The Acadiana Advocate 03-22-2026 by The Advocate

RISING ABOVE THEASHES

Conservationists torchacreage in effort to restore majestic longleaf pines

Lance Buisson with theSt. TammanyParish Fire Department helps acontrolled

Efforts have expanded to bring backmajesticlongleaf pine trees in Louisiana.

BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer

Flames crackle as Hunter Hutchinson maneuvers his torch along the edge of the woods, intentionally igniting aﬁre to allowareturn of the long-lost past.

“The ﬁrehelpsto reclaim these areas,” Hutchinson, 39, said as ﬂames blackened underbrush in asection of rural St. TammanyParish

“The objective in these areas like this is to get sunlight in here.”

By the end of the day, Hutchinson and the rest of the burn team planned to torcharound 800 acres and, in turn,helpan iconic tree rise above the ashes.

The prescribedburnis part of larger effortsacross the southern UnitedStates to restore longleaf pine trees, which once towered above some 90 million acres across nine states from Virginia to east Texas and down toFlorida, including vast areas of Louisiana.

Logging, the desire for faster-growing timber and fewer ﬁres were among the factors that reduced that number all the way down to only around3million acres —barely ablip in historical terms.

The trees and their needles, dangling in bunches like bright green cheerleader pompoms, are more than just picturesque reminders of the past.

Historic range of longleaf pine trees

Longleaf pine forests once covered more than 90 million acres across the southern United States

WILL deGRAVELLES restoration ecologist at The Nature Conservancy

Childdeaths draw sharp questions from state lawmakers

Louisiana senators demand overhaul of

BYALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

State Sen. Regina Barrow wasvisibly emotional, at times holding back tearsasshe talked about Louisiana children facing abuse and neglect.

“They need our help, and we cannot fail them,” she said, “’cause when we do fail them, it mayactually mean the death sentence of the child.”

Her comment came Tuesday while presenting legislation to dismantle the Department of Children and Family Services, which she saysisstructurally broken —and continues to let abused and neglected children die —even though lawmakers for yearshavebeen imploring the agency to get its act together

The agency can’twait until next year or even next monthtomakechangesthatwill protect children, she said.

Both Democrats and Republicans have echoed Barrow’s disillusionment. While they say they’re unlikely to actually abolish the department outright, they are demandingchanges at the child welfare agency and aclear plan from top ofﬁcials on whatthey’ll do in the days and months ahead.

“You know what this 213-page bill represents? Frustration,” Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, told DCFS Secretary Rebecca Harris at the hearing.

ä See QUESTIONS, page 4A Barrow

Source:Louisiana Department of Wildlife andFisheries , including partsofLouisiana. That number plummeted to around 3millionacres, but restoration efforts have boosted that numberinrecent years.

Documenting ancestralties is firststep, attorneyssay

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

Cajuns withanunbrokenline to an Acadian ancestor from the MaritimeProvinces may already qualifyasCanadian citizens —though that interpretation is not universally agreed upon.

TwoCanadian immigration lawyers say descendants can obtain proof of citizenship by documenting their lineage, allowing them to live in Canada and apply for aCanadian passport.

An “unbroken line” refers to direct descent —parent to child —linking an applicant to an Acadian ancestor

“The argument is that they’re not becoming a Canadian, but they already are,” said Yameena Ansari,aCanadianimmigration attorney

ä See CITIZENSHIP, page 4A

Staffgraphic

STAFF PHOTOSByCHRIS GRANGER

burninSt. TammanyParish on Wednesday.

Longleaf pinesgrowinSt. Tammany Parish.

ä See PINES, page 3A

BRIEFS

Officials: 14 killed in fire at S. Korean factory

SEOUL, South Korea South Korean rescue workers on Saturday recovered theremains of 14 people from the charredwreckage of an auto parts factory in the central city of Daejeon, where an explosion and ﬁreinjured at least 59 others

Fire officials said 25 people were seriously injured but it wasn’timmediately clear whether any were in life-threatening condition. More than 500 firefighters, police andemergency personnel weredeployed to contain the ﬁre and conduct rescue operations after it broke out Friday afternoon.

Videos and photos from the scene showed thick gray smoke billowing from the complex and some workers jumping from a building belongingtoAnjun Industrial.

Nam Deuk-woo, fire chief of the city’sDaedeok district, said the blaze destroyedafactory building that firefighters initially could not enter over fears it might collapse.Searches for the missing workers began late Friday afterofficials deployed unmanned firefighting robotsto cool the structure and conducted asafetyinspection.

Nine of the 14 dead were discovered in what is believed to have been agym on the third floor,while three were found nearawater tank on the second ﬂoor.All the missing have now been accountedfor

2charged after trying to enter U.K.’s sub base

LONDON An Iranian man and aRomanian woman havebeen charged after trying to enter the naval base in Scotland that is home to Britain’snucleararmed submarines,police said Saturday, Police Scotland said the 34-year-old man and 31-yearold womanwill appear at DumbartonSheriff Court on Monday

As is customary in Scotland, police did not release the suspects’ names or the charges they face before their court hearing The pair were detained on Thursday after attempting to enter HM Naval Base Clyde, about 40 miles northwestof Glasgow The base, also knownas Faslane, is hometothe coreof the U.K.’ssubmarine ﬂeet, including thevesselsthat carry nuclearweapons.

Britain has been anuclear power since the 1950s.Since the 1990s, its nuclear deterrent has consisted of four RoyalNavy submarines armed with Trident missiles.

Cuba refuses to let U.S. Embassy importdiesel

WASHINGTON The Cuban government has refused arequest by the U.S. Embassy in Havana to allow it to import diesel for its generators while the Trump administration continues to imposea fuel blockadeonthe island, two U.S. ofﬁcialsfamiliar with the matter said Friday

The government turneddown therequest as theU.S.State Department has been weighing areduction in staffingatthe embassy in the Cuban capital of Havana because of the lack of diesel. Such amove would likely lead to aU.S.demandfor asimilar reduction in staffing at the Cuban EmbassyinWashington, say the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymitytodiscussthe sensitive matter

The Cuban governmentrejection was ﬁrstreported by The Washington Post

TheWhite House,State Departmentand Cuban Embassy in Washington didnot immediately respond to requests for comment.

Cuba has struggled with dwindling oil since the U.S. removed Venezuela’sleader, halting criticalpetroleum shipmentsfrom the nation that had been asteadfast ally to Havana.President Donald Trump then threatened tariffs on any country sellingor supplying Cuba with oil

The island is relying on its own natural gas, solar power and its own oil to run thermoelectric plants, but that hasn’tbeen enough to meet demand.

Many of the nation’s11million residents struggle to keep food from spoiling. Hospitals have canceled surgeries.

Iranianstrikeinjures dozens in Israel

Attackstargetareas near Israelinuclear research center

BY SAMY MAGDY, MELANIE LIDMAN and JILL LAWLESS Associated Press

CAIRO— Iran struck two commu-

nitiesnear Israel’smain nuclear research site late Saturday,leaving several peopleseriously injured, hours after its own Natanzmain nuclearenrichment site was hit,as the war spun into adangerous new direction at the start of its fourth week

It marked the ﬁrst time in the war that Israel’s nuclearresearch centerhas been targeted.

Navy commodore.

Israel’s army chief, however, said Iran had ﬁred “a two-stage intercontinental ballisticmissile.” There wasnostatement from Iran. Britain has not participated in U.S.-Israeli attacks but has allowed U.S. bombers to use its bases to attack Iran’smissile sites. On Friday, the U.K. government said bombers could use Diego Garcia to attack sites used to target ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Shipping in Strait of Hormuz

As Iran threatens shipping on the Strait of Hormuz, the United Arab Emirates joined 21 other countriesincluding the U.K.,Germany, Franceand Japan in expressing “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage.”

CO IN T MI EAST NFLICT HE DDLE AS

The Israelimilitary said its defenses were not able to intercept missiles thathit the southern citiesofDimona and Arad. Dozens of people were injured, emergencyservices said.

“The war is not close to ending,” said Israel’s army chief,Gen.Eyal Zamir

Iran’s health ministry said more than1,500 people have been killed there so far,the state broadcaster reported.

Earlier,Irantargeted thejoint U.K.-U.S.Diego Garciamilitary base in the Indian Ocean about 2,500 miles away,suggesting that Tehranhas missilesthat can go farther than previously acknowledged —orthat it hadused its space programfor an improvisedlaunch.

Residents said Iran’scapitalsaw heavy airstrikes as they marked the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

The U.S. andIsraelhaveoffered shifting rationales forthe war, from hoping to fomentanuprising that topples Iran’sleadership to eliminatingits nuclear andmissile programsand its support for armed proxies. There havebeenno

signs of an uprising, while internet restrictions limit informationfrom Iran.

Thewar’seffects are felt farbeyond the Middle East, raising food and fuel prices

It is not clear how much damage Iran has sustainedinthe U.S. and Israeli strikesthat began Feb. 28 —orevenwho is truly in charge Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei hasnot beenseen in public since being named to therole. Israel denies attack on Natanz

There was no leakage after the strike on the Natanznuclear facility,nearly 135 miles southeast of Tehran, the Iranian judiciary’sofﬁcial news agency,Mizan, said.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog has said the bulk of Iran’sestimated 970 pounds of enriched uranium is elsewhere, beneath the rubble at its Isfahan facility.The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Xit was looking into the strike Israel’smilitary said it was “not aware” of astrike by it there.The Pentagon declined to comment. RussianForeign Ministryspokesperson Maria Zakharova said such strikesposed a“real risk of cata-

strophic disaster throughout the Middle East.” Iran later retaliated, targeting Israel’snuclear program. Israel is believed to be theonlyMiddle East nation with nuclear weapons, though its leaders refuse to conﬁrm or deny their existence.

The IAEA said on Xithad not received reports of damage to the Israeli centerorabnormalradiationlevels.

The Natanz facilitywas also hit in the ﬁrst week of the war and in the 12-day warlast June.

U.S. canuse DiegoGarciabase

U.K. ofﬁcials did notgive details of thestrike that targeted the Diego Garcia base Friday,which was unsuccessful.Britain’sMinistry of Defense described Iran as “lashing outacrossthe region.”

It’sunclear how close the missiles came to the island. Iran previously asserted that it haslimitedits missile range to over 1,200 miles.

Butmilitary experts said Iran may have used its space launch vehiclefor an improvisedﬁring. “If you’ve got aspace program, you’ve gota ballisticmissileprogram,” said Steve Prest, aretiredRoyal

TrumppreparedtosendICE

Presidentsayshe’ll give order unless Democratsend shutdown

BY COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.

President DonaldTrump said Saturday he will order federal immigration officers to take arole in airport security starting Mondayunless Democrats agree on abill to fund the Department ofHomeland Security

In apair of social media posts, Trumpﬁrstthreatened and thensaid he had made plans to put ofﬁcers from U.S. Immigrationand Customs Enforcement in airports if the congressional standoff continues. He made theannouncement as apartial shutdown contributestolonglines to pass throughscreening at some of thenation’slargest airports.

“I look forward to moving ICE in on Monday,and havealready toldthem to, “GET READY.” NO MORE WAITING, NO MORE GAMES!” Trump wrote while spending the weekend in Florida.

TheRepublican president suggested ICE agents wouldbring the administration’s immigration crackdown into the nation’s airports, promising to arrest “allIllegal Immigrants.”

The moveappearsto be apointed effort to expand the type of immigration enforcement that hasbecome astickingpoint in Congress. Democratspledged to oppose funding for DHS unless changes were made in thewake of acrackdown in Minnesota thatled to the fatalshootings of two protesters. Democrats are asking forbetter identiﬁcation forfederallaw enforcementofﬁcers, anew codeofconductfor those agencies andmoreuse of judicial warrants, among other measures.

TheMinnesota operation was tied in parttoallegations of fraud involving Somali residents. On Saturday,Trumpsaid ICE officerssent to airports

would focusonarresting immigrants from Somalia who areinthe United States illegally.Repeating his criticismonSomalis, he said they “totallydestroyed” Minnesota.

“If the Democrats do not allowfor Just andProper Security at our Airports, andelsewhere throughout our Country,ICE will do the jobfar better than ever done before,” Trump said.

Trump’sposts did not offer additional detail on how ICE would take arole in airportsecurityand what it meant for the Transportation Security Administration, which screens passengers andluggage for hazardous items.

Thevastmajority of TSA employees are considered essential andcontinue to workduring thefunding lapse, but theyare doing so withoutpay.Call-out rates have started toincreaseat some airports, and DHS said at least 376 have quit since thepartial shutdown began Feb. 14.

On Saturday, in arare weekend session, theSenaterejected amotion by Democrats to take up legislation to reopen TSA and pay workers who are now going without paychecks. Republicans argue that

Russia andUkraine tradeattacks

4killedahead of U.S. talks

ByThe Associated Press

KYIV,Ukraine Russiaand Ukraine traded attacks that killed at least four people Saturday,ofﬁcials said, ahead of U.S.-Ukraine talksonways to end Russia’sinvasion of its neighbor. Aman and awoman were killedand sixpeople wounded, including two children, when aRussian drone hit ahouse in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, regionalhead Ivan

Fedorovsaid. Russian strikes also knocked out power across much of the northern Ukrainian region of Chernihiv,according to local ofﬁcials.

In Russia, two women were killed and another woundedbyUkrainian shelling of theBelgorod borderregion, Gov.Vyacheslav Gladkov said. The attackscameahead of U.S.-Ukraine talks in Miami that U.S. Special Envoy SteveWitkoff said on Xwere “constructive.” He said the meetings, which included President Donald Trump’sson-in-law JaredKushner,were“part

of ongoing mediation efforts, with discussions focused on narrowing and resolving remainingitems to movecloser to acomprehensive peace agreement.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Thursday he hadsent adelegation to theU.S. in abid to moveforward suspended U.S.-brokered talks on ending Russia’s invasion. Trilateral talksinvolving Russia, which have yet to produce anybreakthrough on keyissues, have been on ice while the Iran war has dominated international attention.

The Trump administration announced it was temporarily lifting sanctions on Iranianoil that was already loaded on ships as of Friday,but that does notincrease oil production, acentral factor in surging prices. The oil ministry of Iran, whichhas evaded sanctionsfor years, repliedthatit“essentially has no crude oilleft in ﬂoating storage.”

TheheadofU.S.Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper,asserted that Iran’sability to attack vessels on thestraithad been “degraded.” He said 5,000-pound bombs were droppedearlier in theweekonan underground facilityalong Iran’s coast used to store anti-ship cruise missilesand mobile missile launchers.

The U.S. is deploying three more amphibious assault ships and roughly 2,500 additional Marines to the Middle East, an official said. Twoother U.S. officials confirmed that ships were deploying, without sayingwhere theywereheaded. All three spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the operations. Gulf countries reported moreattacks. Amissile alert sounded Saturday night in Dubai. Saudi Arabia said it downed 20 drones in its east, home to major oil installations.

to aidairport security

they need to fund all parts of the DHS, notjust certainones. Abill to fund the Cabinetdepartmentfailed to advance in the Senate on Friday There were signs of progress, though,withthe restarting in recent days of stalledtalks between Democrats and the White House.

On Saturday,Republican and Democratic senators were settomeet for athird

consecutive day with White House ofﬁcials behind closed doors as Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York spoke of “productive conversations.” Senate Majority Leader JohnThune,R-S.D., urged thebipartisangroup to act quickly.Hehas said repeatedly that Democrats and the White House need to find compromise as lines at airports have grown.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByVAHID SALEMI

Iranian worshippers performEid al-Fitr prayers markingthe end of the holy fasting month of Ramadanasone of them wears an Iranian flag at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque on SaturdayinTehran, Iran.

Trump

When the longleafs disappear, an entire ecosystem is also harmed, with their unique growth patterns providing space for animals including wild turkeys and bobwhite quail, along with a list of carnivorous plants

— species that have been at risk to varying degrees.

The grass that returns beneath them, previously crowded out by brush, can provide food for grazing cattle. While longleafs grow more slowly than other pine species, the wood itself is also strong and of highquality

And, yes, longleaf forests are beautiful to behold, providing wide, natural alleyways to trample through. A prime example some Louisianans may be familiar with is Kisatchie National Forest and its longleaf scenic byway Government agencies and nonproﬁts have been seeking to encourage landowners to plant longleaf pine, with notable success in recent years, adding a few million acres across the South.

But they acknowledge more efforts are needed, and landowners must be convinced that it will somehow beneﬁt them — either economically or aesthetically, or maybe both.

The story of longleaf is a strong selling point. It touches on American history, shipbuilding, construction practices of the past and the way the need to make a quick buck can sometimes wipe away an integral cog of the natural world.

“If you care about the environment and you care about biodiversity, and you live in an area where longleaf was historically the natural ecosystem, it’s hard to do anything better than to restore this system,” said Will deGravelles, whose role with The Nature Conservancy in Louisiana includes overseeing longleaf pine restoration.

‘At full gallop’

In some ways, deGravelles can measure his adult life by the longleaf pines growing at the Abita Creek Flatwoods Preserve in St. Tammany Parish. With a stand of those trees in the distance, their clumps of green needles set against a bright blue sky, the 41-year-old described how he worked as a volunteer for The Nature Conservancy while studying forestry at LSU a couple decades ago — a precursor to his current job as the organization’s director of land protection and stewardship. The volunteer work involved planting longleafs there.

The conservancy’s efforts mean everything from site preparation to planting and prescribed burns. When it comes to fire, deGravelles works with the conservancy’s Bill Rivers, whose long experience with prescribed burning has earned him national recognition.

DeGravelles said the vast longleaf forests of the past provided wide-open spaces — a result of the unique way the trees shape the landscape. Early settlers of what would become the United States described them as allowing for a horse to be ridden “at full gallop and not have to worry about hitting anything,” he said.

Longleaf’s range in Louisiana traditionally included areas north of Lake Pontchartrain, like St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes, as well as expansive parts of the central and western portions of the state.

The strong wood and tar from longleafs were traditionally used widely in shipbuilding, producing what is referred to as “naval stores.” They also make for good masts and utility poles, among many other uses.

“We pulled a lot of naval stores from those longleaf pines, in terms of pitch, tar, lumber, you name it,” the LSU Ag Center’s Valerie West said.

“If it was on that tree, it probably went into a boat or into some other part of our naval organization at some point, especially right up until about the Second World War and through the Second

World War.”

Longleafs were gradually replaced with loblolly and slash pine, which tend to grow faster allowing landowners to earn money more quickly from their timber

The conservancy works with federal and state partners to provide landowners with ﬁnancial and technical assistance to replant longleaf.

A national initiative set a goal in 2010 of increasing acreage across the south to 8 million, said Matthew Vandersande of the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. A list of agencies, organizations and corporate partners cooperate on the goal under what is known as America’s Longleaf initiative

“Last year, we were up to 5.2, so we still have a little way to go, but we stopped the decline and we’re moving in the right direction,” he said.

As an example, in fiscal year 2024, about $500,000 in assistance went to 12 producers covering more than 1,600 acres in Louisiana, said Sarah Trichel, the USDA’s acting Louisiana state conservationist.

“Wildlife is a large driver here in Louisiana of individuals coming in wanting to be a part of the longleaf story,” Trichel said.

“We have those that remember seeing longleaf when they were growing up and don’t see that anymore, and they really want to have that longleaf stand reestablished, to see those long needles, those large cones, and for their grandchildren and their grandchildren’s children.”

Devil in a box

Fire is an invaluable part of returning longleaf to the landscape, which is why Hutchinson was working with his drip torch recently on property in St. Tammany Parish owned by the Weyerhaeuser timber company

That section of land, bordering Nature Conservancy property, is being used as a mitigation bank employed by companies to compensate for environmental degradation elsewhere. Longleaf has been planted there and it is beginning to ﬂourish.

The trees are especially fire-resistant, and in the long-ago past, forest fires were much more common than now Those involved in longleaf restoration stress how important controlled ﬁres are to clearing the way for the trees to grow, but they note that prescribed burns by experts are what is required not random blazes that can quickly spiral out of control

The fires clear away unwanted growth and allow sunlight to reach the forest bottom. It all leads to a domino effect, permitting plants and animals that were once part of the longleaf ecosystem to return.

Those can include turkey, bobwhite quail, pitcher plants and gopher tortoise, a unique species that digs burrows also important to other animals. White-tailed deer also beneﬁt from longleaf ecosystems. Near the recent burn in St. Tammany, a pair of wild turkeys launched from a spot in a clearing and took ﬂight through the woods.

Burns are carefully plotted operations, with experts planning a precise mode of attack, dependent upon conditions such as wind direction.

John Ponder, who headed the burn team from Sustainable Forestry Solutions, said there can be no return of longleaf without it, but it must be done with the utmost care, comparing it to letting “the devil” out of a box for a short period of time.

“You just kind of open the box, and then you kind of let him out, and then he just kind of starts doing his thing,” said Ponder “You spend the whole rest of the day trying to put him back in the box. That’s the whole name of the game.”

The Nature Conservancy’s Rivers, who initially trained Ponder, said the nuances of longleaf habitat are endless.

“This is just scratching the surface,” he said “It’s an incredible system.”

Email Mike Smith at msmith@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Lance Buisson with the St Tammany Parish Fire Department helps a controlled burn in St. Tammany Parish on Wednesday.

STAFF PHOTO By MIKE SMITH

Will deGravelles, of The Nature Conservancy stands near longleaf pine trees he helped plant in the Abita Creek Flatwoods Preserve in St. Tammany Parish years ago as a volunteer He now oversees longleaf pine restoration for the organization.

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Longleaf pines grow in a healthy forest habitat maintained by prescribed burns in St. Tammany Parish on Wednesday.

“I need somebody to tell me what the problems are so Ican help ﬁx that problem,” Luneau told Harris. “Tell me, what can Ido to help you?”

Asked about lawmakers’ criticism, Gov.Jeff Landry inastatement Friday said the agency “handles some of the toughest, most sensitive work in state government.”

“Secretary Harris and her team have been working hard to strengthenthe department, improve outcomes, and address longstanding challenges,” he said. “These are not easy issues, and they cannot be solved overnight.”

at the hands of his mother as a baby and wassubject to “ongoing” physical abuse.His mother was arrested after his deathoncounts of second-degree cruelty to juveniles and negligenthomicide.

Those are just two recent examples of child deaths that occurred after DCFS had been alerted to potential abuse.

The agency for yearsnow has been under ﬁre for itsfailure to prevent kids from dying at the hands of caregivers

Landry said he shares Barrow’s concerns for the state’smost vulnerable children but said herproposal to abolish the agency “destabilizes the workforce, creates internal turmoil, and is counterproductive to taking care ofchildren.”

“Moving forward with constructive reforms with Secretary Harris and her team is the answer,” he said.

Anotherfatality Barrow mentioned Tuesday was the 2022 case of Mitchell Robinson III. The2-year-old diedfroma fentanyl overdose even though hospital staff andadoctor who had twice saved Mitchell from an opioid overdose had previously ﬁled three reportswith the agency DCFS has been plagued by staff turnover and leadershipchanges for years.

Harris in an email Friday said she has since met with Barrow to present “a comprehensive child welfare reform package that outlines afull strategy to strengthen outcomes across the system.” The two are now working to “align” their perspectives, she said.

Among the items in that package: strengthening child safety response and timeliness, stabilizing the workforce, expanding supports for families, improving foster care outcomes, improving technology andcoordinating better with law enforcement, courts, health care providers and other community partners.

Thedeathsbehindthe outrage

In January,5-year-old Marley Perrilloux died weighingjust 19 pounds, allegedly of starvationat the hands of his parents. DCFS lastmonth acknowledgedthe department had received three prior complaints regarding the child’s older siblings. The agency said those complaints weren’tabout explicit signs of abuse or neglect,and they didn’trise to alevelwhere a welfare check was warranted

Last summer,the corpse of 12-year-old Bryan Vasquez was found in alagoon in NewOrleans A2021 DCFS report said theboy suffered atraumatic brain injury

CITIZENSHIP

Continued from page1A

That interpretation,however,is not fully settled.

Canadian immigrationofﬁcials have not explicitly conﬁrmed that all Acadian descendants automatically qualify,and eligibility may depend on documentation and legalinterpretation.

Part of the uncertainty stems from recent changestoCanada’s Citizenship Act.

Bill C-3, which took effect in December,expandscitizenship by descent beyond the previous one-generation limit,potentially allowing people withCanadian ancestors —including parents, grandparents or even earlier generations —toqualify Applicants must document adi-

Rick Wheat, who leads advocacy work for Methodist Children’s Home, which runs foster care programs and treatment facilities for children, places the blame partially on major budget and staffing cuts during the administration of former Gov.BobbyJindal.

“Much of the present is aconsequence of the fact that we’re still payingfor some of those poordecisions in the past,”

he said

But Wheat, whohas regularly interfaced with DCFS over adecadeslongcareeratthe organization, also noted that harmful community environments play arole.

“It’simportant thatLouisiana consider the impact of the environments whereour families are living,” he said.“Themore we can do to improveLouisiana for families, thebetter we’ll be at caring forour children,”hesaid

Alegislative grilling

Luneau, the state senator,on Tuesday said he’s heard for more thanadecade about up-and-down problems atDCFS. He said he didn’t want“slick brochures” about what theagency has done to improve, but aclear idea of how the Legislature can help Sen. Heather Cloud,R-Turkey Creek, askedHarris to share her vision for the agency.Harris responded by outlining changes made overthe last few months, including adding more front-line workers and improving its call center

Historically, thedepartment has focused too much on protectingchildren when abuse or ne-

rect family connection, typically through records such as birth certiﬁcates, but are notrequired to have lived in Canada or demonstratea current connection to the country

ForCajunsabletodocument their lineage, the changes could provide apath to citizenship—and with it, theability to live, work and travel freelyinCanada.

There is disagreement, however, about how far back that ancestry can extend,reﬂecting broader differences in how Canada’scitizenship law is interpreted.

Jeffrey MacDonald, acommunications adviser with Immigration, Refugeesand Citizenship Canada, said applicantsmust have an ancestorwho “became aCanadian citizen on or after Jan. 1, 1947.”

“That is definitelyincorrect,”

saidRonalee Carey,aCanadian immigration attorney

“SecretaryHarris and her team have been working hard to strengthen the department, improve outcomes, and address long-standing challenges. These are not easy issues, and they cannot be solved overnight.”

GOV. JEFFLANDRy

glect hasalreadyoccurred and “it’stoo late in the game,” Harris said.

“Wehavetospend more time focusing on prevention,” she added. “Weunderstand what therisk factorsare that bring families into contact with us. It’spoverty, it’saddiction, it’smental health We have gottohavecommunitybasedresources.”

That response appeared to leave Sen. Thomas Pressly, RShreveport, frustrated over its lack of detail. He told Harris the next time she appears beforethe committee, he hopes she’ll have “concreteideas.”

“Wegotta have that answer,” he said.

Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, the committeechair, urged Harris to work withBarrowtocraft legislation before a deadline at the end of March to ﬁle billsduring the ongoinglegislativesession

“I hate to say that we have to

Canada’s Citizenship Act, first enacted in 1947, has been amended severaltimes,mostrecentlyin 2025, to address inequitiesinhow citizenship is passed down, Ansari said. For example, prior provisions allowed individuals bornoutside Canada to aCanadian parent to obtain citizenship, but not their grandchildren,Carey wrote in an online blog.

Ansari said immigration ofﬁcials indicated at arecent workshop thatAcadian descendantsmay qualify for citizenship certiﬁcates based on descent

The processdiffersfrom applying for agrant of citizenship, which requires language testing and knowledge exams, Carey said.

“None of these obligations,”she said, “apply to those applying for citizenship certiﬁcates.”

Ansari said some applicants

50 second-shift childprotective services investigatorstowork nights, weekends andholidays, reduce wait timesonits child abusehotline more than 80%,and reduce worker caseloads.

“Whenwestarted, there was alittle skepticism from others about whetherornot you could talk about child welfare and government efﬁciencyinthe same conversation,” Harris said at the time. “You absolutelycan.And when you do with intention, the resultisnot fewer services, but it’sbetter services forthe children and families that we serve.”

The Landry administration this year is also asking lawmakers to budget an extra$18 million for the agency to upgrade the IT systems child welfare workers use to document cases, track services and monitor safety plans.

Still, at thehearing Tuesday, lawmakers were skeptical.

“DOGE-ing your way to asolution is not the solution at all,” McMath said.

He contendedthe remit of the child welfare agency is unique and, for example, unlike the transportation or economic development departments.

On Friday,Landry defended Harris.

force you guys to do anything,” he said.“We’re at that point.”

Harris agreed to workonaplan with Barrow,who for the time beingset aside her bill to dismantle the agency On Friday, Harris said legislation could help withstabilizing theworkforce,allocatingmore staff for prevention and family support efforts, and better coordination with courts and law enforcement.

But she also noted notall improvements hinge on changing the law.What’smost needed is ensuring that department policy and day-to-day practice align with Louisiana’sexisting legal framework, she said.

Making changes Landry appointed Harris to lead thechild welfare agency lastsummer,and she took over in August. Landry during that period had been touting LA DOGE, agovernment efﬁciency initiative aimed at saving moneyand improving thedelivery of government services. DCFS wasone of the agencies thegovernorand his “ﬁscal responsibility czar,” Steve Orlando,afriend and volunteer appointed to lead the initiative, wanted to focus their efforts on.

At aJanuary news conference unveiling the results of the DOGE program,Harris said the initiative helped the agencytohire

have already received citizenship certificates basedonhistorical ancestry,though comprehensive data is not publiclyavailable. She added that there is no reason to believe applications tracing ancestry even further back would notbeapproved if properly documented.

Evenfor eligible applicants, the processcan be complex and timeconsuming, often requiring extensive genealogical research.

“You have to prove it,” Ansari said. “It’snot just about whatis thetruth.”

Applicantstypically must provide documentation tracinga direct line of descent, ideally including birth certiﬁcates foreach generation, she said.

Thatcan be difficult,Carey noted, because somerecords have been lost or predate ofﬁcial record-keeping. In those cases, baptismal records, marriage cer-

“My administration fully supports Secretary Harris and the work that DCFS does,” he said.

Concernedfor months

Somestate senators have been demanding improvements from Harris and the agency at aseries of meetings over the last few months.

Barrow,amember of the Select CommitteeonWomen and Children, earlier in March said it seemslike the agency is “on a bad trajectory” when it comes to child deaths this year

So far in 2026, there have been 4conﬁrmed child deathsresulting fromabuse andneglect,and 7deathsare still pending investigation,according to data provided by DCFS.

There were 31 child deaths owed to abuse andneglect in 2025. In 2020, thenumberwas 23 and in 2015, it was 41, the data shows.

It’s not clear in how manyof those cases DCFS has been alerted to problems.

“Wekeep having childrenwho have had contact with DCFS that endupinjuredordead,”state Sen. Katrina Jackson Andrews, D-Monroe, told Harris earlier this month.

That criticism surfaced again Tuesday

“Wegot kids dying —now,” Luneau said. “This is enough.”

tiﬁcates, death records and census data may be used.

Experts recommend submitting documentation for asingle line of ancestry with the strongest available evidence and avoiding unnecessary records that could complicate the review process. Those interested in applying can beginbyresearching theirancestry through Canada’simmigration resources or genealogy tools such as Ancestry.com

Agood place to start if you’re interested in applying for acitizenship certiﬁcateisCanada’simmigration website at immigration.ca. Youalso need to trace your family ancestry back to the 1700s. The Canadian government offers this website to help: Acadians -Canada. ca.

Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@ theadvocate.com.

TheVincentismorethan just aplace to live, it’s

$750 when you

Our enchanting community invites you to explore life’s exciting opportunitiesand deﬁesyourexpectations of whatseniorliving should be.Weare dedicated to providing outstanding senior living experiencesfor those seeking thebest in life. At TheVincent, youenjoy an exciting,adventurous,social, and enriching lifestyle. Come by for atourand discoverthe warmth andsupport of ourcommunity foryourself! *Deposit must be made by

STAFF FILEPHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Sen.Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, left, speaks withSen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, in the Senate chamber during the 2025 legislative session at the LouisianaState Capitol in downtown Baton Rouge.

Landry

Harris

Hawaii’s worstfloodingin20years threatensdam

Evacuations prompted as morerainlooms

BY JENNIFERSINCO

KELLEHER

and AUDREY MCAVOY Associated Press

HONOLULU As Hawaii en-

dures its worst flooding in more than 20 years,ofﬁcials are urging people in hardhit areas to “LEAVE NOW.”

The warning early Saturday came after heavy rains fell on soil already saturated by downpours from awinter storm aweek ago.Still more rain was expected during the weekend, officials said Muddy floodwaters smothered vast stretches of Oahu’s North Shore, acommunity world-renowned forits bigwave surfing.Raging waters lifted homes and cars and promptedevacuation orders for 5,500 people north of Honolulu. Authorities cautioned that a120-year-old dam could fail. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning early Saturday with light to moderate showers expectedto turn heavy in some places.

Gov.Josh Green said the cost of the storm could top $1 billion, including damage

to airports, schools, roads, people’shomes and aMaui hospital in Kula.

“This is goingtohavea very serious consequence for us as astate,” Green said at anews conference.

Most of thestatewas under aflood watch, with Haleiwaand Waialuainnorthern Oahuunder aflashflood warning, according to the National Weather Service.

“Residents in the Waialua area arestrongly urged to LEAVE NOW,” an emergency alert said early Saturday

Senate blocks

“The remainingaccess road out of Waialua is at high risk of failure if rainfallcontinues.”

by water for people who had been stranded —efforts that were hampered by people ﬂying personal drones to get images of theﬂooding,said

IanScheuring, aspokesperson forHonolulu.

The National Guard and Honolulu Fire Department airlifted 72 children and adults whohad been attending aspring break youth camp at aretreat on Oahu’s west coastcalledOur Lady of Kea’au, according to city and camp officials. The camp is on high ground but authorities didn’t want to leave them there, the mayor said.

Green said the flooding was the state’smost serious since 2004 ﬂoods in Manoa inundatedhomes and aUniversity of Hawaii library Dozens —ifnot hundreds —ofhomes were damaged Friday but ofﬁcials haven’t been able to fully assess the destruction, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said.

Some 5,500 people were under evacuation orders.

“There’snoquestion that the damage done thus far

hasbeen catastrophic,” he said.

Ofﬁcials blamed some of the devastation on the sheer amount of rain that fell in a short amount of time on saturatedland. Parts of Oahu received 8to12inches of rain overnight. Kaala, the island’shighest peak, got nearly 16 inches in the past day, the National Weather Service said. More rain wasexpected: Blangiardi said 6to8inches of rain wasforecasttofall on Oahu in the next twoto three days.

Winter storm systems knownas“Kona lows, which feature southerlyor southwesterlywinds that bring in moisture-laden air, were responsiblefor thedelugesinthe past two weeks. The intensity and frequencyofheavy rains in Hawaii have increased amid human-caused global warming, experts say

Greensaidhis chiefof staffspoke to theWhite Houseand receivedassurances the islands would have federal support.

No deaths were reported and no one was unaccounted for.More than 200 people have been rescued, ofﬁcials said. About 10 people were taken to ahospital with hypothermia, he said. Crews searched by air and

amendmenton trans athletes amid sessiononvotingbill

BY MARYCLAREJALONICK

Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Sen-

ate on Saturday blocked an amendment that would ban transgender athletesfrom playing in women’ssports, rejecting one of President Donald Trump’sprioritiesas he pressures Congress to act on abroad voting bill.

Senators were holding a rare weekend session to debate the voting legislation, which would put in place strict newrequirements for voter registration and require photo IDsatthe polls in an effort to prevent people in the country illegally from casting ballots.

The House passedthe bill earlier this year,but the Republican president has since said he wants additional priorities added to the legislation, including the sports ban for transgender athletes and aban on all mail-in voting.

Democrats are expectedto eventually block the broader legislation, arguing that it would make voting more difficult for large groups of people. Despite Trump’s pressure, Republican senators have said repeatedly that they do not have enough support to jettison the legislative ﬁlibuster,which triggers a60-vote threshold in the100-member Senate,or ﬁnd another workaround to pass the bill. Republicans hold 53 seats. Still,Republicans putthe legislation —the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the SAVE America Act or the SAVE

Act —onthe Senateﬂoor this weekfor alengthy debateas Trumphas said he will not sign other billsuntil they pass the voting measure. Senate Majority LeaderJohn Thune,R-S D,said Saturday morningthat Republicans “haven’tmade anyﬁnaldecisions about how toconclude this.”

“What we are trying to do is ensurethat weare having afulsomedebate,”Thune said, and put everyone on therecord “one way or the other.”

The amendment that was blocked by a49-41vote wouldpenalize educational institutions thatreceive federal funding if they permittedindividuals assigned male at birth to participate “in an athletic programor activity that is designated for womenorgirls.”

Trumpalsowants Congress to block sex reassignment surgeries on some minors aspartofthe debate on thevoting bill. It is unclear whether the Senate willhold avoteonthat.

In addition, Trump has said he wantsthe House-passed bill to include aban on most mail-inballoting. Trumphas criticizedmail in ballots for years and used it as acenterpiece of his effortsto overturn his defeattoDemocrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidentialelection. Aban on mailballotswouldlikely face strong pushback from lawmakers Thune saidthe Senatewill soon vote on an amendment that would force allstates to require photoidentifica-

tion at the polls.Democrats blocked asimilar bill on the ﬂoor last week, butRepublicans say they want to put them on therecord on that issue witharoll call vote.

“There are no good excuses”not to require photoidentification, said Republican Sen. John Husted, aformer SecretaryofStateinOhio. “Thisworks. It’sbeingimplemented alloverthe country.” Illegal voting by noncitizensisrare. Still, apoll by thePew Research Center in August 2025 found that about 8in10USadults said they favor requiring all voters to showgovernment-issued photoidentiﬁcation to vote.

Thirty-six states require someformofidentification at the polls, accordingtothe National Conference of State Legislatures, and 23 states require photo identification. The SAVE America Act would require photo identification andcould override many forms of ID allowed in states across thecountry —including fishing andhunting licenses or college IDs. It would alsorequirethat people voting by mail include a photocopy of their ID with their ballot

Democrats say they support some voter ID laws, but argue that the proposed ID requirements in thebill, alongwith strictnew requirementsfor voter registration, wouldprevent many people fromvoting. Thebill would alsoallow theHomeland SecurityDepartment to review state voter rolls, whichDemocrats saycould lead to voters being purged.

At TheVincent Senior Living,residents’dining experiencesare aboutmorethaneatingmeals Rather,theyare keytosupportingwellness, independence andquality of life.Maria Owens, the community’sCulinaryDirector, said nutrition playsavital role in helpingseniors maintain strength,energyand overallwell-being.

“Aspeopleage,their bodies mayrequire fewercalories, buttheystill need ahighlevel of essentialnutrients such as protein, calcium, fiber andvitamins,”Owens said.“Seniorsmay experience nutritionalchallengessuchasdecreased appetite, changesintaste or smell, medication interactions or difficultychewing or swallowing Becauseofthis, mealsmustbenutrient-dense whilestill beingappealing andeasytoeat.Here at TheVincent,wefocus on providingbalanced mealsthatsupport health andthatresidents also enjoyeating.

Givingresidentsoptionsisanimportantpartof thenutritional approach at TheVincent.Owens said thediningteamoften serves classicdishes, basedonthe fact that many residentsenjoy traditionalhomestyle meals. However, certain dishes arealwaysavailable forresidents who prefer somethingdifferentfromthe dailyentrée.

Owenssaidsomeofthe most popularmeals arefried chickenwithred beansand rice,fried fish,grilled salmon with dill sauceand wild rice,steak nights,crawfish etouffee,fried oyster poboys andLouisiana-style boiled shrimp with potatoes,cornand sausage.

“Our residentsespeciallyappreciatelocal favoritesand regional cuisine. Thesetypes of mealsbring alot of excitement to thedining roomsand remind many residentsofhome,”she said.“Servingthese familiar foodshelps create comfortand enjoymentwhile stillallowingusto providebalancedand nutritious meals.

chronicconditionssuchasdiabetes,heartdisease andhighblood pressure,”Owens said.“When seniorsreceive balanced mealswiththe proper nutrients, they aremorelikelytostayactive, maintainmobilityandremainindependentlonger.” Mealtimesat TheVincent areabout more than just eating food.Residents arehighlyencouraged to dine together daily, whichhas been shown to supporttheir emotionalwell-beingthrough social interactionand feelingliketheyare part of acommunity.Owens said thediningstaff also focusesoneachmeal’s flavor andpresentation so that thefoodisappetizing, well-seasonedand somethingresidents look forwardtoeachday “Creatingapleasantdiningenvironment is so important,”she said.“Food is more than just nutrition.It’scomfort,memoriesandcommunity When residentsenjoy theatmosphereand the companyofothers, it often encourages them to eatmore. We want mealstobebothnourishing andsomething residentsenjoy.”

Perhapsmostimportantly,the menusand diningexperiencesarelargelyshapedbyresidents at TheVincent.Owens said sheregularly speaks with them to find outhow they enjoyedthe food andwhattypes of dishes they wouldliketosee on themenu. In addition,afoodcommittee and residentcouncilmeetmonthly,givingallresidents achancetoshare suggestionsand meal requests “Theseare opportunitiesfor residentstohave a voiceinthediningprogramandhelpusunderstand what they enjoymost,”she said.“We take that feedback seriouslyand trytoincorporate their suggestionsintofuturemenuswheneverpossible Ourgoalistomakesureresidents feel heardand that themeals we serveasbothnutritiousand somethingtheytruly look forwardto.

Thestaff also regularlyrefreshes TheVincent’s menu to providevariety andtakeadvantage of seasonal ingredientsthattendtobefresher,more flavorfuland often more cost-effective

“For example, lightermeals andfresh fruits arepopular in thespringand summer,while heartier comfortfoods like soups, stewsand roastedvegetablesare often featured during the cooler months,” Owenssaid. “Seasonalmenus also allowustocelebrate holidays andspecial occasions with themed meals.

TheVincentSeniorLivinghasIndependentLiving AssistedLivingandMemoryCareoptionsforsenior citizens.Availableservicesincludephysicaltherapy, housekeeping,laundry flexible meal plans, access to afull-servicebeautysalon,gamearea, library andtheater,plusa wide arrayofsocialactivities. Thecommunity is locatedat2201Verot School Road in Lafayette. Visitvincentseniorliving.com to learnmoreorschedulea tour

Whetherthe meal is ayear-roundfavorite or tied to acertain event, Owenssaideach oneincludesprotein,vegetablesand balanced carbohydrates. Aregistereddietitian reviews The Vincent’smenus each week to ensure they meet residents’ nutritionalneeds andsupport health guidelines Thestaff also adapts to individual needs. Forexample,ifa resident hasasmaller appetite, Owenssaidthe dining team will offer them foodsthatare flavorful, visually appealing andeasytoeat,and canprovide smallerportions throughoutthedayratherthanfewerlargemeals.

“Goodnutritionhelpsseniorsmaintainmuscle strength,energylevelsand mental clarity. It also supports theimmunesystemand helpsmanage

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MENGSHINLIN Floodwater covers aneighborhood on Friday in Waialua, Hawaii.

By Amanda McElfresh| amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

This articleisbrought to youbyThe VincentSeniorLiving.

Former FBIDirectorRobertMueller dies at 81

Ex-official investigated Russia-Trump campaignties

BY ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON Robert S. Mueller III, the FBI director who transformed the nation’s premier law enforcement agency into aterrorismﬁghting force after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and wholater became special counsel in charge of investigating ties between Russia and Donald Trump’spresidential campaign, has died. He was81.

“Withdeepsadness,we are sharing the news that Bob passed away” on Friday night, his family said in astatement Saturday.“His family asks that their privacy be respected.”

At the FBI, Mueller set about almost immediately overhauling the bureau’s mission to meetthe law enforcement needs of the 21st century,beginning his 12year tenure just one week before theSept. 11 attacksand serving acrosspresidents of both political parties. He was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush. The cataclysmic eventinstantaneously switched the bureau’stop priority from solving domestic crimeto preventing terrorism, ashift that imposed an almost impossibly difficult standard on Mueller and the rest of the federal government: preventing 99 outof100 terrorist plots wasn’tgood enough. Later,he was special counsel in the JusticeDepartment’sinvestigation into whether the Trump campaign illegallycoordinated with Russia to sway the outcome of the 2016 presidential race. Mueller was apatrician Princeton graduate and Vietnam veteran who walked away from alucrative midcareer job to stay in public service, and his old-school, button-down stylemadehim an anachronism during asocial media-saturated era Trump posted on social media after the announcement of Mueller’sdeath:“Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’sdead.” The Republican president added, “He cannolonger hurt innocent people!”

In astatement,former Democratic President Barack Obama called Mueller“oneofthe ﬁnestdirectors in the history of the FBI” who saved “countless lives”

BY SCOTT BAUER Associated Press

Nicholas Brendon, an actor best known forhis role as aloveable underdog sidekick on the hit television series

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” has died. He was 54. Brendon’sfamily announced the death in a statement posted on his social media accounts Friday.

after transforming the bureau. “But itwas hisrelentless commitment to the rule of lawand hisunwavering belief in our bedrock values that made him one of the most respectedpublicservants of our time,” Obama added.

TheFBI did not immediately respond to arequest seeking comment.The FBI Agents Associationcited Mueller’s “commitment to public service andtothe FBI’smission.“

InvestigatingTrump

Thesecond-longest-servingdirector in FBI history,behindonlyJ.Edgar Hoover,Muellerheld the job until 2013 after agreeing to Obama’srequest to stay on even after his 10-year term wasup.

Afterseveral years in privatepractice, Mueller was asked by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to return to public serviceas special counsel in the TrumpRussia inquiry.

Mueller’sstern visageand taciturn demeanor matched the seriousnessofthe mission,ashis team spent nearly two years quietly conducting one of the most consequential, yetdivisive, investigations in Justice Department history.Heheld no news conferences andmade no public appearancesduring the investigation, remaining quietdespite attacks from Trump and his supporters and creating an aura of mystery around his work.

All told,Mueller brought criminal charges against six of thepresident’sassociates, including his campaign chair andﬁrst national security adviser.

His 448-page report released inApril 2019 identiﬁedsubstantialcontactsbetween theTrump campaign andRussiabut did notallege acriminal conspiracy. Muellerlaidout damaging details aboutTrump’sefforts to seize control of theinvestigation, and evenshut it down, though he declined to decide whether Trumphad broken thelaw,inpart because of department policy barring theindictment of asitting president.

But, in perhaps the most memorable language of the report, Mueller pointedly noted: “If we hadconﬁdence after athorough investigation of the facts that thepresidentclearly didnot commit obstructionofjustice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we areunable to reachthat judgment.”

Theysaid he died in his sleepofnaturalcauses, but didnot say where or when it happened

Brandon played Xander Harris, aclose friend of lead character Buffy,on

“Buffythe Vampire Slayer” that ran from 1997 to 2003. The supernatural series, which started on the WB network and then moved to UPN, was about vampire

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILEPHOTO By SUSAN WALSH

Special counsel RobertS.Mueller III testifies on July 24, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington before the House JudiciaryCommittee. Mueller,a former FBI director,died on Fridayatage 81.

Thenebulous conclusion did notdeliverthe knockout punch to the administration that some Trump opponents hadhoped for,nor did it triggerasustained push by House Democrats to impeach the president though he was later triedand acquitted on separate allegations related toUkraine.

The outcome also left room for AttorneyGeneral William Barr to insert his own views. He and his team made their own determination that Trump didnot obstruct justice, and he andMueller privately tangled over afourpage summary letterfrom Barr that Muellerfelt did not adequately capture his report’s damaging conclusion.

Mueller deflated Democrats during ahighly anticipated congressional hearing on his reportwhen he offered terse,one-word answers and appeared uncertain in his testimony. Frequently,he seemed to waver on details of his investigation. It was hardly thecommanding performance many had expected from Mueller,who had atowering reputation in Washington.

Over thenext months, Barr made clear his owndisagreements with the foundations of the Russia investigation, moving to dismissa falsestatements prosecution that Mueller had brought against former national security adviserMichael Flynn, even though that investigation ended in aguiltyplea.

Mueller’stenureasspecial counsel was the capstone of a career spent in government Transforming theFBI

His timeasFBI director was deﬁned by the Sept.11

slayers, led by theteenager Buffy,who battled awide range of demons, werewolves and other dark forces while also navigating life in high school.

“Buffythe Vampire Slayer,” based on the movie of the same name,never receivedmanyawards, but it has been cited by many critics as being one of the mostinﬂuential shows in TV

attacks and its aftermath, as an FBIgrantedbroad new surveillance and national securitypowers scrambled to confront an ascendant alQaidaand interrupt plots and take terrorists offthe street before theycould act.

It was anew model of policing for an FBI that had long been accustomed to investigating crimes that had already occurred.

When he becameFBI director,“Ihad expected to focusonareas familiar to me as aprosecutor:drug cases, white-collar criminal cases and violent crime,” Mueller toldagroup of lawyers in October2012.

Instead, “we hadtofocusonlong-term, strategic change. We hadtoenhance our intelligence capabilities and upgrade our technology We had to build upon strong partnerships and forge new friendships, both here at home and abroad.”

In response, the FBI shifted 2,000 of the total5,000 agentsinthe bureau’scriminal programs to national security.

In hindsight, the transformation was asuccess. At the time, therewere problems, and Mueller said as much. In aspeechnear theend of his tenure, Mueller recalled “those days when we were under attack by themedia and being clobbered by Congress; when theattorney general was not at all happy withme.”

Among the issues: The Justice Department’sinspector general found that theFBI circumvented the law to obtain thousands of phone call records for terrorism investigations.

Mueller decided that the

history Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Buffy on the show, posteda photo of herself with Brendon on Instagram on Saturday

“I saw you Nicky,” she wrote. “I know youare at peace, in that big rocking chair in the sky.”

Brendonalso appeared on the TV show“Criminal Minds” between 2007 and

FBIwould nottakepartin abusive interrogation techniquesofsuspected terrorists, but the policy wasnot effectively communicated down the line fornearly two years. In an effort to move the FBI into apaperless environment, thebureau spent over $600 million on two computer systems—one that was21/2 years overdue and apredecessor that was only partially completed and had to be scrapped after consultants declared it obsolete and riddled with problems.

Forthe nation’s top law enforcement agency,itwas arockytrip through rough terrain.

But there weremany successes as well, including thwarted terror plots and headline-making criminal caseslikethe one against fraudster Bernie Madoff.

The Republican also cultivatedanapolitical reputation on the job, nearly quitting in aclash with the Bush administration over asurveillance program that he and his successor,James Comey, considered unlawful. He famously stoodalongside Comey,then deputy attorney general, during adramatic2004 hospital standoff over federal wiretapping rules. The two men planted themselves at the bedside of the ailing Attorney General John Ashcroft to block Bush administration ofﬁcials from making an endrun to getAshcroft’s permission to reauthorize a secret no-warrant wiretapping program. In an extraordinary vote of conﬁdence, Congress, at the Obamaadministration’srequest, approved atwo-year extension forMueller to re-

2014 and alongsideBradley Cooperinthe Foxsitcom

“Kitchen Confidential,” an adaptation of Anthony Bourdain’smemoir,that aired for just one season in 2005.

Brendon was in the ﬁlms

“Redwood”in2017, “The Nanny” in 2018 and “Christmas Slasher” in 2024.

Brendon also wrote several issues of the Buffy comic book series.

main at his post.

From marine to prosecutor Mueller was born in New York Cityand grew up in a well-to-do suburb of Philadelphia. He receiveda bachelor’s degreefrom Princeton and amaster’s degreeininternationalrelations from New York University.Hethen joined the Marines, serving for three years as an officer during the Vietnam War. He led arifle platoon and was awardedaBronze Star,Purple Heart andtwo NavyCommendationMedals. Following his militaryservice, Mueller earned alaw degree from the University of Virginia Mueller became afederal prosecutor and relished the workofhandling criminal cases. He rose quickly through the ranks in U.S. attorneys’ offices in San Francisco and Boston from 1976 to 1988. Later,ashead of the Justice Department’scriminal division in Washington, he oversaw arange of high-profile prosecutions that chalked up victories against targets as varied as Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega and New York crime boss JohnGotti In amidcareer switch that shocked colleagues, Mueller threw over ajob at aprestigious Boston law firm to join thehomicidedivision of the U.S. attorney’soffice in the nation’scapital. There, he immersed himself as asenior litigator in abulging caseload of unsolved drug-related murders in acityrifewith violence.

Mueller was driven by a career-long passion for the painstaking work of building successful criminal cases. Evenashead of the FBI, he would dig into the details of investigations, some of them major cases but othersless so,sometimes surprising agents who suddenly found themselves on the phone with the director

“The management books will tell you that as the head of an organization, you should focusonthe vision,”Mueller once said. But “for me there were and are today those areas where one needs to be substantially personally involved,” especially in regard to “the terrorist threat and the need to know and understandthat threat to itsroots.” Twoterrorist attacks occurredtowardthe endof Mueller’swatch: the Boston Marathon bombingand the Fort Hood shootings in Texas. Both weighedheavily on him,heacknowledged in an interview two weeks before his departure.

While Brendon was best known as an actor,his familysaidintheir statement that in recent years he found his passion in painting andart.

“He was passionate, sensitive, and endlessly driven to create,” the statement said. “Those who truly knewhim understood that his art was one of the purest reﬂections of whohewas.”

Congress seeksTrump’s exit plan as Iran war continues

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump took the United States to war without avote of support from Congress, but lawmakers are increasingly questioning when, how and at what cost the war withIranwillcome to an end.

Three weeks into theconflict, the toll is becoming apparent.Atleast 13 U.S military personnel have died, and more than 230 havebeen wounded. A$200 billion request from the Pentagon for war funds is pending at the White House.Allies are under attack, oil prices are spiking and thousands of U.S. troops are deployingto the Middle East with no endgame in sight.

“The real question is:What ultimately are we trying to accomplish?” Sen. Thom Tillis,R-N.C., told TheAssociated Press.

“I generally support anything that takesout themullahs,” he said. “But at the end of the day,there has to be a kind of strategic articulation of the strategy,whatour objectives are.”

Trump said lateFriday that he was considering “winding down”the military operations even as he outlined new objectives and goals. Congress stands still

The Republican presi-

dent’sdecision to launch theU.S.-Israel-led warwith Iran is testing the resolve of the Congress,which is controlled by hisparty.Republicanshave largely stood by the commander in chief, but will soon be faced with more consequential wartime choices.

Under the WarPowers Act,the president can conduct military operations for 60 days without approval from Congress. So far,Republicans have easily voted down several resolutions fromDemocratsdesigned to halt themilitary campaign.

But the administration will need to show amore comprehensive strategy ahead or risk blowback from Congress, lawmakers said, especially as they are simultaneously being asked to approve billions in new spending

Trump’squipthe warwill end“when Ifeel it in my bones” hasdrawnalarm.

“When he feels it in his bones? That’scrazy,” said Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, thetop Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Speakerdiscusses mission

Thepresident’s party appears unlikely to directly challenge him, even as the conflictdrags on. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said the military operation will beover quickly

“I do think the original mission is virtually accomplished now,” Johnson, RBenton,told the AP and others at the Capitol this week.

“Wewere trying to take outthe ballistic missiles, andtheir means of production, andneuter thenavy, andthose objectives have been met,” he said.

Johnsonacknowledged that Iran’s ability to threaten ships in theStraitofHormuz is “dragging it outalittle bit,” especially as U.S. allies have largely rebuffedthe president’s request for help.

“Assoon as we bring some

calm to the situation, Ithink it’s allbut done,” Johnson said.

But the administration’s stated goals —ofending Iran’sability to obtain anuclear weapon and degrading its ballistic missile supplies, amongothers —haveperplexed lawmakers as shifting and elusive.

“Regime change? Not likely.Get rid of theenriched uranium? Not without boots on theground,” Warner said.

“If I’m advising the president, Iwould have said: Beforeyou take on awar of choice, make the caseclear

TEXAS

to the American people what our goals are,” he said.

Powerofthe purse

The Pentagon hastoldthe White House it is seeking an additional $200 billion for thewar effort, an extraordinary amount that is unlikely to winsupport. Senate Democraticleader Chuck Schumer of New York called the amount “preposterous.”

The Defense Department’s approved appropriations from Congress this year are more than$800 billion, and Trump’stax breaks bill gave the Pentagon an additional

$150 billionoverthe next several years for various upgrades and projects.

Sen. MazieHirono, D-Hawaii, said the country has other priorities.

“How aboutnot taking away funding forMedicaid, which will impact millions of people. How about making sure SNAP is funded,” she said, referring to the health care and food assistance programsthat were cut as part of last year’sRepublican tax reductions.

“These are things that we should be doing forthe American people,” she said. Many lawmakers have recalledthe decision by President George W. Bush in the aftermath of theSep 11, 2001, attacks to come to Congress to seek an authorization forthe use of military force —avote to support his proposed military actions in Afghanistan and later,Iraq. Tillis said Trumphas latitude under the WarPowers Acttoconductthe military campaign, but that will soon shift.

“Whenyou getinto the 45-day mark, you’ve got to start articulating one of two things —anauthorization forthe use of military force to sustain it beyond that or a very clear path on exit,” he said.

“Those are really the options the administration needs to be thinking about.”

Lawyers: Detained immigrantchildrenstill face concerning conditions

BY GARANCE BURKE Associated Press

Nearly 600 immigrant children were held in aTexas family detention center in recent months without enough food, medical care or mental health services, with dozens languishing inside far beyond court-mandated limits, accordingtocourt documents ﬁled Friday Children and families held in the Dilley detention facility where 5-year-oldLiam Conejo Ramos and hisfather were sentearlier this year faced virus outbreaks and lasting lockdowns in December and January,even as the total number of children held at Dilley has fallen in recent weeks, according to the attorney’sreports and site visits.

Thecase of Ramos, apreschooler who was wearing a blue bunny hat when he was picked up in Minnesota by U.S. Immigrationand Customs Enforcement, stirred protestoverthe Trump administration’simmigration crackdown, including among detainees who gatheredand held up signs in the yard inside Dilley’schain-link fences.

Last week,about 85 children remained detainedat Dilley, but concerningconditionscontinued, said Mishan Wroe,directing attorney at the National Center for Youth Law,who visited in mid-March. In earlyFebruary,a legal advocate for the childrenobserved about280 children.

Theﬁlings cited numerous poignant cases,including

that of a13-year-old girl held at Dilley who triedtotake her own life after staff withheld prescribed antidepressants and denied herrequest to join hermother,asreported by The Associated Press. The government reportedthere had been “noplacements on suicide watch,” according to the filing. The AP obtained thegirl’sDilley discharge documents thatdescribed a “suicide attempt by cutting of wrist”and “self-harm.”

The filings were submitted in alawsuit launchedin 1985 that led to the creation in 1997 of court-ordered supervisionofstandards and eventually established a 20-day limitincustody. The Trumpadministrationseeks to end the Flores settlement.

“For years, theFlores consent decreehas been atoolof

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILEPHOTO By BRENDABAZÁN

Detainees held at the South Texas Family Residential Center wave signs on Jan. 24 during ademonstration in Dilley, Texas.

theleft that is antithetical to the law and wastes valuable U.S.taxpayerfundedresources,” theDepartmentof Homeland Security saidina statement. “Being in detentionisachoice.” Attorneys for detainees

highlighted thegovernment’s data showing longer custody times for immigrant children, andalso citedworms in food,and poor access to medicalcare or sufficient legalcounselasreported by families and monitors at fed-

eral facilities.

“Dilley remains ahellhole,” saidLeeciaWelch, the chief legal director at Children’s Rights, who visits Dilleyregularlytoensure compliance. “Although the number of children has decreased, the suffering remains the same.” Dilley is retrofittedfor families, whoreceive basic necessitiesincluding adequate food and water while in detention, and the Trump administration is working to quickly deport detainees, the DHS spokesperson added. Areport fromU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcementshowed thatabout 595 immigrant childrenwere held in custody for more than the 20-day limit in December and January,with some stretching into months,per the ﬁling.

Extremeheatstrikes from SouthwesttoNebraska

By The Associated Press

Parts of California and Arizona were under extreme heat warningsagain Saturday while sweltering summerlike weather even stretched as far north as Nebraska just aday into spring. Temperatures at or above 100 degrees were forecast in the Southwest, closing a remarkable weekofrecordbreaking heat. Experts say April, May and June are likely to be hotter than normal almost everywhere in the U.S. WinMarsh said the heat wasa reason to return home early to Utah after she and her husband, Stephen, hiked 170 miles over two weeks in Arizona, starting at the Mexico border.Their goal was to complete morethan 800 miles on the Arizona Trail.

“Weknow our limits,” Marsh,63, said Saturday “Wecan’thikewhenour bodies can’tcool down.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By REBECCA NOBLE Phoenixparkranger Sam Weller,right, directs ahiker away from atrailhead closed due to extreme heat on Thursdayat Camelback Mountain in Phoenix

There’snoshade outthere, and water sources are dryingup. We promised our kids wewouldn’tdosketchy stuff. We’re not out there for asearch-and-rescue event.”

TheNational Weather Service predicted 100 degrees in Tucson, Arizona. The Yuma Desert,a desertcommunity in southwestern Arizona, was headed toward 105 degrees, aday afterreaching 112 —a

record forthe highest March temperature in theUnited States.

Twoplaces in Southern Californiaalsohit that temperature Friday.Expertssay triple-digit days typically arrive by May, not March. In theMidwest, temperatures exceeding 90 were predicted across Nebraska, followed by abig droptothe 50s and60s Sunday.A red ﬂag

warning was posted, which means ahigher risk for wildﬁres. Parts of Texaswere also at 90 or higher Saturday

“This heat is likely to break many long-standing records from over acentury ago across thearea,” theNational Weather Service in Omaha, Nebraska, said.

All evacuation orderswere lifted in areas affected by Nebraska’sCottonwood and Morrill fires, which have burnedmore than 1,200 square miles for days but are largely contained, the state EmergencyManagement Agency said. The areas are dominated by range and grassland.

March’sheat would have been virtually impossible withouthuman-caused climate change, according to areport FridaybyWorld Weather Attribution,aninternationalgroup of scientists who study thecauses of extreme weather events

DAscould getmoretimetoprosecute corruption

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

ASenate committee did not approve aproposal to remove the statutes of limitations for

Landrybuilds supportfor teacher pay amendment

Gov.Jeff Landry is campaigning for voters to approve aconstitutionalamendment on May 16 that would give teachers apay raise.

Louisiana has given teachers aone-time stipend over the past few years. Amendment 3would make the pay increase permanent, worth at least $2,250 per year It would do so by liquidating three education-related trust funds and using the money to pay off retirement debt; the money the state saves on interest would fund the pay raises.

That proposal was included with several other proposed changes to the state government’staxingand spending in a constitutional amendment that voters rejected last year.Supporters of the bill hope that, by tryingagain with the teacher raises as astandalone amendment, more people will support it.

Landry this week posted on X photos of ameeting he had with teachers to talk about passing the amendment. Aweek earlier, he prominently mentioned the

corruption charges against public officials —but it did agree that prosecutors should have more timetopursue those cases. The Judiciary CCommittee on Tuesday amended Senate Bill 207 to allow certain charges tobebrought against public officials and public employees for up to 10 years after the officialleaves office or the employment ends. Currently,the statutes of limitations for the

crimes vary,but theycannot be longer than six years.

Thecharges coveredinclude abuse of office, bribery of acandidate, bribery of voters, corruptinfluencing,malfeasance in office and public bribery Sen. BlakeMiguez, R-New Iberia, who is sponsoring SB207, originally proposed completely eliminating the statute of limitations for those crimes.But he agreed to change the bill after Sen. Jay

amendment in his “State of the State” speech toopen the Louisiana Legislative session.

“This amendment is not a temporary stipend. It is not a promise for another day.Itisa permanent raise; earned, reliable and responsibly funded,” Landry said in the speech.

“Our teachers have stood by Louisiana through hurricanes, pandemics and years of uncertainty.They stayed in theclassroom when it would have been easier to leave. Passing Amendment 3letsour teachersknow

Morris, R-West Monroe, worried about possible “political prosecutions,”and said legislators hadconcernsthat having no time limit would be unfair to defendants. Morris said that he understoodMiguez’sconcerns but that“the reasonstatutes of limitations are in effect at all is because over aperiod of time people forget,witnessesdie off.”

SB207 “would allow time for

(district attorneys) to prosecute those crimes after the fact, with the idea that public ofﬁcials while they’re in ofﬁce could use their influence to push offany type of prosecutionorinvestigationinto their action,” Miguez said. The proposal won the Judiciary CCommittee’sapproval without objection after Miguez agreed to amendit, and it now heads to the full Senate for consideration.

Louisiana stands by them.” Cassidy,Kennedy both supportSAVEAct

Both of Louisiana’sU.S. senators, Bill Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge, and John Kennedy,RMadisonville, say they support theSAVEAct, thecontroversial voting security bill that is currentlydominating debateinthe Senate.

can people, ‘Look,weinCongress hear you. We want youtotrust our elections,’”Kennedy said. In his own ﬂoor speech, Cassidy pointedout thatbuying alcohol and boarding planes requires aphotoID.

“Butwhenitcomestochoosing theleaderswho will steer thefutureofthe UnitedStates of America —suddenly showing an ID is too muchtoask?” Cassidy said. “There’s something really backwards aboutthat.”

areimpersonating their staff in “phishing” attempts.

The OfficeofMotor Vehicles warned of ascam text message thatpurports to be a“final notice” of outstanding traffic citations. The fraudulent text warns that, if voters don’tpay up, their vehicle registrationand driver’s license could be suspended and theycould face legalaction, credit downgrades and additionalfees

President Donald Trump is pushing for Senate Republicans to passthe bill, which would requireproof of citizenship —like abirth certiﬁcate or passport —to register to vote, and photo ID to cast aballot. Republicans say those safeguards will prevent voter fraud. ButDemocrats say it will put obstacles in the way of voting in an effort to prevent aproblem that is exceedingly rare.

In aspeech on theSenate ﬂoor, Kennedy argued that Americans are wary after an inﬂux of immigrantsduring former President Joe Biden’sadministration “It’smeant to say to theAmeri-

Trump hasurgedSenate Republicans to eliminate the ﬁlibuster,aproceduralrule that allows theminority party to block most legislationunless abill gets 60 of 100 votes. Some Republicans have called for a“talking ﬁlibuster,” which would require Democrats to actually continue speaking to block the bill.

SenateMajority Leader John Thune, R-SouthDakota, has said he does nothavethe votestocircumvent the filibuster Kennedy said he supports using thebudgetreconciliation process, which is not subject to the filibuster,topassthe SAVE Act. Cassidy said he has supported thetalking filibuster since he joined theSenate.

State agencies warn of phishing scams

Several Louisiana state agencies have warned thatscammers

“Louisiana OMV will not contact youvia text to demand personal informationor payments through external links,” the ofﬁcewrote in astatement. Ofﬁcials urgedpeople who get the scam texts to delete andreport them.

SecretaryofState Nancy Landry’soffice warned of asimilarscam by people pretending to work for her office, which oversees voting andbusiness filings.

“The SecretaryofState’sOfﬁce does notsendunsolicited text messages or emails threatening prosecutionorasking for payment,” herofﬁce wrote in anews release.

“Residents areencouraged to check the Secretary of State’s website (sos.la.gov)and social media for accurate and up-todate information.”

•

EDUCATION

In rural America, a teacher pipeline dries up

BY MICHAEL MELIA Associated Press

Like many school systems facing teacher shortages, South Carolina’s Allendale County has looked overseas for help. A quarter of the teachers in the rural, highpoverty district come from other countries.

The superintendent praises the international educators mostly from Jamaica and the Philippines for their skill and dedication, but she is preparing to lose some of them as the Trump administration reshapes visa programs.

Facing higher visa sponsorship costs and uncertain immigration policies, Superintendent Vallerie Cave said it feels too risky to extend some international teachers whose contracts are up or bring on others.

“Some of my very best teachers are having to return to their countries,” Cave said.

For rural schools especially, President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown is pinching a pipeline used widely to fill staffing shortages that worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rural districts can struggle to attract American teachers to remote areas that lack plentiful housing, shopping and services such as health care, especially for lower salaries than some bigger districts offer Cave is hoping to hire local teachers to fill the gaps left by several teachers’ impending departures. If she can’t, she may expand the district’s use of online teachers. Elsewhere, districts are considering hiring uncertified instructors, combining classes dropping

announced a one-time $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, which allow highly skilled foreign workers to be employed in the U.S. The Trump administration argued American employees were being replaced, particularly in highly paid roles at tech companies. Critics have argued the fee will worsen labor shortages outside of tech.

More than 2,300 people with H-1B visas work as educators across 500 school districts, according to an analysis by the National Education Association teachers union. In a December lawsuit challenging the fee, a coalition of argued that the fees

teachers.

The Trump administration has provided a form to request exemptions on the fee, and educators and advocacy groups have argued it’s in the public’s interest for teachers to be exempted. Teachers also can come to the U.S. on the more common J-1 visa, which allows shortterm stays for cultural exchange programs and is not subject to the new fee.

In rural Oregon, the Umatilla School District recruited two teachers from Spain for math and science instruction. The teachers were “phenomenal,” Superintendent Heidi Sip said, but they

things at home and then the stress of the unknown, they did choose to go back,” Sipe said.

The district did not look for international candidates to replace them because of the cost and uncertainty, but it was able to advertise early and found local candidates for the openings, Sipe said. Other school leaders are not optimistic they will have the same success.

In Allendale County the international teachers — on a mix of H-1B and J-1 visas — have taught subjects including math, science and language arts, plus special education. before the hike in fees,

every year, Cave said.

School leaders agree hiring inperson, certiﬁed staff is the best option — teachers who can sit with students to explain a concept and build closer relationships throughout the school day When that option fails, they weigh tradeoffs. Cave said she will look to introduce more virtual teachers through Fullmind, a company the district already is using to provide three state-certified instructors. Students meet in a classroom, and their teacher joins them via video chat. Fullmind announced last week it had acquired Elevate K-12 and now provides the remote instruction for more than 225 school systems.

South Carolina lets districts hire noncertiﬁed teachers to meet staffing needs, but Cave said she would bring in more online teachers before pursuing that option.

Her challenges with teacher shortages, she said, have not let up since the pandemic, when many school districts used federal relief money to post new positions, then had difﬁculty ﬁnding enough teachers.

“I can’t really do competitive pay,” she said. “For rural America, impoverished America, it is still a problem recruiting teachers.” At Halifax County Schools in rural North Carolina,

THE GULF COAST

Kaiya Beach Resort plans to expand with restaurant, spa

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

A new beach resort from a New Orleans

developer is helping to redefine the busy and often strident reputation of Florida beaches along the Gulf Coast On Scenic Highway 30A, Kaiya Beach Resort offers 173 residences — including beachfront homes, villas and vacation rentals — as well as a fine art gallery, all spread across 32 acres of land that was once a peach farm. Sitting on 250 feet of private beach is another amenity known as the Beach House, a private members’ club that includes an infinity pool and lounge.

This year, the resort is expanding with Oyom Hotel & Spa, which will feature 40 suites, a 4,000-square-foot spa and ﬁtness center, and a ﬁne-dining restaurant.

The developer behind Kaiya, Jason Romair, is a New Orleans native whose path into real estate began with building and opening a Creole-Italian restaurant in the city Romair bought the property a decade ago with hopes of creating a refuge from the crowds and noise that dominate many Florida beaches. Construction began about ﬁve years ago, and the resort opened in 2024.

“The community had a need for this particular development something low-density and not crowded,” Romair said. “Something with a wellness component woven throughout it, and something harmonious with stillness, beauty and art that was lacking in the area.”

The resort arrives as tourism along Florida’s Gulf Coast continues to evolve. Long a juggernaut for regional travelers, the area has drawn increasing numbers of visitors from across the country since the COVID-19 pandemic. As crowds grow, some residents and local ofﬁcials have pushed back against new commercial developments, citing rising trafﬁc disrupting local life. Meanwhile, some parks are under construction to expand beach access while preserving the character of the area.

Kaiya is another sign that the region’s identity may be shifting beyond its crowded beach reputation toward something more curated and culturally driven.

PROVIDED By KAIyA BEACH RESORT

Kaiya Beach Resort along Florida’s Gulf Coast is expanding this year

Romair’s upbringing in New Orleans’ Garden District — surrounded by ornate metalwork and walkable streets inﬂuenced the spirit of Kaiya, which he describes as “rooted in creativity and art and beauty.”

Its exhibition, Omaire Gallery, showcases contemporary classicism artwork, from paintings to marble sculptures. Terry Slaughter, the resort’s creative director, described Omaire as “a little bit more like a museum,” adding, “it’s large, it’s very minimalist.”

“Our goal was to always create something that is more on an international standard,” Slaughter said, “And it’s not always about selling the art. It’s more about giving people an experience that uplifts them.”

The gallery neighbors the resort’s upcoming restaurant Lamuse D’Or a collaboration between Kaiya and its partners Boka Restaurant Group and Donnie Madia of One Off Hospitality, both with Michelin credentials.

Romair, who preferred not to label the type of cuisine, said the menu would be inspired by the Gulf with plates that could be found in other culinary powerhouses like New York and Paris. He said the interior will feature white terrazzo ﬂoors, Calacatta Viola marble and artwork throughout the space.

“It’s going to be approachable, but done in a very sophisticated way,” Romair said.

The same philosophy extends throughout the rest of Kaiya. All of it, Romair said, is intended to slow the pace and offer a sense of stillness for both travelers and residents.

“That’s really what this is about at its core,” Romair said, “A place where people know that when they come here, they will ﬁnd the peace that they’re seeking.”

Biloxi chef

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

Austin Sumrall was a young chef working in New Orleans when he stepped into Dooky Chase’s Restaurant one Sunday morning, still bleary after a long night out. Sumrall, then 22, started to turn around once he noticed the white tablecloths, black ties on servers and crowds dressed in sophisticated attire — until he was stopped by Leah Chase, the restaurant’s matriarch. She insisted he stay

“She told me it didn’t matter what I looked like,” Sumrall said. “We were all beautiful.”

The interaction happened nearly two decades ago, yet Sumrall recalled it clearly on a recent Wednesday afternoon at his Biloxi restaurant, White Pillars Restaurant and Lounge, seated at a dining table near a window overlooking the Gulf.

In front of him sat a bowl of gumbo z’herbes he had prepared in the kitchen minutes earlier, surrounded by ﬁve other cooks who moved quietly with practiced hands — slicing ﬁsh, peeling garlic, cutting shallots.

The dish, deep green and rooted in the Catholic faith, spiritual renewal and community was popularized by Chase, whose restaurant serves it every Holy Thursday in observance of the abstinence from meat on Good Friday Sumrall, who has familial roots in Louisiana, began making his own gumbo z’herbes 15 years ago, sometime after his encounter with Chase. Since White Pillars opened in 2017, he has served it every Lent — a reﬂection of New Orleans traditions no longer bound to the city alone, but extending well beyond it, crossing the Gulf and into restaurants like his own.

He views the dish, with its West African, French and Germanic roots, as a symbol of Louisiana.

“You’ve got three different cultural inﬂuences coming in, which is what gumbo is,” Sumrall said. “It’s also like what Louisiana culture is, too.”

Like the cultures that shape it, gumbo z’herbes blends several varieties of greens,

traditionally an odd number for good luck. Legend holds that for every green cooked in the pot, you’ll make a new friend in the coming year You can expect to make seven new friends after eating his gumbo z’herbes. While preparing the dish, Sumrall slipped on his chef’s coat and dropped collard greens, kale and other herbs into a blender, adding parsley in last The hardiest greens go in first, he said, followed by the more delicate ones. The mixture is then braised and layered into a gumbo base made with shrimp stock. Sumrall poured the gumbo into a bowl filled with a spoonful of potato salad, an addition that he knows is controversial in some households. Seared housemade andouille sausage, four pickled shrimp and a sprinkle of chives were the finishing touches. It tastes how it looks: earthy and light, complementing the fresh shrimp, with a leafy texture softened by the potato salad. With every Lent comes a new way of making gumbo z’herbes. One year, White Pillars served a version featuring perloo, a Low Country staple with roots in West Africa. And another year, crab fat fried rice. “Just wherever the mood takes us,” Sumrall said. Kale and collards are almost always in the recipe, given they’re in season during Lent, while the other herbs rotate depending on what the restaurant has on hand. But no matter the version, gumbo z’herbes is ritualistic and symbolic — a metaphor for togetherness, new chapters, and, if there is such a thing, luck.

St. Landry passes 2026 budget

Questions remain over $4M in expected payments

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

The St. Landry Parish Council

voted 8-3 Wednesday to adopt its annual operating budget for 2026, but questions surrounding when the parish will receive $4 million from a payment in lieu of taxes agreement remain unanswered

During a February council meeting, the parish debated whether to adopt the yearly budget ordinance, during which several council members pushed back on a budget line that projected $4.1 million in revenue from various PILOT

LFT Fiber to offer faster internet

Company plans 2, 5 gig options for homes

BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor

Lafayette-based LFT Fiber will offer 2 and 5 gigabit internet speeds to residential customers, director Michael Soileau said. Speaking Thursday morning at the company’s Powered by Connectivity Summit at Vermilionville, Soileau announced the move and noted it came as the result of customer demand.

A recent question-and-answer session on the website Reddit indicated customers want 2 gbps broadband speed in their homes. The service was previously available only for businesses, he said “There simply wasn’t a demand for it (in the home),” Soileau said “And I kind of called it out and said, ‘Listen, as long as there’s a demand, we’ll do it.’ I’m happy to say we’ll be launching not only 2-gig residential but 5-gig residential as well.”

The Lafayette-based publicly owned service is now available in more areas of Acadiana, he said, stretching as far north as Pine Prairie. The company, which marked its expansion into Eunice last month, is reaching more communities through federal and state grants aimed at improving broadband access in rural areas.

LFT Fiber will serve more than 3,000 locations in the Eunice area and is the only provider in Eunice offering 100% ﬁber service and speeds of up to 10,000 megabits per second. Many of those areas, he said, were still being connected by copper and coaxial cable that was delivering 5 megabits per second. “It enables us to bring true broadband speeds delivered by ﬁber to the home to rural communities that have never had it before,” he said.

LFT Fiber has also recently partnered with the broadband platform Calix, which will offer customers the ability to control more of their services, he said It ranges from parental controls to allowing devices to run on certain schedules along with sending alerts when devices connects to the Wi-Fi with a choice to accept or decline.

Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@ theadvocate.com.

agreements the parish is engaged in.

At the time, St. Landry Parish

President Jessie Bellard said he could not provide documentation of when the parish was set to receive payments, speciﬁcally under a PILOT agreement it has with NextEra Energy a solar company operating in the parish.

“It’s not a matter of if we will receive the money, but when,” Bellard said during the February meeting. “It was initially estimated we would receive $3.3 million, but the payments were delayed and now it’s the $4.1 million ﬁgure.

Do I have it in writing? No, I do not.”

Doubts surrounding the accuracy of the revenue estimates were heightened when council member Ernest Blanchard indicated that during a public hearing on the budget, NextEra Project Development Director Godbless Gbenebichie informed the council that the ﬁrst payments from NextEra would be about $65,000. The parish is projected to receive $50,000 in 2026 from PILOT agreements with other companies, putting it well short of the $4.1 million revenue estimate should the

$65,000 ﬁgure from NextEra that Blanchard provided prove accurate. The adoption of the budget was postponed so that the council could receive information on the payment schedule from St. Landry Economic Development Director Bill Rodier

However, Rodier wasn’t present at Wednesday’s meeting to answer questions, a fact pointed out by council member Ken Marks.

“We requested (Rodier) come to speak and he’s not here How are we supposed to make an intelligent decision with this amount of

money and no documentation or backup?” asked Marks.

Rodier said after the meeting that he was unable to attend because of travel and that he could not provide any additional information to the council on the topic of PILOT agreements.

“I know as much about the situation as Mr Bellard,” he said. “If the council is asking questions that he can’t answer, then I don’t think I could answer them.”

Despite no additional documentation regarding how much the parish will receive in 2026 from its agreement with NextEra, the council proceeded to vote on the ordinance. It passed with Marks,

HANDS-ON LEARNING

ABOVE: Easton Mowlecun, 6, right, with the help of SLEMCO lineman Joe Vitllowe, tries on some gloves during the Junior League of Lafayette’s Touch-a-Truck at Blackham Coliseum on Saturday in Lafayette Visitors got a close-up look at ﬁre trucks, ambulances, police cruisers, excavators, cement mixers, garbage trucks, news vehicles and more while meeting the professionals who operate them.

LEFT: Visitor Jacob Boumans holds his son Kaden while petting Lafayette police horse Bud while Cpl. Jacques Vincent holds him as two-year-old Levi Boumans, left, looks on.

Lafayette schools welcome Comeaux leaders

Principal, two assistant principals get new posts

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

outcomes.”

“Mr Marks is excited to reconnect with the school community and help foster a culture of high expectations and growth,” the post read. Acadiana High announced Brower will be an assistant principal at the school at the start of the 2026-2027 school year

“Mr Brower is ready to hit the ground running, bringing a passion for student success and a

ä See COMEAUX, page 2B

Soileau

ä See BUDGET, page 2B

STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP

Pelicans unveil renovationsfor Smoothie King Center

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

Imagine going to afuture New Orleans Pelicans game and beforehand, taking in an outdoor concertat atree-lined, open-airplaza outside the SmoothieKing Center,thencrossing the street to grab apregame drink in the arena’sclub lounge with aview of downtown New Orleans on an open-air Garden Districtstyle rooftop veranda. That’sthe vision Pelicans ofﬁcials havepitched to keydecision-makers across the city and state as they try to garner support for amajor makeover of their home arena and its surrounding campus.

Theprojectwould be the most extensive renovation of the Smoothie King Center sinceitopened in 1999,something officials sayisneeded to bring the building up to modernNBA standards. It would feature theaddition of 2,155 lowerlevelseats,upgraded concourses, new social spaces and aredesign of the surrounding campus that includes twoparking lots adjacenttothe arena along Le Rouge Street, Champions Square, the old New Orleans Center and Macy’s parkinggarage.

The master plan was commissioned by theLouisiana Stadium and Exposition District, which oversees the arena’soperations for the state, and was completed in July by the architectural ﬁrms Gensler and EskewDumezRipple. The Times-Picayune obtained acopy of the master plan through apublic records request.

Officials stressedthat the architectural renderings presented in the plan are conceptual studies that have not been approvedby the state, LSED or Pelicans and “are preliminary at best,” said LarryRoedel, thelongtime legal counsel for the LSED.

“The Master Plan is a conceptual look at different options for improvements to the Smoothie King Center,with arenovation being contingent on alease extension with the Pelicans,” said Rob Vosbein, the chairman of theLSED, in astatement. “The LSED is currently working with thePelicansona design and plan for renovating the Smoothie King Center However,nodesign concepts or funding mechanisms for the renovation outlinedinthe Master Plan have beenﬁnalized or approved by the LSED.” Still, the proposal is the clearest sign yet that ofﬁcials are pushing to get the projectoff thegroundand are workingtoward the key funding negotiations and approvalstomake it happen.

Acontingent of team and stateofﬁcials,led by PelicansownerGayle Benson and Gov. Jeff Landry,presented the plan to NBA commissioner Adam Silver duringameeting in New York in January.Teamofficials also showed it to MayorHelena Moreno last month Cost estimates were not included in thereport. The state and Pelicans are expected to pay for the projectthrougha publicprivate partnership similar to theone used to fund the recent$560millionrenova-

BUDGET

Continued frompage1B

tion of the Superdome. Theproject wouldbe the linchpin for along-term lease extensionbetween theteam and state at the Smoothie KingCenter.The Pelicans’ leaseat Smoothie King Center expires in June2029. The franchise is in themidst of its 24th seasoninthe arena The leaseagreement anduse of public funds wouldrequire legislative approval. State and team ofﬁcials have begun initial discussions on along-term lease agreement, ledby Landry,Vosbein,Benson andPelicans President Dennis Lauscha. The NBA is expected to award New Orleans afuture NBA AllStar Gamewhen the sides reach an agreement on a new long-termlease.

“As Mrs. Bensonsaid when she signedthe lease extensionfor theSaints with Gov.Landry, that it would now be time to turn ourfocus to aleaseextension with the Pelicans andthe start to developingaplan at upgrading theSmoothie King Center,”said Greg Bensel, the Pelicans senior vice president of communications/ broadcasting/community andgovernmentrelations.

“This is just theﬁrst step. Our organizationhas already had very positive communications with state ofﬁcials.

The plan presentedtwo different “schemes” for thearena renovation but didnot provide atimeline forthe start or completion of either project, which, if approved, would beconductedintwo separate offseason phases, allowingthe Pelicanstocontinuetoplay gamesinthe arena. One of the biggest issues with Smoothie KingCenter is its lack of lower bowl seating, aprime revenue sourcefor the Pelicans. Thebuilding hasthe fewestlower bowl seats of any NBAarena, Doug Thornton, the former vice president of stadiums for ASM Global, previously told The Times-Picayune.

The makeover would upgradeand expand theseatinginthe lower bowlby 2,155 seats, while reducing the number of seats in theupper bowl, which are traditionally harder to sell.

Theoverall seating capacityfor basketball would increasefrom 18,310 to 19,963.

Theproject wouldalso include premium hospitalityfeatures like VIP club lounges, luxurysuites, a party deck and grab-andgo concession markets at variouslevels of the arena

Among the proposed upgrades:

n Aredesigned lobbyand entrance to the arena on the north side of the arena,atthe corner of Dave Dixon Drive and Le Rouge Street. Thismakeoverrepresents the biggest difference inthe two schemes, with Scheme 2ofthe masterplan, featuring agrand atrium entrance anda built-outGarden Districtthemedrooftop terrace on theupper concourse level along the northeast side of thebuilding.

n Areimagined campus outside thearena,featuringaVIP parking lot,stair towerfor the old Macy’s parking garage andItalian piazza-stylecommunity space for pre- andpostgameeventsand concerts.

COMEAUX

PROPOSED SMOOTHIE KING CENTER UPGRADEPLANS

Asummary glance at proposed improvementprojectsatthe arena

NEWAND EXPANDED LOWER BOWL SEATING:

• Three added rowstotop of existing lower bowl • Twoadded rows to floor seats in end

UPGRADED FANAMENITIESAND HOSPITALITY:

• VIP club lounges • New sidelineclubs • Bunker suites

• Upper-level party deck • Grab-&-goconcession markets

• Refurbished existing suiteswithhigh-endfurnishings like island bars,crushed velour furniture, brasslight fixtures and wood floors.

NEWCAMPUSADDITION:

Areimaginedcampusoutside thearena, featuringaVIP parkinglot,stair tower forthe oldMacy’sparking garage and Italianpiazza-stylecommunity spacefor pre- andpostgameeventsand concerts.

REDESIGNED LOBBYAND ENTRANCE: Makeover featuringagrand atrium entrance andbuild-outGarden District-themedrooftop terraceon theupper concourselevel alongthe side of thebuilding.

council membersHarold Taylor and Nancy Carriere each voting against it. Taylor hadspearheaded concerns overthe parish’s revenues in February saying, “Wecan only conﬁrm around $115,000 comingin from these agreements and we’re putting $4.1 million in thebudget. Wheredoweget the rest of the money? It sounds like you’re asking us to negative ﬁnance the parish.” NextEra Energydid not respond to requests for additional information on the amount the company anticipatedspending on payments to the parish for 2026.

Amaster plancommissioned

surrounding campus.

n Multiple newpremiumseat experiences including sideline clubs, loge and bunker suites, an upperlevel party deck, graband-go concession markets and themed VIP lounges.

Among theproposed new club loungeswould be the Colony Club in the upper concourse level with aview of downtown New Orleans

n A“refresh” of the existing luxurysuiteswith highendfurnishings like island bars, crushed velour furniture, brass light ﬁxtures andwoodﬂoors.

“The upgrades noted as options in this July 2025 studywould requirea substantialinvestment by the Pelicansand an extension of their current lease,

Continued from page 1B

commitmenttothe ‘Wreckin’Ram Pride’ that deﬁnes ourcommunity,”the school saidinaFacebook post. “Whether it’sinthe hallways, at the games,orinthe classroom, we know Christian will bea vital part of ourcontinuedtradition of excellence.”

An announcementabout where assistant principal Sara Foulcard will be next school year hasnot yet beenmade public. The LafayetteParish School Boardvoted 5-2 at

which are subjects yetto be negotiated,”Roedel said.

A2024 feasibility study of thearena said thebuilding’ssound and public address system —installed in 1999 —needstobereplaced; it said the video board hung above center court in 2016 should be upgraded within thenext two years; and the three walk-in freezers, which were part of the building’s original construction, have reached the end of their usable life.

Thearena, which was originally built for $199 million, underwent astatefunded$54 million renovation in 2014, which featured newVIP clubs,logesuites,

its Thursday meeting to close Comeaux, rezone its students to Lafayette, Acadiana and Southside high schools, and build anew facility for the district’s careercenterand E.J. Sam Accelerated School on Comeaux’scampus The school’sathletic ﬁelds will be used by the district for various sporting needs. More than80people spokeout againstthe move, askingthe board to consider other options. Students protested the decision after school Friday and about a dozen protesters gathered outside the LPSScentral ofﬁce Tuesday hoping the

team store and ticket ofﬁce, along with the installation of anew LEDlighting system and glass-enclosed front entrance lobby.Inthe decade since, destination areas such as the Courtside Club, player locker rooms andexterior LED boards have been upgraded. But much of thebuilding’s original infrastructure has not been improved and is in need of work,the report found.

Ofﬁcials have estimated that anew arena to house thePelicans could cost anywherebetween $800 million and $1 billion. Amajor renovation of the Smoothie KingCenter would likely costafraction of that.

TheCharlotte Hornets completed atwo-phase, $275 million renovation of theSpectrumCenter in Charlotte lastyear that added 1,400 lower-bowl seats, upgraded concourses and new social spaces Footprint Center,the home of thePhoenix Suns, completed a$240 million renovation in 2021.

“Every NBAteam, regardless of location and marketsize, needsa model,state-of-the-artarena to competeinthe league,” SilvertoldThe Times-Picayune in 2023.

TheOregon legislature recently approved $365 million to modernize the 30-year-old ModaCenter for theTrail Blazers in Portland.

board would reverse its decision

Contact Ashley White at ashley.white@theadvocate. com.

RENDERING PROVIDED By GENSLER AND ESKEWDUMEZRIPPLE

Obituaries

Landry

John Skolfield, age 95, of Mandeville, LA passed away peacefully in his sleep while holding the hand of his beloved caregiver,Rhiannon. He was proceeded in deathjust last October by his beloved wife of 70 years, Helen Joyce Thibodaux Skolfield. John was also proceeded in death by his parents, William Allen Skolfield,Jr. andHazel Leah Walters Skolfield, his twoolder brothers, infant William Allen Skolfield, III and Louis David Skolfield. He is survived by his three children, Leah Kay Skolfield twins Julie Ann Bleichner (Barry), Stacy Ann Lee (Ron), and his two grandchildren, John Lee (Ariana) and Samantha Lee (fiancée Jacob). He is also survived by many cousins and friends. John was born in Norco, LA where he spent his entire youth growing up in Shell Oil Refinery's Shell Village, where his father was employed. Although he grew up during the depression and World War II, the Village was ahappy, self-contained haven and it and the nearby Mississippi River levee and Bonnet Carre' spillway were ripe for his exploration and entertainment. Among other things, the Village contained 80 employee cot-

tages, aswimming pool (where he life-guarded),a gymnasium, bowling alley, theater,baseball fieldand 6holegolfcourse. Although comfortable, the cottageswere notextravagant, and John's preferred sleeping arrangement was abed on thefront porch. John, his parents and brother Davidattended Mass at St. Charles Borromeo, where Father Basty was afrequent dinner guest of the family John was always energetic and industrious and he was always looking for ways to earn afew precious cents. Among other things, John earned 5cents aday to wakeupfirst bring in the paper,make coffee and bring it to his parents in bed. He ran errands forneighbors, helped manywiththeir Victory Gardens,picking vegetables,figsand cracking pecansand tended to chickens.Herecalled that the best job wastomato picking because he could bring asaltshakerand eat the best one of the day rightonthe spot! He seized everyopportunity he could to help hisneighbors and his own wallet. Also,asa childduring World WarIIhevolunteered fora program in which he helped man a toweronthe river levee and report by telephoneon theground,every flying airplane spotted. He also worked asa soda jerkat the nearbypharmacy for justa day but he didn't mind the low paybecause theperks weresogreat! After finishing grammar school at St.Charles Borromeo, John was enrolledinJesuit HighSchool in NewOrleans. Shellprovided adriver who daily took the childrenwho were enrolled at Country Day and Jesuit to and fromthe city,a very longdrive back then. Between thecom-

mute and hisstudies, there was little time for extra curricular activities. John completedhis education and graduated fromJesuit. He realized that,atthat time, thehighest paid college graduates were engineers and that was thebasis for his career choice. John enrolledinLSU to study Petroleum Engineering and Military Science and was in ROTC as ameans to payfor his college education.Even thoughhis olderbrother David had fought in World War II and thewar was recently finished, John had no qualms about therequirement to join theArmy once he graduated from LSU. He continued working at various jobs allthrough college to help payhis way butalso found timetoenjoy fraternity life,becoming amember of AlphaTau Omega.ATO hosted aparty forthe AOPi ladies at thefraternity house. As he states in his autobiography, it was there that he "became entranced witha female freshmanwearing abright red partydress and madea play for her. Goodmove! It was Helen, of course." They dated,became engaged,and enjoyed a70year long marriagetogether. John graduated before Helen and immediately reportedfor duty as acommissioned officerwiththe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Helen graduated from LSUin December, 1954 and they were married thefollowing month at Our Ladyofthe Rosary church in New Orleans. They enjoyed a3 dayhoneymoon in Bay St Louis, MS before John had to returnfor duty. Jo served his country for tw years, during which he was promotedand was th honorably discharged as First Lieutenant. John and Helen spent his Army time at FortHood, TX and Camp lk d h d

Polk,LA. Toward theend of his service, John began submitting resumestooil companies. He interviewed with 4, gotoffers from all4, butacceptedthe offer fromSuperior OilCompany because thepay was per monthmorethanthe next highest. Although Superior waseventually acquired by Mobil andlater merged with Exxon, he remained with thesame entityfor his entireverysuccessful 34 year career. After joining Superior, John was transferred several times. He and Helen livedinMt. Vernon, IL,Salem, IL, Evansville,IN, Carmi, IL, Casper,WY, Carmi,IL, Crossville, IL,Lafayette, LA and Mandeville,LA. John spent countless hours making various home improvements everywhere he lived. He spent much time after work, weekends and summer vacations with his 3daughters, making sure that they could participate in various clubs, and take allsorts of lessons. He helped with homework and thefamily exploredevery campground,picnicorscenic area, every walking trail, parkorlake and important historical site within driving distance. John cherished and loved his highly successfulchildrenand grandchildren. John and Helen had workedvery hard during their careers and mademany sacrifices so that they couldenjoy a fulfillingretirement together and they accomplished that. Toward theend of his career, they builta home in Mandeville next doorto his stilllivingmother, Hazel so that they could

introduced to his first computer. Ratherthan shy away from this newcontraption,heembraced it andthe wondersofthe internet.After retirement, he quicklybought apersonal computer, set it up in his office andstarteddocumenting everythinginhis life. This included things like lifelongvacation write ups, medical documentation,financial documentation,lists of Christmas gifts given andreceived, importanthistorical events like presidential elections, alistof"bloomers" -everything that bloomed in theyard recorded by month,etc. etc. etc. Much of this came togetheras first, alistof"EventsInMy Life"whichthenturnedinto afulllengthautobiographyinwhichhedetailed all of theinteresting stories andpeople that shaped his life, from childhood through retirement. Most importantly, John became extremely interested in genealogy. With his new computer, he commenced documenting andwriting booklets aboutnot just his familyline, butHelen'sas well.Altogether, he hadinformation on closeto 10,000 namesgoingback many centuries.Itiseasy to see that John never wasted aminute. He had no understanding of the word "boredom" because he neverexperiencedit. He wasconstantlystriving doingand accomplishing. Not just that, but during hislifehesaved twodifferentpeople fromdrowning in swimming pools and also on July 4, around1972 on thesouth shore of Lake Pontchartrain,herescued

tion toeveryonewho knew him. Happy to help in any waypossible andhappy to pick up thetab for meals, familyvacations, college educationsand people in line at thegrocerystore whofound themselves withoutenoughmoney at thecashregister. Hismanners were impeccable and he lovedlisteningtothe symphonyand attending theopera. John neverrested,but took time to enjoy life, especially in retirementenjoying hisdaily Martini with Helen. He ate rightand enjoyedswimming, tennis andbicycle riding. He always remained physically andmentally active.Hewas kind to all animals, domestic or wild, andcould nothave been a better husbandand father sacrificing much to insure everyone'scomfort and happiness.

Afuneral Mass washeld for John on March 20, 2026 at St.Charles Borromeo church in Destrehan,LA wherehewas laidtorest next to Helenand near his parents in the cemetery there. The church was open for viewingat12 Noon, followed by the Mass at 1:00 P.M. and the Rite of Committal at the crypt. Amilitarydetail was included. The familywould like to acknowledgethe gentle care John received at home from Rhiannon, Judena,Caryl,Melissa, Tiffany andWonda. E. J. FieldingFuneral Home in Covington,LAhas been entrusted with final arrangements. Please sign the guestbook at www.ejfieldingfh.com

Skolfield, John

OPINION

OUR VIEWS

Make sure benefits of theMeta data center last

It’sgood to see the recentsurge ineconomic activity in northeast Louisiana, spurredmainly by the ongoing construction of Meta’s new $30 billion data center in Richland Parish.

The staggering scale and ambition ofthe projectisalready paying dividendsfor thesurrounding communities, including the citiesof Monroe and West Monroe, located aboutahalfhour drive to thewest.

The region, which has at different timesbeen the home of Delta Air Lines, CenturyLink telecommunicationscompany andone of the ﬁrst Coca-Cola bottling plants in thecountry,has in recent decadesendured steadydeclineasmanufacturing and agricultural jobs ebbedaway. Now,however,asthis newspaper’sStephanie Riegel discovered on arecent reporting trip,the data center has lifted thecountenance of many in the community

“It is the best thing thathas ever happenedto this area,” local developer Larry Culp told Riegel, “It is going to transform the area.” Culp is seeing it ﬁrsthand. Newarrivals are leasing townhomes as fast as hecan buildthem in asuburb about 10 miles northofMonroe. Of the 64 already built, all are leased. About50of those are for contractors working forMeta, he told Riegel. The rents Culp is charging —from $1,900 to $2,100 —would not beout of place in much larger cities.

The hospitality sector is seeing thebeneﬁts, too. Hotels are booked solid;restaurants are slammed every night. One restaurateur caters 250 meals out to the job siteevery day. But not every part of the cityisgettinginon the action. State Rep. Pat Moore, D-Monroe, who represents apoorer part of thecity,said little has been seen there.

“The ones that need it most aren’tfeeling it,” shetoldRiegel.

Meta’smassive project wasalways pitchedas transformational, and that mayhave been undersellingit. But with that vast potential comes vast responsibilityfor stateand localleadersto ensure that the current boon is spreadevenly.

That’s where hard worklies ahead. Right now, the region is drinking from theoverﬂowingcup of amassive constructionproject with workers, contractors and subcontractors in droves.When that work is done, the datacenter will employ far fewer than it took to build it

But the economic growthithas spurredmust continue well past this phase. The people leasing Culp’s townhomes say they’ll bearound for seven, perhaps eight years. Others aresaying companiesare making 20-year commitments to the city.That’sgood to hear Louisiana has gone all in ondata centers: Already there are similar,thoughsmaller,such facilities planned for the Shreveport regionand West Feliciana Parish.

As the Meta center shows, therewards, even in the short term, can be great. Butifstate and local leadersdon’thandle it well, thisboom too could go bust.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”

The Scriptural mandateseems appropriategiven recent events in Iran: theU.S.-Israelistrikes and especially the demise of the supremeleader of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. When violence explodes in one area of the Middle East, the whole region can become apowder keg. Andthere are innocent casualties. This is the exhausting, terrifying, maddening reality for the long-suffering persecuted Christians (andother religious minorities) in Iraq. It didn’ttake long for presumably Iranian proxies to launch adrone-strike attack on aCatholic Church residence in Erbil.

contributed to the National Review Online when Iwas editor of the website. He dedicated his professional life to encouraging Iranian dissidentsand freedom lovers —his typicalsign-offtoapiece or blog post on Iran were the words “Faster,please,” encouraging the U.S. to do something to help liberate the country

“The Iranian people have been standingfor their own liberty for many years, as demonstrated by the terrible record of carnage they have suffered at the hands of the regime,” Ledeen wrote in apiece with that plea in the headline in 2005. “Hundreds of democracy advocates are being tortured in Iran’s prisons.

The residence was mostly empty it had been evacuated in the wake of theinitial strikes on Iran as aprecautionary measure, as it is located very near theErbil International Airport Butaconvent was also damaged. Now,please don’tget me wrong —I am moved by thepowerful images of Iranians around the world, and maybe especially in Tehran —celebrating the possibilitythat they will not always live under the tyranny they have suffered.

Andyet Icannot stop thinking of my friend Michael Ledeen, who died last year.Heworked in theReagan administration and was alongtime fellow at theAmerican Enterprise Institute. He

Even with increasing tensions and uncertaintyaround theworld, many readersstill want to discuss matterscloser to home. And despite thefocus on national politicians,the truth is thatmayors, citycouncils and school boards affect most people’slives moredirectly

Tens of thousands have been killed in thepast six years, beginning with the massmurders of protesters in 1989. Public executions are commonplace, and women are routinely executed by stoning.

“Iranians believe that nothing of consequence can happen in the world without American support,” Michael told me in 2007. “Millions of Iranians have protested against theregimeand called for its downfall, but no country outside Iran has supported them.If Bushwere to stand up and say: ‘We want regimechange in Iran,’ Ithink there would be afundamental change in the world, including inside Iran.”

to think thatour forum attracts those who aremostactively engaged in and knowledgeable about what’sgoing on in their community We also like to get guest columns from local ofﬁcials in the paper.Weknow they have their ears to the ground on issues

Nowmay be the time. But the U.S. and the Western media must be cautious. The outcome isn’tclear,and the road to anew way will not be as easy as someeuphoric social media videos suggest. Think of the Arab Spring in Egypt and the freedom revolution that wasn’t. Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil emphasizes that the region “does not need another war. Our children deserve stability.Our families deserve peace. Ordinary people have paid too high aprice forconflicts they never chose.” Asking forpeace, he also says: “Whenever state weakens, minorities sufferasnon-state actors (militias, sectarian groups, extremist movements) fill the vacuum History has shownthis repeatedly, from ancient times to now.The true protection forminorities is astrong state governed by the rule of law.” Noneofusknow how this is going to end. Iremember one of the best pieces of advice Michael ever gave me: “Lopez, they do not give awards for getting things wrong first.” It’s better to pray than pontificate as armchair generals. Pray forpeace, pray forstability,and forbasic human rights and dignity to be respected. And remember the Christians who, if history is any indicator,will suffermore. Email Kathryn JeanLopez at klopez@nationalreview.com.

action, but if enough people write, it might get on the agenda.

They say you can’tﬁght city hall. But maybe, if you send aletter,you can get city hall to listen.

Turning to our letters inbox forthe week of March 12, we had awide variety of topics this week, but it was a local issue that drew the mostconcern. The discussion surrounding raising trash fees in NewOrleans prompted ur letters.

Aside from that, there werethree letters on the Iran crisis and three from readers whopointed out an error in the print edition where an article was duplicated. And several topics were the subject of two letters, including the shortage of workers forcrawﬁsh processing plants, the partial government shutdownand the SAVE Act.

Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | Opinion Page Editor.Email her at nessa.garrett@theadvocate.com

Kathryn Jean Lopez

COMMENTARY

Kennedyand CassidymustrejectMullin

As of March 18, there is now an acid test for whether Louisiana Republicans Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy areserioussenators. The test is this: If they vote to conﬁrm their fellow Republican senator Markwayne Mullinof Oklahoma, to be the new Secretary of Homeland Security,then they aren’t serious.Period and end of story.They should ﬁnd another line of work.

zones that he can’t discuss, Mullin has quite ahistory of reveling in the idea of violence. In one infamousincident,heeven rose from hisdeskata Senatehearing and challengeda union ofﬁcial to apublic ﬁght right then and there.

violence against their political opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force.”

When one of the many good reasons the job is open in thefirst place is thatthe prior occupant of that office, Kristi Noem, encouraged and excused outlandish violence and thuggishness from poorly trained immigration officers, the last thing the nation needs as her replacement isa thuggish hothead who encourages and excuses excessive violence. But that’swhat and who Mullin is. Aformer mixed-martialartsfighter who repeatedly has claimed that, whileinCongress, he did secret missions in war

In Mullin’sMarch 18 conﬁrmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the Oklahoman immediately cameunder attack from fellow Republican Committee Chairman RandPaul of Kentucky.Paul described in horrifying detail the incidentwhere aneighbor attacked himfrom the blindside, cracked six of his ribs andpunctured hislung, leading to two boutsof pneumonia,longhospital stays and excruciating pain.

In thewake of that incident, Paul recounted, “You told themediathatIwas a‘freaking snake’ andthat you completely understood why Ihad been assaulted.”

“I just wonder,” Paul continued, “ifsomeonewho applauds

Mullin, astonishingly,refused to offer even ahint of regret: “I’m not apologizing for pointing out your character.” Bizarrely,Mullin later asserted that “dueling, with two consenting adults, is still there” as alegitimate way to resolve differences.

To which, Paul correctly noted that dueling “has been illegal for 170 years.”

Alsorecalling another time Mullin said, “people just need to be punched in theface,” Paul scorched the nominee for having obvious “anger issues.”

Those are just afew examples of Mullin’sdiscreditable behavior

Andall of this is for anominee who, aside from his tough-guy histrionics and claimsabout secret quasi-military missions, has done almost nothing to distinguish himself in 13 years of public ofﬁce. There is no way,not even re-

motely,that Mullin is the right choice to steady the course of theDepartment of Homeland Security. The entire reason the Senateisasked to vote yea or nay on Cabinet nominations is, in the words of Alexander Hamilton, “to prevent the appointment of unﬁt characters.” Senators have aduty to do just that. In thepast, neither Louisiana senator has distinguished himself by judicious use of this crucial duty. Neither Kennedy nor Cassidy opposed araft of horrible Trumpnominees last year.Neither one, forexample, opposed thenow-departed Joe Kent as director of theNational Counterterrorism Center even though the extremely pro-Russian Kent also long has been widely condemned for what reasonably can be described as anti-Semitic blatherings. Neither Cassidy nor Kennedy opposed Robert F. Kennedy Jr., notorious forsnifﬁng cocaine off of toilet seats and foradetermination to topple the nation’s vaccine regimens, as secretary of Health and Human Services.

Neither opposed the oft-inebriated, ﬂagrant womanizer Pete Hegseth as secretary of Defense. Neither opposed the pro-Russian, pro-Syrian demagogue Tulsi Gabbard as director of National Intelligence, or the ethically challenged Pam Bondi as attorney general, or the wildly unqualiﬁed Kash Patel as director of the FBI.

In sum,intheir role of deciding on “advice and consent” for presidential appointments, both Kennedy and Cassidy have surrendered their “consent” like subservient serfsafraid of angering their feudal lord.

Now is the timefor both of them to abandon their self-imposed serfdom and announce themselves not just as freemen, but as one of only 100 people in the country with the authority and duty to stop giving key government jobs to people of unﬁt character It is their job to oppose nominees of Markwayne Mullin’silk. Senators, do your jobs.

Email Quin Hillyer at quin hillyer@theadvocate.com

Whyare Senate candidates debating whethertodebate?

Deep into his weeklytelephone Q&A with reporters lastweek,

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy saidsomething that was probably more revealing than he’d intended.

The subject was Cassidy’scall for his opponents in the May16 Republican primary—speciﬁcally

U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow —toparticipate in televised debates, and my colleague Tyler Bridges was asking him about his own refusalto debate his opponents when he last ran for reelection in 2020. “I was going to win that race,” he said. “Frankly, that’sa [race] where a debate would not have made adifference.”

sidywas once on the cutting edge of thesort of political change that could nowsweep him right out of ofﬁce.

Considerhow,12yearsago, he swept in by taking out an accomplishedincumbent.

thatlinking Landrieu to then-

President Barack Obama at every opportunity would workthat he didn’tdomany debates.And again, he was right

practices that older brand of politicsinBaton Rouge and who backs Cassidy’sreelection, recently put it:

lives.

Ican’tendorse the sentiment but I’ll give Cassidy this: He wasright not to worry.Just six short years ago, his party ID, incumbency and rising seniority were more than enough to get him reelected without breaking asweat.

How quaint that conﬁdence looks from the perspective of 2026.

And how ironic, given that Cas-

Backthen, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu represented adying breed in the Senate: She was aDemocrat who still wonelections —albeit narrowly— after her state had shiftedwell intoRepublicanterritory in national politics. She did it by rising in the ranks while focusing relentlessly on stateneeds, including appropriations, and sidingwith Democratsonmany nationalissuesbut leveraging her vote on closecalls.

Cassidy’schallenge to her amounted to areality check. By 2014 Senate elections around the country werehinging much more on nationalparty alignment than on localconcerns, and voters were growing less willingtosplit their votesbetween parties.

In fact, Cassidywas so conﬁdent

One morething about 2014: I remember asking Cassidy why Louisiana would want to give up thatfocus on state concerns.He told me that it wouldn’t, thathe would do the same thing,but as a Republican. And at times he did, including withthe massive 2021 infrastructure bill, when he worked with congressionalDemocrats and President Joe Biden to bring home investmentsoneverything from broadband to ﬂood mitigation, even as all his Louisiana Republican colleagues —Letlow included —voted no. Under the rulesof2014 or even 2020, accomplishments like that, on topofhis seniorityand committeeassignments and even amajor chairmanship, would be enough to protect any Republican in this redstate.Inthe eyes of some,they still are.

Here’show state Senate President Cameron Henry,who still

“He’s on Finance, he’sthe chair of Health. Imean, those are monumental things for Louisiana. That is very difﬁcult to replace. And he’sinthe group that can negotiate. The group in the middle is the one that’snegotiated the best stuff in Louisiana,” Henry said. And yet, like Landrieu, Cassidy tooisatriskofbeing consigned to history —ifnone of that matters anymore, if all that does matter is how loyal aRepublican is to the current Republican president. Certainly Cassidy understands thatthe new rules put him at adisadvantage.

Afterhefollowed his conscience and voted to convict then exPresident Donald Trump in his second impeachment in 2021, Cassidy came crawling back into the Trump tent in humiliating fashion, even when it meant providing the key vote for aHealth and Human Services secretary who is out to undermine the vaccines that Cassidy,asa physician, knows save

Treasurer John Fleming understands the new rules, too. AformerTrump aide who failed to win the president’snod, Fleming has abillboard in Baton Rouge showing the two of them side-by-side anyway It’sLetlow who’sfollowing the front-runner strategy this time. She’sthe one who hasthe president’sendorsement. She’sthe one who is ducking television debates, proposing instead to appear only on afriendly radio show hosted by Cassidy critic Moon Griffon. She’s the one who is acting as conﬁdent in her theory of the election —that Trump’sendorsement trumps all —asCassidy wasin2014 and 2020 of his. Or maybe I’m wrong. Maybe she’sgot more to tell the voters about her own views and priorities and philosophy of the job than simply “He’swith me.” Youknow what would be agood wayfor her to start? Agree to debate.

EmailStephanieGrace at sgrace@theadvocate.com.

In trademarkcase, abig winfor TheG,GramFam

Martin Lemelle was walking the Grambling State University campus, not as acollege student but as astudent enrolled at GSU’s lab school, when GramblingState first sought federal trademark recognition for the famous“G” symbol associated with one of the nation’smost legendary HBCUs.He was 14. Steve Favors was president. Today,Martin Lemelleis president. That was the late 1990s. Ablack-and-white example of The Gwas submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The design wasn’tincolor,and it too closely resembled theGused by the Green Bay Packers and the NFL. The University of Georgia’sGlooked awfully similar, too. The federal office rejected the request.“The black and gold That’sGrambling,” Penya Moses, university vice president of administration and business affairs, told me. Moses graduated from GSU. She knew legendary football Eddie “Coach Rob” Robinson. She played for PatriciaCage-Bibbs, atwo-timehead women’sbasketball coach at GSU and aseventime SWAC coachofthe year.As an attorney withtax and whitecollar experience and astint as New Orleans city attorney,she’s seen alot. But nothing likethis This was professional and per-

sonal.

Grambling State has fought to rein in fake Grambling StateUniversity merchandise, fakeGSU eventbrandingand other fake G uses.

There are lots of estimates and guesstimates about the value. Somesay it could mean GSU gettingasmuch as $5 million. That number alone would make it abig deal.

Grambling State’sGramFam, a registered trademark, has long said the universityis aplace “Where everybody is somebody.” Everybody maybesomebody,but not anyold or young somebody should capitalize on the institution’sbrand. IwenttoHampton. I’m a proud HU pirate. Ilove my “home by the sea.” ButI’ve never gotten thesame reaction traveling through airports with Hampton gearasIget when Iwear The G, apparel Ipicked up during my tenure atthe northern Louisiana school afew years ago. Lots of peopleknow that G. Honestly, sometimes people look at the G letter and its contours and don’t seecolor They ask whether Iwent to Georgia, and sometimes ask whether I’m aPackers fan. Neither is true. Who Dat!

Grambling State won federal trademark recognition earlier this month by negotiating with thePackers and the NFL and Georgia. Idon’tknow thespeciﬁcs of the“amicable” shared agreement Moses said was reached.I knowI agreed with Moses when she said, “This is a bigdeal.”

There are other HBCUs with big brands. Hampton University’s brand includes reﬂex blue, or Hampton blue, and white. Howard University’sbrand includes indigo or Bison blue, red and white. Hampton has Petey the Priate as itsmascot.. Howard is represented by abison, honoring theBlack Buffalo soldiers.They are “The Mecca.”

Both use “HU.”Both have students, faculty, staff, fans and supporters calling their institution “The Real HU.” Iwent to Hampton Institute, before it changed to Hampton Universityin1984, reﬂecting higher academic excellence and stronger research as ahigher education institution. My alma mater will never be “The Real HU” in my eyes. Maybe it’s“The Better HU.” The Real HU? That’s acultural distinction debated across afﬁnity lines. Only afederal registration decision can settle that one. Grambling State is one of the biggest HBCU brands. Others include FloridaA&M StateUniversity, North Carolina A&T State University,Jackson State University(especially since Deion Sanders was there), Morehouse College and Spelman College. Southern Universityisinthe mix,

as are Jackson State University and Prairie View A&M University, especially in this region. In our HBCU world, brand is morethan institutional. It’s cultural. It certainly makes forsome showin’ out at HBCU homecomings, on campus and off. Favorssaw branding issues during his vice presidencies at Howard University and the UniversityofNew Orleans. He was GSU’spresident from 1998-2001. It’sbeen 25 years since he was president. Today,Favors is an honors college professor at Grambling State, and The Gissue has been

resolved.

After decades of pushing to makethis happen, it’sgood to see Grambling State reach an amicable resolution with others wholay claim to aG.Based on what Iknow,this is an example of how key institutions can reach consensus to get to apoint where everybody can be somebody,beneﬁting ﬁnancially while featuring, promoting and swagging with The G. This is abig deal, forGrambling State, HBCUsand Louisiana. Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com

Quin Hillyer

Stephanie Grace

Will Sutton

Shown is today’sweather.Temperatures aretoday’shighs and tonight’slows.

SPORTS

Plenty of position battlesto watchfor UL football

With quarterback clearly not the mostinteresting position forthe UL Ragin’ Cajuns entering the spring football season, which position battles are worthy of the mostattention during the offseason?

For the ﬁrst timeinthe Michael Desormeaux era, the starting quarterback wasadone deal heading into spring with Lunch Winﬁeld the starter So forfans wondering where to shifttheir focus, there are several options available.

LSUstars Johnson, Williams trying to savorlastrun together

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

The game was over.Flau’jae Johnson, though, just wanted to try one more thing. So she grabbeda whiteboard and amarker,then took chargeofLSU’s huddle.

TheTigers led Jacksonville106-58 with fourminutesleft in thefourth. Mikaylah Williams hadnine assists, and she wanted a10th, so Johnson drew up aplaythatwould make sure she’d getit. Grace Knox just had to cut baseline, sneaking behind herdefender,catch aquick pass from Williams andturn it into alayup.

“I was hoping Grace didn’ttake toomanydribbles,” Williams said, laughing. “I gotscared, but she caught it, and she made it in.”

Then Williamsleaptinthe air, whileJohnson pointed at her from the bench. It was amemorable moment forthe pair of star guards two LSU greats who aretryingto make the most of their third and ﬁnal season as teammates. Johnson, aGeorgia native,isthe outsider who founda homeinBaton Rouge.Williamsisthe local kid the Bossier Cityproductwho stayed

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

near her hometown and put herself on aSeimone Augustus-esque trajectory.Together they’ve formed one of the most dynamic pairings of star players in the country,and they’ve helped coach Kim Mulkey’sprogram sustainits current, reinvigorated form.

But then those twostar forwards moved on,leaving Johnson and Williams as the two pillars of ateam with FinalFouraspirations. LSU can getthere.Thisseason, the Tigers landedtheir highest NCAA

ä See LSU, page 3C

LSUhas won more than 84% of the gamesit’splayed since Johnson and Williams became teammates. Angel Reesewas there for oneofthose years, and Aneesah Morrow was there for two of them.

One good place to start is at running back.

Last year’sleading rushers —Bill Davis and Zylan Perry —are now gone, which opens the door fornew leaders to emerge. Sophomore Steven Blanco probably leads the parade, but redshirt freshman Darrell Smith is expected to carry alarger load this season and 5-foot-10, 210-pound redshirt freshman JJ Garner also appears ready to impress.

“Steven played really well foruslast year,” Desormeaux said. “Whenever he got in there, he had really good carries, had good production.

“Darrell didn’thave manycarries …but we’ve seen alot from him throughout the course of last year and his growth. Ithink Darrell’sgoing to be areally good player.”

Fans may remember Garner carrying a group of defenders into the end zone fora score in last year’sspring game.

“JJ Garner is probably one of the best athletes in that group, and that’ssaying a lot to me,” Desormeaux said. “That group is really talented.”

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

of the series is slated for1 p.m.Sunday UL pinch hitter LillianSotodelivered a two-out, two-run homer to right-center in the bottom of the seventh for the Cajuns’ only runs. That brought Texas State ace Madison

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE

Redshirt freshman Darrell Smith will

Kevin Foote

LSU guard Mikaylah Williams celebrates withteammate Flau’jae Johnson during agame against Texas on Jan. 11 at the PMAC STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

8:45

9 p.m NCAA: Washington at TCU ESPN

2 p.m.

2 p.m. NCAA Selection Special ESPNU

3 p.m.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY

NCAA: Wisconsin vs. Ohio St. ESPNU

WOMEN’S COLLEGE LACROSSE

11 a.m. Ohio St. at Johns Hopkins ESPNU COLLEGE SOFTBALL

11 a.m Washington at Michigan BTN

11 a.m Tennessee at Florida ESPN2

3 p.m. Duke at Georgia Tech ACCN

4 p.m. UCLA at Rutgers BTN

5 p.m. Stanford at North Carolina ACCN

6 p.m. Oklahoma at Ole Miss SECN GOLF

Noon PGA: Valspar Championship

ROUNDUP

Lendeborg, Michigan roll Saint Louis

By The Associated Press

BUFFALO, N.Y Yaxel Lendeborg punctuated his 25-point outing with a massive dunk in transition, and the Midwest Region’s topseeded Michigan advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 95-72 victory over Saint Louis in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday

Morez Johnson had 15 points and eight rebounds for Michigan (33-3), which matched a program record for victories set during its seventh and most recent Final Four appearance in 2018.

The Wolverines’ 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara had 16 points, ﬁve rebounds and four blocks to increase his season blocks total to 96, one short of matching Michigan’s single-season record set by Roy Tarpley in 1985-86.

The Wolverines advanced to the round of 16 for the second consecutive year and seventh time since 2017. They’ll play the winner of Texas Tech and Alabama at Chicago on Friday

Amari McCottry had 14 points and ﬁve rebounds for Saint Louis (29-6), whose season ended after setting a single-season record for wins with its 102-77 first-round victory over Georgia.

The Wolverines’ size and depth proved too much for the ninthseeded Billikens, who dropped to 0-6 in second-round games. Michigan particularly took away the Billikens’ primary strength, their outside shooting game, limiting Saint Louis to 5 of 17 3-point attempts through the first half, and 10 of 32 overall.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By yUKI IWAMURA

Michigan forward yaxel Lendeborg dunks against Saint Louis during their second-round game in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday in Buffalo, N.y

Billikens senior Robbie Avila, who entered ranking third among NCAA centers with 211 career 3-point baskets, struggled to find his range, finishing 3 of 13 — including 3 of 10 3-pointers. After trading leads six times through the first 10 minutes, Michigan went ahead for good on Trey McKenney’s 3-pointer with 9:37 left in the first half. The basket sparked a 9-0 run The Wolverines put the game away midway through the second half with their transition game and a pressure defense.

Lendeborg saw Michigan show signs of overcoming its issues of slow second-half starts — some-

thing that cost the Wolverines the Big Ten Tournament title in a 8072 loss to Purdue last weekend.

“We’re just learning from our mistakes against Purdue. We let them step away,” Lendeborg said.

“We’re going to start coming out more aggressively in the second half from now on. When they started going on their run, it went back to leaning on each other and playing poised and believing we can compete with anybody.”

Lendeborg had a highlight-reel dunk by bullying his way through two defenders and finishing his transition drive with a dunk to put Michigan up 66-57. A little over a minute later, Michigan’s press

cashed in, with Nimari Burnett intercepting Brady Dunlap’s pass and taking it the other way for a layup to make it 73-58.

EAST REGION

NO 3 MICHIGAN STATE 77, NO 6 LOU-

ISVILLE 69: In Buffalo, New York, Coen Carr recorded his first career double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Jeremy Fears had 16 assists as Michigan State advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 17th time under coach Tom Izzo. Fears added 12 points on 3-of-13 shooting but did the most damage for Michigan State with his precision passing. The country’s assists leader, who came in averaging 9.2 per game, became the first Big Ten player with 10 or more assists in each of the first two games of an NCAA tourney He had 11 in the Spartans’ first-round win over North Dakota State.

Magic Johnson had double-digit assists in four NCAA tournament games during the Spartans’ run to the 1979 national title, before assists became an ofﬁcial stat. Third-seeded Michigan State will play the winner of Sunday’s game between No. 2 seed UConn and No. 7 seed UCLA on Friday night in Washington. Carr, a high-jumping, 6-foot-6 junior forward, reached doubledigit rebounds for the ﬁrst time and came within one point of his best scoring game.

Trey Fort contributed 12 points off the bench for Michigan State, and Jaxon Kohler had 10 points. Ryan Conwell led No. 6 seed Louisville (24-11) with 21 points.

10th-seeded Virginia beats Georgia in OT

By The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa Kymora Johnson scored 28 points and Sa’Myah Smith added a career-high 23 to go with 11 rebounds as 10th seed Virginia beat seventh seed Georgia 82-73 in an NCAA Tournament

ﬁrst-round game in the Sacramento Regional on Saturday The Cavaliers (21-11) became the first lower seed to win in March Madness this season. Virginia will play either second seed Iowa or 15th seed Fairleigh Dickinson in Monday’s second round. Virginia, which became the second team ever that played in the ﬁrst four to win a game, outscored Georgia (22-10) 11-2 in overtime.

SACRAMENTO REGIONAL

NO 1 SOUTH CAROLINA 103, NO. 16

SOUTHERN 34: In Columbia, South Carolina, Joyce Edwards had 27 points and eight rebounds and South Carolina won its 17th straight home women’s NCAA Tournament game with a defeat of Southern. Edwards and the Gamecocks (32-3) opened with a 15-0 burst and never let up against the Jaguars (20-14), the Southwestern Athletic Conference champions. South Carolina, already up 25 at the break, outscored Southern 32-2 in the third quarter

It took little time for South Carolina to get going with Edwards scoring the first two baskets.

Saturday in Iowa City, Iowa.

Ta’Niya Latson added ﬁve points in the opening run as Southern started 0-for-7 shooting with six turnovers. Latson ﬁnished with 17 points while Madina Okot and Agot Makeer had 15 points each. Tessa Johnson had 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.

FORT WORTH REGIONAL

NO 3 OHIO STATE 75, NO. 14 HOWARD

54: In Columbus, Ohio, Jaloni Cambridge scored 21 points and Ohio State rolled to a win over Howard. Kennedy Cambridge, Chance Gray and Ava Watson had 11

points apiece for the Buckeyes (27-7), who will face sixth-seeded Notre Dame on Monday for a chance to get to the Sweet 16 for the ﬁrst time since 2023.

NO 6 NOTRE DAME 79, NO. 11 FAIRFIELD

60: In Columbus, Ohio, Hannah Hidalgo had a dominant performance with 23 points, nine rebounds, eight steals and six assists as Notre Dame led the entire game.

The Fighting Irish, who have advanced to the Sweet 16 in their last 14 March Madness trips, will face third-seeded Ohio State on Monday Iyana Moore scored 18 points

Duplantis wins 4th straight world indoor pole vault title

TORUN, Poland Mondo Duplantis won another pole vault world title after he was pushed all the way by Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis on Saturday

The Lafayette native won his fourth consecutive world indoor championships with a tournament record vault of 6.25 meters (20 feet, 6.06 inches), a 10-centimeter (3.94inch) improvement on his winning height a year ago in Nanjing. The pair left behind the ﬁeld at 6.05. Duplantis cleared his ﬁrst attempts at 6.10, 6.15 and then 6.25, when he wobbled the bar Karalis passed at 6.10 and 6.15, and missed his attempts at 6.25. Duplantis put away his pole, foregoing attempts at 6.32 to break his world record of 6.31 that he set last week at the Swedish meet named after him, the Mondo Classic. “I am proud to have come through for the win. Today, it was about the battle. It was a tough competition, and that is why I didn’t go for a world record,” Duplantis said.

Four ejected after fight at Thunder-Wizards game

WASHINGTON Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams and Washington’s Justin Champagnie were ejected following an altercation late in the ﬁrst half of the matchup between the Thunder and Wizards on Saturday night.

Following a basket by Washington’s Anthony Gill, Williams and Champagnie began shoving each other under the basket. Gill and Oklahoma City’s Ajay Mitchell became involved and the altercation quickly escalated and spilled into the seating area behind the basket before order was restored.

After a lengthy review by the ofﬁcials, Champagnie and Williams each received two technical fouls and were ejected. Mitchell and Cason Wallace of the Thunder each received one technical foul and were also ejected.

Curry to resume practices as he recovers from injury

ATLANTA Stephen Curry will begin participating in full team practices in the coming days as he works back from a right knee injury that forced the Golden State Warriors star to miss his 21st straight game Saturday Curry, 38, was re-evaluated earlier in the day for his patellafemoral pain syndrome and bone bruising in the knee, and the team said before its game against Atlanta that he is progressing in his rehab. He has done more individual on-court training of late and will be re-evaluated again this coming week when the Warriors return home from their road trip.

Olympic boxer says time to ‘walk away’ after loss

BELFAST, Northern Ireland Irish boxer Michael Conlan, who famously gestured at 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games judges with his middle ﬁngers, said he plans to retire without achieving his dream of becoming a world champion.

and Cassandre Prosper had 17 points and eight rebounds as the Fighting Irish won for the 10th time in their last 12 games.

NO 3 LOUISVILLE 72, NO 14 VERMONT

52: In Louisville, Kentucky, Mackenly Randolph scored 20 points to help Louisville pull away for a win over Vermont. It marked the second straight game the 6-foot sophomore posted a career high in points and a career-high 11 rebounds. She scored nine in the third quarter, including four during an 11-2 run that gave the third-seeded Cardinals (28-7) their ﬁrst double-digit lead of the game.

NO 5 KENTUCKY 71,NO.12 JAMES MADISON 56: In Morgantown, West Virginia, Tonie Morgan had 18 points and Amelia Hassett scored 11 of her 14 during a dominant ﬁrst half to help Kentucky cruise to a victory over James Madison.

Clara Strack had her 15th double-double of the season for the Wildcats (24-10), who advanced to play No. 4 seed West Virginia on Monday NO 6 ALABAMA 68, NO. 11 RHODE ISLAND 55: In Louisville, Kentucky, Jessica Timmons scored 21 points and Essence Cody added 19 as Alabama beat Rhode Island. The Crimson Tide (24-10) won a ﬁrst-round tournament game for the third straight year by shooting 53.2% (25 of 47) and dominating inside, outscoring the Rams (28-5) 42-12 in the paint.

The 34-year-old Belfast featherweight lost a 10-round split decision to undefeated Kevin Walsh at the SSE Arena on Friday night. Conlan, the favorite, hoped a victory would get him a shot at WBC featherweight champion Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington.

“I want to walk away now my health intact, my family good. I’ve done really well in boxing,” Conlan said. “I’ve achieved an awful lot. Did I reach my goal of being a world champion? No. That’s the hardest part about it all.”

Veteran OF makes Yanks’ opening-day roster TAMPA, Fla. Veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk has made the New York Yankees’ opening day roster Manager Aaron Boone told reporters Saturday that Grichuk made the team. The Yankees also announced they reassigned inﬁelder Paul DeJong and utilityman Seth Brown to minor league camp and optioned utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera and inﬁelder Max Schuemann to Triple-A Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre. Grichuk, 34, is coming off a 2025 season in which he batted .228 with a .273 on-base percentage, nine homers and 27 RBIs in 113 combined games for the

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLIE NEIBERGALL Virginia guards Paris Clark, left, and Kymora Johnson celebrate at the end of a first-round game against Georgia in the NCAA Tournament on

Lafayette High girls claim runner-up spot at Oil City Relays

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

For Lafayette High’s track and ﬁeld coach Ron Baillargeon, it is all about getting better

And Baillargeon has seen his Mighty Lions improve each week as was evident Friday

Despite battling injuries, the Lions ﬁnished second at the 63rd annual Oil City Relays at Acadiana High.

“Well, we’re running well,” Baillargeon said “We’re battling injuries right now and that’s the hard part But we’re still running good times.”

Alexandria’s boys won the meet with 132 points, followed by Lafayette High (98), St. Thomas More (65), Barbe (60) and Teurlings Catholic (57).

“I’mverypleasedwithourperformance,” Baillargeon said. “I mean we’re strong. I’m always pleased with everyone. This is a great team. They go out there and they give you 100% without you having to ask them or motivate them to do it. They take pride in their work.”

The Lions’ performance had three first-place finishes and five seconds.

The Lions’ 4x400 meter relay continued to dominate, less than a week after winning a national meet in Boston. On Friday the Lions won the 4x400 with a time of 3 minutes, 53.84 seconds, while also claiming ﬁrst in 300-meter hurdles after Kynadeh Dorsey ran a 45.65 and the 400 meters with Riley Siner running a 55.69.

“Well last night we weren’t running in races to have a great showing because we were coming off of that long trip to Boston,” Baillargeon said. “We got off the plane on Tuesday and so our workouts weren’t geared to prepare for this race. I’m letting them run races that help with their development and just to compensate for the travel that we just had. We were in the air-

LSU

Continued from page 1C

Tournament seed since 2008, and if they beat No. 7 seed Texas Tech at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Round of 32 (ABC), then they’ll play in the Sweet 16 for a fourth consecutive year. Neither Johnson nor Williams has ever lost in that round of the tournament.

“Mikaylah, Flau’jae I say this every chance I get,” Mulkey said, “you may never see the likes of them staying at an institution. This one’s four (years). Unless something crazy happens, I would think Mikaylah is going to be here four years. And (Johnson’s) right. She had to help recruit Mikaylah. But that’s what you should do. Great players want to play with great players.”

On Friday, Johnson and Williams orchestrated a record-setting ﬁrstround win over Jacksonville. They each grabbed five rebounds and forced three turnovers. Johnson scored 20 points, while Mikaylah added 18 to pair with her 10 assists a career high. It was only the second game in which neither of them recorded a single turnover.

Williams was nailing her outside shots and conducting LSU’s halfcourt offense. Johnson was ﬁnding ways to display her dazzling array of transition ﬁnishes.

Why’d they give the No. 15-seeded Dolphins so many problems?

“Well, they’re pros, number one,” Texas Tech coach Krista Gerlich said. “I think they’re going to obviously go really high in the WNBA draft.

FOOTE

Continued from page 1C

And certainly don’t overlook Howard transfer Anthony Reagan. “He’s come in and he’s got a different gear,” Desormeaux said of Reagan. “We haven’t seen him in pads yet, but he’s competing and making plays.” Another key area on offense with even more questions on the depth chart is wide receiver Yes, Shelton Sampson returns as Winﬁeld’s No. 1 target, but there’s nothing set in stone after him. The addition of catch-and-run guys like Russell Babineaux and Trenton Chaney shifts the skill set of Winﬁeld’s targets.

Crucial error costs LSU series vs. Oklahoma

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

port for quite some time and two of the kids had their ﬂights canceled, so it was a rough trip. (Friday) was not our best and even the kids were ‘Coach, my legs don’t feel right.’ ”

Among the Lions entries ﬁnishing second were the 4x100 (50.02) and 4x200 (1:49.16) relay teams, Dorsey in the 100 hurdles (16.24), Tay’lee Crump in the 200 (25.12) and Scarlett Petticrew in the pole vault with a 11-6.

Baillargeon said the focus is to get healthy for the regionals and state meets.

“We need to get through the injury bug and get ready for state,” he said. “Depending on how Lyric comes back, we’re looking at going to Texas Relays the following week after parish.

“You know that’s the motto of our program. We don’t want to schedule meets we can win. We want to ﬁnd teams that are better than us and make us better That’s what prepares us for the state meet.”

“They pose an issue for defenses. You kind of have to pick your poison at times.”

Johnson and Williams have been teammates for three years now, but this season is the ﬁrst in which they’ve been LSU’s two leaders. Through most of SEC play, they took turns leading the Tigers’ offense.

Johnson shot just 4 of 14 from the ﬁeld in LSU’s win over Texas on Jan 11. Williams, though, hit the game-sealing 3-pointer and ﬁnished with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting

When the Tigers beat Ole Miss on Feb. 19, Williams was missing too many shots and committing too many turnovers. So Mulkey left her on the bench for the whole second half.

Johnson then teamed up with MiLaysia Fulwiley to give LSU a come-from-behind win. The senior hit six of her 11 shot attempts and two of her three 3-point tries to put up 18 points all of which the Tigers needed to avoid suffering a loss that would’ve jeopardized their double bye in the SEC Tournament.

Then Johnson cooled off again.

She shot only 32% from the ﬁeld across LSU’s last three regularseason games a stretch in which Williams played some of the best basketball of her career

The star junior averaged 19.3 points and 11.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists while shooting 50% from the field. in games against Missouri, Tennessee and Mississippi State She played all 40 minutes of the win over the Bulldogs on March 1, when Johnson scored only four points on 1-of-6 shooting.

“We really haven’t had the ballin-hand guy a whole lot — that has a little wiggle and makes you miss, really since Ryheem Malone (2014-18),” Desormeaux said

The coaching staff has been waiting on redshirt junior KeDarius Wade to take that big step for two seasons and is hoping this is the year

Lance Strother was a steady force last season and remains in the plan. Rahji Dennis enters his third season and keep an eye on return specialist Ja’Corian Norris moving from defense to receiver

“He is a really talented athlete who didn’t quite click on defense,” Desormeaux said. “It didn’t click for a guy named JaMarcus Bradley either so we moved him to offense and he

Sometimes one play can change the course of a game, or even the outlook of a season.

For LSU baseball on Saturday against Oklahoma, the rubber match of a crucial three-game series at Alex Box Stadium, the former was certainly true, and the latter was probably accurate as well.

With the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning, and LSU leading 3-2, redshirt sophomore righthander Deven Sheerin forced the perfect double play ground ball to second base. But instead of starting the inning-ending play, freshman Jack Ruckert — who was in the game for his defense at second — bobbled the ball and made an error, resulting in everyone being safe.

Not only did the mistake cost the Tigers a run, but it also turned into two runs and the game. Sheerin allowed a sacrifice fly after Ruckert’s error that handed the Sooners a 4-3 advantage, and Oklahoma ended up winning by that final score to take the three-game series.

“That play is going to be the type of play that’s going to tip the scale in a game like this,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “Which, that’s not a surprise.”

The loss resulted in LSU dropping its third consecutive series, including its first two series in Southeastern Conference play

Since returning from the Jax College Baseball Classic, LSU has an 8-9 record and has failed to score more than ﬁve runs nine times.

LSU got the pitching it needed on Saturday, despite sophomore righthanded starter William Schmidt only lasting four innings. Schmidt only allowed a solo home run, and redshirt junior right-hander Gavin Guidry worked around trouble for three innings in relief of Schmidt before running into a jam that Sheerin nearly escaped for him in the eighth.

Schmidt, Sheerin and Guidry

“She’s gonna come to the rescue when I’m not having a good game,” Johnson said. “I can focus on other things and know we’re still gonna be OK. She’s just amazing.”

LSU, of course, is at its best when both Johnson and Williams are working together Since the calendar ﬂipped to 2026, the two stars have scored more than 15 points in the same game only three times — on Jan. 1 in a loss to Kentucky, on Jan. 29 in a win over Arkansas and on Friday in an NCAA Tournament win over Jacksonville.

Williams was shooting so well that the Dolphins started shifting extra defenders toward her, leaving Johnson open on the weak side. On one possession in the second quarter, Williams ﬂoated away from a double team and lasered a pass to Johnson, who had drifted along the baseline into an easy look at the rim.

LSU will soon encounter taller, longer teams in the NCAA Tournament, starting Sunday against Texas Tech (26-7).

Johnson and Williams want to keep setting each other up for success. The Tigers need both of them to play well, or else they could miss their last chance to see what the two stars can accomplish together in the Final Four

“We know each other in and out,” Williams said. “The thing that I’m gonna miss the most is her joy She’s so joyful. Her leadership. She says she doesn’t want to be a leader (that) she’s not a leader, but she’s been that since I stepped on campus. She took me under her wing.”

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.

combined to walk eight batters, but Oklahoma also stranded 14 runners on base against the trio.

The Sooners left at least one runner in scoring position in the third, fourth, ﬁfth and seventh innings before ﬁnally breaking through in the eighth. What cost LSU the game and the series was not its pitching. Instead, it was the position player group.

The Tigers struggled at the plate, recording just four hits despite leading for most of the afternoon.

They also committed two errors.

The mistakes made in the field on Saturday placed their fielding percentage at .964 on the year, a far cry from the .981 fielding percentage they held last season.

“That’s a good question,” senior Chris Stanﬁeld said after he was asked what’s prevented the Tigers from winning close games lately.

“I don’t know I think just fundamentals (are important). We’ve got to make the routine plays and keep adding on offense.”

Two of LSU’s hits on Saturday

CAJUNS

Continued from page 1C

Azua into the game to get the last out for the save.

The trouble started immediately at the top of the ﬁrst. Karmyn Bass singled and scored when Harley Vestal’s bunt was thrown widely into center ﬁeld.

In the third, an inﬁeld single and a walk put two runners in scoring position with two outs and Kate Bubela’s ground ball was misplayed to make it 3-0. In the fourth, Megan Kelnar and Sami Hood were hit by a pitch ahead of a Bass RBI single

Continued from page 1C

home in the first. In the third, Drew Markle hit a two-run home run for the 3-0 lead. The trouble started in the third when Rashawn Galloway tied the game with a two-out, three-run homer UL regained the lead in the ﬁfth when Lee Amedee singled, advanced on a wild pitch and Colt Brown’s sacrifice fly that was dropped gave the Cajuns a 4-3 lead. Nothing good happened for UL the rest of the way Galloway hit his second three-run homer in the ﬁfth to give Texas State the lead for good at 6-4. Galloway finished the game

“There’s a bunch of competition in that room, just not a lot of experience in the game. Every year, we’ve kind of had to do that a little bit … coach (Scott) Stoker does a good job with those guys.”

UL coach

MICHAEL DESOMEAUX,

ended up being a darn good football player.”

Perhaps the trickiest position is at inside linebacker Redshirt senior Kailep Edwards is back, but he’s had very few starts in his career Jake St. Andre established himself last season, but such developing players as redshirt junior Micah Johnson and redshirt sophomores Ethan Veal and Connor McPherson will have to take their turn.

“There’s a bunch of competition in that room, just not a lot of experience in the game,” Desormeaux said. “Every year, we’ve kind of had to do that a little bit coach (Scott) Stoker does a good job with those guys.”

Another position in a similar position is cornerback. The staff and fan base were both elated when sophomore Brent Gordon returned. After him, there’s a list of unproven options and several of

resulted in a home run. First, freshman Omar Serna blasted his third homer of the year in the ﬁrst inning. His two-run shot gave LSU a 2-1 lead before Stanfield blasted a solo homer in the ﬁfth that stretched the Tigers’ lead to two. But overall, LSU went 1 for 5 with runners in scoring position, and the bottom seven hitters in the order combined to record two hits and drive in just one run.

“When you face elite pitching, and they fill up the strike zone, you better hit the one that you get,” Johnson said. “And we hit a couple of them today But if we’re not doing that, there’s not a whole lot else that we’re able to do.” LSU will host Louisiana Tech on Tuesday before resuming SEC play next weekend. First pitch from Alex Box Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be available to stream on SEC Network+.

Email Koki Riley at koki.riley@theadvocate.com.

for a 4-0 cushion. In reverse of Friday’s game, this time it was Texas State to pull its starting pitcher, Abigail Jennings, quickly in the ﬁrst inning and the reliever shined. Freshman Kaili Witherell ended uppitchingamasterpiece,allowing justtworunsonthreehits,nowalks and no strikeouts in 6.1 innings. UL starter Bethaney Noble allowed three runs — all unearned — in 4.1 innings on six hits, three walks and three strikeouts. Texas State outhit UL 8-3 The Cajuns hit into three double plays and committed four errors.

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

3-for-4 with two homers and six RBIs.

Manny Salas added a two-run homer in the seventh and Brady Boles an RBI single to ice the win. UL starter Andrew Herrmann allowed seven runs (three earned) on five hits, two walks and struck out ﬁve in ﬁve innings. Garret Carter struggled again in relief, allowing four runs on six hits, no walks and one strikeout in two innings.

Texas State starter Sam Hall surrendered four runs (three earned) on seven hits, one walk and one strikeout in 4.1 innings. Reliever Cade Smith got the win, yielding up no runs on two hits, no walks and striking out seven.

Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.

those will need to step up. That group includes redshirt sophomore Avery Demery, redshirt junior Curley Reed, redshirt junior Jeremiah Moses and perhaps redshirt freshman Kevin Malone.

“Avery Demry is a guy that I think is as talented as any of the guys we’ve had here,” Desormeaux said. “Jeremiah Moses is competing really hard right now and it’s time for him. He’s competing really hard, got a really good skill set. He can run. He’s competing the right way.” And Malone is “one that I’m excited about as a redshirt freshman. He’s kind of in that Eric Garror and Keyon Martin mold — little, but he’s a scrappy dog.”

STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK Lafayette High’s Scarlett Petticrew shined in the pole vault on Friday at the Oil City Relays at Acadiana High.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU second baseman Jack Ruckert makes a catch to get Oklahoma outfielder Jason Walk out in the eighth inning on Saturday at Alex Box Stadium. LSU lost 4-3.

ALL-METROWRESTLING

BOYS OUTSTANDINGWRESTLER

ALEX ROZAS TEURLINGSCATHOLIC,SR.

Few high school athletes can boast afouryear career as good as TeurlingsCatholic wrestler Alex Rozas, whoisthe TheAcadiana Advocate’sAll-Metro Outstanding Wrestler. He wasn’t perfect. He did lose afew matches against out-of-state competition, but his pursuitof his goals certainly were.

During his senior season,Rozas finished somethingthat had not been done by awrestlerin state history.

Not only did he win four consecutiveDivisionII state championships at his weight class, but he

Going into the LHSAA state tournament, it wasn’t asecret St.ThomasMore was atop contender for the program’s first state crown.

TheCougars alreadyhad aKen Cole Invitational titleand arunner-up finishatthe Louisiana Classic. Thepotential issue was the Cougars featured elite talent, but maybe didn’t have enoughdepth to beat topcontendersNorth DeSoto and Catholic. No Division II programhad wonastate title with

wonthe Louisiana Classic title each year along with thetop honors at theKen Cole Invitational.

“I feel likeit’spretty cool to do something that no one haseverdone before,”Rozas said.“I feel like I’m just making historyand I’mlovingit.”

No one whohas seenRozas dismantle opponent after opponent duringhis career woulddoubt it

TheLouisiana Classic event each year isn’t separated by divisions, likethe state tournamentis. It’s simplythe best of the best in Louisiana along with wrestlers fromotherstates.

In the final,Rozas dominated eventual Division I

fewerthan13wrestlers at least placing in the top six and the Cougars had holes in three of the 14 weightclasses.

Butinhis second season at STM, Boumans had histeamready,makinghugeprogress since the Cougars finished 12th the season before.

Boumanshad his team prepared. Senior Zach Cestia overcame alate-season brokenleg to reach the final.Walker Pugh didn’t overcome afootball

state champion Caleb KirkofCatholic-Baton Rouge 18-0 in atechnicalfall.

Then at the state tournament, Rozas delivered asimilarly outstanding performance with a17-1 decision over Jayden LockeofNorth DeSoto to secure his career goal with a51-2 record.

“Nothing Alex does surprises me,”Teurlings coach Kent Masson said.“He neverceases to amaze us. He is akid that youcan alwaystrust that when he gets on the mat that he is going to do what he needs to do. He’sjusta special kid and aspecial wrestler.” Kevin Foote

injury untillate Januaryand also wona state title Enzo Lopez pulled off an upset to earn Outstanding Wrestling recognition at state. Unseeded Evan Clark upset twoseeds, and Gannon Sheffield delivered an upset in the semifinals.

The resultwas getting to 289 points, enough to edgeNorth DeSoto (2821/2)and Teurlings (2601/2) forthe program’s first statetitle Kevin Foote

OZIAS GRAY

Acadiana, Sr 57-2 at 138pounds

FOSTER PETERSON

St.Thomas More, Jr 50-1 at 132pounds

ZANE BLANCHARD

Southside, Jr 43-2 at 120pounds

ZACH

CESTIA

St.Thomas More, Sr 51-6 at 175pounds

CARTER MACHA

TeurlingsCatholic, Jr 28-3 at 190pounds

ENZO LOPEZ

St.Thomas More, Sr 49-6 at 157pounds

JONAS REBSTOCK

St.Thomas More, Jr 57-4 at 144pounds

JULES DESHOTELS

St.Thomas More, So 50-6 at 190pounds

WILLIAM O’NEAL

Lafayette High, Sr 60-14at165 pounds

LANDON OLDS Acadiana, Sr 49-8 at 215pounds

DOMINIC RUGGIERI

Southside, Sr 45-9 at 150pounds

CODY HYPOLITE Carencro, So 48-8 at 113pounds

VINCENT MORVANT Lafayette High, So 49-9 at 120pounds

Dies deliversinSouthside win

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

Parker Dieshas aflair forthe dramatic. The Southside junior hit an inside-the-park home run to tie the game and got the save inrelief —despite not having pitched in a month —ina5-4 win at home over NewIberia in District 3-5A action on Saturday

“It’sabig win for us,” said Dies, who faced the Yellow Jackets’ top of the order in the seventh inning and got adouble play to end the game after NISH slugger Myles Jones hit aone-out single.

“Wefell short to them earlier in the week, so we knew coming out here we had to compete.I thought we did really well withthat today We struggled earlybut managed to come backand scrape away a win.” NISH (14-6, 2-4) rallied from a 5-1deficittowin 7-5athomein Game 1ofthe series, and the Yellow Jackets forged a4-1 lead in the rematch. Gabe Dronet’ssacriﬁce ﬂy scored arun in the third inning, with an error on the play bringing in asecond run. Starting pitcher Nathan LeBlanc followed with an RBI single.

before.He’sprepared for the big moments. He puts us on his back and carries us when he has the opportunity.”

ConnorMcCraine, who had two RBIs, drove in the winning run with asacrifice fly in the fifth inning that scored Landen Gibson. Connor Poirier and McCraine each had ahit for the Sharks, and Isaiah Medina hadanRBI single in an intense game in which both sidesget warnings from the umpire after LeBlanc singledoff Dupuis during an at-bat that featured an entertaining exchange between the two starting pitchers. LeBlanc and Jones, who homered in Game 1ofthe series, hadtwo hits apiece forthe Yellow Jackets. Easton Alford’s RBI double in the second inning opened the scoring.

“I wanttogive credit to the NISH team,” Lewellyn said. “I coached them as freshmen and sophomores. They’veworked incredibly hard andhaveagood senior class. Credit to them. They’re a well-coached, hard-nosed bunch.” Earlier in the week, Dies informed Lewellyn that he wanted to pitch.

“Mason got hurt earlier in the season and had aslowstart, but he’s on ﬁrenow,” Lewellyn said.

“I moved him to the heart of the

“It’sa testament to the toughness of this group,” said Sharks coach EliLewellyn,who previously coached at NISH.“When we went down 4-1, heads werehanging. We had acouple guys step up big to light aﬁre under our team.” First baseman MasonOlivier went 3for 3with adouble, atriple and two runs scored forthe Sharks (14-8-1, 3-3). Starting pitcher Ace Dupuis hadanRBI triple and didn’tallow arun after the third inning.

order to give him theopportunity to make something happen. He stepped up to the plate as asenior.” Dupuis, ajuniorwho hasbeen coming outofthe bullpen, gotthe start on the mound after one of the Sharks’ pitchers went downwith an injury

Dies’ home run came on aﬂyball to center ﬁeld that got past adiving Jones and rolled to the fence in the fourth inning. The junior showcased the speed that resulted in a 1,000-yard rushing season as the Sharks’ quarterback in football.

“Parker is the man,” Lewellyn said. “He’sadude. He’shad ice water in his veins the entire year Thatcomes fromhim being there

“Ace got theopportunityand ran with it,” Lewellyn said. “I believe in Ace. Ican count on him.”

“We’ve been rampinghim up slowly and getting him ready,” Lewellyn said. “He had aslight tweakinhis arm. We didn’t want to jeopardize him.”

“I wasnervous at first, but once Igot up there, Iknew Coach trusted me with the ball in my hands,” Dies said, “so Ihad to get the job done. Ithrew with conﬁdence.”

PHOTO By MIKE COPPAGE Southside coach Eli Lewellyntalks to his team after the win in the Sharks’ postgame huddle.

My parents sparkedmy musical interest with theseartists

Ihad atime picking someone in music to highlightfor Women’sHistory Month,which runs through March31. Icould have picked the timelessIrma Thomas, 85, the Soul Queenof New Orleans. Another music royal is Queen Ida, the ﬁrst Grammy winner in zydeco. Now 97 and longretired, Ida Guillory brought zydeco to “Saturday Night Live,” “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood” and beyond Sheryl Cormier, of Lafayette, who justturned 81, still reigns as the Queen of Cajun Music. She opened the door for Amis du Teche, T’Monde, the Babineaux Sisters and the Holiday Playgirls, part of the current wave of females in their 20s and 30s playing French music. Ultimately,mymusicchoice landed close to home with my mother,Matteal Fuselier. March 25 marks 20 years since she passed away.Peoplealways ask what sparked my interest in music. Ihave to give my mom, and dad, Herman, credit

the

Matteal and Herman weren’t musicians,but theyplayed the hell out of the radio and record player

An endless rainbow of music, fromFrank Sinatra to John Delafose and the Eunice Playboys, was on in the house and car.Family vacations often included stops at local record stores

Istill rememberhow odd the little-me felt when the car radio was turned off during funeral processions. Where was James Brown, Aretha, Monk, Otis, Willie Nelson,DJ Paul Thibeaux and the House Rocker on KVOL 1300?

Ilearned that asilent radio was the last show of respect for the person who had gone on to Glory

Matteal and Herman were married for 54 years.Some days, they didn’tspeak to each other

There were many more days with the turntable spinning in the den. They wereupand dancing toDuke Ellington, with Ella Fitzgerald singing

ä See MUSICIANS, page 4D

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

CULTURE ON DISPLAY

‘Belizaire

theCajun’ director shedslight on astonishingportrayal of La.history

BY JOANNABROWN Staff writer

Traiteurs. Vigilantes.A doomed love affair —or is it?This is thedrama that infuses “Belizaire the Cajun,” acritically acclaimed ﬁlm about 19th-century Louisiana life by writer and director Glen Pitre.

The 1986 movie wasscreened at international festivals like Sundanceand Cannes,and received a positive review from Robert Ebert himself, whowrote, “What Iliked about themovie was its unforced view of Cajun life, the rhythms of the speech as theymove from CajunFrenchinto Englishand back again, andthe comic timing of some of the scenes, especially two where the local sherifftriestotemper justice with fairness.” Pitre grew up in Cut Offinthe 1960s and ’70s, and in many ways, he wrote what he knew of lifein south Louisiana —the relationships, the jokes,the hard work and gentle speed of life in bayoucountry He said his grandparents never spoke English, andhespent more

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

Louisiana author

time on boats thanonland. The plot of “Belizaire theCajun” unfolds in that world, but 100 years before in theLouisiana frontier of 1859, with French speaking Cajun people in conﬂict with Anglo vigilanteswho have framed Be-

lizaire’s cousin formurder.

The ﬁlm is alook at the 19th-century melting potofLouisiana and the traditions of the Cajun people. Belizaire Breaux is atraiteur —a

ä See PITRE, page 4D

Lyle Saxon once was considered theforemost expert on the state’sculture, traditions and history,especially when it came to New Orleans. In fact, hewas nicknamed “Mr.New Orleans” and for good reason. Saxon spearheaded pres-

ervation efforts for theFrench Quarter in theearly 20th century after the city declared it aslum and considered demolishing it.Healso headed theFederal Writers Project’sdocumentation of everything Louisianain theWPA-funded “Louisiana: A

Saxon

Guide to the State.” Still, there’sone accomplishment Saxon didn’tachieve, as pointed out by Alexandria author and historian Michael Wynne.

“He didn’tgraduate from LSU,” Wynne said. “But he came so close.” Usually,Wynne is one of many sources in providing answers to

Curious Louisiana questions, but this timearound, he steps into the role of the reader asking the question.

Whynohonorarydegree?

“I started looking into it, and Ifound that he wasonly three hour-credits away from graduating,” Wynne said. “So my

Herman Fuselier

PROVIDED PHOTO

Gail youngs, left, and Armand Assante star in ‘Belizaire the Cajun.’

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM COTE BLANCHE FEATURE FILMS,LTD Director Glen Pitre discusses ascene withStephen McHattie, right, while NancyBarrett looksonduring filming of ‘Belizaire the Cajun.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Irma Thomas performs the national anthem before the 2026 Allstate Sugar Bowl at

Caesars Superdome.

Twobooks highlightLSU’s role in military service

One of Louisiana’smost prominent war monuments is on the campus of LSU in Baton Rouge, where Memorial Tower has commanded the skyline for generations. I’ve long wondered,though, how many studentsknow that the tower was dedicated in 1926 to remember 1,447 warriors from the state who died in World WarI All of this has come back to mind with the arrival of two books that underline LSU’slong connection withmilitary service.

In his new memoir,LSU alumnus David Wayne Couvillon of Port Allen recalls his time navigating Iraq’scomplicated realities after the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2003. Another new book, Ronald J. Drez’s “The Long Purple Line,” explores LSU’sbroader contributionsto national defense.

The title of Couvillon’sbook sums up his challenge: “From U.S Marine to Provincial Governor in Iraq with the 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines.” Couvillon had along career in the Marine CorpsReserves, and he also held several jobs in civilian life, eventually retiring as director of the Louisiana Ofﬁce of State Group Beneﬁts.

“Essentially,reservists have to be adaptable,” he tellsreaders “One day,they’re joking with their coworkers and goinghome to their families; the next, they’re ﬂying to the other side of the world.”

Couvillon counted on that sense of ﬂexibility as amilitary provincial governor of Iraq’s Wasit Province. Though trained as professional warriors,heand his comradesfound themselves

DannyHeitman AT

RANDOM

responsible for building civil society

“Towns didn’thave mayors or city councils,” Couvillon points out. “In fact, theonly people who stayed at their posts while everyone else fledordisappeared were the volunteer firefighters. We were charged withsecuring an essentially lawless province.”

In writingthis book with Miriam C. Davis, Couvillon says he’s notout to argue “whether thewar in Iraq was agood thing or abad thing.” But he takes pride in “the communities we pieced back to-

‘TheoofGolden’

Lineup of panelistsfrom across thestate

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

The Louisiana Inspired Book Club is inviting all readers to join in the reading and discussion of “Theo of Golden” by Allen Levi at 7p.m. March 31.Mark your calendars to join the Louisiana discussion of the book, which will include aconversation among panelists from around the state.

The panelists for the “Theo of Golden” discussion include Lafayette artist Bob Borel; Shreveport/BossierCity features editor Elizabeth Deal; Baton Rouge-area musician Ben Bell; St. Francisville bookstore owner MissyCouhig and Youngsville counselor/speaker Roy Petitﬁls.

The panelists representsome of the characters featuredin“Theo of Golden.” They have each read the book and are looking forward to the discussion.

Borel is amultidisciplinary artist whose work embracesimperfection, memory and storytelling across awide range of media. His practice spans experimental photography,installationart, linocuts, gestural drawing, traditional crafts, documentaryﬁlmmaking, live storytelling and Unﬂattering Abstract Portraits drawn on the street. Some of Borel’smost meaningful work happens in jails and shelters, teaching art to incarcerated people and survivors of domestic violence. He’salso avideo editor and living historyinterpreter ElizabethBeardDeal is features editor for The Shreveport-Bossier Advocate covering food, arts and culture. She was previously editor for “SB Magazine” in Shreveport, communications director at The Nasdaq Stock Market and Washing-

gether and the measure of peace we achieved.”

In recognition of his service, Couvillon was inducted into LSU’s Cadets of theOld WarSkule, which has teamed up withLSU Presstopublish “The LongPurple Line.” It chronicles theuniversity’sextensive role in cultivating militaryleaders from its founding in 1860 through the present.

Henson Moore, aformer Louisiana congressman, notes in his preface to thebook that LSU was initially conceived as amilitary school.

“While no longer exclusively a militaryschool, LSU’slong mili-

taryhistory —over 160 years and counting, is still visible today,” Moore writes. Drez, former assistant director of the Eisenhower Center at the University of New Orleans, offers acompelling survey of LSU’s militaryheroes, including Troy Middleton, Claire Lee Chennault and Robert Hilliard Barrow.The mostmoving part of the book is an appendix listing every LSU student killed in action.

In aworld still touched by war, that long list is likely to grow Email Danny Heitman at danny@ dannyheitman.com.

Inspired Book Club discussion is March31

HOWTO WATCH

n The link forthe discussion is at https://bit.ly/4bRnlis

n Sign up fornotices forthe LouisianaInspired Book Club,which selects abooktoread and discuss quarterly, here at www.nola.com/ book_club.

ton University,abusiness owner in St. Louis and agrants writer for nonproﬁts in Shreveport. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, biking, camping, traveling and reading. Bell and his band, The Stardust Boys, have been active in Mid City Baton Rouge for years. Bell says that oneofthe goals of their vintage, acoustic musical styleisto turn strangers into smiling faces. They believe that playing quietly is more enjoyable thanloudness. They play acoustic country,folk and rockabilly Couhig is alifelong avid reader and the owner of The Conundrum Bookshop in St. Francisville. The Conundrum opened in late 2015 with agoal and focus of having a bookstore hand-curated with an eye to books that speak to both the local area and beautifulclassic books that people would want to keep foralifetime. Her daily exercise of bloggingabout bookscontinues through today on the bookshop’ssocial media channels @conundrumbooks. Sheisanavid gardener and cook Petitﬁls hasworked with young people for the last 30 years as a minister,teacher,school admin-

istrator,school counselor and now as apsychotherapist in private practice where he specializes in counseling teens and young adults. He haswritten sevenbooks,his latest being “Helping Teens with Stress, Anxiety and Depression.”He consultswith schools,churches and other organizations that seek to reach and inﬂuence today’steens and young adults

He hosts “Today’sTeenager,” a podcast, and has given aTEDx talk, “What Teens Want Youto Know but Won’tTell You.”

“Theo of Golden,” asmall underdog of abook, was selfpublished in 2023 and has becomeaword-of-mouthhit. In 2025, it was acquired by traditional publishers Atria, an imprint of Simon &Schuster,for wider release and distribution.

The book is Levi’sﬁrst novel. His publisher says he’s working on asecond.

“Theo of Golden” is about amysterious, kind stranger named Theo who arrives in Golden, asmall Southern city where he begins acampaign of anonymous generosity. In doing so, he transforms lives through small acts of kindness, art and storytelling. The book explores themes of wonder, connection and community.

If you have aquestionfor the discussion, email Jan Risheratjan. risher@theadvocate.com

Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

“Living withsadness, accepting it, is easierthan trying to pretend it isn’tthere. It is another of life’sgreat mysteries that sadnessand joycan coexistsocompatibly with one another.Infact, Iwonderif, on this side of heaven, either one can be complete without the other.”

ALLENLEVI, author of “TheoofGolden”

Borel Deal Bell Couhig

Petitfils

FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Memorial Towerstands tall surrounded by stately oaks on the campus of LSUinBaton Rouge.

TRAVEL

Check outthese spring breakdestinations

BY CHERÉ COEN

Contributing writer

Beaches beckon when spring breakrolls around,atimetorelease the long-sleeved shirts and sweaters and pause the brain from all that studying.

But spring break doesn’thaveto mean sand and sun.

Rather,the time off might includeaquiet hike throughanational forest, afestival celebratingthe return of the sun or experiencing athrilling sport. We’ve compiled afew alternative locations here that are within driving distance of Louisiana.

Getartsy in Texas

In 2008, one of the mostinnovative andimmersive arts centers opened in Santa Fe, collaborating with artists to bring visitors aunique audience-driven experience. Meow Wolf has sinceopened satellites around the country,most recently in Houston with Radio Tave, an immersive, surreal, radiostation-themedexperience.

The attraction features “ETNL Radio Station” and its crew who have opened aportal to adimension of art where visitors may explore at leisure to unravel its secrets.Meow Wolf is acreative space that must be experiencedtotruly understand its interactive and life-sized art. Visit meowwolf.com/visit/houston for more information.

San Antonio offers its own unique creative experience with Hopscotch, acurated 20,000-squarefoot artgallery where everything is interactive, from an adult ball pit and hall of mirrors to artthat dances with you as you move. Grab an equally creative cocktailatthe bar and lounge area, thenpick up unique art items at the gift shop

Take ahike

Spring bursts forth in Chattanooga, Tennessee, encompassingthe 50-plus hiking trailheads within 30 minutes of downtown with avari-

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

ety of wildﬂowers.

Visitorsmay also grab akayak andenjoy the TennesseeRiver ﬂowing through downtown or view rushingwaterfalls due to winter’s runoff —including thecolorful Ruby Falls located deep beneath Lookout Mountain Be sure to stop at the city’snew Reading Room, Chattanooga’sonly barand bookstore. Look for special events such as author talks, book trivia and tarot readings.

Thinkcherries

Youdon’thave to traveltoWashington, D.C., to view dramatic cherry blossoms in bloom, although that’scertainly worthatrip. Thousands of cherrytrees bloom at once in Macon, Georgia,and folkscelebratetheir debut with theInternational Cherry Blossom Festival March 20-29. In addition to viewing those pink explosions, the festival features around 300,000 to 350,000 Yoshino cherry trees that bloom aroundthe city, a parade, concertsand art shows.

Not to be outdone by its south Georgianeighbor,the city of Brookhaven, closer to Atlanta, offers its Brookhaven Cherry Blos-

som Festival March 28-29 that marriescherry blossoms with live bands, food trucksand an artist market

Digfor diamonds In the last few months, visitors to Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds StatePark have dug up some pretty largegemstones. Last summer,Micherre Fox of

New York found a2.30-carat white diamond in the park. Then in January,Jack Pearadin of Arkansas and Michael SchumacherofWisconsin discovered a6.03-carat yellow diamond, about thesizeofagumdrop.

To date, more than 75,000 diamonds havebeen unearthed at the Crater of Diamonds State Park sincethe first diamonds were discovered in 1906 by JohnHud-

dleston, afarmer who owned the land long before it became an Arkansas State Park in 1972. Children ages 6and under get in free at the park, while children ages 6-12 have a$7admission fee. The adult admission feeis$15. If crystals aremoreyourthing,several attractionsatnearbyMt. Ida let you dig forquartz crystals that are abundant in the area.

Take off!

Want to travel to space but NASA’s not calling? Trythe U.S. Space &Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, home to oneofthe largest collections of rockets and space memorabilia on display anywhere in the world.

The locationservesasthe Visitor Center forNASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.For those still in the learning mood, or just fascinated by weather,check out the current “How We Know the Weather” exhibit featuring 30 interactive displays,live feeds and sensory experiences aboutthe science of meteorology

Escape to themountains

If you’re in need of elevation, the Ozarks of Arkansas are within aday’sdrive. Secure acabin in the woodsand hike to waterfalls throughout theBuffalo National Riverareaorgraba paddle and tackle the wild river Spring is an ideal time to visit the regionwhere spring waterproduces dramatic falls and provides forthrilling paddling and tubing adventures, the latter of which really takes off in April and May Over at theSmokies,Dollywood’s IWill Always Love YouFestival runs through April 12 with the debut of two shows, “MotoMotion FreestyleShowdown” —which features choreographed performances of extreme riders, break dancers and aerial daredevils —and “Artreageous,” a3Dvisual concert of art, live music,singing, dancing, humor and audience participation. The popular“From the Heart— The Life&Music of Dolly Parton” show returns, telling Parton’s story aboutleaving herSevierCounty home to move to Nashville in pursuit of her dreams.

Avis chargedmefor smokinginmyrental. Idon’t even smoke!

Irented acar from Avis at Sacramento International Airportrecently.A few hours into my drive, Inoticed it smelled strongly of marijuana.

Christopher Elliott

Ikept the windows open, but the odor lingered.WhenIreturned the vehicle six days later,I told thestaff about it.Theysaid it would be fine. Aweeklater,I received a$250 bill from Avis for cleaning, plus the repair of a burnmark that Inever noticed. Idon’t smoke cigarettes or marijuana and wasthe sole driver. Iprotested, but Avis insists the charges are valid.What aremy rights? —GaryMullen-Schultz, Minneapolis Youshould never have been

given acar in that condition, and youshould not have been billed for cleaningitup. Car rental companies regularly impose steepcleaning fees for smoke, petsand spills.I don’thave aproblemwith that when the damage actually happens during your rental. After all, rentersagree to acceptresponsibility for thevehicle whenthey arerenting it. Butthere’saproblem:These charges are often subjective. Unless an employee documents the condition of the car before you leavethe lot, it’syour word against thecompany’swhen you dispute it. That’sexactly what happened here.

Avis sent youaseries of canned repliesinsisting it had ample docu-

mentation. But when Ireviewed your correspondence, Ididn’tsee any convincing proof that you caused the odor or damage. You, on the otherhand, have acredible explanation —and astrong record as alongtime customer

Still, Iwanted to be sure this damage didn’thappen on your watch. It turns out you had asinus condition thatpreventedyou from smelling the marijuana odor when you picked up the car.Otherwise, you would have never accepted it Youalso didn’tsmoke and didn’t have any other passengers, so it was highly unlikely this happened during your rental.

Avis didn’tsend you any photos of the alleged cigarette burns, but

Ithink you could have disproven its claim by takinginterior shots of the vehicle —the seats, theﬂoors, the dashboard withthe odometer These should be astandard part of your check-in,anyway.

Also,don’tassume that casually telling arental agent about aproblem is enough. Ask the agent to document it in writing. Thatway, if acharge like this appears later, you’ll have proof.

Ireally wish car rental companies would follow the lead of Turo, which strongly encourages its renters to take “before” and “after” images of its vehicles and even has afunction in its smartphone app to help renters take usable andcredible photos of their rentals.

Icontacted Avis on your behalf. Afew days later,itdropped the $250 cleaning fee.

Remember,cleaning fees can be aproﬁt center for car rental companies, and they are often unfairly applied. If you’re charged for a pre-existing odor or stain, challenge it immediately and escalate if necessary.With persistence and sometimes with alittle advocacy —you can win.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonproﬁt organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

PHOTO PROVIDED

PHOTO PROVIDED By RUTH SyKES

Thousands of cherry trees bloom at once in Macon, Georgia, and folks celebrate their debutwith the International Cherry Blossom Festival March 20-29. The neighboring city of Brookhavenalsooffers aCherry Blossom Festival March 28-29.

For’26,Netﬂixdoublingdownonoriginalideas

BY CERYS DAVIES Los Angeles Times (TNS)

LOS ANGELES Rather than chasing sequels and reboots, Netﬂix is betting its 2026 ﬁlm strategy on a massiveinvestmentinoriginalstorytelling and arenewedfocuson theatrical comedy

The streaming giant’sneedfor original contentisone of themain reasons Netﬂix fought ﬁercely to acquire Warner Bros. But evenafter losing the bid to Paramount earlier this month, the priority remains.

“We’re zigging where legacystudios are zagging,” Dan Lin, Netflix’s film chairman, said Wednesday at Netflix’sslate eventinHollywood.

Last year,18ofthe top 20 theatrical ﬁlms were based on already established intellectual property, such as sequels and remakes. The only two original ideas to breakthrough

were Ryan Coogler’s“Sinners” and Zach Cregger’s “Weapons.” Both of theseﬁlms werereceived well by audiences and earned golden statues at this year’sOscars.

Lin said that at Netﬂix, 2025’sslate wasthe “exact opposite,” where half of the ﬁlms it released last year were based on original storytelling.

“Wehave avery healthy content budget.Soifthere’s agreat movie out there, we’llgoout and either build it or acquire it,” Lin said.

Bela Bajaria, thecompany’s chief contentofficer, said thecompanyisn’t tooconcerned with the theatrical element that other studioscanoffer whenhunting for these original stories, as Netflix is astreaming-first company.

“We’ve always had competition. This isn’treally any different,” saidBajaria. “It’s to understand what the competition is, not head

Newhirefeels guilty aboutstretchingtruth

Dear Harriette: As many ofus know right now,the job market is extremely tight. Ihave been looking for ajob for over eight months. Thankfully, Irecently landed aposition at agreat company.I was even able to increase my salary,which is such ahuge win —especially because of inﬂation increasing the cost of living. However,Iamstarting to feel guilty because when Iwas interviewing for this position, Iliedonalot of the interview questions to make myself sound more impressive. It wasn’tall entirely fake, but Iembellished. Ioverstated my leadership experience by implying that Ihad more leadership in certain projects than Iactually did, and Ianswered behavioral questions with examples that were partially true but exaggerated to make me sound more accomplished. At the time, it feltlike Ihad to lie to survive. Everyonesays thattheydid it, too, and after months of rejection, Iconvinced myself that stretching the truth wasjust part of the game. Now that I’ve started the job, they are having me lead many projects, and I’m struggling. Part of me worries that I’ve built this opportunity on shaky ground. Idon’t know if this is normal impostor syndrome or if my guilt is telling me something about my integrity.Did Icross aline, or did Ido what Ihad to do in order to secure employment? —Living aLie Dear Living aLie: Get over your guilt and start learning. Find a mentor who can coach youon things you need to understand Ask alot of questions. Findout who is an expert at the things

in the sandatall. [Wehave] to understand what the marketisand continue to look ahead.”

It’snot just originalideas that Netﬂix is scouting; the streamer’s also looking to ﬁll gaps in genres. In recentyears,comedieshave fallen out of favor with major studios —leaving room for streamers like Netflix to expand. This year,Netflixislookingtobreak through with upcoming comedy productions like Kevin Hart’s bachelor party-driven “72 Hours,” John Cena and Eric André’sbuddy comedy “LittleBrother”and Eva Longoria’s“FifthWheel,” which Lin describesas“ourversion of ‘Bridesmaids.’

“We’re taking the chance, and we’re making the movies,”Lin said. “It’swhat we’re delivering, Ihope, [it’s] what audiences wantand what they’re craving. There are alot of

CURIOUS

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question is: Why hasn’thebeen awarded an honorarydegree?”

genres that you just can’tﬁnd in theaters anymore. So, we’re making those kinds of movies.”

In additiontoemphasizing comedies, there’s alot of opportunity to develop young adult ﬁlms,Lin said. Netﬂix hasupcomingtitles suchas“Voicemails for Isabelle,” starring Zoey Deutchand Nick Robinson, and “Roommates,” with Sadie Sandler,todrawinyounger movie watchers.

One genre in whichNetflix doesn’tsee much successislive musical adaptations, so it’s“not an area that I’m leaning into,” Lin said. He ﬁrst joined the company in 2024 and has since green-lighted 88 ﬁlms.

“It’sall very under wraps right now,but it’ssomething that I’m just so thrilled about because it wasthe book of my childhood.It was the book series thatIloved, and Ilived through, and Ispent so much time imagining myself inside of Narnia,”Gerwig said in a video message during the Netﬂix event. “It’sbeen ajoy and an honor to be the person whogets to imagine this universe.”

Gerwig’s“Narnia” is settohit ImaxthisThanksgivingand start streaming on Netﬂix come Christmas

Netﬂix subscribers watch about seven movies amonth, according to the streamer’sdata. So, with thepush for original stories, the streamer is hoping to meet its consumers’ demands. The current strategy is to release up to four “event ﬁlms” ayear.For 2026, Netflix is looking at Greta Gerwig’s“Narnia” adaptation and David Fincher’sfollow-up to “Once UponaTime in Hollywood” as its big hitters.

ciety in general.”

Wynne says Saxon deserves better.Henotes that an honorary degree forthe author would be a “nice tip of the hat.”

youneed to learn, and build a rapport with them. Know that aleader is someonewho listens well and whomotivates others toward greatness. Youcan gain theknowledgeneeded so that you can become theperson yousaidyou were. Dear Harriette: Ilike to smoke weed. Ilive in New York City,soitis legal. In fact, there are dispensariesall over the city that sell it. Iamhappy about that, but Idohave an issue. My job forbidsemployees from smoking weed.They say it impairs your faculties, and using it is a deal-breaker for them. They even do random drug testing. Ithinkthat’s notfair.Ifit’s legal in ourcity andsomany placesaroundthe country,how cantheyget away with that? I wanttoﬁght thisarchaic rule, but Ihaven’tworked here long, andIworry that this may not be the sword Iwanttofall on. On the other hand, Idon’twant to stop smoking. Should Icontinue on as Iamand,ifI get tested, start looking for ajob? —Pothead Dear Pothead: Businesses have guidelines. Yoursdraws the line with marijuana. If you can’tfollowtheirrules, you probably do need to go elsewhere.Whatever their reasonsare for not allowing marijuana, they are clear; defying them is foolhardy.What is more important to you: weed or work?Makethat decision, and your next steps will be easy

Send questions to askharriette@harriettecole. com or c/oAndrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO64106.

MUSICIANS

Continued from page1D

“Take the ‘A’Train.” Some Sundays, Matteal jumped on the phone. Suddenly,the house was ﬁlled with cousins and friends bearing sandwiches, soup, Chivas Regal and 45s from theirown record collections. Everyonelaughed, danced, smoked, drank and could not care less that the next day was Monday.The party was called a“wingding.” The only other time Ihad heardthose words werefrom Granny Clampett on “The Beverly Hillbillies.” Matteal never forgot thesacred with her collection of the husky-voiced, singing preacher the Rev. James Cleveland.Kris

Kristofferson’s“Why Me Lord?” and Jimmy Swaggart on the organ on Sunday morning TV could bringher to tears Gospel was playing in her last days of hospice. Shehad dreams of agate that was getting closer and closer

There was no music on that Saturdaymorning inMarch as Isat byher bedside, waiting for the hearse. Buther love of music andwing dings still burns in my heart.

Herman Fuselier is executive director of the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. A longtime journalist covering Louisiana musicand culture, he lives in Opelousas.His “Zydeco Stomp” show airs at noon Saturdays on KRVS 88.7 FM.

Though Saxon is best known for his New Orleansafﬁliation, he wasborn in Baton Rouge in 1891, though some historians dispute thelocation. Still, it’scertain that he grew up in thecapital city, which was where he was buried after his death at age 54 in 1946.

His gravesiteisfound in the city’shistoric Magnolia Cemetery on North 19th St.

Saxon attended LSU from 1907 to 1912, and though his photo appears withhis graduating class in the1912 Gumbo, he didn’tactually graduate.

What kept Saxon from earning those last three credits?

“His mother becameseriously ill,” Wynne said. “His mother was dying, so he dropped out totake care of her.Healso wasn’tarich person and ran intosome ﬁnancial difﬁculties and didn’treturn to school.”

Instead, Saxon went on ajob search.

Wynne cites bothauthor Chance Harvey’s2003 biography,“The Life andSelected Letters of Lyle Saxon,”and Helen Gilkerson’s 1930 dissertation, both of which documented the reason behind Saxon’sLSU departure.

“Also, when he was in school, he wasn’tmajoring in journalism, because there was no such degree at the time,” Wynne said. Didn’t stop hiscareer

The lack of acollege degree didn’tstop Saxon from pursuing a career that eventually earned him themoniker,“Mr.New Orleans.” He eventually went to work for The Times-Picayune, then turned to book writing.

“Lyle Saxon’searly books are so important tothe preservation of Louisiana culture and history, and his later books are still being used today as primary sources,” Wynne said. “He basically was thesavior of Louisiana history among the many great historians, because he didn’tjust writeabout it. He was actively pursuing it He had access to people who would’ve been long forgotten and he was able to take these interviews withthe people of Louisiana —the common folk —and

PITRE

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country healer who uses prayer, herbs andfolkremediestohelp the sick. He plays the accordion, plays tricksand ﬂirts shamelessly, with the panache of aCajun Robin Hood.

Breaux doesn’thave alot in common with his English-speaking neighbors, one of whom is married to Alida Thibodeaux, thewoman he loves.

“Allstories are basedonconﬂictofsome sort or another,” said Pitre, who nowlivesinNew Orleansand continuestowork on ﬁlm and Louisiana cultural projects.

“Everything isn’tblack and white. Youhad the evil American,but his brother-in-law’sheart was basically in the right place. Youhavethe Belizaire character,and his cousin, who should have known better There’sthe local sheriff, whowas played by my father,cutting legal and ethical corners left and right.

“Whether they’re on theside of good or on the side of evil, they’re allrecognizable as people we see people we knowand occasionally ourselves.”

The collision of worlds is a common storyinLouisiana history,whereFrench, Spanishand American authorities have allleft

“You cannot nameanother Louisiana author,who, 80 years after his death, has books still in print everywhere,” Wynne said.

“Sen. Huey Long lefthigh school before earning his high school diplomabut wasawarded an honorary high school diplomain1993 by the Louisiana State Board of Education. So whycan’tSaxon be awarded an honorary bachelor’s degree from LSU?”

Booksstill in print

write their stories in such away to preserve them in history.”

Wynne decided to pursue an answer tohis own question of why LSUhas never awarded Saxon a posthumoushonorary degree.

“I sent information to acouple of presidents of LSU and received aquick emailfrom astaffperson who said only astaffmember at LSUcan nominate Lyle Saxon for an honorary degree,” he said.

“I’ve since been unable to ﬁnd somebodyonLSU’s staffwho is willing to makethe effort to nominatehim.”

LSUoutlined the procedure policy for such nominations in “Guidelines in Awarding Honorary Degrees” in April 1999. The policy was revised in January 2017 but still speciﬁcally states that “Nominations should originatefrom the faculty of acollege or school or acampus wide committee and be forwarded, with appropriate administrative endorsement, through normal academic channels to the President.The President will submit thenomination to the Executive Vice President and Provost, the University Committee on Awarding of Honorary Degrees and the membersofthe Board of Supervisors for review.Recommended candidates will then be submitted to thefull Board.”

The policy also speciﬁes that nominations“should be based on theindividual’scontribution to his/her ﬁeldofendeavor or to so-

their mark through the centuries.

The Cajun story has been forged through upheaval, from the Canadianexpulsion to settlement in anew land. Thecharacter of Belizaire makes alot of sense in this context, where you can’talways control the things happening around you,but you can control your response. “He survives by his wits and being just one step—occasionally half astep,orevenjust aquarter —ahead of others,” Pitre saidof Belizaire. “It’sanarchetype that wasinhalf the stories Igrew up with that has nothing to do withthe events of the ﬁlm.” Pitrenoted that the events in the

Saxon’sbooks include his bestseller “Gumbo Ya-Ya: ACollection of Louisiana Folk Tales.” That book is still in circulation through Pelican Publishing, as are his books “Fabulous New Orleans,” “Old Louisiana,” “Lafitte the Pirate” and his novel “Children of Strangers.” His “Lafitte” book wasadapted into Cecil B. DeMille’s1938 film “The Buccaneer.” Actor-director Anthony Quinn’sremake of the adaptation was released in 1958 with stars YulBrenner and Charleton Heston in the leading roles. Meanwhile, Saxon’s“Children of Strangers” tells the story of the post-Civil Warplight of Louisiana’sfree people of color along the Cane River in Natchitoches Parish, where he spent timewriting at Melrose Plantation. Owner CammieHenry opened up the plantation grounds as acolony forwriters and artists. Saxon wasprobably her mostfrequent guest, and New Orleans painter Alberta Kinsey often rode along to create her own workthere. It wasKinsey whogave the plantation cook, Clementine Hunter,some leftover tubes of paint, which jumpstarted Hunter’sart career In the end, Wynne has answered his own question. “I keep thinking about how Lyle Saxon was so close to that degree,” he said. “I shall persevere and attempt to attain this honorary degree forhim.”

Do you have aquestion about something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phonenumber andthe city where you live.

ﬁlm were loosely based on areal person wholived in Vermilion Parishand was arrested forthe murder of avigilante. “He was ahealer.Hewas an accordion player.Hewas arrested andlater released,and then he moved in withawidow, so that was the kernel of the story,” he said.

Today,“Belizaire the Cajun” is difficulttofind on streaming services. DVDs are available forpurchase on Amazon, and clips from thefilm can be found on video sharing sites. The film sometimes airs through local cable listings such as Louisiana Public Broadcasting, and Pitre periodically attends local screenings and question and answer sessions. The root of thestory, though, includes experiences that many Louisianans relate to.

Pitre says the biggest complimenthehas received was from another director whonoted that Pitre’sfilmsdon’tinclude characters who are idle. Instead, they reﬂect real life,withpeople havingconversations, washing dishes, feeding chickens or ﬁxing acar

“So manypeopleconsider it a part of theirstory,” he said. “To create aworld, to have audience members believe thatworld, you want to show how people lived.”

Email Joanna Brownatjoanna. brown@theadvocate.com.

Harriette Cole SENSE AND SENSITIVITy

PROVIDED PHOTO

Herman Fusilier gives credit to his mother,Matteal,and father,Herman, forhis interest in music.

PROVIDED PHOTO Glen Pitre directs ‘Belizaire the Cajun.

PROVIDED PHOTO

The original coverfor Louisiana author’s1945 best-seller ‘Gumbo ya-ya.’The book is still in print

AT THE TABLE

Puff pastry shells meant to cradle crawﬁsh

Tasty treats are perfect start to an Easter meal

BY DEBRA TAGHEHCHIAN

Contributing writer

With all the hype today about crawfish, it might be hard to believe that it was once considered a poor man’s food. And lobster was classified the same until the late 19th century Over time, the deliciousness of these two crustaceans was discovered and popularity soared. Wind the clock back 80 years, and my dad, Maxie, was just a kid on a dairy farm in southwest Louisiana. Two coulees ran the length of the 100-acre farm; it was a farm boy’s paradise. My father reminisced about those days “I would take a galvanized bucket and a long stick and wander my way through the coulees. I would spend hours just walking along the banks. When I got home, my momma would boil the crawfish I caught,” he said. “I didn’t catch that much, but it was so fun.” He would walk along the banks of the slow-moving streams that would fill up when there was significant rain. Crawfish love to burrow into the soft mud after the water drains, leaving only a small stream. They make a house for themselves in that mud, hence the name mudbugs. In those days, he wore navy blue denim overalls, pant legs rolled up and no shoes or boots, just barefoot. I have trouble seeing kids today taking on that sort of adventure. He spent hours trying his best to catch crawfish Fast forward to today, and consider the crawfishing industry in Louisiana. I read last week that the state of

Louisiana harvests about 130 to 150 million pounds annually, and the industry generates about $300 million for the state’s economy

This year has brought a shortage of manual laborers to peel and process the crawfish due to visa issues with foreign labor So far, I have not seen an impact on crawfish prices or availability. The Lenten season’s Friday night crawfish consumption is still strong.

I want to make something special for our Easter lunch this year that everyone would enjoy Crawﬁsh étouffée is much loved, but I don’t want it to be the main course. I think we’ll have it as our ﬁrst course and make it a little extra by serving it in puff pastry shells. The French call these light, hollow puff pastry cases vol-au-vent.

A few notes about this recipe:

n The étouffée is slightly thicker than most étouffées sold in restaurants, where the dishes are heavy on the gravy or sauce.

n Because the crawﬁsh will be served in the pastry shell, the mixture needs to be more dense — chunky with some sauce.

n The shells can be prepared in advance and kept in an airtight container You may even be able to ﬁnd them already prepared at a local bakery

n I advise that you slightly warm the shells in a 350 degree oven for about 5-10 minutes before serving You don’t want them to brown further, but, because of the high butter content in the shells, it will help to crisp the pastry and enhance the ﬂavor

Crawfish Vol-au-Vent

Serves 6; Recipe is by Debra Broussard Taghehchian

For the pastry shells:

1 sheet of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry or 6 prepared 6-inch puff pastry shells

1. Follow the directions on the packaging for thawing the pastry sheets.

2. Using a large, scalloped cookie cutter cut out 6 pastries or cut into other desired shapes.

3. Using a smaller-sized cookie cutter, slightly cut into the center of the pastry This will allow you to cut away the center after baking to ﬁll it.

4. Preheat oven to 400 F.

5. Place pastries on the cookie sheet and place in the freezer for 10 minutes

6. Remove from freezer and place in preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until pastries are puffed and golden brown.

7. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

8. Using a shape-pointed knife, gently cut away the center of the pastry, being careful not to cut the bottom of the shell.

For the crawfish étouffée filling:

4 tablespoons butter 1 medium onion, chopped, medium dice

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped, medium dice

1 stalk of celery, chopped,

cent but not browned. 4. Add minced garlic and sauté for 3 minutes

Add chopped tomato and cook for 5 minutes 6. Add tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes

7. Sprinkle ﬂour over mixture, stir and cook for 5 minutes.

heat.

2. Add chopped onions, bell peppers and celery 3. Saute vegetables until translu-

8. Add mushrooms, crawﬁsh, crawﬁsh fat, 1/4 cup water salt, red cayenne pepper and granulated garlic.

9. Stir until well combined and add more water if necessary to reach the right consistency Cook until mixture comes to a slow boil, and then remove from heat.

10. Add chopped green onions and gently stir Taste for seasoning — étouffée should be slightly spicy

11. To serve, spoon 1/2 cup étouffée onto individual serving plates. Place a puff pastry shell on the étouffée. Spoon étouffée into the center of the puff pastry shell.

‘The Bride!’ a wild act of creation and destruction

BY LINDSEY BAHR

film writer

Maggie Gyllenhaal had earned a little currency as a filmmaker and wanted to make something big. Something epic Something honest. Something that wouldn’t just hit a vein, as she’d done with her first film, an adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s “The Lost Daughter,” but burst it wide-open. She wanted there to be blood all over the room — both proverbially speaking and, in the case of her new film “The Bride!” literally too.

What started as a curiosity about an image of Elsa Lanchester’s “Bride of Frankenstein” she saw on a tattoo, evolved, through her wild imagination, into one of the year’s most audacious, electric ﬁlms.

Like her studio brethren “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another,” “The Bride!” is a kind of genre-defying spectacle that’s bursting with personality and full of things that the ﬁlmmaker loves. It’s got romance, action, dancing, matinee idols, professional women, big ideas, thorny themes and Jessie Buckley, a kindred spirit who, like Gyllenhaal, is fascinated by the idea of meeting your monster

“Both Jessie and I we’re interested in the edges of what we know about ourselves, and the edges of what we know about ourselves in relation to the world and really getting into a place where we can learn something,” Gyllenhaal said.

Gyllenhaal’s big swing

After working half her life as an actor in Hollywood and on the stage Gyllenhaal has found her calling as a ﬁlmmaker In front of the camera, her ideas, her intelligence, her creativity were only occasionally valued or even heard. Behind the lens, it was a different story Her first film was a small one, made for around $5 million but it made a splash with

three Oscar nominations, for her actors, Buckley and Olivia Colman, and her adapted screenplay “The Bride!” shot her to another level.

“I was curious to know what would happen if I was very honest, as honest as I could manage to be, in a different format, in a much bigger format, in a pop, hot, roller coaster ride of a format?” Gyllenhaal said

“The Bride!” is an ambitious studio production with major stars, including Christian Bale, Annette Bening, Penélope Cruz, her brother Jake Gyllenhaal and her husband Peter Sarsgaard, a production budget north of $80 million and had a wide theatrical release with IMAX screens and all. As a ﬁlmmaker, it was Gyllenhaal’s ﬁrst time with test screenings and meaningful studio feedback. It was a learning experience that even led to some changes, and she knew behind it all was a champion in Warner Bros. co-chair and co-CEO Pamela Abdy.

“If you’re getting the same note from a group of people, even if you feel defensive

initially, or it’s hard to hear, it’s probably something you should consider,” she said. “It was very helpful to me all the way along in all sorts of places to hear the things that were working for people or not.”

Transformation

At the center of “The Bride!” is Buckley. While the anguished mother of “Hamnet” is quite a different role than the Bride, it’s also just further proof that she is one of the most arresting and original actors

working today

But when she first read this script, she had no idea what to do with the character

In the movie, her task is three-fold: She’s an omniscient Mary Shelley, a 1930s woman entrenched in a world of gangsters, and a reanimated corpse brought back to life against her will for the sole purpose of being a companion to Frankenstein’s very lonely, very romantic monster, Frank (Bale). She’s also a live-wire full of questions and ideas.

In the 1935 movie, the Bride of Frankenstein is on screen for less than 3 minutes and doesn’t even speak.

In Gyllenhaal and Buckley’s hands, she becomes an accidental revolutionary, a feral, punk vigilante who speaks the truth and runs wild and free with Frank by her side. Buckley gave herself a year to ﬁgure it out — a wild act of creation and destruction in its own right. But that’s how she and Gyllenhaal like to work.

“I want to go down to the bottom of the ocean of myself and touch the edges

that maybe haven’t been touched for a long time or maybe never have been touched and find a way to bring that back up to the topside world,” Buckley said.

“To bring the unconscious back into the consciousness, and kind of like stir the collective, ripple it a little bit, you know? What if I put this thing that I’m scared of into the world and the topside world?”

Made for theaters, IMAX

The film arrived in theaters at a time of profound transition in the industry, as Warner Bros., one of the last big studios operating that actually supports original ideas and bold ﬁlmmaking, stares down new ownership under Paramount.

At the ﬁlm’s London premiere, Bale said it feels like, “we’re sort of in the death throes of theatrical release movies.”

Being part of go-for-broke movies like “The Bride!” is “more than having fun,” he said. “It’s like just exhausting yourself in the most joyful way possible because you feel like this might be the end.”

And Gyllenhaal made it to be seen on a big screen, with a big crowd. For her, it’s what makes ﬁlm such a unique and potent art form.

“Ideally, to see a ﬁlm like ours, which does dare you to think differently, does dare to let some of the monster inside of you up to the surface, does sort of say, hey, have you ever felt love that looks like this instead of what they tell you it’s supposed to look like? To do that in a room with other people? That really turns me on,” Gyllenhaal said. “That makes me feel like we’re doing something radical and exciting that could have an effect on people’s hearts and minds.”

PHOTO By DEBRA TAGHEHCHIAN

Crawfish Vol-au-Vent

PROVIDED PHOTOS By WARNER BROS ENTERTAINMENT

Christian Bale, left, and Jessie Buckley are just a handful of the big names that star in ‘The Bride!’

Maggie Gyllenhaal stars in ‘The Bride!’

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday,March 22,the 81st dayof2026. There are 284 days left in theyear

Todayinhistory: On March 22, 1963, TheBeatles’ debutalbum, “Please Please Me,” was released in the United Kingdom on the Parlophone record label.

Also on this date:

In 1765, the BritishParliament passedthe Stamp Act to raise money from the American colonies, which ﬁercely resistedthe tax. (The Stamp Act was repealed ayear later.)

In 1894, ice hockey’sﬁrst Stanley Cup championship game was played, in which the Montreal Hockey Club defeated the Ottawa Hockey Club,3-1 In 1933, during the Prohibition Era,President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Cullen-Harrison Act, which allowedthe sale of beer and winewith an alcohol content of 3.2%. (Prohibitionwould be fully repealednine months later with theratiﬁcation of the 21st Amendment.)

In 1941, the Grand Coulee hydroelectric dam in Washington state ofﬁcially wentintooperation; it remainsthe largest capacityhydropowerstationin the United States.

In 1945, the Arab Leaguewas formedwith the adoption of acharterinCairo, Egypt

In 1972, in the Eisenstadt v. Baird decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that unmarriedpeople had the same right to possess anduse contraception as did married people.

In 1978, Karl Wallenda, the73-year-old patriarch of “The Flying Wallendas” high-wire act, fell to his deathwhile attempting to walk acable strungbetweentwo hotel towers in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In 1993, Intel Corp. unveiled the originalPentium computer chip.

In 2019, former President Jimmy Carter became the longest-living chief executive in American history; at 94 years and 172 days, he exceeded the lifespanofthe late former President George H.W. Bush. (Carter would die at age100 in December 2024.)

In 2021, 10 people werekilled in amassshooting at aKing Soopers supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. (The shooter,Ahmad Alissa, wassentenced to lifeinprison without parole in September2024.)

In 2024, men ﬁring automatic weapons attacked acrowd gathered for aconcert at theCrocusCity Hall auditorium in aMoscow suburb, leaving at least 137 people dead andmore than 180 wounded. An afﬁliate of the Islamic Stategroup claimed responsibility for what was thedeadliest terrorattack on Russian soilinyears.

Today’sBirthdays: Artist YayoiKusama is 97. Actor William Shatner is 95. Former U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins is 85. Musician GeorgeBensonis83. Writer James Patterson is 79. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is 78. Actor Lena Olinis71. Singeractor Stephanie Mills is 69. Actor Matthew Modine is 67. Football Hall of Famer Jim Covert is 66. Actor-comedian Keegan-Michael Key is 55. Democratic Sen.AlexPadilla of California is 53. ActorReese Witherspoon is 50. Actor ConstanceWuis44. Actor Noah LaLonde is 28. Dancer VitoriaBueno is 21.

Whyyou don’tposteverythingonline

Dear Miss Manners: I’m hosting aparty with my best friend. We used asocial networking siteasour form of invitations; it’sa really informal event. My best friend’sexgirlfriend saw it and has invited herself to theparty.She said, “I saw that you forgot to add me so Iadded myself.”

Idon’twant her at the party

There is alot of bad history with her,simply because she creates drama. In the past, she has cried, fainted and even told others that she is contemplating suicide just to get attention.

ful lot of thinking and fretting on his behalf.

Ever since my best friend ended thingswith her,she has been showing up at eventsthat she wasn’tinvited to, throwing herself at him (andother men)insad attempts to win him back.

If she shows up at the party,she will create such tension that it will be ruined. How do Ipolitely tell her that she is not welcome, and what do Idoifshe shows up anyway?

GentleReader: What does your best friend have to say about all this?Itis not that Miss Manners mistrusts your intentions, but you are doing an aw-

The problem with posting events on social media is that other people see them —and either assume that they are invited, feel bad that they were not,orinvitethemselves. Although it is still impolite forthe ex-girlfriend to have done the latter,aless public invitation would have eliminated the situation in the ﬁrst place. Buthere we are. If you can politely tell her that you think the party might be awkward forher —orbetter yet,have your best friend do it —that would be aﬁrst step.Ifshe showsup anyway,you (or he) can reiterate. But if all that fails, and theparty is in fact ruined, at least you willhave learned that there are risks to making invitationsvisible to all.

Also, whether or not you deem it overly dramatic, if this womanisroutinely crying, fainting andthreatening her own life, someone should check on her Dear Miss Manners Every year forour birthdays, my husband andI receive a

giftfrom abusiness associate. Previously,itwas asmallpackage of gourmet cookies. This past year,weeach received very gooey caramels, which we cannot eat. We are in our 80s and have all our teeth —along with pricey dental work.

How can we let them know their thoughts are appreciated, but we can’t eat the giftwithout hurting their feelings?

Gentle Reader: By saying “Thank you” and then quietly passing the candy along to people with less pricey teeth.

Dear Miss Manners: My daughter pushes food onto her fork with her index ﬁnger.Isitpolite to use your knifefor this purpose? Peas, forinstance, are hard to eat with just afork or spoon.

Gentle Reader: How old is your daughter? If she is under 5, Miss Manners will allow her to use aspoon on anonprecedential basis. But any older than that, and she will have to learn to chase them around with afork like everybody else.

Send questions to Miss Manners to heremail, dearmissmanners@gmail. com.

Thejoy of owning acat as an elderlyperson

Dear Heloise: This is in responseto Keith, the retired pastor who would love to have adog to cuddle with but is unable to walk thedog and lives in an apartment. An adult middle-aged cat would be perfect! Most catslove to cuddle and don’tneed to be walked. We are 86 and have always had acat or two. They have given us much joy!Thank you for awonderful and informative column! —MaryC., in Racine, Wisconsin Mary,unless aperson has an allergy to cats, they can make wonderful pets. You’ll ﬁnd this is especially true for older cats that have mellowed andenjoy comfort rather than roaming the neighborhood. I’ve loved and enjoyed every cat I’ve ever had. It seems like a few readers below agreed with you as well. —Heloise Life is aboutopportunity

Dear Heloise: Iamshocked that no one

suggested acat for theold pastor They’re easy to keep, require very little food or exercise, often sleep in your lap or bed, and show someaffection. A stuffed animal or abig pillow?Please! Not for an old man. Get him acat. Life is not about fairness; lifeisabout opportunity. —Tom P.,via email

Thejoy of loving acat

Dear Heloise: Inever thought that I’d be moved to write to you, but Iamjust amazed that you told the pastor to get astuffed teddy bear because he wants but cannot manage adog. The answer is beyond obvious:Heshould get acat. Isuggest amature kitty,about 5years old or so. He will be rewarded with love and cuddling. When it comes to care, the kitty should only be indoors andhave alitter box withscoopable litter.Hemay even want to consider adopting apair of older cats who were together already and get along. It is awonderful feeling to see two kitties playing and cuddling up.

When it comes to nighttimesnuggling, my Albert climbs on top of me when Igotobed and will dismount when Igotothe bathroom.Hethen goes to use his box, and we both return to our prior positions. Icannot express the joy and love that my cats have given me during my life. Nowthat Iam retired and stay homemore, it is even better To the pastor,gotoashelter or a private cat rescue group and see who bonds with you. —Jasimi, aHeloise fan

Centeringbedsheets

Dear Heloise: Ijust read the letter saying how hard it is to center the top sheet on abed. When Itake my sheets out of the dryer,I fold the top sheet in half lengthwise, then Icontinue folding it. When I’mready to put it on the bed, Iopen it, and there is afold markright down the middle of the sheet. Just use this to center the sheet, and you’re good to go. —Lynne D.,via email Send ahinttoheloise@heloise.com.

U.S. postagestampstohonor lowrider carculture

Five specialcarswill be featured

BY SUSAN MONTOYABRYAN Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. From Mexican American and Chicano barriosinthe American Southwest to the halls of the Smithsonian on the National Mall and even thestreets of Japan, lowriderculture has become part of mainstreamcar culture around the globe.

The U.S. Postal Service is joining the club with anew series of stamps dedicated to thelow and slow rolling works of art. The stamps —complete with pinstriping —were unveiled Fridayduring acelebration in San Diego.

For the lowridercommunity,it’s validation of the vibrantartistic expressionthat blossomed in the 1940s in the working-class communities of Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas as everydaycarsweretransformed into one-of-a-kindmasterpieces.

Lowriders are known for their dazzling paint schemes, glistening chrome,luxurious interiors and gravity-defying hydraulic systems. They’re symbols of creativity,craftsmanship, pride and identity

Making history

Antonio Alcalá grew up in San Diego admiring the cars from afar,soitwas an honor forhim to design thestamps. The challenge was ﬁnding the right mix of cars and colors to representthe lowriderworld.

He pored over tons of photographs before whittling it down to ﬁve: a1946 Chevy Fleetline, three classic Chevy Impalas anda1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Each brings its own ﬂare, from curvaceous body lines and low stances to ahint of the mechanics that make the cars hop.

“It’sareal thrill,” saidAlcalá, the postal service’s art director “The postage stamps are supposed to represent the best of America. They’re kind of away that the United States signals to the rest of the world theseare things that we find important

about our people, ouraccomplishments, our culture, etc. So to have it commemorated on astamp is a big deal.” Alcalá watched avideo of Danny Alvarado pinstriping acar,and his heartstopped as the brush effortlesslyglidedover the metal ﬂake

paint leaving behind intricate swirls. He knew that would be the ﬁnal touch forthe corner of each stamp. Alvarado, an illustrator and sculptor,has spent about50years perfecting his craftand is now teachingothers how to spin the

brush just right. For him,the stamp project has special meaning —his father worked as amail carrier for more than 20 years and it marks another corner turned as lowriderculture gains new fans andmore respect.

Cruising ahead

In the1980s, somecities imposed anti-cruising lawsand height restrictions, often seen as targeting Chicano youth and associating lowriders withgangs despitethe community’semphasis on artistry and family

Butwith the Hispanic U.S. population increasing and lowriding becoming morepopular,restrictions have been rolled back in recent years. Californiarepealedcruising bans in 2024, andjust last year New Mexico lawmakerscelebratedLowrider Day at the state capitol, even though aproposal to enshrine the lowriderasNew Mexico’sstate vehicle didn’tgain enough traction.

Founder andpresident of the San Francisco Lowrider Council,

Roberto Hernández began cruising in the late ’70s whencruising was banned in California. With the stamp unveiling, Hernández feels “like we got the ﬁnal stamp of approval as lowriders.”

Alvarado agrees,adding that widespread recognitionofthe positive aspects of lowriding has been along time coming.

“It’sabig hit. Imean the lowriding community is so excited about these stamps,” Alvarado said from hishome in Monrovia, California

“Everybody I’ve talked to already knows about them,sothey just can’twait till they come out.”

Meltingpot

Alvarado mentioned car clubs in Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Chicago, Dallas,New York andthe ones that are popping up overseas —from London to Hungary,New Zealand, Australia and Japan.

Humberto “Beto” Mendoza, whose photographs were usedas the basis of three of the stamps, ticked offhis own list, describing lowriderculture as both afamily affair and abig melting pot.

He has traveled far and wide photographing many of the iconic masterpieces thathavegraced magazine covers. Thatincludes “ElRey,” ared 1963 Chevrolet Impala thatisfeaturedonone of the stamps and is on display at the National Museum of American History Mendoza was afan of lowriderslongbeforehebuilt acareer photographing themfor aliving. When he was aboy,his father,a Mexican immigrant, taughthim howtoframe images with apointand-shoot and then eventually bought himhis ﬁrst real camera From there, Mendoza hustled, carrying with hima photo album of his work as he persuaded more lowriders to document their fancy rides.

The stamp projectwas unexpected, Mendoza said, noting that it couldn’thave come at abetter time. He had just suffered astroke in 2022 and was in adark place. The project was aray of light for him andfor the wider lowrider community “We’reusually outcasted,you know, so them acknowledging us in this community is historic,” he said. “Wefeel accepted now.”

Hints from Heloise

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOSByDAMIAN DOVARGANES

Freehand pinstriping artist DannyAlvarado, left, withhis assistant Clarence Spears, looks at sketches used for the newUnited States Postal Service lowrider stamps at his workshop in Monrovia,Calif

of bidsthereafter shallbe allowed only pursuant to LAR.S.38§2214.C. Other‐wise, no bidder may withdrawhis bidfor at least forty-ﬁve (45) days after thetimescheduled for thebid openingof bids. Each bidshall

town customerschecked in to buy old doors, shutters andother items from TheBank Architectural Antiques, the Wilkersonfamily’s 54-year-old architectural salvage business based in New Orleans’ Central City

After atypically slow summer turned into an atypically slow fall and winter,the local salvageindustry veteranwas more than ready to hear from clientslooking to acquire

streets.

Wilkerson and other architectural salvage prosinsouth Louisiana say demand for their products has been downthe past several years because of high interest rates,spiking insurance costs, astatewide ﬁlm industry slump, ashortage of tradespeople skilled at workingwithold materials, anda nationwideshift toward contemporary styles andopen ﬂoor plans.

some of the 10,000 cypressdoors and other treasures he has stockpiled in ablock-longwarehouse stretching between St.Andrew and Felicity

Several multigenerational family businesseslike The Bank —along with afew newcomers— have been leaning into otherproductsand services as they wait outthe downturn andmakeplans forwhattheyhope will be ahomebuilding andrenovation comeback thatwill boost their cornerofthe nearly $60 billion global reclaimed lumber marketplace. TheBank, forits part, has been

ä See RECLAIMED, page 2E

Proposed lawseeks to draw supportfor Violet terminal

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

area, which includes twoschools, about 2,000 homes and ahandfulof businessesalong East Judge Perez Driveand East St.Bernard Highway The funds are aimedatad-

dressing community needs resulting from construction on the Louisiana International Terminal,amultiyear,multibillion-dollar project that state maritime ofﬁcials have said is critical if Louisiana is to remain competitiveasa global trading center

“As Violet is thefrontline communityhosting the LIT for the beneﬁt of the entire state,itiscritical that they beneﬁt from the jobs and developmentthat theproject will provide,” said GNO Inc. President

and CEO Michael Hecht, who was tapped by Landry last year to shepherd the project and a related toll road through the process. “The tax dollars that would go to themasa result of this bill is critical for meeting that goal,” he said.

St. Bernard Parish officials opposedtothe terminal project, including the Parish Council and parishSchool Board, have come outagainst the bill. State Rep. Mike Bayham, aRepublican who represents the area,

ä See TERMINAL, page 2E

STAFFPHOTO

Aguide to survivingtax season when youowe

Michelle Singletary

THE COLOR OF MONEy

You’ve probably seenthe latenight ads promising to reduce tax debt. Even though amajority of Americans can look forward to getting atax refund each year,about a third of the country will owe money to Uncle Sam. If you or people you know are among them, the worst move you make is to do nothing. The second-worstthing would be to follow the advice of those ads.

As of Feb. 27, the average refund was $3,742, an increase of 10.6% compared with the same period last year,partly due to taxchanges under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. According to the NationalTaxpayer Advocate’smost recent annual report, about 63%of individual taxpayers received arefund last year.Yet, knowing that two-thirds of the country is getting awindfall doesn’tmake it easier when you’re the one who has to write acheck. Many people believethat if they can’tpay,they shouldn’tﬁle. However,the IRS code punishes silence far more harshly than it penalizes alack of cash. In 2024,the agency

TERMINAL

Continued from page1E

also is against it. Community organizerMichaelBailey,whose Violet Action Committee favors the bill, say anti-terminal forces run so deep in some parts of the parish, anything that could help the project along faces stiff opposition.

Parish Council Chair Fred Everhardt Jr.said the billis amoney and power grab

“They are usinglegislators from St. Tammany to determine the fate of our parish because our people andour legislators don’t want it,” Everhardt said.

“Weare at war.”

Glorioso said he is not being used and that he wanted to sponsor the bill because he grew up around Violet and “understands that it is going to putaburden on that community,soweare trying to do whatever we can to lighten that burden.”

Slowprogress

It’sbeen more than five years since Port NOLA ﬁrst announced the terminal project, which the portsays is the only way New Orleans can continue to compete for international container ship business. As vessels have grown ever larger in recent decades, the local port has lostmarket share to Houston; Mobile, Alabama; and Savannah, Georgia.

Backers say the facility also is needed to attract new manufacturing and distribution investment to the region.

Opponents in St. Bernard, however,argue the project willdisrupttheir wayof life anddamage the local environment. Theyhave filed lawsuits challenging the project and threatened more litigation.

Still, Port NOLA ofﬁcials and their privatesectors partners, who signed on to the project in late 2022, are continuing to move forward. For months, they have been awaiting permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Should those permits comethroughthis spring, as hoped, they could begin construction later this year

‘MakeVioletwhole’

In the meantime, supporters of the project are working on HB465, which would create theVioletEconomic Development District within anarrowly deﬁned area around the proposed terminal site.

It would also establish anine-member board to oversee the incremental tax dollars generated within the district and decide how to spend them.

Language in the billsays the money wouldbeused to support “long-term place based investments in infrastructure, housing, workforce development and community priorities within Violet …and align state, parish and commu-

assessed nearly $18 billioninadditional taxes on returns ﬁledlate. Whether you’re curious about thelegitimacy of thosetax relief commercials that become ubiquitous this time of year or you’re the onefacinga tax bill, here’s what people should doiftheyowe the IRS. Skip the debt relief middleman: Most of those late-night TV andradio ads offer “expert” tax relief that you couldactually handleyourself forfree. Worse yet, many of these commercials are fronting for predatory companies that will charge thousands of dollarsthatcould go toward paying your tax debt. Even when these companies are legitimate and not ascam, thehelp they provide is typically available by calling the IRS or visiting irs.

gov

For example, the debt settlement companywill sendyou paperwork to set up apayment planwith the IRS. But it’slikely information downloaded from the IRS website.

File on time even if you’re broke: Ican’t stress this enough. Even if you can’t sendany money,submit your return by the April 15 deadline. If youneed moretime to gather your paperwork,requestanextension.

Just remember: An extension to ﬁleisn’t an extension to pay

The failure-to-ﬁle penalty can

nity interests.”

There’snoﬁscal note attachedtothe bill yet, so it is unclear what theestimated cost or beneﬁt of the measure wouldbe. It’salsounclearhow much additional spending activity wouldbe generated by theproject in theimmediateVioletarea, which has few retail businesses.

However, anew economic impact study on the project released by GNO Inc. estimatesthatconstruction on the terminal would generate $5.4 million in sales tax revenue for St. Bernard Parish morebroadly and that, once operational, the facility would bring nearly $15million inannual sales taxrevenues to theparish —a64% increase over current levels.

Hecht said thebulk ofthe salestax revenue would come from equipment purchases, even if purchased elsewhere, for port operations suchastrucks,cranes and fuels— as long as the goods are shipped toViolet. The project is also expected to generate additional spending by the nearly 2,750 workers that wouldbe hired by theterminal once it’sfully operational.

Community groups supporting the measure say any additional dollars will help their immediate area.

“Weare trying to secure funds to provide resources to try to help make Violet whole,” said Bailey.“We should not be excluded from the economic development. Historically,wehave been.”

Everhardt is skeptical and has taken issue with the proposedmakeup of the district governing board The governorand three local legislators, who all support theproject, would each getone board appointment.

Parish PresidentLouis Pommes, who has come out against theproject,would have one appointment.The Violet Action Committee wouldget threeand GNO Inc. wouldhave one.

“The board makeupis crazy,”Everhartsaid. “We only have one seat at the table. How can they do that? We don’thaveoversight over ourown parish.” Bailey countered that Violet residents have not been fairlyrepresented by parish officials, who are opposed to the terminal, and who he arguedhaven’t looked for ways to make the project work fortheir area.

“Wehad toform the Violet ActionCommittee because none of thepowers that be in St.BernardParish care about our needs or opinions,” he said. “If this port is comingtoSt. Bernard Parish,wewant to take part in the economic development opportunities.

The bill hasbeen referred to theHouse Committee on Municipal, Parochial and CulturalAffairs

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@ theadvocate.com.

really sting. If you owe money and fail to ﬁle, the“failure-to-ﬁle” penalty is 10 times higher than the “failure-to-pay” penalty.

If you ﬁle your return on time but don’tpay,the penaltyis0.5% of the unpaid taxes for each month or partofamonth the taxes remain unpaid. The IRS limitsthis penaltyto25% of your unpaid taxes.

If you file late without obtaining an extension, the failure-to-file penalty is typically 5% for each monthorpart of amonththat a return is late, up to 25% Twoyearsago, my sonlearned this the hard way.Hethought he had filed using online software, but atechnical glitch prevented the IRSfromreceiving it. By the timeherealized the error, the “failure-to-file”penalty had grown to threetimes his original bill. Due to the late filing, latepayment,and interest, he ended up paying nearly $500, morethan theactual taxheowed.

Paywhat you can: Your taxdebt isn’t an all-or-nothing situation.Ifyou owe $5,000 but only have $500, send the$500. Every dollar you pay now reduces the interest and penalties that accumulate. Set up an installment agreement: If your totalowed in income tax,

RECLAIMED

Continuedfrom page1E

focusing on services like rebuilding shutters and stripping paint from items customers bring in while continuing to build up inventory that Wilkersonconsiders abet on the future of his business.

“All of this is going to pay off,” he said. “The market is going to hit us again like it was 2018 through 2020, and we’re going to be ﬂowing.”

Challenges to salvage

Though thepractice dates back centuries, architectural salvageinthe United States emerged as adefinedbusiness category in the 1970s in response tothe nation’snew focusonpreservation andsustainability. Thetrend tookoff further over thefollowing decades, fueled in some cities —like New Orleans —byurban decay thatled many older homes to deteriorate and face demolition.

Businesseslike The Bank —and its chief competitor,Ricca’sArchitectural Sales —began acquiring valuable doors, ﬂoors, molding, ﬁxtures andother elements from homes before they were demolished. Then cameHurricane Katrina, whichdestroyed or ledto thedemolition of thousands of houses in themetro area.

For awhile,thatdestructionand the rebuilding process that followed meanta seemingly endless supply and demand for salvaged items. Now, though, that post-Katrina eraisover —and salvage supply and demand are bothlower this decade than they were during thelast one, according to longtime operatorsinthe ﬁeld.

Julie Hoy, third-generation co-owner of Ricca’s, said thepost-pandemicrise in home loan interest rates, combinedwith the stormrelated spike in flood and homeowners’ insurance costsinthe Gulf Southmean fewerpeopleare buying and renovating houses,which means there’s less demand for salvaged architectural elements.

“People don’twanttoinvest where they’re not sure if the market will be stable,” said Hoy,whose Mid-City showroom is ﬁlled with antique and vintage lighting, hardwareand other ﬁnds.

Kavanaugh Farr,owner of Strip-Ease, located afew blocksaway,has seen the samething.

“I talk to alot of contractors, and there aren’tthat many jobs starting or houses changing hands,”said the second-generation owner of afamilybusinessthatprovides paintstripping,millwork andsales of salvaged goods.

Hoy alsobelieves stricter short-term rental regulations in New Orleans are discouraging investors from buying and renovating properties, and she said the

penalties and interest is $50,000 or less, you can apply for along-term payment plan. Paying over time is much better than the collection tools the IRS has, such as seizing bank accounts, garnishing wages or placing alien on your property

If you’re struggling, you might qualify for an “Offer in Compromise.” This program is intended to help people who are so ﬁnancially strappedthat it’sunlikely the agency could collect all that the government is owed. However the acceptancerate is low because youmust prove that paying the full amount would cause an unfair ﬁnancial hardship, but it’saroute worth considering before losing hope.

In ﬁscal year 2024, the IRS accepted 7,199settlement offers out of morethan33,591 applications. That is asuccess rate of 21%, afar cryfromwhat the commercials suggest When you hear those tax relief commercials promising to settle taxdebt for less than you owe, theyare usually talking about an Offer in Compromise. But don’t be fooled. The IRS has ﬂagged these “OICmills” as one of this year’stop tax scams that “often overpromise results and charge high fees to taxpayers who don’t qualify,” according to the agency

Use the “Offer in Compromise Pre-Qualiﬁer” tool on the IRS website before paying atax relief company to do it for you. Avoid using your credit cardtopay the debt: If you owe the IRS and cannot pay by the April deadline, you will be hit with acombination of interest and penalties. So, it’stempting to use your credit card and deal with it later.But if the interest rate on your card is high, you’re just shifting the problem to ahighercost solution. For April 1through June of this year,the interest rate on unpaid individual taxes is 6%. The average credit card interest rate is just below 20%, according to Bankrate. Request “currently not collectible” status: If paying even asmall amount would prevent youfrom covering basic living expenses (rent, food, utilities), call the IRS and ask to be placed in “Currently NotCollectible” status. They will pause collection efforts, though interest and penalties will continue to grow If you owe this year,don’tpanic or hide. Be your own savior: ﬁle the return, pay whatyou can and contact the IRS to make aplan for the rest.

EmailMichelle Singletary at michelle.singletary@washpost. com.

slowdown of the Louisiana ﬁlm industry has been bad for business.

“Set decorators used to buy light ﬁxtures and other things from us,” she said. “During thepandemic, the TV series‘Interviewwith the Vampire’provided up to 20% of our income one year,but it’snot like that anymore.”

Willie White, who has been deconstructing homes in the New Orleans area for four decades, said business has slowed down because homeownersare renovating more ratherthanstarting from scratch. That means there are fewer houses to work on, and what’sinthem is in worse condition.

“I used to have one lined up right behind another,” Whitesaid. “Now,it’smaybe one every six weeks.”

Elsewhereinthe state, salvage operators are experiencing similar things. Don Charlet,co-ownerofThe Corbel home decor and furniture gallery in St.Francisville, saidhe’sseendemand for salvaged itemsdip as the number of high-end residential projectsisdown.

Matthew Latiolais, owner of Cajun Salvage in Lafayette, said he still sees demandfor salvageditems in certain cases, but the material is getting harder to ﬁnd.

In Baton Rouge, Garrett Kemp, who has owned Circa 1857 forthe last decade, said he’smoved away from selling salvaged goods to focus instead on imported European antiques.

Kemp said consumerswho watchrenovation shows suffer from the“HGTV effect” andhaveunrealistic expectations about what salvaged

itemsshould cost.

And, because of scarcity, Wilkersonsaidthe way he searches foritems has changed dramatically

“The easy stuff has been exhausted,” he said. “Now, we scour Facebook posts and estate sales, going farther for fewer items. I’ll go allthe wayuptothe third ﬂoor of an attic on Bourbon Street to retrieve something.”

‘Anintrinsic value’

Fashion is another reason forthe drop in demandfor salvage. Thecurrent trend in home renovations is to open up floor plans, which reduces the need forinterior architectural details like doors, trim andmantels.

This is especially true for homes that have been renovatedtouse as short-term rentals.

The trend caught the attention of the Louisiana Landmarks Society,which last fall put architectural interiors on its list of the most endangered landmarks in NewOrleans.

“It’sfairly common to see apristinely preserved home exteriorand it might feel gutted,generic andmodern inside,” said MaryNell Nolan-Wheatley,ofthe Preservation Resource Center,a 52-year-oldnonproﬁtfounded to preserve the historic architecture, neighborhoods and cultural identity of New Orleans.

Overthe decades,salvage companieshavebeen criticized by preservationists and others over the ethics of stripping oldNew Orleans homes of materials— and for potentially buying stolen items. But Nolan-Wheatley said the PRC supports the companieskeeping the material in commerce.

“Salvage has an intrinsic value andshould notbe thrown away,” shesaid. “The city should be doing moreto incentivizedeconstruction

Kavanaugh Farr standsamong salvaged doors at Strip-Ease of NewOrleans Inc. After atypically slowsummer turned into an atypically slowfalland winter,the local salvageindustry is seeinga stockpile of reclaimed materials.

and salvage over pure demolition. When the materials are resold, the city gets sales tax dollars and jobs. It’seconomic development rather than trash.”

Nolan-Wheatley said her organization also advocates for reforms to the renovation permittingprocessand to rental regulations that make it easier for homeowners to improve their houses, makeextra incomeand help bring vacantand blighted propertiesback intocommerce.

In general, the PRC favors policies that will encourage moreinvestment in housing stock in acity that struggles to maintainits infrastructure with apopulation that’s approximately half of what it wasatits peak in the 1960s.

“People don’tunderstand therealityofthe situation,” she said. “Wedon’tget enough money from tourists to makeupthe difference.”

Lookingahead

Despite the pressure points, Wilkerson, Hoy and the rest are optimistic about the future of their businesses. And during the recent downtown, they’ve been joinedbysome newcompetitors.

Twoyears ago, Kristin Gisleson Palmer,executive director of the PRC, and herhusband, Bobby Palmer,openeda retail business calledBargeboardtosell material they accumulated over the last decade after renovating roughly 80 homes on the West Bank.

“When you open up aroom or change aﬂoor plan, you always endupwith leftovers,”saidBobby Palmer, whoadded the salvage sales are asmallpercentage of the company’soverall income. Farr,the Strip-Ease owner,sees mostly good things ahead.

“Wehavea new mayor, and interest rates are starting to drop, so hopefully that will get themarket stimulated,” he said. “Although Idon’tknow how the insurance problemwill get solved. They don’ttend to lower their rates, and we’re in ahigh-risk market with hurricanes.”

Email RichCollinsatrich. collins@theadvocate.com.

Ornamental iron pieces at Ricca’sArchitectural Sales

STAFF PHOTOSBy BRETT DUKE

Stair spindles are stacked at Ricca’sArchitectural Sales.

Construction ﬁrm embraces AI data centers, private equity

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

Shortly after David Gallo joined Gallo Mechanical in the mid-1980s the family business his grandfather founded in 1945 — the price of oil plummeted, sending the New Orleans economy into a tailspin and killing the commercial construction business that was the firm’s bread and butter

Q&A WITH DAVID GALLO

“We literally got kicked out of Hibernia Bank,” Gallo said. “We were a 40-year-old company at the time and had no work.” It was a baptism by fire that Gallo never forgot and one the company successfully weathered by being lean, scrappy and working hard.

Today, Gallo Mechanical, which builds, installs and services HVAC systems for commercial and industrial clients, is growing by 50% a year, with more than 700 employees and revenues projected to top $500 million this year

Last summer Gallo did what he vowed never to do — he sold the company, with his family’s unanimous consent, to a Texas-based private equity ﬁrm. The deal, he said, was the best thing that could have happened for Gallo Mechanical’s future and its employees.

In this week’s Talking Business, he discusses what was behind the decision to sell, the work the company is doing for Meta’s data center and the nonproﬁt organizations he is helping to run now that he is retired.

Interview has been edited for length and clarity

During your 30-plus years running the company, Gallo Mechanical saw tremendous growth. How did that happen?

After Katrina, we were only in

the Greater New Orleans area, and I realized you can’t have all your eggs in one basket. So, we started diversifying geographically But the really big catalyst came in 2018-2019, when we moved into the Carolinas.

The markets in North Carolina have six times as much work as we do here — heavy commercial construction, universities, hospitals high-end manufacturing in the Research Triangle. There are so many companies building these huge mechanical facilities and they all need what we do.

Wasn’t it hard to break into a booming market where your name was not well known?

Yes, but we did know the fundamentals of our business. We were doing a type of 3D modeling called Building Information Modeling, or BIM, that was a little ahead of the game and transcended us to another level. We had done market research, so we knew there was

a need. We also had some connections, which led to us to acquire a company that was going out of business, and we ended up hiring a lot of their people.

That is really what fueled our growth over the last five years. And it is anticipated that in 2026, we will do more work in the Carolinas than in Louisiana.

That’s kind of sad, for Louisiana, I mean. We are doing great in Louisiana. It’s just that we’re doing that much more work there. There is no end in sight for the work that we do in the southeast U.S. It’s data centers, high-end manufacturing, chip manufacturing. And with the aging of America, hospitals are constantly redoing their facilities.

Tell me about the data center work. I saw Gallo trucks at the Meta site last week.

We are working there as a sub for a sub and have about 100 people up there We are hearing that this could last as long as 10 years, which is a long time in our busi-

center boom, and in early 2025, the bank told us the market was crazy for companies like ours. In March, we got approached, unsolicited. I was board chair at the time and had already named J.P Hymel, a longtime employee, as CEO. My son August Gallo III was CFO. The three of us met with the ﬁrm, Citation Capital, in Dallas. Two weeks later they made us an offer My entire family endorsed it It was too good to refuse. So, eight months later, how is it working out?

Our company hasn’t changed. Leadership is still in place, and though I am no longer board chair, I have a seat on the board. They have added to our team, made us bigger and better, gotten us more work, but they haven’t changed the culture of the company

What happens when Citation decides to sell, though?

When we sold, part of the deal said if they sell, they agree to set aside a

ness. I hate to say there is no end in sight, but there is no end in sight.

What about the health of the New Orleans market?

It is not growing. Medical and Tulane University are the big drivers and, hopefully the Convention Center hotel, but we are limited because of our location. The expansion boom in the middle of the southeast includes north Louisiana, but it’s not coming down to the Gulf Coast.

The loss of local companies to private equity is often decried as a bad thing Why did your family decide to sell?

I had no anticipation of ever selling until 2023, when a guy from another company like ours that had just sold told me about his experience, and I thought it was in my family’s best interest to explore. We did not put the company up for sale, but we hired an investment bank to help us if a deal came along. That coincided with the AI data

AROUND THE REGION

“We stayed as long as we could.”

Tough choices arrive for those on Meta site fence line

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

Ronnie Powell initially felt disbelief when Meta contractors broke ground in early 2025 on a massive artiﬁcial intelligence data center in tiny Holly Ridge directly across the rural, two-lane road from his mobile home.

From his porch, Powell, 68, had a front-row view of the action. And he marveled at the speed with which the 1,400-acre ﬁeld where he had picked corn as a child with his grandparents was cleared to make way for a 4 million-squarefoot facility that will house some of the fastest, smartest computers in the world.

By last summer, Powell was growing wary Oversized construction vehicles crisscrossed the road all day, every day The noise never stopped. A dry, dusty ﬁlm covered everything.

By the fall, Powell and his wife, Jan, couldn’t take it anymore. Many of their neighbors had already left, selling for more than 10 times what farmland in Richland Parish had sold for before the construction began.

In late November, they joined the exodus and moved to Monroe

A storage pod developer paid the Powells $250,000, or $50,000 an acre, for their 5 acre property, which included the mobile home, an old house next door that had been his grandmother’s and rows of verdant cornﬁelds.

From a ﬁnancial perspective, the deal was more than fair Had they sold two years ago, Jan Powell estimates they would have been lucky to get $40,000. But the property had been in Ronnie Powell’s family since the early 1930s. Though farming had long since ceased providing a sustainable living, it was their home Leaving after nearly a century wasn’t easy “We stayed as long as we could,” Powell said earlier this month.

“But it got to be too much.”

Rapid changes

The Meta construction site which has an estimated price tag of some $27 billion, is rapidly transforming rural Richland Parish in the northeast corner of the state. Some 4,000 temporary workers have moved into hastily constructed “man camps” and trailer parks to build the facility, swelling the parish population by 20%.

Retail and construction activity in nearby towns like Rayville and Delhi have swelled. Sales tax revenues are up by double digits. The ripple effect is spilling over into Monroe, where data center suppliers are signing long-term leases for warehouse space and investors are planning new downtown hotels and a waterfront development.

The project is also generating concern among environmental

activists, who point to data centers elsewhere in the country that have driven up electricity rates and sucked water supplies dry

For the few hundred households in the fence line community, it’s not an abstract question or a binary between economic development and the environment. For them the project has ended a way of life that was dying for decades. Like all long, slow deaths, there is sadness and also hope for something better on the other side.

“We had lost so much here over the years with CenturyLink (now Lumen) going away the paper mill in Bastrop closing, a lot of the independent businesses,” Powell said. “This thing is not near going to make up for what was lost, but it helps for now.”

A family decision Powell’s grandparents were

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sharecroppers, who bought the Holly Ridge property back when the Meta site was part of Franklin Farms.

Powell remembers riding around as a tiny child in “Mr George” Franklin’s Jeep Wagoneer, back when the community was so tight-knit that the richest man in town, whose grandson negotiated the 2024 deal with Meta, wasn’t too proud to look after a sharecropper kid. He remembers being well fed because his family always had enough corn to eat.

He remembers the old Thompson store up the road — now shuttered — where kids would go for an ice cream cone or a Coke.

But life on the land wasn’t easy Powell went to high school in Monroe then stayed in the city for decades while raising his family and driving big rigs for a freight

company

When he retired, they moved back to the family homestead His great-grandchildren loved it. They stayed with the couple last summer, piling into the mobile home and entertaining themselves with crafts and the many dogs and cats that lived on the property

Powell felt conﬂicted about giving up the land because of the ﬁve great-grandchildren, their parents and his own kids, now middleaged. What was best for them?

“It’s not just my decision,” he said last summer “This belongs to the family.”

But in the end, life in Holly Ridge was becoming untenable — and unfamiliar One neighbor’s home was cleared to make way for a new Dollar General. Another’s is now the site of a food truck hub.

“It took 20 minutes just to get out of the driveway,” Jan Powell said. “And you couldn’t breathe.” Pros and cons

With the money from the sale of their Holly Ridge property, the Powells bought a new home in a subdivision on the outskirts of Monroe, where a three-bedroom house on a nearly 2-acre lot can still be had for $100 a square foot. His daughter also bought land. The grandchildren and greatgrandchildren are taken care of. They’re at peace with the decision.

“Everybody said we could’ve gotten more,” Ronnie Powell said. “But you can’t be greedy.” He is also pragmatic. His new home is closer to their doctors and to supermarkets, restaurants and services.

His kids went back to salvage some of the siding from the old house. He hasn’t gone back.

“We miss the country,” he said. “But we’re not sad.”

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.

Drivingbusiness transformation througheffective andresponsible AI implementation.

As emerging technology rapidly transforms business operations, our ﬁrmishelping Louisiana companiesadopt artiﬁcial intelligence (AI) usepoliciesand governancestrategiestoensure effective andresponsibleAI implementation

AI policies andgovernance strategies shouldreflect industry regulations, specificAIuse cases, jurisdictional laws,and theneed forhuman oversightand employee training.ByaligningAIgovernancewithbusiness goals andriskprofiles,organizations canharness AI’s potential whilemaintaining complianceand trust.

With thoughtful strategy,AIcan be apowerfultool forinnovationand growth across thestate’s business landscape—and we areproud to help lead theway forward.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Ronnie Powell stands on his porch as trucks go by along the side of the future site of the Meta artificial intelligence data center in Holly Ridge.

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Issued March 4-17

Commercial alterations

RETAIL: 111 Meadow Farm Road, Suite 100; description, tenant renovation for Spencer’s Gifts store; applicant ARCVision; contractor, Holt Services; $185,000.

SCHOOL: 3020 N. University Ave., description, new covered area for Live Oak Elementary School; applicant and contractor, Bergeron Metal Buildings; $10,000.

DAY CARE: 800 E. Farrel Road, description, addition to day care facility at former YMCA of Acadiana campus; applicant and contractor Chase Group Construction; $347,894.

MEDICAL: 1105 Kaliste Saloom Road, description, central energy plant upgrades at Our Lady of Lourdes Heart Hospital; applicant, ADG Engineering; contractor, Kent Design Build; $4.9 million.

OTHER: 303 W. Milton Ave

Milton; description, phase 2 of improvements to Milton Volunteer Fire Department; applicant, Ziler Architects; contractor, Master Builder & Contractors; $35,000.

RESTAURANT: 117 St. Nazaire Road, Broussard; description, rerooﬁng; applicant, Raising Cane’s, contractor, Lentz Rooﬁng Co.; no value listed.

RETAIL: 411 Kaliste Saloom Road, description, addition to Lafayette Locksmith & Security; applicant, Everette Mays Architect; contractor, RAH Homes; $196,000. SCHOOL: 250 Couret Drive description, softball ﬁeld for Lafayette Christian Academy; applicant and contractor, GeoSurfaces; $959,250.

OFFICE: 2000 Kaliste Saloom Road, interior ofﬁce renovation for Family Ofﬁce Partners in Camellia Towers; applicant, Emily Grover; contractor, Allstates Building Systems; $500,000.

BUS: 4010 W Congress St., description, work on transit bus shelter; applicant and contractor, Kingdom Builders; $29,900.

SALON: 5521 Ambassador Caffery Parkway, description, buildout for Modern Hair Studio; applicant and contractor, Kingdom Builders; $29,900.

PARKING: 825 Kaliste Saloom Road, description, work on Brandywine building parking lot; applicant

BUILDING PERMITS

and contractor, Castle Row Construction; $38,500. REROOF: 117 Cason Road Broussard; description, re-roof; applicant, Acadian Place Properties; contractor, Lafayette Rooﬁng and Gen Contractors; $79,500.

New commercial

STORAGE: 2101 Gloria Switch Road, description, storage facility; applicant, Happy Life Storage; contractor, Louis Walter Joseph Jr.; $450,000.

RESTAURANT: 6921 Ambassador Caffery Parkway Broussard; description, King’s Seafood restaurant; applicant, JADS Property LLC; contractor, Thomson Brothers Construction; $1.45 million.

Commercial demolition OTHER: 4654 Johnston St., description, none listed for small strip center; applicant and contractor, My Trang Nguyen; $20,000.

New residential 906 LANGLINAIS ROAD, YOUNGSVILLE: Cassidy Improvements, $565,500. 1616 MILLS ST., SCOTT: Krewe Construction & Development Group, $748,000 115 LA RUE DES FAMILLES: Manuel Builders, $388,875. 118 TOP RIDGE ROAD, DUSON: DR Horton, $313,125. 113 WHITCOMB ROADS: Streamline Construction, $716,750. 112 KIMBALL DRIVE: Brentwood Construction $472,625. 111 COTTAGE PARC LANE: DSLD, $241,750. 404 RUE GAMBETTA: Manuel Builders, $203,250. 412 RUE GAMBETTA: Manuel Builders, $291,500. 106 BELLE LAKE DRIVE: DR Horton, $386,125. 105 BELLE LAKE DRIVE: DR Horton, $260,875. 107 BELLE LAKE DRIVE: DR Horton, $348,875. 101 BEXLEY COURT: DSLD, $275,250. 115 LAKE OAK DRIVE: DR Horton, $248,625. 117 LAKE OAK DRIVE: DR Horton, $248,625.

203 EAGLE HEIGHTS DRIVE, DUSON: DR Horton, $284,625. 723 LAFITTES LANDING PASS: Manuel Builders, $311,625.

204 RED PINE DRIVE: DR

Horton, $340,000.

304 BELLEWOOD DRIVE: DR Horton, $360,625. 202 RED PINE DRIVE: DR Horton, $312,625. 306 BELLEWOOD DRIVE: DR Horton, $348,875. 116 TOP RIDGE ROAD, DUSON: DR Horton, $431,500.

344 WHITE PINE DRIVE: DR Horton, $248,625.

410 RUE GAMBETTA: Manuel Builders, $266,750.

600 BROYLES ST., YOUNGSVILLE: Van Alan Homes, $528,584.

105 SILVERBOOK LANE, YOUNGSVILLE: Van Alan Homes, $415,000.

305 SWEET HARVEST ROAD, YOUNGSVILLE: Level Construction and Development, $243,282.

301 HIGH POINT WAY YOUNGSVILLE: Level Construction and Development, $308,334.

311 CLIFFSIDE DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Blue Wing Builders, $425,000.

309 CLIFFSIDE DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Blue Wing Builders, $425,000.

106 MAROON ST., YOUNGSVILLE: DSLD, $124,320.

117 SUMMER HEIGHTS DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Jay Castille Construction, $480,000.

101 ACADIAN FALLS DRIVE, BROUSSARD: DR Horton, $126,175.

142 LAKE RIDGE DRIVE, BROUSSARD: DR Horton, $145,754.

139 LAKE RIDGE DRIVE, BROUSSARD: DR Horton, $132,803.

141 LAKE RIDGE DRIVE, BROUSSARD: DR Horton, $132,890.

143 LAKE RIDGE DRIVE, BROUSSARD: DR Horton, $145,754.

144 LAKE RIDGE DRIVE, BROUSSARD: DR Horton, $123,714.

210 CYPRESS FALLS DRIVE, BROUSSARD: DR Horton, $173,200.

103 ACADIAN FALLS DRIVE, BROUSSARD: DR Horton, $132,892.

105 ACADIAN FALLS DRIVE, BROUSSARD: DR Horton, $126,220.

702 SUMMER ST., BROUSSARD: DSLD, $119,160.

102 STAR LANE, BROUSSARD: DSLD, $114,840.

104 STAR LANE, BROUSSARD: DSLD, $111,480.

304 E. MADISON ST., BROUS-

SARD: Viacheslav Nilov, $150,000.

101 SHADOW BEND DRIVE, BROUSSARD: Manuel Builders, $336,000.

107 SHADOW BEND DRIVE, BROUSSARD: Manuel Builders, $260,000.

443 GAZETTE ROAD, SCOTT: Schumacher Homes of Louisiana, $509,625.

114 SANCTUARY LANE: Platinum Homes, $352,250.

127 REFINERY ST.: Castle Row Construction, $150,750.

100 CAJUN PRAIRIE LANE, DUSON: Justin Roy, $607,250.

100 BEXLEY COURT: DSLD, $262,125.

103 RUE DE MONCEAU, BROUSSARD: Rajun Cajun Construction, $875,000.

100 HEIRLOOM ROW, BROUSSARD: DSLD, $111,480.

902 SUMMER ST., BROUSSARD: DSLD, $119,160.

105 CRESCENT ROW, BROUSSARD: DSLD, $125,520.

103 CRESCENT ROW, BROUSSARD: DSLD, $111,060.

135 LAKES EDGE DRIVE, BROUSSARD: AM Design, $220,000.

303 HIGH POINT WAY

YOUNGSVILLE: Level Construction & Development, $263,016.

317 SWEET HARVEST ROAD YOUNGSVILLE: Level Construction & Development, $228,696.

106 BIG LAKE RUN, YOUNGSVILLE: HTN Builds, $280,000.

109 RIO DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Manuel Builders, $246,400.

101 RIO DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Manuel Builders, $246,399.

116 RIO DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Manuel Builders, $220,000.

118 RIO DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Manuel Builders, $241,056.

113 PROVINCETOWN LANE, YOUNGSVILLE: Manuel Builders, $282,790.

113 RIO DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Manuel Builders, $220,000.

111 RIO DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Manuel Builders, $230,000.

103 SUMMIT HEIGHTS DRIVE, YOUNGSVILLE: Platinum Homes, $476,000.

206 BIG LAKE RUN, YOUNGSVILLE: Homes by Heritage Builders, $350,000.

210 BIG LAKE RUN, YOUNGSVILLE: Homes by Heritage Builders, $350,000.

Broussard seafood eatery work to start

Construction will begin soon on a seafood restaurant in Broussard on property that was originally slated to house an oyster bar King’s Seafood, which has locations in New Iberia and Abbeville, will start building at 6921 Ambassador Caffery, said Graham Beduze, chief economic development ofﬁcer for the city

The restaurant was granted a building permit for the $1.45 million project, records show

The ownership group, a limited liability company registered to Ai Hui Lin, of Youngsville, bought the land in late 2024 from a group that planned to build Coterie Restaurant and Oyster Bar Golf simulator business opening

A golf simulator business will open in Lafayette in The Park Shopping Center near Charley G’s.

Back Nine will open at 3809 Ambassador Caffery Parkway, Suite 133C, after obtaining a building permit from Lafayette Consolidated Government for the space, records show

The work is valued at $306,000.

Back Nine has grown from 10 locations in 2023 to over 100 in two years, including locations in Gonzales and Alexandria. It plans to have over 300 locations by the end of next year

Gray Media-KADN deal drawing extra scrutiny

The proposed deal involving Gray Media’s acquisition of KADN/KLAF could hit a snag now that federal ofﬁcials are looking into the deal.

The U.S. Department of Justice is making scores of requests for information, so many that the company is struggling to comply with them, regarding the acquisition of Allen Media Group stations before Allen Media could potentially ﬁle for bankruptcy,

according to a report from Washington-based Capitol Forum. Gray announced a deal in August to acquire KADN and nine other stations as part of a $171 million deal. That came a month after Gray announced a swap with Scripps for ﬁve stations, including KATC. Both deals were pending Federal Communications Commission approval, which was initially expected late last year DOJ ofﬁcials are expected to sign off on Gray’s acquisition of three of the 10 Allen stations while leaving on hold deals involving the remaining seven, including KADN, the report indicated.

Allen Media is facing $928 million in debt early next year and had its debt rating reduced by Standard & Poor last month. Engineering firm buys Top’s building

The building that for years housed Top’s Designs, Appliances and Cabinetry has been sold to a local manufacturing company for $4.42 million. Pelican Engineering, which has leased space in the building for more than a year, closed on the deal to buy the 80,000-square-foot building on Thursday from owner Sherry Latour, land records show Pelican, which was founded in 2015 and has 45 employees, grew enough to make on offer on the building, founder and CEO James Palmer said. His company will take up most of the building with two small businesses occupying about 6,000 square feet, he said. The building has housed Top’s for nearly 50 years, records show Pelican is the only contract manufacturer for circuit boards in the state, Palmer said It makes about 100,000 circuit boards a year for clients in the energy defense, medical and food safety industries.

Top’s was founded in 1947 as Top’s Woodwork by John C. Hebert, a former top sergeant in the Louisiana National Guard who made window sashes and door frames, archives show

Keepingthe Menhaden FleetRunning: CaseyDevillier’s Story

AlongLouisiana’s coast, themenhaden industry supports hundreds of families throughsteady, skilledmaritimejobsthat depend on amodernfleetoperating safely and reliably during theshort fishingseason. Outof Empire andAbbeville,LA, vesselsheadinto theGulf, spotterplanesguide them to schools of fish, andprocessing plants keep production moving once theboats return.Behindit allare themechanics andtechnicians whoensurethe fleet keepsrunning. It is a tightly coordinatedsystemwhere timing, maintenance, andexperiencedetermine whetheraseasonsucceeds or stalls

ForCasey Devillier,who hasworked forWestbankFishing for23years,that responsibility is personal

“Officially,I’m thevesselmanager,” he says “But really,Ihandleanythingelectricalonthe boats. Andthatendsupbeing alot.”

FromCentral Louisianatothe Coast

Devillier grew up in GrandPrairie in central Louisiana, wherehis father farmed cattle and raised livestock. He learnedearly howtowork with hishands andsolve problemsquickly He begantrade school as asophomore in high school,studyingair conditioningrepair. By graduation,hewas alreadyrunning service callsinLafayette.Overtime, he movedinto offshoreand industrial electrical work,which eventually broughthim to Empire

Theﬁrsttimehestepped onto amenhaden vessel,hewas overwhelmed.

He laughs,“Igot seasick. Thecrewhad a good time with that.” Today, he livesjusta half mile down the

canalfromthe dock.The ﬂeet is part of his dailylife, especially during theseason.

AJob That NeverReallyStops

Devillier oversees Westbank’s 12 menhaden ﬁshingvessels and24smaller purseboats

Each onedepends on complex systems workingtogether: engines, generators, refrigeration, hydraulics, radar, autopilot, steering controls,and onboardelectronics

“The main enginesare critical,” he says “But refrigerationisjustasimportant.Ifthat goes down,you have seriousproblems.”

During theoff-season, work is planned andpreventative. Majorcomponentsare inspected, worn partsreplaced, andupgrades installedtoimprove reliability. In season,it becomesreactive, with hisphone ringingat allhours from captains andcrews offshore.

If avesselcannotreturntodock, he will load partsand head outona responder boat to ﬁx theissue at sea. Thegoalissimple: keep crewsﬁshing.

“That’swhere thecrewmaketheir money,” he says.“Nottiedupatthe dock.”

Over theyears,hehas takenon responsibilities once handledbyoutside contractors. As olderspecialists retired, he shadowed them andlearned theirtrades. Nowhemoves seamlessly from diagnosing agenerator problem to repairinga steering system to coordinating engine work

“It’sconstantproblem-solving,” he says “You switch disciplinesall daylong.”

Respectfor theCrews

Devillier is quicktopoint outthatwhile

he workslonghours,the crewsoffshoreface even tougherconditions. They operateheavy equipmentinheat, humidity,and roughseas, oftenfor days at atime.

“Whattheydophysicallyout thereishard, he says.“We rely on each other.”

When boatsstayout ﬁshingbecause of a repair,mostpeoplenever know howclose they were to shutting down.Thatquiet successis part of thejob

He also values theculture of thecompany

Many employees aresecond-orthirdgeneration ﬁshermen.Fathersand sons have worked side by side fordecades,passing down knowledgethatcannotbelearned from a manual

“Thisisn’t just ajob people pass through,” he says.“It’s families.”

WhyItMatters

In lowerPlaquemines Parish,economic opportunitiesare limited. Themenhaden industry remainsone of themostconsistent employersinthe area,offeringindustrial wageswithout requiringfamiliestorelocate.

“Ifthisindustry contracted –orworse still closed –there’snothingdownheretoreplace it,” Devillier says He points to localgrocery stores,small businesses,fuelsuppliers, andmarine vendorsthatdependonsteadyemployment from theﬂeetand plant. Theimpactstretches beyond thedockand ripplesthrough the parish economy. Thejobssupport mortgages, tuitionpayments, church donations, and Little League teams.

ForDevillier,the industry hasmeant

stability. He nowownsahomenearthe canal, wherehis children ﬁshoff thedockand watch theboats pass.Heand hiswifeare raisingfour children,one alreadyincollege

“Thisjob meanseverythingtomyfamily, he says.“It’s howweprovide.”

Workinginthe menhaden industry has taught himresilience, adaptability,and teamwork.Ithas also allowedhim to builda life in SouthPlaquemines,close to thewater andclose to home

As long as theboats arerunning, Devillier planstobethere to keep them that way–becausewhenthe menhaden fleetruns, families work,businessesstayopen, and SouthPlaquemines keepsmovingforward

Broughttoyou by theLouisiana Commercial Fishing Coalition, LLC

ONE BIG QUESTION

How have increased energy costs affected your business?

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

The war with Iran has prompted the most dramatic fuel price increases the United States has seen in years. The price of diesel fuel on the Gulf Coast rose by nearly 29% during the ﬁrst week in March, the largest single-week spike since the U.S. Energy Information Administration began tracking the data in 1994.

As of Tuesday the price in Louisiana was averaging $4.83 per gallon, up from a prewar price of less than $3.49. And experts say if Iran continues to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s fossil fuel traditionally ﬂows, the shock to the supply chain will likely intensify Louisiana is the nation’s secondlargest petroleum reﬁner and one of the nation’s top 10 crude oilproducing states, two factors that keep prices lower than in many other states. Still, the nature of the global energy market means that it is not immune from disruptions to the supply chain on the other side of the world.

For this week’s One Big Question, we asked local business owners from different sectors how higher energy prices are affecting their day-to-day operations.

Answers have been edited for clarity and length.

KATIE JENSEN

CEO, Triton Stone, New Orleansbased importer and distributor Stone is heavy and it’s imported from all over the world, so we rely on a lot of transportation. When fuel and energy prices increase, it increases ocean freight and it increases our trucking costs. And that’s just to get the stone into our warehouses. On the other side, when we de-

liver the material to our customers, we’re dealing with increased transportation costs domestically The challenge is that these costs ripple through the industry faster than we can adjust. It means constantly paying attention to where freight is going. In some cases, we have to adjust pricing to keep our projects affordable for our customers, but it’s a very, very quick reaction. Diesel prices, in some of our markets, have gone up over 50%. So we have to consider charging delivery charges. Are we going to do a fuel surcharge? Is this going to be a week in time? Is it going to be a month?

Is it going to be six months? The uncertainty is a very big challenge to manage.

TROY HENRY

Managing partner, Henry Consulting, New Orleans owner of gas stations and convenience stores

It’s unfortunate that as the cost of fuel goes up, we essentially have to pass that on to our customers. And the higher the pricing is, the more of a pain it is for our customers. At our gas stations, we don’t like to see increased prices because it alters demand, which alters the volume of fuel that we sell. In the other companies that I own, I see

a similar ripple effect. Customers have less cash to buy other items and do other things.

So, it’s inﬂationary, dampens demand for the goods and services that my companies provide and is challenging for our customers.

SINESIO CANSECO

Founder, Canseco’s Markets, Metairie supermarket chain with six locations

Always

the RightThing

That’s just the way that it works. I have not seen it happen yet, but I think in another week or two, you will start to see the prices go up a little bit.

ROBBY TRAHAN

Co-owner, Falcon Rice Mill, Crowley

Higher fuel costs affect everything transported to and from the mill. It’s concerning, I’ll be honest.

When you’re dealing with commodities, you have to make decisions that are so far out. You want things as steady as possible.

PAUL LELEUX

CEO, Acadian Kitchens, maker of Cajun’s Choice Premium Blend and Ragin’ Cajun products

Shipping costs haven’t increased yet, and shipping companies have not announced any surcharges yet. Hopefully, this is a short-term blip and it’ll be over before it becomes a problem. It’s still very early and I think everybody is taking a wait-and-see approach. If this protracts over a longer term, it may have some downward impact.

TODD WAGUESPACK

CEO, Level Homes, Baton Rougebased homebuilder I don’t think it’s going to directly affect our bottom line. My prediction is it will end before everybody starts passing the cost along. What drives cost increases in our business are interest rates and insurance. The media is blowing this out of proportion.

Adam Daigle contributed reporting for this story

Email Jonah Meadows at Jonah. Meadows@theadvocate.com.

We haven’t really seen the effects yet In the past, when fuel prices have gone up, the transportation companies put a fee on bringing stuff to your store. It could be $10 a delivery or $20 a delivery — it depends how high the price of gas or diesel hits. Then, when the gas goes down, they take that charge off, and probably all your groceries will go up a little bit.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALTAF QADRI

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Research eyes if GLP-1s may lessen colon cancer risk

Louisiana doctor says new data on medication looks promising

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

Recent data suggests people taking GLP-1 drugs may develop colorectal cancer less often than those taking aspirin, a medication long studied for its potential protective effect.

While the findings don’t show causation, they are prompting important conversations about whether GLP1s’ impact on inflammation, metabolism and weight could play a role in cancer risk

Dr Jonathan Mizrahi, a gastrointestinal medical on-

cologist at Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center in New Orleans, said while aspirin is currently considered to be effective in reducing the risk of colon cancer, the GLP1 data looks promising. Daily lowdose aspirin use is associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer and is considered a promising prevention method and associated with a 20% to 30% reduction in the inci-

dence of colon cancer, particularly for individuals with elevated risk factors or speciﬁc genetic proﬁles. Long-term use — typically five years or more — is required to see a significant reduction in risk, according to the National Institutes of Health.

While once recommended more broadly, current evidence suggests that the benefits of daily aspirin for colorectal cancer prevention often must be weighed against the risks of serious bleeding.

ä See RESEARCH, page 3X

While the findings don’t show causation, new research is prompting important conversations about whether GLP-1s’ impact on inflammation, metabolism and weight could play a role in cancer risk. The injectable drug Ozempic is one such medication.

Study links screen time to smaller vocabularies in children

BY MIRIAM FAUZIA

The Dallas Morning News (TNS)

Screen time has long been a concern for parents, child safety advocates and others, particularly in the early years when a child’s brain and language skills are developing. New research from Southern Methodist University adds another piece to that debate, examining how digital media use may be linked to the kinds of words toddlers learn — and the

family factors that shape how much screen time kids get. Here’s what the research says and what it could mean for families trying to support language development when screens are part of everyday life. By age 2, four in 10 U.S kids have a tablet, rising to 58% by age 4, according to a 2025 survey by children’s advocacy group Common Sense Media. The survey found that children younger than 2 average 63 minutes of media use

per day, which includes about four minutes a day watching short-form videos such as YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok. This shift has prompted researchers to look more closely at what screen use means in the earliest years. At SMU, assistant professor of psychology Sarah Kucker has focused on how media use relates to language development in young kids. When she began her work more than a decade ago, most studies centered on television with

predictable, routine programming, such as Saturday morning cartoons; far less was known about learning from phones and tablets, where content is on demand anytime across countless apps and platforms. Kucher began with a basic question: How is the learning process when children are watching from a mobile device? “So if they want to learn a new word like duck, then learning it as a real object that you can touch is different than if it’s a

picture of a duck on the phone,” she said. In a study published in November, Kucker and her colleagues surveyed more than 380 caregivers of children ages 17 to 30 months about their child’s word use and how much video or TV the child watched. After accounting for the child’s age, overall vocabulary and socioeconomic status, the researchers found that toddlers

ä See SCREEN TIME, page 2X

Mizrahi

GETTy IMAGES PHOTO By SVITLANA PIETUKHOVA

Recent data suggests people taking GLP-1 drugs may develop colorectal cancer less often than those taking aspirin, a medication long studied for its potential protective effect.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By DAVID J PHILLIP

Engineers developing edible ‘robot’ capsule

Device could diagnose, treat diseases

BY KARL HILLE

The Baltimore Sun (TNS)

BALTIMORE What if you could swallow a tiny robot that could diagnose, monitor and treat health issues in your gut without scheduling an uncomfortable or timeconsuming outpatient procedure?

Researchers at the University of Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering are developing a smart capsule to revolutionize how doctors practice medicine in the intestinal tract.

“These capsules have the potential to change lives for the better — even save lives. Our team’s work to develop smart pills that can sense, communicate in, and interact with complex biological environments will redefine the way we diagnose and treat ailments,” Reza Ghodssi, professor and MATRIX Lab executive director of research and Innovation, wrote on the university’s website.

The technology is still in

development, but Ghodssi imagines a day when the smart pill, about the size of a multivitamin, can check tissue health, identify potential cancers and send data to a doctor It could even inject

medicines into the intestinal wall, or take a tiny biopsy sample before passing harmlessly out of your body Godssi wrote in the article

“Tomorrow’s Smart Pills will Deliver Drugs and take

Biopsies” in the publication IEEE Spectrum. To day, smart pills equipped with a video camera, lights and a transmitter are a routine tool in intestinal health, he wrote. They

can also measure acidity, temperature and gas concentrations. The version under development can track biomarkers, including hydrogen sulﬁde gas, neurotransmit-

ters like serotonin and dopamine, and other signals that shed light on gut health and disease progression. Delivering medicines exactly where they are needed could improve effectiveness and minimize side effects, Ghodssi wrote. The technology would go beyond passive monitoring, as the autonomous capsules would sense conditions, make decisions and trigger appropriate actions.

Research teams around the country are working on similar technologies, he wrote, especially to solve the problem of providing a safe and compact power supply

A Binghamton University team in New York is exploring microbial fuel cells to generate electricity from probiotic bacteria in the gut. At MIT, researchers have used pig stomach ﬂuid to power a battery And at UMD, they are exploring methods to harvest energy throughout the capsule’s digestive system journey Further testing will seek to prove that Ghodssi’s capsules are safe, reliable and offer beneﬁts beyond existing technology

Experts discuss how to know if a home needs a water filter

BY KIKI SIDERIS Associated Press

U.S. tap water is gener-

ally safe and high quality

But that doesn’t mean every glass tastes the same, or that every building’s plumbing delivers identical water to the faucet.

That uncertainty has fueled a booming market for water filters, from simple pitcher models to multithousand-dollar reverse osmosis systems Yet experts say most American households don’t need extensive treatment. The challenge is knowing how to decide whether you need a ﬁlter.

Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency sets health standards for more than 90 contaminants in public water systems, including chemicals and microbes.

Utilities treat water with disinfectants like chlorine to kill harmful germs before it reaches homes. Most public utilities meet those standards and most Americans can safely drink from the tap.

“Unless you’re experiencing health impacts, you’ve got a notice from your water system or there’s a credible media story saying your water is unsafe, you shouldn’t feel the need to get a ﬁlter,” said Gregory Pierce, director of the University of California Los Angeles’ Human Right to Water Solutions Lab. “You’re still welcome to because it might make your water taste a little bit better, but it shouldn’t be considered necessary to have a water ﬁlter in 90-plus percent of the United States.”

Water quality

Start with your utility’s annual Consumer Confidence Report, which details detected contaminants and whether the system meets federal standards. These reports are typically available on a city or utility website. You can also contact your provider directly with questions. Water systems are generally only responsible for the water until it reaches private property meaning water quality can vary by building

For many, those reports may be enough reassurance. Still, some consumers want more certainty, especially in older buildings.

“You should probably test your water to identify if you have a risk that you need to treat,” said Jess Goddard, chief science ofﬁcer at the environmental testing company SimpleLab.

Private wells have different maintenance and safety needs because they are not regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act and monitoring them is the responsibility of the homeowners. The EPA is among the agencies offering resources for people with private wells.

Testing kits can cost a couple hundred dollars or more, depending on what contaminants they screen

Here’s how testing typically works: You order a kit, collect a water sample following the instructions and mail it to a certiﬁed lab.

Here’s how to check your local water quality, when water testing makes sense and how to choose a filter that addresses your concerns without wasting money

SCREEN TIME

Continued from page 1X

who watched more video tended to say fewer bodypart words, such as nose or arm, and more words for furniture and people, such as mom, friend or girl.

“A lot of times, those ﬁrst words are going to be nouns and objects that they touch and they feel,” Kucker said, adding those words can help set the stage for building sentences and learning more complex language. But the finding of children learning more people and furniture words was unexpected because previous research suggested that more digital media time is associated with fewer face-to-face interactions and therefore fewer opportunities to learn these kinds of words. In another study published in October 2025, Kucker and her colleagues found the caregivers’ temperaments, and that of their child’s, influences digital media use and thereby language learning. The researchers surveyed

The lab analyzes it for speciﬁc contaminants, including a group of chemicals known as PFAS, microplastics, metals and disinfection byproducts, and provides a report.

If testing reveals a serious issue, Pierce recommends contacting your water utility or state environmental agency for guidance. If testing reveals high levels of contaminants, the solution may go beyond installing a household ﬁlter Ofﬁcials may recommend temporary alternative water sources, like bottled water, or infrastructure upgrades, like pipe replacement.

If there’s not a problem serious enough to require those measures, a ﬁlter may help.

Choosing a filter

People should consider what their filtration goals are and what different filters can do. The EPA advises that many household activities like ﬂushing toilets and washing clothes don’t require treatment, so cooking and drinking are typical uses to consider Most ﬁlters carry ratings by the nonprofit organizations NSF and American National Standards Institute. Common NSF/ANSI ratings include 42 for taste or smell concerns, 53 for health effects and 401 for emerging compounds. An NSF database allows people to search by product name or what compound they want to reduce.

“Not every filter is good for everything,” said Sydney Evans, a science analyst who led a water ﬁlter testing project at the Environmen-

more than 460 caregivers of children ages 17 to 30 months and followed a smaller group of families a year later They found caregivers who scored higher on conscientiousness one of the “Big Five” personality

don’t need extensive treatment, but the

is knowing how

decide whether you need a filter

tal Working Group. “And even if there’s a filter out there that does absolutely everything, maybe you don’t need it.”

Many households use filters not because of safety concerns, but because of taste or odor, “which really do impact people’s enjoyment or sense of conﬁdence in their drinking water,” Goddard said.

In those cases, a basic carbon filter, like many common pitcher models, can be effective. Activated carbon reduces chlorine and byproducts that form when chlorine reacts with natural organic matter in the water Those byproducts are expected in treated water, said Samantha Bear, a senior research analyst at SimpleLab. Even when levels are below federal limits, she said she and her colleagues ﬁlter their tap water — not because the water is unsafe, but to reduce long-term exposure.

Even people who live outside of areas with high levels of PFAS contamination may be concerned about their presence. PFAS is an

traits referring to a person’s tendency to be organized, self-disciplined and goal-oriented reported that their children spent less time with digital media. This, in turn, was linked to higher vocabulary scores.

“We also found that children who are very fussy, what we call high negative affect, tend to have higher rates of screen time,” Kucker said. “This could be that they ask for it, or the parents use it to calm them down. But when you have higher rates of screen time, you have lower language.”

Some studies suggest that when adults watch a program with a child, a practice known as co-viewing, it can support engagement with the content, rather than children watching passively But what Kucker and her colleagues found was that even when children watched with an adult or watched educational media,

abbreviation for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The Environmental Protection Agency says that filters can reduce PFAS levels, but urges people to contact their local water service provider as an initial step if they have concerns.

Lead is another contaminant that can often be beyond the capabilities of ﬁltration systems. But the EPA notes that no level of lead is safe, so people may want to use ﬁlters even where alternative water sources or pipe replacements aren’t recommended.

Treatment systems

Pitchers, refrigerator ﬁlters and faucet-mounted systems treat water at the point of use — where you drink or cook with it. Undersink systems and reverse osmosis units also treat water at the tap but may require professional installation.

Whole-home systems treat water at the point of entry, meaning water is ﬁltered before it’s distributed throughout the house. These systems are typically more expensive and often require

the relationship between screen use and vocabulary did not change. In the October 2025 study that followed families over time, children who spent more time with digital media at age 2 tended to have smaller vocabularies at age 3, regardless of the child’s temperament or the caregiver’s personality traits.

So how should parents think about screen time in everyday life? Kucker suggested a few approaches.

First, use age as a guide, Kucker said. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages digital media for children younger than 18 months, except for video chatting. For children 18 to 24 months, the association recommends choosing highquality educational content and using it together with a caregiver

For children ages 2 to 5, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises limiting

professional installation. They’re generally used for issues that affect all household water — like hardness, high iron levels or certain volatile compounds — rather than contaminants that originate in plumbing.

Beyond ﬁltration systems, some homes use water softeners to reduce the presence of minerals that can build up and damage plumbing, though these systems don’t remove most other contaminants. Less common in homes are distillation systems, which boil water and condense the steam to remove minerals and some contaminants. Most households don’t need whole-home or distillation systems unless they’re dealing with a speciﬁc, documented issue, experts said. Maintaining and changing your water filter matters, too, because the cartridges can lose effectiveness or allow bacteria to build up if they aren’t changed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

“Otherwise they may do more harm than good,” said Pierce, the UCLA scholar

screen time to about one hour a day of high-quality educational programs. Kucker recommends coviewing with your child and discussing the content with them, even if they are too young to respond. Offline, take the opportunity to use real-life events or outings to engage language skills.

“If you’re watching a video, connect what’s in the video to real life,” she said. “When you’re grocery shopping, narrate as you’re going, saying, ‘Oh, here’s the banana, do you see it? It’s yellow Here’s the milk.’ That’s the kid’s class, that’s when they are learning the words. They are getting it because you are talking to them.”

Miriam Fauzia is a science reporting fellow at The Dallas Morning News. Her fellowship is supported by the University of Texas at Dallas. The News makes all editorial decisions.

UMCP/TNS IMAGE By CHAD SMITH

An illustration shows Professor Reza Ghodssi’s non-invasive, ingestible capsule that uses wireless technology to provide information to diagnosticians in real time.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOSHUA A. BICKEL

An under sink water filter operates March 9 in Cincinnati Experts say most American households

challenge

Eat Fit LiveFit

UGH TT OY OU BY

BRO

UThriving through change: howresilienceshaped one woman’shealthier life

sually,thiscolumnisaboutfood, healthandhabits.Butweknowthat being“fit”ismorethanthat.Itis howpeopleactuallylive,adaptandbuild wellbeingintotheirdailylives,evenwhen therearesignificantchallenges.So,weare excitedtoshareadifferentkindofwellness throughourInspiringStoriesseries.Here, wewillspotlightpeopleinourcommunity whosejourneysreflectmanysidesof whatitmeanstolivewell.Andifthere’s someoneinyourlifewhosestoryshouldbe shared,pleasesendthemmyway.

Fromtheoutside,thechangeinErin Arceneauxoverthepasttwoyearshas beeneasytosee.Herenergyisdifferent. Herfocusissteadier.She’sdownabout 50pounds.Inﬂammationmarkersthat onceranhigharenowwithinrange.Even herskinlooksdifferent.There’savibrance toherthat’shardtomiss.Butthemore meaningfulshift,shesays,islessvisible.

“Iﬁnallystartedtofeellikemyselfagain,” Arceneauxsaid.“Notperfect.Justclearer morepresent.”

Arceneaux,alongtimeOchsner employeeandamemberoftheEatFit team,hasspentmuchofhercareerin community-facingwork,helpingother peoplenavigatewellnessandchange. Whatmanydon’tseeishowmuchof thatworkhasbeenshapedbyherown lifeandbyyearsoflearninghowtokeep movingforwardwhenlifekeepstaking thingsaway

Elevenyearsago,Erin’sﬁancédiedby suicide.Atthetime,theirtwinswere justsevenmonthsold.“Icouldn’tgive up,becauseIhadtwokidswhoneeded me,”shesaid.“EvenonthedaysIdidn’t feelstrong,Ihadtochoosetokeep goingforthem.”

Nearlyadecadelater,aftershehad beguntorebuildandfoundanew long-termrelationship—another seriesoflosseslandedclosetogether.

Thatpartnerpassedaway unexpectedly.Notlongafter that,shelosttwoofthepeople shewasclosestto:heraunt andhergrandmother.Her aunt’sdeath,alsobysuicide, wasespeciallydevastating.“It feltlikerelivingeverythingwith mylateﬁancéalloveragain,” shesaid.

Bythen,herchildren wereolderandhadmore understanding.Thatchanged howsheviewedtheloss.“It wasn’tjustmygriefanymore,” shesaid.“Theyweregoing throughit,too.Ihadtobe steadierforthem.”

Whathelpedherclimbout ofthedarkeststretchesduring thoseyearswasn’tasingle breakthroughmoment;Itwas structure.“Gettingbackintoa routinesavedme,”shesaid.“If Istayedinbed,mymindwould gotobadplaces.Havingpurposein mydays,havingstructure—thatkept memoving.”

Sheﬁllshertimewithprojectsthat requirefocusandpatience.Athome, thatmeansteachingherselfhowtodo thingsmanypeoplewouldhireout,like hangingsheetrockandinstallingcabinets. “Workingwithmyhandshelpsquietmy head,”shesaid.“Youcanseeprogress Youcanﬁnishsomething.”

Runninggaveherspacetoclearhermind andreleaseanxiousenergy.Thesedays,a lotofthatmovementhappenswithher kids.HerdaughterparticipatesinGirlson theRun,andArceneauxjoinsherforevery race.“It’saboutbeingtherewiththemand doingittogether.

Mentalhealthcarehasbeenaconstant support,notalastresort.Arceneauxhas workedwithapsychiatristsinceshewas ateenagerandherchildrenseeamental

MollyKimball,RD,CSSD,isaregistereddietitian withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsner’sEatFit nonproﬁtinitiative.Formorewellnesscontent,tuneinto Molly’spodcast,FUELEDWellness+Nutrition,andfollow @MollykimballRDand@EatFitOchsneronsocialmedia Emailnutrition@ochsner.orgtoconnectwithMollyor scheduleaconsultwithherteam.

THENUMBERS

healthprovideraswell.“Iwantthem togrowupknowingthatgetting helpisnormal,”shesaid.“It’sjust partoftakingcareofyourself.” Twoyearsago,anotherdecision becameanunexpectedturningpoint. Afteryearsofdealingwithhealth issuesshecouldn’tfullyexplainlike fatigue,brainfog,moodchangesand inﬂammation,Arceneauxdecidedto haveherbreastimplantsremoved. “Therewasn’tanythingwrong withtheimplantsspeciﬁcally,”she said.“Mybodyjustseemedtobe rejectingthem.

Whilethelinksbetweenimplants andthesesymptomsremainanopen questioninthemedicalcommunity, Arceneauxsaysherownexperience wasclear.“Myenergy,mymood, thebrainfog,theinﬂammation—so manythingsshifted,”shesaid.“That wasoneofthebestdecisionsI’ve evermadeformyhealth.”

Feeling better mentally and physically made it easiertocarefor herselfinmore basic ways, too. Stress, she realized, had been quietlyrunning theshowfor years. At home, that shows up in thekitchen as much as anywhere. She cookswithher kids and usesthe time to teach them about food and health. They make sourdough bread, butter and kombuchafrom scratch.She emphasizesfresh, wholefoods andlimits processedfoods.“It’s notaboutbeing rigid,” she said.“It’s about giving our bodies what we actually need.” Today, Arceneaux’s life looks steadier as she’sbuilt systems that support her through routines, meaningful work, time withher kids and consistent mental health care. “I’mnot 100percentthere. But I’mina much better place than Iwas. And I’mproud of that.”

4PARISHESFALLBELOW THEU.S.AVERAGE FORADULTSWITHCOPD

Chronic obstructivepulmonary disease, orCOPD,isthe fifth-leading cause of death in the United States. It is the cause of morethan 150,000 deaths each year,accordingtothe U.S. Centers for Disease Controland Prevention.

COPD slowly damages air sacs in the lungs, decreasing airflow and making it difficult to breathe.

Louisiana had the 12th-highest percent of adults whoreported COPD in thecountryin2024, averaging 8% of adults reported to have COPD.Only four Louisiana parishes fell belowthe nationalaverageof6.5%

These parishes had the highest percent ofadults with chronic pulmonarydisease, in descending order:

n East Carroll Parish with 12.7%

n Madison Parish with 11.8%

n Claiborne Parish with 11.6%

n Bienville Parish with10.8%

n Tensas Parish with 10.7%

RESEARCH

Continued from page1X

The use of GLP-1 receptor antagonist therapy has led to agreater reduction in colorectal cancer incidence thanhas been observed withaspirin, accordingto researchpresentedatthe ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium 2026. The study was based on data obtained from the TriNetX database,which includes records for approximately 150 million patients throughout 106 health systems. Patients includedin the analysis were aged 18 to 90 years betweenJan. 1, 2000 and Jan. 1, 2024.

n Concordia Parish with 10.5%

n Avoyelles and Franklin parishes with 10.4%

n Morehouse and Webster parishes with 10.3%.

These parishes had the lowest percentofadults with chronic pulmonarydisease, in ascending order:

n Ascension,West Feliciana and St. Tammanyparishes with 6.1%, n St. Charles Parishwith 6.2%, n Jefferson Parish with 6.5%, n East Baton Rouge, Orleans and West Baton Rougeparishes with 6.6%, n Lafayette Parish with 6.7%, n St. James and St.John the Baptist parisheswith 6.8% n Bossierand Plaquemines parishes with 6.9%.

COPD symptoms include difficulty catching breath, wheezing,chest tightness and having achronic cough.

The researchers used propensityscore matching to matchpatients usingGLP-1 therapy to thoseusing aspirin. Among eligible patients, roughly150,000 were receivingGLP-1s and 3million were receivingaspirin

Overall, the incidenceof colon cancers among users of GLP-1s was approximately 36% lower thanamong aspirin users, thestudy found. “Thatis likely duetothe GLP-1s use to reduce inﬂammation,”Mizrahi said. “Excessinﬂammationisknown to speedupthe development of cancer cells, particularly coloncancercells.”

The going theoryis: GLP1s reduce inflammation, therefore reduce the risk of

certain cancers.

But, more research is necessary to prove this ongoing theory.Asofnow,professionals seethe cancer-GLP-1 connection as a“correlation, nota causation,”according to Mizrahi.

“Ideally,there would be a large study comparingpeople using GLP-1’stothose who use aspirin and watchingfor thedevelopment of colon cancer,” Mizrahi said. “I’mnot sure of the likelihood of aspecific study on this taking place.”

There is also an element of timeand resources that aren’tavailable.

“Studies take years to become applicable in the clinic,” Mizrahi said. “If we want results in 10 or 15 years, we

needed to have startedyesterday.”

Mizrahi,aGLP-1 user himself, saidthe recentstudies anddata analysis have made him more conﬁdent to recommend the weight lossdrugs to

his patients —many of whom worry over long-lasting effectsoftaking the drug.

“For the right patient, GLP-1s aresafe to use to reduce both inﬂammation and weight,” Mizrahi said. “And,

so far,the morewelearn about GLP-1s, the morebeneﬁts we ﬁnd.”

EmailMargaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

TheLouisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This sectionlooksatmedical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and reexamining tried and true methods on ways to livewell.

Health editions will also profile people whoare advancing health for the state of Louisiana. Do youhavea health story? We want to hear fromyou.

Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.

Molly Kimball RD,CSSD

Ourteam gets youback to yours

Recoverymovesfasterwheneverythingyouneedisinoneplace. AtOchsnerLafayetteGeneralAndrewsOrthopedicsandSportsMedicine Institute,ourteamdeliverssurgery,rehabandperformancetrainingonone cutting-edgecampus.AndwithourAcadianaOrthopedicteamsteering patientstotherightexperts,recoveryisneverfar.

Learnmoreorscheduleanappointmentatochsner.org/lafayetteortho

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LOUISIANA

AyEAR’S IMPACT

Presbyterian volunteerprogram in N.O. helps young adults servebeyondcomfort zones

BY JOY HOLDEN Staffwriter

LukeKellett didn’tplan on staying in Louisiana. He was only supposedtovisit for one yearonassignment with the Presbyterian Young Adult Volunteer program.

Nearly two years later,New Orleans is his home

Originallyfrom Cincinnati,Kellett spendshis days tendingtoa garden, cooking food for community meals, volunteeringata food pantry,working at aclothing bank, helping to direct amemory care program for people withdementia and more.

His experience is not the New Orleans most visitors see, but it’s reﬂective of ayear with the Presbyterian Young Adult Volunteer program.

“These young people arehelpingmeetother people’s needs, said LivThomas, theinterimdirector of the program. “In reality, as is often the case with mission work, it is the people whoare doing mission work whoare most often served —and theirheartsand mindsare changed.”

Making NewOrleans home

The PresbyterianYoungAdult Volunteers have had apresence in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrinain2005. Theprogram and housing is usually built around eightvolunteers,but this year, ﬁvevolunteerswereassigned to the CrescentCity,and fourremain. The volunteers live together in avolunteerhouseand work throughout thecity.

One of their main responsibilities is the community garden, Okra Abbey,located in the Pigeon Town neighborhood Director of Okra Abbey, Benji

Brubaker,also brings volunteer andnonprofitexperience to the community.A graduateofTulane, Brubakerserved ayear in the AmeriCorps VISTAprogram and worked in St.Bernard, near New Orleans, for ayear.Then, Brubaker then spent time as aVISTAco-

ordinator and partofthe Tulane Center for Public Service.

“The common thread through all of this is believing that all people are worthy of dignity and having their basic needsmet,” Brubaker said.

Brubaker noted that the Young AdultVolunteersare the backbone of the operation.

“They help prepare allthe foods. They help harvest from our garden. They help cook for ourGrace andGreenscommunity meals on Wednesdays,” Brubaker said. “What I’veseen consistently is that they just fuse into theculture of Okra Abbey.”

For Kellett, thatphilosophy plays out in practical ways.

He works at the site on Mondays andWednesdays, alongwith two other volunteers, Claire Turney andDre Collins. Now,Collins is transitioning to full-time staff at theAbbey as histerm winds down.

Thelifeofavolunteer

As membersofthe Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) service corps, Young Adult Volunteers partner with the PresbyteryofSouth Louisiana and follow several guiding principles and requirements during their11-month term.

The coretenets of the program are intentional Christian community, simple living, cross-cultural mission, leadership development through faith in action and vocational discernment.

Thevolunteers work at their placements35to40hours aweek. They meet with their community twice aweek for meals and spiritualpractice. One Saturday a month, the volunteersconductan activity together that is aservice,

Iknew if Ihad any shot at feeling well throughout the week, Ineeded the medicine. My husband offered to go. He’sthe kind of guy who volunteers for practical things, but this was, in theory,his birthday trip —and he was already in bed. Last Sunday had gone slightly sideways from the start. Iwoke feeling crummy.Myhusband and I picked up medicine on our way out of town, headed toward ayurt in the Texas Hill Country By 11:30 that night, we were both in bed inside the yurt when I remembered that the bag with the medicine my doctor had ordered was in the car.Iput on my shoes to go get the meds. It was ashort 40yard walk through the dark. Ididn’tthink athing about it. Most of us don’t—until we do. The yurt where we were staying was in aremote area near the Blanco River outside Wimberley, Texas. It’sthe kind of place people go to unplug, read books and rememberwhat real darkness looks like. Ilove real darkness, and the night sky was abig part of the appeal of the experience for me.

Igrabbed my phone as aflashlight and headed to the car.The path was short and obvious. I stepped into the dark with the confidence of someone who believes she understands her surroundings. Let me emphasize the rural Hill Country’sdark. It is not neighborhood dark. On clear nights, this is adarkness that makes all the stars shine bright overhead, but my phone’slittle flashlight did the trick as alight source. Ireached the car without incident, found the medicine bag and turned around to head back, phone flashlight on and still in my hand.

That’swhen Isaw it.

For that split second, my brain and my eyes didn’tseem to be working together,but very calmly, Isaid to myself, “That’samountain lion walking by.”

It crossed my path about 12 feet in front of me

It was moving the whole time. Not toward me.Not away from me.Itwas simply crossing the path Iwas about to take, heading east. It walked like agiant house cat with aplace to go. It just walked on by like it knew exactly where it was going, paying me no mind.

As it stepped, Isaw its muscle ripple in its left hind leg. Isaw its tawny-colored fur.Itwas absolutely silent. Even though Icould see it stepping, Icouldn’thear athing. It camefrom the dark and went into the dark as Istood there frozen. After it passed, Ithought, “I think I’ll go inside.”

Ibegan making noise and waving my armstomake myself look as big as possible —and walking back to the yurt.

When Iwalked back in, my husband said, “What on earth was all of that about?”

As Itold him what had happened, my heart rate ﬁnally caught up with the moment. We spent the rest of the glorious week there in the yurt. He drank coffee in the morning. Iate yogurt. We read books in the afternoons. He drew some. We cooked incredible meals and spent alot of time in the hot tub looking at the stars talking about all the things. We went for walks —inthe daylight and we listened to awhite-winged dove from dawn to dusk.

When Itold the people who run the yurts about the mountain lion, they said that no one staying there had ever reported seeing one before. Research is

LukeKellettand Dre Collinsserve roasted cauliflower from Okra Abbey at its weekly Wednesdaycommunal meal, Grace and Greens.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

LukeKellett, aPresbyterian young Adult Volunteer,volunteers at Okra Abbey. He called NewOrleans homeafter aone-year visit.

INSPIREDDISCUSSIONS

ASK THEEXPERTS

Theimportanceinsupportingmusic teachers

Lafayetteorganization workshardtoease educators’ burdens

BY LAUREN CHERAMIE Staff writer

Hannah Mayo is the immediate past president of the Lafayette Area Music Teachers Association. The organization provides professional development, performance opportunities andcommunity support for area music teachers. She holds two music degrees inpiano from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She has taught piano independently since 2006. Each year,the Lafayette Area Music Teachers Association hosts aholiday playathon fundraiser to support the organization’s Save Our Students Fund —a disaster relief program that supports students and teachers affected by natural disasters across Louisiana and beyond. The association also runs theLafayette Area Piano Teachers Memorial Fund in cooperation with UL that funds a scholarship for apiano student at the university What role does the associationplayin

VOLUNTEER

Continued from page1y

cultural or educational experience. They live on restricted budgets that emphasize shared resources and necessities.

Thomas, aBaton Rougenative, nowleads the program. Former director Dan Lang recently moved to Lafayette. Thomas said she has learned alot during her time leading thePresbyterian Young Adult Volunteer program.

Thomas said the year can be tough emotionally, physically and spiritually —but still, she considers it to be worthwhile She spent ayear volunteering with asimilar program in Baltimore.

“I found it to be very challenging, yet very instructive and formative in positive ways, too,” she said.

She considers her work as interim director as ahigher calling.

“I am certainly older than them and in adifferent stageof life, but not so much that Ican’t access deep empathy for the stage of growth and development that they’re in,” Thomas said.

She said that she believes the most important aspectofthe work is being emotionally available to the volunteers —tolisten, check in and supportthem. Servingneighbors

The Presbyterian Young Adult Volunteer program started in the early 1990s as an ecumenical,faith-based year of service for young people (ages 19–30) in sites across the UnitedStates and around the world. Volunteers work with local agencies to addressroot causes of povertyand promote reconciliation.

supporting music teachers and students in theregion?

We are alocal afﬁliate of both the Louisiana Music Teachers Association and the nationalMusic TeachersNational Association

Theorganization consists of independent music teachers from Lafayette but alsothe surrounding areas including Opelousas, Broussard,Youngsville and St Martinville.Wehost recitals for thecommunity and also playing events forthe musicstudentsof theseindependentteachers to promote performance excellence and give studentsconstructive feedback on performances.

We provide professional development opportunities, manytimes for free. We try to host an annual workshop for teachers. The last two years, we starteda recital featuring the musicofunderrepresented Black composers, which is also free and opentothe public. What aresomeofthe benefits of ateacher joining?

First, aﬁnancial beneﬁt. There aregrants that are available to members. They also have access to our stateand national organizations that offer free educational webinars, as well as apublication

Richard Williams, aPresbyterianminister wholivesinBaton Rouge, volunteered in 1999 with the program in the Philippines, working with ahealth care group that helped Indigenous residents in the mountains organize themselves fortheir ownhealth care and recognize traditional strengths of their own health practices.

He served anotheryear in Nashville,Tennessee, doing more social justice work around public education equality

“I got to see what life looks like when youdon’t have all the privilege and educationthat Ihad in the UnitedStates,” Williamssaid, “and obviously I’ve been trying to catch up to what God’sdoing ever since then.”

He went on to seminary,and then,in 2012, hebecame thedirector of the Young Adult Volunteer program, basedinLouisville,Kentucky.Hedirected the program until 2020, when the COVID-19pandemic paused everything.

Duringhis tenure,the program averaged 70 to 90 volunteers a year thatserved in 15 to 25 different sites, eitheraround the U.S. or globally

Williams credits the volunteer program with instillinga deep compassion for others within him and other volunteers. The Presbyterian Young Adult Volunteer motto is “a year of service for alifetime of change.”

Williams says themotto is more than an adage.

“The year of service looks like serving neighbors who a lot of peoplehave never had the chance to knoworbeclosewith —and seeinghow that changes you,” Williams said.

Q&A WITH HANNAH MAyO

that hascontinuingeducation tools.

It’saverydedicated community,soyou can ﬁnd peoplethatget you excited about your job and help you to keep going as amusic teacher,whichcan be very challenging sometimes.

What advice would you giveparents who are considering starting their child in music lessons?

If you’re going to payfor private music lessons, think about what youimagine for your kids musically and try to ﬁnd ateacher that bestaligns withthat

If your goal is for your child to become acompetition-winning piano player,ﬁnd ateacher who does that. If your visionistomake sure your child is happy and playinganinstrument for therest of their life, find the teacher who aligns with that.

Whatare the benefits of achild playing music?

Thereare so many. With ageappropriate education models, music shouldstart at birth. From birthtoage 5iswhen thebrain’s

He said the experience changes thelives of many volunteerswho becomeinterested in living lives of serviceand develop adeeper faithfulness because they’ve taken that time and energy to get out of their comfort zone.

Safe space

TheNew OrleansYoung Adult Volunteersalso serve at Jefferson Food Bank, Berean Presbyterian Church, Lakeview Presbyterian Church, St. Charles PresbyterianChurch, Chinese PresbyterianChurchinKennerand the Labyrinth, adonation-based cafe supported by NOLA Wesley —Tulaneand Loyola’sProgressive Christian campus ministry For Kellett, theexperience has also been deeply personal. Through hisvolunteering, he has discovered aconnection to his heritage through the Chinese Presbyterian Church. AdoptedfromChina andraised by aWhite family in Cincinnati, Kelletthad limited exposure to Mandarin and Chineseculture. His time with Chinese Presbyterian has been refreshing and life-changing.

HisworkatSt. Charles’s Aden Program,which offers fellowship and activitiesfor memory care patientsaswell as respite for thecaregiver,has revealed one of his passions and callings Brubaker says that Kellett understands what apastoral presence looks like.

Kellett plans to stay in New Orleans and continue working with memorycare adults.

“This hasallowed me to have asafe space, to be able to explore what Iwant to do next,” Kellettsaid. “Tobeinthe communityistointegrateyourself. You’re there to listenand hear when there’sacrisisand understandwhat’s going on. You’re not there to change e verything.”

neuralpathways arereally forming and making lifelong connections.

The brain is constantly pruning, andifyou don’tactivate the wiring for music making and give littlechildren that opportunity, you’regoing to miss an important window

That’snot to say that music is notfor everyone your wholelife, but thatisanopportunity to really let achild claim their musical birthright.

What can parents do from birth to age5 to engagethose neural pathwaysfor music?

Theyshould playlotsofmusic at home. They should sing to their kids. If you can’tsing to your kids, speak rhythmically andexpressively.Face-to-facemusicalinteraction with your ownchild is the bestthing aparent can do.

What qualities do you think makeaneffective music teacher today?

Thebestquality in amusic teacher is someone who canmeet theirstudents where they are and then takethemasfar as theycan.

Youmeet a4year olddifferently than a10year old, andyou meet a10year old differently from a25 year old.You meet abusyfamily differentlythan youmeetafamily whoisactivelydedicated to lessons. Youmeet people where they areand thendoyour best to bring them along for the music learning ride

Email Lauren Cheramieat lauren.cheramie@theadvocate. com.

RISHER

Continuedfrompage1y

time reading about mountain lions in Texas.

Ihad alot to learn. Until last week,Ididn’tknow mountain lions, cougars andpumas were the same animal. Thisfeels like something I should have learned earlier Now Iknow that it’snot surprising that no one else has seen one there —mountain lions generally make it their missionnot to be seen. However,they have been documented in that part of Texas for more than acentury,particularly alongthe nearby Blanco River Like so much in our lives, they are present, but rarely visible. Theirsurvival depends on not being noticed. Themore Ilearned, the more I found myself wondering about the mechanics of the moment. Ikept asking myself, “Did that really happen?”

I’m sure that the mountain lion hadalreadyregistered me —my footsteps, my ﬂashlight, my predictable humanness —before Iturned

around. It had simply decided to continue on its way.The entire thing lasted seconds, but it felt much longer

When Iturned around, my light and Imay have been the surprise. We like to believe that short distances are insigniﬁcant, that being alone means being in control. Forty yards can feel like nothing —until it doesn’t.

Occasionally,something silent crosses directly in front of us and rearranges that thinking.

Iamnot inclined to assign grand meaning to the experience. Amountain lion was moving through its territory.Ihappened to be moving through it at the same time. We noticed each other.Then we went our separate ways.

Still, the days since have felt different, and Iﬁnd myself thinking about how muchoflife is lived in that space between the expected and the unknowable. We check the boxes. We complete the errands. We assumeweunderstand the terrain.

And then, without warning, something reminds us that the world is far less predictable than we pretend.

STAFF PHOTO By JANRISHER

This portion of the Blanco River near Wimberley, Texas,has clear water and plenty of limestone to getfrom one side to the other

Williams

‘Accidental piano man’ helps preserve Shreveport’s music history

BY ELIZABETH DEAL

Staff writer

Beloved Shreveport professional piano entertainer Winston Hall grew up on a middle-of-nowhere farm in central Texas, playing mediocre piano — not knowing it could ever become a career

Hall has called Shreveport his community and his home for almost 20 years. The story of his circuitous path from his first piano gig while attending Angelo State University in Texas to landing a production ofﬁce assistant job in the burgeoning movie industry in Shreveport in 2007 is documented in his 2022 e-book

Wrong Note Right: The Accidental Piano Man.” The story also features celebrity encounters, meeting his wife and stepping into the role of professional piano entertainer

Hall recognized the music history in Shreveport after touring the Municipal Auditorium.

“I remember being gobsmacked by the music history in that building,” Hall said. “I remember thinking, ‘Man there is so music history in this city’ that I just feel like wasn’t out there. At that time, especially, you had to really, really dig for it.”

The Municipal Auditorium, designed by architect Samuel Wiener and built in the 1920s, is a landmark Art Deco design

“I remember taking a picture with the Elvis statue, and I thought, ‘My gosh, Elvis. Elvis sang on this stage before he was really famous.’”

The “Louisiana Hayride” radio broadcast began there in 1948. Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Johnny Horton and Elvis were a few performers who went on to stardom. Locals James Burton and Jerry Kennedy also started there. There are many other famous musicians from Shreveport including Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter, Van Cliburn, Kix Brooks and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Hall recalls looking at a music history map with New Orleans, Tupelo and Memphis. Shreveport was cut in half.

“I remember saying at the time, ‘Wow, they’re ﬁguratively not on the map, but they’re also literally

not on the map.’ And ‘Why do we not have a music museum? That’s a no-brainer of all no-brainers,’” he said. Hall started asking questions, setting up meetings and ﬁnding the movers and shakers in town.

One of the ﬁrst personal actions he took was to begin giving tours of the Municipal Auditorium and talks about Shreveport’s music history

“And I want to make a very important point: There were many people who had done things before I came along to honor the music,” Hall said. “There were different entities and groups all doing things, but I felt like they never really quite meshed together It became this conversation about structurally reorganizing the city The biggest battle was convincing people that it was a ﬁght worth ﬁghting.

In 2024, along with Dan Gar-

ner and Bonne Summers, Hall started Louisiana Haywire to preserve the music, highlighting interviews, footage, photographs and music via a podcast, Red River Radio, and social media.

In 2025, Hall’s efforts were recognized with an invitation by Lt. Gov Billy Nungesser to represent north Louisiana on the Louisiana Music Commission a 15-member board with a mission to preserve, promote and elevate Louisiana’s rich musical heritage.

“The reason I advocate for Shreveport’s music history it’s not something that anybody anywhere else in Louisiana can claim, right? Elvis didn’t get his start on the Louisiana Hayride in New Orleans,” Hall said. “Hank Williams didn’t live in Lafayette He lived in Shreveport for a year and called it the best year of his life.” Hall is grateful that Shreveport

gave him a second chance on a music career and he wants give back. The solution to centralizing music history preservation may have been solved with the creation of the John Gale Horton Foundation in Shreveport, founded in 2025 by Jacob Donaldson.

Hall and Donaldson met during one of Hall’s Municipal Auditorium tours.

“Honoring Johnny Horton here in Shreveport really matters because this is where his career exploded and where his sound was shaped and where he put down roots,” Hall said.

“Without question, his music influenced generations of artists.”

Hall serves on the board of the organization for the foundation which plans to create a music museum and musical heritage center and archives,

which he said will honor all of Shreveport’s musical story and legacy

“If you travel to any cities, they have showpieces. And you’ve seen them all, the Empire State Building in New York and the Arch in St. Louis Shreveport is very lacking in that association,” Hall said.

He thinks it’s important to have the Municipal Auditorium as a focal point.

“At the intersection of Common and I-20, there’s a big grassy area. What I want to put there is the world’s tallest guitar,” Halls said. You can see that spot from every direction on the interstate, a spot where it would drive conversation. And you could even put a little visitor center at the bottom where people zipping by can pull off and read a teaser about our music history.”

STAFF PHOTO By JILL PICKETT

Winston Hall, right, and Chris Allen perform recently at 2 Johns Steak and Seafood in Bossier City

FAITH & VALUES

Celebrating Holi, the Hindu festival of colors

Tradition focuses on love, renewal and rejuvenation

BY DEEPA BHARATH Associated Press

Holi, widely known as the Hindu festival of colors, is a joyful annual celebration at the advent of spring with cultural and religious signiﬁcance.

Typically observed in March in India, Nepal, other South Asian countries and across the diaspora, the festival celebrates love and signifies a time of rebirth and rejuvenation a time to embrace the positive and let go of negative energy

For one of Holi’s most well-known traditions, celebrants clad in all white, come out to the street and throw colored powders at each other, leaving behind a kaleidoscope of pigments and joy Festivities with music, dancing and food ensue.

Holi is celebrated at the end of winter and the beginning of spring, on the last full moon day of the Hindu luni-solar calendar month of Falgun. The date of the festival varies depending on the lunar cycle. Typically, it falls in March, and this year’s celebrations ofﬁcially kicked off March 4 — but festivities can last throughout the month.

In Baton Rouge, Colors of the World is hosting its Holi Festival 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. March 28 at Repentance

Park, 275 S. River Road. In Lafayette, Acadiana Indian Association is hosting the Lafayette Holi Festival 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 28 at Girard Park, 500 Girard Park Drive.

Hindu mythology and lore

In many parts of India, people light large bonﬁres the night before the festival to signify the destruction of evil and victory of good. Different mythological tales point to the reason behind this observance.

In one story, the king, Hiranyakashipu, ordered everyone in his kingdom to worship him and was irked when his own son Prahlad, a devotee of Lord Vishnu, disobeyed his command So he ordered his sister Holika who was immune from ﬁre to take the child, Prahlad, into a bonﬁre while holding him in her lap.

However when the pyre was lit, the boy’s devotion to Lord Vishnu protected him and left him unscathed while Holika, despite her immunity, burned to death.

In another southern India tradition, the event is known as Kama Dahanam to commemorate Lord Shiva burning Kamadeva, the god of love, with his third eye. It symbolizes the destruction of lust and other earthly attachments for a higher spiritual purpose, preceding the joy of colors.

Some also consider Holi a reference to Lord Krishna and his love for his beloved, Radha and his cosmic play with his consorts and devo-

tees called “gopikas,” who are also revered for their unconditional love and devotion to Krishna.

Festival of colors

On the day of Holi, entire streets and towns are filled with people who throw colored powder in the air Some fling balloons filled with colored water from rooftops and others use squirt guns. For one day it’s all fair game. Cries of “Holi hai!”

which means “It’s Holi!” can be heard on the streets. Holi has also been romanticized and popularized over the decades in Bollywood ﬁlms.

The colors seen during Holi symbolize different things. Blue represents the color of Lord Krishna’s skin while green symbolizes spring and rebirth. Red symbolizes marriage or fertility while both red and yellow — commonly used in

ritual and ceremony symbolize auspiciousness.

An array of special foods are part of the celebration, with the most popular food during Holi being “gujia,” a ﬂaky, deep-fried sweet pastry stuffed with milk curd, nuts and dried fruits. Holi parties also feature “thandai,” a cold drink prepared with a mix of almonds, fennel seeds, rose petals, poppy seeds, saffron, milk and sugar

In North America and in any country with a Hindu population, people of Indian descent celebrate Holi with Bollywood parties and parades, as well as a host of public and private gatherings. It is also common for Hindu temples and community centers in the U.S to organize cultural programs, friendly cricket matches and other festivities around the holiday

Community School model seeks to lift students, families

BEN HANSTEIN

Contributing writer

Editor’s note: This story, created by Ben Hanstein for The Maine Monitor, is part of the Solutions Story Tracker from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonproﬁt organization dedicated to rigorous reporting about responses to social problems Louisiana Inspired features solutions journalism stories that provide tangible evidence that positive change is happening in other places and in our own communities — solutions that can be adopted around the world

On-site child care before and after school. Pantries stocked with snacks, toiletries, clothing, backpacks and footwear Dentists checking students’ teeth in the band room. These are among the growing services local schools now provide to meet students’ basic needs.

“If you want children to thrive, you have to meet their basic needs,” First 10 Community School Outreach Coordinator Anita Stevens said. “We’re solution oriented.”

Cape Cod Hill School, or CCHS, serves prekindergartners through ﬁfth graders from ﬁve rural western Maine communities: Chesterville, Industry, New Sharon, Starks and Vienna. More than half of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Within Regional School Unit 9, Cape Cod Hill is the district’s most remote school, serving a sparsely populated area where distance makes delivering services especially challenging.

In 2022, CCHS secured a $25,000 grant from the Maine Department of Education to begin meeting needs that no other local provider could. What started with a food pantry and a few free after-school child care slots expanded in 2023 with the help of a $125,000 state Department of Education Community School grant.

“I think they saw how popular it was,” CCHS Principal Carol Kiesman said.

Cape Cod Hill School is one of a half-dozen Community Schools in Maine and the only one in western Maine.

Kiesman described the model as more of a strategy than a single program. It was originally built around four major tenets — or “pillars” — that reinforce one another: integrating student supports; expanding time and opportunities for learning; actively engaging families and the commu-

nity; and sharing responsibility for student outcomes among staff, parents and community members.

National advocates have since added two more pillars: community-oriented classroom instruction and maintaining a culture of safety and belonging.

The school has steadily expanded what it can offer families.

CCHS now hosts up to 40 students from 7 a.m. until 8:45 a.m., when the school day begins.

The after-school program is capped at 25 slots, giving those students a place to stay until 4:30 p.m while their parents ﬁnish work.

The extra time before and after the school bell rings is critical, Stevens and Kiesman said. The nearest child care options are 20 miles away

In addition to helping keep students in classrooms attendance is a “huge goal” across the district, Kiesman said — the child care program helps keep families from leaving the area.

CCHS offers a range of after-school enrichment programs, from a craft club to a seed squad to an outdoor play group.

Despite the expansion, demand has outpaced resources, leaving a constant waiting list for beforeand after-school care Kiesman said she follows up with families when students stop attending to conﬁrm whether they still need the slot.

Transportation is another challenge Although the Community School funding from the state

Department of Education included money for busing, RSU 9 has not been able to provide drivers a common issue across Maine. Stevens said she organizes rideshares and other workarounds when possible.

Child care is just one cog in what Stevens describes as a big clock: Remove any piece and the whole thing stops ticking. The school’s food pantry has expanded to include weekend food supplies distributed through the RSU 9 pantry in Farmington, along with everything from daily snacks to Thanksgiving food baskets for families.

In winter, a Giving Tree offers clothing and other essentials and has become one of the school’s most popular supports.

There is also a clothing pantry, supplied by donations and a partnership with Apparel Impact, stocked with everything from galoshes to T-shirts to backpacks. During last November’s parent-teacher conferences, paper bags of clothing were set out each labeled “size 8,” and so on — for families to take home.

If a family has a speciﬁc need, Stevens said she taps local organizations and businesses. When three students needed sneakers, the local Masonic Lodge stepped in to provide them and did the same when others needed sweatpants. She has also had success securing gift cards from Walmart, Hannaford and other businesses.

The district contracts with behavioral health providers who

come directly into the school to meet with students with a wide range of needs. Without in-school visits, Kiesman said, most families seeking services would not receive them.

“Most families get put on a waiting list and then wait forever,” she said.

“They wouldn’t receive services,” Stevens agreed.

Another service the school offers is a pop-up dental clinic that comes a couple of times a year Hygienists arrive in the parking lot and roll their equipment into the band room, where students with permission slips meet them for cleanings and checkups. At the most recent visit, the clinic saw 20 students — enough that it expanded from the band room into the music room That access is particularly important, said Maria Watson, the school nurse, because it can take months to secure primary dental appointments — even for families who have the means to get their child there.

“I’d love to get some eye support in here,” Watson said.

Eyeglasses are one thing, but getting students in front of an optometrist is far more difﬁcult.

For Watson, tending to student health can now mean arranging the delivery of heating oil, getting a family’s car repaired, running a monthlong challenge that encourages healthy habits (eat your vegetables and win a basketball hoop) or sending water bottles home to promote better hydration.

“‘We don’t do that’ really isn’t an option,” Watson said.

In many cases, Watson’s support does not draw directly on Community School resources, but the model still gives her a framework for delivering services effectively across a wide geographic area.

While much of the Community School model is geared toward students attending classes at CCHS, organizers have also worked to support families that homeschool. When parents drop off their child for an in-school offering such as gym class, they can now wait in a former staff room that’s been converted into a lounge equipped with computers, a printer and books — rather than sitting in their car

Stevens’ ofﬁce is in the family den, which gives her a good opportunity to check in.

Kiesman said she is convinced the model is producing positive results at CCHS, but sustaining it is the biggest challenge

The First 10 funding that brought Stevens into the district in 2024 is set to phase out in March. The larger state Department of Education Community School funding stream is also designed to taper from $125,000 in 2023 to $75,000 in 2024 and $50,000 last year

“Funding is fading out, but the need is not,” Stevens said. “The need is growing.”

Kiesman and Stevens appeared before the RSU 9 board of directors in early February, winning approval to apply for a $23,750 grant from the Fisher Charitable Foundation to support staff hours later in the school year

The board also approved having CCHS apply for $50,000 in state Department of Education Community School funding for the 2026-27 school year.

Stevens’ thinking now extends beyond meeting student needs to shoring up future funding for the program. In addition to pursuing grants, she is exploring possible collaborations with the Children’s Task Force’s 21st Century program, which supports other district schools but not CCHS.

She is also considering a sliding-scale model in which participating families would contribute ﬁnancial support.

“We’re leveraging any and all possibilities to make the whole system work,” Kiesman said, adding that she wants the program to continue. “We need to be sustainable to keep this thing going.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RAJESH KUMAR SINGH

A child with cerebral palsy attends Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, at an event organized by the Trishla Foundation in Prayagraj, India, on March 1.

PHOTO PROVIDED By BEN HANSTEIN

Community School coordinator Anita Stevens, left, and Principal Carol Kiesman stand in a ‘family den’ at Cape Cod Hill School. The space is designed for use by families and includes computers, books and a printer

SUNDAY, MArch 22, 2026

CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley

SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr

GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters

ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson

ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis

directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

word game

instructions: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

todAY's Word — LitiGAnts: LIH-tihgents: Those involved in a lawsuit Average mark 46 words Time limit 60 minutes

Can you find 68 or more words in LITIGANTS?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

Sudoku

wuzzLes

Important extra chance

North’s three-spade bid showed a potentially useful hand. He would have bid four spades with a very bad hand and a spade fit South cue bid once in case North had extra values and settled for a small slam when North signed off in four spades He won the opening diamond lead with his ace and saw that there were 11 top tricks The obvious chance for a 12th trick was to take the heart finesse. South saw a significant extra chance and he took advantage of it.

He cashed the ace of spades at trick two and then led the six of spades to dummy’s king, preserving the three of spades as a later entry to dummy’s five. He led a low club and inserted his 10 when East played low! That won the trick, so South crossed to dummy in trumps and took the losing heart finesse. Making six!

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

super Quiz

Take this Super Quiz to a Ph.D. Score 1 point for each correct answer on the Freshman Level, 2 points on the graduate Level and 3 points on the Ph.D. Level.

SUBJECT: FAMOUS HISTORICAL PEOPLE

(Example: Commonly known as the “Father of His Country.” Answer: George Washington.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language.

Answer________

2. His formula E = mc2 has been called “the world’s most famous equation.”

Answer________

3. One of his famous quotations is “Veni, vidi, vici.”

Answer________ 4. He led the United States through the American Civil War.

Answer________ 5. One of his nicknames was “The Little Corporal.”

Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

He was

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2026 Tribune Content Agency

It would not have helped East to play the queen of clubs on the first round of the suit. South would have taken his ace and led the 10 of clubs, setting up dummy’s jack for a heart discard. Had the 10 of clubs lost to West, South would have ruffed the likely diamond continuation and cashed the ace of clubs, on the slight chance that East had started with a doubleton honor If nothing good happened in the club suit, South could still have crossed to dummy in trumps and taken the heart finesse. Very well played!

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Believe in yourself, your ability and your desire for peace of mind Direct your strength, wisdom and experience to self-improvement and building a solid base to house your heart and hopes.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Seek help from those with more knowledge and experience, and you’ll make a lasting connection. Too much talk and not enough action, giving in to temptation or neglecting to share will cost you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Take the path that leads to knowledge, experience and the wisdom to make the best choice. Put your energy to work for you and take are of unfinished business.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Change requires willpower time, effort and action. Look around you and draw strength from what you observe. Say no to extravagance and yes to a waste-free lifestyle. CANCER (June 21-July 22) Use your head. Come up with a plan and do your best to see it through to completion. Take care of your responsibilities to avoid criticism. Choose to make a proactive, peaceful push forward.

VIRGO (Aug 23-Sept. 22) Be receptive to suggestions and ready to align what you receive with what you can achieve. Embrace partnerships with equality in mind, and happiness will find its way into your heart. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Choices, temptation, uncertainty and consequences are apparent. Discipline will be necessary to avoid letting someone suck you into their dreams. Do what’s best for you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Stay away from those who try to rule your life. Protect your home, your health and your financial wellbeing. Choose love over discord, and you can thrive.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Avoid crowds, travel and situations that create uncertainty Use your intelligence, clout and connections to harness your desires and get the most out of whatever you pursue.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Keep the momentum and money flowing in a

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Emotions will cloud your memory Don’t lose sight of the past. The best route forward is one that takes past mistakes into account. Let your experience guide you into a free and prosperous future.

direction that offers greater security and safety Avoid emotional decisions and spending that promise the impossible and fall short. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) How you earn and manage your money will lead to unexpected opportunities. Deal with authority figures to ensure you have complied with rules and regulations and achieved the best results.

goren Bridge

Answers to puzzles

1. William Shakespeare. 2. Albert Einstein. 3. Julius Caesar. 4. Abraham Lincoln. 5. Napoleon Bonaparte. 6. Muhammad.7.QueenVictoria. 8. Charles Darwin. 9. Thomas Jefferson. 10. Alexander theGreat.11. Charlemagne 12. Aristotle. 13. Henry VIII. 14.The Buddha (SiddharthaGautama). 15.Karl Marx

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

Saturday's Cryptoquote: Family has alwaysbeen the number oneprioritynomatter what happens anywhere else. —Gloria Estefan