce, or more than 60 people, on Friday It’s not the end of turmoil at the network, as parent company Paramount Global is likely to absorb CNN as part

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

The construction of the Meta data center site is photographed in Holly Ridge on March 10.

OPINION

ANOTHERVIEW

Here’show Vance andRubio measure up in GOP’sfuture

Critics of Donald Trumpsaw the funnyflap over his gifting black Oxford shoes tosome of hisadministration members —and these men dutifully wearing them, whether they fit or not —asone moreepisode of sickeningsycophancy. But thegesture may have deeper meaning: WhichRepublican will fill his shoes as the party’sleader and presidentialnominee?

The question points to thequietrivalry between Vice President JD Vance, 41, and SecretaryofState Marco Rubio,54. Both are plausible contenders for the 2028 nomination. While Vanceiscurrently the front-runner and may ultimately sewitupwith Trump’sendorsement, Rubio could prove the better bet for the Republican Party. Rubio is asmart, pragmaticconservative not hobbledbyideological rigidity —aformer local ofﬁcial, state legislator,Florida House speaker and U.S. senator.He’sthe nation’shighestranking Hispanic American ofﬁcial, a notable asset for apartythat struggles to broadenits Latino appeal Rubio has broader,deeper experience than Vance andwould better bridge political gaps. He can speak to MAGA voters, traditional Republicans and independents—a balancing act similarto the one Ronald Reagan masteredwith bluecollar conservatives andCountry Club Republicans. Vance is no slouchasacandidate, but his range is narrower; he’smore hemmed in by MAGAand its demands. His personal strengthsare less relevant to the presidencythanRubio’s.

The ﬁrst question that must beasked is:Will Trump have the power to pick the next GOPnominee?

The answer is likely yes. Much depends on events, as is always the case.But it’s unrealistic to expect party leaders and donors todefy thepresident. Aworsening economy and unresolved foreign conﬂicts would surely complicate aTrumpendorsement and make it toxicinthe generalelection. The latest Economist/YouGov poll ﬁnds that55% of all voters have an unfavorable view of thepresident. But if Trump’sbase holdsup— thesame poll shows an overwhelming 89% of Republicansremain in his corner —hecould still sway theparty’spresidential nomination. Despite podcasters and punditssayingMAGARepublicans are split on his handling of thesituationin Iran, this poll shows87% of them supportit.

The next question is whether Trump will publicly pick asuccessor.That seems highly probable. He could back afavoritecandidateorblessa couple of contenders (Vance and Rubio?) while freezingout others. When Trump put Vanceonthe 2024ticket, the young, bearded Ohio senator was seen as heir apparent. Since then, Vance has worked tosolidifythat status, especially among MAGA true believers.

Anew Echelon Insightspoll has Vancerunning far ahead among primary voters with 40% support, compared with 16% for Rubio, 9% forDonaldTrump Jr., 5% for each Ron DeSantis and NikkiHaley anda combined 9% for other candidates, with therestundecided.The Economist/YouGov survey showsVance is more popularamong all Republicans (79% vs.62%) andMAGAsupporters(84% vs. 70%) than is Rubio But Trump’sloyalties runhot andcold,and that’s making Vance sweat. Ask Mike Pence. He wentfromTrump loyalistto traitor in asingle day Could the same thing happentoVance? Of course All it would take is aperceived weakness or the slightestwhiff of disloyalty.

Trump made Vance asenator in 2022 by backing himina difﬁcult primaryﬁght and then,two years later,handed him the vice presidency.Vance owes Trump everything and TrumpowesVance nothing. Trump reportedly has been asking friends whom they’d prefer,VanceorRubio. Thatsuggestsheremains open to either one.

Trump respects Rubio’stalents. Appointing Rubio secretary of state —and thenpiling on threeadditional jobs, as national security adviser, archivistof the United Statesand head of USAID —saysalot. At some point, Trump could decide Rubio is more electable and would be the better president. Could Vance and Rubio enduponthe same ticket? Trump has already ﬂoatedthat solutionand knows Republican donors would loveit. But whether either man would accept the No. 2slot is unknown.

Trump may change his minda hundred timesbetween now and 2028. Events could ultimately decide what he does. But remember: More thananyone else, he will be able to shape those events.

Ron Faucheux is anonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana.

YOUR VIEWS

Americaasthe ‘city upon ahill’ is no more

The jury will be in endlessdebate on America’sstanding in theworld as aresult of President Donald Trump’sdecision to declare war on Iran.

Butnot now,and maybe never, will the country be “a city upon a hill,” especially after he started a war without the American people’s approval through their voice in Congress.

When Englishman John Winthrop,adevout Puritan and lay preacher,used the phrase“acity upon ahill,” which has abiblical origin, in 1630 as he led other Puritans fearing persecution in theirhomeland in aﬂeet of ships crossing to the New World, he challenged them to set an example for others to follow by working in harmony and Christian brotherhood for acommon cause in establishing theMassachusetts Bay Colony.“We must consider that we shall be as a city upon ahill,” he said. “The eyes of all people are upon us.”

In the20th century,President John F. Kennedy,aDemocrat, referenced the phrase as he was

preparing in 1960 for agovernment with peopleofintegrity he envisioned in his upcoming administration

He saidhewas guidedbyWinthrop’s outlook andcourage.

Former President Ronald Reagan, aRepublican, lifted the phrase to contemporary lexicon with a warm, feel-good delivery,adding “shining city” to convey America as abeacon of goodthings for the rest of the world to envy and copy

In America 2026, little boasting can be heard about ashining city upon ahill.

Instead, Americans, under Trump, areremindeddaily of a troubled country divided and in turmoil, negative attitudes toward immigrants, inﬂation, racism, antisemitism, aslap against diversity and the dismantling of efforts to preserve the environment for future generations. What would Winthrop and Kennedy,and Reagan, labeled“the great communicator,”say today?

LANNY THOMAS NewOrleans

Paralympicsshouldhavegottencoverage, too

Inoticed in your paper that you had theresults of the Olympics posted. Ialso noticed that you did not have theParalympics results posted. Why is that? Iknow that there are alot of people, myself included, who would have loved it if you had posted the Paralympics as well.

Ibelieve that the Paralympics should get equal representation because even though they do not participateinsome of the same events, they do participate in others

that are not in the Olympics that I believe are more entertaining and should be reported on Pleaseconsider the impact this would have if you showed the Paralympics in the paper.I believe it would get morepeople to pay attention to the Paralympics, and maybe they might just think that they can make it to the Paralympics. So please, for the future, consider covering the Paralympics.

CLAYTON BURKE Madisonville

Opinionpages should catertowiderange of views

Iwould like to dispute thewriter of the letter in the Feb. 26 paper.I do not buy that the majority of the newspaper’sreaders are Republican, but let’ssay that’strue.Asa liberal, Iread the letters written by all people in your paper,and Iread thecolumns written by theliberal and the conservative writers on your commentary page.

Ilike getting the viewsofall people instead of just reading those who agree with me. Idobelieve a paper should havesomething for everyone. Youcan’tjust appeal to themajority party in your area. Thank you for allowing me to state my opinion.

YVONNE HUNTER Abita Springs

Carbon capture opponentsdeserved to be takenseriously

Faimon Roberts’ recent column seemstosay that carbon capture (where literally tons of carbon dioxide would be sequestered beneath Louisiana’slands and waters) is agood thing because, “Many industries coming to Louisiana cite carbon capture as acentral piece of what makes the state attractive,” regardless of landowners’ —and local governments’ —objections. And efforts to block it by giving local governments the power to reject it have little hope of success. In astate that belongs, lock, stock and barrel, to President Donald Trumpand his acolytes, what people want has no bearing on the issue.

RUSS WISE Laplace

TenCommandments posterswithJohnson should raisequestions

Separation of church and state issues aside, adisplay of the Ten Commandments in Louisiana school classrooms is objectionable. On one side of the Commandments is Moses, amajor Biblical ﬁgure, and on the other side, House SpeakerMike Johnson, of Louisiana, which, especially to achild, implies equivalence.

Even Johnson’smost ardent supporters don’tbelieve that, let’s hope. One would think that Johnson, whohas said that anyone whowants to understand him should read the Bible, would reject being depicted as of the samestature as Moses. MARK MARLEY NewOrleans

Section on Norman Franciswas exceptional

Iwould like to thank you for publishing the supplement that wasinthe newspaper on March 1, “Remembering Norman Francis.” What an incredible human being. Reading it makes me wanttobea better man BO BIENVENU Prairieville

Ron Faucheux

‘We’re

goingtogoout andcompete’

Southern prepares forNo. 1seedSouth Carolina

BY CHARLESSALZER

Contributing writer

The Southern women’sbasketball teamwill have the national spotlight shining down on Saturday when it plays aﬁrst-round NCAA Tournament game against South Carolina Playing in the Sacramento4Regional, No. 16 Southern (20-13) won its First Four on Thursday to advance into the ﬁrst round. Waiting for Southern is No. 1South Carolina (31-3), regular-season champions of the Southeastern Conference.

Saturday’sgame will be playedatColonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina, home ﬂoor of theGamecocks.The contest will tip at noon and air on ABC.

LSU gymnastics canbeNo. 1 with SEC titlevictory

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

The LSU gymnastics teamgoes to Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday in pursuit of its third straight title in the Southeastern ConferenceChampionships.

If the Tigers perform well enough,they might even secure the No. 1seed for next month’sNCAA Championshipsfor the second straight year

“Last year it happened at SECs,” Clark said, referring to LSU securing its ﬁrst-everNo. 1overall NCAA seed. “We’re very,very close.”

The numbers are again withinLSU’s grasp, going into Session II of the SEC meet at 7p.m. on the SEC Network.But is that deﬁnitely somethingcoach Jay Clark wants from his Tigers? Oklahoma goesinto the SEC Championships having won the conference regular-season title andholdingthe nation’stop National QualifyingScore (NQS) averagewith a197.963. But the No. 2-ranked Tigers are righton the Sooners’ heels at 197.917, ascant 0.046 points back If the Sooners don’tdoanythingtoimprove on their average,

ä Southern vs: South Carolina NOON SATURDAy,ABC

“They have astrongteam, but we’re goingto go outand compete,” saidSouthern coach Carlos Funchess, who noted his team has played in similar environments already this season.

Beforethe startofthe SWAC regularseason, Southern played road games against sixteams that are in the NCAA Tournament. There were toughlosses to Iowa and UCLA, twoofthe top teams in the NCAA ﬁeld, but there were also wins over Power Four schools Arizona and Houston

“We’ve already played someofthe top

teams in the country,sowe’re going to go out and just competelikewedid before,” Funchess said. “We’ll try to do thebest we can and when the horn sounds, we’ll look up and see what thescore is.”

The finalscore looked good on Thursday, when Southern defeated Samford 65-53. The FirstFour winwas Southern’ssecondinas manyseasons. South Carolina will be playing its first game since a78-61 loss to Texas in the SEC tournament final. The Gamecocksare led by aleague record-tying fiveplayers who earnedall-SEC honors, including 6-foot-3 forward Joyce Edwardsand sharp-shooting guardTessa Johnson. Johnsonand herteammates were ableto watch Southern’swin over Samford. That

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

First,Mikaylah Williams banked in arunner through contact.Then she stationed herself beyond the arc on theleft wing and waited. She knew apass was coming her way,and when it arrived, she could step into a3 OnceWilliams’ shot dropped through thenet, the rout was on. The LSU women’sbasketball team didn’thaveto sweat itsfirst-round NCAA Tournament matchup againstJacksonville on Friday.There were no jitters. No rust leftover from a13-daylayoff. Instead,the No 2-seeded Tigers thumped the No. 15-seeded Dolphins, winning116-58 andbreaking their programrecords both for points scored and margin of victory in an

At Thursday’snews conferences, the Jacksonville coach wasasked if she worried about getting into arun-andgun gamewith LSU in Friday’sﬁrst round of the NCAA tournament.

“I don’tthink alot of people wantto get up and downwith Jacksonville either,” Special Jennings said then. “We average over 70 points agame.”

Outside, IswearI could hear the engine revving on Flau’jae Johnson’sMercedes.

Nottopick on the undaunted Dolphins, whoto be precise, entered the tournament averaging 72.9 points per game, but these Tigers can score 70 points in ahalf.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

guards BaileyBurns,left, and Aniah Smith

Pete Maravich AssemblyCenter.LSU

Scott Rabalais

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByNELL REDMOND

Southernguard Jaylia Reed drives for a layup against Samford during aFirst Four game on ThursdayinColumbia, S.C.

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Casan Evans LSU Baseball, Pitcher

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GCSEN

Buzzer-beater saves Kentucky

Wildcats go on to beat No. 10 Santa Clara in OT

BY JEFF LATZKE Associated Press

ST LOUIS Otega Oweh rescued Kentucky with a buzzer-beater from just inside half court to force overtime, then hit the tiebreaking free throws in the extra period as the seventh-seeded Wildcats beat No. 10 seed Santa Clara 89-84 on Friday in the ﬁrst round of the NCAA Tournament In an electrifying ﬁnish to regulation that defines the words “March Madness,” Santa Clara’s Allen Graves drained a 3 from the right wing with 2.4 seconds left to put the Broncos ahead 7370. Oweh received the inbound pass, pushed the ball up the court and pulled up to the left of the midcourt logo to launch his desperation heave. The ball was midair when the buzzer sounded, and it banked in for the tie.

“As he raised up, he said, ‘That’s a bucket,’ and then threw it off the glass,” second-year Kentucky coach Mark Pope said. Oweh said he was just trying to get the ball out of his hands in time.

“It’s March,” he said. “I feel like that’s just what happens. You know, it’s crazy.”

“I was just praying for it to go in. I was about to cry if he missed that shot,” added teammate Mouhamed Dioubate. “I was just hoping the shot went in. I didn’t want the season to end already.”

Oweh scored a career-high 35 points and had eight rebounds and seven assists for the Wildcats (22-13), who will face either No. 2 seed Iowa State or 15thseeded Tennessee State in the second round in the Midwest Region.

Oweh’s two free throws with

1:12 remaining in overtime put Kentucky in the lead to stay in its 63rd NCAA Tournament appearance, the most in the country Brandon Garrison twice blocked 3-point attempts by Sash Gavalyugov in the ﬁnal minute of overtime, following the ﬁrst with a breakaway, two-handed dunk that stretched Kentucky’s lead to 83-79 His second block led to more free throws for the Wildcats.

Teammates credited the 6-foot10 Garrison for suggesting in a huddle that they switch on screens, declaring that he’d be able to handle the matchup with the 6-3 guard Gavalyugov

“I don’t know where you get this drama, I don’t know where you get this this transformation of emotions to just from despair to thrill to despair to thrill in a matter of four seconds,” Pope said. “But we got that a bunch. Christian Hammond led Santa Clara (26-9) with 20 points and Graves scored 17. Graves put Santa Clara ahead 70-68 when he caught Elijah Mahi’s airballed 3-pointer and made the putback with 1:33 to play, just before the shot clock expired. After a miss by Oweh, Graves had another point-blank attempt that missed, and Oweh was able to scramble for the ball

on the ﬂoor as Kentucky called timeout.

Oweh tied it with a layup with 9.9 seconds left to set up the wild ﬁnish. Adding to the fast-moving drama, neither team was granted a timeout in the closing seconds.

“I unequivocally called timeout. But they didn’t grant it,” said Sendek, asserting that ofﬁcials should have recognized that a coach might want to set up his defense after Graves’ 3-pointer

“I mean, I think the video evidence is clear And anybody is able to pull it up.”

Santa Clara was seeking its ﬁrst tournament win since 1996, when future NBA MVP Steve Nash was a senior

“It hurts how it all ended, but I’m just thankful, man,” Mahi said “God bless, I’m just thankful.”

Dioubate scored 17 points for Kentucky Denzel Aberdeen, a transfer from Florida’s national championship team last season, added 16.

Collin Chandler and Aberdeen connected on back-to-back 3s to begin a 13-4 burst as the Wildcats attempted to build a lead in the second half. Aberdeen’s second 3-pointer in the stretch put Kentucky ahead 51-44 with 12:21 to play, but Gavalyugov immediately responded with a 3 of his own to ignite a response.

After a high-arcing 3-pointer from Mahi, Gavalyugov hit a jumper and another 3 to put Santa Clara ahead 59-55 with 7:56 remaining.

The long-range shooting was quite the turnaround from the first half, when both teams struggled with matching 4 for 15 marks from behind the arc. The Broncos led 31-29 after closing the half with a 10-3 stretch that featured seven points from Mahi.

Iowa State star injured in blowout win

By The Associated Press

ST LOUIS Iowa State star Joshua Jefferson left in the ﬁrst half of the No 2 Cyclones’ 108-74 romp over No. 15 Tennessee State in the ﬁrst half with a left ankle injury Friday, leaving the All-American’s status for the remainder of the NCAA Tournament in doubt.

NCAA Tournament roundup

Nate Heise had eight of his season-high 23 points during a 23-0 run for the Cyclones (28-7), which began shortly after Jefferson was hurt and sent them breezing past the Tigers (23-10) and into a secondround matchup with seventhseeded Kentucky on Sunday The Cyclones already were dealing with a groin injury that limited point guard Tamin Lipsey in the Big 12 Tournament. Now, their depth will be tested even more without Jefferson, who was second on the team in scoring and their leading rebounder MIDWEST

NO 3 VIRGINIA 82, NO. 14 WRIGHT ST 73:

Astros’ Sousa to open season on injured list

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Houston Astros left-hander Bennett Sousa will begin the season on the injured list manager Joe Espada said Thursday Sousa, 30, strained his left oblique in a Grapefruit League game last Thursday against the Washington Nationals. Sousa returned to Houston for further testing, but Espada said he would “be down for a while.” “We’re going to not have him throw until that pain goes away,” Espada said.

Last year was a breakout season for Sousa after sitting out the 2024 season due to injury He appeared in 44 games in 2025, and posted a 2.84 ERA across 50 2/3 innings with 59 strikeouts. But Sousa landed on the injured list on Aug. 20 with left elbow inﬂammation and didn’t return.

Staley pleased with WNBA CBA agreement

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley is excited about what the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement will mean for future Gamecocks, even if her players don’t yet fully understand the impact it could have on their careers.

Staley said Friday the agreement, which WNBA players are being briefed on, will give future pros on her roster like Raven Johnson and Tessa Johnson more money and ﬂexibility about where or if they’ll play overseas.

“I will say the players’ association and all the ofﬁcers in the players’ association, just bore down and fought for their worth and the worth of current players as well as the future,” Staley said a day before her topseeded Gamecocks start the NCAA Tournament.

Cleveland’s investigation into Clase, Ortiz continues NEW YORK The Cleveland Guardians won’t have to pay indicted pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz while Major League Baseball’s investigation continues into allegations of pitch-rigging for gamblers. Ortiz was placed on paid leave last July 3 and Clase on July 28, and they received their salaries while they didn’t pitch for the remainder of the season. They were indicted on federal charges on Nov 9 and a trial is scheduled for May 4 but could be delayed. Clase and Ortiz are charged by federal prosecutors with accepting several thousand dollars in payoffs to help two gamblers from their native Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 by placing more than 100 in-game prop bets.

Hamstring injury keeps Ronaldo out of friendlies

LISBON,Portugal A hamstring injury will keep Cristiano Ronaldo out of Portugal’s friendlies against the United States and Mexico ahead of the World Cup in North America. The 41-year-old Ronaldo hasn’t played since Feb. 28 when he limped off the field while playing for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.

NO 4ALABAMA 90,NO.13 HOFSTRA 70: In Tampa, Florida, Labaron Philon Jr scored 29 points and Alabama rallied from an early double-digit deﬁcit to beat Hofstra in a ﬁrst-round game in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament

The Crimson Tide (24-9) advanced to a second-round matchup against ﬁfth-seeded Texas Tech (23-10), a 20-point winner over 12th-seeded Akron in the earlier first-round game at Benchmark International Arena.

NO 5TEXASTECH 91,NO.12AKRON 71: In Tampa, Florida, Jaylen Petty scored 24 points Christian Anderson added 18 and Texas Tech beat Akron in the ﬁrst round of the NCAA Tournament. The Red Raiders (23-10) will face fourth-seeded Alabama in the second round in the Midwest Region

In Philadelphia, Jacari White hit six 3-pointers and scored 26 points, and Virginia avoided yet another early NCAA Tournament exit, beating a resolute Wright State in the first round. The Cavaliers (30-5) will face sixth-seeded Tennessee or No. 11 seed Miami (Ohio) in the second round in the Midwest Region on Sunday Michael Imariagbe scored 19 points and kept hope alive for that rare 14 seed win — there have been none in the tournament since 2024 with a late 3 that pulled the Raiders within 78-73 White responded with a bucket that ﬁnally put to rest any thought of an early ride back home for the Cavaliers.

on Sunday Akron got within 64-60 midway through second after Eric Mahaffey scored on a layup and made a free throw to complete a 3-point play But the Zips couldn’t get any closer NO 6 TENNESSEE 78, NO. 11 MIAMI (OHIO) 56: In Philadelphia, Ja’Kobi Gillespie hit six 3-pointers and scored 29 points as Tennessee ended a fabulous season for Miami (Ohio) with a win. The Vols (23-11) shook off a rough end to the season — losing four of six games and advanced to play third-seeded Virginia on Sunday in the Midwest Region Gillespie hit five 3s in the first half to help the Vols push ahead by 20 and squash any chance the 11thseeded RedHawks (31-2) could carry over the conﬁdence gained from their First Four win and pull off a signature victory The Vols did just about everything right and showed again why — no matter the seed — they are a perennial threat to go deep in March.

WEST REGION

No. 1 ARIZONA 92, NO. 16 LIU POST 58: In San Diego, Brayden Burries hit four 3-pointers while scoring 18 points Koa Peat added 15 points and top-seeded Arizona opened its

NCAA Tournament run with a over Long Island on Friday. Ivan Kharchenkov had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Big 12 regular-season and tournament champion Wildcats (33-2), who quickly showed why they’re the tournament’s second overall seed behind Duke.

Arizona will return Sunday to face the winner of Villanova’s meeting with Utah State in the West Region bracket. NO 9 UTAH STATE 86, NO. 8 VILLANOVA 76: In San Diego, MJ Collins’ steal and emphatic one-handed slam dunk with 1:13 left gave him 20 points and Utah State opened its fourth straight NCAA Tournament by beating Villanova Mason Falslev, the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, scored 22 and helped bring the Aggies back from a 10-point deficit early in the second half. Utah State (29-6), the No. 9 seed in the West Region will play No 1 seed Arizona in the second round on Sunday Collins converted a three-point play with 2:53 left to give the Aggies a 78-73 lead. After No. 8 seed Villanova (24-9) committed a ﬁvesecond inbound violation, Falslev fed Collins for a layup and an 80-73 lead. Collins intercepted a pass by Bryce Lindsay and went in for his slam for an 84-74 lead.

As expected, Portugal coach Roberto Martínez did not include the ﬁve-time Ballon d’Or winner in the squad he announced on Friday Ronaldo hasn’t played in the U.S. since an August 2014 preseason friendly with Real Madrid against Manchester United in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Portugal plays Mexico in Mexico City on March 28 and the U.S. in Atlanta on April 1.

Trump against broadcasting conflicts for Army-Navy game

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump issued an executive order Friday barring College Football Playoff and other postseason games from airing during the annual Army-Navy matchup in December

Trump directed the commerce secretary and the FCC chairman to coordinate with the playoff committee, the NCAA and media rights partners to ensure an exclusive broadcasting window for a storied rivalry played on the second Saturday in December

Trump’s order makes reference to potential expansion of the CFP, which likely would lead to an earlier start for the playoff. In the first two years of the 12-team format, the firstround games were the weekend after Army-Navy, which moved off the first Saturday in December in 2009 because of conference championship games.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALI OVERSTREET

Kentucky’s Otega Oweh heads to the basket as Santa Clara’s Jake Ensminger defends during their first-round NCAA Tournament game on Friday in St Louis.

NCAA WOMEN’STOURNAMENT

TexasTechearns narrow winoverVillanova

No.7Raiders will face LSUonSunday

BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer

LSU women’sbasketballdidn’t

know who it would face in the second round of the NCAA Tournament until the final minutes of the final quarterbetween No. 7-seed Texas Tech and No. 10 Villanova. The tightly contested game with 10 lead changesand no team ever leading by double digits came down to the final couple of minutes.

JasmineBascoe’smid-range jumper cut Villanova’sdeﬁcit to 53-49 with 52.3 seconds left. Villanova got astop, butBascoe lost the ball as she mishandled abehindthe-back dribble off her leg with 18.7 seconds left Bascoe recovered from herturn-

over after TexasTech’sBailey Maupin made apair of free throws. Bascoe drilled aquick 3-pointer with 14.2secondsleft ot make it a55-52 deﬁcit. When Texas Tech inbounded theball, Maupin was called for afoul after pushing Bascoe to the ﬂoorwhile trying to get open. Villanova had possession with 13.5 seconds remaining. With achance to tie with a3-pointer,Denae Carter missed from beyond the arc.

Texas Tech beat Villanova 57-52 on Friday at thePeteMaravich Assembly Center in the ﬁrst round of the NCAA Tournament.

For Texas Tech (26-7) coach Krista Gerlich, Villanova’sstar guard was among the top priorities. The 5-foot-10 sophomore Bascoe led the Big East in both points (18.8) and assists (4.8) per game.

TheWildcats didn’tneed to rely on theirtop playerfor pointsatthe onset. Kelsey Joensinstead scored

theirfirst nine points,making three 3-pointerswithout missing. The 5-10 guard showcased aquick release in spot-up situations.

Joens, atransfer from Iowa State, led Villanova’s3-point-heavy attack thatwent 4of10onshots from beyond thearc and 1of3 from two-point range.

TexasTech’s start wasstifled because of security issues, giving up six turnovers in the ﬁrst 10 minutes. It eventually found ascoring burst fromSnudda Collins offthe bench. The senior guardtransfer from Ole Miss is the team’ssecond leading scorer (14.8) and has come off the bench every game.

Villanova (25-8)closedthe ﬁrst quarter ahead 14-13.

Texas Tech triedtomake post passes to 6-3redshirtseniorJada Malone who had amatchup advantage. The Lady Raiders’ backup center,however,battled for posi-

tioninginthe paint and didn’treceive accurate feeds.

Malone had moreﬁrst-half playing timethan starter Sarengbe Sanogo, who picked up two fouls andthree turnovers in six minutes.

Villanova’shot shooting outside offense also slowed in the second quarter.LadyRaiders guards Gemma Nunez andDenae Fritz took turns defending the 5-7 Bascoe, forcing her to shoot 3of8 overalland have twoturnovers with 2:40 left in the secondquarter.

Bascoe’sfourth field goal came after acut from the right for a reverse layup. While she entered halftime with 10 points on 50% field-goal shooting,she pickedupa costly charge foul while driving to thebasket at the end of the second quarter.That gave her athird foul with the score tied at 26 with two quarters remaining. The sophomorefinished with 21 points.

TexasTech’stopscorer(15.1),Maupin, struggled to get the ball through thenet.TheWildcatsappliedaggressiveon-ballpressure.The5-10senior guard had two points and was 0of5 from the field at halftime. Villanova wasthe early aggressor, engaging itsfansearly in the third quarter.Juniorforward Brynn McCurry had an acrobatic and-one flip shot. while falling. After making the freethrow,her team took a33-28 lead at the 7:06 mark. TexasTech’s turnoverproblems returned in the third period. Villanova’s defensive activity ledtofive turnovers in the first six minutes of the third quarter The LadyRaiders benchand fans wereinspired after Maupin drove hard on the right side and finisheda layup that endedwith herfalling to thehardwood.This wasthe guard’sfirst field goal with 5:33 remaining in the third period.

NCAA Tournament game.

“Wewere itching,” Williams said. “Wewere itching to play basketball.” Williams scored 18 points, assisted acareer-high 10 shots, grabbed five rebounds and forced three turnovers,while Flau’jae Johnson added20points, ﬁve rebounds and three steals. By halftime, LSU had a28-point lead andtwo other NCAATournamentprogramrecords —one for points scored in aquarter (34) and one forpoints scored in ahalf (64).

If the Tigers (28-5) hit the century mark onemoretime, then they’ll break Long Beach State’s39-yearold NCAA Division Irecord for 100-point games in aseason. The 49ers wound up reaching the Final Four that year

This LSU team can follow suit, especially if it keeps scoringlike it did Friday in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

The Tigers shot 60% from the field, drained six of their 213-point tries and earned 29 tripstothe free-throw line. All but one active contributor saw the floor,and six of them scored in double figures LSU also turned 15 offensive rebounds into 22 second-chance points –akey reason whythe Dolphins (24-9) didn’teven grab their first board until the 3:37mark of the firstquarter

By then, though, the Tigers had already put up 27 points.Just another dayatthe ofﬁcefor coachKim Mulkey and her revampedroster

“The offense is not surprising,” she said. “We’ve seen that all year I’ve said it so many times, Ifeel like I’m arecorder.Wecan score

RABALAIS

Continued from page1C

Friday,they nearly did From the opening tip, which LSU’s6-foot-5 Kate Koval controlled, the Tigers werecleared for takeoff on runway 26-Left The No. 2seed in the Sacramento 2regional,LSU was up 10-0 82 seconds into the game on apair of ZaKiyah Johnsonfreethrows.

It was 14-0 Tigers by the time the No. 15 Dolphins came up for air with their ﬁrst basket. They didn’t get arebound until there were 3:37 left in the ﬁrst quarter

Youpretty much get the entire picture

To say LSU’swire-to-wire 116-58 demolition of Jacksonville was imploding-an-old-Las-Vegas-hotellike in its completeness would be to undersellthe Tigers’ performance.

LSU may have set arecord for most records in agame. Let us

LSUguardMikaylah

theball.”

LSUwas aheavyfavoriteto winonFriday.Jacksonville —the second-placeAtlanticSun team thatpunched itstickettothe Big Dance bywinning itsconference tournament —faced two NCAA Tournament teams earlier this season (Texas Tech and TCU) and lost both ofthosegames by acombined margin of 76 points.

On Friday,the Tigerswon by 58, which is tied for their eighth-largest margin of victory this season.

LSU began the beatdown by scoring the game’sﬁrst 14 points mostly through its signature transition offense. The Tigers missed onlythree of their ﬁrst 10 shots, and they rebounded eachone, turning them into second-chance points.

Jacksonville countered by throwing out azone defenselate in the ﬁrst quarter,and that look helped itslow the game down.

roll the highlights:

n Most points for LSU in an NCAA tournamentgame, shattering themark from the Tigers’ 103-48 win over San Diego State in last year’sﬁrst round.

n Most points in ahalf of an LSUNCAA tournament game (64), besting the 59 the2023 Tigers scored onIowa in theﬁrst half of that year’s NCAA championship game.

n Most steals in an LSU NCAA tournamentgame (18).

n Biggest margin of victory by LSUinanNCAA tournament game(58).

n First team in NCAA women’s tournamenthistory with 30 points in their ﬁrst three quarters of agame.

n And,ﬁnally,LSU tied the mark for most 100-point games in aseason with 15, matching Long Beach State in 1986-87.

“That tied the record?” LSU coach Kim Mulkey asked in Friday’spostgame presser.“Yeah, that’salot of scoring.

But LSU still found ways to score. Sophomore center Kate Koval converted layups and earned trips to the free-throw line. Williams, junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley and freshman guard Bella Hineseach drained 3-pointers. Koval finished with11points and eight rebounds. Freshman forward ZaKiyah Johnson chipped in 16 points. Sophomore point guard JadaRichard tallied 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting, while Fulwiley scored 13 points and blocked three shots. Senior forwardAmiya Joyner was the only player who didnot seethe ﬂoor,and Mulkey characterizedher absencefrom theaction as a“coach’sdecision.”

Jacksonville shot29% from the ﬁeld and gave away 28 possessions. LSUturnedthose giveawaysinto 38 pointsatthe other end. The only thingMulkey could nitpick was thesecond quarter —the framein

“But I’ve got alot of scorers out there.”

Every Tiger who played scored (AmiyaJoyner sat because of what Mulkey said was acoach’s decision, but she can go in Sunday’ssecond round), with seven of them reaching double ﬁgures.

Ianticipated the answer Igot, but Istill asked Flau’jae Johnson how fun it is to play this ﬁghter jet being catapulted off an aircraft carrier-like offense.

“It’s so fun,” said theLSU senior,who Euro-stepped her way to agame-high 20 points in what was her penultimatePMAC game. “If you want tohoop, cometoLSU. Coach Mulkey,she’sjust like ‘Go ball,’you know what Imean?

“This is why people like to come and play at LSU. This is why we get the best transfers and the best freshmen because they like to come play this style of basketball.”

LSUisaveraging about 95 octane, er,points per contest, on pace to put theSoutheastern

which the Tigers allowed Jacksonville to hit 10 of its 17 shots.

“It’stoo many points, “Mulkey said. “You gotta clean that up. Yeah,wewill nitpickit, but we won’tnitpick it so much that we’re going to look back at that. We’ve got to move forward. We’ve got to getout of here and watch this game anddoa scouting report on them and get ready to practice tomorrow.”

Friday’swin was Mulkey’s150th at LSU. She hit that milestone in only 175 games.

Mulkey-coached teams have now won23straight ﬁrst-round NCAA Tournament matchups. LSU’sHallof-Fame coach has lost only one of those games in herhead coaching career,and it was the one her ﬁrst Baylor teamplayed in 2001.

TheTigers aretryingtoreach theSweet 16 for the fourth year in arow.Theywere bounced out of the second round of the tournament in Mulkey’sﬁrst season in charge, andsincethen, they’ve wonall sevenpostseasongames they’ve played inside the PMAC. LSUhas also now hit the 100-point mark in each of itslastthreeearlyround contests. The Tigers will next play in the Round of 32 on Sunday (ESPNU) against Texas Tech, the No. 7seed that hung on to beat No. 10 seed Villanova 57-52 on Fridayinthe ﬁrst round

If LSU wins on Sunday,the team will fly to Sacramento, California, for the regional semifinals. They’re now only three wins away from earning their seventhtripto theFinal Four Williams thinks the Tigers can getthere.

“I’m extremely excited to ﬁnish out this season with (Johnson),” she said, “andI hope we end out on abang.”

Conference single-season scoring record acouple of laps downby season’send. Youcan either keep up withLSU,or, as they say in NASCAR, you may wind up wadded up on thebaseline.

The Tigers, whocovered Friday’senormous511/2-point spread like LSUpole vaulter Mondo Duplantis going over the cross bar, will be another massive favorite Sunday over No. 7Texas Tech, which ground out asluggish 57-52 winover No. 10 Villanova in Friday’ssecond game.

If you’re scoring at home, that’s fewer points combined than the Tigers had on theirown card.

So, expect LSUtobeinthe Sweet 16 next week in the Sacramento 2regional out in California. Thequestion becomes, can the Tigers, playing this kind of offense, be alegitimate threat to wina second NCAA titleinfour years?

Nothing LSU did here Friday changed thefact that UConn and UCLA (the top seed in LSU’s re-

SOUTHERN

Continued from page1C

gamewas tied 51-51 early in the fourthquarter before Southern outscored the Bulldogs 14-2. The winning margin wasSouthern’s largest of the game.

As it has been all season, defense was the key as Southern held Samford to 30.8% shooting from the ﬁeld. Part of that was an 8-for-27 showing from 3-point range,astatistic theBulldogs hadhoped wouldswingthe gameintheir favor Johnson said she wasimpressed by Southern’saggressiveness.

“They looked ready to play We’re going to have to scout that and adjust,” Johnson said during aFriday newsconference. SouthCarolinacoach Dawn Staleyalso hadgood words for Southern.

“I think HBCUs have been given sort of araw deal because they’re just HBCUs, and they’re notPower Fours,” Staleysaid. “But as you’re seeing, they are super well-coached. Southern is super well-coached. They really understand what they’re doing.” Staley continued by noting the importance of playing and winning tough games.

“(Southern) plays abattle-tested schedule. They beat acouple of Power Four teams, and it’sgoing to takegames like that. You have to have eye-opening wins.” Theoddsfor an eye-opening win on Saturday are against Southern. Only one No.16seed in the history of theNCAAwomen’sTournament has beaten a No. 1seed, but Funchess expects the Jaguars to play hard.

gional) are still the favorites to meet for this year’stitle. But the way the Tigers can ﬁllthe basket, can run and run teamsover,you have to at least put them in the conversation.

It’salong way from beating Jacksonville to beating one of those teams, the Elite Eight or Phoenix in the Final Four.But there is alegitimate fear factor with LSU that must be considered. All this isn’ttosay the Tigers played aperfect gameFriday Jacksonville had agood run in the second quarter,making 58.8% of its shots. Turnovers are part of the cost of the way LSU does business, but 15 against an outclassed team like Jacksonville could multiply into afatal ﬂawasthe Tigers march on.

But at least on Friday,the Tigers’ engine waspurring just fine coming out of the starting blocks. The other power programs advancing out of the first round definitely have to take notice.

Continued from page1C

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Williams, right, celebrates withteammate Flau’jae Johnson after a3-pointer against Jacksonville on Fridayatthe PMAC.

Mixedresults from portal

Alookatwhere LSU transfersstand as they enterSEC play

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

This summer was another busy one for LSU baseball in the transfer portal, as theTigers added 10 players fromthe transfer portal to roundout their 2026 roster afterlosing eight signees to the MLB Draft

But the results from LSU’sportal additions so far have been underwhelming, heading into itsﬁrst home series in Southeastern Conference play against Oklahoma this weekend.

Here’swhat you needto know aboutLSU’s newtransfersasit dives further into its SEC schedule.

Cooper Moore•RHP

Moore has beenLSU’smost consistent performer amongits portal additions. The Kansas transfer holds a3.21 ERA in ﬁvestarts and has only walked seven batters in 28 innings. His fastball only sits at around 92-93 mph, but it has astrong movement proﬁle —moving away to left-handers and insidetorighties —and his changeup works as aperfect compliment to the pitch. Commanding the bottom half of the zone is crucial to Moore’ssuccess.

EthanPlog•LHP

Plog has been LSU’stop lefthanded option out of the bullpen for most of the season.But he’s struggled lately,holding a6.75

LSU pitcher Cooper Moore delivers apitch against Sacramento State in thefourth inning on March 7atAlex Box Stadium. Moore has been LSU’s most consistent performer among its portal additions.

ä LSU at oklahoma.

2P.M. SATURDAy,SECN

ERAand allowing three earned runs on Saturdayagainst Vanderbilt. When he’s at his best,his lower arm slot and the movement he creates with his fastball have been keys to hissuccess.

TrentCaraway •3B

Caraway has started nearly every gameatthird base for the Tigers aftertransferringinfrom Oregon State. The California native hada strong ﬁrst week of the season but has slowed down since then,recording just four hits and one extra-base hit since LSU’slast game at theJax College Baseball

FIVE TO WATCH

LSU gymnast Kailin Chio performs her balance beamroutineduring aameet against Alabama on Feb. 27 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.Chio scored hersecond straight perfect 10 on beamand thirdinthat event this season.

The top four teams in the nation are all squaring off Saturdayinthe night session of the Southeastern Conference gymnastics championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma. No. 1-ranked Oklahoma, No. 2LSU,No. 3Florida and No. 4 Alabama willtumble at 7p.m. in Session II.Arkansas,Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky and Missouri will compete at 2p.m. in Session I. Both meets will be shown liveonthe SEC Network. The meet is glittering with top collegegymnasticstalent.We’ve picked five to watch:

KAILIN CHIO

Sophomore •LSU

The presumptiveSEC gymnast of theyear,Chio ranks first in the allaround, on vault and beam. Has an NCAA-best nine perfect 10s among 31 individualtitles

ADDISONFATTA

Sophomore •Oklahoma Third nationally in the all-around and second on vault behindChio An all-arounder in all 12 meets, shehad a10onvault Feb.13at Florida.

Classic. On defense, Caraway has only committed one error

Seth Dardar •INF

Dardarhas hadanup-and-down starttohis ﬁrst season at LSU.The KansasState transfer wasone of LSU’sbest hitters over the first week of theseason,but he’s had trouble squaring up the ball consistentlyeversince. He is hitting .218, with more walks than strikeouts, but alow .436 slugging percentage. In the ﬁeld, Dardar has committed three errors and has played at second and third base.

Daniel Harden •OF

Harden earned some playing time toward the end of nonconference play,starting against UL and Sacramento State. The juniorcollege transfer also blasted aninthinning home run against the Hornets as apinch-hitter. He’s only had12at-bats, but Johnson likes theathleticismheprovidestothe lineup as aleft-handed hitter

DaxDathe •RHP

Dathedidn’tpitch forLSU over thepasttwo weekends after beginning theyear near the topofthe pecking order out of the bullpen. When theAngelo Statetransferhas been at his best, his slider and cutter offer aunique look forhitters to deal with. He currently holds an ERA of nine in seven appearances.

Zach Yorke•1B

Yorke was expected to play abig role in LSU’s lineup after transferring in from Grand Canyon. The senior blasted four home runs

GYM

Continued from page1C

LSU could tieOU’saverage Saturdaywith ascoreof198.375, which would be aseason high for the Tigers.IfLSU goes198.400 under those circumstances, the Tigers would be the No.1NCAA seed once again.

Allthat said, Clark likes his team where it is. LSU is guaranteed to be the No. 1seed in the NCAAregional the school is hosting April 1-4 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.Heenjoys the role of the pursuer rather than the team everyone else is pursuing.

Perhaps that’sbecause being theoverallNo. 1didn’thelpLSU last year.The Tigers made it to theNCAAChampionships but didn’treach the four-team ﬁnal session,which waswon by OU

“I like to be number one at the end,” Clark said. “Untilthen, I’m OK with chasing something. I like the mindsetthat can help and keep producing. It’sapsychological thing.”

That said, themeetishardly just an LSU-OU showdown.

Thetop four-ranked teams in thenation— Oklahoma,LSU Florida and Alabama —are all in Session II. The Gators have posted this season’stwo best team scores in theirpasttwo meets, including a198.575 this past week at Kentucky Oklahomahas been the nation’s most consistent team, notpostinga score lower than 197.425. LSUisthe only team in the nation ranked in the top three on all fourevents:vault, unevenbars, balance beam and ﬂoor

entering conference play,but he’s also second on the team in strikeouts and has struggled hitting offspeed pitches. At ﬁrst base, he’s committedtwo errors on throws to home plate that cost the Tigers at least tworuns.

DannyLachenmayer •LHP

Lachenmayerhasn’tbeenafforded many opportunities out of the bullpen since transferring in from North Dakota State. In three appearances,the sophomorehas only facedsix batters in 11/3 innings. His over-the-top delivery is whatmakes him unique from LSU’s other left-handed arms.

BraydenSimpson •INF/OF Simpson hasn’tearned alot of playing time since arriving at LSU. He’sonly recorded 30 plate appearancesdespite hitting22homers and posting a1.250 on-base plus slugging percentage last season at High Point. He has swung and missed quite abit despite not being aregular starter,striking out 13 times while only recording seven hits.

Santiago Garcia •LHP

Garcia was Steven Milam’s high school teammate at Centennial High in NewMexico and has earned alarger role in the bullpen as theseasonhas gone along. He threwonSunday against Vanderbilt and tossed 22/3 scorelessinnings in relief against Creighton. TheOregon transfer allowed ahome run against Vanderbilt,but that was theﬁrst runhe’dallowed since his ﬁrst outing of theyear

kansas —Chio leads the NCAA in all-around, vault andbeam scoring.

“She’strailblazing in front of oureyes,” LSU freshman Nina Ballou said. “It’shistory in the making, and we’re apart of it.” KonnorMcClain has been abig part of the Tigers’ success this season as well, especially in recent meets. The 2024 SEC beam championasa freshman, McClain is ranked ﬁfthnationally on bars and hasposted11straight scores of 9.90-9.975 in LSU’spast four meets.

“I feel good mentally,” the LSU junior said. “The team has supported me. It was arough season this year,but thepastmonth has boosted my conﬁdence. The team has my back.” Coen earnsSEC honor LSU junior Kylie Coen has been named to the 2026 SEC Gymnastics Community Service Team. Coen has given morethan40 hoursofcommunity servicethis year forsuchcauses as MLKDay of Service, Girls on the Run, work at alocal food bankand hospital visits. She also serves on the LSU Student-AthleteAdvisoryCommittee(SAAC) and is an Academic All-American.

LSUin2027Sprouts ﬁeld

SELENA HARRIS-MIRANDA

Senior •Florida The 2025 SEC vaultchampion, Harris-Miranda has excelled on beam this season. Comes in with back-to-back 10s on beam and is ranked second behind Chio.

CHLOE LACOURSIERE

Junior •Alabama First nationally on unevenbars. No perfect 10s,but no score lower than 9.925 in 12 meets. Has23 scores of 9.90 or better on 38 total routines.

MORGANPRICE

Senior •Arkansas

An AAI Award finalist, Price ranks eighth on vaultand 10th on bars Her perfect 10 on vaultFeb.20 against Kentucky was the first in program history. Three more to watch: Kaliya Lincoln,Soph., LSU; Gabby Gladieaux, Sr Alabama;Faith Torrez, Sr., Oklahoma. —ScottRabalais

“It’s going to be fun,” Clark said. “Must-see TV.The top four teams in the country,itdoesn’t get any better than that.” No oneinthe regular season hasbeen better than LSUsophomoreKailin Chio.

The ownerofa nation’s best nine perfect 10s this season includingthree on vault, beam and ﬂoor March 13 against Ar-

TheTigers will once again be part of the ﬁeld for the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad, set forJan. 9-10, 2027, at Bon Secours WellnessArena in Greenville, South Carolina, ESPN Events announced Friday There will be twofour-team sessions: one on Jan. 9onABC, the other on Jan. 10 on ESPN Participating teams include LSU, Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia, Clemson, Utah, UCLA and North Carolina. It was not announced which teamswould participate in which session.

The Sprouts Collegiate Quad has previously been held in West Valley City,Utah (2024 and 2026) and OklahomaCity (2025). LSU ﬁnished second in 2024 and 2025 and tied for ﬁrst this year with OU

STAFF FILE PHOTOByMICHAEL JOHNSON LSU gymnastKylie Coen celebrates after finishing her floor routine at ameet against Penn State on Feb.6 at the PMAC.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

HORSE RACING

Area hopefuls head La. Derby field

Chip Honcho, Golden Tempo, Universe top entries at the Fair Grounds

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

The 113th running of the Louisiana Derby looks like a classic case of “us” vs. “them.”

Chip Honcho, Golden Tempo and Universe lead a strong trio of local runners in the Grade II $1 million stakes race, but they’ll have to contend with a fleet of talented invaders from California, Florida and New York

The Louisiana Derby headlines an eight-stakes program that features four graded events: the Grade II $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks; the Grade II $500,000 New Orleans Classic; and the Grade II $300,000 Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes. First post in the 14-race card is noon. The field of nine 3-year-old colts in the Louisiana Derby will vie for the 100-50-25-15-10 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May The race’s top two finishers will earn enough points to make the Kentucky Derby field. Chip Honcho and Golden Tempo, already with 39 and 35 points, respectively, can probably secure their spot in the Kentucky Derby field with a topfive finish.

Chip Honcho enters the race as the 3-1 favorite and is the most accomplished runner in the ﬁeld. He won the Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds in December and was a credible second in the Grade II Risen Star Stakes last month behind Paladin one of the top contenders for the Kentucky Derby He is trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Steve Asmussen, who has won the Louisiana Derby ﬁve times, including last year with longshot winner Tiztastic.

Chip Honcho could have a pace advantage with his preferred frontrunning style. The field is stacked with closers and stalkers, which could leave the son of Connect and jockey Luis Saez alone on the lead during the 13⁄16-mile trip and make him tough to overtake in the often grueling 1,346-foot Fair Grounds stretch.

If there is a pace meltdown, Golden Tempo and Universe ﬁgure to take advantage. Golden Tempo, trained by Cherie Devaux, won the Lecomte Stakes in closing style and ﬁnished a closing third in the Risen Star after Chip Honcho and the eventual winner, Paladin, set a relatively soft pace on the lead. The Cherie DeVaux trainee will add blinkers to try to keep him closer to the pace.

“He’s got a really nice turn of foot,” DeVaux told the Fair Grounds publicity team this week

“But I really just want to get him focused, and a couple of times when he’s made his runs, even when he won, he kind of idled be-

fore he kicked clear So we’re just trying to get him to be closer, and then when he makes his run, he makes it without any hesitation.”

Emerging Market looks to be the primary threat to the locals.

The son of Candy Ride earned an impressive 97 Beyer Speed Figure in winning his 7-furlong debut at Tampa Bay Downs last month.

That’s the top ﬁgure in the ﬁeld.

“I’m not surprised he ran that fast,” said trainer Chad Brown, who won the Risen Star last month

with Paladin. “He trained brilliantly all last year He just couldn’t make it to the races with a couple minor issues. Once again, leading up to this ﬁrst race, he trained Aplus.”

Emerging Market is one of four horses pegged at 6-1, but he ﬁgures to go off at much lower odds at post time. The others Blacksmith, Easterly and Pavlovian — are trained by top conditioners Bob Baffert, Brad Cox and Doug O’Neill.

FAIR GROUNDS REPORT

Easterly broke his maiden by 23/4 lengths in a 11⁄16-mile race at Gulfstream Park last month. His second-place maiden finish was flattered by the winner, Class President, who won the Grade II Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn on March 1.

Blacksmith required ﬁve starts to break his maiden for Baffert, but the speedy son of Liam’s Map enters with two of the four fastest Beyer Speed Figures in the ﬁeld. Pavlovian won the Grade III Sunland Derby and enters as the most experienced runner and highest earner in the field with $413,450 in winnings from nine career starts.

Fair Grounds Oaks

Unsurprisingly, Bella Ballerina is the heavy 7-5 favorite in the Oaks, the meet’s marquee event for 3-year-old ﬁllies and annually the top prep race for the Kentucky Oaks. The Godolphin homebred is unbeaten in three lifetime starts and leads a ﬁeld of seven, who will compete for the 100-50-25-15-10 qualifying points for the Kentucky Oaks.

Bella Ballerina showed heart in winning the Grade II Rachel Alexandra last month at Fair Grounds, edging Luv Your Neighbor by a half-length at the wire after being overtaken by her in the stretch.

Bella Ballerina is already ﬁrmly in the Kentucky Oaks ﬁeld with 60 points.

Luv Your Neighbor (7-2) again ﬁgures to be Bella Ballerina’s pri-

mary competition, along with Life of Joy (4-1), a Brad Cox trainee who will be ridden by Eclipse Award-winning jockey Flavian Pratt, and Love and Trust (9-2), an ascending frontrunner from the powerful DeVaux barn.

New Orleans Classic

All eyes will be on Louisianabred sensation Touchuponastar as he tries to defend his title in the Classic, the 11⁄8-mile stakes for older horses.

Only four horses will contest the speedy 20-time winner after Accelerize scratched to run in the Oaklawn Handicap.

Touchuponastar, the 6-5 favorite owned by former NFL and UL quarterback Jake Delhomme, will be ridden for the ﬁrst time by Marcelino Pedroza Jr At the same time, regular rider Tim Thornton recovers from an injury suffered in a recent racing incident. The son of Star Guitar has won 20 of 27 career starts, including 17 stakes races and is the third leading money winner in Louisiana-bred history with $1.7 million in career earnings.

Mervin Muniz Memorial Grade I winner Program Trading (9-5) and Grade III Fair Grounds Stakes winner Lagynos (2-1) headline a ﬁeld of seven older turf horses in the Grade III event on the Stall-Wilson turf course Trainer Mike Stidham also sends out two strong contenders in Tom’s Magic (5-1) and Montador (7-2).

PROVIDED PHOTOS By LOU HODGES

Golden Tempo, with jockey Jose Ortiz aboard, wins the 83rd Lecomte Stakes on Jan. 17 at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans Golden Tempo is a 7-2 second favorite to win the 113th Louisiana Derby on Saturday afternoon at the Fair Grounds.

Chip Honcho, with Paco Lopez aboard, wins the Gun Runner Stakes at the Fair Grounds on Dec. 20, establishing himself as an early Kentucky Derby contender Chip Honcho is a 3-1 favorite at the Louisiana Derby.

Piece of the action

BR bakery opening an underground pizza business

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

ﬁve years, Steven Gottfried

landed St. Bruno Bread Co. on the menus and shelves of nearly 50 Louisiana businesses. Now, he’s tackling the art of pizza.

“St. Bruno Pizza Company is a passion project that has been a long time coming,” Gottfried said. The bakery-style pizza business will start as a ghost kitchen pop-up inside St. Bruno Bread Co. at 7445 Town S Ave. in Baton Rouge.

“It’s a bakery-style pizza,” Gottfried said. “A meld between Detroit-style pizza and how we do it at the bakery, because we’ve been making pizzas there for a long time.”

Pre-orders will likely launch March 30 through a link that’ll be announced soon on the St. Bruno Pizza Co. Instagram account, @stbrunopizzaco. Pickup days will be once a week on Thursdays, and the ﬁrst pickup day is April 2.

“We’ll utilize our ovens and all of our infrastructure at St Bruno Bread Company to do the underground pizza company,” he said “And then our plan is to pretty quickly get into the frozen pizza game, retailing that around Baton Rouge and then beyond.” On March 12, the bread company posted a video of Gottfried making the Green and White, a pesto pizza with pepperoni, ﬁnished with ricotta dollops and hot honey drizzle. It’s one of the menu’s four pizzas. The other pizzas include the Baker’s Choice, with pepperoni and jalapeño, and the Hot Hog, a bacon and sausage pizza that’s ﬁnished with a sweet sriracha sauce drizzle. And last, there’s the JCP, which stands for Just Cheese Please.

ä See PIZZA, page 2D

The newspaper is

its Cookie Contest at the

from 2 p.m. to 5 p.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 and to enter the contest, go to ebrpl.co/ advocatecookiecontest.

LIVING

After 30 years of teaching at Glasglow Middle, this Baton Rouge artist is painting full time now

Davé former Talented Arts Program teacher at Glasgow Middle School, shows two of her smaller works.

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

It’s Geeta Davé’s turn now

After 30 years of guiding middle schoolers through art projects, it’s her turn to make her own — her turn to get lost in the kaleidoscope of color in her studio.

Still, this sentiment is bittersweet. Davé retired from her position as Glasgow Middle School’s Talented Art Program teacher in February and she’s enjoyed working with her students. She not only introduced them to artwork in different cultures but also collaborated with other Glasgow teachers to develop coursework coinciding with the art.

Her classes’ work has appeared in public displays at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO, Education

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

was featured in the LSU Glassell Gallery’s 2024 summer juried exhibition, ‘Wild.’

A new canvas

Davé’s acrylic painting, ‘Power of Intuition.’ Davé often incorporates birds into her work.

Center in Livingston; the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans; BREC’s Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center; and the

Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge.

Though she’s made time to create her own work along the way, Davé is excited about the prospect of being a full-time artist.

Always an artist

Art has always been a way of life for Davé. Her dad was an art teacher in her hometown of Rajkot, India, and it was from there where, at age 11, she was one of ﬁve children selected from throughout India for the Soviet Land Nehru award to attend the Artek International Children’s Camp in Russia.

“My father was also a book illustrator, and we would all have dinner when he’d come home from work. Then I watched him sit at the table and work like crazy,” Davé

See DAVÉ, page 3D

Geeta Davé’s ‘Prakruti: Into the Wild 1’

STAFF FILE PHOTO

By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Steven Gottfried lays

STAFF PHOTOS By ROBIN MILLER

Dear Miss Manners: Iamhappily employed by avery low-key, faith-based organization.Community and collaboration are part of our work culture, so leadership encourages our teams to shareholy day meals together several times ayear.Wealways pray asimple blessing before we eat. One of our co-workers is careful, and vocal,about how her food is sourced. Every time we eat together,she asks about the sourcingof the foods: “Is this egg/cheese/beef free-range/organic/local?” etc. Most times, our responses are evidently unacceptable to her.

After we’ve all prayedour simple blessing, she will add something that sounds like aminitableside exorcism: “Wecast out all toxins andpoisons that maybeinthese foods. She sometimes elaborates with details about PFAS in water sources and chickenssuffering abuse. Forget the repetitious religiosity of her prayers —wealready blessed the food,makingadditional blessings unnecessary it’sthe rudeness that annoys me. People went to thetrouble of preparing these dishes andbringing them to work to share, and she prayerfully refers to ingredients

as poisons and toxins.

Gentlereader: Not very charitable of her,isit?

Youmight politely remind your co-worker of this: “It is impressive how diligent you are about eating ethically sourced food. But of course we do not want to hurt feelings when people have gone to such great lengths to make meals for us to enjoy

“Perhaps we can just bless thefood for the sustenance it gives us, and not ‘castout’the thingswedon’tlike,” you could continue. “I’m sure everyone has somethingthat doesn’tagree with them, and we don’twant to seem ungrateful by pointing it out.”

Dear Miss Manners: Ibelong to a

AndrewNuschler pats

packaging

PIZZA

Continued from page1D

The menu will have one appetizer to start: handcarved country bread with whipped butter. Each pie uses asourdough base. Making it involves adayslong process using slow and low fermentation to make thedough moredigestible andﬂavorful,Gottfried said. He cooks each pizza in ablack, steel pan to give it acrunchy crust. After the pizzas cool, he builds the pizzas and flash-bakes them.

“Wewill be limited for the first one or two bakes, so we won’tbeable to do like 100 orders,” Gottfried said. “We’ll probably cap it at 30 to start,but then as we grow, our capacity will just increase, increase, increase.” The bread company has

made aname for itself in thewholesale realm, and St.Bruno Pizza Co. is Gottfried’sfirst venture intoa direct-to-consumer concept He previously supplied pizza dough to the now-closed Var’sPizza on Perkins Road.

casual group of friends whoshare acommon interest in music. One member sent an email to the group to let us know of adownturn in her health that would limit herparticipation in the group.

Most of the members responded to her emailusing the “reply all” option. Iresponded directly to her,expressing my concern without using “reply all.”

Another member of the group expressed surprise she had not seen any message from me to this person. Ireplied that Ihad responded directly,which is my usual practice in such situations.

Inow wonder if “reply all” is theonly way to avoid the impression among the group that Idonot

care about other members’ significant lifechanges. Has “reply all” becomeaway of keeping score?

Gentle reader: Evidently.But it does not mean you have to play the game.

Doing kind things without being publicly recognized forthem is still an option in this attentionseeking world. Miss Manners hopes you ﬁnd the inner fortitude to stick with it.

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website,missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@ gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St.,Kansas City,MO64106.

By The Associated Press

Today is Saturday, March 21, the80th day of 2026. There are 285 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On March 21, 1965, civil rightsdemonstrators led by theRev.Martin Luther King Jr.began their third attempt to march from SelmatoMontgomery, Alabama —this time under theescort of U.S.Army and National Guard troops assigned by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Also on this date:

In 1873, theSpanish National Assembly abolished slavery in Puerto Rico, then aSpanish colony; enslaved people were required to workfor three moreyears for their former owners.

In 1933, Germany’sNazi government established its ﬁrst concentration camp in the town of Dachau, ostensibly for political prisoners; Dachau held more than 200,000 prisoners and more than 40,000 died there before American forces liberated thecamp in April 1945.

In 1952, theMoondog Coronation Ball, considered the ﬁrst rock ‘n’ roll concert, took place at Cleveland Arena.

In 1960, police in Sharpe-

ville, South Africa, opened ﬁre and killed at least 69 people at ademonstration against apartheid laws.

In 1963, the United States closed Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary; over 1,500 inmates had been jailed at the island prison off the coast of San Francisco, California, over its three decades of use.

In 1972, Congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment and sent it to the states forratification by March 1979 (later extended to 1982); 35 of the required 38 states met the ratification deadline. With 38 states having since ratified, its status is in legal limbo.

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States would boycott the Summer Olympic GamesinMoscow because of the Soviet Union’sfailure to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.

In 1990, Namibia became an independent nation as the former colony marked the end of 75 years of South African rule.

In 2012, meting out unprecedented punishment forabounty system that targeted key opposing players, the NFLsuspended NewOrleans Saints head coach Sean Payton without pay forthe com-

ing season and indeﬁnitely banned the team’s former defensive coordinator; NFLCommissioner Roger Goodell ﬁned the Saints $500,000 and took away twodraftpicks.

In 2019, President Donald Trump abruptly declared that the U.S. would recognize Israel’ssovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights —the ﬁrst

Is opening abrick-andmortar pizzeriaonthe table for Gottfried?

“Maybe oneday,ifthe stars align,” he said.

“Pizza is one of those near anddearthingstome,” he said. “It alwayshas been.It’s the reason Igot into bread in thefirst place.I always wanted to open something like this.”

closed on March3

STAFF PHOTO By MADDIESCOTT

PROVIDED PHOTO Bread products from St.Bruno BreadCo. in Baton Rouge

STAFF FILEPHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Sarah Guarisco on the back as sheand StevenT.Gottfried jokewhile

fresh baked sourdough butter balls at St.Bruno Bread Co.in2024.

DAVÉ

Continued from page1D

said. “And ever since Iwas old enough to hold apencil, Iwas drawing beside him.”

Davémoved to Baton Rouge in 1987 with her husband, who workedasBaton Rouge Coca-Cola’sdirector of quality assurance. But Davé faced an obstacle in her own job hunt.

It didn’tmatter that she’d earned her master’sdegree in creative painting and murals from Maharaja Sayajirao University,her English was broken. Alimited vocabulary meant limited job prospects.

“I started taking English classes twiceaweek at the InternationalChurch, where Iwas fortunate to meet Joanne Harvey,” Davé said. “She said, ‘I will come to your home and teach you,’ and in three months, she found ajob for me at the Runnels School.” Harvey assured Davé that language wouldn’tbeabarrier in the job.

“She said, ‘Language won’t be aproblem, because you are teaching art,’”she said. “And Iwas agood teacher there. That was 45 years ago.”

Astableteachingjob

Teaching came naturally to Davé. Though she purposely did not pursue a degree in art educationin India, she was certifiedto

teach. She also opened the Creative ArtCenter in Rajkot, where shewas also an instructor

Her newlyretired dad took over thecenterwhenDavé moved to Baton Rouge, running it alongside her sister until hisdeath at age 94.

The Runnels job presented another obstacle —itwasn’t permanent.So, Davé moved on to the Arts Council of Greater BatonRouge, which sent her to work in several schools’ gifted and talented programs each week

Then came her perfect ﬁt at Glasgow Middle.

“Glasgow added aTalentedArts Program, and they were required to hire a professionalartistwho was involved in the community to teach it, so they called the Arts Council,” Davè said.

“The Arts Council gave them four names. Iwas the last onethe school interviewed. They hiredme, and Iwas happy,because Iwas looking for something more stable.”

The job remained stable throughthreedecades and hundreds of students,some of whom haveadvancedinto their own professional art careers.

“BrandonLewis was my student, and he’sanartist now,”Davé said.“Brandon Surtain is another.There were so many students who wentthrough the Talented Arts Program.”

Focusing on herwork

Davé’sﬁnal day at Glasgow

wasFeb.28. On March6, lessthantwo weeksafter the first day of herretirement, she climbed the stairs to her home’ssecond floor to surveyher finished and unfinished work.

Inkedpieces on large, heavywatercolor paper awaitcompletion in one bedroom,a once-finished wooden cutoutpainting is being revised in another Birds are running themes in all of her paintings, manyof whichfocusonwomen,their place in the world and their plights.

“I’ve had an unspoken friendship with birds allof my life,” Davé said. “Wehad alwayshad birds around in India. We didn’thave aTV or anything like that, so the birds were our friends.”

The moreDavé paints, the more the birds morph into something deeper.The colors in her work are always bright,depicting the birds as exotically cheerful. Their stories change when looking beyond the colors.

“Whenyou start thinking about the birds, theyhave theirhardships, too,” she said. “Think aboutwhatthey have to go through when the rain comes, andthink about their other challenges.That’sthe ‘me’ and ‘my body’ Isee in them. They are like the challenges faced by women.”

Some of Davé’s paintings aboutwomenhavebeen exhibitedinBaton Rouge Gallery’s“Surreal Salon,” the summer invitational exhib-

its at LSU’sGlassell Gallery and group shows in theArts Council of Greater Baton Rouge’s Shell Gallery.Atthe Baton Rouge Riverfront, her four permanent10-by-10foot murals are showcased, and visitors can also find herwork at BREC’sBaton Rouge Zoo.

OutsideofLouisiana,her pieces have been includedin shows in ThePainting Center in New York; theTennessee Valley Museum of Art in Tuscumbia, Alabama; and in her native India.

All of this adds up to just asampling of Davé’sart resume, to which shehopes to add asolo showwithin the next year

Back in herupstairshallway,Davé lined her ﬁnished paintings against awall, stopping only tocontemplatethe unﬁnished pieces in the bedrooms.

“Maybe Iwill have enough for acollection for ashow when Ifinish the others,” she said.

Davé doesn’tquite know where her show would be, so she’ssimply takingitone step at atime. Andthe ﬁrst step is creating more work.

But it won’thappen at once. The Davés have two grown children and grandchildren, who theyplan to visit out of town.

That will come later.For now,it’sher turn to paint.

Andshe will.

Email RobinMiller at romiller@theadvocate. com.

Adigital upside

Dear Heloise: Amid all of this discussion about physical newspapers, to my knowledge, none of your readers has suggested abig downside to printed newspapers: They are dirty.After reading the paper, my hands were always black from the easily transferrable ink. Ireally enjoy reading your column on my computer —LoixM., via email

Hints from Heloise

RELIGION BRIEFS

FROM STAFFREPORTS

Church hosts Women’sDay at LSU

Baton Rouge International Christian Church will host aWomen’s Day celebration from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday,March 28, at the LSU Faculty Club, 3863 Highland Road. This faith-filled, open event will feature ashared meal, testimonies,aperformance and akeynote message designed to inspire and encourage women in every season of life. For more information, visit eventbrite.com.

Black Caucus prayer breakfast

TheLouisiana Legisla-

tive BlackCaucusand the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus Foundation will hold its annual prayer breakfast from 7:30 a.m.to9 a.m Tuesday,April 14, at the Renaissance Baton Rouge Hotel, 7000 Bluebonnet Blvd. The morning will feature Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie and offer a time of prayer,reflection andfellowship, bringing together elected officials and community members. The communityisinvited to pray for the city,its leadersand one another while celebrating faith, unity anda sharedcommitment to service. Tickets are $75 per person. For moreinformation, visit eventbrite.com.

STAFF PHOTO By ROBINMILLER

Baton RougeartistGeeta Davé,former Talented Arts Program teacher at Glasgow Middle School, shows acutout wooden painting sheisrevising.Now that she’s afull-time artist, shehopes to create enough paintingsfor acollection.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Settle in, dial up your discipline and refuse to let temptation lead you astray. Rethink your financial and health strategies and adjust your routine to suit your needs.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Get serious about your financial, medical and contractual obligations. Overextending yourself in any aspect of life will lead to trouble with institutions.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Take action, and you'll help make a difference. Equality and balance are necessary, and curbing bad habits and being frugal will put you on a path to freedom.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Acting in haste or letting your ego or desire tempt you to do unwise things will lead to regret. Avoid excessive behavior and making suggestions you cannot fulfill.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Put your differences with others aside and pour your energy into research and making a unique contribution. How you present yourself and your objective will determine what you receive in return.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) You may crave change, but you must first think matters through and consider any consequences. Think about what's in demand and focus on how you can be part of a positive outcome.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Let your imagination run wild, and enjoy the onset of creativity that follows. Pay attention to detail and use your energy and

willpower to broaden your agenda and seize an opportunity.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov 22) Explore the possibilities, elaborate on your ideas and put your plans in motion. Thoughts followed by actions will lead to new beginnings and opportunities.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Keep your thoughts to yourself and let your actions lead the way. A change of pace, scenery or entertainment will help you revise how you handle or earn your money.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) You can wheel and deal, but you must protect yourself from anyone using unscrupulous tactics to tempt you to take on too much. Above all else, maintain balance and equality. Avoid taking a health risk.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Overreacting will not serve you well. Control your emotions, stick to a budget and a plan, and refuse to take financial or physical risks. Choose peace and love over chaos and discord.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Challenge yourself mentally and physically. Competitive situations will encourage you to try harder. Avoid overspending or letting ego interfere with your progress. Make self-improvement your goal. 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: c EQuALs L

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe peAnUtS

And erneSt

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placingpuzzle basedona9x9 grid with severalgiven numbers. Theobjectistoplace thenumbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column andeach3x3 boxcontains the same number only once.The difficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS Hi and LoiS

By PHILLIP ALDER

Ellen Hopkins,a novelist whowrites primarily for teens and young adults, said,“For short-term relaxation, Itake ahot tub. It’smybestway to unblock writers’ block, too.”

So, if you have adifficult decision to make at the bridge table, take aquick bath —ifthe other playersdon’t mind thedelay,ofcourse.Still,oneofHopkins’ words is relevant to this deal.

Howcan the defenders defeat three no-trumpafter West leads his fourthhighest spade to dummy’s bareking?

Northwas right to respond three notrump. Mentally look on king-singleton as king-doubleton. Even when the opening leader has the ace, he isn’tgoing to lead it againstano-trumpcontract.

South starts with seven toptricks: one spade (given the first trick), three hearts, one diamond and two clubs.The extrawinners can obviously comefrom diamonds.And if that finesse is working, declarer will take the first 11 tricks. Evenifthefinesseloses,Southwillbeall rightifthe opponents cannotcashfour spade tricks.

Howcan the defendersget those four spade winners? At trick one, Eastmust drop his queen under dummy’s king. This serves two purposes:Ittells partnerabout the queen and jack,allowing himtounderlead the ace on the next round, anditunblocksthe suit. (West knowsthe queencannot be asingleton, becausethatwould give South six spades.)

wuzzles

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

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Wordsmust be of fourormoreletters. 2. Words that acquire four lettersbythe addition of “s,” suchas“bats” or “dies,” are notallowed. 3. Additionalwords made by adding a“d” or an “s” may notbeused. 4. Proper nouns,slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare notallowed.

toDAy’s WoRD FREIGHtER: FRAY-ter: Aship or airplane used primarily to carry cargo.

Average mark 34 words

Time limit 60 minutes Can you find54ormorewords in FREIGHTER?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —tInAMous

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

George Alfred Wright Jr akaWalker,have been convictedof 14:42.1- Forcible Rape Date Convicted: 01/18/1996. 4:43.4Aggravated Oral Sexual Battery.Date Convicted: 01/18/1996. 14:42 -Aggravated Rape.DateConvicted: 01/18/1996. Details: Offender wasoriginally chargedwith aggravated rape and aggravated oral sexual battery perBill of Information. On 1/18/1996 offender was found guiltyas chargedtoaggravated rape by jury trialand sentencedtolifein prison.The charge of agg. oral sexual battery wasdismissed. On appeal,offender's original conviction was vacatedand on 1/20/1998 he pled guiltytoone countof forcible rape andwas sentencedto30years at HL withoutbeneﬁt. 14:42.1- Forcible Rape Date Convicted: 09/24/1990. 14:89.1Aggravated Crime AgainstNature. Date Convicted: 09/24/1990. My Addressis: 5549 Frey St BatonRouge LA 70805 Race:WHITE Sex: MALE Date of Birth: 10/29/1968 Height:5'9 Weight:165 Hair Color: BROWN EyeColor:Unknown